ã€ŠHell Difficulty Tutorial - Stubbing Book 4 (Ch. 296&#x2013;384) by the end of Februaryã€‹


 Chapter 1

    I let out a small yawn, my cheek pressed against the cool bus window. For a brief moment, a street light blinds me, forcing me to close my eyes. When the light fades, another yawn escapes me.

    Shifting my gym bag, I wriggle into a more comfortable position and sneak a peek toward the front of the half-full bus.

    A standing boy mutters something, and his friends erupt in laughter. One of them, in particular, lets out a laugh that''s... well, it''s unique.

    He continues to cackle without a care in the world. Honestly, it''s beginning to freak me out a bit. Seriously, what''s the deal with that laugh?

    As I tear my gaze away from them, I catch the eye of a girl around my age sitting a few seats behind the noisy bunch. Annoyance is etched on her face.

    Our eyes lock for a moment, and then we both nod. Just like that, an eternal bond is forged between us, united in our annoyance by the gaggle of kids but too lazy to do anything about it.

    For a bit, I observe an older lady holding a somewhat cheeky-looking corgi. Then I nod at the blonde girl, my old friend Tess, and she waves at me before turning her attention back to the petite black-haired girl she is talking to.

    I return my attention to the window and notice a small, nearly imperceptible grin on my reflection. Definitely not because someone else is suffering with me.

    Nope.

    Through my closed eyelids, I see the rhythmic flashes of streetlights as we pass by them. The hum of the bus and the muted conversations blend into a soothing white noise, lulling me toward sleep.

    And then, suddenly, chaos erupts.

    Blinding light.

    A sensation of falling.

    Terrified screams.

    The flash of light is far more intense than any streetlight. The sensation is akin to the bus being hoisted into the air and dropped down.

    Screams fill the air again, some quivering with fear, others laced with shock.

    The cacophony of shattering glass and groaning metal assaults my ears. I open my eyes, only to squint as the overpowering light blinds me. My pupils constrict in surprise as they adjust to the brightness.

    Daylight? What the heck?

    I gape out the window at the blue sky and the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. If anyone asked, I''d swear it was morning, or maybe early afternoon at the latest. But how could that be? It was late afternoon just moments ago.

    "Let''s calm down," the bus driver attempts to reassure the frantic passengers. His efforts are in vain, as the shouting continues.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Unlike the others who have sprung to their feet, I remain in my seat, staring out the window. My gaze travels across the sky. A cold sweat trickles down my back as it dawns on me.

    Uh, what? The hell? Is this some kind of hallucination? A dream? Can this really be happening? Something like this shouldn''t be possible, right? I blink my eyes shut, then reopen them. Nothing changes.

    Well, this just got a whole lot more interesting. Since when are there two suns in the sky? Did I bonk my head?

    Is it a prank? How would you even pull off something like that? The first sun is hiding behind the clouds, and the second¡­ the second maybe-sun, smaller and more orange in color, beams in the sky to the left of the first one.

    And where are all the buildings? Where is the road?

    Okay, let''s calm down. Slow and deep breaths.

    Just like this.

    In and out.

    Good.

    I hurriedly fish my phone out of my pocket, and of course, there''s no signal. Not even a smidgen.

    Now what?

    I glance at the other travelers and see that the first ones are already stepping outside. A few of them check their phones but judging from their faces, they''re also out of luck.

    After grabbing my bag, I too exit the bus and step onto the grass¡­ yup, grass.

    "What the fuck?" I hear, and when I glance to my left, I see the annoyed girl from before gawking at the second maybe-sun with her mouth agape.

    Welcome to the club. No refunds.

    Please send help.

    "Sophie." A cute little girl holds the annoyed girl''s hand.

    "...I''m sorry."

    My gaze lands on the bus driver as I survey the area. He''s still trying to calm down others. Must be some weird sense of responsibility or something. About ten people huddle around him. Then some kids, likely from the same school, stand near the bus. A few men, already forming a group, stand off to the side. A girl and her mini version to my left and two women nearby.

    I even hear barking and spot a small corgi''s head peeking out from a woman''s arms.

    "I have no idea what happened!" I hear the bus driver exclaim. "I don''t know where we are," he continues.

    Poor guy.

    "Hey¡­ hey!" I hear behind me as I move away from the bus, checking the signal on my phone.

    It''s the annoyed girl, and she stops when I turn toward her. I don''t say anything, just wait for her to continue. She looks lost for words and simply asks, "Where are you going?" while nervously glancing at the bus as if it''s her lifeboat in the middle of the ocean.

    "Just checking the signal," I show her the display on my phone before continuing. I also dim the brightness to its lowest setting.

    She doesn''t look like she has more to say, so I move on.

    After wandering for a while, but always keeping the bus in sight, I give up and turn off my phone. Better to conserve my battery. Thankfully, my battery is around 80%, but it''s smarter to let others use their phones and save mine.

    I glance at the second maybe-sun¡­ yeah.

    Houston, we have a problem. A little, orange problem.

    Well, if it''s a sun, it isn''t exactly small. It''s probably larger than the planet, moon, or whatever we''re on, but¡­ I sigh and force myself to calm down.

    If I pretend it''s not there, it might vanish on its own.

    I can hope, right?

 Chapter 2

    Deciding not to stray too far from the bus, I take a good look at the people surrounding me. There are 24 of us. 23 if I''m not counting myself. There are 15 males and 9 females of all ages. The youngest one is a little girl next to the girl who looks like she''s perpetually annoyed.

    "Does it look like Earth to you!?" I overhear from the crowd as a 50-year-old man points towards the second, rather questionable sun. I can see spit flying out of his mouth and veins popping up on his forehead. "We can''t just bloody sit here and wait for the police." When he starts shouting, no one tries to calm him down, and it even appears that some of them agree with him. "We should look around first, maybe climb on some trees or something."

    I can''t help but roll my eyes as I stop listening to him.

    We''re surrounded by trees in all directions. They look ordinary. Like the trees you''d find on Earth¡­

    I stop my thoughts. Earth. I think about it. Did I already determine that we aren''t on Earth anymore?

    It appears so.

    After pondering for a bit longer, I come up with a few options, each more ludicrous than the last:

    First, someone kidnapped us. Put us to sleep, perhaps with the help of some gas sedative filling up the bus. Afterward, they waited until morning and then let us wake up in the middle of the forest while somehow faking the second sun.

    I find this option highly improbable as I don''t remember falling asleep. Sure, I was sleepy but I didn''t fall asleep. The only thing I recall is a flash, us falling down together with the bus, and then just being here. There are no empty spots in my memory, and I don''t feel as if anything is missing.

    Second, I am dead. The flash I saw is either us crashing into something, maybe an explosion. Perhaps I got shot through the window. It would mean that this is some weird kind of afterlife.

    I also find this option improbable, not to mention utterly depressing.

    Third, I fell asleep, and this is a dream.

    I pinch my forearm as hard as I can and the pain feels way too real, and I''m now mildly annoyed at myself.

    Fourth, some kind of convoluted prank.

    I think about it for a minute and, after I can''t come up with a way they would pull it off or why they would even bother, I nearly dismiss it. It still lingers, though, because honestly, who knows what people are capable of these days? I once again look towards the passengers. They''re still "discussing." I slowly glance over every one of them, but no one looks high profile, important enough, or rich enough for such a waste of resources.

    I don''t completely scratch out this option, but it''s also highly improbable.

    Fifth, we really are on another planet.

    The main reason is this bloody orange thing in the sky. The probably-sun.

    I just can''t find anything fake about it. Not a single thing. Of course, you would expect higher temperatures, but with the first sun looking slightly smaller and the second one looking weaker, it might balance out. I don''t know to be honest. My knowledge about this kind of stuff is pretty much just the basics.

    I sigh.

    Then I hear one of the schoolgirls screaming and pointing towards the forest. I follow the direction she is pointing towards and notice a wolf standing on the edge of the forest.

    The beast''s brown fur is matted with dried blood. Missing an ear and bearing a gruesome scar on its snout. It fixes its unnerving gaze on the terrified girl, eyes glowing with an eerie light. This massive creature is tall enough for its eyes to be at the same height as mine.

    It growls and takes a menacing step towards us. A huge, car-sized wolf, with a strange text hovering above its head.

    [Wolf - lvl 2]

    Yeah, nope. I am out.

    Thank you and fuck you, whoever is responsible for this monstrosity.

    I am already on my way back inside the bus even before the wolf takes the first step.

    Wolf moves towards us and lets out a deep, long growl. I can feel it in my chest. The deep, disturbing vibration and all my instinct screaming at me to run.

    Yup, it''s definitely time to run.

    People are running back inside the bus, obviously with a lot of screaming. Some of them even fall down and desperately crawl and run back inside. I see a few men pushing kids out of their way just to get in first.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    The level two wolf slowly and carefully walks towards us. He almost seems like he is expecting some kind of trap, and an inhuman intelligence shines in his eyes.

    While not turning my back to him, I get to the bus and enter it as well. Everyone is already inside. I hear a few people sobbing and their scared voices.

    "What the hell is that..."

    "...at least two meters tall."

    "...level..."

    While they are staring at the wolf, I look around, searching for something I could use as a weapon against...I glance outside at...that thing.

    Usurprisingly, there is no weapon laying around. Hell, I would like an RPG at this point.

    Fortunately, I notice a slightly bent iron pole used for people to hold onto the hanging and after a little bit of pulling with all my force, I manage to free it. It''s unfortunately only around 1 meter long and blunt. After another second, I grab a bigger piece of glass from the ground and hold it in my left hand while holding the pole in my right one.

    Probably because of my nervousness or shaking hand, I can already see blood from my cut hand on the piece of glass, but I quickly ignore it.

    The wolf is around 10 meters away from the bus, looking even more dangerous than before. It is sniffing and growling while showing its massive teeth. It has lowered its body closer to the ground as if getting ready to attack or run. Its steps are slower and slower as it starts making circles around the bus while letting out horrifying growls.

    "Hey Google, what''s the opposite of ''pspspsp'' but for wolves instead of cats?" The boy with an annoying laugh says, his voice shaking and his face pale as snow.

    He gets a few shocked looks but no laughs. Everyone is looking absolutely terrified and I am sure some people can''t even see the wolf because of their tears.

    "Mommy..."

    "Oh my god, please let me..."

    "G-get away from the windows..."

    The wolf¡¯s circles are getting smaller and smaller and it seems to be getting more and more comfortable. It''s as if they are slowly stopping seeing us as a threat.

    My eyes are glued to the text over the wolf¡äs head.

    [Wolf - lvl 2]

    I look around but I don''t see anyone with such text over their head.

    I focus and try to filter out all the screams, cries, and wolves'' growling. A crazy thought flashes through my mind.

    It can''t be, right?

    "Profile," I whisper. Nothing happens.

    "Character window," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Window," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Level," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Inspect," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Appraise," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Shut the fuck up with your mumbling!" one of the men yells at me.

    "Shut the..." I start, but then I realize that a few people are watching me like I''ve gone crazy.

    For a second I look around. Some of the passengers already have some kind of "weapon" in their hands, like a glass bottle, a piece of glass from the window, a purse, a messenger bag, or another piece of iron pipe from the bus.

    The wolf is already two meters away from us. We can hear it sniffing and I can see drool dropping from its massive maw.

    I go back to my thing, ignoring the other passengers.

    "Skill window," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Skill," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Skills," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Status window," I say.

    Nothing.

    I hear screams and see a wolf''s massive head behind one of the unbroken windows. Everyone is trying to get as far away as they can, shaking, screaming, and crying while waving their makeshift weapons and trying to look as dangerous as they can.

    "Status," I say.

    Before I have a chance to say another word, a golden see-through window pops up in front of my face.

    [Name: Nathaniel Gwyn]

    Difficulty: Hell

    Floor: 1

    Time left until forced return: 4y 364d 23h 36m 12s

    Lvl 0

    Strength: 6

    Dexterity: 7

    Constitution: 3

    Mana: 1

    [Primary Class: Unavailable]

    [Sub-class: Unavailable]

    Skills:

    Focus - lvl 1

    Mana manipulation - lvl 1

    [Skill Points: 0]

    [Stat Points: 0]

    It''s interesting, but useless at the moment.

    The window disappears when it decides to do so and then the window breaks and the wolf sticks its head inside, ignoring the broken glass and trying to bite an older woman nearby. Fortunately, it only bites off part of her sweater and the fabric tears as the wolf tries to pull her outside. The woman falls down while screaming.

 Chapter 3

    The window breaks and the wolf sticks its head inside, ignoring the broken glass, and tries to bite the older woman nearby. Fortunately, he only bites the hem of her sweater, and the fabric tears as he tries to pull her outside. The woman falls down while screaming.

    I move slightly to the side, holding an iron pipe and a piece of glass in my hand. Then, I notice a man on the opposite side of the wolf, reaching under his jacket and towards his armpit.

    Don''t tell me¡­

    I step a bit closer to the wolf, and its eyes turn towards me. It shifts its head slightly, totally ignoring the broken glass. Its eyes are almost as if glowing. As I get its attention, the man pulls out a pistol, and for a second, our gazes meet. I give him a little nod and step a bit closer to the wolf.

    I am standing just a meter or two away from the wolf, and I feel my heartbeat speeding up. My muscles feel warmed up, and my heart aggressively circulates blood in my veins, and my mind clears.

    There is only me, the wolf, and the man with the gun.

    I don''t hear screams anymore, nor do I feel pain from my scratched forearm or cut palm of my left hand. I squeeze the piece of glass.

    How long has it been since I felt so alive? Did I ever feel so alive?

    [Focus - lvl 1  >  Focus - lvl 2]

    I feel the corner of my lips lifting up slightly as I lower, calculating how far the wolf can reach and how fast it was before. Just to be sure, I add some amount to its reach and double its speed.

    I can feel my muscles squeezing and exploding as I dash towards the wolf.

    It looks almost as if it is smiling as it opens its big mouth with teeth as big as the palm of my hand.

    I stop just in time, and its mouth claps just a few centimeters away from me. Realizing my terrible miscalculation, I add more to its speed and reach in my mind. I move my right hand and try to stab the blunt piece of iron pipe into its ear while predicting the wolf''s dodge.

    The pipe hits its eyebrow, and the wolf lets out a deep growl and instantly attacks again.

    But I am not there anymore. Its maw claps this time a bit further from me, and I slash with my left hand, scratching its upper lip slightly.

    I jump back, and the wolf keeps trying to push its head towards me. The iron plates of the bus creaking and groaning.

    Finally, I hear five quick and loud explosions. Inside the bus, they are deafening, and for the first time, the wolf lets out a loud cry and quickly pulls its head outside. I hear two more shots, and the wolf jumps backward. I notice a slight limping as it does so, and it cries once again, following it with a loud growl and deepening its stance.

    It looks wounded but not fatally.

    It starts slowly walking backwards with its attention turned towards the guy with the handgun. I can see blood dripping down the wolf''s face. It looks like a few bullets hit the right side of its face and some of its leg as it is limping.

    My gaze once again moves towards the text above its head.

    [Wolf - lvl 2]

    The monstrous wolf is slowly moving towards the forest when "Fuck." I put the glass and pole on the seat next to me and quickly pull off my shirt.

    "Fuck me." I tie the shirt around my left hand and grab the piece of glass once again. This time, my grip is stronger and without the glass cutting into my palm.

    I lodge the tip of the pipe under the seat and try pulling and pushing it. When I get it out, I step on it a few times with my full force, trying to sharpen the tip of it at least a little bit.

    My breathing is heavy, and I can hear my blood pumping in my ears. Somehow, I feel stronger and more alive than ever before in my life.

    The wolf is already near the forest, slowly turning around when I jump out of the window and dash towards it. Bare-chested, dirty, and holding my makeshift weapons in my hands.

    Shaking.

    Scared.

    Intoxicated.

    The wolf turns towards me, and my mind is clearer than ever before.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    I slow down into walking while lowering my body, and the monster lets out a deep growl. I decide not to lower its speed in my mind. Underestimating him could be a big mistake.

    It looks weaker, acts weaker, and it''s bleeding and running away, but I decide not to underestimate the monster. Sure. I wouldn''t go after it if it didn''t get shot and probably heavily injured, but this isn''t an animal from the Earth.

    If it''s like I think, we can level up if we kill such monsters. Get skills, get stats. Become stronger and survive until the forced return activates.

    Just like a game. A fucking game.

    I know I am risking my life here, but I don''t think I will get a much better chance than now. If the wolf dies, it will probably count as if the guy with the handgun killed it, so I have to damage it at least a little bit and hope it will do something. It might survive, and not even the guy with the gun will get anything, and in the worst case, it will come back with more of them.

    On Earth, wolves are social creatures.

    Wolf slowly moves towards me, and I start moving to the left, the side where it got shot. Slowly, carefully. The wolf is bleeding, so I have an advantage over it.

    My senses feel sharp, and I can hear my heartbeat. I am not even blinking as I watch the wolf''s legs and shoulders, waiting for it to telegraph its next move.

    Here. I quickly sidestep to the left and then once more, thrusting with my left hand to try to stab its eye with a piece of glass. It doesn''t connect properly, but I leave a deep wound over its eye.

    The wolf instantly turns around, trying to bite after me, but I am already moving backward and swinging with my right hand, hitting its nose.

    The wolf quickly attacks again, and this time I move to the right and slash once again, trying to hit its left eye. It connects, and with a loud cry, the wolf jumps backward with a piece of glass lodged into its eye.

    I bend my knees and dash slightly to the left, and while grabbing the pipe with both of my hands, I hit the shard of glass in its left eye, destroying it and injuring the wolf even further. I dodge its next attack to the left, its blind side, and hit its blinded eye once again as strong as I can.

    The wolf lets out a painful cry and some of its blood splashes on me.

    It jumps backward, but I dash once more. My body feels strong and light. My hands aren''t shaking anymore, and I feel like I can''t see anything else but the wolf. Its movements, twitching muscles, telegraphing its movements. Its paws burrow into the ground as it prepares its attack.

    I stab the wolf''s blinded eye with the tip of the pipe and jump back. My body feels like it''s burning, and my heart is beating like crazy. I try to gulp, but my throat is parched.

    I slowly take a deep breath. I don''t think I am going to lose.

    The wolf is stronger, faster, and much more resilient. But I don''t think I will lose.

    I dash, but this time towards its right side. The wolf attacks the opposite side, probably expecting me to attack its blinded eye once again, but instead of that, I lift the pipe over my head, and with all the strength I can muster, I hit its right eye.

    It''s not blinded, but there is blood flowing from a deep wound over the eye, partially blocking its vision.

    The hit connects, and as a few times before, the wolf cries and jumps back. Expecting that, I am already dashing towards its right side and hitting it once again, finally blinding even its other eye.

    I stop and while the wolf thrashes around, biting towards all sides, I take a deep breath.

    Calm down.

    I breathe in.

    Focus.

    I breathe out.

    Focus.

    [Focus - lvl 2  >  Focus - lvl 3]

    I take a deep, slow breath, calming down my rapidly beating heart. My body feels like it''s burning, and my muscles hurt. I feel lightheaded, and there is a deep scratch on the left side of my chest. I didn''t even notice it. I look at the wound, slightly surprised.

    The wolf stops attacking and starts letting out quiet cries while shifting and baring its teeth.

    While untying the shirt from my left hand, I move towards its right side. I make a ball from my bloodied shirt and throw it to the right. After waiting one second, I dash towards the left side while grabbing the pipe with both hands and pointing the slightly sharpened side towards the ground.

    The monster jumps towards the shirt, its mouth letting out a horrifying noise as it bites with its massive mouth.

    While trying to stay as quiet as I can, I lift my hands high in the air and thrust downward with a pipe in my hands, aiming for the wolf''s eye.

    The monster wolf lets out a horrifying noise as I push the pipe as deep as I can before letting it go and jumping away from it. I watch the wolf thrashing around while growling, biting, and dashing in random directions.

    I grab my shirt from the ground and start walking back to the bus while not letting my eyes off the wolf monster.

    It sniffs and then starts running towards the forest while growling and limping. The monster hits one tree but ignores it and enters deeper into the forest with the steel pipe still lodged in its eye.

    The world slowly comes back into focus as the wolf disappears, and I can hear the people from inside of the bus.

    Pain hits me in waves.

    My wounds.

    My burning muscles.

    My head feels like it''s about to explode.

    Out of nowhere, I don''t have any more strength in my legs, and I almost fall to my knees, only my will keeping me standing.

    My heartbeat slows down, and the world¡­the world feels ordinary again, once more

 Chapter 4

    When I turn around, I see a few people getting out of the bus. The man with a handgun is one of them.

    ¡°I''ve never seen such a dumbass in my life,¡± he shakes his head unbelievingly.

    I just nod, totally agreeing with him. I try to force a smile on my face, but it doesn''t work. I just keep nodding instead of talking. Not like there are a lot of people who want to talk to the bloodied guy who chased a wolf as big as a small car.

    I can''t see why.

    "No, I am not suicidal," I answer one guy. Isn''t it kind of rude to ask something like that?

    "Yes, it was dumb," I answer an older lady. What are you, my mom?

    "Yes, it hurts a lot.¡± No shit.

    "I just thought I had to.¡± Let''s act like a good little boy.

    Blah, blah.

    I just try to force out answers people want to hear and look as normal and harmless as possible. I am guessing we won''t be coming back to Earth anytime soon, so it isn''t bad to try to make some "friends". I can''t just sleep with my eyes open, and there might be things other people are better at than me.

    After a few minutes of questioning, I start feeling uncomfortable because of people surrounding me and asking questions. My energy drops even more than after a fight with a wolf.

    I know I am not particularly social, but I try to not let it be too obvious, so I answer a few more questions, give a few pieces of advice, and then tell them about "status." That finally makes them shut up, and they just stare into the air a few centimeters in front of their face. As I thought, their windows are invisible to me.

    I sneak away to the opposite side of the bus and sit down on the grass, resting my back against the tire.

    Sigh.

    Who knew that even in another world, surrounded by monsters, the most dangerous beings are extroverts.

    A few minutes later, I feel much better without people surrounding me.

    I slowly lift my shirt from my side, dried blood slightly gluing it to the wound. Fortunately, I am not bleeding anymore, and the wound doesn''t seem as bad as I thought.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    A sigh leaves my mouth as I put the shirt back on my wound. It could be worse. Much worse. I should be able to find a first aid kit on the bus, but there is something more important now.

    What was that? What the hell was that? I am not even talking about the giant wolf, nor about two suns in the sky, or these goddamn holographic windows and text over the wolf''s head.

    I am sure I can adapt and survive it, as always. But once my decision-making goes the wrong way, I am dead. One small mistake can mean death.

    So why did I do that? I close my eyes and reflect on my actions.

    Sure, I did feel some boredom back on Earth. Lack of excitement or change. Something to strive for. But that doesn''t sound like a good enough reason to charge a gigantic wolf.

    It''s not me. I don''t act like that. I know myself well enough to say it with certainty. So let''s think about it.

    Could it be some kind of mind manipulation? Is someone controlling my feelings or at least giving me impulses to charge at the wolf? I already noticed two new skills in my ¡°status¡±, and I am more than sure that there are many more.

    I look at the people around the bus. One of them? I did get two skills at the start, so what if¡­I try to replay the whole fight in my head, from the start to the end.

    At first, I just wanted to get the wolf''s attention so the guy could shoot it. That feels like something I would do as it''s helpful for my survival and not too risky. Not for me. During that part of the fight, I started feeling strength filling my body as I increased my focus. I felt as if I could control my body to an unusual degree and even gain more strength from it than usual. I bet that''s the skill called Focus. More testing is needed, but I am pretty sure of that.

    It''s possible that someone manipulated me during the fight. I have no way of knowing if it was just something like sending me some impulse to fight longer in hopes of killing the wolf or someone unable to control their skill. Some scared passenger sent me to my death.

    Another option is for them to realize the skills they have and use them on me while not caring if I die or live. That also sounds plausible.

    Then there is also a chance that''s something the Wolf did, but looking at how he ended up...

    I sigh and open my eyes to look at the sky. I need more information, more testing, more time. For now, it will be best to watch my feelings and impulses. One mistake can lead to my death, so I would rather think twice and analyze everything I do. I will find the responsible person, and if I can''t use them, I will have to deal with them.

    Yes, let''s do that. My mind is mine and mine only.

    I feel anger rising up deep from inside me, the anger I pushed to the back of my mind.

    This time, I didn''t even bother to think if this impulse is me or someone manipulating my feelings.

 Chapter 5

    [You have defeated a Wolf - lvl 2]

    [Lvl 0 > Lvl 1]

    After resting against the tire of the bus for a few minutes, I receive a message indicating that the wolf had finally died. Either it succumbed to its wounds or another animal finished it off. Well, at least I got enough experience to level up.

    [Name: Nathaniel Gwyn]

    Difficulty: Hell

    Floor: 1

    Time left until forced return: 4y 364d 23h 12m 3s

    Lvl 1

    Strength: 6

    Dexterity: 8

    Constitution: 3

    Mana: 2

    [Primary Class: Unavailable]

    [Sub-class: Unavailable]

    Skills:

    Focus - lvl 3

    Mana manipulation - lvl 1

    [Skill Points: 0]

    [Stat Points: 3]

    I got three stat points, and my level changed. Also, somehow my Mana and Dexterity went up by 1 point each.

    One hour. I can''t believe we have been here for that short time. Somehow it feels much longer.

    I try touching the holographic window with my finger, but nothing happens. My finger just passes through.

    "Stat explanation."

    Nothing.

    Haaaa. Not again. I am too tired for this. I''m sure there will be some gamers on the bus so I can make them do all the work, but for now, there is one stat I can''t go wrong with.

    "Put 1 stat point into Constitution," I try, and one stat point disappears. Huh? It actually worked.

    Now I try to focus and think about wanting to put 1 stat point into Constitution. It takes a moment, but then I get a feeling as if someone is asking me for confirmation, but in my mind. It¡äs unsettling but I send back something like a thought version of "yes," and another point disappears. This could be useful.

    I quickly add the last remaining point into Constitution and close the status window.

    Now back to stats.

    Strength and dexterity should be self-explanatory, and Constitution should be something like endurance, vitality, health, or an all-in-one stat. Hopefully, it will help me heal faster or require less rest.

    There is no need to be greedy for power or speed. As I already noticed, I can level up my stats even without stat points, and survival is most important at the moment. I don''t know if it''s the placebo effect, but I already feel better. Well, let''s wait and find out.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Now, mana. I already used mana to strengthen my body. I think. The movement I showed while fighting the wolf should have been impossible for a 1-hour younger me. It could be Focus, it could be Mana manipulation, or both. If I learn how to control it, it will increase my chances of survival.

    Okay, I will figure it out later.

    My name. Somehow, the system knows my real name. The best thing I can do at the moment is to be prepared to not be surprised if some of my private information pops up out of nowhere.

    Freezing from the surprise in the middle of a dangerous situation can be deadly, so for now, let''s think that the entity controlling the system knows everything about me. While we are here, I need to let go of my life on Earth and focus on surviving here.

    It might be pretty drastic, but I am at the mercy of the entity, system, and the only sensible thing is to focus on surviving. It''s better to think that I will be stranded here for five more years, and that''s long enough for people to declare us dead.

    Let''s forget about everyone on earth - my family, my friends, everyone. There will be time to grieve or celebrate after I get forcibly returned, so it''s better to be pleasantly surprised than any other option.

    Well, it''s not like there are that many people I care about. To be honest, the list may be really short.

    The most important thing at the moment is my survival, and I can''t let anything distract me. Let''s use other passengers as well. I should act fairly friendly but distant enough, at the same time, I can''t let them use me. I need to act a bit more distant. I can also put on a strong front. If I set it up right, it will be a nice combination of give and take, with me taking more than I''m giving.

    For a second, a thought flashes through my mind - would it be possible to level up by killing them? This time I think about it a bit longer but decide against it in the end. I started with lvl 0, and others are most likely the same. Even if it''s possible to level up by killing people, I am lvl 1 at the moment, and I would most likely need to kill most of them. If it''s even possible to gain experience from lvl 0 or a human.

    It might be even on purpose that everyone is level zero.

    Also, I already decided on using them - well, at least from the start and until I collect more data or become stronger, so let''s not go this way.

    Sounds good.

    Good.

    I take the shirt off my chest, and I don''t know if it''s just me, but the wound already looks better.

    Another thing from the status is the word "forced" return. If I had to say, it means that there is a way to return to earth without waiting for 5 years. Not a forced way of returning. But... Do I even want to?

    Well, probably yes, as it''s much safer that way, however... later... I will reflect on that later.

    The Floor 1 part in the status is interesting as well. It means there are more floors, and if I think about it as a game, we will have to fill out some requirements to move to a lower or upper floor, or we will be moved there after some time. Maybe after 5 years? That doesn''t sound right - we never went to another floor, so we don''t have any place to return to. The only fitting place to return to is Earth.

    Let''s collect more info first and then think about it again.

    The level number in my status is probably only showing how many times I got 3 stat points. But it can be useful in another way as well. Maybe I will need to be at a certain level to be able to do something, or it''s just some kind of strength measurement.

    The difficulty is pretty disturbing - Hell.

    In games, the difficulties are usually categorized as easy, normal, and hard, with "hell" representing the most challenging level. Therefore, I must be extremely cautious. When facing an enemy, I need to make sure to not underestimate them, even if they appear weaker.

    I am also curious why I got this difficulty, which may be the hardest one, but at the moment, I have no way of finding out. There is also the possibility that there is an even harder difficulty, but no way of confirming it at the moment, or at least I don''t know about any.

    Classes sound interesting, but I don''t have the option to pick one. There may be special requirements or I need to level up more.

    It is already clear that the system knows a lot about me, and it''s highly possible that I am being watched by it even at the moment. It doesn''t even have to be someone personally watching over me, just some kind of program writing down my actions and thoughts.

    Now when I think about it, even the process of leveling up is kind of weird. I have an idea of how it works in games, but being stuck in this situation makes me want to think about it a bit more logically.

    There is a possibility that leveling up is just a reward from the entity/system for killing the monster. Meaning that I got granted stat points by it after fulfilling the requirements of leveling up.

    Another option is that I got stat points by killing the wolf - the wolf died, and its life force or something similar to it got transferred to me and probably to the guy with the gun. Possibilities are that its life force got split between the two of us. Another one is that we humans need more life force than the wolf to get to lvl 2. The third possibility I can think of is waste during the transfer of its life or the system taking a "cut."

    I like the possibilities with life force more. They sound a bit more logical, and I always liked to think of magic as science we don''t understand.

    Taking a deep breath, I slowly stand up, but fortunately, my head doesn''t spin, and I feel pretty good all things taken.

    It''s time to socialize and find someone useful.

 Chapter 6

    What welcomes me inside the bus is a bunch of people absentmindedly staring into the air. Well, some of them are discussing.

    ¡°Fuck you, I will not go into that goddamn forest! You go there if you want to die that much!¡±

    Calmly discussing the situation we are in.

    It looks like the wolf scared them as all of them are inside, using the bus as shelter. It''s easy to understand why, but I already know that we can''t stay here for too long. The main problem is water and food. It''s only been around an hour since we arrived, but I already feel thirsty and hungry, most likely because of the energy I used.

    Even if they are not hungry at the moment and have a bottle of water with them or a little bit of food, soon they will need to look for more.

    ¡°So you''re back,¡± the man with the gun comes towards me and falls silent for a moment, watching the bus driver conversing with two adult men. He then looks at me, ¡°You good?¡±

    I nod. I have already put my white shirt on. Ehm, my formerly white shirt. I guess it''s red now.

    ¡°We will need some water and maybe food and it would be best if we look for it before sunset," he says directly.

    He seems to be on the calm side, and from the way he watches other people, I can say that he is in a better state than most others.

    Anyway, he should have a good impression of me as well. Hopefully. Well, maybe not that good. In his eyes, I might be a suicidal lunatic.

    He looks at me for a whole minute, with a deep discerning stare as if he''s trying to see inside my head. His stare makes me slightly nervous, especially knowing that he should have leveled up as well. Who knows what skills did he get or how did he use his stat points.

    ¡°Soo, how many bullets do you have left?¡± I break the silence.

    He once again falls silent and looks at me, a slight smile slowly appears on his face, ¡°Not too many.¡± There is a hint of amusement and warmth in his voice.

    "I see." So, the careful and not too trusting type.

    He is slightly shorter than me. His figure is pretty robust and muscular, with a sense of authority around him. It might be caused by his gun, but I don''t believe that''s just it.

    A cop? Maybe.

    "Nathaniel." I reach out my hand toward him, and he accepts. His grip is strong, and he looks into my eyes while shaking my hand.

    Like I do to him, he is also judging me.

    "Hadwin." he says.

    I notice a few people staring at us, but I ignore them for now, "Did you also level up?"

    "Yes," the bus quiets down, and I can see them listening to us. "I already used my stat points. One of the kids told me to do so," he nods towards the school kids. "It''s crazy when you think about it. Us appearing in the middle of nowhere, two suns, gigantic wolf..." He smiles awkwardly while looking around.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    When he looks back at me his smile is gone, "You know," he starts, and I can see that he is trying to find the right words. "I thought about it, and I think we should look around. We will need water soon and we might find out something about this place."

    I can tell what''s going to be next.

    "Do you want to join me?" His eyes seem honest and firm as he asks me to risk my life.

    So shameless, "Sure, let''s go."

    Short pause while he slowly brushes his hair off his forehead and his muscles tense a little bit. After a few seconds, he relaxes his body and a quiet sigh escapes his mouth.

    ¡°To be honest, I pretty much expected you to decline,¡± he says.

    "I gave it some thought." I shrug my shoulders. "We should look around while we are not starved or dehydrated. Logically, it will be harder the later we go."

    ¡°It''s not about logic¡­ People don''t tend to think logically in situations like this¡­¡± Another sigh escapes his mouth. ¡°I see¡­ Well, I guess you are one of these guys¡­¡±

    I feel like I should be insulted, but I let it go. I kind of like the way this goes.

    Let''s put it all on Hadwin.

    Yup. I like it.

    "Others should keep watch while we look around." He quickly gives a few orders, and I can see that he has already talked to a few people, and they seem to respect him enough to follow his orders.

    It''s the gun. I bet it is because of the gun.

    Obviously, some of them seem dissatisfied with the guy with a gun leaving them to go into the forest, but no one says anything. Most likely, they are scared that he will ask them to go with him.

    I am not too surprised at their lack of initiative. It''s weirder that Hadwin and I plan to go there without being pressured to do so.

    Hadwin grabs his backpack and two iron pipes, clearly inspired by me. He gives me one, and I take it.

    Some of the passengers see it and start talking amongst themselves, and I see some of them trying to pry out their own pipes.

    What''s with that reaction time? As we are about to leave the bus someone stops us.

    "Do you have a spot?" On the bus, there are a few 30-40-year-old men, and the one asking is one of them. He is close to 2m in height and slim, but his shoulders are surprisingly wide. His face is on the handsome side, and he is smoothly shaven.

    "Maybe¡­" Hadwin stops next to me

    "Damon," he reaches his hand towards Hadwin and then towards me.

    His grip is even stronger than Hadwin''s. Hadwin''s shake was just a greeting, but Damon''s is clearly some sort of test as he squeezes my hand as strongly as he can.

    As he lets go of my hand, his gaze stays on me a bit longer than on Hadwin.

    "I would like to join you. I grew up in the countryside, so I shouldn''t be baggage inside the forest."

    Well, in the worst case, we can use him as bait. Something tells me that Hadwin wouldn''t like it, but I can work around it.

    "Sounds good," says Hadwin, and I just nod. Damon once again looks into my eyes.

    Look at him. I feel amused as his look isn''t too friendly, more like the opposite.

    As we exit the bus, no one else joins us. No one is brave or desperate enough to come with us. Not yet.

    Well, almost no one. I saw one of the school kids wanting to join us, but others stopped him. Well, I call them kids but all of them are around 18 years old, not that much younger than me.

    Bless you, kid. Maybe next time?

    After something eats Damon.

 Chapter 7

    Outside, we find the annoyed girl leaning against the bus. She is clearly keeping watch, looking towards the place where the wolf came from.

    It''s a good idea.

    She is around my height, slim, and has an athletic figure. The most striking thing about her is her deep green eyes, which are even more noticeable against her tanned skin and brown hair.

    "I want to join you," she says without holding back. Her voice shakes almost unnoticeably as she says so, yet she seems determined, "I also want to level up. I need to level up."

    Oh? Did they have a group talk inside the bus while I was thinking outside? They seem fairly used to the idea of leveling up.

    "I need to become stronger as soon as possible. Wolves usually don''t move alone, and... we don''t know what else is here. I swear I won¡ät slow you down."

    Everyone should be level 0, with only me and Hadwin being higher level so she also might be worried about lagging behind us. Or does she just want to protect the little girl next to her?

    Did Hadwin share the results with others? Did he put all three points into strength and test it out while they were watching? How much of a difference would three points make?

    "I don''t think we have to worry about that," says Hadwin, to my surprise. He continues, "The wolf from before did look starved and wounded, and he didn''t even try to call for other wolves before attacking us." He looks at us. "So it''s either the last surviving wolf from the pack or they chased him away from it."

    I like the sound of that. I really do but, "I think we should expect the worst option," I say as their eyes turn toward me. I shrug my shoulders and don''t say more.

    "I partly agree with you," Hadwin says carefully, caressing his short beard as he speaks. "But we shouldn''t let it scare us too much. Doing nothing because we are too worried could cost us."

    I''m slightly disappointed. He seems too confident.

    Whatever. If it seems like he''s too careless, I can leave them.

    "Hadwin," as he reaches his hand, the brown-haired girl grabs it. "I have to warn you. It will be really dangerous out there."

    She just nods and shakes his hand, "Sophie."

    "Damon."

    "Nathaniel," I add, and for a second, our eyes meet.

    "I know," she says very quietly.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Hadwin and Damon probably didn''t hear it, but I could because she is standing a little bit closer to me. I try to think about it, but I can''t remember her at all.

    Maybe I met her at the gym? She seems fairly athletic and there aren¡ät that many places where she could meet me.

    I look at the girl next to her who stayed quiet up until now. She looks similar to Sophie. She isn''t as tanned but her hair is the same and her eyes have a slightly lighter shade of green. She is around 10 years old, but it''s hard for me to tell.

    She is also shyly half-hiding behind Sophie, but she is peeking with big and wide-open eyes.

    That can be a problem.

    ¡°I hope you don''t plan to take a kid with you.¡± As expected, Damon sounds as annoying as he looks.

    It''s not like I don''t agree with him. Quite the opposite. There is no way we are going to take a little kid with us.

    Damon just sounds¡­ super punchable.

    ¡°I am not¡­¡± It''s clear that Sophie wants to go with us, but at the same time, where should she leave the little kid? With whom?

    The girl slightly pulls the shirt of a distressed Sophie, and she turns to her with a smile on her face. To me, it looks fake but I guess it¡äs good enough to trick a little girl.

    ¡°Don''t worry, Izzie.¡± She gently caresses her head, and there is a lot of gentleness and love in her action.

    However hard this might be, I am glad I ended up here alone.

    ¡°How about you leave her with Jacob? He seems like a good guy,¡± Hadwin finally says. ¡°She will be safer with others.¡± He pauses. ¡°You can stay too¡­ with your¡­¡±

    ¡°Sister¡­¡± Sophie says slowly.

    ¡°Sister.¡± Hadwin kneels in front of the girl, and a big soft smile appears on his face. ¡°God knows I would do the same.¡±

    The little girl proceeds to avoid his gaze and looks back up at Sophie.

    I think it''s already taking too long. She is most likely scared of being left behind, and probably not trusting us that much too. Who knows what would happen if we come back much stronger?

    For now, it looks like nothing much has changed, but the moment some of us obtain strength way beyond others, things will become¡­ difficult.

    ¡°You should come,¡± I say as she turns towards me with a surprised look on her face. Her sister starts peeking again. ¡°We most likely won''t go too far at first. Not far enough to not hear if something happens.¡±

    It¡äs obvious that she already decided to go with us, so why is she struggling that much? Just trust your own decisions and then take responsibility if something happens.

    ¡°One or two hours should be enough to scan our closest surroundings. After that, we will come back with some wood which we can use for weapons and fire,¡± I suggest. "If something happens they can use the bus horn and we can rush back as quickly as possible."

    After a little while, she finally accepts the plan and disappears inside the bus with her sister. I can see her talking to the bus guy, Jacob, apparently. Her sister starts crying.

    "For fuck''s sake," Damon complains.

    When Sophie comes back, we finally start walking toward the forest. Not coincidentally, we walk on the opposite side of where the wolf came from. Everyone stops talking as we come closer to the trees, and the atmosphere instantly changes. It''s as if the closer we get to the trees, the more nervous everyone becomes.

    Interestingly enough, the trees seem normal. I don''t know what I expected. Shining leaves? Faces on trunks? Whispers in the wind?

    Tree branches wave slightly in the wind, as the suns shine through the crowns of the trees.

    It looks like a normal forest.

 Chapter 8

    I keep my guard up as we enter the forest. I squeeze the iron pipe in my hand. For a start, let''s not touch anything. Who knows if it''s poisonous?

    Hadwin enters first, closely followed by us. His iron pipe is behind his belt, and there is the gun in his hands. I am not an expert, but the way he holds it seems like someone used to weapons.

    Maybe he really is a policeman. Judging from the way he talks and acts, I wouldn''t be surprised.

    "Focus and listen to our surroundings," he says as he slowly walks between the trees. "Nathaniel, you will take my left, Damon you focus on your right, and Sophie you will have our back."

    I slightly change my position. Obviously, I don''t focus only on the left, but I give it a bit more focus than other directions. Don''t forget to check the tops of the trees as well.

    "Talk only in a whisper, and if you hear flowing water, see wet places, puddles, or anything suspicious, let us know," Hadwin whispers.

    We slowly continue. It''s almost funny. A bunch of adults led by a crazy man armed with a handgun sneaking through a normal-looking forest.

    Fortunately, the forest isn''t too dense, so we move without a problem.

    Thirty minutes later, I can hear Damon silently cursing under his breath. Something about the mother and the forest?

    "Motherfucking alien forest," I hear from Damon.

    Oh. That makes much more sense.

    I don''t blame him. Every one of us twitches every time we hear the slightest noise. After a while, it''s really tiring. We continue as Hadwin leads us in a circle around the clearing with a bus. The clearing is on our right side, and we didn''t walk too deep inside the forest.

    I also noted that Damon touched the trees a few times, and he looks fine, so they most likely aren''t poisonous.

    "We are getting to the place where the wolf came from," Hadwin says.

    Just this sentence is enough to bring us to the tips of our toes. Damon instantly shuts up, and I can almost hear him squeezing his weapon.

    Somehow I feel calmer than before.

    "Movement to our left," I whisper, and I hear Hadwin''s gun click as he turns it towards his left. "A bit more to your right," I quickly add, and he points it there.

    I squeeze the pipe in my hand as two human-like beings rush at us at once while holding primitive weapons in their hands. I step to the left and avoid a stab with a spear. They don''t seem to be too tall, almost like kids or young adults, so I hesitate for a second.

    Then I hear a gunshot, just one, followed by a weird scream.

    I dodge another stab and swing with the pipe, it connects and I hit the creature on its head.

    Its head is harder than expected, so I hit once more while using as much strength as I can while dodging its aggressive but clumsy stab. The creature falls down.

    When I look around, Hadwin is already running after another one.

    [Goblin - lvl 3]

    The goblin is shot, and Hadwin is holding the pipe in his hands, closely behind the monster.

    Sophie and Damon are fighting the third enemy, which surprisingly attacked from somewhere behind us. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    [Goblin - lvl 2]

    Another level 2. They seem to be overpowering it, especially Sophie with some clearly well-trained moves.

    Not bothering to help them, I quickly follow Hadwin. I am sure he wants to stop the goblin from running away and maybe bringing back more of them, but at the same time, he is saving his bullets.

    I quickly find him fighting the monster. The green creature seems to be mortally wounded by his gun so that makes it easier.

    While slowing down to walk, I keep my eyes on Hadwin. His movements are careful and calculating as he slowly makes a half-circle around the creature, which is swinging something that looks like a knife.

    There are wounds other than gunshots covering the creature¡äs body. Seems like the older man did get in some attacks.

    Out of nowhere the cornered creature quickly dashes at him, but its movements are just that ¨C quick. There is no technique and no other intent than just violence.

    Hadwin almost dodges it, but the creature hits him with the edge of its shoulder, making him lose his balance and fall down. For its size, the green monster is surprisingly strong.

    I am already on my way as it starts a downward stab, and Hadwin lifts up the pipe against it.

    Before it connects, I hit the creature''s hand with my full strength, getting a scream out of it and making its knife fall.

    The goblin turns towards me, a murderous look in its red eyes. I can see its pointy teeth as it fully opens its mouth and rushes at me with a loud scream.

    In one move, I dodge to the right and hit the back of its head as inertia makes the goblin move ahead.

    Of course, it''s not enough, and the goblin charges me again. This time I dodge to the left and follow up with a kick, focusing more on pushing it further away than on damaging it.

    The goblin screams with rage and turns back to me as I am lifting its knife from the ground.

    For a second, it makes a beautifully dumbfounded look.

    One long and quick step.

    Stab.

    It puts its hands in front of its neck, but in the middle of the move, I change the direction of the stab, and the knife easily enters its eye. I step back, just far enough, to dodge its blindly waving hand.

    The creature screams and scratches its face, surprisingly still alive.

    Then Hadwin hits its temple from the side. Goblin falls to the ground. The second hit from Hadwin lands as the goblin starts twitching on the ground. Last hit. I can hear the wet and nauseating noise of the iron pipe breaking its skull.

    The goblin finally stops screaming.

    [You have defeated a Goblin - lvl 3]

    Then I notice my wildly shaking hand, tense muscles, and rough breathing. The world comes back into focus, and I feel like someone turned off the noise canceling.

    Hadwin is breathing heavily and cursing under his nose. I hear Sophie and Damon not far away from us.

    "One goblin is only unconscious. Can you keep a watch?" I ask quickly.

    Hadwin nods with a tired imitation of a smile, and I can see the sweat running down his forehead.

    Before running back, I grab the knife and pull it out of the goblin''s eye. It makes a disgusting noise I am sure I will remember for a while.

    When I get back to Sophie and Damon, I can see them repeatedly hitting the goblin they were fighting against. It seems to be dead, but they don¡ät stop. They have furious looks on their faces, and I can see some wounds on their bodies. The wounds don''t seem to be serious.

    The goblin I stunned is still lying on the ground. I kick its leg while standing as far as possible, and when it doesn''t react, I calm down slightly. I still can feel the adrenaline flowing through me and probably mana as well, and just now, I am slowly realizing what happened as if I am coming back to reality.

    My heart is beating wildly and multiple feelings wash over my body.

    Fear, relief... desperation

    Calm down.

    Think logically.

    Calm down.

    Calm down.

    CALM DOWN.

    My breathing slows, and I finally catch my breath, and my focus comes back to normal.

    I am such a mess.

    I hear quiet sobs from Sophie behind me, but she quickly stops, almost choking on them.

    While clenching my teeth I slowly lower my body, carefully, while watching the unconscious goblin. And then, without hesitation, I stab a dagger deep into its eye.

    [You have defeated a Goblin - lvl 2]

    [Lvl 1 > Lvl 2]

 Chapter 9

    I decide to ignore stat points for now as I want to test their effects a bit more so I pull the dagger out of the goblin¡äs eyes.

    Damon and Sophie seem to be shaken, but their wounds aren''t that serious. Damon is naturally athletic and strong, with long limbs, meaning his reach is pretty big. Sophie seems to be well-versed in martial arts, but even so, this creature, around a meter and a half tall, managed to hurt them in a 2v1 fight.

    ¡°Motherfucker¡­¡± Damon kicks the corpse of the goblin.

    For me, it just seems like a way of hiding his fear. I can even see his shaking hands and hear a slight tremble in his voice.

    ¡°Can you carry its corpse?¡± When I ask, he looks at me like I''m crazy.

    ¡°There might be more of them, and we don''t want them to find their friend¡äs corpses,¡± I add before he says anything.

    He just nods solemnly after a short pause.

    ¡°Sophie.¡± When I call her name, she looks up.

    Oh. I like the look in her eyes.

    ¡°I will carry the other one, and you can help Hadwin,¡± she says.

    She catches on pretty fast.

    ¡°Carry only the corpses; I or Hadwin will take care of the rest.¡± I pause. ¡°Don''t bring them too close to other passengers for now,¡± I add.

    She nods.

    I go deeper into the forest. The dagger is once again in my hand. It''s made out of some kind of obsidian-like stone, but it''s surprisingly sharp and hard.

    Hadwin is looking at the corpse of the goblin, and I step next to him.

    ¡°Damon and Sophie will bring the other two away. I will take this one. Can you take care of their weapons?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I will. I can also try to cover up some of our and their tracks.¡± Hadwin answers while standing up.

    "Sounds good." To be honest, I partially expected something like that from Hadwin, but I wasn''t so sure. I scan the man in front of me once again.

    Let''s be a bit more careful with him.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    The way he starts looking around and taking care of tracks that he can cover looks experienced to me, but I don''t know much about bushcraft, so he could very well be making it worse.

    I keep a watch while he does so, and when he is done with our closest surroundings, I kneel to lift up the goblin and put him over my shoulders.

    Unintentionally, I let out a surprised noise as the goblin is much heavier than I expected him to be. Probably more than the average adult male.

    Goddamn green asshole.

    For someone at this height, it''s a lot and he isn''t even that bulky. But I guess we can''t use human standards here.

    Hadwin picks up the goblin''s weapon and our stuff. My loyal pipe is there as well.

    When we reach the spot where the fight started, Hadwin starts covering tracks or digging out ants or whatever he does. He is an expert here, not me.

    Both goblins are gone, and in the end, Hadwin also grabs their weapons from the ground and watches our backs as I lead the way. The pistol is in his hand. The weapons and our stuff are under his other hand or inside his backpack.

    We move quickly and quietly without a word, and once in a while, Hadwin does something that I guess is covering the tracks of our two companions and ours.

    After around 15 minutes of walking, we reach the clearing.

    I notice that I am not as tired as I should be after carrying such weight. Sure, I lifted heavier weights before, but carrying it through the forest? It''s either adrenaline or, and I guess the more probable option, the effect of putting three stat points into the constitution.

    We find Damon and Sophie lying on the ground, breathing heavily and covered in sweat, while their baggage is a few meters away from them with other passengers surrounding the dead goblins.

    Once again, I realize how much better state I''m in as I throw the green creature on the ground.

    Damon has an angry look on his face as he turns to me. I don¡ät say anything, just look back at him.

    "Fuck off," he breathes out and turns towards Hadwin, "What the hell was that? What are these green little fuckers?"

    "Goblins." Hadwin''s tone is flat.

    "No shit. I asked..."

    Before he can continue, the older man interrupts him. "I don''t know, Damon. As you know, I''ve been here as long as you have." There is a slight frown on his face. "What I know is that we should be thankful that we are still alive. These... creatures are far stronger than they should be."

    "And much heavier," Sophie says quietly, and there is a questioning look on Hadwin''s face. "The one I carried must have weighed more than me, and it''s the smallest and slimmest one."

    "Fucking hell, mine is for sure over twice that," Damon adds.

    From the corner of my vision, I see Sophie rolling her eyes.

    Hadwin slowly walks towards my goblin and tries to lift him. Surprise appears on his face, but with a groan, he lifts him up.

    "For sure he weighs more than me," he puts him back on the ground.

    Everyone falls silent.

    "We should dissect them," I say after a while.

    Their gaze instantly turns back to me.

    Uhm? Why are you looking at me like that?

 Chapter 10

    I had hoped that Hadwin would suggest it first, but I can see that he is holding back a little bit, still not fully realizing the situation we are in. Still not prepared to do everything it takes for his survival.

    When they look at me with shocked looks in their eyes, I just shrug my shoulders. I notice that only Hadwin looks somewhat relieved.

    "You don''t have to be here," I tell him.

    "I will help you," he says. "But we should do it far away from the clearing."

    I stop to think about it for a second. Doing it here doesn''t sound like a good idea. We don''t know if blood won''t lure more monsters to us, and I don''t know how the other passengers will react to it.

    Well, I am sure that they will get used to it fairly soon.

    "We have to get rid of them anyway. So let''s just throw them out, and while doing so I will quickly check a few things," I say.

    "There is no fucking way I am going to carry that green little shit again," I hear Damon say, but everyone ignores him.

    "Are you sure it''s worth it?" Hadwin is still worried. "We will be taking a big risk."

    While in deep thought I look at the dead goblin. The words over his head are gone. Knowing that the text disappears when a monster dies helps.

    The goblin is around the height of 12-year kid with a short torso but long legs and hands. Even though his limbs are slim, I remember their weight. It was also illogically strong, unfitting its figure.

    I lean over him and poke him with the tip of my finger. His skin feels thick, somewhat firmer than mine.

    I pinch him, and I once again notice the firmness of his skin. Could it be his thicker skin adding to its weight?

    The green creature is wearing some sort of primitive leather clothes covering parts where the reproductive organs of humans would be. There are also light blue markings all over its body. When I glance at the other two goblins, I notice that they have similar markings. I try to rub them, but nothing stays on my finger. When I spit a little bit on it and try again, the result is the same.

    Tattoo? Some kind of group, clan, or village marking?

    I pause for a second, done thinking over things

    Okay, no dissecting, let''s just test a few things.

    I pull out the knife I took from him and point the tip at its chest. I am careful to do it close to its clothes so blood can soak into it. I push onto it, and it''s harder than it should be, but I am not too surprised. I don''t push too deep, but I try the same thing on other parts of its body, but it''s the same.

    The monster''s skin is surprisingly strong and thick.

    I put my knife away and grab its hand. Before I continue, I look behind me. Hadwin, Sophie, and Damon have looks on their faces that are hard to describe. I also notice the bus driver pushing people towards the bus, away from the three dead goblins and us four. I guess he saw me poking the goblin with a knife as I also see disgust on his face.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    To be honest, I am surprised by myself as well. Never in my life did I think I would do something like this, but I am surprisingly calm and clear-minded.

    I will have to give it some thought a bit later.

    "You don''t have to be here," I say.

    Damon curses, but all of them stay.

    I try punching it a few times, and the response I''m getting is much more resistant than hitting a human body. I am also unable to break his ribs after repeatedly hitting his chest with my fist and full strength.

    I continue examining the goblin.

    Its nose is smaller than humans, even if we leave out proportions. Maybe it doesn''t have a good sense of smell?

    That would be good as I am worried that they will sniff out their companions.

    Its ears are also small, but what worries me are its big eyes. They are almost twice as big as mine. I just hope they don''t see twice as good. During the night, it would be bad news.

    The creature also has pretty long nails; they are sharp, and if everything else fails they can be used as weapons.

    Goblin¡äs teeth are extremely sharp. I''d be concerned about the risk of infection from a potential bite.

    I don''t find any pockets in its clothes, so other than weapons, this goblin didn''t carry anything. I can''t be sure if that''s the norm for them or if they move around like this.

    I tell the results of my examination to others and stand up.

    Sure, I wanted to do more testing, but I decide against it.

    Where are its heart and other vital organs located? What makes it so strong? Can it use mana, and if so, how does it affect its physiology? Is it particularly vulnerable to fire? What are its weak points? And where is its skin thinnest?

    Most of them would create quite a mess. Maybe next time.

    After stretching a little bit, I focus and put two stat points into constitution and one into mana.

    At the moment, I''m not sure if changes in investing stat points show up instantly or gradually. I''m more inclined to the second option, so investing them sooner sounds like a good idea.

    As for why the constitution and mana.

    My survivability is most important at the moment. I believe that constitution increases my endurance, vitality, and affects my regeneration.

    At the moment, I don''t have access to food, so a stronger body sounds like a good idea. I just hope it doesn''t mean increased consumption of calories to keep me going.

    It probably does.

    I am sure it does. We can''t have things too easy, can we?

    I don''t need much strength as I can use weapons and attack weak points.

    Unfortunately, I''m not in a situation where I can test my stat points as I need to find water, food, shelter, and fight against these monsters.

    One point in mana is a risk and I justify it as something that potentially can make me stronger. But I can''t lie to myself. It''s simple curiosity, and I am willing to risk a little bit to satisfy it.

    Ever since I felt it for the first time, I keep trying to manually use it with no success so far.

    I was only able to use Focus and mana during fights. It happened subconsciously. When we found the goblins, I was able to control it a little bit. I can''t wait to test it out a bit more, but unfortunately, I have other priorities at the moment.

    "I have a place in mind where we can get rid of them," Hadwin says. "I noticed it when we were scouting. It''s a deep hole near a few big rocks, probably caused by a landslide. We can just throw them down there. It should be around 15 minutes there and back," he then looks at the goblin, "Maybe 20."

 Chapter 11

    It makes Damon start grumbling, but he surprisingly stands up and says, "Let''s make it quick." He lifts up his goblin, and a surprised look appears on his face.

    Did he invest his stat points? He should have leveled up, and Sophie as well. I am pretty sure he put it all into strength, so I decide to watch him carefully to compare his increased strength to my constitution.

    My theory is that my increased constitution means I can use my peak strength for longer, and I will need shorter rest to be back at my peak form. I also have a suspicion that I will heal faster and have tougher skin and stronger bones. Just like the goblin.

    Increased strength should increase the density of muscles and their strength, but it also comes up with a potential problem.

    What if you invest too much into strength, but you don''t have a body strong enough to handle it?

    Once again, I become annoyed for not knowing and not being able to test it out as much as I want.

    I also put the goblin on my shoulder, but I make sure to have my right hand free and be ready to throw the body on the ground. At worst, I can also use the goblin as a shield against an attack. Sophie also picks up the goblin, she does it quite easily.

    Hmm. I guess that means that stat increase manifests fairly quickly. A few minutes maybe?

    Hadwin puts the gun into his right hand and the goblin''s spear in his left, and starts leading us into the forest.

    As we enter, I don''t feel as pressured as before, but I am still careful. The wind is now stronger, so we can hear the rustling of leaves and creaking branches as they bend in the wind. The sun seems to be right over us.

    I still twitch every time I hear an unexpected noise.

    As before, Hadwin walks first, me to his left, and Damon to his right. Sophie follows behind us, and I notice that she moved the goblin slightly lower to cover more of her back.

    At this point, I am sure that the results of my increased constitution are showing, as I don''t feel myself getting tired from carrying the creature. The only thing I notice is my empty stomach.

    Food. I need lots of food.

    I glance at the goblin, but I instantly decide that I am not that hungry.

    Yet.

    When we finally throw the goblins into the hole, I notice Damon''s rugged breathing. He seems better than before, but it''s easy to notice how tired he is. I am now also 100% sure that he didn¡ät put much into Constitution.

    Sophie seems to be better than him, so I guess that she put at least something into it.

    I move the knife to my left hand and pull out the pipe into my right hand.

    On our way back, we are even more careful than before, but we move much quicker. Not being able to see what''s behind the trees makes us all nervous.

    When we get back to the bus, I feel relieved, even though there isn''t too big a difference in our safety.

    As I move away from people, I take a peek at my stats.

    [Name: Nathaniel Gwyn]

    Difficulty: Hell

    Floor: 1

    Time left until forced return: 4y 364d 20h 52m 59s

    Lvl 2

    Strength: 6

    Dexterity: 8

    Constitution: 8

    Mana: 3

    [Primary Class: Unavailable]

    [Sub-class: Unavailable]Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Skills:

    - Focus Lvl 3

    - Mana manipulation Lvl 1

    [Skill Points: 0]

    [Stat Points: 0]

    I let Hadwin and the others take care of annoying stuff and sit on the ground, leaning once again against the bus''s tire.

    Wind brushes my hair as I close my eyes, and slowly breathe in fresh air. It''s so different from the air in the city. There''s a hard-to-describe smell to it, slightly sweet but not too overpowering.

    I like it.

    Warm rays of the sun on my hands touch my skin, and other than the passengers, I don''t hear anything. No cars, no machines, no planes. It''s quiet, almost peaceful, yet I know how dangerous this place is.

    Also, It''s called the 1st floor, so does that mean that the sun, wind, and sky are fake? Are there other floors above or below us, or is it just a place on a distant planet? Is it the whole planet? Simulation?

    At the moment, I''m curious about what will be in the sky tonight, but at the same time, I feel a hint of fear.

    It''s hard enough to fight against unknown creatures during the day, but at night, with reduced visibility...

    Sure, we can set up a campfire, but that would be like running around the place and screaming that we''re here.

    "Haaa..." I let out a sigh. We''re fucked, aren''t we? I have a feeling that we were insanely lucky until now.

    The wolf seemed to be starved or wounded and without its pack. We got ambushed by only three goblins, but even then, Hadwin almost died, and the other two got injured.

    There will be more of them. I''m sure of it.

    Should I leave? I glance back at the bus and try to ignore the discussion inside.

    There are pros and cons to staying, but I feel like the pros outweigh the cons. I need someone to keep watch when I''m sleeping. Hadwin has a gun, so that''s something, and it looks like the guy knows how to move around the forest. If we''re going to stay here for five years, he would be useful.

    I don''t know how to hunt or skin animals. Hell, I wouldn''t even know how to set up a campfire or cook.

    Then there are also others. I can collect some data just from watching them - stat point distribution, skills, classes if we get to it.

    Footsteps catch my attention, and a student emerges from behind the bus - a girl around 17-18 years old, slim, blonde, and taller than me, a girl called Tess, who used to be a friend until... I shake my head and force the memories to back of my head.

    She briefly glances my way but then directs her focus towards the forest, leaning against the bus. Retrieving a cigarette and lighter from her pocket, she lights it up.

    With her eyes closed, she slowly inhales, savoring the smoke.

    ¡°Haa... It will be really bad when I run out of cigarettes,¡± her voice is quiet as she slowly smokes, enjoying every whiff.

    She looks at me. "Do you want one?" she offers.

    I just shake my head and stay quiet.

    "So you did stop smoking... so responsible." Tess smiles slightly.

    I still don''t react. Let''s see what she wants.

    The girl stops when she is halfway through her cigarette and extinguishes it against the bus. Then she carefully puts it back inside the pack and then pocket.

    One minute.

    Two minutes.

    Five.

    She is leaning in silence while looking towards the forest, "Do you also think that we are in deep shit, Nat?" her voice is quiet, and she still doesn''t look at me.

    Isn¡ät that obvious?

    One minute of silence.

    "It all looks so normal... trees, grass, sky..." She falls silent after glancing at the sky.

    "You know, before we ended up here, I had a fight with my mom," she said, her voice even quieter now. "I called her..." she pauses for a moment and a self-deprecating chuckle echoes in the surrounding silence.

    She then continues to talk, and I don¡ät say anything but listen.

    I can do that much for her. I feel like I owe her at least that much.

    "Do you think I''m an asshole?" she looked at me.

    I didn''t get it. Isn''t what she thinks more important than my opinion?

    I shrug my shoulders, and there is a slight disappointment in her eyes.

    Then she chuckles.

    "I should have expected such an answer from you. Anyway, Kevin found out something. Just say ''quest window''," Before she disappears back inside, she asks, "Nat, will you help me if you can?"

    I look up from the ground and our eyes meet.

    Obviously, my life is a priority. But if it doesn''t put me in danger...

    My answer is just a short nod.

    Before she disappears from my sight, I see a hint of relief on her face.

    "Quest window," I say out loud.

    [Floor quest]

    Stay alive for 30 days

    Rewards:

    - Entrance to the second floor

    - Access to Community

    - 1 skill point

    - 5 stat points

    [Side quest]

    Stay alive for 24 hours.

    Rewards:

    - gear of your choice

 Side story (non-canon) - A Nibble to Remember

    Not lore. The story is meant for fun only.

    It was all just a coincidence. Just a small event that changed everything. Even that should never have happened.

    "God damn it, Biscuit, be careful when you''re taking food from me," the older man complains, nursing his slightly bleeding finger.

    With a single drop of blood remaining on the corgi''s lip, something terrifying happens. The small animal licks its lips, and at that moment, it understands.

    It understands the words it had heard before.

    The words that said this place isn''t real, that this is a facade created by the system.

    And with that understanding comes a question.

    If everything is fake, does that mean the food is fake too? Just an illusion crafted by that strange entity?

    (Food Fake)

    <hr>

    Later that night, a young man named Kevin walked through the camp, keeping watch.

    "Fucking Cinderbear, I hope it won''t appear again."

    At that moment, a strange noise surprises him. Momentarily forgetting caution, the young man decides to follow the noise.

    "Hello?" he asks quietly, making his way through the trees of the first floor of the tutorial.

    The silence that responds is filled only by a strange, wet noise, like a messy eater slurping soup.

    Emerging from behind the trees, shock overtakes him, leaving him speechless.

    He sees the older man he had just spoken with an hour ago. A small creature is sitting on the man''s chest, taking slow, deliberate bites out of his neck, seemingly enjoying every bite.

    (Food!) echoes in his mind before a tentacle made of dark pulsating mana decapitates him, and his body falls to the ground.

    The creature swiftly continues to tear at the dead man''s neck, enjoying its meal.

    This food is real.

    This food isn''t fake.

    For the first time, the creature understands the difference, and a bizarre message rings in its head.

    Congratulations, you have acquired a new skill!

    [Devour]

    [Devour - lvl 0 > Devour - lvl 1(Max)]

    You have perfectly devoured your enemy.

    [Lvl 3 > Lvl 16]

    You have acquired 39 stat points! Invest carefully!

    The creature doesn''t understand, what are stat points?

    At that moment, everything could still have been fixed. Things could have returned to normal and it was still possible to stop the creature.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    But.

    (Mana?)

    The creature remembers the words it heard from its favorite human so often.

    (More mana!) resonates in the surroundings.

    And then everything is lost, all stat points invested in ways they never should have been, feeding the mana-hungry skill, and allowing it to grow.

    <hr>

    "What the heck, Biscuit!" a young man with different colored eyes screams, some hint of emotion discernible in his voice. The creature''s favorite human.

    The answer is a confused tilt of the creature''s head.

    "Fuck, what the hell!" he continues.

    The creature doesn''t understand, looking down at the body, at the food near its legs.

    (Food) it tries to project, but the man doesn''t understand.

    "You can''t¡­" he starts, then gives up. Mana flares up around his body, threatening to combat the creature.

    Threatening to stand between it and the real food.

    Real food? Did they call themselves humans?

    "Lily¡­" another food mutters, and then they both attack the creature, forcing it to retreat from the body of the young black-haired girl.

    The creature realizes that it can''t fight its favorite human, still feeling some form of attachment.

    So it [Devours] the space in front of itself, reappearing far, far away, leaving everything behind.

    In front of it, a giant bear materializes, its eyes glowing with orange light and sparks of the same color floating nearby.

    It feels different, maybe it''s food?

    The creature turns towards it, and dozens of dark purple tentacles appear from its back. Cute barks sound into the surroundings as it attacks the monster.

    <hr>

    You have perfectly devoured your enemy.

    [Lvl 32 > Lvl 89]

    You have devoured a new skill - [Challenge]

    The creature curiously tilts its head, a small pink tongue still protruding from its bloodied maw.

    (More mana!) echoes again, new stats making it even more formidable.

    Yet, the enemy this time wasn''t real food. Now smarter, the creature better understands that it''s fake and that only people from its home can be considered real.

    So it moves again, and it [Devours].

    <hr>

    There''s only one human remaining, the creature''s favorite human. It holds him with two of its tentacles, continuously biting into the man''s left arm, the man still alive and trying to fight.

    Yet it [Devours] everything, all the attacks, all the mana. Unable to stop, the food it has now is the best it''s ever had.

    (Food) it states happily.

    "..."

    (Food?)

    Silence is the answer and it realizes that its favorite is gone. Gone in the same way the creature''s old owner is gone.

    You have perfectly devoured your enemy.

    [Lvl 130 > Lvl 166]

    You have devoured a new skill - [Focus]

    <hr>

    More time passes and a new notification sounds. A month since the start of the first floor.

    The entrance to the second floor appears and the creature, curious and in search of more food wobbles inside while swinging its short tail from side to side.

    Congratulations! You have cleared the 1st floor of the Hell difficulty tutorial. Welcome to the second floor: Mana-Infused Kingdom.

    Congratulations! You can now choose your primary class. Your offered choices are based on your performance up until now in the tutorial.

    You have acquired one skill upgrade token.

    You have acquired one skill point.

    You can now use Community, with a time limit of 10 minutes per 24 hours.

    You have acquired 5 stat points.

    (More mana!) it repeats.

    It also upgrades its skill.

    [Devour - lvl 1(Max) > Perfect Devour - lvl 1(Max)]

    <hr>

    More time passes and the floors change a few times. Every time, the creature [Devours] everything.

    But then, one day.

    Welcome to the community tournament.

    More real food appears.

    <hr>

    Much more time passes and the creature, ravenous, starts to devour the place it''s trapped in.

    The place that stands between it and Earth, a place teeming with real food.

    Error detected within the tutorial''s 5th round, group 4. Unable to ?*#?¨²¨¦3-

    The creature continues to [Devour]. The creature maintains its [Focus], and then [Challenges] the system.

    It won''t stop. It will return to its home, and it will enjoy real food once more. It will continue to consume.

    It won''t stop until everything is Biscuit.

 Halloween Special (non-canon) - Nibble to Remember: part 2

    Item #: SCP-3127

    Object Class: Absolute Unit

    Special Containment Procedures: SCP-3127, informally known as "Biscuit", is to be contained in a 100m x 100m chamber made of reinforced endurium walls interwoven with epic-graded mana circuits. These measures ensure resistance against the force of its mana tentacles and other abilities. The chamber is to be anchored with anti-magical runes and SCP-3127 must always be supplied with a high amount of food to prevent Biscuit''s agitation. Access is restricted to Level 9 personnel, the highest level. Prolonged direct visual contact with SCP-3127 is strictly prohibited.

    Personnel assigned to SCP-3127 are required to undergo advanced psychic resistance training and must possess defensive items specifically designed to resist Biscuit''s telepathic abilities. Telepathic communication should be approached with extreme caution and only by individuals of Champion rank.

    Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES is direct physical contact with SCP-3127 permitted.

    Description: SCP-3127, or "Biscuit", is a mysterious entity. It resembles a dog and though it appears externally like a Corgi, its true nature is far from ordinary. A dark purple aura surrounds it, and tentacle-like mana constructs eerily emerge from this shroud. These tentacles, both solid and intangible, have been observed stretching up to 10 miles during Biscuit''s return to Earth, moving in patterns that defy all known physical laws.

    SCP-3127 has highly potent telepathic abilities. Those who attempt communication often suffer psychological disturbances, including paranoia, vivid nightmares, and episodes of catatonia. Following communication attempts, five personnel members took their own lives, their last word being: ¡°Asshole¡±. The meaning of this message remains a mystery.

    Despite SCP-3127''s tendency to hover slowly, it can exhibit surprising speed and agility, especially when threatened or seeking its favorite sustenance: food. It has an insatiable hunger, particularly for foods that were once alive. In past containment breaches, SCP-3127 sought live prey and displayed a horrifying method of consumption termed [Devour] by researchers. The aftermath of this method is a void where nothing exists.

    Tests indicate that its preferred food is dried deer meat, which is used sparingly to pacify SCP-3127. Large quantities have been secured.

    Addendum 3127-S: SCP-3127 returned to Earth from a realm named the "Hell difficulty tutorial", which seemingly consisted of nightmarish challenges. Out of over 3,000 individuals who entered the fifth round of this "tutorial", only SCP-3127 returned. The fate of the others remains undetermined.

    Addendum 3127-P: A research team, aiming to comprehend SCP-3127''s capabilities, listed potential sub-classes based on observed behaviors. Leading theories suggest it might be a [Master of Gluttony] or an even higher rank. The exact nature and full extent of its power are shrouded in terrifying mystery.

    Addendum 3127-O: On October 31, SCP-3127 sent a psychic message to all personnel within its containment facility, stating, (I require sustenance.) Immediate effects included severe nosebleeds among exposed staff. Enhanced security measures were enacted, and deer jerky was provided. The motives behind SCP-3127''s message are being probed.

    Addendum 3127-O: During a maintenance inspection of SCP-3127''s chamber, previously unseen symbols were found inscribed on the floor directly beneath SCP-3127''s hovering position. Efforts to interpret the symbols have been unsuccessful as extended exposure leads to severe gastric distress in researchers.

    Addendum 3127-K: Surveillance footage revealed SCP-3127 emitting a low-frequency hum in its rest phase. Analysis shows the hum contains multi-layered tones. Listening induces intense hunger and a profound sense of existential dread. All recordings are archived and restricted to those with appropriate clearance. All other copies have been carefully destroyed.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Addendum 3127-Y: Interviews with returnees, individuals who experienced "the tutorial", suggest that participants were subjected to escalating challenges designed to "elevate" or "transform" them. SCP-3127''s unique abilities and its emergence as the sole survivor of the fifth round have prompted researchers to theorize that these rounds were designed to grant participants eldritch abilities. Efforts to find the entrance or remnants of "the tutorial" continue.

    Addendum 3127-B: A recent incident involving SCP-3127 led to Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€''s disappearance. While presenting a live sample for SCP-3127''s consumption, the entity''s tentacles enveloped and drew the doctor to itself. Before on-site security could intervene, both SCP-3127 and Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ vanished from the visible spectrum. They reappeared minutes later with Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ in shock and SCP-3127 appearing satisfied. Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ is now under quarantine and receiving a psychological assessment. He repeatedly murmurs the word, (Asshole.)" Further investigation is required.

    Addendum 3127-I: After the incident with Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€, SCP-3127 began to display new behaviors. It intermittently projects images of a young man with heterochromia onto its containment chamber walls. Observing this projection, SCP-3127 becomes extremely calm, momentarily resembling an ordinary corgi. The intent or meaning of these projections is yet to be deciphered.

    Addendum 3127-S: SCP-3127 appears capable of "marking" select individuals. Marked individuals describe hearing whispers labeling them "Asshole" and recount dreams of infinite banquets where they play both the diner and the meal. Attempts to neutralize or reverse this marking have been unsuccessful. Subsequently, three staff members took their own lives a few days later.

    Addendum 3127-C: A minor containment breach transpired on [REDACTED]. Surveillance revealed SCP-3127 producing an unusually large tentacle, which effortlessly breached the chamber''s door. The entity lingered in the corridor for exactly three minutes and seventeen seconds. During this time, nearby personnel experienced paralyzing hunger and fear. SCP-3127 then retreated to its chamber, and the tentacle retracted. While no fatalities occurred, affected staff needed medical and psychological treatment. Containment measures have been revised to stop similar incidents, and several Champion disciples have been dispatched to monitor the entity.

    Addendum 3127-U: Over a five-day span, from [REDACTED] to [REDACTED], SCP-3127 demonstrated an uncharacteristic calm. Its signature purple aura faded notably, and the entity remained motionless, without any tentacle manifestations. Throughout this interval, researchers felt a serene atmosphere near its chamber. Psychic members of the SCP team sensed profound sorrow radiating from SCP-3127. The rationale behind this demeanor is undetermined.

    Addendum 3127-I: On [REDACTED], SCP-3127 breached its containment. Cameras caught SCP-3127 turning a deep black shade, followed by a rapid, forceful tentacle expansion that damaged the chamber and incapacitated adjacent staff. The facility was immediately locked down. During the breach, SCP-3127 navigated the facility, seemingly in search of something or someone. A disturbing telepathic message was relayed to every mind within a 50-mile radius: (I require sustenance.) The entity subsequently disappeared, having eliminated most of the guards. All SCP installations are on maximum alert, and re-containment of SCP-3127 is the highest priority.

    All Earth''s Champions have been notified.

    Addendum 3127-T: On [REDACTED], a synchronized psychic transmission from SCP-3127, more powerful than any preceding message, was sent through the Earth. The communication, unsettling in its simplicity, declared a mysterious message:

    (Food Food.)

    In the immediate aftermath of this message, SCP-3127 materialized outside its last known containment location, radiating a more potent purple aura. Global anomalies occurred almost immediately. Satellites captured the terrifying scene from space: vast, swirling vortices of purple energy manifested in every major city worldwide. When these vortices touched the ground, they started consuming buildings, nature, and life itself. SCP-3127 began releasing unprecedented amounts of mana, which started altering physical laws.

    Major world governments, in collaboration with the SCP Foundation, launched emergency procedures to tackle this escalating threat. However, conventional weapons were ineffective against SCP-3127-1. More concerning, one of Earth''s Champions, the leading candidate for the title of Earth''s Absolute, Victoria Gwyn, confronted SCP-3127. Absolute candidate Victoria Gwyn displayed an intense hatred towards the entity. This seems to be linked to the disappearance of her brother during the 5th round of the tutorial, where Biscuit also participated.

    The ensuing battle between SCP-3127 and Champion Victoria Gwyn destroyed most of Europe. Two other Absolute candidates died when they tried to intervene, along with dozens of other tutorial returnees.

    It''s impossible to determine the exact toll on civilian lives, but estimates suggest hundreds of millions died within hours of the conflict, with many more dying due to the Mana Radiation resulting from the two beings clashing.

    Champion Victoria Gwyn ultimately retreated, gravely injured with her mana depleted. Her left arm was lost, and no known skill could restore it.

    As the days turned into weeks, the world descended into chaos. Biscuit gently hovers and moves across the globe. Satellite images now show our once-blue planet filled with vast patches of purple mana that devour everything.

    Foundation researchers, operating from secret locations, are urgently seeking a solution. SCP-3127, or Biscuit, remains mysterious and unbeaten. Its goals, while devastating on a global scale, are still not entirely clear.

    The world is on the edge of annihilation, yet unified against a common, extremely strong enemy.

    We will fight until our last breaths, we won''t stop and we won¡ät become (Food.), yet we are worried, the fight in front of us seems impossible.

    Someone, please, help us.

 Not a Chapter - Announcement (April Fools Day)

    Happy April Fool''s Day!!!

    So guys, once again I''m dissatisfied with the name of the story. Many of you know that some time ago, it used to be "Weapons of Mass Destruction," but I changed it later to "Hell Difficulty Tutorial." Yet, I still think it''s missing something, so I have decided to change it.

    I''m happy to announce a new name for my story: "Is It Wrong to Try to Survive in a Hell-Difficulty Tutorial When You''re Just a Guy with Excessive Mana and a Corgi?"

    The synopsis has also changed a bit:

    I Accidentally Became the Most Powerful Mage in a Hell-Difficulty Tutorial Because I Didn''t Know When to Stop Adding Mana.

    Never underestimate the guy who has so much mana it should kill him...

    Nathaniel''s bus ride was supposed to be just another boring commute. But now, he, 23 fellow passengers, and a corgi named Biscuit are stuck in a "Hell difficulty" tutorial, battling monsters and leveling up.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Easy difficulty, anyone can handle. Normal difficulty, you''ve got to put up a fight to get by. Hard difficulty is where only the tough ones last. And Hell? That''s where you have to be a bit out of your mind!

    With his terrifying talent for mana manipulation, Nathaniel decides to invest every stat point into mana. Attribute imbalance be damned. It will either kill him before the monsters and his enemies can, or turn him into one of the most powerful beings within the system.

    I hope you guys will see why I made the decision and like the new name and synopsis as much as I do.

    Lastly, to reflect who the true MC of the story is, I have decided to change the cover. Once again. Some of you might recognize the cover from before.

    Unfortunately, the story will continue to be told from the perspective of the secondary main character, Nathaniel Gwyn. However, in our hearts, everyone knows who the true MC of "Is It Wrong to Try to Survive in a Hell-Difficulty Tutorial When You''re Just a Guy with Excessive Mana and a Corgi?" really is.

    I hope you guys will continue to enjoy the story for a long time to come.

    This is a joke. All changes (cover, name, synopsis) will be reverted after 1 day.

 Chapter 296 - Rebellious phase

    Darren warned me before to be careful approaching the Bastion. Apparently, some of its old defenses still work and are powerful enough to kill higher-leveled monsters and humans. There is even a rumor that it once defended against a Veil Guardian. Yup, there are multiple Veil Guardians, and the one that kicked my ass is just one of many.

    Well, before this floor ends, I will pay him a visit, so it''s fine. I''m totally not pissed off, nope. I''m totally not bottling it under my [Focus]. I''m totally fine.

    Anyway, [Focus] is totally the best skill.

    I place another mana projectile and, with Vega in hand, I jump to the side. A barrier I create deflects the attack, and I disrupt another one. I sense another presence under my feet, as it gets closer, I stomp, releasing a burst of kinetic energy from my feet.

    [You have defeated Corpseeater - lvl 99]

    [You have defeated Corpseeater - lvl 89]

    I manipulate my mana slowly so Vega can watch, and surround us in it. It radiates gently around us, as I make sure to keep it from hurting my disciple. I form the mana I¡¯ve released into a set of armor twice my height, lifting us into the air, and suspending us in the chest of the armor. I haven''t had an opportunity to show off my mana mech until now. I encompass it in my [Mana Domain] and control it with [Mana Manipulation].

    I don''t even use [Infusion], even at this level it should be enough. I move us, using an arm to grab the monster, which spews an acid-like substance at us, slightly corroding the mana.

    Then I send a signal to the hand, and it closes, crushing the monster.

    [You have defeated Poisoneater - lvl 123]

    Another poisonous attack lands on the chest of the armor but doesn''t manage to reach Vega or me. I take a few steps, moving to intercept a monster that reminds me of a horribly mutated frog with six thin limbs.

    The brave monster doesn''t run. Either too proud or dumb to bother, it keeps spewing its acid onto my armor, corroding some of the mana and creating some sort of vapor. It continues to do so even as I lift a leg, and its final attack collides with the sole of my oversized boot.

    Then I stomp on the monster, its blood splattering the surroundings.

    [You have defeated Poisoneater - lvl 113]

    "Minion, if you ever do what this monster just did, I will be extremely disappointed."

    "I''m not that dumb!" she states indignantly, as I dissolve the armor surrounding us after dispersing the poisonous vapor with kinetic energy.

    "So, what would you do?"

    "I would run away! And then track you to your camp, and wait for you to sleep."

    Nice! Killing a powerful opponent in their sleep. A classic.

    Vega continues, "If I were that monster I would use that poison to poison master''s food!"

    Huh? That''s a bit...

    "Or I would poison master while he bathed or examined a new item."

    "Okay, okay, let''s stop here."

    "Sure!" The scary half-demon turns her attention back to her heart and the mana stone in her hands.

    I place another mana projectile nearby, bringing the total to a hundred.

    Once again, another annoying monster appears nearby, and once again, my curiosity compels me to meet it. The monster in question is as tall as me, with long limbs, and a thin scaled body. Yet it¡¯s the monster¡¯s head that stands out most, gazing at me with five eyes and saliva dripping from the rows of pointed teeth filling its oversized mouth.

    [Skillreaver - lvl 152]

    The creepy monster continues to observe, each of its eyes trained on me, big and red with snake-like pupils at their centers.

    I feel its mana reach toward me, trying to get through my mantle and reaching for my disciple.

    I disrupt both attempts with ease, but then, curiosity overwhelms me, and I weaken my mantle.

    Slowly, something touches me, and I observe as it searches for something. Clearly, it''s the monster''s skill.

    Then the touch disappears, and the monster starts radiating mana, blue armor surrounding it. Something akin to the [Armament]. Skill I used to have before [Regalia].

    Wordlessly, the monster charges at me, and before it takes two steps, I create a mana orb and launch it at the monster. The orb pierces through the armor and the monster''s head, exiting on the other side.

    [You have defeated Skillreaver - lvl 152]

    Nice, another douche of a monster copying skills.

    Taking a few steps, I stop in front of the body and examine the monster a moment before leaving it and heading towards the Bastion. I try to stay covert, reducing my mana signature as much as I can while covering for my silly disciple as well. I even try to stay out of sight as much as possible, using the patch of forest to get closer.

    Even though I knew the Bastion was massive, it feels even bigger up close. I can already see the small figures of humans, mostly on the walls surrounding the fallen Skyward Bastion.

    Getting ready, I send a signal to one of the mana projectiles I left behind, and it shoots toward the city.

    It doesn''t contain any energy; and neither do the others, it''s just slightly compressed mana.

    As it flies through the air, I watch its trajectory, and when it reaches the Bastion, a small hexagonal barrier appears to block it. It also causes a few of the guards to start looking around. The signal is sent into the area from somewhere in the middle of the city. It searches for mana signatures, and I avoid detection.

    Then I activate five projectiles at once, each of them shooting towards the city. Just like before, a small hexagonal barrier as tall as me appears in front of each of the projectiles and blocks it, disappearing right after.

    I see, so it''s like Virelia¡¯s setup. A barrier with thousands of segments that only activate when blocking an attack. Inactive for the most part to save mana.

    I launch twenty more projectiles all at once, and this time I observe with my trait as the projectiles touch something akin to a dense web of mana, triggering the barriers.

    All of the projectiles get blocked once more, and I notice a few humans hurriedly moving on the walls. They are shouting something, probably, and a few more detections are sent into the area.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    I send 50 projectiles at once and watch as they clash against hexagonal barriers.

    To be honest, it''s a nice view as they light up one after another, often only for a split second to block the attack. This system is extremely accurate.

    More humans appear on the wall, to my amusement, their movements display growing panic and stress.

    Damn, that only makes me want to continue.

    I shoot three attacks. Each a second apart, each of them aimed at the same spot.

    Once they get detected, I release the rest of the projectiles, directing them all at the same spot as well, and once again they get blocked. But this time it seems like my attacks passed a bit closer to the city, if only slightly.

    Three more detection waves wash over me, and like ants, dozens of humans rush onto the walls, skills active and searching for the attacker.

    ¡°They seem angry,¡± Vega seems to notice as well.

    ¡°It''s fine,¡± I tell her as I watch them grouping up, getting ready to send small groups of scouts into the area, ¡°Nina said they have items that allow them to enter the Bastion, so we have to lure some of them out.¡±

    ¡°Isn''t master trying to be nicer? We could move closer and ask them to let us in¡­¡±

    ¡°Minion, leave thinking to me.¡±

    ¡°I''m Vega, not minion. I think master just wanted to test their barrier and bully them but screwed up.¡±

    ¡°It''s a scientifically confirmed fact that minions don''t have the ability to think for themselves. That''s why they should listen to their master.¡±

    ¡°That''s not true! I know master just wants to be an asshole!¡±

    ¡°You are not allowed to use the word ''asshole'' starting now, minion.¡±

    ¡°Asshole.¡±

    What? Is she getting into a rebellious phase?

    ¡°Asshole.¡± She repeats.

    ¡°Do not¡­¡±

    ¡°Asshole asshole asshole.¡± Her red eyes seem to challenge me.

    ¡°Minion, you screwed up.¡±

    ¡°I''m Vega, first disciple to Nathaniel Gwyn, my only master. I am not a minion! I will be calling master an asshole if the master continues to call me a minion!¡±

    That''s it, this surely is the rebellious phase I heard so much about. But I think the little half-demon underestimates how petty I can be. Oh boy, she has no idea.

    ¡°Sure, minion, go ahead.¡± I highlight the word ''minion'' strongly.

    ¡°Will do so, asshole master!¡± And the little red-eyed half-demon returns my gaze, both of us full of determination.

    <hr>

    We spend a few hours going around the Bastion and waiting, yet even then no one leaves the fallen sky island.

    My plan has failed, dang it.

    I straight up refuse to look at my disciple and force her to practice more. While waiting, I also push her into a fight against a few weaker monsters. Her kinetic barrier skill seems somewhat decent and works a lot like [Redistribution]. The disadvantage is that it only works against physical attacks, so we are working on that.

    There are multiple quests for me to fulfill. Not the least of which being the floor quest.

    Floor quest:

    Raise and protect your disciple

    Rewards:

    ???

    Skill upgrade token

    5000 Shards

    100 stat points

    Trait strengthening token

    And plenty of side quests:

    Side quest: Find out what happened to this world

    Reward: 5000 shards

    Side quest: Locate the mirror

    Reward: ???

    Side quest: Avoid the sleeping Calamity

    Reward: Survival

    Side quest: Find out what¡¯s causing the high mana levels in the Valley

    Reward: Mid-epic piece of equipment

    Side quest: Reach the Bastion

    Reward: Food and water supplies

    Side quest: Reach level 250

    Reward: Body upgrade

    Maybe I can find more information about what exactly happened. I have some ideas and I got plenty of hints in the Sanctuary, but that¡¯s not enough for the system, so that¡¯s going to take a bit longer. The mirror is in the Valley, I can deal with it after going there.

    I will also try to avoid the sleeping Calamity. The first on the list is the Veil Guardian. Some suspicious sleeping Calamity can wait.

    Mid-epic equipment will be nice too. They cost around 5 thousand shards or more, so that''s telling of how dangerous the Valley is. Maybe the sleeping Calamity is there?

    As for the Bastion, looking at it from up close, I really want to examine it. Like the bunker that made up the Sanctuary, it is a remnant of the past. If less obsolete than an abandoned bunker. The circuits made of crystal covering the entire bottom of the fallen flying island interest me. Oh, and how many facilities might there be? Maybe they¡¯ll be even better for crafting and enchanting than the Sanctuary¡¯s.

    My hopes of sneaking in have failed. I wanted to use the items that allow the residents to pass through the detection field without triggering an attack, but they don''t leave.

    Sneaking inside on my own could be somewhat possible with my eyes and [Resonance], but after examining it for a while, I''m sure I would trigger a trap or two. I don''t think I would be able to sneak Vega in either.

    Even shooting a mana orb with an anchor placed on it won''t work.

    The Skyhold Bastion seems really advanced with plenty of surprises. Built by the Enchanter Guild that created the Veil long ago. Should we wait and hope they forget about the attack and then try to gain entry in the usual, if annoying fashion even though dealing with so many people would piss me off?

    Did I screw up just because I didn''t want to deal with people?

    Nah, it''s the extroverts who are wrong.

    ¡°Asshole''s disciple, we will try to get inside in the usual way.¡±

    ¡°I''m not a minio¡­¡± she looks up at me, ¡°what did you call me?¡±

    ¡°For every day you don¡¯t lose concentration and keep watch over your surroundings, I will call you Vega for a day,¡± I tell her instead of answering.

    Her big red eyes expand even more, and she gulps.

    ¡°In exchange, if you fail, I will call you minion, and you can''t complain or call me an asshole,¡± I expand on it, ¡°I mean, you can refuse if you don¡¯t think you can. I will understand if you are scared and don''t believe in your¡­¡±

    ¡°I will do it!¡±

    Ha, so easy to deal with! You are still way too young to compare to Nathaniel Gwyn!

    ¡°But if I catch master losing his concentration because of some inscription or item, you have to call me Vega and I can ask you for something!¡±

    Huh?

    I glance towards the Bastion which is most likely full of wonder and remember the times I lost track of my surroundings.

    This could be a bit dangerous.

    A smug smile appears on my minion¡¯s face, ¡°I understand if my master is scared.¡±

 Chapter 297 - Sneaky mode

    Is Vega taking too many cues from me? Sure, I¡¯ve noticed her copying a bit of my behavior, but this is¡­ too much.

    Maybe it''s her demon part? Demons seem to be obsessed with strong hearts and beings. Maybe she sees these things in me and instinctively tries to emulate me. No matter what she went through or how she behaves at times, she is still just a kid, so it makes sense.

    Well, whatever, another thing for future Nathaniel to deal with. He¡¯s done nothing so far, well he couldn''t really, so he can deal with this at least. Screw you, future Nathaniel, I bet you will be an even bigger weirdo.

    With Vega in my arms and mana flowing under my skin, I head towards the Bastion.

    Sneaky Mode is on once again, the same one I used against Nina and Darren. Yup, I''m once again just another normal guy with a totally normal mana.

    <hr>

    POV Vega

    As always, the master''s heart beats strong and calmly. He is not scared at all, not even when so many humans look at him and scream at us to stop. His heart doesn''t even react. It''s just one calm, confident beat after another.

    I look up to him and, as always, he wears the expression he puts on when we¡¯re with others. It''s colder, and his eyes look different. It''s hard to notice, but I¡¯ve learned how!

    While he talks with some weak human, I continue to send my senses into our surroundings. I can''t sense it, but I''m sure the master is trying to catch me hesitating.

    I''m sure of it!

    I will do the same. My master can get distracted when he finds an interesting item or gets an idea to improve his skills.

    It''s fun, and I''m thankful to the master. I¡¯ve never gotten to play like this before. Even if I fail, I won''t get hurt, and I won''t go hungry. The master is just that kind.

    One of the humans asks, ¡°Someone attacked the Bastion just a few hours ago, do you know anything?¡±

    Even though this human is so weak, he looks down on my master. I think the only reason he¡¯s so brave is because he has so many people backing him up, but I want master to show him his place.

    ¡°Attack? We just got here. A few hours ago, we were still scouting to avoid all the monsters. Maybe one of them attacked?¡± he replies. His pretty eyes show not an ounce of hesitation.

    ¡°Sure you did,¡± the man snorts, ¡°where are you from?¡±

    ¡°I came from the Sanctuary. Do you know Darren or Nina? They were both here in the Bastion, ten years ago. I have a few items to trade and I left some food back in camp for trading.¡±

    ¡°Their names sound familiar, but I can''t remember everyone. Okay, you said your name is Nathaniel, right? We¡¯ll send you to customs, you will pay for your stay in the Bastion and you will get a three-day pass. After that, you will either leave or go through customs again. According to your behavior or usefulness, we will decide what to do with you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, sir, that sounds very reasonable.¡±

    ¡°I think so too,¡± the man answers and turns to one of his men.

    When I look at my master, he¡¯s still releasing mana in that weird way. It''s hard for me to describe, but it feels very scary. It shows how amazingly good at controlling mana the master is. He did it before too, while talking with the human flesh-eaters, Nina and Darren, and now the master is doing it again.

    I''m not sure why the master calls it Sneaky Mode when I can see how much it scares some of the humans, but there must be a deep meaning behind it.

    Master is smart and powerful and I want to be like him. I''m already trying to learn Sneaky Mode but it''s so difficult.

    "Sneaky Mode successful," Master whispers as we pass through the gate, and I nod and smile.

    It''s so much fun being around master.

    <hr>

    Well, that was easier than expected. Some of the guards with better mana senses seemed a bit scared, so maybe the attack from before made them a bit nervous. Not my problem anyway; their commander can deal with it.

    As for entering the Bastion, I expected them to be more careful given that they don''t know me at all. But maybe they have some other defenses for dealing with stronger people if they should try to start a fight. Maybe the defenses did drive off one of the Veil Guardians years ago. Better be careful while I''m here with Vega.

    I also force myself not to examine the barrier. If it works even a bit like the Veil, it could detect my touch and cause me trouble.

    But at least I completed the quest and can now get some food and water. Not like I need them, but I could sell them.

    "Touch this stone; it will measure your physical stats and mana," the man accompanying me through the gate points at the stone. He says somewhat respectfully.

    There are a few more men around us, and all of them are ready. The stone they are pointing at is embedded in the wall and perfectly flush. It looks like it''s made from transparent white glass.

    Let''s be careful. I need to control my mana a bit. Okay, maybe a lot, not just a bit. It seems like people over level 200 are usually the ones who survived the war, and survivors rarely reach that level because of the Veil so I can try to act like someone born after the war.

    When my hand touches the stone, I quickly grab a hold of my mana and cycle it, letting as little as possible pass into the stone.

    "Strength is at around 100," one of the men says after checking some item in his hands.

    "That''s low for a traveler," another one answers.

    "Dexterity is at a similar level," the first man reads again.

    "Man, you are brave, leaving the safe zones with such low stats," the man writing it down giggles, "how are his other stats?"

    "Constitution is around 250."

    I continue to control my mana and, rather than fear being caught, I''m curious to find out if I can hide it from this item. And I can¡¯t help but wonder how it works. Items like this always interest me. Its inscriptions are interesting and the way it examines my body is someth...

    "Master failed; you stopped watching your surroundings," Vega whispers.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Huh? In shock, I realize that she is right and my concentration slips a little more.

    "Your mana stat is¡­"

    A rift appears in the air, and a man steps out. He is tall, well-dressed, and wears a light confident smile on his lips. His hair is brown and wavy, growing down to his shoulders, and has a well-kept mustache.

    "Greetings, brave guards," he says with a friendly smile.

    "The Butler!" the guards immediately ignore me and turn to the man, bowing their heads.

    "It''s fine, no need to be so formal," he takes a few steps towards the man with the item that showed the results of the test and grabs it from his hands.

    He does something to it and then returns it, "You may continue with his registration, and after that, I will take care of our guest. Procedures are important," he smiles.

    His clothes are neat and fitting. Suit-like and nice brown in color. Meanwhile, the guards are wearing something that I identified as mostly low-grade rare armor. Simple, but covering most of their bodies.

    "Yes sir!" the man takes the tablet-like item and continues, "Mana stat is at around 170. The overall level is estimated to be 150, registering Nathaniel Gwyn as a level 3 threat. The pass will last exactly three days starting now. The price will be¡­"

    "You can put the price of their entrance on my tab."

    "The price will be paid by Sir Butler at a later date. Am I correct in thinking that Mister Gwyn will receive his entrance token from Sir Butler personally?" he asks carefully, and the Butler nods, "Now then if you allow me to measure your companion."

    At that, I let them take Vega off my hands and look towards the Butler.

    The man greets me with a nod while he patiently waits for our registration to finish. When it''s done, Vega seems to be disappointed by being registered as a level 1 threat.

    When we start walking deeper into the Bastion, the Butler walks by my side.

    "Did I screw up?" I ask him.

    "It''s hard to trick an essence probe, Mister Gwyn," he smiles.

    In front of us, the Bastion opens up.

    The streets are tilted as are the buildings because of how the island has fallen. But they are clean, and there are people everywhere. Every single one of them looks well fed and groomed, even though we seem to be in the poorer parts of the Bastion. They go about their day, trading, joking, meeting, and working. I can hear a blacksmith nearby, I sense an enchanter. There are even training facilities, not unlike schools.

    It''s a city nestled within the remains of a previous civilization.

    "Mister Gwyn, would you like to join me and Madame Housekeeper tonight? We won''t be taking too much of your time," the man asks.

    "Yes, we can do that." I agree, my curiosity piqued.

    The man bows slightly and hands me entrance tokens for Vega and me, "Thank you, I will send someone to the place where you decide to stay. Have a nice rest of the day." He turns to Vega, "Miss Vega," he adds.

    [Phase Ranger - lvl ??]

    So at least 20 levels higher than me, but probably not much more.

    Butler, Housekeeper, such strange titles. What''s next? Gardener, Tutor, Maid, Valet?

    "So how do you like everything so far, Vega?" I ask her.

    The moment I do so, she tries really, really hard to hide her smile. I lost, and I can accept it. I just got so enthralled by the item measuring me that I stopped scouting my surroundings. Even though I¡¯ve complained about Vega doing the same so often.

    Well, it''s just one day, and my dear minion will surely slip up after that, and I will have my revenge.

    "He called me miss! No one ever calls me miss!"

    "That''s good, but don''t trust him just because of that. He is probably very dangerous." You just can''t trust anyone with such a majestic mustache. It should be criminal, rocking a mustache like that and still looking so good.

    "I don''t! I only trust master."

    "Good."

    I¡¯m already drained by all the people walking through the streets, so I ask an older woman for a place to find lodging. Then I spend five minutes answering her questions. Stuff like, "We didn''t get a mana courier or traveling merchants, is the wilderness getting dangerous? Oh, The Sanctuary, how is it nowadays? Who is this cute little girl? Are you married, young man, I have a daughter¡­"

    Things like that.

    In the end, she shows me a kind of symbol that people draw on their houses when they want to offer a room for the night, and so we walk through the streets, searching for one. I pass by a few because I don''t like the location, but deeper in the city, I find a nice one. In one of the original towers.

    The moment we enter it, I know it will probably be expensive, but I don''t mind that much. The inside is big without being empty and it feels nice and cozy. There are mana stones all around for heating, inactive, and ready to be used when needed.

    People here are generally better clothed than those outside, and even average levels are slightly higher. Most of them seem like they know how to fight.

    We reach the bar where a woman glances at me, "Token," she says simply.

    I take our entrance tokens and put them on the table.

    She examines them, "Entrance token, three days. So you two are new to the Bastion. Are the roads as bad as they say?"

    Huh? Not really. Just a few level-two-hundred monsters and mostly lower-level ones. But such an answer would probably get an annoying level of attention.

    "Even worse than what you heard. Monsters are everywhere," I complain. "We barely made it here."

    The woman nods solemnly, "Damned monsters. It''s been years since the courier guild was able to get any rare spices to the Bastion, and people keep asking for them," she sighs. "Single room, two beds?"

    "Yes, with a nice view if you have any."

    "What can you pay?"

    "Plenty, what do you prefer? It''s my first time in the Bastion."

    "Oh really, welcome. If anyone talks shit, forgive them; we are not too used to travelers. As for the payment, an uncommon item, a higher end mana stone, a piece of conductive crystal or rare metal ore, even some rare monster parts."

    "Would this be ok?" I place one of the worst mana stones that I have in front of her, which I¡¯ve inscribed to radiate heat.

    "Oh, a heating stone, and it¡¯s really well made. Probably from before the war, people nowadays are rarely capable of this," she glances at me. "This single stone is too much, but I can give you one of the rooms on the highest floor and add dinners and breakfast, and a few baths. Sounds good?"

    "Sure," something tells me that she might be scamming me a little, but it''s not like I mind.

    It also seems to tell her something about me, being willing to part with such a valuable item, and her behavior seems a bit more respectful.

    "Fabian, get your ass over here and take this good sir to room four, and make sure they get some food delivered to them."

    Led by a young boy, we walk upstairs and receive a mana stone to unlock the door, and we enter the room.

    There is a rug on the floor and two beds, a big one and a smaller one in the corner. The furniture is nice, if simple, and the room is a little worn but it¡¯s well-kept and clean.

    I let Vega examine a mirror on the wall and open the balcony. There is a flower pot with a smaller tree and two chairs next to a small table. The view doesn¡¯t face the middle of the city, where the higher towers and buildings are. Rather it faces the outside. It overlooks the smaller buildings and all the people below.

    I can see the small wall surrounding the city and the nature outside of it. When I look to the left, I can see most of one of the mountains that surround the city. At least I''m lucky enough to find places with a nice view.

    After returning to the room, I jump into the bed.

    "Minio¡­ Vega, tell me why being around so many people drains me."

    "Maybe it is Bambi''s curse, master!"

    "Maybe. But I don''t want much. A place to become stronger, and level up my skills and stats. Some interesting items to play with and places to explore. Most of the time people are an inconvenience, especially when they decide to bother me."

    "Even me?" She asks as she climbs onto the bed and lays next to me.

    "Nah, you¡¯re fine."

    "I see!" she smiles happily. "But I couldn''t notice it at all. Master is really good at talking with people."

    "Silly disciple, there are two kinds of people. The ones that become stronger the more time they spend with other people. Then those that grow weaker when they have to socialize and then need to recharge their energy. I''m the latter."

    "Maybe there are passive skills or traits for that."

    I just poke my cheeky disciple and when she jumps from the bed to examine the room I go through the system shop.

    Just in case.

 Chapter 298 - What is Pairing

    We¡¯re training as night falls when a knock at the door breaks my focus. As I come to a stopping point, I poke Vega and head towards the door. I open it to find a man standing there, neatly dressed and presenting us with two sets of clothes on hangers.

    ¡°Your clothes, Mister Gwyn, Miss Vega,¡± he hands them to me as if there were no chance of refusal, ¡°I shall wait outside and escort you to your appointment with Sir Butler and Lady Housekeeper.¡±

    After that, he closes the door and waits outside.

    Me and Vega look at each other. Our clothes are more or less clean, and we even took baths, so that shouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    I¡¯m about to toss them aside and head out as I am when I notice Vega¡¯s bright eyed gaze, directed at the pretty yellow dress meant for her. Even at a glance, I can tell that it will fit her well.

    With a sigh, I hand her the clothes. Just for tonight, I will humor my silly disciple. She is constantly training, beyond even my expectations. So yup, it''s a reward for that, nothing else.

    ¡°Do you know how to put them on?¡±

    She looks confused, so I take a moment to explain and then send her to the other room so she can put them on.

    Meanwhile, I examine mine. It¡¯s basically a simplified version of the elegant suit I wore to the auction on the fourth floor. The clothes are woven from a thin cloth with a slight amount of give, making for an extremely comfortable fit. They are light gray with a black vest underneath and a touch of golden embroidery. Even the shoes are black and trimmed in gold.

    Well, I¡¯ll just wear them tonight and sell them afterward.

    After getting ready, I wait for Vega, and she exits the room a moment later, her movements awkward and shy.

    She wears a pretty yellow dress with a hint of white trim. It¡¯s a simple style made from quality materials. The outfit complements her light brown hair and makes her red eyes even more striking while complimenting her tiny black horns. She is also wearing a new pair of shoes. They look sleek and comfortable while perfectly matching the dress.

    I mean, Biscuit is clearly the cutest being that ever entered the tutorial, but Vega is cute in her own way.

    ¡°Come here,¡± I tap on one of the stools, and the little half-demon climbs onto it.

    I take a few steps, grab a brush from the dresser, and start brushing her hair. At the first touch, Vega freezes, and I sense her kinetic demon heart starts beating wildly, but after a moment, she realizes what''s happening. Still tense, she allows me to continue.

    ¡°I used to brush my sister¡¯s hair. She always acted like she didn¡¯t need it, but she liked it anyway,¡± I tell Vega. ¡°One time I annoyed her, and she forced me to learn all kinds of ways to tie her hair and style it.¡±

    I set the brush aside and grab another, taking care not to pull her hair.

    ¡°What kind of person is master¡¯s sister? Is she like you?¡±

    ¡°Like me?¡± I take a moment to think about it, ¡°I think so? But she is a few years older than me¡­ and more decisive¡­ and stubborn.¡±

    ¡°She sounds like a strong person.¡±

    ¡°Yes, she is.¡±

    ¡°Is master scared of her?¡±

    That almost makes me laugh. Vic would sooner set the world ablaze than hurt those she cares about. Without responding, I use my hands to style Vega¡¯s hair. It doesn¡¯t even reach her shoulders, so there is not much I can do.

    ¡°We are done. Time to head out. As I said before, always stay near me, you can stop scanning the area and probing people. It might be considered rude. Do not touch anything or anyone, and do not attack anyone. You are Vega, I''m Nathaniel. We are travelers and we stopped by the Sanctuary, as we¡¯re headed north. According to the map, there should be a few more bunkers and survivors. We did not attack the Bastion, we are not heading towards the Valley. We never saw a group of deer and did not kill them.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Good, let''s go then,¡± I open the door, and the man leads us outside.

    We pass through the streets without haste. The man takes the lead with his hands folded behind his back, and the people on the street seem to recognize him. The streets are empty, and even when we meet someone, that person quickly clears the way, and not even the guards bother to stop us.

    Eventually, we reach an inner wall that is thrice my height, and the gate opens for us, revealing a beautiful garden and a sidewalk made of beautiful white stone, framed by vibrant green grass. All well lit by a soft light shining from lamps placed along our path.

    Following the sidewalk, we move uphill, heading towards yet another wall made of the same kind of stone as the sidewalk and covered in beautiful murals. A vibrant blend of blues, greens, and yellows. The figures depict everything from fights, and floating islands, to exotic places and animals.

    Even though there is so much of it, it doesn''t feel like any of it¡¯s too much or out of place; each of the paintings is placed perfectly to create the intended effect.

    The next gate isn''t even guarded and opens to reveal a straight road leading to the manor at the center. The manor itself has several walls made entirely from glass, a red roof made of some sort of stone, and a multitude of light blue crystalline pillars. There are a few more buildings off to the sides, each different from the last.

    ¡°This is as far as I will be going, please enjoy your evening Miss Vega, Mister Gwyn,¡± the servant that led us here bows and leaves, the sound of his steps filling the otherwise quiet night.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Vega, doesn''t he feel like a douchebag to you?¡± I ask my disciple while watching the man leave.

    ¡°Yes, like a douchebag!¡± she then hesitates, ¡°What does douchebag mean?¡±

    ¡°It means an obnoxious, offensive, or disgusting person. But I''m not sure if that poor man deserves to be called that,¡± a woman exits the manor we¡¯ve been guided to. ¡°It''s nice to meet you Miss Vega, Mister Gwyn,¡± she says with the slightest hint of a smile and bow.

    The woman is as tall as me, with a slim figure, and moves with an energetic sort of grace. She has wavy black hair and violet eyes complemented by her pale blue dress. She doesn¡¯t seem to be armed, and yet she displays confidence on par with the Butler.

    ¡°I''m the Housekeeper, allow me to welcome you to the Bastion. Shall we head inside?¡±

    [Ethereal Duelist - lvl ??]

    ¡°Sure,¡± I answer simply, but the woman doesn¡¯t seem insulted and moves first.

    Each of her movements is sharp and dangerous, like those of someone accustomed to fighting using their body, which her class confirms.

    So the Butler is a ranged class, and the Housekeeper is close range. If it comes to a fight, I will have to use barriers to defend while I fight the woman. The two of them are probably 20-30 levels higher than me, so it feels like it should be manageable, the only problems are Vega and whatever defenses they have on hand.

    The man with the criminally majestic mustache is already inside and greets us as well, as they lead us to the table. All of it feels extremely pretentious and boring. I was never the type to care about this kind of stuff, but I go with it for now.

    After taking my seat at the table, Vega moves to my right, while the housekeeper is opposite of me, and the Butler to my left.

    At least the food is good and safe to eat.

    In the middle of the dinner, the conversation finally starts.

    ¡°I have noticed the signature of an item when you entered the Bastion, Mister Gwyn,¡± the Butler starts, ¡°Tens of years ago, we gifted a similar item to Darren¡¯s predecessor. A silver collar.¡± The man pokes a piece of meat and puts it into his mouth. Each of his movements is smooth and elegant, even the way he sits.

    ¡°Interesting story. I found something similar, I think then it was on¡­ cattle I met by chance.¡±

    ¡°Cattle, you say. I wonder what happened to it.¡±

    ¡°Me too. I just set it free after taking the collar.¡± I take my glass, and while drinking, I make sure to slurp slightly.

    The man doesn''t react to the provocation.

    Vega copies me instantly and she starts slurping from her glass, just much louder than me. That makes every one of us look at her, and she blushes and quickly looks down at the table.

    ¡°That cattle probably had owners; I wonder what could happen to them. Such cattle can be really dangerous,¡± the Butler continues.

    ¡°I wonder that too,¡± I say.

    "I see. Well, to change the subject, I have noticed a blade¡­¡±

    The Housekeeper finally joins the conversation, ¡°Damn it, Butler, your eloquent behavior sometimes makes me want to punch you in the face,¡± she sighs and turns from the man to me, ¡°I''m a warrior, and unlike my colleague here, I''m not patient enough for these conversations, and it¡¯s only taken me a second to guess you aren¡¯t either.¡±

    I lift my glass towards the woman and take a sip.

    That makes her smile. She is still sitting there elegantly. Her shoulders peeking from her pale blue dress, displaying her body as the deadly weapon it is, yet she throws a part of that mask away.

    ¡°That Voidsteel blade you have can be only from one being, so I wonder. Did you acquire it by chance or did you earn it?¡±

    Nothing has changed, but something tells me the way I answer the question is extremely important.

    Well, I don''t think they will answer all of my questions, so let''s make an offer to ensure at least a few of them get answered.

    ¡°You can ask three questions, and I will ask three. You can decide not to answer, and I may as well, but we will try to answer three questions for everyone. Does that sound reasonable?¡± I offer.

    This time it''s the Butler who answers, ¡°That much would be appreciated. And please forgive my colleague; she is perfectly capable of behaving herself but tends to slip up. A holdover from a time when she was but a simple brute."

    ¡°Come on, Butler, our guest doesn''t care, even the kid is getting bored. Plus, he isn''t from here; there is no need for decorum.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Housekeeper, I will keep decorum, but you shall behave a bit less¡­ proper to please our guest. As for our first question, Mister Gwyn, I repeat, where did you get that Voidsteel blade? If you give us a longer answer instead of a simple one, we will be more considerate in answering your questions.¡±

    ¡°I fought the Veil Guardian in the city near the Sanctuary. I was able to sever the guardian''s arm and take the blade. The monster is still alive, but I will change that in the future.¡±

    ¡°Ha! I told you, Butler! You didn''t trust me, but I know men like him. Just looking at him, I can tell that he didn''t just steal it or find it!¡±

    The Butler looks at the Housekeeper for a moment, almost disappointed by her inelegant behavior before turning to me.

    As he speaks, I watch his mustache move. It''s like a living being, ¡°The Veil Guardians are powerful opponents, so allow me to congratulate you on your skill or luck, Mister Gwyn. I believe it was a tough fight.¡±

    [Focus - lvl 45 > Focus - lvl 46]

    ¡°A little bit,¡± I nod. ¡°It''s my turn, so I want to ask. What happened to lead to all of this?¡± I may as well try to get those 5 thousand shards.

    The two of them exchange glances but do not ask anything; instead, it''s the Housekeeper who answers, ¡°The Gardener could know more, but there is a bit I can answer. The simple version is that 120 years ago, we got Paired with another planet, and through that connection of planets¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment, can you explain what Pairing is?¡±

    ¡°Would you like to ask that as your first question instead?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She nods and looks at the Butler, who adjusts his clothes and straightens up, ¡°The Pairing is an event brought about by the system. We¡¯re not sure how it happens, it could be random, maybe there¡¯s an entity overseeing it all, or perhaps it''s some kind of natural process. During the Pairing, two planets are connected, and once the Pairing starts, it takes years for them to fully Pair. Sometimes it is just a few years; in other cases, it''s decades or centuries. The speed of the Pairing is influenced by the natives of each planet.¡±

    He moves a plate away from him and wipes away an invisible speck of dust before fixing his sleeve.

    ¡°Usually, each of the planets has a being called Absolute, and the Pairing speeds up when one of the Absolutes dies. There might be unlucky planets that get paired without an Absolute, but that''s rare. So once there¡¯s only one Absolute remaining, there are usually no enemy forces capable of killing the other, and the planet that still has one tends to win if you want to call it that. The winning planet then grows stronger and bigger after absorbing the other planet.¡±

    I have dozens of questions, but he stops there, his expression knowing what is going through my head, ¡°This one is a free answer to show our goodwill, Mister Gwyn. You might lack information about our planet, but it went through a Pairing long ago; that''s why we have information about it, and currently, the second Pairing is still in progress.¡±

 Chapter 299 - Entering the Valley

    ¡°I will ask the second question,¡± the Housekeeper puts her elbows on the table and uses her hands to support her chin, ¡°You are powerful, but you don''t seem to be from the generation from before the war. So, what are you, or where are you from?¡±

    ¡°I can''t answer that question,¡± I say simply.

    ¡°Thanks for being honest, then another one. What are you doing in the Bastion?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, nothing too interesting. I intend to learn a bit more about what happened before the war and what led to all of this. I want to explore the Bastion, mostly out of curiosity. I currently have no intention of causing trouble or starting any fights here.¡±

    She gestures, and I ask, ¡°What happened to the world, other than pairing, with the Veil?¡±

    The Butler answers, ¡°The Gardener knows more, but from what little we know, the Enchanters Guild created the Veil to give us an advantage during the Pairing. Something got screwed up, and the Veil turned against us and the monsters.¡±

    His answer is simple, mirroring my own. I would like to ask them how old they are if they come from before the war. Why are they so sure that strong people must have lived through the war? More about the guild. Who is the Gardener? There are so many questions I want to ask, but there¡¯s a reason I only offered 3 questions, I am almost certain they wouldn''t answer more so at least I got three.

    Unfortunately, even these answers are not enough to finish the side quest. I have only one question left. I can try to ask about the sleeping Calamity and the Valley; those interest me the most.

    In the end, I ask, ¡°What do you know about the Valley?¡±

    The woman glances at the mustache man, and he answers once again, ¡°The Valley is the Valley, as the name says. It''s a location shrouded in mist constantly, and the immense mana radiation prevents examination from afar. We¡¯ve sent multiple expeditions, but they rarely return, and when they do, it''s at a high price and the reports always mention a powerful monster that resides there. The Valley could have been a clash between two Champions or perhaps the monster caused it when it took over. That or it¡¯s one of the bunkers they used to work on the Veil.¡±

    Well, I should have expected that answer. Everyone here seems to be satisfied with hiding in the city, they certainly don¡¯t seem too curious about their world.

    ¡°The last question is, how old are you?¡± the Housekeeper asks. She is smiling and examining me carefully. Just like with the previous questions, she gauges my reactions and seems capable of catching me in a lie, that I''m sure of.

    It¡¯s a smart question and tricky besides, it will give her plenty of information about me.

    ¡°Twenty-one,¡± I answer, ¡°no, scratch that. Twenty-two,¡± I correct myself. I entered the tutorial nearly a year ago, so I did ¡°celebrate¡± my twenty-second birthday without even realizing it.

    The silence that fills the room quickly becomes uncomfortable, and her eyes seem to be trying to drill holes in me.

    ¡°Twenty-two,¡± she whispers. ¡°He is not lying,¡± the Housekeeper says, looking over at the Butler.

    Both of them look at me. As they do, I notice Vega stealing snacks, thinking we are distracted. They see it too but pretend not to, and the Housekeeper even smiles gently at my silly disciple.

    The questions are done, and the food is eaten, and the mood changes. It comes slowly, almost unnoticeably, but tension sneaks into the room, gradually building up until even Vega notices it. She doesn''t even know why, but she moves closer to me, fear slipping into her gaze even as she tries to maintain a neutral expression.

    ¡°So, what is the result of our conversation? Are we going to fight, or will you leave me to do my business?¡±

    The Butler doesn''t react, but the Housekeeper smiles, sweeping a lock of her wavy black hair away from her face, her violet eyes giving me her full attention. I see her glance at the Voidsteel cutter at my waist. The woman either wants the weapon or wants to fight me.

    ¡°What if we decided that you put the Bastion and its people at risk and that we should mitigate that risk? We¡¯ve had some terrible experiences with travelers like you,¡± The Housekeeper smiles at Vega. The mana that has lazily swirled around her body until now is being pulled towards her until I can''t sense even a speck of mana radiating from her. Being used to power her body as she prepares to charge.

    Even the Butler places a few anchor-like things all over the room and even far outside, most likely for his rift.

    ¡°Well, if you decide to be hostile, I will fight back, obviously,¡± I answer them.

    My trait activates, a golden circle surrounding my pupils, and the energies I¡¯ve been generating with the Thermokinetic heart swirl inside me. They threaten to escape, to explode and obliterate everyone and anything in their way.

    The Butler says calmly, ¡°Housekeeper, calm down, please.¡±

    But she ignores him, her eyes wide open, muscles moving under her skin, ¡°So what if we use that little girl to pressure you? You seem to care¡­¡±

    She cuts off and lifts her arm to her face. That forearm blocks the kinetic energy from the anchor I placed near her head. Instead of her head exploding, the forearm takes the attack, purple mana shining at the place of impact.

    ¡°Heh, I guess my joke was too¡­¡± Her body is thrown to the side by an explosion emanating from another anchor I¡¯ve placed nearby.

    Purple mana shines around her body, and she¡¯s taken no damage at all.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I get it¡­¡± another explosion, this time much stronger, throws her even further away, messing up her clothes. Yet she doesn''t fall and lands elegantly on her feet and stands up swiftly, ¡°Message received.¡±

    ¡°You kind of deserved that,¡± the Butler sighs and then turns to me, ¡°She likes awkward jokes like that, so please forgive her, Mister Gwyn. We obviously will not harm your disciple without reason."

    ¡°Come on, Butler, even given a reason, I wouldn''t hurt such a cutie. Just look at her!¡± The Housekeeper sits in her chair as if nothing happened and points at Vega, who keeps glancing between me and the woman.

    I wonder if it''s normal for all these people to be such weirdos. Is it the levels or old age that makes people like that, or is it the tutorial making these floors more spicy for all of us?

    ¡°Well, I guess the dinner is over, so we will be leaving,¡± I tell them, ready for anything.

    I have noticed the barrier around this place, and that would give them an advantage in the event of a fight. I¡¯ve also noticed more guards nearby and one more person at a similar level to them. But I''m not worried.

    My mana rumbles just under my skin, a Mana Reservoir long neglected. Thermal and kinetic energy roar inside two orbs I created and hid inside of my body before we entered the city. Even Vega can be evacuated through [Tether] to an anchor I¡¯ve placed in the city, given the barrier won¡¯t allow me to connect to the outside.

    I might even want them to pick a fight, at least a little. I want to lower the effects of [Focus] and fight to forget about the Veil Guardian.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Just a little step, just a single attack aimed at Vega or me, and we can start.

    When it does not come, I''m almost disappointed. The Butler only nods and then stands up, hands behind his back, and leads me towards the exit. The Housekeeper stays behind, her eyes on my back the entire time as we leave.

    Just before we get back to the normal streets, the Butler tells me, ¡°Mister Gwyn, next time, please refrain from such threatening actions. We prefer to act with civility and avoid violence, but we will not run from a challenge. Please count today as a show of our goodwill.¡±

    He bows and then, as slowly as ever, walks back to the Housekeeper.

    Yup, before this floor ends, I will pay these guys one more visit. A very eventful visit where I will show them what I think of their ¡°show of goodwill.¡±

    ¡°Master?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I think they might be even bigger assholes than you.¡±

    Kids, they grow up so fast. Anyway, that''s why I usually let others deal with people.

    ¡°Why do you think that, Vega?¡± As I ask her, she smiles so widely that her eyes create a thin line. Oh my, does she like being called Vega so much?

    ¡°The woman was nicer, but the man¡­ I don''t like him. I don''t know why.¡±

    Walking through nearly empty streets, I slow my steps to her level, ¡°It''s because she hid her feelings less, meanwhile the man kept restraining himself. It''s usually better to know what you''re against, even if it''s something bad, meanwhile, you can''t be sure with people like Mr. Moustache.¡±

    ¡°I see! Is master going to beat them up later?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but first we need to leave the Bastion and head to the Valley. They keep watching us, and even the barrier around the city is changing so maybe they want to trap us here. Remember, no matter how nice people act they could be a step away from stabbing you in the back. So, we will leave for a while and come back later.¡±

    The barrier surrounding the fallen bastion makes me nervous. Even with my eyes and [Resonance], I''m not sure if I could do anything about it while taking care of Vega.

    So we spend a few hours moving between shops. Even given the late hour, plenty of them are still open.

    As we pass through more and more of them, I start to realize one thing. The items there aren¡¯t very rare, no matter how high-end the shop or blacksmith we visit. Some of them even refuse to deal with us when they notice that we''re not ¡°citizens¡± as they say and only have a 3-day entrance token.

    The control the leadership here has over its facilities is impressive. Blacksmiths, clothes shops, food shops, a small guild for explorers, expedition planners, and more. Everything is deeply controlled, and we need to be authorized to use their services to the fullest.

    <hr>

    Looking back at the Bastion far behind us, I finish off the last of the monsters that had surrounded us.

    [You have defeated Poisoneater- lvl 123]

    [Lvl 218 > Lvl 219]

    I watch as Vega deals with one at a much lower level. She saw me dealing with stronger ones, so she knows what sort of attacks to expect and dodges them.

    The daring half-demon even allows a few physical strikes to land to test her class skill. A bit of that kinetic energy gets repelled by the barrier the skill affords her, and another part gets stored in her Kinetic storage.

    It''s still way too early for her to use her heart with her skills, but she will get there.

    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn

    Difficulty: Hell

    Floor: 5 - Mentorship

    Time left until forced return: 4y 27d 16h 2m 6s

    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 1/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3

    I check the timer, and I have a week left with Vega and 27 days until the tournament. That''s it if there isn''t something else. The time limit feels way too short for anyone who can¡¯t fly or who isn¡¯t as strong as me. Perhaps the floor will continue even after the disciple returns to their world.

    It''s hard to describe, but even though I¡¯ve decided to put more emphasis on my growth, I enjoy the time I¡¯ve spent with my disciple. I keep putting off the test to see if she is just a fake or from the real world. I will do it just before the end of the quest.

    But now, let''s check the Valley.

    ¡°Vega, come here,¡± I gesture, and she quickly comes rushing after killing the monster.

    I pull one of the most valuable mana stones I have out of my pocket and hand it to her, ¡°This is a failsafe and will protect you in the event we get separated.¡±

    Her eyes expand, and she takes it and quickly starts examining it.

    Like me, indeed.

    The mana stone I gave her contains one of the most complex inscriptions I¡¯ve made so far. Unlike my botched attempts at whatever I was doing in the Sanctuary, I¡¯ve improved my inscriptions quite a bit. The stone is upper rare and just a tiny step away from an epic item.

    Its function is simple. It will protect her against high levels of ambient mana so it doesn''t fry her brain. Of course, I will keep her near me and constantly protect her myself, but this is just in case.

    I have spent plenty of time working on it and learned a lot. It works by attracting mana to it like a vortex and then pushing it away - like when the black mana dominates the surrounding mana.

    After a few tests, I can consider it a success, and the quality of the stone helps a lot.

    ¡°Thank you, master, I will make sure to protect it!¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± I tell her, as she lifts her arms, and as many times before, I lift her to my chest.

    I shift the bags on my back and create a barrier around us that is ready to activate at full power anytime.

    Part of my mana goes into [Resonance], and I start heading towards the Valley. Moving through the air, we quickly close the distance, and with every mile, the mana filling the air grows heavier.

    Up in the air, I can see the entire Valley stretched out before me, covered in mist and mana so dense that one could almost see it with normal eyes. Surrounded by tall mountains and hills, it almost looks like they were placed to block anything there from getting out.

    I notice that Vega has trouble breathing and compress my mana a bit more and radiate more of it to power my skills. Her breathing returns to normal, and I fly closer.

    The Valley, even as far as it is, is eerily quiet, nestled down there.

    Flying becomes more difficult, as the surrounding mana disrupts my concentration. Logically it shouldn''t affect me or my kinetic energy at all, yet it does, and I''m forced to land.

    I almost make a mistake and activate my trait, and only stop myself at the last second, realizing how big a mistake it could be. The trait allows me to see mana waves and collect more information on anything mana-based. Just the sheer amount of mana and information here would likely tear my brain apart.

    Instead, I strengthen the barrier around us.

    Each step is harder than the one before, and it takes a while for us to reach the entrance to the valley. The wall of mist seems to separate everything inside from the outer world. It looks like a literal smooth wall.

    Just a few steps and we will be inside.

    I check the amount of kinetic and thermal energy I¡¯ve collected. I examine my full Mana Reservoir. I test my skills, and all of them are working. The voidsteel slicer is still at my waist. Even the mana stones I¡¯ve inscribed and prepared for just in case are in my pockets, ready to be used. There are circuits drawn with mana conductive paint on my arms and legs and even some lower quality lines on my chest.

    As ready as I can be, I take a step with Vega in my arms.

    The moment we pass through the wall of mist, the view ahead clears. The Valley is much bigger than it seemed from outside, though it¡¯s still surrounded by mist and mountains that seem to scrape the sky.

    In front of us is, as far as I can see, a forest, some hills, and a few lakes, and there, far in the distance, a being sleeps. A being much bigger than anything I¡¯ve seen up till now. It has a snake-like body, long and slim, covered in beautiful light green scales. The monster has six legs too, each of them slim and nimble-looking.

    The head lays on the ground, eyes closed, and each breath shakes the trees below. Were it to rear up, the monster would be as tall as a skyscraper.

    [Gaiathra - lvl ???]

    I guess I don''t have to look for the sleeping Calamity anymore.

 Chapter 300 - I like it here

    Even though the monster¡¯s sleeping so far away, I cover Vega''s mouth with my hand. It''s irrational and straight-up silly. There is no way the monster could be woken up so easily. It''s just that there is still that little ¡°what if?¡±

    This six-legged serpentine napping noodle has three question marks. That means that it''s probably over level 300, and I''m pretty sure it''s closer to 400 just based on its appearance. So, the warning from the system makes much more sense now.

    I ignore Vega''s shock and carry her into the forest. The napping noodle is what? Two or three dozen miles away? The space within the Valley is bigger than it appears from the outside, so exploring it will probably be fine.

    According to the information Nina gave me, there should be a Mirror and a few bunkers that would have been used by people in high positions. So it¡¯s my goal to find information about the Veil and finish the quest.

    And then, I want to find the Mirror, it¡¯s supposed to be some kind of powerful artifact. I hope it''s a higher rarity than epic. Someone from easy difficulty would probably want to choke me to death if they heard me say it. Those poor guys are extremely happy when they see low rare items.

    ¡°Master, maybe¡­¡±

    I interrupt my silly disciple, ¡°It''s fine. It''s taking a nap.¡±

    ¡°N-nap¡­¡± Vega gulps.

    The pressure within the Valley is even stronger than outside, and I finally identify the source of that mana. It''s Gaiathra sleeping over there and something else near the monster. The monster isn¡¯t using any kind of skill, no barrier, nothing of the sort. It''s just the sleeping monster¡¯s mana seeping out of its body.

    I won''t even try to lie, I''m jealous. Just how many thousands or tens of thousands of points in mana is that?

    Gradually, I also realize something.

    My goal is to become stronger than that monster, and with the way I go about it when I get to its level, I will have much more mana. Damn, can I even pack so much of it inside of my tiny body? And damn, how cool it would be to stand against such a giant and be able to release multiple times more mana while facing it.

    I push us higher into the air and land on one of the thicker branches with a view of the sleeping Gaiathra. Is it at the rank of Champion? My theory always was that a Champion is either at three question marks, or greater, probably.

    For example, Tristan and Keiron, the Champions from the second floor, were capable of destroying multiple continents and killing millions, tens of millions of people in a matter of hours.

    The monster in front of us feels strong, terrifyingly strong, yet I hesitate to think of it as a Champion. Maybe I have to change my thinking a bit; maybe Champions are all over level 450.

    That also creates a question. Just how fucking strong was Lissandra? I mean, sure, she devoured the mana of an entire planet and destroyed it all with a single skill. It''s just that I keep forgetting that. Then there was the Saint Absolute from the third floor, and she must have been at a similar level.

    ¡°Master, you were dozing off for a second,¡± Vega pulls on my clothes.

    ¡°Did I? But I¡¯m still watching our surroundings, so don''t worry.¡±

    ¡°Me too! Were you thinking about something interesting?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I like to sort things in my mind once in a while. But anyway, are you having any trouble with the pressure?¡±

    She shakes her head, ¡°Master''s barrier blocks it all. I just have to stay close and continue training [Mana Manipulation], [Concentration], and try to learn Mana Cycling!¡±

    I wonder if the others have such hard-working disciples.

    Sensing an attack, I take a step and drop from the tree which crumbles in its entirety and gets pushed to the ground as if stepped on by an invisible giant. Another similar attack begins to form over me, but I move quickly.

    ¡°Hold on, there are more of them,¡± I tell Vega.

    I continue to run between the trees as they explode behind us, each attack leaving deep craters in the ground. Even after dodging a dozen of them I still can¡¯t reach the attacker, the air in front of me shivers. A big maw full of teeth appears from thin air to snap at Vega.

    Before it can reach her, I shoot a cone of kinetic energy at it, and the monster goes flying through the forest, breaking through trees. Then I send a dozen mana projectiles I create shoot towards where it flew, piercing trees and sending chunks of earth flying as they strike. Yet no notification comes.

    A barrier forms behind my back and deflects a rain of stones flying towards us, some of them are bigger than my body. They explode and grind against the barrier which ripples in response, sending dust and rubble into the air.

    I create a javelin, quickly making it denser, before boosting it with kinetic energy and launching it in the direction of the stone volley.

    [You have defeated Terraclaw - lvl 191]

    I avoid another attack just before it crushes the place where I stood with invisible force and finally manage to reach the monster that¡¯s been spamming them.

    [Giant Troll - lvl 199]

    The monster is easily five times my height. An old friend from the 1st floor.

    A dozen javelins form around me and float in the air as I infuse each of them with thermal energy. The pale blue mana begins to shine with the brilliant golden luster of thermal energy. Five of the javelins shoot after the troll as he activates the marks on its skin, and they start glowing, preparing to defend.

    The sixth one takes off behind me, piercing through the head of the monster with a big maw full of teeth that attacked me before.

    [You have defeated Phantom Lindworm - lvl 204]

    I examine its dead body for a short moment. It looks like a big snake with two legs and the scales have a similar green color to the giant one sleeping far ahead. Then I detonate the body with more kinetic energy, blasting it to pieces.

    Turning back to the Giant Troll, I watch as five javelins crash against its skin, the flames concentrated into a small point at the tip of the javelins. Each of them pierces the monster, the flames bursting through the other side, drawing a loud roar out of it as the gravity field increases.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The trees in a bigger and bigger area tilt and break, crashing to the ground with the bulk of the pressure directed at me.

    Before the attack can reach me, I use an anchor I placed on one of the javelins impaling the monster and begin sending even more thermal energy through.

    Flames envelop the monster, and it starts thrashing around as it rapidly burns alive and crashes down. Pieces of its limbs charring and falling apart as it does so.

    Without even a moment to look around, I feel the presence of a hundred or more monsters. A big flock of eyeballs as big as a volleyball with two wings each. They locate us quickly, immediately pressing in on us with various attacks.

    Mental attacks which I block for both of us. Disrupting attacks that fail against my barrier and laser-like projectiles shooting from the middle of the eyeballs. Each of these melts and burns anything it touches to dust.

    Tying an anchor to one of my projectiles, I shoot it towards the monsters, and then I send an attack through as I fend off their attempts to disrupt it.

    A shockwave erupts in the middle of the flying group of monsters, a hundred or so monsters cooperate to push against the burst of kinetic energy. They disrupt, they create a barrier, and together they resist.

    How curious.

    I send a stronger wave, and they do it again, though they struggle more this time and have to stop attacking. Their panic is most noticeable in the movements of their small wings.

    Before I can send a tricolored bomb through, a quick movement flashes at the corner of my vision, and an owl as big as a car passes through. Two of the flying eyeballs in its beak and a few more in its talons.

    The group of flying monsters quickly changes their direction, running away, and I watch the owl leave with its prey.

    [Dread Owl - lvl ??]

    The white owl is extremely quiet as it flies, and there is no mana I could sense from it.

    Well, it looks like the sleepy danger noodle isn''t the only dangerous monster here. We should be careful of the owl as well.

    Before I can even finish the thought, a snake emerges from the forest and strikes like lightning, its fangs burrowing into the owl mid-flight.

    The white owl screeches, flapping its wings to no avail. The snake pulls the flying raptor into the forest, and after a second, the screeches stop with a wet cracking noise.

    I think I like it here.

    <hr>

    Just an hour later, Vega and I are standing on a branch in a big tree, looking down on hundreds of bison, each the size of a bus as they amble towards a lake, sipping on water as the largest keeps watch. The chonky boy is a few levels higher than me, but even that won¡¯t help.

    A long maw with sharp teeth snaps up from under the water, and a scaly body flashes into view as a crocodile pulls one of the Bison under the water.

    Blood flows to the surface, and the bubbles of air slowly disappear.

    Even the leader of the bison doesn''t seem to care, almost as if it had been expected.

    A javelin over my shoulder reaches the breaking point, tricolored mana turning bright white, and I launch it at the herd.

    The leader bobs, and a few of them separate, layering barriers in front of them, even adding some stones into it. Another group even moves some of the lake''s water, a compressed burst of it meeting with my barrier.

    That''s when the javelin pierces through multiple barriers and then explodes.

    The resulting heatwave sets the nearby vegetation ablaze, and vaporizes a large quantity of water, even causing the lake to boil.

    The following shockwave throws a dozen or so Bison into the air, some even fly towards the lake at which point the crocodile snatches them, tearing chunks out of the ground and pulling up trees in the process.

    [You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 178]

    [You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 148]

    [You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 171]

    [You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 139]

    ¡­

    [Lvl 219 > Lvl 220]

    I notice Vega shooting a tiny mana orb boosted by her kinetic energy. Seeing the chaos going there, it''s almost cute observing her attack.

    Then the implosion of my attack resolves. Air rushing back to the center of the javelin¡¯s explosion, pulling the monsters, debris, and water toward it, and compressing it all into a tight sphere.

    Bones break, monsters scream, notifications sound.

    Using the opportunity, the croc gets out of the water, a big muscular body covered in scales, mana covering its skin in a barrier as it starts fighting against the head Bison. They seem to be just fine after my attack and are clearly more physically oriented.

    Well, another attack it is.

    Five javelins form above my head, and I push more mana into them. Compressing it, squeezing it to make them as deadly as possible.

    Even while dealing with extreme mana density here and defending me and Vega, I can do it. My reservoir is still untouched, and even though I''m taking a big chunk of my mana, I know it will regenerate quickly.

    When the javelins start turning bright white, both of the monsters down there stop fighting, and turn to me. The Bison seems especially hateful for some unknown reason.

    The croc, surprisingly quick on the uptake, starts heading back towards the lake, and the Bison charges at me.

    But I boost all of the javelins with kinetic energy, and they disappear, hitting the monsters and the ground around them.

    Strengthening our barrier, even I opt to fly in the opposite direction, and even then, I get caught in the shockwave and heatwave, parts of the forest catch flame and trees get pulled from their roots.

    [You have defeated Two-Headed Snake - lvl 150]

    [You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 171]

    [You have defeated Phantom Lindworm - lvl 191]

    [You have defeated Phantom Lindworm - lvl 161]

    ...

    Plenty of other monsters die in the aftereffect, but there are two notifications I''m waiting for.

    [You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 235]

    [You have defeated Goliath Crocodile - lvl 229]

    There are no level-ups, but that¡¯s fine. I feel as if the stress that¡¯s been collecting inside me for quite some time has started to dissipate. I feel as if it''s easier to breathe now. It''s not perfect, I still have Vega to protect so I can''t let go and lower my [Focus], but even this is an improvement.

    Just a nice step towards a happier Nat.

    It''s not like I don''t like training or playing with inscriptions and items, but it''s been too long since I got to enjoy such a nice hunting ground, and I plan to use it as much as possible with the time remaining before Vega gets sent back.

    ¡°What?¡± I ask Vega, who is looking at me with her big red eyes.

    ¡°I also want to learn how to do that.¡±

    Oh? Does she like my tricolored bombs? She is still far from ready, and I think a more reasonable person wouldn''t even consider teaching such a young kid something like that. But I''m not reasonable, and neither is my disciple.

    ¡°Don''t worry, I have a few ideas about how you might be able to do something similar with the help of your heart,¡± I''ve been thinking about it for a while.

    Her eyes become even bigger, and I can hear her heart beat faster. She is MY disciple, isn''t she? Nathaniel Gwyn''s first disciple, the half-demon Vega.

    Before this ends, we will come up with a few rather destructive uses for mana and kinetic energy.

 Chapter 301 - Bullying Ashenwolf

    A day has passed. Vega is progressing well with her skills, and we even found some low-level monsters for her to fight. Most of them are younglings being protected by their herds. So I¡¯ve been taking care of the more troublesome members of the group and letting my pocket half-demon deal with the rest.

    The fights are dangerous of course, even young monsters can be surprisingly strong in this environment. Maybe the weaker ones just tend to die quickly.

    As for me, I''m loving it. I would like this place even more if I didn''t have to take care of Vega and could lurk about on my own. It kind of reminds me of the 1st floor, where death could be waiting behind any of the trees, a forest full of deadly monsters. Yes, the 1st floor was the first place I really felt alive, being forced to fight for my life or die.

    Now that I think about it, maybe I''m not all that normal either, maybe it''s not just the rest of group 4. But then I remember Lily''s happy smile as I suggested that she cut off her limbs and store them for sacrifice, and I quickly dismiss the thought. I am the normal one here.

    I notice a presence sneaking closer and activate one of my anchors, sending a thermal burst through.

    A small part of the forest explodes in sky-high flames, and even here I feel a bit of heat.

    [You have defeated Battle Kobold - lvl 201]

    [Lvl 221 > Lvl 222]

    I turn my attention back to Vega, who is fighting a level thirty-one Kobold. The monster is multiple times taller than her, it looks like a bipedal lizard with dark brown scales.

    The fight has been dragging on for a while already, and I think she could have ended it some time ago, but my disciple keeps trying to use kinetic energy during the fight. Her heart keeps beating, her [Kinetic Barrier] helping to absorb the recoil. As I keep my [Mana Domain] around her and am extremely careful to do so.

    Unlike the monsters native to these parts, Vega isn''t used to these high mana levels. Hell, even I have trouble functioning normally without using my skills to compensate. I don''t want to see what it would do to her.

    [Mana Domain - lvl 33 > Mana Domain - lvl 34]

    Oh, nice, that''s something.

    Vega, frustrated at her inability to shoot the monster with kinetic energy, just uses it to push her body to the side before closing the distance with another burst. Her dagger flashes, stabbing multiple times into the monster''s chest.

    She lands on her feet, as the Kobold sends her flying with a well timed punch, her barrier absorbing most of the impact. She pushes herself up again, stabbing for the neck and using her left arm to fend off the monster¡¯s gnashing teeth.

    The kobold tries to tear through the [Kinetic Barrier] covering her forearm, but the life disappears from his eyes before he can.

    Knowing the mood my disciple is most likely in, I don''t say anything and give her time to calm down.

    More presences start closing in from all sides, and I send explosions through a few more anchors and grab Vega. Then, while the forest burns behind us, I push us into the air and quickly head for one of the smaller mountains.

    Keeping our flight as short as possible, I land and then continue running on my feet, strengthening my body. But, just like before, even this is enough, and several flying monsters start circling the area, searching for us.

    I hide our presence, and when I find an opening in the side of the mountain, I head towards it, and pushing through for a few seconds, I enter the cave. A thermal orb flies in the air, lighting the area, and the monster that seems extremely surprised to see us as it wakes.

    [Ashenwolf - lvl 149]

    The monstrous wolf isn''t even that big; his eyes are at the level of mine. His fur is gray, and his eyes are light gray.

    Somehow I find the monster pretty and cute. Just a poor fella, awoken from its nap by intruders.

    I use [Redistribution] to hold its movement, while the wolf tries to radiate some fire-based attack, but I absorb the heat, storing it in the thermal orb I''m using to light the cave. Then I disrupt its attempts to use a reinforcement skill and thwart a few more of its attempts. I let Vega go, and she starts looking between me and the wolf.

    Yup, that''s me, the Bully. I''m totally bullying the poor guy and will continue to do so for a few more minutes, at least until the monster can catch its breath after its escape attempts. There doesn¡¯t seem to be much mana left in the wolf, and its eyes change. The monster has recognized the difference between us and expects death. Yet it stands proud.

    The wolf reminds me of the Crimsonwolf Tess and I fought on the 1st floor. Back then, I felt something like respect for the white wolf that caused us so much trouble and inspired the creation of one of my first skills.

    I take a few steps and stop an arm''s reach away from the monster, continuing to hold its movement with my skill. His eyes meet mine, its growling fills the cave.

    Then I pet him.

    The wolf''s fur is nice and soft, and his body radiates a comfortable heat, it probably has something to do with his fire skills. As I continue to caress his head, I feel renewed attempts to escape, but there is no way he will be able to. Using my position as victor, I step closer and continue. It feels nice, and the confused, yet angry wolf is still cute.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Sure, it is almost a level 150 monster that would kill me given the opportunity. But now its life is in my hands, and I want to pet it. It might be because I miss Biscuit, but I even boop the wolf''s snout a few times. It''s nice and cold, but it just can''t compare to Biscuit''s, so I stop.

    ¡°Wanna pet it, Vega?¡± I ask my disciple. Yup, I lost our bet again. Losing concentration when we found ruins of a building, and I found weird inscriptions on it.

    I¡¯m starting to think that maybe our bet wasn''t such a good idea.

    Vega doesn''t even bother asking if it''s safe nor does she hesitate. Nope, she just moves towards the wolf which stands there, frozen in place, and climbs on his back.

    ¡°It''s so soft and warm!¡± she says happily, her mood improving. She moves closer to the wolf''s head, which is almost as big as she is.

    Yet the little half-demon isn''t scared at all. She seems to trust me fully and taps the top of the majestic wolf''s head, ¡°Can we keep him?¡±

    ¡°It would be annoying, just pet him if you want, and we will leave in ten minutes.¡±

    She is disappointed but then continues to snuggle the wolf for ten minutes. Then, as we are leaving, I release the monster, and he almost falls, his body now no longer restrained by my skills. He doesn''t even attempt to attack me, just stands there, his hackles rising, its deep growl filling the cave once more. I throw him a piece of deer meat I dried and exit.

    Taking Vega into my arms, I jump off the mountain, boosting us only slightly to avoid colliding with the cliff. After ten seconds of freefall, I absorb our momentum, gently landing on a branch of one of the bigger trees.

    A few dozen miles ahead of us lies the sleeping Calamity, and I wonder how much closer I can get to it safely. We¡¯ve already shortened the distance by a third, so theoretically, we could reach it in a few days if we wanted to. But something tells me that wouldn''t be a good idea.

    So I once again check the map I got from Darren, the one with information on the Mirror. Obviously, the map is terrible. The Valley it depicts is much smaller, and some of the mountains are missing, but I can use it as a rough estimation, and, going by that, the Mirror should be nearby.

    <hr>

    It takes an entire day. Meanwhile, Vega levels up a few times, and her usage of kinetic energy has improved to what I think is an acceptable degree. We only have 5 days left, so I tell her to practice creating mana orbs and I start explaining the logic behind my tricolored orbs. She has a skill similar to [Focus], so she should be capable of doing something similar. Even if she can¡¯t do it right away, she can always fill them with kinetic energy instead.

    That day, we also got attacked by a snake as thick as a car. The monster moves extremely quickly, spewing acid at all times, and even radiates a form of mana I can''t fully block. It causes me to become lightheaded and makes it more difficult to keep up my external use of mana. It''s unable to pierce my Mantle, but the slithering moving debuff of a monster is extremely annoying.

    I run between the trees, as they topple behind us. Dodging to the side, a long patch of the forest in front of us gets covered in green acid which starts to melt the trees.

    A dozen of my mana projectiles trash the forest behind us, but the snake avoids them all, and as it moves, more trees fall.

    A few monsters attack from the sky only to be hit by the debuff, slowed down, and then either snatched from the air or melted in green acid.

    I create a few layers of barriers, and acid lands on them, slowly corroding them, forcing me to use more mana and let the attack drip down.

    The thermal orb floating near me shoots a laser-like concentrated thermal attack, cutting trees apart with a smooth burned cut. It slashes against the snake as well, causing deep burns and filling the area with a loud hiss.

    I create anchors near the monster, but they get disconnected from me by the field the snake constantly generates.

    Vega has already passed out and starts breathing heavily, even through the barriers I¡¯ve wrapped her in.

    Pushing us further away, three tricolored bombs explode next to the snake, but I only see its long body slithering like a blur away from the explosions.

    [Redistribution] fails to grasp the monster, and it never gets close enough to enter the reach of my kinetic attacks, and it avoids my ranged ones, detecting them as they take flight. Yet another asshole picking on me and taking advantage of the fact that I can''t fight properly with Vega in my arms. And yet another fella to add to my ever-growing list of beings that have pissed me off on this floor.

    When my [Perception] locates the tunnels below us and a path heading there, I lure the monster further away, dodging the attacks.

    Then I create hundreds of mana projectiles, each of them an orb the size of a golf ball. Thermal energy floods into each one of them, and I start my bombardment of the snake. They shoot off like rounds from a minigun, hundreds of them in just a few seconds, obliterating a big patch of the forest, some of them even manage to hit and burn the annoying snake.

    The monster hisses, an even more concentrated acid attack shooting towards us, splashing against my barrier. I keep the barriers supplied with mana and even use [Infusion] to infuse them with [Resonance], and gradually the acid slides down, melting the earth, stones, and trees underneath.

    Meanwhile, the snake leaves, and the annoying field it was generating goes with it.

    I check on Vega, and she seems to be feverish, and the little half-demon is still unconscious. Carefully, I use my mana to push the barely noticeable remains of the snake''s aura away, and her breathing calms down.

    Then I spend a bit of time testing my skills on the green acid that was left behind. The effect it has on [Resonance], how it clashes with kinetic or thermal energy. The amount of mana I need to use for [Regalia] to resist it. All that good stuff.

    But one good thing comes from the snake¡¯s attack.

    Its acid melts a big chunk of the stone off of one of the hills, revealing the entrance to a crude tunnel that¡¯s been shielded by the material around it. That allows my senses to reach inside, and I send them through the tunnel, slowly creating a map in my mind.

    Then I find something interesting deep inside the tunnel.

    A massive circular iron door not unlike the ones back at the Sanctuary.

    Checking the map in the mana stone and the area, I manage to conclude that we¡¯ve located the resting place of the Mirror. Whatever it is.

 Chapter 302 - Thank you, minion

    Only when I stop in front of the giant iron door do I realize how different it is from the ones that lead into the Sanctuary.

    This one feels much more powerful if that is the right word to use. There are inscriptions meant to take any mana that touches the door and use it to strengthen their defenses. Even the material itself is different. The iron is shinier, without a single speck of rust or damage.

    Given the information I have, I would say that while the Sanctuary is an old abandoned bunker from before the war, this one is newer. Built using newer technologies and more up to date knowledge. Even the stone around the door has been strengthened, laced with veins of inscribed iron.

    This seems like it will take a while, so I leave for a moment to block the entrance that was melted by the acid attack, I try to shield it as it was before, and then return to the door.

    I take a blanket, lay it out on the ground, and set Vega on top of it, placing multiple layers of defense around her. I even add a few more mana stones inscribed to protect against the mana radiation that is so ever-present in the Valley. Then I activate my trait and touch the door, only to immediately let go, my eyes closed and pain drumming inside my head.

    Yeah, this will take a bit longer than expected.

    <hr>

    One day later, I already feel like throwing an all-out attack against the door.

    None of it makes sense! How the heck is a normal Hell difficulty enjoyer supposed to get inside? Is there another way? Knowing the system, there probably is. No, knowing the system, there 100% are different ways to get inside. And most of them are probably much simpler.

    BUT.

    That doesn''t matter for shit. This is a clear challenge. A test of my skills, and there is no way I will stop now. 5th floor Nathaniel won''t back out, otherwise 6th floor Nathaniel will remember it and laugh at such a weak show of determination.

    Nope, I will open this goddamn door. It is not even powered by mana, so its defensive capabilities are dramatically reduced. For what I know, it''s 50-90% easier to unlock it now compared to if it was supplied with mana. Thankfully, the core of the Bunker, either a mana crystal or mana stone, seems to have been drained. Yet, here I am, angry at the door.

    ¡°Master, I leveled up my [Mana Manipulation]!¡±

    At least Vega seems to be happy. She woke up a few hours after we reached the door and after examining the area, she went to training.

    Yes, I''m curious, but I won¡¯t forget my role as her master. There are 4 days remaining, so I spend half of my time with the door and the other half training Vega. We spar, I pressure her, she trains her heart.

    Over and over again, she gets hurt by me, forcing her to train harder and more. At this point I''m surprised she doesn''t hate me. I keep watching for that. A hint of growing hatred towards me, a desire for revenge. Yet there is none.

    ¡°Vega, do you not hate me?¡± I ask, taking a break from the door.

    Hearing my serious tone, she takes her time to answer, ¡°No,¡± she says simply.

    ¡°That''s it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I do not hate master.¡±

    Such a silly minion.

    ¡°I will be disrupting your mana. Do not even try to fight against it outside of your body. Try to keep the mana under your skin active to strengthen your body or send it to your heart,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Splitting my mind into two parts, I turn to the door while the other one trains Vega.

    <hr>

    One more day passes when I finally decide to do what I¡¯ve been avoiding for a long time.

    With a bit over three days remaining, I take a break from deciphering the door. I take two clean pieces of cloth from the bag along with a sweet fruity drink stored in a bottle with inscriptions meant to keep the contents cold. I also take out some sweets. All the things from the 4th floor.

    Then I turn to Vega and ask, ¡°Will you eat with me, Vega?¡±

    A pure expression of shock appears on her face, and her heart palpates, beating weirdly. Revealing her surprise and shock. A big tear starts rolling down her cheek as I sit on the ground, the pieces of cloth marking our places, and I wait.

    ¡°Master¡­ this¡­ do you know¡­ I,¡± she blubbers, and I wait.

    Of course, I know. This custom, this gesture seems to be reserved for people you either like, respect, or want to build a relationship with. Vega, up until now, hasn¡¯t had the opportunity to do this before the 5th floor, she probably only ever got to see other people doing this.

    Then she tried it with me, and I still remember how happy she was that day. That day and every day after that. No matter how many times I accepted, she smiled just as happily as the first time.

    But until now, it¡¯s always come from her. Her show of goodwill, a desire for a relationship with her master. So it''s no surprise that she might react this way if I were to return the gesture.

    ¡°I don''t remember my disciple being such a crybaby,¡± I mutter.

    She quickly blinks and wipes her eyes back and forth with her sleeve, ¡°I''m sorry. I''m so sorry.¡±

    Vega then quickly sits down and, unlike many times before, she seems nervous as I take out food and drink for us. I take my time and carefully split the items between the two of us. Then we eat in silence, though I watch with amusement, as she nibbles on the sweets, and drinks the chilled fruit drink.

    Even though she is so much smaller, she eats more than me and doesn''t even seem to notice that I barely touch it, carefully sliding it towards her.

    The less food remains, the more sour my mood becomes, and that weird feeling fills my chest. When all the food is gone, she looks towards me, flashing me a giant smile that makes me want to pull on her horns.

    ¡°Vega,¡± I start carefully, ¡°I will say a few words, can you repeat them after me?¡±

    She tilts her head, curious, but then she nods, ¡°Sure, master!¡±

    ¡°Pairing.¡±

    ¡°Pairing,¡± she repeats.

    My throat feels a bit dry, so I take a sip and take a deep breath.

    ¡°Tutorial,¡± I say.

    ¡°Tutorial,¡± she repeats.

    ¡°5th floor.¡±

    ¡°5th floor,¡± she repeats.

    ¡°Floor quest.¡±

    ¡°Floor quest,¡± she repeats.

    I open my mouth and then close it, only to open it again, ¡°Hell difficulty tutorial, group 4, Noname, Savant, Beyond, Side quest, Train and protect disciple, shards, System shop.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Hell difficulty tutorial, group 4, Noname, Savant, Beyond, Side Quest, Train and protect disciple, shards, System shop,¡± she repeats perfectly.

    ¡°That''s enough.¡±

    ¡°Master, are you¡­¡± Vega pauses and then shakes her head. Instead, she smiles, ¡°Did I do well?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you did. Thank you, Vega.¡±

    <hr>

    POV Lily Chen

    "Master, you keep staring into the air. Are you checking the community?"

    I look at my disciple and, seeing no reason to lie, I nod, "Yes. Nathaniel is there, talking with Savant." I notice that my disciple is displeased by that.

    He is wearing the same clothes he wore when I met him for the first time. Even though he can''t be more than 7 or 8 years old, his clothes remind me of a formal black suit, clean. He wears them proudly, and his bearing is the same.

    It''s adorable to see someone so young behave like that, but he takes it so seriously I can''t laugh at him. Apparently, his father is a Champion candidate and will reach that rank in a few years, something Pallius, my disciple, is extremely proud of.

    "You don''t like that I''m talking with Nathaniel?" I tease him. It''s fun because his reactions are cute. A kid pretending to be an adult.

    ¡°From what you¡¯ve told me master, the man called Nathaniel is unstable and unreliable. Master is wasting time on him. I will get my father to locate your planet and will find you after your tutorial ends. I promise to take care of you.¡±

    Finally, I laugh a bit, unable to hold back, "Pallius. Just tell me more about the Pairing, Tutorial, and the system, and I will think about it."

    ¡°I''m not dumb, master,¡± he shakes his head, ¡°I will do so only if you promise to become my Shadow.¡± He mentions the title of some, probably, important position.

    What would Nat do with such a stubborn kid?

    I take a step closer, pinch his nose and shake it a bit.

    Pallius seems extremely surprised, and at a loss for words, his eyes big as saucers. His face reddens, and his eyes change color from yellow to light blue, and his hair mimics that. Pallius isn''t human. His eyes and hair confirm that, as do the small wings growing from his back.

    But there is something to it, I think, as I let go of his nose and watch as he steps back. Nat might be onto something!

    Still red, Pallius shouts, wings on his back moving erratically, ¡°Master! Don¡¯t do that!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. But Pallius, your fingers are still missing, can¡¯t you regenerate them quicker?¡±

    He fixes his suit, and his hair and eyes change to a more neutral orange color, ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. Not everyone is as much of a genius as you are. I swear, master, you are dumb, you don¡¯t realize how exceptional your healing skill is.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will get you there as well.¡±

    I don¡¯t know if the system is cruel or kind, but Pallius and I are similar. Ever since he told me about how lonely he feels with his busy father or how much pressure weighs on him, I can¡¯t help but pity him a bit. But only a bit, he always gets ashamed and angry when I try to be nicer. So silly.

    ¡°What do you think? Should we head to the Bastion or the Valley?¡± I ask him.

    ¡°We have only a few days before I return to my world, so maybe the Valley? After I come back, we can go on a longer expedition, master.¡±

    ¡°So reliable,¡± I ruffle his hair as it returns to its pale blue shade.

    ¡°Master! Stop that! My father is a Champion candidate, and I¡¯m not some kid to be subjected to this kind of childish and undignified treatment!¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure, Pallius.¡±

    He doesn¡¯t push my hand away and looks at me, ¡°Master, just become my Shadow. And stop thinking of that Nathaniel guy. He is weak, and he doesn¡¯t value you as much as I would. You even said he left you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, minion, I will deal with Nathaniel on the next floor.¡±

    ¡°M-minion?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, Nathaniel said in the Community that he calls his disciple that. Apparently, his disciple likes it a lot. So I will be calling you minion as well.¡±

    ¡°T-that evil man!¡±

    I smile at him, and then, while we walk, I continue trying to use [Reconstruction] on the remains of the heart of the Fallen Hero. Even after a few weeks, it''s still in pieces and It¡¯s extremely hard to work with, but I think I''m onto something.

    <hr>

    Three days remain until Vega returns to the real world.

    Real world.

    A real disciple, from the real world. Not a fake, not a shadow of someone long dead. A real half-demon that¡¯s become my disciple.

    I might have become softer, and I totally blame it on the [Focus] that blocks most of my¡­ violent tendencies, and other stuff. But I''m¡­ happy, I think. So for rewards, I push my disciple more, and slowly she becomes stronger and stronger.

    I could go out and level her more, but that''s not what I want. What I want is to create a great base for her that she can build on. Show her what''s possible and the rest is up to her.

    And then, when the tutorial is over, I will find her and her world. She will be around 10 years old by the time the tutorial ends for me. Maybe even older as I''m not sure how long it will take to find coordinates to her world or how difficult it will be to travel there.

    But I will do it.

    I have also decided to spend one more day trying to open the door. If I don''t by then, we will leave with 2 days remaining, if something doesn''t change. That should be enough time to deal with the annoying acid snake, get some revenge on the Bastion jerks, stomp the Veil Guardian into the ground, and maybe even check on the Sanctuary.

    It''s not that I''m worried about the people there; I''m just curious about what they decided. That''s one of the reasons I left Darren, Nina, and others alive. I really wonder how these people will deal with the knowledge of what they were eating. I''m also curious what Irvin, the source of that meat, did. Did he kill Darren? Did he stay down there, or did he leave to meet his daughter?

    While I¡¯m thinking of that, something clicks.

    In the deep silence of the underground, it sounds deafening, and then in the light of my thermal orb, I see the door shift slightly. Just a tiny bit, creating an opening just wide enough for a human to push through.

    That makes me stop and once again examine what I was doing, and after a minute, I''m absolutely sure I didn''t do anything that would cause it to unlock.

    Should I close it?

    I shake my head. Whatever. It could be the system unlocking them; it¡¯s set to unlock for participants on some schedule, or there is something inside that opened it.

    Who the hell knows?

    ¡°Vega, take your stuff; we are going in.¡±

    I can hear movement behind me and her small feet tap against the floor as she moves quickly and packs up everything. When it''s done, we enter the bunker, me going first.

    Foolishly, I try to open the door more, but it doesn''t move. It doesn''t move even as I use mana or as I strengthen my body. Not even the tiniest bit.

    To be honest, it scares me a bit and also makes me want to take it with me to the 6th floor to examine what the heck is with them.

    The tunnel we enter doesn''t have any inscriptions on the walls, and it''s perfectly shielded against my mana and senses. When I try to send my mana through the wall, it reflects back inside the tunnel.

    After we¡¯ve been walking for ten minutes, I start realizing how long the hallway is. All we can see is the same tunnel anywhere we look. There are no doors, no rooms, no markings. The only proof of us moving ahead is the shrinking door behind us.

    Oh, and also two anchors, one near the door and another one outside. Plus, a few mana threads that will warn me the moment the door moves even the tiniest bit.

    I also hold Vega''s hand, so I can teleport us both. Her possibly getting hurt by the teleportation sounds like a better option than being locked here. Just in case.

    Ten minutes later, the area finally changes. The tunnel widens, and we pass through a few more iron doors, which are open. Each of our steps echoes through this otherwise quiet and dark place, and dust flies into the air. The air becomes stale in this perfectly empty bunker, devoid of anything that hasn¡¯t been bolted down.

    We pass by filtration plants, we pass by an enchanting facility. We pass by a forge as big as a two-story building.

    There is a room full of shelves covered in dried-up plants that turn to dust when I touch them.

    Another room is as big as a football stadium, filled with thousands of seats. The walls have been painted in a pale blue color and there¡¯s a podium with a few paintings, barely visible behind it.

    We eventually reach the core, a circular room with stairs running along the sides and heading down. When I send my thermal orb down there, I realize that it is as deep as a skyscraper for sure.

    A single crystal goes through the middle of this room. It brilliantly reflects the light, perfect and beautiful. The biggest mana crystal I''ve ever seen. The core of this place.

    A few more rooms later, we finally reach a much smaller one. It''s barely as big as the room I used to live in with my sister. In that room, stands a simple mirror. It has no frame and it''s hovering in the air, just a bit over the floor.

    I take a few steps and watch our reflections inside of it. Both of us are a bit dirty and our clothes are not in a good state. Then I read the information that appears.

    The Mirror is an item.

    Yup, an item with a higher rarity than epic has finally appeared.

 Chapter 303 - Remember what I taught you

    Duplicating Mirror (Arcane) - This mirror can replicate any object up to its rarity, vanishing after a single use. Its power offers a unique opportunity for duplication, but with the caveat of its irreplaceable nature, making its selection a critical decision.

    Okay, I don''t know what I was expecting, but it wasn¡¯t this.

    ¡°Train for a bit,¡± I give another mana stone to Vega and turn to the mirror.

    So, the next level of rarity after epic is arcane, and this mirror can duplicate any item up to arcane rarity. The unfortunate thing is that I don''t think there is anything of that rarity I could get my hands on on this floor.

    Maybe I should try moving it and take it to the next floor with me. I bet some opportunities would arise there. The mirror itself is a bit taller than me and as wide as my unfurled arms, so it wouldn''t be such a big problem.

    I touch it carefully and then try to move it. It won¡¯t move. I use [Tether]. I use [Mana Domain]. I strengthen my body, I use mana arms. I try to push it with kinetic energy. Just like the door, the goddamn mirror won¡¯t budge.

    With a sigh, I sit in front of it and think while looking at my reflection.

    Should I duplicate the Voidsteel slicer? It''s well within the higher grades of epic rarity, and I bet most people in Hell difficulty would kill for it. Yet, I still can''t help but feel something akin to regret, feeling it would be a waste.

    I examine the mirror a bit longer.

    These are some of the most delicate and tiny inscriptions I¡¯ve seen up until now. It''s hard to even perceive them, and I have no fucking idea how they work or what they do. The mirror itself could be made from glass or from a thin piece of heavily polished metal. Heck, for all I know, maybe it''s just a reflective turd from a Calamity rank monster.

    Also, the mirror quest says this.

    Side quest: Locate the mirror

    Reward: ???

    It most likely means that whatever I copy will be my reward, that could be the reason for the question marks.

    I wonder if I could duplicate Biscuit if he was here. Just the thought of two future Absolutes by my side fills me with bliss. Or maybe¡­ I pause my thoughts here, the gears in my head spinning.

    Maybe¡­ would that work?

    Probably? Logically it could work, the description doesn''t exclude it.

    Oh my.

    I quickly check the timer until Vega returns to her world, and it says almost three days.

    Too little time.

    Slightly annoyed, I return to examining the item in front of me.

    <hr>

    When the timer reaches 3 days, I get a new pop up from the system.

    Congratulations, you have protected your disciple and raised their level. In three days, you will be offered a choice. You can proceed to the next floor or remain on the 5th floor for another three weeks as the danger gradually increases.

    If you choose to stay, in 3 days, your disciple will return to their world for a week. Subsequently, they''ll return to the 5th floor for the two additional weeks.

    While the master-disciple relationship is crucial, it isn''t enforced by the system.

    Your choice will be respected, free from penalties should you decide to proceed to the next floor.

    After reading the message, I open the Community to curse at my group members for not letting me know. Any message with even the tiniest hint of these choices gets censored.

    That probably explains why they haven¡¯t said anything, but it¡¯s still annoying, and while Biscuit shouts something about the food, I proceed to bully the others.

    <hr>

    The timer slowly ticks down, and when our time is almost up, I put a stop to our training and let her rest. She also seems to realize our time together is coming to a close, so it''s hard for her to focus.

    I¡¯ve already prepared a small bag for her. We worked together to make it look old and dirty-looking, the same with her clothes. We hid a few mana stones, and she refused to give up any of the items I¡¯ve given her, carefully storing them in a hidden compartment within the bag.

    There is still a chance that someone might notice any decent items she¡¯s carrying, and her low level might put a target on her back instead of helping her.

    So, I won¡¯t give her any powerful items. I also refrain from leaving any inscriptions on her skin with paint, nor do I give her any mana stones containing warrior enhancements. I decided at the beginning of the 5th floor, that I¡¯d be careful not to help her too much, that I¡¯d let her grow on her own. I have decided to trust in the training I¡¯ve given her and to have faith in her own abilities.

    One moment I think I''m doing the right thing, and another, I want to buy her an epic item or give her piles of valuables. It''s annoying, it''s difficult, and I''m not used to these feelings.

    The fact that the system is even giving me two options is interesting in its own way. It makes a certain kind of sense. You can send your disciple away for a week, back to the moment before their death. The disciple will either die or survive based on their training. Then the disciple can use what they learned in their world and return a week later to give feedback and learn more.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Yes, the system said the relationship between master and disciple is important, and it was shown often by titles such as Champion''s disciple or Absolute''s disciple. But it''s weirdly nice of the system to offer such an option.

    It could just as easily end up being a disadvantage as anyone who chooses the first option will start on the 6th floor 3 weeks early. But it might equal the chance to spend 1 week on the 5th floor without disciple and examine it.

    For me, it''s perfect, more than perfect.

    There is the mirror and my idea to use it. There is the Bastion, the Sanctuary, Veil Guardian, acidic danger noodle, and the sleeping giga-danger noodle.

    I like that a lot and not just because I get to spend more time with this silly half-demon.

    Damn it.

    That''s how they get you, they act all cute, innocent, and weak. They need protection, they imitate, and get close to you. Then before you know it, you are attached. Even disciples are dangerous here.

    While looking at the way she nervously steps from foot to foot, I also think about how she compares to me from the 1st floor.

    Her level is higher, her skill levels are higher, and she has a lot of knowledge I didn''t, all specially prepared for her and her build.

    She is strong, and I''m sure she could take on most of the members of group 4 from the 1st floor. Somehow, I still don¡¯t think I would lose if we fought. Vega is wild, and she is the type that will scratch and bite when pushed into a corner. She is a fighter. But Nat from the 1st floor was even wilder. Someone who would sacrifice his limbs, and his body without hesitation just to get a nice hit in.

    Now that I think about it, I did something similar to my leg not long ago, so maybe that¡¯s not a good comparison. There is no way I''m as dumb as the me from a year ago, nope.

    ¡°Master,¡± Vega moves closer and then sticks her head out for me.

    For a moment, I stand there confused, and then hesitantly, I grab her tiny black horn and shake her head.

    She giggles, clearly enjoying it.

    Then she opens her hand, and a nearly transparent mana orb floats out. I can sense the kinetic energy inside. The orb floats slowly and heads outside the room, where it receives a signal from Vega, and its surface shrinks, compressing the kinetic energy inside. Following that, the kinetic energy pushes against it, expands, and tears the orb apart in a small explosion.

    Its damage is small, even smaller than if she had used her body. But it''s a first step, and my disciple seems happy. Very happy.

    "Good job," I say as I pull on her horn and gently shake her head.

    I do realize how much our relationship has changed, and how our treatment of each other has evolved. Why is it so easy to let my guard down in front of someone Iike her?

    I get down on my knees, carefully wrap my arms around her and pull her into a hug.

    At first, she freezes, her small body barely moving, her heart beating like a scared little animal.

    When I''m about to let her go, thinking I might have misunderstood, she puts her arms around me and hugs me back. She holds me with all the strength in her tiny arms, her head burrows into my neck and her pointy horns poke the bottom of my chin.

    She refuses to let go for a long time, and when she does, she looks at the ground awkwardly.

    ¡°Remember what I taught you, okay? Stay safe, and I will see you in a week.¡±

    Still refusing to meet my gaze, ¡°Will do, master, so wait for me,¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Will you really be here when I return?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You won''t¡­ leave me?¡±

    ¡°You should know me better after the last few weeks.¡± As the time moves closer, I notice her becoming more and more nervous, but she will be fine. She is strong.

    Finally, the countdown ends, and Vega looks towards a spot in the air. From the way her eyes move, the object she is looking at is as big as a door. It reminds me too much of Myrra, unable to see the entrance to the 5th floor. In the same way I can''t see the portal leading to her world. It¡¯s surprisingly disturbing.

    ¡°Minion, my punishment has ended, so I don''t have to call you by your name anymore,¡± I say as she takes a step.

    She turns to me and after a moment of hesitation a smile appears on her face, ¡°Master is dumb, same as me. I''ll be back, and you''ll call me Vega again!¡±

    Without saying anything else, she passes through the invisible portal, and a new message pops up.

    Congratulations on protecting your disciple. According to how your disciple does, you will receive ??? after leaving the Floor.

    Would you like to continue to the 6th floor or stay on the 5th floor?

    Warning! If you decide to stay on the 5th floor, you will have to wait a week until your disciple is summoned back. Then you will have to protect your disciple for another 2 weeks in harsher conditions! If your disciple dies you will fail your floor quest, and receive severe punishment.

    Warning! If you decide to enter the 6th floor, your connection to your disciple will be severed. Your disciple can also choose to sever the connection between you. If the connection is cut, you will lose opportunities.

    Choose wisely!

    ¡°Why are you giving us options out of nowhere,¡± I mumble. ¡°The more floors we pass, the more informative and nice you are.¡±

    The system doesn''t answer, as always, and I just close the windows after deciding to stay.

    Overall, I like it. There is so much to do and so many quests to complete, and without Vega¡­ I weaken the hold [Focus] has on some of my emotions, and my mood changes.

    Now that she is gone, it feels like that bit of warmth, the flame I had to protect, is gone too, and I can go back to my usual self.

    While looking in the mirror, I take out conductive paint and start drawing on my forehead, around my eyes, and on every free spot on my head. It takes a while, but I try to do it as precisely as possible. After that, I paint even more across the rest of my body. That takes even longer.

    When everything is ready, a small orb of mana forms nearby, quickly compressed, focused to a much smaller size turning to black mana. The familiar pressure threatens to take over my mana, but I just pull it into my hand, absorbing it into my body through the inscriptions as they disappear.

    I take a part of that mana and use it to strengthen my body. The black mana flows through my circuits, and my healing passive activates as well. I generate even more heat and send it towards my head. Then I take another portion of black mana and use it to [Focus], and at the same time, I activate my trait while looking at the mirror.

    The colors disappear, and the world slows down to a crawl. My thoughts spin wildly. My immensely strengthened [Focus] works in tandem with Mana Wavelength Iris, sorting and processing collected information.

    I¡¯ve wondered what my specialty is for a while now. Is it my Primordial energies? My mana projectiles? Multiple kinds of bombs? Disrupting opponents'' mana? The redistribution of absorbed energies? There are plenty of powerful options in front of me, and my build certainly fits the phrase jack of all trades, master of none.

    But there is something I was thinking of.

    The world I see through my enhanced eyes is beautiful, so full of information and options. Here it¡¯s even possible to get a peek at the arcane grade item in front of me. I see the inscriptions, and with this comes the tiniest bit of understanding.

    My eyes are powerful, it''s a really strong trait, and in combination with [Focus] to process the information and with black mana to power it all, this may allow me to become a master of many skills instead of settling for a partial understanding of them.

    I won''t give up on any of my skills to specialize in one, no, I will keep them all, and all of them will become powerful enough to be considered specializations. I will drag my body, bleeding, and broken, until I reach that goal.

    The black mana is finally spent, leaving me with the after-effects. My vision blurs, my head spins, and I''m barely capable of controlling my mana well enough to generate thermal energy.

    Huddled up in the corner of the room, I clench my fists, waiting for the aftereffects to fade.

    I have seen it, and it seems that my plan will be possible. I may have found a really fun use for this mirror.

    Let''s see what the system has to say.

 Chapter 304 - Using the Mirror

    It takes me almost an entire day, and I use the rest of the mana conductive paint, applying it to the mirror, floor, and my body. I even etch inscriptions into my skin. Lastly, I also melt down some of the metals I¡¯m carrying to add to it all. When it''s all done, I sit there, eating some food and enjoying the rest of my chilled drink.

    While I¡¯m waiting for my body to recover from my overuse of my eyes, I open the community.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - test test!

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - you missed two days.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I was busy. Is everyone ok?

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - yes, but NotAaron¡¯s disciple died and he was moved to the next floor.

    Oh.

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - his brother followed him, so he¡¯s not alone.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - that sucks.

    Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - he was really shocked, I hope they will be ok.

    TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - it all was going so well, and then...

    The rest of his message is censored, and I guess a few more after that.

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - The other news is that Gareth and WhiteWing have finally entered the 5th floor as well. They lost two members at the end of the 4th floor, in the battle against the First One. One more died from one of the other groups.

    Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - hey guys, yeah. The ant couldn¡¯t damage Gareth or the others around him, so he went after our ranged players. He was too quick for us to do anything. Fucking insect.

    Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - it¡¯s good to see that you guys are okay. Oh, Noname, Gareth wants you to speak with him sometime. But now I have to attend to my disciple, so later.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - later, take care.

    My message feels awkward, even to me, but it is what it is. I was never good at this kind of thing.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I will be a bit busy for the next few days, so don¡¯t be surprised if I don¡¯t join.

    Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - be careful! Your passive sucks.

    Lily seizes the opportunity to poke fun at my passive and demands that I remove it. We bicker for a while before I close the window and return my full attention to the mirror.

    It¡¯s time.

    My eyes activate, and black mana from the orb seeps into my body. I force it under my control and forcefully calm my quickly beating heart. Then I take a step towards the mirror and activate it in concert with the inscriptions I¡¯ve made.

    I feel the arcane item react, its mana reaching out to me, as it attempts to find something to duplicate.

    I can¡¯t change the way it works or its function, nor can I do anything too big. No, I still have a long way to go before I get to that point. Instead, I give it a slight poke. Just a tiny bit, I mess with the inscription and help it find the object I want it to duplicate.

    That object is me.

    The weirdest feeling flows through my body. It''s as if someone is examining me so deeply that they must know every nook and corner of my being. The entirety of my body and mind are being scanned. And I allow it to happen.

    Warning! The Duplicating Mirror is being utilized in an unintended manner. This use does not align with the tutorial''s intended purpose. Small changes have been applied.

    A chosen object for duplication will not be permanent, a time limit and restrictions have been applied.

    The window disappears, and I take a step back, and my reflection takes a step forward at the same time.

    A leg steps onto the floor, and as the mirror cracks and disintegrates into shining particles, another me enters the room, his clothes disappearing along with the items he had on him.

    My eyes meet his. I¡¯ve thought of it often, and I expected to be able to read him, but I can¡¯t. I guess there is a difference between reading other people and myself.

    ¡°Fuck, that''s creepy,¡± he says, stealing the words from my mouth, and proceeds to take some clothes from the floor. He is acting casually, but I know that he is thinking, and I even feel him circulating thermal and kinetic energy through his body.

    ¡°Access to Community and system shop and floor quests?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Cut off.¡±

    ¡°Status, skills?¡±

    ¡°All the same. Fuck, this is creepy,¡± he repeats again, ¡°I think I understand why people always want to punch your face in.¡±

    ¡°Our face¡­ your face¡­ or my face, whatever. And they¡¯re just jealous,¡± I say, ¡°try activating your trait for a moment.¡±

    Before he complains, I activate mine as well, and with a sigh, he does just that. I can still see his brown and gray eyes, but there is a golden circle around the pupils.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Good, at least it is as cool-looking as I thought,¡± he says what I''m thinking again.

    When he is finally clothed, I ask him, ¡°So you don¡¯t think that you are original?¡±

    ¡°Obviously, I do not,¡± he says, as his expression changes slightly.

    I don¡¯t even have to ask what he¡¯s thinking. He is me, and I know what I would do, and he knows I know given that I was thinking about it before I used the mirror. So it¡¯s still fresh in his memory.

    Clonthaniel stretches, he¡¯s already deactivated his trait, but Primordial energies are still collecting inside his body. The way he moves his body is unnerving, and the way he¡¯s looking around is even more so.

    ¡°Damn, I really want to punch you,¡± I say.

    ¡°Right? It¡¯s the same for me. Anyway, three weeks, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think the system will let you enter the 6th floor or even let you exist for too long. We already fucked up the mirror, and there are limitations in place.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯m pretty sure I have 2-3 weeks at most. It''s this feeling¡­ I have you to thank for that.¡± He doesn¡¯t smile, taking a step closer instead, and I let him.

    Both of us face each other.

    Yes. He will help me, we will both improve our skills and train together. He will do it because it¡¯s the only logical way to think. But at the same time, he hates me, because he is fake and he will disappear, while I¡¯m the real one.

    In the time given to him, he will try everything he can to stay alive, even attempt to take over and replace me.

    Clonthaniel takes some food from the bag, after taking a bite, he says, ¡°Best food I EVER ate.¡±

    Okay, that was a good one. Let''s ignore the fact I already had this joke planned out during the preparations.

    As if on cue, both of us sit on the ground, opposite each other.

    I gesture at him, and he nods, creating an orb from black mana and making it float between us. Both of us activate [Mana Domain], reaching towards it while activating a few more skills and our eyes.

    Two of us should be able to come up with a better way to handle the black mana, right? His incentive is the need to improve so he can trick the system or replace me. For the next few weeks, we have the same goal: to improve as much as possible and as quickly as possible. I could use the mirror for my stats, maybe even a trait or something else. But I believe that because of the rarity of the item, there would be a time limit.

    This way I can learn a lot from our cooperation, something that will stay with me no matter what.

    Let''s just be careful not to get killed by him. That would be awkward.

    We both use [Resonance] and we don''t even need to match the frequencies of our mana. They are already the same. We are the same being.

    Then, together we surround the black mana with our domains and try to dominate it.

    <hr>

    ¡°Veil guardian is mine,¡± I tell him.

    ¡°Hell no, I¡¯ll kill that bitch."

    ¡°Don''t you have better things to do? Make a personality imprint or something?¡±

    ¡°As if I could replicate my mind perfectly within a few weeks. I won''t be able to create an imprint that would 100% be me.¡±

    ¡°So what, you want to prolong your life and wait here in hopes Cockroachsandra will find you on this floor? Everyone got their own instance of the 5th floor.¡±

    ¡°Blah blah, you talk like I haven¡¯t thought of that. And why are you so talkative,¡± Clonthaniel asks.

    ¡°I mean, there is no need to hide anything, you already know it all. Don''t you agree that''s weird?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Duh, you know what pisses me off? I still remember that it was my decision to use the mirror like this. I know what brought me there. I know the plan and what I expected from it. Part of me even thinks it was me who made the decision, so I can''t be too angry. But the longer I''m my own being, the more I differ from you and the more I want to jump at your throat.¡±

    ¡°If you do and somehow succeed in killing me or get me killed by summoning Veil Guardians, or the sleeping danger noodle, you will probably disappear too.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but you know what? If I come to the conclusion that I will disappear no matter what I try, I will be taking you down with me,¡± he says. As always, he says it calmly, and I can see his [Focus] working. His face is emotionless, yet this is what he¡¯s saying.

    Up until now, I haven¡¯t realized how disturbing it feels. I mean, I had some idea, but seeing it? Seeing him move, look around, talk? There is this uncanny valley kind of feeling, seeing my reflection in the mirror become its own being.

    ¡°You just keep saying things I already thought before using the mirror,¡± I shrug, ¡°anyway, why is your left arm pale?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Because I''m a perfect copy, isn''t it simple? You should be asking why your left arm is still pale no matter how many times it gets hurt and you restore it. Theoretically, it should become normal again, right?¡±

    ¡°Do you think Lily did something to ensure it will remain pale forever? She marked us?¡±

    ¡°Would you be surprised? That girl is bonkers. Did you notice how little she¡¯s spoken to you in the Community lately? Before she was much more talkative and cheery. I bet she¡¯s pissed off that you left the group at the end of the 4th floor.¡±

    ¡°She must be busy with her disciple; that''s why,¡± I retort.

    ¡°Even you don''t believe that. Dude, if you meet her on the next floor, she will beat you up.¡±

    ¡°As if I¡¯d let her. And why the fuck are you speaking like this? You made all these decisions too.¡±

    ¡°You are the original, asshole, as Biscuit would say. Damn, I hope I get to see that silly corgi. Anyway, it''s kind of refreshing to talk about it. Group 4 is a bunch of weirdos, aren''t they? I mean, even Isabella.¡±

    I shift on the ground to make myself more comfortable and lean against the wall, ¡°Who knows what will become of her as she grows up in the tutorial. Plus, she¡¯s got that ancient bloodline Noodle.¡±

    ¡°It''s fine, Noodle is cute too, so I don''t mind if he becomes the devourer of worlds or something.¡± Clonthaniel shakes his head, ¡°Tess is scary too with her antimatter cannon sniping. Can you imagine her in a few years? She might be able to snipe people from orbit.¡±

    I snort, ¡°People? She will be obliterating small cities from there. But damn, I''m still jealous of Sophie''s Manipulation.¡±

    Clonthaniel smiles slightly. Both of us have relaxed the control [Focus] has over our emotions as we use most of the skill to manage the preparations we¡¯re making to the inside of our bodies.

    He continues, ¡°I know how hard you¡¯ve tried to evolve your [Mana Manipulation] into [Manipulation]. Too bad you failed.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, you failed, we failed. Damn, this is annoying. Anyway, I¡¯m almost done, and you?¡±

    ¡°The same. I will be going first.¡±

    ¡°Hell no,¡± I say.

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t be helping.¡±

    I look at him as he says that, and I don¡¯t even need to read him to confirm that. I know what I would have done, ¡°I want to punch you,¡± I say instead.

    ¡°That means you want to punch yourself.¡± He stands up and moves closer.

    He sits with his back to me, and I put my hands on his back and let my mana flow through his skin. His mantle and natural defenses are gone, he¡¯s lowered them, and our mana is the same, so it passes easily. It''s almost disturbing how easily.

    Well, it''s time to make a new construct, and this one will be even more powerful than I wanted it to be. I wonder how far I can push it with two of me working in tandem.

    This is going to be scary.

 Chapter 305 - No preparations, no surprise attacks

    Clonthaniel is skilled, very much so. I watch the way he moves his mana through his body. He uses [Regalia] to create a core exactly in the middle of his chest behind the ribs.

    Together we compress it, and it''s easy. It''s so damn easy. Having someone to spot for me makes it easier to prevent the orb from turning into a shining bomb, ready to explode, or into an orb of black mana, so we can push it further.

    He notices this as well, and without saying anything, he scratches the initial plan, and we increase the size of the orb and compress it further.

    The sheer amount of mana we manage to compress is enough to evaporate a city block or a small mountain, and we continue even beyond that. Giving our all to make it happen. He relies on me, and I rely on him, and both of us know that if we screw up we will disappear in an awesome and deadly explosion.

    Then while I hold the orb stable, he starts working on pathways. He creates connections to his heart, redirects some circuits, and adds new ones. Our biggest inspirations for this construct are Mana Reservoir, the passive allowing me to store three times my mana, Mana Cycling, the technique I learned from the cockroach-like Absolute, and lastly, my experience from creating my Thermokinetic Mana Heart.

    So this new one better be juicy.

    I let him know that I need help, and he takes a moment to stop inscribing the inside of his body and helps me keep the orb under control. Instead, I extend my senses to examine the work he has done, then I continue where he left off, connecting pathways to the core, surrounding it with dozens of connections to his heart.

    Then a new idea forms in my head and I create a tiny orb in his chest and inscribe the idea on that.

    My intent comes through, and he looks at the plans inscribed on the tiny orb, before nodding.

    I let the orb with plans to dissolve and repurpose that mana to create another web around the orb. This one will do the work of the Mana Overload Absorption passive. In case the orb overloads, it will take some of the excess energy and disperse it through the body preventing it from exploding.

    Carefully, we then connect it all to the Regulator. Then we spend almost ten hours going over it all, over and over again. We make some small changes, we add some twists.

    We even manage to catch a small mistake that would have blown him away about a minute after activation, by our estimation.

    Little things like that.

    But what excites me most are all the possibilities. If this all works the way it should, it will open up so many options for the future, and this will be the next tiny step forward.

    One mind isn¡¯t enough, so we work together to carefully awaken the construct, and when mana fills all the pathways, I can finally let go. It takes me a minute to calm down, just now realizing how much this took from me.

    Clonthaniel then turns around, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine so far.¡±

    ¡°Description?¡± I ask.

    ¡°You will see when you get it.¡±

    ¡°What a dick.¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, I want to punch you,¡± I tell him.

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± he stands up and removes two pieces of clean cloth from our pack.

    Don''t tell me he¡¯s¡­

    He sets two pieces of cloth in front of us and some food off to the side.

    ¡°So let''s rest before starting on your construct. Will you eat with me, Nathaniel?¡± Clonthaniel lowers his [Focus], and his face settles into a creepy smile.

    I appreciate the lame joke, but somehow that makes me want to punch him even more than if he made the statement without emotion.

    <hr>

    Another ten or so hours later, we finish creating my construct, and I let mana flow through until it activates.

    A notification pops up.

    Congratulations, you have created your fifth Construct. The name will be kept as such and will be shown in the status under active skills and over passive skills. Well done!

    Vortex Core (construct)

    The Vortex Core is useful for energy conservation, holding swirling Primordial Kinetic and Thermal energies within its confines. It is ready to unleash these forces at the user''s will. It remains dormant until needed, ensuring that the user has access to stored energies.

    ¡°Is it any good?¡± I ask Clonthaniel, who is already practicing his inscriptions. He is on a bit of a time limit, so he is extremely motivated.

    ¡°Fucking good,¡± he says simply and then ignores me.

    Well, I should have expected something like that. I redirect part of my mana to my Thermokinetic heart and start generating thermal energy. Thermokinetic heart, using the heart as a medium, transforms my mana. Then I can easily store some of that energy in my Vortex Core.

    Even now, I think Mana Reservoir is probably my strongest passive. So, what could be better than having something similar for Primordial energies?

    The Vortex Core will store them, and the vortex will spin them inside me, compressing them somewhat. The spinning itself works like Mana Cycling allowing me to store more or keep it from leaking. With a few upgrades, it could be possible to make the vortex more prominent, allowing me to compress them more or combine the two.

    Later, I may even be able to add a storage for mana. I could even do it now, but I rarely use all of my mana, so larger quantities of Primordial energy will be more useful. It also solves the issue of needing to sacrifice part of my [Focus] to keep the thermal or kinetic orb nearby.

    The question is, how much energy is the core able to store? I don''t expect it to be as strong as my epic passive and store something crazy like three times my mana. But damn, even half of that would be crazy good.

    So there I sit, constantly sending thermal energy to the core. After some time, I change the setting on the regulator and set more of my mana to work on it. I also generate kinetic energy and mix that in as well. The kinetic and thermal energies spin together, but they do not mix. The golden color of thermal energy, distinct from the translucence of kinetic energy.

    It stores the amount I would expect and I would be extremely happy with that alone. But then it continues. The orb we compressed, enlarged, and improved easily allowing it to do so.

    When the failsafe we created activates and cuts off the energies flowing into the core, I examine the amount. Isn''t that enough to blow away a few buildings with ease?

    Should I maybe try hunting the sleeping noodle? With so much¡­

    ¡°Yeah, fighting the sleeping noodle is a bad idea,¡± the clone says.

    When I look at him, he continues, ¡°I thought of it the moment I saw the amount of energy I could store, and if you think about it, I''m currently 10 or so hours older when it comes to the new construct. So I have more experience. Maybe I should call you minion.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Maybe I should call you an asshole.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, I thought of it, and the snake is probably somewhere between 330-400. So, it¡¯s a bad idea. You just need to remember how the Guardian, with a level under 300 fucked you up.¡±

    ¡°Us.¡±

    ¡°You. I''m barely 1 day old. A minor. So, grandpa Nathaniel, you should help me. I¡¯ve thought about it. Creating a perfect personality imprint is impossible. Both of us know how difficult it is given that we could only leave that trash behind on the 4th floor. But maybe we could find something in this bunker. Later we can even try to check the Veil. But first, you should check the system shop to see if¡­¡±

    ¡°It''s there, I already checked.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°You will see when you get it,¡± payback for refusing to give me the description of the construct.

    He just looks at me without saying anything.

    ¡°Fuck, the way you look at me creeps me out,¡± I say.

    ¡°Yes, yes, so?¡±

    ¡°There are arcane grade items and passives.¡±

    ¡°Prices?¡±

    ¡°100,000 shards for an arcane item, 200,000 shards for an arcane passive.¡±

    ¡°Well, fuck, that''s like 25 times the price of epic stuff. Epic items and passives are 20 times more than rare. So what? Rarity after arcane will be 30 times more than arcane? 3 million shards for items and 6 million for passives?¡±

    ¡°Most likely, but can you imagine an arcane Mana Reservoir?¡± I tell him.

    Clonthaniel closes his mouth, and I can see his gears spinning.

    Yes, just how much mana would a passive like that be able to store? It makes me wonder if there is a limit to my epic Reservoir. Logically thinking, it shouldn''t be able to go on forever, right? Tripling my mana, even if I was a much higher level than I am, that shouldn''t be possible for a passive that may be useless to me then.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to deal with the Veil Guardian, and when I return, we can either examine this place or go to the Bastion.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he agrees, far too easily.

    Like me, he remembers the Guardian, but the moment he became my duplicate, the moment he had a time limit before disappearing, his priorities changed. He currently wants different things than I do. I want to finish the quests, improve my skills, and deal with my enemies while working with him on some other stuff. His goals are to come up with a way to survive, and damn, I''m sure he hates me; I''m sure I would hate being in that situation.

    Given the opportunity, if he could gain anything from it, I know he would kill me, and he will try the moment he decides he can''t survive. I''m also sure he is already working on plans. But I''m the same.

    As more time passes, the more different he will become from me. It''s simple logic, really. Everyone changes according to their environment. But at the same time, it feels comfortable. I don¡¯t need to hide anything, he knows everything about me, and I know about him. Both of us can lower our [Focus], and it doesn''t even feel unnerving. It''s a fascinating experience.

    I give him one last look, as he sits in the dark room working on inscriptions with a mana stone.

    Then I take the Voidsteel slicer and, boosting my body, exit the bunker, hiding the entrance behind me. I boost myself into the air and burn the flying enemies waiting to attack me and fly out of the Valley.

    The moment I pass through the mist-like barrier, the constant pressure on my mana disappears. It feels as if a weight has disappeared from my body, and my mana moves quickly again. It''s extremely refreshing.

    Pushing myself high into the air, I reach into my core and use kinetic energy to move myself toward the city where I fought the guardian. Without Vega, the flight is much quicker; the country under me nearly blurs.

    Holding the Voidsteel slicer in my hand and all that mana and energies inside my body, I land on the road between multiple skyscraper-like buildings. Two javelins over my shoulders compress and grow heavier while I search for the monster.

    It doesn''t take long, barely an hour, and I locate the Veil Guardian. The monster is there, it hasn¡¯t noticed me yet. He moves like he¡¯s searching for something. His right arm is still missing, it hasn¡¯t been restored. His face is still messed up, blinded in one eye. Yet even with all these wounds, the monster moves with confidence. Each step is that of a hunter, a predator.

    I let my [Focus] weaken even further and let all those emotions flow inside me.

    My hand shakes holding the blade, and my breaths are quick and panicked. I feel fear.

    I still remember the monster biting into my leg in an attempt to eat me alive like it did to the other humans from before. I remember the quiet hours as I lay there under the rubble, my body broken and bleeding out. Hoping the monster had left, but too scared to heal myself lest that bring it back.

    All of that is there, but there is also an anger that surfaces as well. A pride and deep hatred of the monster that stepped on it. Even knowing that I should reactivate it, I keep [Focus] down. The longer I look at the monster, the more my plans change.

    Then, something inside me snaps, and I launch the javelins. Not at the guardian, but to the opposite side. I let all the mana I¡¯ve been collecting seep into the area, and I grab all of the kinetic and thermal energy my core holds, I grab and release it behind me.

    The resulting shockwave tears chunks out of the road, and topples buildings, sending them flying as if caught in a hurricane. After that, all the stored thermal energy explodes as well, melting the structures and roads alike. Scorching the air and flickering as golden flames blaze through the surroundings.

    The monster obviously notices and turns to me. It doesn''t rush me like before, but the gaze in its single red eye is the same. Deep hatred and anger directed at me.

    With my stored mana and energies gone, there is only one thing remaining.

    I redirect a thin thread of kinetic energy toward my face and explode it in front of my eye, blinding it.

    The monster takes a step towards me, and I take a step towards it.

    Then I put the blade into my left hand and cut off my right arm at the shoulder. I watch the blood spurt as the severed limb falls to the ground. As it lies there in the middle of the road, I think it feels somehow funny.

    A burst of kinetic energy explodes from me, vaporizing my severed arm.

    My next step is much more confident and lighter. My face breaks into a smile.

    It feels so right. No hiding behind my skill, no emotions being pushed away. Just me and all the fear I feel overwritten by other emotions instead of being pushed to the back. There is me and the monster. No preparations, no surprise attacks, no stored mana or energies.

    The same amount of limbs, the same amount of eyes.

    The Guardian opposite of me slows its steps, hesitation evident in its movement until it stops.

    I charge first, blood dripping from my destroyed eye and the stump of my arm. No mana leaves my body. Voidsteel blades meet, and I absorb the kinetic energy of the impact and don''t budge at all.

    That energy flows into my body, strengthening me even further as I move to the guardian¡¯s blind side. It¡¯s a small advantage because of all the senses it has besides sight, but even that little helps.

    The guardian moves faster than me, our blades meet multiple times, and each time I¡¯m barely able to block it.

    There is fear, filling me each time the monster moves, and as I feel gravity increasing my weight, trying to push me down.

    Each attack is easier to block than the last, even though I''m getting slower and the monster moves quicker. I read its movements, I sync with its rhythm, and I absorb all the impact.

    The swings of the guardian make a terrifying noise that reverberates through the air while I move slower, accepting the strikes with the blade in my hand. There is blood seeping from my hand as I squeeze the raw metal where the handle should be.

    As the fight drags on, I grow more accustomed to its attacks and better able to read the monster''s moves. Using kinetic energy in bursts to make my body quicker becomes easier, and I''m finally able to disrupt the gravity magic attempting to slow me down.

    I become quicker, I dodge attacks, and I start pushing the guardian.

    And with that comes disappointment. The monster is clearly weakened from before. Its body is wounded, and slower, and even its skills are weaker. It¡¯s still a terrifying enemy, and yet it¡¯s lacking.

    A swing of my blade severs one of the monster''s legs, and I step to the side as its swing destroys the building behind me.

    I want to fight more, I want to feel this fear and all these feelings. This rage and excitement. But this weakened monster in front of me isn''t capable of satisfying those emotions.

    My passives resist the strain I¡¯m putting on my body, and I move quicker, and my next slash sends the guardian''s head flying.

    [You have defeated Veil Guardian - lvl 289]

    [Lvl 222 > Lvl 224]

    I disrupt the signal from the body to the Veil.

    Not yet.

    Then I look down at the corpse.

    I expected satisfying revenge, yet I found what could only be a broken toy. But not all is lost. There is one enemy that will test me, that will get the best out of me before this floor ends. An opponent that I''m absolutely sure is much more terrifying than the one I just killed.

    The one that is waiting for me by the bunker in the Valley.

    After grabbing the monster''s arm with the blade I lift off and finally let my passive heal my wounds as I fly. [Focus] snaps back into place, and my head clears off when I reach the Valley.

    I pass through the wall of mist, and the immense pressure of mana welcomes me like before. Then I freeze.

    The Gaiathra, the giant sleeping Calamity with a snake body and six legs, has moved. The calamity still sleeps, but now its body has shifted.

    But most impressive is the miles upon miles of destroyed forest, obliterated, leveled to the ground without anything left standing. Even a few of the hills and mountains that stood nearby are gone.

    Clonthaniel? What did you do while I was gone?

 Chapter 306 - I woke it up

    I get into the bunker where I find the asshole in the room with the core as he examines the giant mana crystal pillar. As I enter, I feel his senses touch me, and he turns his attention to me.

    ¡°Again¡­¡± he stares at my missing arm and my eye that is close to being healed, ¡°do you even realize how much we tend to lose limbs? It can''t be normal at this point. Is it Bambi''s curse?¡±

    ¡°What have you done?¡±

    ¡°Just try to think about it; you could build five of us with the limbs you¡¯ve lost. Actually, do you think it could work? If Lily helped...¡±

    ¡°It''s not that many. And maybe? What have you done?¡±

    ¡°It is a lot. We are the only reason Lily¡¯s been able to level up her healing skill so quickly; we boosted her. And I did nothing wrong.¡±

    ¡°The sleeping noodle moved,¡± I say.

    ¡°Yup. I woke it up.¡±

    He did what to the three-question-mark monster?

    ¡°Damn, it is fun to tease you like that. I know how you will react, and most of the time I can even predict the exact words you¡¯re going to say, yet it''s still funny. Like a game, trying to predict a coin flip."

    I can''t even say much, it really does sound fun, ¡°So, want to show off?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know me well.¡± He gestures at me and leads me to another room. ¡°I already toured the bunker, and it''s mostly useless, as is to be expected. At this point, I bet it¡¯s the system making things more difficult. All the data has been deleted, the facilities are destroyed and it¡¯s beyond my abilities to make them work. At the moment it''s just a cool place to store the mirror. Obviously you¡¯re free to check it out, you will surely find a lot to inspire you here along with a few tidbits of knowledge.¡±

    We enter the auditorium, and he boosts his body and sits on the podium, and I follow, taking a seat in the front row.

    He explains, ¡°Do you remember that annoying acid serpent and the weird aura snake?¡±

    Oh my, he did not do that.

    ¡°Yes, I did that!¡±

    Fuck.

    ¡°Yup, fuck.¡± Clonthaniel seems to be having fun, ¡°I was thinking, you know. This bunker¡¯s sole purpose was to store the mirror, so how can we learn what happened here? Surely not the Sanctuary and even the Bastion seems to be lacking. Then I remembered that there was a quest to avoid waking up the sleeping Calamity. Why? No one would go close to it anyway, right?¡±

    He swings his legs, as he uses a thermal orb floating between us to light the huge room and its rows upon rows of empty seats.

    ¡°It''s a bit of a stretch, but I wanted to find out if there was some kind of facility or bunker near the sleeping noodle,¡± he adds with a dramatic pause, ¡°And there is! The problem is that I couldn''t get inside. So, I found the acid snake asshole, left some marks on him, and imitated his mana. Then I used a few bombs mixed with his acid to attack the noodle. You probably saw the outside, but the big boy wasn''t happy at all.¡±

    ¡°Damn, I would have loved to see that.¡±

    Clonthaniel nods, ¡°Cool as heck. Anyway, the asshole snake is gone. The danger noodle moved a bit, which allowed me to place a few anchors through a crack in the entrance he¡¯s been sleeping on. I already sent a few monsters through one of the anchors, and it hasn¡¯t woken him up, so we can go in a bit.¡±

    ¡°So, you are hoping something inside will help you?¡±

    ¡°Yup, the natives here created the Veil, so they will surely have some nice stuff in their databases. And that place seems to be one of the facilities they used to work on the Veil. Even Butler assumed there might be a facility like that in the Valley.¡±

    At first, I wanted to trash-talk him for taking such a risk, but then I took notice of my missing arm. Ehm, maybe let''s stay quiet about that for a bit.

    It also confirms that we are slowly becoming more and more different. His goals are different than mine, so he¡¯s thinking about different things, and practicing other skills.

    It''s fascinating to watch, and when I think about it now, most of the things he did make sense, and I totally can see myself doing the same in his situation.

    ¡°By the way, healing with our passive is quicker when you use thermal energy from the Vortex Core,¡± I tell him.

    ¡°Sounds good. Will you give me one of the Voidsteel blades?¡± he looks at the new one that I just got.

    Without hesitation, I throw it to him, and he grabs it.

    I know both of us are thinking of the same thing at that moment.

    ¡°Let''s practice controlling black mana. We can spend a day or two on it." I suggest. "After that, we can go to the Bastion, get some mana conductive paint, and maybe a few more useful items. After we come back here, we can enter the bunker under the Calamity,¡±

    ¡°That much is reasonable. Also, I want you to help me with the core of this bunker for half a day. I think I found a few interesting things, and two sets of eyes might be better than one.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Without any other words, we get to it.

    <hr>

    A day passes, we do not sleep, and the black mana orb constantly hums in the air, fighting against us.

    ¡°It just keeps being annoying,¡± Clonthaniel complains. ¡°If we lose even a bit of concentration it starts pulling all our mana in.¡±

    ¡°I thought giving it a different shape would help, but right now it seems that the only thing that weakens the effect is absorbing it into our body.¡±

    ¡°It might be because of our passives, hell, maybe the Mantle is helping or maybe it¡¯s our Mana Circuits.¡±

    ¡°Mana Circuit sounds more reasonable, maybe it¡¯s our passives. Upgrading our Mana Circuits might help.¡±

    ¡°Well, it''s not like we¡¯re going to be upgrading our eyes; they¡¯re hard enough to deal with already.¡±

    I nod, ¡°Do you still think there might be hidden grades to active skills and traits?¡±

    ¡°For sure, we already have confirmation when it comes to active skills given that there are skills like [Disintegration], and what did the guy from hard difficulty have? Water blast or some bullshit. If that doesn''t confirm hidden grades for skills then nothing does.¡±

    ¡°I don''t even remember his name, C something. Well, it would be cool if Mana Wavelength Iris was rare. Even though I still liked the Arcane Skeletal Framework. Could be an amazing trait.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Yeah, Vortex Core was an attempt to copy it, but I bet the trait would be amazing.¡±

    Both of us stop at once and send the black mana orb to the corner of the room, where it will crumble on its own once we stop supplying it with mana.

    As I stand up, I ask, ¡°So, what did you want to do with the core of this bunker?¡±

    ¡°I want to try activating it for a moment. The two of us should be able to if we use Mana Reservoir as well,¡± he says, to my surprise, and he noticed it. ¡°You wouldn''t believe how mana-hungry that thing is. How the heck did they even power it?¡±

    ¡°Champion?¡± I ask while we walk there.

    ¡°If I was a Champion, I would tell them to fuck off if they kept asking me to recharge their bunker.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± I agree. ¡°Maybe they absorbed ambient mana and used that to power stuff. But I still think Champions could be the answer.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Money. Imagine being a Champion and every once in a while they come to your house. You fill some mana stone for them, and they use it to send mana to the core. You get paid a shitload of money, and you can spend your time doing Champion stuff. If there were a few dozen Champions that would probably make it less irritating to boot. Or imagine your Absolute ordering you to do it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I bet the owners of this place wouldn''t like that much. You know, engineers or enchanters would certainly try to automate this to save themselves the headache.¡±

    As we theorize, it feels natural, and the ideas we throw at each other sound reasonable. But I do remember that I''m just talking to myself, and to an extent I just find it funny. It''s such a weird feeling to talk, and agree with myself.

    As we reach the high ceilinged room with the large mana crystal, we reach the control panel.

    Duplicaniel shows me where to place the anchor, and we do so. Then we prepare for a while, and when it''s all ready, mana bursts forth from both of us.

    Our body reserves, our Mana Reservoir, all of it rushes to the anchor placed on the mana crystal. In waves, our mana rushes inside, filling it, powering it, and the crystal, as wide as a car and tall as a skyscraper, starts glowing ever so slightly.

    My role is to control our mana and make sure it flows to the right places, while Clonthaniel bridges inscriptions and collects information.

    We push even harder, and a hum fills the room and the lights on the walls flicker on for a moment. Until Clonthaniel redirects that mana and cuts off the lighting to avoid wasting it.

    His eyes glow with a golden circle around the pupil, his hand on the panel. And I do the same, even though it strains me, just in case, as I follow his lead and look through the information he¡¯s accessing.

    He knows I¡¯m suspicious of him but he doesn''t complain when I do.

    It takes only a few minutes before our mana drops to a dangerous level, and once we stop finding anything new, we cut off the connection. My Mana Reservoir is nearly empty, and my body mana starts filling it back up.

    As we shake off the aftereffects, we let our bodies heal.

    ¡°I mean, there¡¯s some nice stuff for a future evil lair¡ªinscriptions, ideas, information on materials, all that stuff¡ªbut I want more,¡± he complains.

    ¡°It might be part of the system. It likes to feed us information slowly, so maybe this bunker only contained the mirror and information on the creation of the core and future base.¡±

    ¡°That could be it. Hopefully, there will be more under the danger noodle. Anyway, do your stuff, and I will do mine. We can try playing with black mana after we¡¯ve had a bit of rest, and then head to the Bastion.¡±

    ¡°How long will your anchors last down there?¡±

    ¡°Three to four days.¡±

    I leave the room on my own afterward, I walk through the bunker. It''s cold, it''s dark, and my steps echo in the empty rooms. I examine them with curiosity. There¡¯s weird architecture, and broken inscriptions all over the place. Along with a few pieces of furniture and some other items that got left behind.

    In time I come to the massive forge, it¡¯s amazing that something like this could rival the size of a small building. The inscriptions have been broken here as well, so I can''t activate it without fixing some things. But I still take some time to look things over and examine it.

    Sure, my crafting skills are far from optimal. Especially when it comes to creating something new. But I could just have someone else take care of it, and inscribe what they make. Or I will learn it when I get bored.

    Observing and marking down as many details as possible using a mana stone, I go from room to room. I do the same thing in each of them.

    I try to learn as much as possible and write it down.

    After a few hours, I¡¯ve come to realize that my duplicate was right. Even though this place is fascinating, it is as empty as its interior. Instead, I spend time training my skills and examining my newest construct, Vortex Core.

    So far, it''s been an amazing addition, and I''m extremely happy with it. I¡¯m happy with the amount of thermal and kinetic energy it can hold and it¡¯s certainly much more than I would be able to do on my own.

    ¡°Status,¡± I say.

    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn

    Difficulty: Hell

    Floor: 5 - Mentorship

    Time left until forced return: 4y 18d 10h 11m 36s

    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 1/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3

    Lvl 224

    Strength: 109

    Dexterity: 107

    Constitution: 263

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 874 + 874

    Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)

    Sub-class: [Initiate of Pride]

    Active skills:

    Focus - Lvl 46

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 46

    Perception - Lvl 42

    Redistribution - Lvl 43

    Resonance - Lvl 42

    Mana Domain - Lvl 33

    Tether - Lvl 29

    Regalia - Lvl 19

    Infusion - Lvl 24

    Constructs:

    Reinforcement (Construct)

    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)

    Mana Regulator (Construct)

    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)

    Vortex Core (Construct)

    Passive skills:

    Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare)

    Mana Reservoir (epic)

    Arcane Resilience (epic)

    Phoenix Embrace (epic)

    Mana Overload Absorption (epic)

    Tokens:

    Beyond Difficulty entrance token

    Shards: 11,892

    Not wanting to push things further, I stand up and head towards my duplicate. The guy is annoying as heck, but we can test things together that would otherwise tear my body apart. Even then, I''m sure he¡¯s already planning something, even though he won¡¯t share it.

    I''m also extremely curious, so I let him cook. But the question is if I should let him cook.

    Well, anyway, I still have this collar I took from Ir¡­ Ir, something guy. Cattle guy? Soylent green producer?

    Null Collar (Epic): Actively disrupts the wearer''s magical attempts and skills, using absorbed mana to diminish both magical potency and physical vitality.

    There is a bit to learn from it that could improve our disruption of mana or even create a similar lasting effect without items. Using [Tether] to anchor that sort of disrupting stuff to someone could work. Hell, I already used [Tether] to ¡°glue¡± a black mana dagger to the First One, and [Tether] seems to be a better skill than I initially thought. It even managed to ignore my black mana, at least partially.

    Is it because it''s a spatial skill? Probably? Who knows. Oh, and fuck the system.

    Anyway, let''s test some stuff and head out to the Bastion. I bet there will be some more interesting things and maybe we can get a few more honest answers.

 Chapter 307 - Attack on the Bastion

    The Bastion in front of us feels different now, and I only need to activate my eyes for a split second to notice that.

    ¡°These assholes,¡± the Duplicaniel next to me complains.

    I agree.

    The field around the city has changed and it feels much more threatening. Still, I¡¯ve decided to give them a chance, and, after gesturing to the copy of the handsome young man next to me, we teleport to the gate.

    Getting closer, the detection field catches us and sends a signal and a barrier around the city activates. The guards quickly take positions on the walls. So, we stand there for a while, waiting for someone to appear.

    The person who finally does is the Butler with his majestic mustache, ¡°I would like to apologize, Mister Gwyn... Gwyns... but you are no longer welcome here,¡± he says suavely from the wall.

    ¡°The reason?¡± I ask, noticing him looking at my damaged arm.

    He also keeps glancing between me and¡­ me. The Butler doesn¡¯t let his surprise show, probably because it would kill him to be so inelegant.

    ¡°We have received more information from the Sanctuary and the city nearby. After going through it all, we have decided to restrict your access here. I hope you will understand and behave accordingly.¡±

    That¡¯s when Clonthaniel shoots a mana javelin right towards the Butler. It doesn¡¯t connect as one of the small hexagonal barrier segments activates.

    Even then the Butler doesn¡¯t seem bothered, ¡°This time I will let it pass, but I would¡­¡±

    I shoot a mana javelin, and it activates another segment.

    Damn, am I so easily influenced by other people? That surely must be it.

    ¡°Butler, as I said before, I have no reason to hurt anyone in the city. There are just some things I need and want to ask about,¡± I tell him.

    ¡°I apologize, the decision is final.¡± Then, to keep his dignity, he leaves, and three more javelins from Clonthaniel light up the barrier.

    ¡°What are you, a child?¡± I ask him.

    He turns his eyes to me and shrugs, ¡°I''m on a time limit here, and that guy isn¡¯t even real, so I''m going into the city. Are you staying behind?¡± he asks, even though he knows my answer.

    Then a ball of mana concentrates above the city, emitting what seems to be a highly concentrated shockwave.

    We jump away, and the stones where we stood crumble.

    A few quick attacks from the defense of the city follow in quick succession until we both teleport to anchors we left further away.

    ¡°Damn, they are not even taking us seriously, using such a weak-ass attack,¡± Duplicaniel is already forming an orb of black mana over his shoulder, and then he forces it to stretch into the shape of a javelin. ¡°I attack and defend, you get us in.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± I sigh, a hundred simple mana javelins forming behind me, and I use [Infusion] to fill each one of them with thermal energy from the Vortex core.

    The duplicate attacks and the both of us watch with curiosity as the black mana javelin sails towards the barrier, with our trait active. It crashes into a segment and immediately devours it, and then a dozen more as they appear one after another.

    The black mana devours it all and then stops, hovering over the city. While the guards panic, the automatic defenses activate more segments close by, trying to stop it, yet they feed it even more mana. The flashes of mana are quickly absorbed by the black mana and can be seen even from this distance.

    It''s amusing to watch.

    Then I move a hundred javelins behind me, and each of them bursts into motion in the span of a few seconds. Like tracer ammunition from a minigun.

    My attack crashes into the weakened barrier, Each of them hitting the same segment and slowly pushing through. They reach further and further inside the city until one of them passes through the barrier and flies right over the buildings, the last few following.

    The anchor on the last shot javelin activates, and I put a hand on my duplicate and both of us appear in the air over the buildings.

    Uglier me immediately forms an orb made of black mana and pushes it into the air, where it absorbs a dozen or so attacks targeting our position.

    Sending my [Mana Domain] as far ahead as I can, I again put my hand on the duplicate, and we teleport again and then again. After each teleport, we leave a black orb in our wake where it devours any mana based attacks that were directed at us.

    Finally appearing in front of the gate leading to the estate where we had dinner with the Housekeeper and the Butler, I touch the door and disrupt the mana within. After we enter, I even close the door behind us and start walking towards the buildings.

    ¡°So far, so good,¡± the duplicate says while both of us use [Regalia] and tank a few more attacks heading our way.

    ¡°Did you notice the places where [Perception] can''t enter?¡± I ask.

    He nods, ¡°Wanna bet they have another guy down there with boxes full of severed limbs?¡±

    ¡°I''m saying no. They mentioned Gardener before, so maybe they¡¯re all vegans.¡±

    ¡°Oh.. that''s true,¡± the uglier me agrees.

    ¡°Mister Gwyn¡­ Gwyns. Was this really necessary?¡± Asks the Butler as he appears from a rift in the air.

    He is still wearing the same fancy clothes, but there are a few brilliant mana stones on his person. One in the middle of his chest, one on his back, another on each of his shoulders, a bit over his knees. My duplicate and I activate our eyes at the same time, examining it all.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Some sort of armor and strengthening,¡± I wonder.

    ¡°Quite good mana batteries too, one of them may be upper epic grade,¡± my duplicate adds.

    ¡°See, Butler, that man isn''t even taking this seriously,¡± the Housekeeper states as exits the house. She is wearing a simple pale blue dress still, her black wavy hair falling over her shoulders. The only addition is a thin and deadly-looking blade in her hand.

    The metal of that blade is something I recognize very well. Voidsteel, the same metal that makes up the blades of the Veil Guardian.

    ¡°Housekeeper, just kill one of them, and we will take one for questioning. The Armourer will deal with those annoying black orbs.¡± The man then turns to me, ¡°Let''s kill this one.¡±

    Wow, that''s rude. The more annoying thing is that I can almost see how much fun the duplicate is having.

    ¡°They know their stuff,¡± he teases me. ¡°The useless one will die.¡± Not saying more, he disappears, teleporting close to the Butler, who disappears with my duplicate following him and dodging the beam-like attacks the Butler sends his way.

    That leaves me alone with the Housekeeper, who takes a battle stance, ignoring the clothes she is wearing. There are no tattoos on her skin, no mana radiating from her body, and no armor or equipment other than the rapier in her hand.

    Unable to avoid her at my normal speed, I teleport just in time to watch her attack pierce through where I stood.

    Before she can charge me again, the anchor I left there explodes in golden flames only to be blocked by the purple mana seeping from her skin.

    The Housekeeper charges me again, and the moment I teleport, she alters her path to avoid any anchors I¡¯ve left behind.

    Curious, I don''t bother to dodge her next attack and opt to stack barriers in front of myself instead.

    The black-haired woman destroys each of them easily with the weapon in her hand, before swinging it three more times, splitting the three javelins I¡¯ve sent her way.

    Observing her nimble movements, I float in the air and start shooting projectile after projectile at her. Mana javelins, orbs, and projectiles infused with thermal or kinetic energy.

    Surprisingly, it doesn''t seem to bother her at all; the rapier in her hand cuts through most of my attacks, and the moment it does, the attack loses its effect. It¡¯s probably some skill, I mean my attack should deal some damage even after being cut apart.

    ¡°I had hoped you would be a bit¡­ more fun to fight. Instead, you just fight like every other boring mage,¡± she shakes her head. She then proceeds to cut apart a few of the anchors I¡¯ve been stealthily placing, something that surprised me a bit.

    Does she think her taunting would work? Make me fight her up close?

    I land on the ground.

    Well, she is right.

    She is an opponent I believe I can deal with, even in her preferred style of combat, and it''s always fun to crush people like that.

    The Housekeeper charges at me, only to be met with a flamethrower-like stream of golden flames that I¡¯ve infused with [Resonance].

    She slices away at them, but the constant flames ignore her weird skill, and she starts dodging, purple mana flickering over her skin to protect her from the heat. As she jumps around in an attempt to rush me, while my flames leave the air shuddering in their wake, melting the sidewalk and burning trees, in the process.

    While the woman gets closer and closer, I narrow the flame, condensing it into a laser as thick as my finger by the end. As extraordinarily athletic as she is, she dodges it all and manages to reach me, at which point I strike at her with a burst of kinetic energy.

    Purple mana flickers over her skin again, and she pushes through, her muscles contracting under her skin.

    Her rapier slashes at my neck, only to be met with a Voidsteel slicer, barely so. I redirect more mana to strengthening my body and fend off her attacks while being pushed back. The armor forms around my body, and I make it grow bigger until it''s twice my height.

    Attacks slash against transparent limbs made of mana, yet now that it is connected to me and under my domain, it doesn''t get affected by her skill, and it''s her who starts avoiding me.

    For the first time, I also use kinetic energy stored in my Vortex Core to power the movement of the mecha style armor. It speeds up my movements and makes manipulating it easier while lending more force to my attacks.

    She does a backflip and before jumping back a few times, she stops, looking up at me surrounded by all my mana.

    ¡°Are we going to take things a bit more seriously?¡± I ask.

    The woman in front of me is stronger than she lets on, stronger than the Butler, and the both of us are still holding back somewhat.

    ¡°Why not,¡± she smiles as her eyes become a darker shade of purple.

    The Housekeeper charges me, seeming to appear in front of me, her weapon aimed at my chest.

    In a split second, my armor shrinks becoming skin-tight, surrounding my body with all that extremely compressed mana.

    The rapier stabs at my chest, unable to pierce further. Collecting all the energy of her attack, I barely manage to hold it before quickly releasing it in her direction.

    She dodges, but a huge chunk of the area behind her explodes, the kinetic energy tearing the building and the garden apart.

    Once again, she attacks, each of her steps cracking the ground under her feet, her black hair flowing behind her.

    Two more attacks crash into my armor, and I absorb each one of them, immediately launching the absorbed kinetic energy at her, which she dodges. Then she stabs again, and this time it''s different; that weird skill of hers won¡¯t allow me to collect kinetic energy, and instead part of my armor loses its mana, disappearing into particles.

    I deflect her next attack with my own blade, to cover the missing section of armor, a clang sounding as two voidsteel blades clash.

    I¡¯m observing the entire exchange with my Mana Wavelength eyes, yet I still can¡¯t figure out what her skill is doing. With a sigh, I give up and decide to stop holding back.

    Mana and kinetic energy seep into my body, and my speed dramatically increases. The armor around me disappears, and I mirror the woman across from me, stopping my mana from leaking from my body, and face her with only a blade in my hand.

    Our slashes tear up the ground and damage the buildings surrounding us. The vibrations resonate through the surroundings as our blades meet, reducing the closest objects to dust. And I keep speeding up.

    The Housekeeper starts having a harder and harder time facing me, and I start placing anchors, using the fact that she has no time to destroy them to attack her from behind her back.

    My technique is worse. No matter how much I¡¯ve trained on Earth, I can''t compare to someone with over 100 years of experience. But what I''m lacking, I make up for in speed, boosted by mana and kinetic energy.

    Now that I¡¯ve completed this test as well, I stop and, to her surprise, launch a burst of kinetic energy at her. Though Instead of flying through the wall she perfectly deflects the attack, her purple mana absorbing most of the impact.

    That''s when my duplicate lands next to me and throws the Butler on the ground. Still alive and breathing, but with a wound on his head.

    ¡°Stop playing with your food,¡± he complains.

    ¡°There is a lot to learn; she is really good at strengthening her body, and I like her skills,¡± I reply.

    The Housekeeper fixes her dress, not a scratch on her and she¡¯s seemingly unworried. Then she notices the Butler lying on the ground and, looking at his face, her surprise multiplies.

    ¡°You didn''t,¡± she says, almost in shock.

    I look where she is looking and notice that the left half of the majestic mustache is missing. Gone, reduced to atoms.

    Both of us look at my duplicate, who shrugs his shoulders, ¡°I did not,¡± he says.

    A look of confusion appears on the Housekeeper''s face.

    ¡°I found him like that,¡± the duplicate lies shamelessly.

 Chapter 308 - Power source

    ¡°I think we might have a complicated situation on our hands,¡± the Housekeeper moves a strand of hair off her face.

    Does she have a body that tough? Is she strengthening it? Does she have healing? I don¡¯t think she will answer me if I ask, and what the heck is that weird skill of hers? It has some disruptive properties, but there is something else as well.

    Should I get angry at my duplicate for ruining my learning opportunity?

    ¡°There is nothing complicated about this,¡± Clonthaniel answers, ¡°Me and my buddy over here kinda have you guys in the palms of our hands. I don¡¯t think you have anyone capable of facing us, and even your ¡°oh so amazing barrier¡± proved useless. Us choosing not to nuke this city is proof enough of our ¡®¡¯good will¡¯,¡± he says mirroring the Butler¡¯s words as we were leaving.

    That only gets a laugh out of the woman. A loud, amused laugh. Like an adult dealing with a child. ¡°So, why don¡¯t we go out of the city and fight properly? It would be¡­¡±

    I ignore her and turn to my duplicate, ¡°I have located it.¡±

    The duplicate lets go of the Butler, kicks him with the tip of his shoe, and puts his hand on my shoulder.

    The Housekeeper charges us, but before she reaches us, we teleport toward the anchor I placed deep inside the Bastion.

    ¡°What a clingy woman,¡± the duplicate complains. ¡°Was her skill really that much fun?¡±

    ¡°Yup. She wasn''t very versatile, she mostly strengthened her body, and she was really tough and quick, but she did it really really well. One of her skills seemed similar to [Disruption], but it worked against any attack I tried, mana-based or not. It also didn¡¯t seem to cost her that much mana, it was super efficient.¡±

    I take a step, and we start walking through a circular tunnel with a flat bottom,  through which we sense a source of mana while leaving some nasty traps behind us.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Duplicaniel asks.

    ¡°She also used some skill that allowed her to cut anything apart. Flames, mana, stone. Yes, yes, I know she has a Voidsteel blade, but it wasn''t just that. Every attack she cut apart seemed to lose its effect.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I should fight her too.¡±

    ¡°We have a bit of time,¡± I agree.

    Exiting the tunnel, we find ourselves surrounded by vegetation. The room is a half sphere and it¡¯s big enough to take probably 20 percent of the Bastion¡¯s base; it''s just that big.

    The walls are covered in terraces, filled with plants and trees bearing fruits and simple vegetables.

    Even the floor is fully covered in grass and plants. Colorful, vibrant. The air smells nice, and there is even a soft wind blowing.

    ¡°Did you know that if you grow a tree in a room, it tends to be weak and often falls under its weight?¡±  A short man with a shaved head and wearing simple clothes says making his presence known.

    He continues, ¡°The reason is simple. There is no wind. The wind blowing against the tree forces it to struggle and grow its roots deeper and stronger. Trees grown inside don''t have that.¡± He smiles, it''s almost a friendly smile. Almost.

    ¡°You must be the Armorer guy,¡± the duplicate says in an effort to poke fun at him.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the Armorer,¡± he nods seriously.

    I can see the confusion on Clonthaniels face.

    Before he says anything, the man continues, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not the Armorer, I am the Gardener, you dipshit.¡± The man turns to me, ¡°Are you the more reasonable one here?¡±

    I really really want to throw in some lame joke, just to be included, but in the end, give up and nod.

    ¡°Good, as I said, I¡¯m the Gardener, and I really have no interest in you kids fighting. So, will you please remove the traps you left in the tunnel before the Housekeeper triggers them all just to test them?¡±

    I do just that, and a moment later, the duplicate does as well.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the Gardener bows his head slightly and gestures for us to follow.

    I already feel another conversation coming on. Damn, I really miss Tess. She would be much better at this.

    Reaching the small summer house, we sit there and wait. The feeling of the wind blowing is nice, and the crystal producing the light is amazing. It even seems to produce heat and without looking, I would find it hard to distinguish it from the sun.

    While we wait, the small man starts sending his mana to a series of tiny low-quality mana stones. He uses them to trigger watering or to make them radiate heat for the plants. Some bigger stones even generate wind, as they sit on pillars riddled with dozens of holes for the generated wind to flow through.

    And all of that is powered by something even deeper underneath us.

    I notice that Duplicaniel is looking there as well, and so I wonder, what powers a place as big as the Bastion? I really want to find out.

    ¡°Please, stay a bit longer, and I will try to explain everything I can,¡± the Gardener takes his attention off¡­ well, gardening.

    ¡°Five minutes,¡± Clonthaniel says, mirroring my thoughts.

    A minute later, the Housekeeper joins us along with the Butler who is already awake. The man is still missing half of his majestic mustache, and still doesn''t show any reaction as he sits there, the picture of elegance. As if all of this were planned. The Housekeeper does the same.

    The Gardener slaps his hands together, ¡°So, I like what you did a few days ago. We asked you three questions, and you asked us three questions. So why don''t we continue that?¡±

    ¡°To slow us down so the Armorer can prepare countermeasures?¡± I ask, somehow amused.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The Gardener nods.

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I agree. ¡°Tell me about the Bastion,¡± I ask. That¡¯s my first question.

    The Gardener looks at the Butler who straightens in his chair before starting, ¡°The Bastion is a Skyhold Bastion, category three, meaning we were allowed military-grade upgrades from the Enchanter Guild. It was privately owned by Lord Lothain and used as his summer house.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    The Housekeeper already seems to be dozing off, but I can feel her sharp senses on me.

    The Butler looks around and, after a dramatic pause, he continues, ¡°Me, the Housekeeper, the Gardener, and the Armorer used to be servants of Lord Lothain. The Gardener took care of food, the Armorer used to be a low ranking member of the Enchanters¡¯ Guild and took care of our defenses. The Housekeeper worked with the other servants, making sure the Bastion ran smoothly, while I was in charge of the guards.¡±

    ¡°Butler, shorter answers please,¡± the Gardener says gently.

    ¡°Savages,¡± the Butler complains and reaches to touch his mustache, only for his hand to freeze mid-air, remembering he is missing half of it. He puts his hand down and continues, ¡°Simply, thanks to our tendency to fly in places where the Veil wasn''t so dense, we were one of the last to fall. Before we got destroyed, the Veil turned its attention to monsters, and by extension to the forces of the planet Paired with us.¡±

    Not giving us a chance to react, the Housekeeper asks, ¡°Are you drifters, mercenaries, are you from another planet?¡±

    I shake my head, "I can say that we are not from the paired planet, nor are we mercenaries fighting in this war. Drifters would probably fit us the most.¡±

    ¡°What powers the Bastion?¡± the duplicate asks.

    I don''t even mind as it''s the question I would ask as well. So, while I wait for an answer, I fight against the pressure slowly closing in on me. And my duplicate. It''s almost unnoticeable, preparations to face us. Most likely the work of the Armorer with the help of some built in defensive mechanisms. It¡¯s slowly trying to analyze us and stealthily disarm us.

    I find it fascinating, so I let it happen.

    ¡°Lord Lothain,¡± the Housekeeper answers this time.

    Oh boy, are all people of this planet like this?

    ¡°I assume it''s not voluntary,¡± I ask.

    ¡°It''s not,¡± the Housekeeper smiles.

    ¡°This planet is full of weirdos. Instead of catching some animal and healing it to create food, they become cannibals. Then, instead of finding something else to power the city, they use their boss to do that. I mean, maybe he is a douchebag, and maybe he deserves it, but damn, you guys have a problem,¡± the duplicate just says straight up.

    The Gardener opens his mouth to ask something, but finally, by extending my domain in one direction, I pierce through defenses and place an anchor. I put my hand on my duplicate, and teleport us.

    He looks around the dark room we appear in and sends a disrupting wave toward anchor-like things in the air that the Butler uses to create rifts.

    The pressure from the defensive mechanism on us increases, and I know if we stayed just a bit longer, it would have become dangerous, even for the two of us. That''s how much I think of their barrier.

    As before, the pressure tries to locate us, but down here, its reach is weaker; the rooms are either shielded or excluded from the system of the base.

    While my duplicate keeps disrupting the Butler''s attempt to open a rift, we head toward the source of all this energy.

    There are no doors at all, no entrance other than the Butler''s rift or teleportation. I find that really amusing, and seeing how eagerly my duplicate disrupts rifts, I think he agrees.

    ¡°Do we think the same? Checking the core of the Bastion, maybe a bit of fighting with the Housekeeper, testing how much we can handle the Armorer and the barrier, and then we bail after stealing some mana conductive paint and other materials?¡±

    I nod, ¡°Sounds about right. Would be nice if they stopped trying to kill us or kidnap us, but we can¡¯t have everything. And how can you trust the people that did this to their lord.¡±

    We enter the central room where the mana crystal, working as the core of the Bastion, its power source, is. There, tied to the crystal, is a man. He seems older but he is muscular, and his clothes and hair are well-kept. A sense of authority seems to radiate from his face, the dignity of a person used to ordering people around.

    And he is dead,  his body is missing beneath the ribs. Belly, hips, legs, everything is gone. The rest is tied to a crystal, with the spine which extends a bit further beneath the ribs, the white bone feeling unnatural.

    Yet, still, the heart of the man beats slowly but powerfully, each beat sending a pulse of mana into the mana crystal which glows in sync.

    ¡°What do you think, used to be level 300, maybe 350 at most?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Probably something like that, but there is no way chumps like them killed him.¡±

    ¡°Maybe there were more of them, and only they survived, or they killed him in his sleep?¡±

    ¡°Or he fell down the stairs.¡±

    Both of us move closer, and without even looking, I know that his eyes are active, our minds trying to collect that immense amount of information. To avoid aftereffects, we both turn them off right after.

    ¡°Oi, I just thought of something,¡± I start. ¡°I, we, have plenty of mana, right? Our hearts generate a lot of it, much more than someone at our level should. So¡­¡±

    The duplicate understands where I''m going, ¡°Okay, let''s hide it a bit better to not end up as some creepy mana battery.¡±

    ¡°Sneaky mode will help.¡±

    ¡°Sneaky mode is perfect for that.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± I agree and look around. ¡°Did you find anything interesting?¡±

    ¡°Nothing we don¡¯t know about or aren¡¯t working on already, but man, is the Butler angry. He keeps trying to teleport in.¡±

    ¡°It makes sense now, why they tried so hard to distract us from getting here,¡± I step closer to examine what remains of the owner of this Skyhold Bastion when I feel a movement behind my back.

    Armor forms around my body, and I throw a burst of kinetic energy behind me, only for it to be absorbed as the armor is disrupted.

    For a short moment, something holds my movements, and in slow motion, I watch as my duplicate tries to put a silver collar around my neck.

    Mana under my skin moves, tearing it from inside and forming into a spike that stabs into the duplicate''s hand. Right after, I change the frequency of my kinetic energy, and a short concentrated burst sends him a few steps back as he is unable to absorb it quickly.

    I send some thermal energy to the wound I created, and it starts healing.

    ¡°Well, I had to try,¡± he says shamelessly.

    ¡°The null collar is still on me,¡± I say.

    ¡°Yup, I found this one here and hid it from you. Anyway, you can''t really blame me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but I can fucking kill you for trying to do so.¡±

    ¡°You can try,¡± he says, returning my gaze.

    Later, I will deal with him later. There is too much to be gained from our cooperation, and it''s not like I didn¡¯t expect this behavior.

    ¡°So, what was the plan?¡± I ask and start examining the Lord again, "Isn''t it too soon for confrontation?

    ¡°That''s why I gave it a try right now, and it turned out successful. It really caught you by surprise. The plan was to stop you from using mana, getting you under my control, and come up with a way to either inscribe myself into your mind, kill you, and take over your body. I didn''t think of it that far.¡±

    I pause, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, it is probably much easier to use my body and try to replace my mind, rather than creating an entire personality imprint from scratch.¡±

    ¡°Right? Anyway, that clingy woman, the Housekeeper, is digging a tunnel down there, and the Armorer seems to be trying something as well, so let''s hurry.¡± He passes by me and burrows his hand into the chest of the dead man in front of us and pulls out the still-beating heart which continues to do so even outside of the man¡¯s chest.

    The amount of mana it generates seems equivalent to the entirety of mine with the Mana Reservoir included.

    In my duplicate¡¯s place, I disrupt the Butler¡¯s attempts to create a rift. They become much more aggressive, and I can feel the desperation coming from him, the Housekeeper as she digs, and even from the Armorer.

    ¡°I will keep the heart going and our defenses up. I should be able to do it for ten or fifteen minutes before the heart needs to go back into the chest. So you will have to do the talking.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good, let''s get ourselves some nice stuff and more information. Something tells me they will be more willing to cooperate now.¡±

 Chapter 309 - Together

    Both of us reappear in the summer house. The Housekeeper and Butler are gone, and only the Gardener remains. His expression is anything but nice, and it sours even more as he notices the beating heart in my duplicate''s hand. The one my duplicate is keeping beating with kinetic energy and careful manipulation of his mana.

    ¡°This will be the third time I¡¯ve had to speak with you guys, so how about you call the other two and the Armorer here.¡±

    The Gardener is quick to understand, and it¡¯s barely ten seconds before the Butler and the Housekeeper return.

    Both of them seem ready to jump us, but they stop when the Gardener gestures for them to. ¡°Mister Gwyn, I really hope you realize what¡­¡±

    I gesture to him with a finger over my lips, and he quickly shuts up.

    That almost makes me want to smile, ¡°So, I have had enough of you guys acting like dicks. Sure, at least my friend over here deserved that, and I might sound like a hypocrite, but whatever, right?¡±

    The three of them remain quiet.

    Oh boy, this is getting fun. They acted so high and mighty, so prideful, and now?

    ¡°Anyway, we have around 15 minutes during which my buddy will keep the heart beating. So after the Armorer joins us, I will ask a few questions, and you guys will answer. If you lie or hide anything, the heart goes boom; if you take too long, the heart goes boom; if you attack us¡­¡± I gesture to them.

    ¡°...The heart goes boom,¡± The Butler answers.

    ¡°That¡¯s my guy. Anyway, Housekeeper. I like your sword, will you gift it to me?¡± I look at her.

    She stares at me for a short moment, and then on her face, a smile blossoms, ¡°Sure, Mister Gwyn,¡± she says and takes a few steps closer and carefully hands me her rapier, like a knight offering the rapier to his lord.

    Quickly, I examine the weapon.

    Voidsteel Rapier (Epic): Echoing the qualities of the Voidsteel Slicer, this rapier is crafted from the vibration-absorbing Voidsteel, ensuring extreme sharpness and precision. The durability and cutting capability of the Voidsteel make the Rapier nearly indestructible, allowing it to effortlessly penetrate almost any defense.

    The weapon is beautiful, made of the same metal mine as those my duplicate and I wield, yet unlike our rough blades which lack handles, the rapier has been delicately made, entirely from Voidsteel, right down to the handle and guard.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I fix the rapier to my belt while the Housekeeper smiles even more and quietly sits back in her spot. "Butler, my friend, why don''t you go to the city and bring me as much mana conductive paint and metals as you can? You can add some mana stones too. Nothing too unreasonable, but don''t be cheap."

    Without a word, the Butler disappears through his rift, and everyone is quiet until the Armorer appears. An extremely thin, yet tall man with messy hair. I sense from him multiple items that seem to be connected to the defensive mechanism of the Bastion, even now they are working.

    ¡°Before you start, I hate to tell you that the amount of mana within the defensive system is still enough to kill both of you a dozen times over,¡± he says. His voice is quiet, almost a whisper.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that destroy the heart?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably more durable than the two of you,¡± the Armorer says in his quiet voice.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I thought so. Anyway, we have what, twelve minutes?¡± I turn to the duplicate, and he nods. ¡°So let¡¯s start. I don¡¯t care who tells me, but what is the cause of the high mana levels in the Valley? And please, don''t lie to me this time,¡± I ask after reading one of the Side quests.

    The Armorer answers in his whispering voice, ¡°It¡¯s the location of one of the facilities that kickstarted the Veil. A high-ranking member of the Enchanter¡¯s Guild used to own it. The mana levels are being caused by the broken core radiating mana.¡±

    ¡°Even after over 100 years?¡± I ask, unable to help but feel shocked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the thin tall man nods. ¡°The Veil required exceptional amounts of mana to start. Three most important facilities were powered by our Absolute, while some of our Champions powered the less important ones.¡±

    The notification pops up.

    Congratulations. You have completed a side quest. You can now pick one from the offered mid-epic grade items!

    ¡°Are your Absolute and Champions dead?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Our Absolute is surely dead. There might be some Champions somewhere, but we don¡¯t know.¡±

    That''s when the Butler returns with a bag full of the items I required. With a nod, I take it from him, unable to take my eyes off the missing section of his mustache.

    ¡°How about the enemy? Their Absolute and Champions?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I do not know, and neither do the others.¡±

    I turn to my duplicate, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°He is not lying.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± I nod and turn back to them. ¡°What is the Gaiathra doing in the Valley?¡±

    ¡°We do not know.¡±

    ¡°What do you know about the tutorial?¡±

    The moment I ask that question, their faces become blank. Even more surprisingly, it seems to affect my duplicate slightly. It''s just the shortest moment, but I notice him blank out before returning to normal and watching the frozen group in front of us.

    Interesting. So asking about the Pairing is fine, but the tutorial is still taboo.

    ¡°What did you ask?¡± the Gardener questions, slightly confused.

    ¡°Nothing, anyway, so what happened to this world,¡± I ask a question for the quest that would give me 5 thousand shards, ¡°what happened to the Veil?¡±

    Three of them turn to the Gardener, who shakes his head. ¡°Even the Lord didn''t know much. We were in one of his retreats, celebrating the start of the Veil when our connection was cut off. Since then, we haven¡¯t received any messages from the court or guilds. The areas we tried to move to were too dangerous¡ªconstant explosions, immense mana radiation, etc.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    His eyes cloud over, a memory flashing behind them. ¡°Then the Veil Guardians, Veilshriekers, and even stronger monsters started hunting every human they could. One after another, Skyhold Bastions and the cities within the Lord¡¯s territory fell, and people hid in the Sanctuaries we had built long ago. We were attacked as well, and found ourselves fighting a group of Veil Guardians, our Bastion crashed to the ground. We¡¯ve stayed here ever since. Thankfully, the Veil has turned its attention elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°Ask him what happened to their boss,¡± my duplicate jumps into the conversation before focusing back on keeping the heart beating.

    ¡°Someone killed him,¡± the Butler says simply. ¡°The day before that happened, the Lord wanted to evict most people from the Bastion as the core was getting weaker and wasn¡¯t able to support everyone.¡±

    ¡°He could supply the mana on his own, couldn¡¯t he?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Our Lord did that for a week and then said it was too annoying a chore and that we should send people away instead.¡± The Housekeeper snorts.

    What a guy.

    ¡°Housekeeper, please avoid talking about the Lord in such a tone,¡± the Butler warns her.

    ¡°He asked me if it was possible to use people to power the core so he could make the Bastion float again. He said he missed the view.¡± The Armorer adds.

    ¡°He told me to stop planting plants that made food for everyone and instead asked to turn the garden into a forest where he could read there once in a while.¡± Says the Gardener piling on.

    Oh boy, ¡°So who killed him?¡± I ask.

    ¡°We do not know,¡± the Butler says as he shakes his head, ¡°but it was probably one of us, Mister Gwyn.¡± He then pauses and adds, ¡°He also asked me to reduce the amount of people in the city so he could use the extra water for fountains.¡±

    ¡°We should go,¡± I tell the clone.

    He probably hears my tone and immediately throws the heart at the Housekeeper, and both of us teleport upwards. The defensive mechanism that was about to tear us apart misses, and we appear on top of the city.

    Immediately, the barrier starts shrinking, the pressure increasing, and barriers forming around us. My eyes activate, and [Resonance] as well, but when I try to teleport or move, I''m unable to.

    Armor forms around my body, and short sharp pulses of mana crash against my barrier while I try to get away.

    I slash with the Voidsteel rapier against it, but it passes through, the pressure increasing even more.

    Who could know that the systems still had so much energy?

    A mana projectile buries itself in my side, piercing through the barrier I¡¯ve made, and even though it breaks in the process, the remaining piece still pierces me.

    Flames flare up around me, filled with disrupting mana, melting the grip their skills had on me while healing me, and for a moment, I pierce through with my domain. I make a short teleport towards my duplicate, and then I once more find myself under their restrictions.

    ¡°Heh, maybe we were too cocky. It''s good we left, fighting four of them while under this much pressure could be dangerous,¡± the duplicate reads my thoughts.

    ¡°Dangerous, but possible. You could¡¯ve taken the heart with you. We could learn a thing or two,¡± I complain as our mana flows around us.

    ¡°It would¡¯ve died soon, and then it would just be a piece of flesh. That''s something for Lily, not us,¡± he snorts.

    Our mana surrounds us, working in tandem, our skills working together. [Resonance] activates, powered by both of us this time, and our Mana Wavelength Iris has been activated. Our combined effort tears apart the restrictions that have been placed on us and pushes against the Bastion¡¯s defenses. My duplicate maintains the opening, while I place an anchor far away.

    [Tether] activates, and I teleport us away.

    [Tether - lvl 29 > Tether - lvl 30]

    [Resonance - lvl 42 > Resonance - lvl 43]

    We repeat the process a few more times and stop only when we are far away from the Bastion and there is no one to be seen.

    Then, while we are healing our bodies, I empty my Vortex core throwing the store of kinetic energy at my duplicate.

    The energy tears a huge chunk out of the forest. I hear the system notify me of the deaths of several monsters that happened to be in the area, stones as big as cars are flung into the distance, trees break under the pressure, and the earth is rent, leaving us standing on the edge of a crater.

    Even through all of that, my duplicate is merely pushed back by a few steps. Deep wounds cover his body, blood flows, and a smile appears in the corners of his mouth. His eyes are activated and putting a strain on him. But he endures it all through the skills both of us share.

    Then, while looking at me, he asks, ¡°For the attempt with the collar?¡±

    ¡°For the attempt with the collar,¡± I confirm.

    ¡°Before this floor ends, we will talk,¡± he smiles, the effect of his [Focus] lowering for a moment.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I confirm.

    I can''t wait.

    <hr>

    POV Aaron Dalton

    When I reach Dennis, he is sitting on a stone, an empty expression on his face.

    "Dennis," I call to him, and he doesn''t answer.

    He¡¯s cut off our [Connection], and I can''t feel his mind. I can''t feel our connection.

    "Dennis," I try to say as gently as I can and put my hand on his shoulder. My brother, who is usually so brave and cheerful, looks up at me with tears in his eyes.

    "She is dead, Aaron, she died just like that. It''s all my fault, I shouldn''t..."

    I don''t let him finish and just hug him, "It will be ok, I''m here."

    "It''s all my fault," he repeats between sobs, "I''m fucking useless. Trash. I..."

    "It''s ok," I repeat.

    It breaks my heart to see him like this, but I have no choice but to let it happen. Still, I have to keep an eye on our surroundings. Just from reading the floor quest, the 6th floor seems to be dangerous.

    "Aaron. You left your disciple. You shouldn''t have, you shouldn''t¡­"

    To that, I grab his shoulder and force him to look at me. "Did you forget our promise?"

    "I..."

    "Did you?!" I raise my voice.

    "I did not," he shakes his head.

    "Then tell me, who is the most important?"

    "I don''t have to say that."

    "Tell me!" I scream. My disciple returned to his world, and even though everyone from our group decided to stay behind and wait for our disciples to return, I couldn''t. I don''t like it, but it was an easy decision.

    "You and I are more important, Aaron."

    At that, I hug him again. "Yes, you and me, brother. No one else matters as much. Not Kim, not Tess, Maya, or Isabella. You and I are all that matters and we¡¯ll take care of each other. Like we always did, it doesn''t matter if we¡¯re on Earth or in the tutorial."

    "You and I."

    "Yes, you and I. Together. Now allow me to connect to you before I punch you."

    It feels weird seeing him so down, but when we finally connect, I tear through his weak mental defenses and connect to him. His emotions and flashes of his memories flow to me, restoring the connection we¡¯ve grown so accustomed to.

    I feel tears roll from my eyes as I feel what he felt when his disciple died, but I refuse to shy away and I will help him shoulder the burden. I share his feelings, and between us, his pain lessens.

    (Together,) I squeeze his shoulder.

    (Together,) he repeats, returning to a more normal state as I share in his emotions.

 Chapter 310 - So much to loot

    I stare at the spot where a mana crystal wide as a bus and tall as a skyscraper used to stand and turn to my duplicate. ¡°So it disappeared.¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± he answers.

    ¡°It just disappeared while leaving behind traces as if someone had used the skill called [Tether].¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± he repeats.

    Well, it looks like someone is cooking. Be it for our confrontation or something else. But it''s not like I haven¡¯t been doing the same, so I can¡¯t really complain. On the contrary, I''m curious. Our thought process is very nearly the same, but as our environment affects us, we come up with different methods and think of different skills. Him being on a tight time limit has changed him in ways that are hard for me to imagine.

    ¡°Well, anyway, I want to resume our attempts to power [Focus] with black mana with our trait active. It could help you too.¡± I say.

    ¡°We can do that for today. Tomorrow we should go to the bunker under the Sleeping Noodle. My anchor is already weakening.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I need to deal with some stuff. In one hour?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± He teleports, and I''m left alone looking at the empty spot.

    With a snort, I teleport as well, appearing in one of the rooms that seems to have housed someone in a high position. The furniture is gone, and there is nothing of real interest, but I like the colors and the way ornaments light the room when I run mana through them.

    ¡°I want to pick my reward for the side quest,¡± I say.

    Congratulations on completing the side quest! You can now pick one mid-epic item from the offered options.

    Silentstep Tunic (Epic):

    Crafted from the silk of a mythical spider, the tunic is as durable as it is light. It can easily be concealed under everyday clothing and offers protection against both physical and magical attacks. The tunic''s unique fabric absorbs sound, making the wearer''s movements silent and hard to detect.

    Amulet of Whispering Winds (Epic):

    This amulet holds a fragment of the eternal wind within its core. It allows the wearer to communicate with others across vast distances. By whispering into the amulet, the message is carried on the wind, reaching its intended recipient with a whisper only they can hear.

    Mirage Bead (Epic):

    This bead can be activated to cast an intricate illusion around the user, making them appear as someone else for a few hours. The illusion is complete with visual, auditory, and even tactile elements, making it incredibly difficult to see through, though it is possible with enough skill. After use, the bead turns to sand.

    Starfall Pebble (Epic):

    A small, unassuming stone that holds a fragment of a fallen star''s core. When thrown against a hard surface, it unleashes a devastating explosion of kinetic energy. The pebble is consumed in the process, making it a powerful single-use weapon.

    Heart of the Phoenix Emblem (Epic):

    Worn directly over the heart, this emblem can be used to bring the wearer back from the brink of death, engulfing them in flames that heal but do not burn. This power can be called upon three times, after which the emblem fades.

    Titan''s Backbone (Epic):

    Inscribed along the spine, this tattoo grants the wearer the indomitable endurance of a titan, enabling them to withstand any attack without faltering. This titanic resilience is available three times.

    There are some really nice options. I like the tunic, and it could increase my defenses, but who needs more defenses when I can kill my opponent quicker?

    Amulet of Whispering Winds? Why would I want to talk to people?

    Mirage Bead is single-use, so the effect is probably capable of deceiving people of an even higher level than me. The twins will probably be capable of that in the future.

    Pebble? I can make my own. Probably not as strong, but that¡¯s ok.

    Then we get to the emblem and tattoo, and I like them both. Having the failsafe of the emblem to bring me back from the brink of death would be reassuring. It could probably restore even my worst wounds and restore limbs.

    But!

    I like Titan''s Backbone a bit more. It''s simple. When activated, it should allow me to do whatever I want with black mana. Well, probably up to a limit. I still remember how the black mana orb cracked a high tier epic weapon on the 4th floor. But even that might be fine, even though the tattoo is mid-epic, its uses are limited, so these uses might be stronger than the performance of an upper epic item.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Its tier could be due to the limited number of uses. Logically, right?

    ¡°I pick Titan''s Backbone.¡±

    Then I wait while I feel the burning sensation on my back. As always, when the system does something, I try to observe, but as usual, I''m not capable of doing so. I can''t feel any presence doing it. I can''t sense where the mana doing it is coming from. It just happens. It''s disturbing as always.

    The timer says I have four days left until Vega comes back, and so far, she seems to be alive. There have been no notifications saying otherwise.

    Stretching a bit and trying to examine the tattoo on my back, I stand up and head towards my duplicate. Mana compressed by [Focus] won''t master itself and training with the Duplicate helps me to save weeks, if not months.

    <hr>

    There are lines painted on mine and Clonthaniel''s foreheads. A few more on our arms. We even made something we call a Focus crown.

    It''s more akin to wreaths, and one of each sits on our heads. The lovingly named Focus Crown is made of thin, wire-like threads of conductive metals we melted and covered in mana stones.

    Being as ugly as it is, we don''t mention it too often, but we¡¯ve put a lot of effort into the inscriptions, each one designed to lessen the aftereffects of using black mana to power our [Focus]. Unfortunately, the "crowns" are upper rare at most, we are still unable to create epic items from scratch.

    Our mana is topped up, our Vortex Cores are full. The thermokinetic heart is strong and ready. I have a voidsteel slicer on my waist as well as the voidsteel rapier the Housekeeper gifted to me. Meanwhile, Clonthaniel only has a voidsteel slicer, such a loser.

    Neither of us is wearing any armor. I still haven¡¯t gotten used to wearing armor even after I¡¯ve had opportunities to try good armor. I just don''t like the feeling of restriction it gives me, and it doesn''t feel as versatile as my skills. That might be the reason I get hurt so often, but that''s something to think about another day.

    No words are needed, and once my duplicate puts his hand on my shoulder, I let his [Tether] take us to the anchor while leaving multiple anchors behind.

    We appear in darkness, but neither of us creates light. Instead defensive skills activate, and [Perception] scans the area.

    There is no imminent danger, so both of us form a thermal orb that starts letting out gentle golden light and floats higher, illuminating the cave we find ourselves in.

    Drawing our weapons, we follow the only available path, a tunnel leading downward. As things tend to be in these places, it is extremely quiet, and the only thing we hear is the sound of our own steps. The air is stale, and the walls are wet, with drops of water falling to the floor.

    We do not rush, maintaining a normal walking speed, while enjoying the tension in the air.

    As we go deeper, we pass through an iron door. Of the same type as the one leading to the bunker, we are currently staying in. The door that was impossible for me to move or open. Yet here it is, mangled, crumpled, and torn apart in places. Thermal orbs light the area, creating shadows that make the door look even more ominous.

    The tunnels we pass through slowly become wider, the rock replaced by walls made of smooth stone and iron. But even these are damaged. Craters cover the walls, melted debris is scattered about, and there are gaping holes in places with extremely smooth edges. There¡¯s all sorts of damage all over the place.

    I change the setting on my Regulator and devote more of my mana to strengthening my body through Reinforcement.

    Soon, the mana density starts increasing. The Valley is already full of extremely dense mana that we¡¯re constantly having to defend against. Less powerful individuals even die there just from that. Even so, it increases even more and forces me to strengthen my Mantle and give more of my attention to the [Resonance] I''m using to deal with it.

    The further we go, the more damaged the tunnels are. Fallen pieces of ceiling, torn off in uneven chunks. An entire side of the wall melted into a heap of cooled slag.

    And the pressure increases even further.

    Then we find the first corpse. It''s extremely well-preserved. Either it¡¯s fresh or more likely it was someone with a body powerful enough to look like that even after being dead for a hundred or so years.

    We spend a bit of time examining it. We look at broken equipment, search pockets, and try to find a wound. But we can¡¯t find anything. The man died just like that, without any outward or internal signs we could find as to why.

    In the end, I touch it and send it back to the bunker through [Tether].

    A minute later, we find more corpses grouped together. This time they all show signs of the passage of time, but their clothes seem new. Each of the men and women is wearing beautiful robes covered in dozens of mana stones. Some of the mana stones are as small as my pinkie nail, woven into clothes, creating a series of defensive fields. Others are larger, set in necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

    Each one is densely inscribed and has some function, some of which I can¡¯t quite understand.

    One of the corpses, a woman, is wearing a bracelet with a big mana stone that seems to be something like a key. After a short discussion, we cut off the arm with the bracelet just in case the key needs DNA to activate, like when the orbital base on the 4th floor would only respond to Myrra. Then we send all the corpses and items away through [Tether].

    As the pressure keeps increasing, we are forced to combine our forces to create a field around us. We walk close to each other, Mana Wavelength Iris activating once in a while just for a fraction of a second. The ever-present mana makes our abuse of our eyes extremely painful even with our preparations.

    The world I see with my trait is packed to the brim with mana that hangs like mist flowing in waves all around us, resonating with each other and reflecting off the walls. Tiny particles permeate the air, falling like snow and swirling in places as if they were caught in a vortex.

    Finally, more rooms start appearing, each of them has a door and most of them seem to have been labeled with markings that likely describe their use. Some of them even have panels that seem to be security interfaces. We examine a few of them, and it takes us a while to figure out how to use the key bracelet with the arm we cut off. The woman seems to have been pretty high up given her level of access.

    Even after a hundred years or more, the doors still move smoothly and quietly, barely making a hiss as air equalizes between the rooms.

    There are facilities, but most of them seem to be in a perfectly operational state. For example, there¡¯s an enchanting facility better than anything I¡¯ve seen up till now. Full of tools and materials. Conductive metals like arcanadium, ingots of endurium, compressed pieces of voidsteel, and many more I can¡¯t even identify a purpose for.

    The enchanting facility is also full of half-finished items. Swords imbued with mana stones waiting to be inscribed. Spears made of endurium waiting to be sharpened through some mysterious process. Robes on tables with tens of mana stones ready to be conjoined in a working web of inscriptions. A crown made of a mysterious metal waiting for mana stones to be placed in its settings.

    Dozens of items, most of them of upper rare rarity even in their unfinished state.

    The system shop is willing to pay more for items we craft by ourselves. When you buy an item from the system shop and sell it back, you get 50%. If you get an item from the floor and sell it to the system, you get 10-20% of its value. But if you craft an item from materials you gathered on that floor, you get 50% of the item¡¯s value.

    Looking at the sheer amount of items and materials, some of them have the potential to be made into epic-grade items, I can only imagine how many shards I should be capable of hoarding after using all of this. And this is only the start. The first good facility we¡¯ve found and there are probably quite a few more, judging by the sheer size of the place.

    So this is one of the Enchanter¡¯s Guild¡¯s bunkers, one of the places they used to instate the Veil, and with a core that could only have been recharged by one of the Champions, it seems even they were willing to work for the Enchanter Guild.

    We send some items and materials back to the bunker we came from and then place multiple anchors within.

    Even in the short time we¡¯ve spent here, I can feel my body''s reserves dwindling, and I have already dipped into my mana reservoir. It''s shocking how much I need to use to hold off the pressure and how much mana it costs even with my stats.

    ¡°We have to return as soon as possible,¡± my duplicate says.

    And I can''t help but agree as we teleport away to recharge our mana before we come back.

    There is so much to explore and loot.

 Chapter 311 - Do you think he is alive?

    Back in our bunker, Clonthaniel immediately takes some of the inscribed mana stones and starts examining them. The pressure here is much lower than it was in the bunker we left, and it feels like a ton of weight was lifted from our shoulders; only now do I realize how taxing it was.

    I take a moment to check the anchor I left behind there, and it seems to be holding up, though it is dissolving quicker than the usual anchors. Even then, we have plenty of time before it will disappear.

    "We have about three days before Vega returns; after that, it¡¯s going to be more difficult to go back," I say to my duplicate.

    "Speak for yourself. I like Vega and all, but I currently have more urgent issues to attend to, so I will continue to explore the place. You can babysit our cute minion."

    "Too bad you won''t get that deep without both of us working together. You won''t even be able to reach the enchanting facility."

    That makes him pause. "I will inscribe some mana stones to help with that."

    "Sure."

    "Fuck. Okay, we have three days, so let''s hurry. We don''t have to sleep for a few days, and it should be plenty of time to explore the place. We can also send anything useful back here and continue."

    "Sounds good," I reply before opening the Beyond community while I examine one of the mysterious ingots we recovered.

    Noname - Gareth, you wanted to speak to me.

    It only takes about thirty minutes for him to notice my message. Like the others from Hell difficulty he¡¯s grown accustomed to checking as often as possible, for one second at a time.

    Gareth - Thanks for finding time for me, my friend. I should have a few minutes before my disciple runs into danger again. You probably heard about the deaths of two of our members.

    Noname - Yes. Did you change your mind regarding your approach?

    Gareth - I know you and I are of different minds when it comes to things like this, but I respect your opinion and even Savant''s. And no, I haven¡¯t changed my mind, and neither has anyone else from WhiteWing. What happened was unfortunate, but every one of us did our best.

    Noname - So what did you want to talk about?

    This time it takes a minute for him to answer.

    Gareth - You would probably prefer that I be direct, so I will. I hope for your cooperation during the tournament. I tried to say more, but the system blocked the messages.

    Noname - can''t promise anything without knowing more.

    Gareth - I understand that, my friend. I just want you to think about it. In the end, it''s not just the tutorial we have to deal with. We also need to think about what comes after, and some things are better dealt with as soon as possible.

    Noname - I usually let Sset deal with that stuff, you can talk to her.

    Nice try, evil man pretending to be a paragon of justice. Trying to get me to deal with people more than absolutely necessary? Not today.

    Grumpy - Noname! My disciple loves being called a minion. ?????

    Noname - Hello Grumpy, I told you! But be careful. Minions might be cute, but they are tricky creatures.

    Grumpy - Will do! By the way, why does number 1 in Beyond never talk? >_<

    Noname - Probably going for the mysterious stranger aesthetic. Anyway, I''m going to check other Communities, so later.

    I disconnect and check on my duplicate. As before, he sits nearby and continues to examine the mana stones in the robe. I also notice that he pokes some of the corpses with a sword made of mana, probably trying to find out how much power remains in their bodies.

    "How¡¯s it coming?" I ask, out of curiosity, as I rise.

    He looks at me, then back to the man with the perfectly preserved body. "This guy is something else. I can barely pierce his skin, and the sword gets stuck in his muscles."

    I watch as Duplicaniel uses [Resonance] to strengthen the blade of mana. Then, in a show of force, he stabs it into the leg of the corpse. The blade pierces the skin and then stops as if he had hit a rock.

    Oh my, isn''t that interesting?

    "I don''t think the guy was a Champion, so maybe he¡¯s somewhere in the ballpark of a danger noodle?"

    "That''s what I would like to know. It could be someone with a level around 300, with a significant investment in constitution. That or he had some kind of defensive trait," he answers, taking another stab at the corpse.

    "Tried voidsteel?"

    "Same result," he says. "How the hell did someone like that die?"

    "Food allergy?"

    "Or he bit his tongue. Unfortunately, the dude doesn''t have anything that would help us identify him. No mana stones, no keys matching the others we found. Even the items are all broken, to the point it¡¯s hard to say what they even were. Yet his body isn''t damaged at all."

    "I don''t think someone like that would die from the mana pressure down there."

    "I agree. It just pisses me off not knowing."

    The duplicate complains and annoys me for the same reason. I''m just that curious. Who was this man, what level was he, and what happened to him? I find all these questions to be fascinating.

    I let my uglier self play and open the Community once more.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - Channeler?

    FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - Asshole!

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - Hello to you, buddy!The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - Asshole!

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - Sorry, I miss you too!

    FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - Food food food!

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - Oh, you mean the Sanctuary? Yeah, I hope you didn''t eat anything.

    FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - Asshole!

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - Good boy! I got some deer jerky to share with you when I get back!

    FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - Food.

    Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) - The hell, Noname, what are you doing to our chat and how can you understand anything Biscuit says?

    Maria (Easy, AFK) - I don''t mind! Biscuit is cute! I totally want to see him in the tournament. I just hope the others will go easy on him. I don''t want him to get hurt.

    I remember the purple mana bomb I saw Biscuit create when they fought the Fallen Hero.

    Sure, let''s worry about our future Absolute.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - How is your mana, Channeler?

    Out of the Easy difficulty, he seems to be the only reasonable one.

    Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) - It''s difficult! The techniques you told me about are way too hard, Noname!

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - Just keep trying.

    Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) - I will, but what the hell is wrong with you? It''s impossible to keep this up all the time.

    Sami (Easy, AFK) - You don''t have to listen to that guy. I bet he lies to look stronger. He said most of his skills are over level 30, but that''s impossible. He must be bullshitting.

    I check my skills.

    Active skills:

    Focus - Lvl 46

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 46

    Perception - Lvl 41

    Redistribution - Lvl 43

    Resonance - Lvl 43

    Mana Domain - Lvl 34

    Tether - Lvl 30

    Regalia - Lvl 19

    Infusion - Lvl 25

    I just make sure to remember the guy''s name. I think he said something like that before. Then, after giving a few pieces of advice to my guinea pig¡­ Channeler, I close the window.

    My duplicate is looking at the corpse of the man we were unable to damage.

    He seems to be thinking the same thing as me, "Do you think he is alive or can be brought back?" he asks.

    That suspicion has only grown in me since we brought him here, and it¡¯s been on my mind while I¡¯ve been chatting with the others. Is it possible for someone of that level to pull that off? Turning off his heart while relying on the strength of his body to keep him alive without rotting away? Perhaps there¡¯s something we¡¯re missing.

    I think it is, and that''s what worries me.

    "Let''s send him away," I recommend.

    My duplicate is already heading towards the body and puts his hand on the man. I can feel him activating [Tether].

    The body doesn''t move.

    "Well fuck," the duplicate uses more mana, and when I reach him, I resonate with his skill and supply it with more power.

    The body doesn''t move.

    "Well fuck," I say, and a barely noticeable heartbeat emanates from the man, as his body¡¯s natural barrier reasserts itself making it surprisingly difficult to teleport him.

    Both of us get the same idea and quickly get null collars. The one I got from the man under the Sanctuary and the one my duplicate found in the Bastion.

    "Just in case?" I ask.

    The duplicate nods, and we place both of the collars around the man''s neck.

    His heart beats again, and I see inscriptions power up, the effect of the collar activates. Then a text flickers into existence over his head.

    [Forged Fury - lvl ???]

    The small wounds we caused while trying to damage him close in a blink, and through kinetic energy, I can feel the powerful beats of his heart.

    Two silver collars around his neck light up even more, allowing him to keep his constitution while lowering his other attributes, and then the man opens his eyes.

    He moves his brown hair from his face, and his strikingly blue eyes calmly look at me and then at my duplicate, and then he turns back to me. I immediately realize that he¡¯s somehow identified that my duplicate is¡­ well, a duplicate.

    Without saying a word, he stands up in a single smooth movement and dusts off his clothes. The collars around his neck shine even more, but the man doesn''t seem to be bothered at all. He stretches slightly and calmly looks around, ignoring my duplicate and me holding our weapons, our mana ready.

    "Take it off," he asks simply, pointing to the collars, his voice dismissing the idea that we might refuse.

    Is he bluffing? Seeing his level, he should be between 300 to 450, so he¡¯s not a Champion and he¡¯s far from being an Absolute. The collars are only epic grade, so I would be surprised if they could hold him much longer than a few hours.

    If he is level 300, it could be possible for me to fight him if I surprise him, hell, maybe even a bit higher if I work with my duplicate.

    But then there is that thought in the back of my mind. The man is wearing clothes unlike the luxurious robes of the others we found. His clothes are made of durable materials but they¡¯re simple and focused on functionality. Craftsman''s clothes. There were no weapons among the damaged equipment he did hold.

    And then there is his class name.

    Without further hesitation, I take a step and, touching the Null Collars, I unlock them one after the other. The entire time the slightly taller man stares at me with his pale blue eyes.

    When the collars are gone, his fist moves, and he punches my face. Even though I''m expecting the attack, I''m incapable of dodging it. The blow doesn¡¯t seem to have been very strong, and I only need to take a half step back.

    "That''s for the collars," the man says. "The next time¡­"

    Mana rushes through my body, entirely focused on strengthening it, and then I punch the man in return.

    He also staggers backward, a flash of surprise appearing on his confident face.

    As he opens his mouth to say something, I punch him again, and he staggers a half step back.

    My mana radiates from my body, and I''m ready to fight or disappear at any moment, yet the man doesn''t seem to be threatening us. Our eyes meet, and he just nods shortly. Then he turns around, passes by my duplicate, and heads deeper into the bunker.

    Me and Notnathaniel exchange glances and follow the man.

    He walks confidently even without light and without hesitation finds the control room where he approaches the central panel.

    As I have many times before, he sends a bit of his mana into it and looks at it for a moment. To my surprise, he does something, and a pillar as thick as my arm slides out from the floor next to his leg. On top of that pillar sits a perfectly round mana crystal. The Forged Fury touches it and sends just a bit of mana into it before it slides back onto the floor, and he returns to the control panel.

    Right after, the room lights up in a way I and my duplicate were unable to pull off no matter how much mana we ran through the core. Well, before the duplicate stole it or something.

    Nearby one of the walls cracks, a crack forms into the perfect shape of a door. The cracked section of stone topples, likely weighing a ton or more.

    And the man heads inside as if he owns the place.

 Chapter 312 - Veil Ignition Station

    As it turns out, the hidden section contains a massive number of shelves, packed full of items. There are dozens, no, hundreds of mana stones. There are big crates full of food. A massive tank containing water. There are rooms with beds and utility rooms.

    Clothes, weapons, armor, the supplies here would make it possible to survive for years without ever needing to leave. But these rooms are empty, everything perfectly preserved and untouched.

    Then there is another panel and a mana crystal two times my height, which is likely a reserve core.

    The man once again channels his mana through it, and I observe as he does. His reserves do not seem to be that big. He is moving it skillfully too, but it feels different from the way I do it. It''s hard to describe.

    "So 99 years have passed," he mumbles and then turns back to us, "You, how old are you?"

    "We¡¯re from after the war, 22," Clonthaniel answers instead.

    The man glances at him. "I asked the original, not the duplicate," he says simply and turns his gaze to me, "What even went through your mind to use one of the duplicating items that way? They were never intended for use on living beings."

    He doesn''t even wait for the answer and continues examining the core that seems to have some information stored in it.

    "So that''s how it is..."

    After a few minutes, he takes a step away from the crystal, and it loses its light, "I need to know what you found in the Veil Ignition Station number five where I was."

    The way he asks sounds like he is expecting an answer, like someone accustomed to authority.

    "Nope," both me and my duplicate say at once.

    "I see." Not saying more, he walks towards us, then instead of attacking, he passes by and, after taking a few steps, exits the hidden room.

    He fires off a strange form of scan, and then he heads towards the room we used to store the items we got from the bunker he referred to as The Veil Ignition station.

    Like two kids, we follow and observe what he does while questions run through my mind.

    The man takes a few ingots of metal and other stuff we got from the bunker and heads to a different room. He doesn''t seem to mind us following him and ignores us as he finds the facility that we identified as a forge. There is a house-sized forge with multiple openings. It looks too simple, though I did learn some time ago that it¡¯s more of a shell for the more complex components inside.

    Blowers, openings for fuel, leads for molten metal, and much more.

    The man sends his senses through it again and activates one of the crystals, before throwing it into one of the openings, and with that done, manipulates the panel. It''s broken, and the man examines and then ignores it.

    Rolling his sleeves up to his elbows, he touches some sort of emblem on the inside of his forearms, and the heat starts radiating from him in waves. It crashes into the room, melting the surface of the tables, and when it reaches us, we absorb it as thermal energy which we store in our Vortex Core.

    Right after, he redirects all of the heat he¡¯s generated through an opening in the forge and concentrates it within. As the massive forge heats up, inscriptions light up across its surface, surprisingly some of the blowers even seem to be working as they distribute the heat along the underside of the apparatus.

    With our eyes, we can watch as the heat is concentrated even further, and the man positions a table in the area and does something to keep it from melting. Then he throws some metals on the surface where they melt almost immediately.

    Without worry, he steps closer, his powerful body ignoring the heat, and begins to shape the metal with his mana while adding components to create some sort of alloy.

    ¡°Do you remember that movie where they kidnapped the dude and kept him in a cave, while he built an iron suit and escaped while fighting off his kidnappers?¡± the duplicate asks. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s his plan? Are we going to let him?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to stop him?¡±

    ¡°Not really, the stuff he¡¯s doing is cool as heck, especially the way he uses his mana. It seems to work better than using those clunky arms.¡±

    ¡°I tried my best back then, okay? And they still ended up being rare. So, blacksmith?¡±

    ¡°Probably? Maybe he just has a powerful body and a non-combat class. Maybe that''s why he hasn¡¯t attacked us.¡±

    Activating our trait once in a while, we watch and learn from the man. It takes a few hours that we could¡¯ve used to train, but neither of us bothers to leave. The things we¡¯re seeing now are fascinating and should be useful in the future.

    When it''s done, the man touches emblems on his forearms again, and the heat dies off. What fascinates me is that the emblems used his mana and something else to create heat. But the man''s mana reserves aren''t that big, and he shouldn''t be capable of keeping them up for so long.

    Taking a few steps, he stops in front of me and offers me red-hot items he¡¯s holding in his hands without care.

    ¡°In exchange for your help and answers,¡± he says simply.

    Mana Radiation Absorption Rods (epic): Long, slender rods that can be placed around areas of high mana radiation to absorb and contain it. They reduce overall levels and make the area safer for short-term exposure.

    Quickly, I take the three rods from his hands, absorbing the heat so they do not burn me. ¡°Ask away.¡±

    ¡°The same question as before.¡±

    ¡°We wanted to have a look at the place you called The Veil Ignition Station, all we knew was that it was one of the stations they used to create the Veil. There we found a number of corpses, some of them were wearing robes covered in dozens of inscriptions and mana stones. We found you as well. At first, we thought you were dead, so we brought you here to examine. Then you woke up,¡± I answer.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°How does it look out there?¡±

    ¡°From what we found, the second Pairing happened and you guys fought the other planet for twenty years. Then, around a hundred years ago, the Enchanters Guild created a Veil that was supposed to encompass the entire planet and defend the cities. It was supposed to defend against invaders. Something went wrong, the Veil turned against you and killed the majority of humans, then before it finished, it started fighting the invaders. Your Absolute is probably dead as are the Champions unless they happen to be hiding somewhere. People outside rarely seem to reach level 200, probably because The Veil¡¯s defensive mechanism seems to hunt them. Most of the survivors live in bunkers from before the war or in remnants like the Bastions. Most of them know very little regarding the war.¡±

    I pause after a long answer and then look at him, ¡°That''s what you get for the rods.¡±

    ¡°Quite expensive.¡±

    I nod in agreement.

    ¡°You can ask me something.¡± He gestures.

    Oh. I like it.

    ¡°What are the emblems on your forearms?¡±

    For the first time, he smiles ever so slightly. ¡°What a thing to ask out of so many possible questions. They are emblems created and gifted to me by our Absolute. What is the Enchanter Guild doing?¡±

    ¡°We have no information on that. What I just told you is most of what we know.¡±

    ¡°So the Veil Ignition Station still has a broken core and mana radiation makes it difficult to reach the central components?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Yes, we were only able to stay there for so long. Is it dangerous even to you? Don''t you have a powerful body?¡±

    "As if something like that would help against radiation caused by that grade of broken core. Champion Niall spent weeks filling it with her dynamic mana."

    ¡°How did you survive?¡± I ask my question.

    ¡°A single-use defensive emblem from the Absolute,¡± he says.

    ¡°How many emblems did you even get from that Absolute?¡± the duplicate asks.

    ¡°A few,¡± the man answers. ¡°Bring me the null collars you used before, I will smelt them into items to help with the mana radiation, then we can head back to the station.¡± Not even waiting for an answer he heads away.

    ¡°It was always our plan to return, but when he says it that way I kind of want to refuse just to piss him off,¡± the duplicate sighs.

    But the man doesn¡¯t hear him, already activating the emblems he was gifted by his Absolute and heating up the forge.

    <hr>

    The decision wasn¡¯t that difficult, and we handed over both of the null collars. In exchange, he created three simple epic pendants meant to take in some of the ambient mana radiation and redirect it.

    What¡¯s interesting is that the man rarely uses inscriptions, he doesn¡¯t bother unless he has to. Most of the effects of the items he creates are a product of the combination of materials in his alloys.

    Is it possible that he isn¡¯t that good of an enchanter? Enchanting requires a specialized set of skills, so it''s possible that he is not. As for me, I¡¯m quite lucky that most of the ways that I go about controlling mana also allow me to create inscriptions.

    In preparation for our return to the Veil Ignition Station, the man collects a few more of the items we recovered. He takes what he needs, and seeing the corpses in beautiful robes we brought back, he turns to us, waiting.

    My duplicate and I exchange a look, having the same thought. We could leave him here and go by ourselves. We have rods, pendants, and even our skills. But at the same time, the man seems useful, even though he¡¯s not very talkative and seems to expect obedience and respect.

    I make a final decision, and he reduces his natural defenses, as I place my hand on his shoulder and teleport us to the station. The duplicate follows, reappearing between us.

    The man looks at us and then at the severed arm and the bracelet I¡¯m holding. His expression betrays that the arm belonged to someone he used to know. Yet he doesn¡¯t show much in the way of emotion and takes a few steps, stabbing two of the epic rods in the direction of the source of the mana radiation and a third on the opposite side.

    Almost immediately, the mana radiation lessens, and his weird senses reach out into the area.

    ¡°The radiation is even worse than I thought,¡± he says simply. Then he takes a few pieces of metal and ingots and heads towards the corner of the room and the small forge.

    Emblems on his forearms activate, and he starts working again. Looking at the way he works, he¡¯s probably making more rods to absorb the Mana Radiation.

    My duplicate is already at work as well, grabbing some of the more valuable mana stones and doing whatever he does lately.

    I, meanwhile, grab a few upper-rare spears made of white metal. The spears are complete, beautifully crafted, sharpened, and ready for use. The only thing missing is the empty mana stones imbued near the blades. All of the weapons are ready for inscriptions. There are even circuits made of conductive metals leading from the mana stone through the weapon.

    Surrounding one of the spears with my [Mana Domain], I activate [Infusion] and then use [Mana Manipulation] and [Resonance], all while under the influence of [Focus].

    I work on creating the best item possible for me given that I lack the skill to do this kind of thing on my own, but what I can do is create inscriptions, enchantments, or whatever the official term happens to be. I''m good at that, and a lot of my skills help me with that.

    I could use my eyes for a better result, but not here. It would be too much surrounded by all this mana radiation.

    So, I get to work, and time starts passing while I work. Nearly immediately, I lose two of the weapons to my mistakes, and then three more. But I do not stop and do not hesitate. If someone saw me using upper rare weapons as fodder, they would be mad, but they are just things to me. Useful items, yes, but never worth more than my life or too important to be sacrificed.

    The items can be separated from me, they can be destroyed, they can be stolen. My personal power, and the knowledge I gain, will stay with me no matter what.

    So, I waste even more of them, even getting a look from the man, but I ignore him and continue in my experiment. And then, after hours, my effort is rewarded, and I create the first epic item.

    It''s not entirely my creation, but I can say that I did a part of the work. A big part.

    That makes me happy, even if it is only low epic.

    Kinetic Pulse Spear (epic): A spear that accumulates kinetic energy and magnifies the force behind each strike. Movements and thrusts charge the spear, allowing the wielder to release highly concentrated kinetic blasts.

    ¡°I want to sell it,¡± I say immediately.

    Do you really want to sell the following item for 1900 shards?

    Kinetic Pulse Spear (epic)

    Yes/No

    I confirm and then check my shards.

    Shards: 13,792

    Two some odd days until Vega comes back, and then two weeks until the end of the floor. I wonder how much I will make.

 Chapter 313 - A Newcomers Welcome

    ¡°You spend half a day ruining a dozen perfectly prepared items and you crafted that?¡± the weird three-question mark man says, looking over my shoulder, several rods in his arms.

    ¡°It came out pretty good,¡± I say in my defense.

    The look he gives me tells me he probably doesn¡¯t agree, and then he asks, ¡°Did you send the weapon away through your skill? It felt different this time.¡±

    I just shrug. There is no sense in explaining; the system will censor it all and make the man go blank.

    ¡°So what is your plan?¡± I ask him.

    Seeing that I don¡¯t intend to answer, he doesn¡¯t push, ¡°First, we proceed to my workshop where I can make some better items. Then we will head towards the control room.¡±

    ¡°Not to the core?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Not unless you have a death wish.¡±

    Then, before I can answer, he places three more rods and turns to me once the mana radiation lessens further. He hands me one of the unused spears near me, ¡°Do it again.¡±

    I decide to play along and do just that. My skills activate, and I start over again.

    Then I feel a slap on the back of my head. My body is strengthened, my mana regulator turning a big part of my mana pool into reinforcement, yet it still makes me flinch.

    Before I punch the man, he says, ¡°Try it again, and don¡¯t be in such a rush to change the item. Examine the pre-prepared pathways and feel the intent of the person that created that spear.¡±

    He just snorts as he watches me glare at him, ¡°You can try to punch me later if you want to. So?¡±

    Instead of fighting, I send my senses through the item and get to examining it.

    ¡°The item you hold is something someone spent hours to create. They spent their mana to do so. They thought about how they wanted this item to look. The materials, rare or not, were carefully picked and smelted in an effort to realize their fullest potential. For all of that to happen, they had to study lifetimes of research authored by our predecessors and distributed by our teachers, a lot of people had to search for the materials, and a place had to be created to make it all happen.¡± He continues to observe my attempts. ¡°So the least you can do is to pay a little bit of respect to the item in your hands, no matter how minuscule it might look to you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t agree,¡± I say, pausing my work on the item.

    ¡°Explain,¡± he asks me with interest.

    ¡°Items aren¡¯t important. It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re epic, rare, arcane, or something higher. Sure, it¡¯s fine to use them, to hold them, or even be in awe of them. Maybe they¡¯re useful, or maybe you learn something from them, but that¡¯s it. You can¡¯t rely on them too much or they¡¯ll slow your growth. You can¡¯t tiptoe around them, worried about damaging them because someone put effort into creating them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a very cynical way to look at it, but it also says a lot about you.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± I send my senses through the unfinished spear and examine it. ¡°You told me to think about the intent of the creator of this weapon. But all I can see are useless pathways. The spear is pre-prepared so it constantly pulls bits of the user¡¯s mana to sharpen the blade. Sending more should cause it to extend and become even sharper.¡±

    My skills activate, and I scratch some of the prepared pathways, change others, and straight up block some more. ¡°Like this, the finished item would become low epic at most and prioritize ease of use and reducing wear.¡±

    The pathways I inscribe are much uglier, harsher, and more direct. They use more mana and require more from the user.

    I turn to the man. ¡°It''s an item prepared to be pampered. A spear used by someone who prefers ease of use and looks over functionality. Someone who rarely bothers with combat. It''s a toy, not a weapon.¡±

    The inscriptions I create are more taxing to use but they allow more mana through. They allow the item to take damage over time. It''s like removing fail-safes, even at the cost of the weapon¡¯s lifespan.

    I don''t do it this way to improve the item¡¯s rarity and price in a shop. No, I would do it this way even if I intended to use it or to give it to someone else.

    Weapons are tools.

    I pause for a while and turn to the man again. He returns my gaze and then nods. It''s not in agreement but in understanding. Then he turns back, and I continue what I''m doing.

    Multiple hours later when the weapon is ready, I sell it, gaining 2,200 more shards. Right after, my duplicate and I send a few more items to the bunker and wait for the man to finish his work before moving deeper into the station.

    Meanwhile, our round of the tutorial has gained a new Beyond explorer.

    Beyond 6/10 > Beyond 7/10

    Gareth - woah, a new one has joined us, hello friend!

    Tacita - (;-_-)¥Î

    Great, another troll.

    Gareth - hello, Tacita, I''m Gareth, and I hope we get along!

    Tacita - ?(¡ã_¡ã)?

    Grumpy - ?£Ü(£þ¨Œ£þ)£¯? !!!If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Tacita - (¨‘_¨‘)

    Grumpy - ?¤Ã????¤Ã

    Tacita - ¨q(¡ã¥í¡ã¡±)¨s

    After that, the messages end, and I¡¯m left wondering what the hell just happened.

    <hr>

    The used-to-be-dead man finally finishes his work and puts a chestplate on. The metal is still red-hot, but he ignores the heat, and it doesn''t even touch his clothes. Once again, I notice a distinct lack of enchantments.

    Then he hands us a few more rods, and we grab the ones we placed and head deeper into the bunker, following the man.

    ¡°Maybe we should at least ask him for his name,¡± I tell my duplicate.

    ¡°We can call him Bob.¡±

    ¡°That''s what we called the arcane archer from the 4th floor. Maybe Dave?¡±

    ¡°Dave sounds good. Are your anchors still on his skin?¡±

    I nod, ¡°Two of them. I don''t think I would be able to teleport him, but I could slow him down, and we could run. Other than his high constitution, he doesn''t seem that strong. Maybe he is just the Absolute''s personal blacksmith or something.¡±

    Duplicate agrees, ¡°At least two emblems from the Absolute, and the way he talks. Dave probably used to be an important person. He kind of reminds me of Cael.¡±

    ¡°I think all craftsmen are like that.¡± I cut off when Dave stops and places the iron rods in the hallway and one on the opposite side.

    Then he turns to one of the doors and channels his mana into a mana stone set just over the frame.

    Nothing happens, so he repeats it again and again.

    He seems surprised, so he examines them and then, with a sigh, turns to me. ¡°Please give me my wife''s arm and bracelet,¡± he says.

    It takes a moment for me to realize what he means by that, and I look at the severed arm we were using for unlocking the door and then at the man.

    He shows no emotion and when I hand him the arm he takes it and a moment later the door opens.

    He returns the arm without me asking, and enters the room, places the rods and while my duplicate and I examine his workshop, he heads to a mana crystal in the corner of the room.

    The room is massive, even bigger than the enchanting facility we came from. But this workshop is an unorganized mess. There are tons of materials scattered about, dried-up trees, suits of armor three times my size, chunks of stone as big as cars, and mana crystals.

    There is no system that I understand to it but at the same time it feels cozier than the organized layout of the other facility.

    ¡°You two, come here,¡± he gestures to us, and after exchanging looks, both of us head to him.

    He points at the pillar made of mana crystal. ¡°Can you activate it? It should be connected to the core. The core is leaking and that¡¯s what¡¯s causing the current mana levels, but this crystal should still be getting some mana."

    I don''t bother asking him why he doesn''t do it himself and only slightly examine it, but I don''t find anything. So while my duplicate keeps watch, I delve deeper, using my skills to examine it and finally recognize the problem.

    ¡°It''s physically cut off from the core and the system of this station. Probably some kind of manually initiated failsafe or something,¡± I explain.

    He sighs as if he had expected this but hoped to avoid it, and then examines the rods we are using, ¡°We have an hour or two before these rods become useless, and then a similar amount of time before the amulets fail. You can grab whatever you want, and I will point out some things I need you to move to the place you call the bunker.¡±

    ¡°Isn''t that your workshop? Why would you give us these things?¡± the duplicate asks.

    ¡°Just do what I said.¡± The man we¡¯ve decided to call Dave then ignores us and starts creating a pile of items he wants to bring with him.

    As if planned, we step out of his workshop towards the rods he placed. As he said, they seem to be weakening, and a quick examination reveals some sort of corrosion on them.

    Our [Mana Domain] activates, along with [Resonance] as we use [Infusion] to make the process even more seamless.

    Then we take a step and pass by the rods.

    Immediately, the pressure assaults us. It feels as if the mana crashes against us in a series of rhythmic waves, attempting to pass through our domain and Mantle.

    It''s incredible.

    Even after a hundred years, the core of this Veil Ignition Station is still releasing so much mana. A core filled by Champion Niall, as Dave said.

    Leaving anchors behind the rods, we take a few more steps, making sure the amulets the man gave us don¡¯t interfere, all in order to test our skills.

    It all feels a bit like [Dawn], the skill Champion Tristan, used while being manipulated by the Mind Mage emperor, at the end of the second floor. A skill powered by The Sword of Aeons, the greatest mana battery in that world. And with that, he alone wiped out nearly all of humanity on his planet.

    [Mana Domain - lvl 34 > Mana Domain - lvl 35]

    [Infusion - lvl 24 > Infusion - lvl 25]

    Then, after giving our all for a moment we find ourselves pushed back behind the rods.

    Returning back to the workshop, he welcomes us, and his weird senses examine our activated skills.

    ¡°So, you even have a Domain-class skill,¡± he notes and then points at the pile. ¡°With the help of this, I can prepare something better so we can head deeper.¡±

    ¡°What is a Domain-class skill?¡± I ask, ignoring his items. When he gives me the look, I add, ¡°We will move your things if you answer.¡±

    Dave almost seems like he wants to ask something but decides against it, ¡°I keep forgetting how little you know. Within the many classes of skills, there are domain-type skills. If mastered properly, they can be some of the most terrifying. For learning more, find yourselves a disciple, candidate, or Champion. Now move these.¡±

    He doesn''t say anything else and looks in the direction of the core of the station.

    After that, we take our time, we examine the place, and move items until our mana takes a big hit. We also head back and examine some of the rooms that are further from the core. There, we find more corpses, even corpses of the monsters my Duplicate sent through to find out if the Gaiathra would notice them. The monsters are as dead as the humans we find.

    The man seems to recognize some of the humans and when he kneels down in front of the corpse of a little girl, we leave him alone.

    Soon, we feel heat fill the tunnels as he activates his emblems, and when he rejoins us, nothing remains of the bodies.

    We return to the bastion, and I hand him the severed arm and bracelet.

    He stares at it for a moment. I just wait patiently until he grabs it. After taking off the bracelet, he heads to the pile where we put other corpses, ready to examine them.

    My clone and I leave to do our stuff, and soon flames light the tunnels of the Bunker as well.

 Chapter 314 - The Minions Return

    Just a bit over two days have passed, and I am sitting in the branches of one of the bigger trees surrounding the bunker.

    At this point the monsters almost seem to avoid me, the place seems to have been recognized as my territory after my short expeditions to level up. I have to go further and further to hunt now, but I make the effort every once in a while.

    Over the past two days, I¡¯ve been working with a few of the higher tier unfinished items, converting them into epics. Leaving me 5,600 shards richer after selling them to the shop. Then I sold piles of materials, mana stones, and some of the weird robes. Anything I had in excess or lacked a use for.

    That alone has gained me another 3,800 shards. And that''s us going through the Veil Ignition Station twice given that we haven¡¯t gone back since we returned, supposedly Dave is still preparing some important stuff.

    My current number of shards is 25,392. The cheapest arcane items start at 100,000 and the cheapest arcane passives aren¡¯t available for less than 200,000, it seems so expensive. Gaining either of them on this floor seems like it will be impossible.

    So what am I doing out here?

    Waiting for my minion, obviously.

    Why outside?

    I want to get to her before my Duplicate can turn her against me. We can''t have that, and I''m sure he would try.

    I escaped while he was watching Dave like a hawk. My duplicate doesn''t have the benefit of a counter, he doesn''t have access to the quest interface, system shop, or any other system functions. So he can only estimate when she will return, and I did my best to confuse him. I even left an orb in the Bunker to imitate my mana signature while I escaped in secret.

    Congratulations! Your disciple will now return to the 5th floor! Bear in mind that you have to keep your disciple alive for two weeks longer. The environment on the 5th floor will become much more dangerous during that time!

    And here she is.

    Vega carefully emerges from an invisible portal. There she is, just beneath the tree I¡¯m sitting in.

    Just then, her senses pulse into the area like sonar, and her heartbeat accelerates as her skills activate. She envelops her dagger in pale blue mana and lowers her stance. I don¡¯t even bother trying to hide as her senses touch me. She lifts her face, and her ruby-like eyes meet mine from below.

    A giant smile blooms on her face, ¡°Master!¡± she shouts.

    ¡°You have stopped scanning your area. That''s a day of me calling you minion, and you can''t complain.¡±

    It''s hard to describe the relief I feel. And seeing someone be so happy just to see me is still weird. I land beside her only for my tiny minion to immediately hug me.

    ¡°It''s fine! Master can call me minion!¡± she embraces me with the full force her small frame can manage.

    I lift her into my arms where she rests against my chest, listening to my heart.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you well, Vega,¡± I say, pulling her closer, and she nods with a smile.

    Then I feel the orb down in the bunker disappear and someone trying to reconnect to the anchor I used to get here. But that person finds themselves unable to do so as I expected that and removed the connection with black mana.

    ¡°Okay, minion, now listen, this is serious,¡± I say. Setting her on the ground and kneeling in front of her. ¡°There is a guy that looks like me and acts like me. But that person cannot be trusted no matter what!¡±

    ¡°Looks like master?¡± Vega asks.

    In the distance, I feel an explosion of kinetic energy, and a figure lifts high into the air. Quickly followed by waves of mana scanning the area for us, but my pre-prepared barrier activates, and I hide us for a bit longer.

    ¡°Yes, but you have only one master, right? You wouldn''t turn against me?¡±

    ¡°I would not!¡±

    ¡°Good disciple,¡± I caress her hair and poke her cute pointy horn. ¡°He probably isn''t a bad guy and won''t hurt you, but don''t get tricked, okay? It''s a test.¡±

    ¡°A test from master,¡± her eyes wide. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡±

    Right after that, my duplicate descends on us, absorbing the kinetic energy of his landing without causing any shockwaves. ¡°You asshole! You are trying to turn my precious Vega against me!¡± he immediately complains.

    My minion, wary, starts flicking her eyes between me and him. ¡°T-two of them,¡± she mumbles.

    ¡°Vega, come to your master. I want a hug!¡± the creep says, but surprisingly, Vega seems to hesitate, her eyes rapidly flicking between us.

    Wow, does she really want to be called Vega so badly?

    ¡°I can''t!¡± she says finally and moves behind me.

    ¡°You lost, loser,¡± I put my hand on Vega¡¯s head and turn to him. ¡°You are scaring MY disciple, so calm down.¡±

    ¡°Oh come on, that''s straight-up evil. I just want to poke those tiny pointy horns. I¡¯m not asking for much. I''m stressed too, you know!¡±

    ¡°Go and hug Dave or something.¡±

    ¡°Does Dave look like master too?¡± Vega asks innocently from behind me.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°You are confusing our poor minion you asshole original, just look.¡± The duplicate moves close and leans to look at Vega behind my back, who returns his gaze with her curious ruby eyes.

    ¡°Is this part of Bambi¡¯s curse?¡± she asks.

    ¡°As if, it''s him being a smartass. Come on, one hug,¡± he turns to me.

    ¡°Aren''t you too¡­ well, weird?¡± I ask.

    ¡°You can take it easy. I¡¯m going to disappear in a week or two, so I need my ESM.¡°

    ¡°ESM?¡±

    ¡°Emotional Support Minion! When we upgrade our Mantle, you can go first, and I¡¯ll help you create a stronger epic item so you can get more shards.¡±

    ¡°Sure, deal. Vega, you can call this man Uncle Nathaniel but never call him master, okay?¡± I then let go of her, and before she can complain, my duplicate grabs her and hugs her.

    ¡°S-stop. Let me go!¡± My minion squeaks while trying to push him away, but she can¡¯t really do anything.

    Somehow it reminds me of that time I petted the poor Ashenwolf after waking him up in his cave. I wonder how that guy is doing.

    ¡°So, how is the progress?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Almost done, but we will have to decide what to do with the minion before heading to the station again. And did you ask her yet?¡± he pinches her nose, pulls her horn, and when he finally lets her go, my minion rushes to me.

    She grabs my clothes and kicks me in the shin before hiding behind my back, ¡°Traitor!¡±

    ¡°Anyway, minion, did you try to ask the questions I told you to ask?¡± I ask.

    After fixing her hair and clothes a bit and while pouting, she looks up at me, ¡°Yes, I did! But the people I asked didn¡¯t know much.¡±

    ¡°Oh, how did you end up asking them?¡± The Duplicate creates a chair from mana and sits down.

    Seeing that, Vega gulps. ¡°I will answer if you create one for me as well!¡± she tries somewhat sneakily.

    Knowing she would answer even without it, the Duplicate still creates one, and then we watch as Vega plops down and tries to sit in a similar lazy manner as my duplicate.

    So cute.

    ¡°I made them talk after¡­¡± She lifts her fists and swings them a few times, clearly gesturing at what she did to the guys.

    Oh my. That''s my disciple.

    ¡°I did what master told me, I found someone who had hurt me and put on the mask master bought. Then I hid my mana as much as possible and changed the way I moved. The mask changed my voice, and then I kept asking!¡±

    The mask she mentioned is the only valuable item I sent with her. A rare mask that has some sort of confusion against weak minded individuals and changes the voice.

    ¡°But master. I remember that man hitting me every time I passed by his inn, but he was really weak now. I think I''m the strongest one in our village too!¡±

    ¡°You can beat everyone when you become even stronger. Right now, they could hire someone to kill you, so be patient.¡±

    ¡°Right! So I asked the question, but he didn¡¯t know anything about the tutorial. He only said something about our predecessors, long long ago, going through the tutorial. Only the chosen ones entered and gained great power. He called them First Generation.¡±

    ¡°Huh, that makes sense. But isn¡¯t that interesting?¡± the Duplicate mumbles. ¡°Did he tell you if the tutorial repeated again?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask, I¡¯m sorry uncle!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I answer instead and turn to the duplicate. ¡°So the system takes a bunch of people from a planet and puts them through the tutorial. The survivors return and become the so-called First Generation?¡±

    He speaks in turn, expanding on the thought, ¡°After that, more people from the planet join the system, but without the advantages of people who went through the tutorial?¡±

    ¡°Or could it be that only descendants of people who went through the tutorial get the ability to interact with the system?¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. We saw a lot of people with levels on the floors. There wasn¡¯t anyone without a class.¡±

    ¡°They may have gone through the tutorial tens of thousands of years ago, perhaps the descendants of the first generation replaced those who couldn¡¯t access the system.¡±

    He ponders, ¡°That feels off, I like the theory that people from the tutorial return to Earth, and then slowly other people from Earth start awakening and joining the system. Maybe it is all even caused by mana leaking from the people who return to Earth.¡±

    I turn to Vega and ask, ¡°Did he know anything else about the First Generation?¡±

    ¡°Nothing!¡±

    The duplicate sighs, ¡°So if we are right, there are 10 rounds of the tutorial. We are in the 5th round. Every round of the tutorial contains four difficulties, and each difficulty has 10 groups. 2000 people to split into ten groups in easy, a thousand in normal, 500 for hard, and 250 for hell. Overall that¡¯s,¡± he counts, ¡°3750 people for each round. If we are right and there will be 10 rounds, that¡¯s 37,500 people in the tutorial.¡±

    I continue, ¡°Out of them, how many will survive? 20,000 people in Easy difficulty so maybe 10-15 thousand of them? Out of 10,000 in Normal, probably around 6 to 8 thousand, out of 5,000 in Hard, probably two thousand? And out of 2,500 in Hell what? Somewhere between 100 and 500, maybe 100 of them enter Beyond, and what, maybe 10-20 survive?¡±

    ¡°The tutorial does become harder as floors pass and plenty of people might decide to stay on one of the nicer floors. Someone from Hard difficulty who gets to a higher floor might become stronger than someone from hell who decided to stay on the 4th floor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Minion, any info on your Absolute or Champions?¡±

    ¡°They knew nothing! I even bent the hand he used to hit me just like you showed me, master, but he said nothing.¡±

    ¡°Pairing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing!¡±

    ¡°System shop outside of the tutorial?¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t know about it! They said there is no such thing.¡±

    ¡°At what levels do primary class upgrades happen?¡±

    ¡°He was only level 40, he got only the 1st one and didn¡¯t know.¡±

    The duplicate looks at her, ¡°Wow, our cute Vega beat up someone 10 levels higher. Is this how proud parents feel?¡±

    Both of us ignore him, and I continue to ask a few more questions, but Vega doesn¡¯t have any answers. But that is to be expected, looking at the small village where she lives.

    ¡°Good job, minion, you did well.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, master!¡±

    After turning to my duplicate, I lift one of my eyebrows, and he sighs, ¡°As promised, you get the Mantle upgrade first, and I will help you create a better epic item.¡±

    The chair made with [Regalia] disappears as he stands in a smooth motion and turns to Vega, ¡°I¡¯m glad you made it back safely, disciple,¡± he says.

    To that, Vega thinks for a moment, then smiles, giving him a nod.

    Observing him carefully, I notice a hint of relief in his eyes. Even though he hasn¡¯t shown it very much, he is happy to even get that much. Our minion is just that precious a little thing.

    As we head back to the bunker, both of us notice that the Mana Radiation has started to become worse, and monsters from all parts of the Valley are fighting and moving erratically.

    And the Veil becomes just a bit more visible hanging in the air, just a tiny bit, but almost enough to be able to see it with the naked eye.

    The system didn¡¯t joke, and as it said, the difficulty will gradually increase.

 Chapter 315 - Screw you

    Dave looks at me; it''s still disturbing how easily he can recognize who the duplicate is. Then he looks at my duplicate and then at Vega, who looks up at him with interest. Having two of us by her side, she doesn¡¯t seem to be worried at all.

    ¡°Master, how should I address this man?¡± she asks.

    I look at the man we even now call Dave, and he doesn¡¯t even bother answering and just turns around, heading back to his provisional workshop.

    Indeed, what to call him? The duplicate is uncle already, ¡°Maybe mister?¡± I offer.

    ¡°Sure! Is this man another of master¡¯s minions, like uncle?¡±

    My duplicate interrupts, ¡°Vega, I¡¯m not a minion and will never be. Actually, I''m currently stronger than him, you can hear my heart, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes I can, but it doesn''t feel stronger!¡±

    I let them talk and follow Dave, pushing through the heat being released by his emblems, absorbing most of it with [Redistribution] and turning it into kinetic energy which I use to strengthen my body. It''s better than releasing it, and my core is already full.

    ¡°Sometimes I think everything is a game for you,¡± Dave says while the metal in front of him swirls, mixing and separating while forming into difficult shapes as he wills it into form.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably one of my skills, allowing me to filter out my emotions,¡± I answer and jump onto the table nearby, examining the process. He doesn¡¯t seem to mind anymore than the times before, and I could even swear he likes having someone who shows so much interest in his craft.

    ¡°That makes sense. Concentration class skills tend to be like that,¡± he moves his hand, releasing more heat, melting an ingot of heat resistant metal, even more so than endurium.

    I know because I tried to melt it too. It also sold for a nice chunk to the system shop.

    ¡°Are concentration type skills that bad?¡± I ask curiously.

    ¡°They are useful, and the people who use them tend to be amazing in whatever they do. On the other hand, they often feel less human compared to others,¡± the metal in front of him forms a sphere and then starts to swirl, mixing everything together.

    He continues, ¡°At a higher level of the skill, their users feel¡­ inhuman.¡±

    Separating a bit of molten metal, he throws it to me where I release my mana and make it semi-materialize, keeping the molten metal in the air like he does. To prevent the metal from cooling off, I reach into my Vortex core and release the heat of my golden thermal energy.

    We¡¯ve already tried it a few times before, so this time I take care not to release too much heat and even let my eyes activate in combination with [Focus], while I try to limit their effect on my mana and the molten metal it surrounds.

    ¡°Sometimes I think it''s unfair that someone like you has Primordial thermal energy,¡± he says to my surprise.

    ¡°Why?¡± I ask, moving the heat around the molten metal and using my mana to try to form it.

    ¡°Jealousy, I would say.¡± The flames from his emblem try to push against my thermal energy.

    Without compressing my thermal energy further, his flames seem to blaze hotter and more confidently. Yet, there is some beauty to my golden thermal energy as it swirls around, devouring his flames the moment he loses any degree of concentration around the edges.

    ¡°In the future, do not show anyone your Primordial energy if you don¡¯t have to. The same goes for your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Even my eyes?¡± I push bits of his flames away and absorb the heat to boost my thermal energy. The metal ball in front of me elongates as I try to form it into the shape of a dagger. An ugly-ass dagger at that.

    ¡°Wavelength-type eye traits are very rare. There were once entire noble families who only maintained their position in court because one of their predecessors had a powerful Wavelength eye. They were marrying away their daughters into other families hoping to re-awaken this trait.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t humans only get 3 traits?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but those you¡¯re born with don''t count against that number.¡±

    The dagger I was trying to create melts when I use too much heat, and I start over.

    Taking advantage of the man¡¯s good mood, I ask, ¡°Can you tell me about the First Generation?¡±

    When he looks, I think that I may have pushed too far, and annoyed him with my questions, but after examining the molten metal I''m working on, he sighs.

    Then a blank expression overtakes his face, and it reverts back.

    After returning to his senses the man seems surprised and almost ruins his project, but he quickly takes over and continues to work.

    It seems like the system is still censoring the information about the First Generation, and I have no hope of learning more from the natives currently. Maybe on higher floors? Or I can try to get information from newcomers to the tutorial, like Vega.

    ¡°Why do you want to reach the station¡¯s core so badly?¡± I finally ask the question I¡¯ve been pondering for so long.

    ¡°My name is Nevan.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for telling me, my name is Nathaniel.¡±

    He nods in acknowledgment. ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to do.¡± His voice lacks emotion. This is the look of a man who¡¯s woken up after a hundred years only to find his wife and daughter dead and his world is in tatters.

    It''s hard to imagine what he is going through.

    ¡°Why do you want to get to the core?¡± Nevan asks me in exchange.

    For a moment, I ponder my response. ¡°I want to learn what happened. I want to see the place where it all went down. I hope to improve my skills in the process and find a useful item or two.¡±

    He snorts, ¡°At least you¡¯re honest.¡±

    ¡°But I meant it. More than a desire for trinkets, mana stones, and useful metals, I want to learn.¡± As I put my motives into words, he turns his head to me, while the metal, now in the shape of a helmet, hangs in the air.

    I continue, ¡°I¡¯m curious. I want to know more about the Veil. How did they create it, and how does it work? I want to know how they screwed up and what happened 100 years ago. I want to know why so many people talk about the Enchanter Guild as if they were deities. I want to know all these answers and I want to see the wonders you guys created so long ago.¡±

    ¡°Apparently, nothing good. You know what¡¯s the worst thing about it? We were winning.¡± He stops and the heat around him disappears. ¡°We were goddamn winning. Our Absolute was so powerful, he alone was enough to take out most of the enemy forces. Then there were Champions directly under his command. We would have survived this pairing and won.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Nevan grabs the helmet he¡¯s created and flicks it with the tip of his finger.

    A single crisp tone fills the room, hanging in the air, for what feels like an eternity.

    ¡°But that wasn¡¯t enough. The Enchanter Guild seized the opportunity to push the Veil Ignition ahead of schedule. They worried that the Pairing might end and the people¡¯s support would go with it. Think of our children, they said.¡± He flicks the helmet again and then gestures for me to continue.

    I move my thermal energy and continue molding the melted alloy he created.

    ¡°And we went along with it all. Drunk on our own power and confidence and amazed by the miracles they had created, we allowed this to happen and this is our reward." He stops, "Slow down and even out your thermal energy. There is no need to push so quickly, move slower, and let the dagger cool off a bit before you continue.¡±

    The dagger I''m shaping with mana now is better than any of my previous attempts. I absorb the heat at the places he indicates, allowing the alloy to cool while evening things out on the whole.

    The combination of [Mana Domain] with [Redistribution] allows me to make detailed manipulations. While [Infusion] makes it easier to heat the more solid components. Sometimes I even infuse the piece with threads of mana for more delicate control.

    When my trait finally deactivates and my concentration weakens, I finish the process.

    The result is still ugly, the blade is dull, but one part still excites me. The mana-conductive metal that was part of the alloy is perfectly spread throughout the weapon mimicking basic inscriptions. It''s lacking, but it''s a first step.

    ¡°I¡¯m jealous of people like you,¡± Nevan repeats his earlier statement. ¡°But I can¡¯t bring myself to hate you.¡±

    I wonder what expression I''m making for him to say that.

    <hr>

    The moment I leave the room, Vega rushes to me, followed by my duplicate who even now is etching inscriptions into a mana stone. Something he does practically nonstop.

    ¡°Master! Uncle isn¡¯t that bad, he asked me to eat with him and gave me tasty food!¡±

    Before I answer, the duplicate pokes, ¡°Maybe I can become your master instead. I know more about inscriptions than this weirdo, and I promise to only ever call you Vega.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Vega immediately answers and then passes by me approaching Nevan¡¯s workstation.

    Before she can move any further, I grab her with [Redistribution]. ¡°It''s dangerous in there.¡±

    It would be dangerous for someone with such a low level to get too close to that level of heat. Nevan¡¯s emblems release that much.

    "Ok!" She replies when I let go. "Master, I want to train more. I want to become much stronger. When I return, I will go to a bigger village. Or I might even try to hunt some gray lizards to see if they really are all that tasty."

    "No worries, we have two weeks, so we¡¯ll make sure to help you level up a bit and work on your skills too."

    "Mana chair too?"

    "No mana chair."

    "Oh¡­"

    "More explosive kinetic orbs and better body strengthening."

    "Yes! Oh, and master, the uncle said you lost another limb, has the curse gotten worse?"

    As an answer, I grab one of her pointy horns and shake her head while turning to Duplicaniel, "You are ruining my minion."

    "Vega is not a minion." They say, almost in unison.

    "This attempt is so cheap," I tell him.

    "Hey, if it works, it works. Anyway, I need your help with some mana inscriptions. I want to test something."

    "Any good progress?"

    "Only shitty progress, I¡¯ve spent the past week in almost constant attempts to create a personality imprint, but I''m not even close damnit. It feels like I haven¡¯t even started. I knew Lissandra was a monster, but this is too much."

    "Is Lissandra a minion too?" Vega asks curiously.

    "Maybe one day," I say.

    "Ha!" The duplicate just stretches. "If the personality imprint plan fails, as it most likely will, I can do something like what we did for Myrra. I''m not sure it worked, but hey, I might as well try."

    "But there is a problem with that," I point out while caressing Vega''s head.

    Huh, maybe he was really onto something with Vega being an ESM; I really do feel my stress dissipating.

    "Yes," he agrees. "The system has already reacted to my status as a duplicate, so the rules will probably be a bit more strict. There is also a chance that because every attendee has their own instance, it will work differently. And even if it worked with Myrra, it may have countermeasures in place this time."

    "How about trying to make yourself a tutorial attendee?"

    "I used the fingers you so graciously gave me, and tried to work on something, but I just don''t know. Lissandra has partial status as a tutorial attendee because she regrew from Hadwin and I''m entirely your duplicate, yet the system hasn¡¯t reacted. I tried to think of a way you could help, but I just can''t come up with anything."

    "What about returning to Vega¡¯s world with her?"

    At that, Vega''s red eyes grow even larger, shining from under her light brown hair.

    "While I was eating with her, I tried to look into it, but I have no connection to her. The problem also has to do with my lifespan. Just moving away from the tutorial wouldn''t fix it."

    "Now that you mention it, I think it may have been a dick move to duplicate myself." I ponder.

    "Only now?" he snorts. "What''s annoying is that I can''t be mad at you since I made the decision. But hey, let''s strengthen the Mantle and try inscribing a mana stone."

    "Sure."

    <hr>

    It¡¯s hours later, and we sit opposite each other. Nevan is still working, and Vega is sleeping, her head resting on my leg.

    The improvements to The Mantle were a success.

    Mana Sovereignty Mantle: A protective mantle seamlessly integrated with the user''s mana heart and body. Solely designed to prevent external influences from disrupting or hijacking the user''s mana flow.

    The name and description haven¡¯t changed at all as I¡¯ve made no attempt to change the effect. Instead of trying to be fancy, I just wanted to strengthen one simple thing. To prevent someone from keeping me from using mana. Well, at least inside my body. And even though the description hasn¡¯t changed, I can easily notice that it''s improved.

    While we rest, and eat some food while Vega is sleeping, the duplicate keeps looking at me.

    "So?" I ask.

    "You haven¡¯t stopped watching out for Vega, not even for a second ever since she¡¯s returned."

    I decide to stay quiet.

    "The entire time she was with me, you kept watching her, keeping the anchor you placed on her skin active and ready. Even as you worked with Nevan."

    "Just say it."

    With his emotionless face, he continues, "Ever since you duplicated yourself, you were worried about Vega¡¯s return. Doesn''t that say a lot about you?"

    He looks at Vega, who is peacefully sleeping, "You still think there might be a chance you would use Vega to stay alive if you were in my shoes. You aren''t sure, but you think you might use her or even sacrifice her just to stay alive. From sheer desperation and as the last possible option and because you still remember how you behaved on the 1st Floor."

    In the silence, broken only by the soft breathing of my disciple, I caress her head gently. At that, she snuggles closer to me.

    The duplicate leans and rests against the wall, as always his mana is constantly moving, "You aren''t sure what you would do if you were in my situation, but I am. I already know the answer to that question. But I won''t tell you. Screw you, and figure it out on your own."

    "I really want to punch you sometimes."

    "You and I are the same."

    "Yes."

 Chapter 316 - The first one in thousands of years

    Each of us gets another pendant. We put on the chest plates made of silvery metal streaked with copper. Nevan even threw something together for Vega, and she¡¯s been much nicer to him since. My minion might be easily influenced by gifts and shows of goodwill.

    I watch as she spins around, looking at her reflection in one of the steel panels lining the walls of the facility.

    Even Nevan has a soft smile on his face, watching the little half-demon girl being happy.

    At least she accepted only after asking him multiple times if it was for free and he didn¡¯t want anything in exchange.

    ¡°I¡¯m going outside for a moment, something destroyed one of my anchors,¡± the duplicate says and disappears at the same moment.

    A few seconds later, he returns. ¡°Two Veil Guardians sniffing around,¡± he says simply.

    So that''s it? Is a normal Hell difficulty person supposed to be hiding now, or should they be capable of taking on the Veil Guardians? Or were we expected to join a group like the Bastion in an effort to survive the remaining two weeks with disciples?

    ¡°We could fight them together,¡± I offer.

    ¡°Probably, but we¡¯ve already prepared for a trip to the station. Wanna bet something would go wrong if we went to fight?¡±

    ¡°That''s true. Well, let''s follow the plan.¡± I wave at Nevan, ¡°Ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Take as much as you can; we might not be able to return.¡±

    After taking a moment to look at me, he nods and quickly does just that.

    ¡°Vega,¡± I say, ¡°you will stay by my side the entire time, and by that I mean the entire time, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, master!¡± the little half-demon agrees without complaint.

    But just in case, I give her my pendant. Then I take a few rods and some of the other things our personal blacksmith, alloyist, whatever he is, prepared for us.

    When we reappear in the station, the mana pressure immediately increases, and I observe Vega. Thankfully, she doesn''t seem to notice the pressure, and can only feel the difference through her scanning. Even now, she is curiously observing it, her red eyes wide open.

    Nevan, who is fully armored, even going so far as to wear a helmet, heads in first, and we quickly pass his workshop, stopping only so he can grab a few small items. I also quickly sell a few more items, getting a quick 680 shards.

    The hallway stretches farther than I had expected, and it gradually becomes clear that the pressure is emanating from somewhere on the right where the core must be.

    At a crossroads, Nevan turns left and leaves three rods between us and the core, alleviating the pressure somewhat.

    The next stop is yet another facility. This one is in disarray, the damage is as extensive here as it was at the entrance. Deep scratches dominate the metal walls, sections of the floor have been melted, and the ceiling has partially collapsed. Mana stones have been strewn about the room. Most of them have been destroyed, though some are still whole. There are dozens, in all colors and sizes, and none of them have been inscribed.

    ¡°One of my friends used to study mana crystals here, and he was using them to make mana stones in his spare time.¡± Nevan enters the room and touches one of the walls, and a signal pulses out from the point of contact, and a crack appears there, revealing the entrance to a smaller room.

    There, in what seems to have been a panic room, lies the unrecognizable corpse of a man. But for Nevan, just a look at his bracelet is confirmation enough.

    The man¡¯s corpse is surrounded by empty bottles, and food packaging, and seems to have created a makeshift bed in the corner.

    But the most interesting part is the mana crystals littering the room, some of which have clearly been converted into mana stones. The man, unwilling or unable to exit the room, spent his final days and weeks working. He did something he enjoyed up until the end either to take his mind off his situation or maintain his grip on reality.

    I look at Nevan who is still looking at the corpse.

    ¡°Oh, Orryn, I can only hope that you did not suffer.¡± Stepping inside, he cradles what remains of the man and lies him on the bed in the corner. He takes a few mana stones from the ground and hands them to me, ¡°They will be more useful to you than to me.¡±

    I examine them, noting that, like those in the previous room, they haven¡¯t been inscribed. They are, for the most part, just beautiful mana stones ready for inscription, with the exception of the few that are epic grade. Meanwhile, the ones in the prior room were rare at best.

    The duplicate also takes a share, as does Vega.

    At the same time as me, the duplicate takes one and starts turning it into storage he starts filling with Primordial energies, something akin to what I did on the 4th floor to attack the Colony.

    ¡°Are you fine?¡± I ask Vega.

    ¡°I think I am, but I feel dizzy when examining the area around me.¡±

    ¡°You can stop using your senses for a while.¡±

    She does just that, and I set one of my anchors on her skin, just in case. I [Tether] it to her body, I''m much higher level than her, so it¡¯s not hard.

    Room by room, we pass through the station. We find more corpses and more damaged facilities, and I start to wonder if Nevan doesn''t have a skill like [Focus]. The man keeps recognizing colleagues or friends all over the place, yet he continues ahead with the determination of a man with nothing to lose.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    As the hallway widens, Nevan places a few more rods and throws some fist-sized iron cubes on the floor, and we enter the big circular room.

    ¡°Control room,¡± he says simply.

    Out of every place we passed by, this one has suffered the most damage, and it¡¯s the nature of the damage that surprises me. It¡¯s like someone just evaporated everything in a big sphere, leaving behind smooth edges. And this repeats over and over.

    The tables are gone, control panels too, and pieces of the wall as well. On the ground, we find pieces of gray bodies filled with blue veins and even pieces of voidsteel slicers.

    It looks like our friends, Veil Guardians or a higher grade of them, visited this place long ago.

    Vega and I both collect pieces of voidsteel either to keep for ourselves or to sell later. Even while doing so, she practices moving mana in the way I told her, and she keeps a kinetic orb floating near her.

    Nevan is examining what remains, trying to get a panel to pop up from the floor and attempting to locate hidden rooms, while my duplicate goes about examining the rooms nearby.

    ¡°Do you have any idea what could¡¯ve caused this?¡± I ask him.

    ¡°Some of the attacks were the work of the head guard, and I recognize a few as the work of some of the Lords that were staying here. As for the one that destroyed the panels, I have my suspicions, but I''m not sure. But either by coincidence or intent, they destroyed the controls.¡±

    ¡°Any backup?¡±

    He nods, ¡°But they¡¯re closer to the core.¡±

    ¡°Let me examine the rooms around for a bit, and we can head there. Anything interesting?¡±

    Nevan gestures, ¡°This way, you can find the dining room; your duplicate went there. There you will find a Guard station that probably has some armor or weapons left in stock. Nearby, through a hallway, is a research center that will probably interest you the most. They were exploring methods of inscribing fabrics, creating highly conductive mana threads, and experimenting with the smallest possible mana stones for inscriptions.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, fifteen minutes?¡±

    ¡°That much shouldn¡¯t be a problem for our equipment.¡±

    ¡°Minion, let''s go.¡±

    ¡°To the dining room?¡±

    I grab and pull her horn while she tries to kick me, and then we head towards the research center.

    <hr>

    POV Duplicate of Nathaniel Gwyn

    I¡¯m sitting in a chair while I wait. As I do, I prod the leg of one of the corpses with my foot.

    It''s a long-dead woman, some of her hair has fallen out, and her shriveled face is frozen in an expression of sheer pain. As many did, she clearly died from mana radiation that must have been even stronger 100 years ago.

    While waiting, I strengthen the field around me, making sure it¡¯s blocking all the sounds and mana other than mine. Not like I think that is required, but just to be safe. The original douchebag can be perceptive sometimes, but right now, he¡¯s too busy, enamored by all these mysteries to check on me. Hell, I would¡¯ve liked to do the same.

    Finally, the corpse¡¯s eyes move, they¡¯re still lifeless and disgusting, but they turn to me nonetheless.

    Even though they shouldn''t be making any sounds, the mouth moves and its words fill the room, ¡°I see you haven''t forgotten me, unfortunate one.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. A week ago you told me you would tell me about a way to survive when Vega came back, so?¡±

    ¡°So direct. You don''t have to hurry. We¡¯ve got ourselves some time to discuss.¡±

    Well, I wouldn''t normally cooperate with an extremely suspicious being I met a few times in Beyond and once on the 4th floor when it took over Arcane Archer Bob. But it''s not like I have many options.

    ¡°If you want to talk so much, tell me why would you help me.¡±

    The mouth of the corpse moves as if to make a smile and it makes her look even more creepy.

    ¡°To pass time,¡± it says.

    ¡°So mysterious and cool. What is this method of survival you mentioned?¡±

    ¡°It''s not all that difficult, unfortunate one. You just need to kill your original¡¯s disciple. Once she dies, I can move her ''status'' to you, and you will be returned to her world instead. With her status and a little bit of influence from my side, your status as a temporary duplicate will disappear.¡±

    ¡°I see. No.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± the voice sounds playful. ¡°If you are worried about your conscience, you don''t have to kill her. But you just don''t have to help either. You left your mark on the sleeping Gaiathra, right? What if you just happened to activate it by mistake and weren¡¯t here when the monster attacked? Accidents happen.¡±

    When I don¡¯t answer, the being seems even more amused, the mouth of the corpse moving into a smile much too wide for its anatomy.

    The old skin of the corner of its lips tears, and the jaw moves lower in a creepy gesture.

    ¡°You might think you won''t now, but are you sure you won¡¯t change your mind when you¡¯ve only got a day left? Don''t you want to survive? What is some little girl you¡¯ve only known for a few weeks in comparison to that?¡±

    Even though it can''t use its powers, the air in the dining room starts feeling colder.

    ¡°Just a small accident, after that you would be sent to explore her world. You can try to become its Absolute if you wish. You can fight and train as much as you want. A whole new planet for you to explore. As a bonus, your original would be punished for failing his Floor quest. Isn''t that beautiful?¡±

    ¡°You are a really stupid motherfucker, aren''t you? I said no.¡±

    The corpse moves and as it stands up, its limbs let out a cracking noise until the long-dead woman¡¯s head stops just in front of my face. ¡°You already refused my help once, do not repeat that mistake. Without me, you will perish.¡±

    ¡°Even if I die, I won''t regret it,¡± as I say this, I feel confident in this conviction.

    The dumb original might not realize it yet, he is bad at dealing with his feelings, but he¡¯s the same. Neither of us would be able to hurt Vega like that. Never. It would mean betraying our friend and in that moment, we would be no better than the person we hate the most in the world.

    ¡°I think the subclass of Pride really fits you. It''s perfect for delusional people like you,¡± the being giggles, and finally, the woman''s jaw falls off. At that, it only tilts its head and then steps back. ¡°I will ask you the same question a day before you disappear. I''m already excited to hear your answer.¡±

    So he is not the Ruler of Pride.

    Well, let''s try to get more info at least, ¡°Why are you even here? There must be hundreds or thousands of tutorials going on, why this one? Because of Lissandra and her escape from the second floor?¡±

    The corpse crumbles, but the words continue, amusement dripping from every single one, ¡°Absolutes going rogue once in a while isn''t that rare. Even though what Eladore''s Absolute Lissandra is doing is extremely interesting, it is not enough to catch my interest. No, you, Absolute Lissandra, and the other attendees of this instance are only a way I amuse myself.¡±

    The next words only sound in my head, the corpse unmoving, (What brought me to this tutorial is someone else. It''s the man who started the tutorial in Beyond. The first one in thousands of years.)

 Chapter 317 - The cracked core

    1,050 shards, that''s how much I¡¯ve gotten from selling the stuff from the research center. Obviously, I keep the best items and data. Even then, that leaves me with just over 27 thousand shards. At that point, I decided to buy another epic passive.

    Sure, I could save my shards and advance my plan to build a repertoire of rare passives, and try to learn a thing or two, but with what''s happening around me, that might not be such a good idea.

    The Veil Guardians have been sniffing around, the Veil itself is acting weird, and my duplicate has been cooking something up. I mean, I have [Tether] too, but how the heck did he teleport a giant mana crystal from the bunker like that, and where did he send it?

    ¡°Master, another one!¡± Vega rushes closer and hands me a few small mana stones. After examining them, if they aren''t useful, I sell them as well, getting a few more shards.

    ¡°Good job, minion, did you keep any for yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done exactly as master said. I¡¯ve already started practicing.¡±

    ¡°Good, keep doing that. You can push yourself harder, I will step in if you lose control.¡±

    ¡°It''s hard with all of the items the mister gave me and all this mana floating around, but I will try.¡±

    As she goes back to her training, I open the system shop and look at the passive I¡¯ve been eyeing.

    Cognitive Fortress (Epic) - Bestows upon the user a remarkable capacity for sustained mental engagement. This passive bolsters the user''s cognitive stamina to extraordinary levels, helping them endure prolonged periods of intense cognitive activity.

    It''s a bit expensive, just over 15 thousand shards. With epic passives starting at 8 thousand, this is probably one of the better ones. If there are hidden low, mid, and upper ratings like I think there are, then this one is probably in the upper tier, maybe high mid.

    My current passives are as follows:

    Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare)

    Mana Reservoir (epic)

    Arcane Resilience (epic)

    Phoenix Embrace (epic)

    Mana Overload Absorption (epic)

    The rare passive isn¡¯t even worth speaking of at this point. Mana Reservoir is my current favorite.

    Arcane Resilience says it reduces the physical toll of casting. Through testing, I¡¯ve learned that it refers to my tendency to overload my brain and eyes, though not so much as it protects my body from my ever-growing stat imbalance.

    Then there is the beautiful passive skill known as Phoenix Embrace, granted this will surely lead to a lot of trash-talk from Lily and she¡¯ll likely demand that I sell it.

    I won''t, I love it.

    Mana Overload Absorption is like Arcane Resilience, though it works differently.

    So, Cognitive Fortress should help me deal with the strain my eyes subject me to. My new trait is powerful and difficult to handle, even now. And that''s good. The more dangerous it is to me, the more dangerous it should be to others.

    Or something like that.

    It should also help with my attempts to power [Focus] and my other skills with the black mana, even if it doesn¡¯t do as much as the other two.

    Okay, let''s buy it.

    I buy Cognitive Fortress and confirm, and watch with a touch of sadness as over 15 thousand shards disappear.

    For the next few minutes, I focus on resisting the burning sensation that courses through me. It feels like someone has set my head ablaze from the inside, but I refuse to let it show as I continue observing Vega¡¯s training.

    Then, as we are leaving, I even sell some tables that are basically enchanting tables. It doesn''t get me that many shards, but after spending so much on my new passive, I intend to sell anything that isn''t nailed down. Even if it is, I mean to remove it and sell it. I don''t care if it''s only worth 1 shard. Hell, I would sell the entire station if I could.

    ¡°So, Minion, how was the week back in your village?¡± I ask while waiting for the pain to abate.

    It takes her a moment to refocus from the mana stone she was observing and look up at me with her ruby-like eyes.

    ¡°I appeared at the same place I disappeared from. I then tracked and killed the monster that was hunting me before! Master, it was so weak I can''t believe I was so scared back then, I even cried while running.¡±

    ¡°It''s fine to be scared, minion. It helps us survive.¡±

    ¡°But master isn''t scared. You even block your fear,¡± she tilts her head.

    ¡°Only a little and less of late. Sometimes I enjoy the feeling of fear, minion. It makes the fights more fun.¡±

    ¡°Master is weird.¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°So I killed the monster and then returned to the village. I spent the first few days much as I did before, I didn''t let anything slip and kept hiding and observing different people¡¯s strengths. A few times I went to hunt in the forest too. Then a few days before returning, I masked myself and started asking questions.¡±

    I''m trying to imagine my silly minion beating a bunch of old men and find the thought amusing. Even she is smiling at the memory. Vega swings her arms, acting out the way she dealt with the men, and describes how she made them talk and where she kicked them.

    She thanks me for teaching her the kick and describes how scared some of the men were while adding things they did to her before she became my disciple.

    As amused as I am by her antics, I''m also angry. I can¡¯t help but think that if I were there, those people would have ended up much worse.

    Hurting someone like me is fine, but hurting a kid? Trying to inflict so much trauma on someone as curious and cheerful as Vega here?

    I''m glad I became her master. I''m glad I showed her a way out so she can stay as beautiful as she is.

    I also remember the conversation I had with my duplicate and as I listen to Vega telling me her story, I come to the answer.

    There is no way I would be able to hurt Vega like that. Yes, I will push her to become stronger and it might even hurt, but every time it will be for her good, and I will be sure she¡¯s ready. But I will never hurt her the way others did.

    My duplicate realized it before me and seems to have had some fun teasing me like that. Such an asshole. Biscuit truly is the greatest to realize it so quickly and keep calling me, us, out like that.

    ¡°Vega, one day I will introduce you to Biscuit. I think you would like each other.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Is Biscuit also one of your minions?¡±

    ¡°Not everyone is my minion, you silly disciple.¡± I pinch her horn and shake her head. ¡°You guys probably won''t meet in the tutorial, but after I get out I will find your planet. It will take some years so be patient, okay? Until then become as powerful as you can so I don¡¯t have to be ashamed in front of Biscuit.¡±

    ¡°I might be even stronger than master after that much time,¡± she says with a cheeky smile. ¡°And then you will be my minion!¡±

    Look at her.

    ¡°If you do, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll even call you Master Vega and ask you to teach me,¡± I say and watch as her eyes become dreamy and I lean closer, continuing in a whisper. ¡°Just imagine that. Master Vega and her lowly minion Nathaniel. Your heart even more powerful than mine and then it would be me following you around, begging you to teach me.¡±

    Her eyes widen even more, and I can see how much she would like that.

    In the end, I stand up, the pain of acquiring the passive nearly gone. ¡°So give it your best, but be careful, okay?¡±

    ¡°Will do, master!¡±

    I look through a few more rooms, and I''m once again amazed by how much work has been put into this station. The walls have all been shielded, and optimized for extreme durability yet they still have a decent aesthetic to them. There are drains set into the floor in some facilities in case of toxic spillage or flooding.

    Air filtration devices are all over the place and some of the things they¡¯ve done with inscriptions remain a mystery to me even now. I can imagine myself spending months down here, trying to learn as much as possible.

    Well, I might have better opportunities on higher floors. So I just examine the most interesting things and keep the best items while selling the rest and then head back into the destroyed control room where Duplicaniel and Nevan are already waiting.

    ¡°Out of curiosity, I jumped to the bunker we were using,¡± my duplicate says. ¡°It''s already been overrun by monsters and the doors are wide open so we¡¯ll have to change our base.¡±

    ¡°So, plan B.¡±

    ¡°So it seems. I brought back a few items from the bunker, and you can do as you like with them. Consider it a show of my goodwill,¡± he teases.

    ¡°I had hoped that we could stay here. I don¡¯t think they can pass by Gaiathra that easily, but there is the issue with the mana radiation.¡±

    While I grab some items from the pile and sell them, my duplicate continues,¡° We have a few hours, maybe six at most with all the stuff we have and maybe half of that if we move closer to the core. Am I right?¡± he turns to Nevan.

    ¡°Longer. I¡¯ve still got items that I haven¡¯t used yet,¡± the man answers. ¡°Keep the girl close; we¡¯re heading deeper.¡±

    Then he leads the way, wearing a full set of items he made of a mix of metals. He grabs rods as well; his mana seeps through his chestplate. There are no inscriptions; it''s just the alloy reacting to his mana by vibrating at an extremely weird frequency, and that greatly strengthens the effect.

    Step after step, we trail behind him as the mana around us increases.

    Even with all the protections we have, I feel pressure and channel more mana into the barrier I¡¯ve placed around Vega and myself. To reduce my expenditure, I pick Vega up into my arms where she nestles her ear against my chest and listens to my heart.

    As we pass through the next zone, the sheer amount of mana seems to be causing effects beyond the pressure. Some colors seem to have altered their vibrancy. Red, blue, and yellow grow much more vibrant, while others grow flat.

    We notice the iron walls curve, looking more like waves frozen mid-movement rather than straight sheets of metal.

    For a short time, all sound disappears, replaced by the impossibly loud beating of our hearts. I''m even able to differentiate whose heart is whose.

    Then it stops, and as we continue, the air starts to look misty.

    All of the epic rods crack and wear off, only to be thrown away, and Nevan uses even more of his mana to strengthen the effect of his chestplate, reinforcing the barrier around us. At this point, I''m sure the piece he made is a mere step away from arcane. The most he could do in the time given to him.

    We pass through holes that have been torn in the walls and melted doors, and eventually enter a large circular room. Yellow and purple colors become much more vibrant and a pillar radiates light in the otherwise dark room.

    It''s much simpler than expected and much smaller.

    The bunker we left did have a mana crystal to hold mana, and that crystal was as tall as a smaller skyscraper. This room is the size of a small apartment, and as expected, there is a mana stone in the center.

    It is a clear white color, and inside of it, yellow and purple mana swirls lazily, and just the sheer pressure makes my disciple pass out, and I strengthen the barrier around her even more, reaching into my reservoir to do so.

    Looking at the mana stone, I''m once again reminded that it has been leaking mana for a hundred years already. It''s hard to imagine the sheer force it had to have in the beginning. The mana stone itself looks like a transparent crystalline pillar with mana swirling inside. It is only as tall as me, yet even someone with my level of experience can see how amazing it is.

    The mana crystal from the bunker, even though hundreds of times bigger, can''t compare to this. Not even close.

    But there is a problem with it.

    Lodged inside the core is an ax, leaving a crack, through which, that immense mana can seep.

    Holding the ax, there is a burned corpse, a skeleton with bits of flesh hanging off of it. Half of the head is missing, the place where the heart would be is nothing but a big hole. Someone made sure the attacker was dead though they were too late, the damage had already been done.

    A chuckle erupts out of nowhere, and I look at Nevan, who unbelievingly stares at the corpse.

    Finally, more emotion appears on his face. The pain of finding the world in this state, the pain from seeing his dead wife and daughter. All of it surfaces as he weakens his concentration type skill.

    ¡°The ax that destroyed the core was made by Champion Niall and I,¡± he says as mana radiates from him, bits of metal floating into the air from his bags. ¡°And this man is my father, one of our youngest Champions. He was the only one on this planet with a body strong enough to endure the destruction of a core of this grade. Having even this little left shows how strong his body used to be,¡± he smiles deprecatingly.

    Then he points to burned marks on the floor, ¡°This is where the core¡¯s explosion burned Champion Niall¡¯s first disciple. I can feel alloy melted into the floor from the armor I made for her.¡± He points at another spot, ¡°Champion candidate Igred, I made a bracelet for him,¡± another spot, ¡°Champion candidate Norret, I made a brooch for her, she gave me a design to follow, made by her 5-year-old daughter,¡± another spot, ¡°vice guild master of Black Hand Jeal asked me for a dagger and I still remember how drunk he got while celebrating and constantly thanking me.¡± He points out more and more spots.

    The emblems on his forearms activate and even in such intense mana radiation, he starts melting the pieces of metal floating around him, creating yet another alloy.

    Then the armor on his chest also disconnects and starts melting under his emblem, the mana radiation immediately attacking the man.

    At that moment, his face becomes clear. ¡°I had hoped that my father would be alive as you said there might be some Champions left. I hoped for something. But this?¡± He gestures around. ¡°I have nothing left. I''m tired after 20 years of losing my friends. I never wanted to hold my wife¡¯s or my daughter¡¯s dead body. I never wanted to see my father like that, it doesn¡¯t matter if he was a traitor or if he tried to stop the ignition.¡±

    Half of the alloy he creates moves towards the crystal where it surrounds the crack, causing the ax to fall out and crumble alongside the body of his father.

    Nevan''s body shows damage everywhere I look, even with as durable as he is. ¡°I wish you had never brought me out of here and allowed me to wake up, Nathaniel.¡±

    His metal surrounds the crack fully and the mana radiation weakens and continues to weaken even more. Though too late for Nevan.

    ¡°But don¡¯t pity me; I¡¯ve been dying ever since I awoke. You just find out what happened, learn from our mistakes, and never repeat them.¡± A big chunk of the alloy he made moves towards me and lands at my feet. ¡°And take this, it¡¯s an alloy I¡¯ve created after my entire life of research.¡±

    ¡°You know you could just leave. You could join other survivors,¡± I say to the dying man.

    ¡°I could, but I have decided otherwise.¡±

    I can do nothing in the face of his determination. ¡°I will respect your decision then, Nevan. Can I do anything for you before you die?¡±

    ¡°Please burn my body with the Primordial energy you possess. You don¡¯t need to do anything else.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    He smiles gratefully, and after a minute, he dies. Just a short moment without his equipment was enough. That and a hundred of years of lying down here in this radiation.

    Maybe he could be saved; there are two healers on this floor, and even though they are of much lower level, they could help.

    Yet, it was all his decision. To throw away his concentration type skill and allow his feelings to overtake him. The man was unwilling to live on alone.

    I wish I could say I understand, but I do not.

    In his place, I would hold on to my life and kill every single person who dared to hurt my dear ones before I would die. And I would not stop until their bodies lay at my feet.

    My eyes activate and even though there is still so much mana in the air, the pressure remains manageable. I watch as the mana that until now continued to leak through the crack only seeps out slightly, the ring of multicolored mass blocking the crack caused by the axe.

    Then there is the chunk of molten metal alloy he left to me along with the heavily damaged great ax that cracked the core. They¡¯re both pretty high grade, yet it all feels a bit sour.

 Not a Chapter. Announcement â€“ Book 1 Live on Amazon!

    It''s here! Book 1 is live on Amazon. The ebook is 150k words, 685 Amazon pages. The audiobook is over 18 hours, narrated by Henry Kramer. It''s so damn weird hearing someone read the book I wrote, but it''s nice at the same time!

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    Do you have KU? Please download the book ¨C it counts as a sale and helps my book look better in the algorithm.

    So if you feel especially bored, you can check it and rate/review here. There are no big changes to the story, but the book went through multiple passes by a few editors, and I did some smaller changes:This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

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    Thank you all so much for being part of this!

 Chapter 318 - Plan B

    Arcanite Alloy (Arcane) Arcanite Alloy is a meticulously engineered blend of a dozen metals, each chosen for its unique resonance with arcane energies. This alloy was designed to amplify magical powers. Despite the complexity of its creation, items forged from Arcanite Alloy will be durable and capable of channeling immense magical forces.

    Flamebearer (Arcane, Damaged) Flamebearer held dominion over fire, with a mere swing capable of igniting the horizon. This ax¡¯s blaze once burned with immense fury. Despite the damage and its weakened flames, moments of intense heat surge through its blade, offering a glimpse into its fiery past.

    Both the alloy and the ax are great items. The alloy is a chunk of metal that I might be able to smelt in the future. But for that, I will need more experience, much more. Either that or I need to find someone to do it for me. If I tried now, it could just end up wasting it and leaving me with a mere rare grade weapon, and I may wind up ruining the careful mix of metals in the process.

    Then there is the ax. It''s half my height with a single blade, made from black metal covered in a web of red glowing inscriptions.

    Its performance seems to be comparable to an epic weapon at the moment, and the damage is very much visible. Perhaps it can be fixed and restored to its former arcane status.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem quite as strong as Peacemaker,¡± the duplicate states while holding it and swinging it. ¡°Do you think the Peacemaker was a grade higher than arcane?¡±

    ¡°Most likely. How long do you think Nevan¡¯s patch job will last?¡±

    ¡°If we are lucky, then it could last until the end of the floor. But we know the system so it will probably be a week at most just to mess with us. The alloy he used seems to be a bit different from that chunk he left to you.¡±

    I nod, already putting it away. I¡¯ll have to be careful not to let him steal it.

    Duplicaniel knows what I''m thinking but doesn''t seem to mind. Instead, he holds the ax, and I allow him to keep it.

    Then while he¡¯s examining the remains of the youngest Champion this planet had to offer, Nevan''s father, I look towards the burned patch of the floor where the man¡¯s body used to be.

    ¡°Master?¡± Vega says, awakening me from brooding as she slowly regains consciousness.

    ¡°Just take it slowly,¡± I tell her.

    Just in case, I gave her the remaining pendants, but so far the mana levels seem much more bearable. It will probably take months until they return to normal, but that is to be expected after 100 years of irradiation.

    ¡°Where is mister Nevan?¡±

    For a moment, I think of lying but then decide against it. Rather than my protection, Vega needs to learn about the kind of world we live in.

    ¡°He died,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°Did master kill him?¡±

    ¡°I did not.¡±

    ¡°Was mister hurt, is that why?¡±

    ¡°You could say that. But it wasn''t just a physical wound. He had a skill like ours. But in the end, he decided to stop using it and didn¡¯t think he had anything left to live for.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t stop him, master?¡± she asks curiously.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t; it was his decision.¡±

    ¡°Even if it was dumb?¡± her head tilts in confusion.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t do it without thinking. He must have been considering it ever since he woke up.¡±

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make it a good decision,¡± she declares. ¡°Master should have stopped him.¡±

    ¡°It was his decision, minion, and I didn¡¯t know him, and¡­¡±

    She interrupts me, ¡°But master, you don¡¯t get to know people if they die. And not everyone is as smart as us, master. People are weak.¡± Vega nods confidently.

    ¡°Doing that would step on his pride, minion,¡± I defend myself. ¡°He was old enough to decide, and he did have his reasons.¡±

    ¡°Weak people should just listen to me or master,¡± she declares.

    At that, I pinch her horn. Such a cheeky little thing.

    So I ask her, ¡°His family died, and he saw their corpses. So, minion, what would you do if you found me dead?¡±

    ¡°I think I would be sad,¡± she answers.

    At this point my duplicate joins us, ¡°And what would you do after that, Vega?¡±

    The little half-demon looks between me and him. ¡°I would find who did that and kill them.¡± Her red eyes seem threatening now. ¡°I would tear them limb from limb and hold their beating heart in my hand. I would wait until they fully understood how weak they were by comparison. Only after that would I kill them.¡±

    I look at the duplicate, ¡°You can''t put this one on me. I didn¡¯t raise her like that.¡±

    Still in shock, the duplicate nods, ¡°She is half demon, isn''t she?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am!¡± Vega says happily jumping on her feet and goes to examine the core.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°Part of me wants her to stop being like that but part of me thinks it will be better for her survival,¡± I inform my duplicate.

    He seems to agree and while looking at Vega, he says, ¡°You were right before. I think we can use [Tether] to bridge this core with the Bastion to power it.¡±

    ¡°I told you, it makes sense and that skill is surprisingly good. Better than I expected when I got it.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure, Mr. Perfect. The question is, will we be able to get those four assholes to help us?¡±

    I shrug, ¡°We will use force if they don¡¯t.¡± I glance at Vega who¡¯s tapping on the core with her fingers, ¡°The Valley will become too dangerous for us to stay here, and with the help of those four assholes, we may be able to make the Bastion fly again. Plus, with as much mana as this core contains, the defenses should be much stronger.¡±

    ¡°You don''t have to persuade me. The sleeping noodle above us is troublesome enough and we don''t know how it will react to the patched core. We may have another problem if we can¡¯t bridge the cores.¡±

    I had already thought of that, ¡°We don''t have to keep it up the entire time. We can fill the core of the Bastion as much as it allows us. That should be easy with [Resonance] and a few other skills.¡±

    The duplicate''s senses keep examining the damaged ax in his hand, and I can see the gears spinning, ¡°It''s a shame we can''t move the core. But with the sheer amount of mana it¡¯s holding it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°Did you think of using the black orb?¡± I ask him.

    ¡°Are you dumb?¡± he complains. ¡°We¡¯ve already established that it would be a terrible, terrible, terrible idea to use the black orb in all this mana radiation.¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± I shake my head, ¡°I meant after we move enough mana to the Bastion''s core. What if we cooperate a bit and remove the patch Nevan left? It would mean more of his fancy alloy, and we could leave the black orb behind. It could be enough to deal with the sleeping noodle.¡±

    ¡°You say that, but you have no idea what¡¯s going to happen. Wanna bet it just pisses him off and gives him a reason to hunt us?¡± he snorts and stands up. ¡°I¡¯ll look around a bit more. Take a peek at what remains of Nevan''s father. The dude must have been durable as heck when he was alive. I bet most of his traits were geared towards that.¡±

    As he leaves, I can only think about how it only makes me want to create the black orb even more. What terrifying thing would it turn into after absorbing so much mana from the core?

    Would it even be capable of doing that? Maybe? Theoretically, it shouldn''t be able to, as the orb won¡¯t use nearly as much mana as the core contains, so the sheer amount should overwhelm it.

    But there is also a chance that the black orb is just the start and absorbing more mana would gradually strengthen it instead of crumbling it.

    Damn, I really want to try.

    I stop in front of the remains of Nevan''s father. He became a champion not long before death, yet he still had the strongest body out of all the natives of this planet.

    Nevan said that he had probably been a traitor, judging by the amount of damage he caused, but I have to wonder, is that really it? What if he was a good man, trying to prevent the Veil¡¯s activation at all costs, even at the cost of the lives of his family and friends in the station?

    Isn''t it sad for a man like Nevan to die with those thoughts? He was so talented, a blacksmith, gifted for his ability to create alloys. An amazing variety of alloys for any situation that functioned by virtue of carefully crafted combinations of metals, without needing inscriptions. I think Nevan was a genius in his field, capable as he was of creating low and mid grade arcane weapons even with Champion Niall¡¯s help.

    Yes, he was human in the end. Valued as he was by the Absolute of this planet. Despite the fact that he had a concentration skill he couldn¡¯t handle his own emotions. But was he really as weak as Vega said, or is it just hard for me to imagine fighting for tens of years and losing friends one after another? Creating weapons for them, only so they can leave, never to return.

    However, I don''t think I will end up like that.

    No, I''m confident I will never end up like that.

    Cutting off my thoughts there, I lean lower to look at the charred body, its head, and heart purposefully destroyed. Denying the man any chance to heal.

    At my level of skill, I can''t understand properly what made his body so powerful, and what the traits did.

    Looking at the charred place where, with a concerted effort, we burned Nevan''s body, I sigh. Even after death and with the diffused mana, and his body''s weakened state, this will be extremely difficult.

    ¡°Sorry, Nevan,¡± I say, and after spending a big chunk of my mana to send through the blade, I slice away at the thin pieces of charred flesh remaining on his right hand. The hand that held the ax and the one that bears the most damage.

    Spending more mana than I would like given our current situation, I''m able to get the finger bone from the pointing finger and store it. I also notice that the pinkie is missing, likely taken by my duplicate.

    <hr>

    POV Isabella Martinez

    ¡°Seneca, don''t get too far away from me! Sophie, Tess, and Nathaniel keep telling me to be careful during the last two weeks. Do you know how annoying it is?¡± I complain to my cute disciple.

    Seneca looks up to me. As she should, my disciple is shorter than me, but I''m still jealous of her hair. It¡¯s short and blue and floats in the air, like flames. I want mine to look like that too.

    ¡°Master, don''t worry, I will protect you if anything happens!¡±

    That¡¯s dumb! Is she dumber than Soph?

    ¡°Even Nathaniel said it would be dangerous! If he said that, it must be true. And no, I will protect you, as always. You are too young and dumb.¡±

    ¡°I''m as old as you, master! And Noodle¡¯s the one who saved our lives twice already!¡±

    I want to be angry at her, but I just can''t. She¡¯s too cute, and her floating hair is so pretty. Do I need a trait to get something like that?

    Sensing emotion from Noodle who¡¯s currently twined around my arm, I look at him.

    ¡°Why are you getting so cocky, Noodle!¡±

    Another emotion.

    ¡°Yes, you did once or twice, but I also protected you and Seneca.¡±

    He swirls, and his green eyes keep looking at me. Noodle is very smart, and he is also getting too cocky.

    I''m the master here!

    ¡°Noodle, I will tell Biscuit,¡± I tell him.

    Immediately he swirls erratically and snuggles closer to me. His face moves closer, and I can feel his tongue flicking close to my cheek. It tickles, and I laugh.

    He always acts like that when I threaten him with Biscuit.

    Then I turn to Seneca, ¡°And you! I will keep calling you minion if you don''t listen!¡± I add.

    To prevent Seneca from saying something dumb, I issue an order to my party, ¡°Let''s hurry, the Veil Guardian isn''t that far behind, and we have to get to the Bastion! The Housekeeper will let us in, even if the silly Butler complains! And Noodle, eat all our mana so they can''t track us, okay?¡±

    Through my [Empathy], I feel his agreement, and then we hurry towards the Bastion.

 Chapter 319 - Its free

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - most of us are already holed up in the Bastion.

    Tess tries to say more but most of it gets filtered. The system doesn''t let the message pass. Nothing about it being safe for the last two weeks, in fact, we can¡¯t even say anything about the extra two weeks.

    We can''t even tell WhiteWing about the extended duration of the floor should they decide to stay. But they should be able to figure it out. They can estimate when we left the 4th floor and then realize that we¡¯ve already exceeded the original 3 weeks.

    Probably.

    They just need to be a bit smart about it.

    TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - I''m there.

    Izzy (Hell, group 4) - I''m close.

    Soph (Hell, group 4) - Izzy, be careful, please.

    Izzy (Hell, group 4) - don''t be dumb, Soph.

    Knight (Hell, group 4) - yeah, don''t be dumb, Soph!

    Maya piles on, and I watch for a moment as they bicker.

    FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - food!

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - good job, Biscuit.

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - The Guild and IDK groups have also entered the 5th floor. It seems like they haven¡¯t lost anyone.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - so The Guild has 6 members and IDK has 4?

    BenDover (Hell, IDK) - you bet! The 4th floor was quite easy. Did you guys kill Lorven to get his epic dagger as well?

    Bard (Hell, IDK) - are you sure you want to reveal your equipment?

    BenDover (Hell, IDK) - it''s fine. By the way, Noname, I was able to evolve my skill. You wouldn''t believe how easy it was to kill the lynthari matriarch with it.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - you will have to show me during the tournament.

    BenDover (Hell, IDK) - I will. Trust me, I will show you, heh. It doesn''t matter how much mana you have.

    Lovable as always.

    Knight (Hell, group 4) - BenDover, I think you are full of it. I bet you waited until Lorven betrayed her to kill the matriarch. Or maybe you were working with him and killed him when you had no more use for him?

    BenDover (Hell, IDK) - Think about it on your own.

    I turn off the Community and focus on the results of my efforts and the contributions of my duplicate.

    We spent a day mapping the pathways the core uses to distribute mana through the Veil Ignition Station. Most of them have been damaged and mana barely passes through. Some failsafe mechanisms are probably sending the bare minimum of mana to keep the systems running while keeping most of it in storage. But Clonthaniel and I found one pathway in a fairly good state and worked together to create our strongest [Tether] yet. I even gained a level in the skill.

    Also resting, the duplicate turns to me, "It''s amazing how well we can use [Resonance] to combine our powers, must be because we share the same base."

    "What, do you want us to combine our minds too?"

    He playfully shoots a wave of kinetic energy strong enough to blow the head off someone at level 150. I redirect it just as playfully, sending my own cone of kinetic energy at him.

    "You know very well I would never do that and neither would you. Combining the two of us would be like both of us dying, only to be replaced with a third. Or one of us devouring the other," he says as he absorbs my attack. "Just dying would be better."

    I check on Vega before asking, "Are you really considering that?"

    For a moment, he looks at me, and nods, "Yup. I mean it was the most expected result even before I decided to use the mirror, so it''s fine, somewhat. I mean I hate it and I really want to punch you, but I know my goal when using the mirror was to strengthen you as much as possible and to learn new things."

    As always, there is a mana stone in his hands that he keeps trying to inscribe and create a perfect imprint, but the task is too much.

    "I even got contacted by that douchebag from Beyond''s first and second trials. We also met his intent on the 4th floor. He told me to kill Vega so he could transfer her status, that¡¯s what he called it, to me. Would you believe that?"

    After learning this new information, I give myself a moment to take it all in. But I don''t have to think much longer. The duplicate surely issued a polite refusal, knowing him.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Damn, I expected a bit of anger or for you to threaten me in an attempt to protect Vega," he complains after seeing my lack of reaction.

    "You wouldn''t hurt her."

    "Just a few days ago, you weren''t sure, weirdo." He shoots another blast of kinetic energy at me, "Anyway, I think that intent was placed here by one of the Rulers. If we are right, Rulers are even more powerful than Absolutes, and there are 14 of them. One for each Radiance and Blight."

    "That sounds logical, there should only be a single Ruler for each Blight and Radiance. Having more wouldn''t feel right. So the intent isn¡¯t the Ruler of Greed as he already told us that it''s the Ruler of Greed running the tutorial, either that or they¡¯ve taken a huge degree of interest in it."

    He nods. "From what I can tell, it seems like Rulers have some amount of control over the system or at least the tutorial. The intent from Beyond can''t influence the tutorial too much, either because it just can''t or because it''s intent only. But it can surely see and hear what''s happening in here. Oh, by the way, fuck you bitch, I know you are listening," my duplicate says and gestures to the air.

    A friendly gesture meant for the nosy intent.

    The duplicate continues, "I also asked why it cares so much about our round of the tutorial. Earth should have been through multiple rounds as should the other planets. Hundreds or thousands of tutorials all going on at once, yet it¡¯s watching this one."

    "Maybe that Ruler is powerful enough to leave dozens of intents to watch a lot of tutorials. Plus, there is an escaped Absolute here."

    The mana stone in his hands glows as more of his mana rushes in, creating inscriptions, "That''s true, that''s what I thought and I asked about that. Apparently, Absolutes going wild is rare but it¡¯s not that rare. What caught that fucker''s interest the most is our number one Beyond explorer."

    Oho?

    I straighten up, giving full attention to our conversation. This is getting more interesting.

    "It looks like the man in question started off in the Beyond like we did in Hell. The first person to do so in millennia. And it seems like that asshole finds that rather interesting. I wouldn''t be surprised if more intents of Rulers appear all over the place. Watching that Beyond dude and messing with poor us in their spare time while he sleeps or whatever. All so they are not bored."

    So very interesting.

    It piques my interest even more. Of course, I¡¯ve always been curious about our 1st Beyond explorer. Someone who had entered even before second place, Savant, and third place, me. And of course, I did have a theory that maybe, just maybe, that person started in Beyond.

    But having it confirmed?

    "So he started in 3 Beyond trials? Or he skipped trials and went to Beyond whatever it is? Or he started in a trial and then went to Hell floor and continued the trial 4 months later?"

    "Hell if I know." My duplicate seems to be curious as well, I can see it on him. "I would say he either started in Beyond or had different trials from us."

    "I''m inclined to agree, but damn."

    "Yeah, damn."

    "Another guy to beat up. It''s nice that the list keeps getting longer." I''m not even that worried, just curious. Just what kind of man is that person, to catch the interest of the intent of someone so powerful?

    I really want to see and I really want to meet him. Just how much would I be able to learn from fighting someone like that?

    <hr>

    Having sold anything not nailed down and taking anything of interest like metals, weapons, and armor I want to inscribe and sell, that''s a lot of things to carry around.

    I mean, really a lot.

    Instead of pulling them, I just transport them through my anchors, though each teleport does cost quite a lot, to the point where I have to ask my duplicate to help so I don''t have to use Mana Reservoir. In exchange, as his reward, he gets to carry Vega.

    I''m not jealous at all. I''m happy. I sold 16 thousand shards worth of items. The sheer amount is staggering given that the system shop only pays 10-20% of the item¡¯s value if I haven¡¯t actively worked on it.

    So, the value of the mana stones, enchanting tables, metals, robes, and crafting materials were 5-10 times more than what I sold them for. And I still have a lot of the best things on me.

    Something tells me that maybe I wasn''t supposed to reach, and loot, the Veil Ignition Station.

    What I regret is being unable to find out more about the place given the decimation of the main and auxiliary control rooms. There were no records to be found, as usual.

    Is it doing this on purpose? Is the system an extrovert? Is it trying to force me to talk to people to learn what happened and finish the side quests?

    <hr>

    Killing a few monsters and avoiding two Veil Guardians with the combined efforts of my duplicate and myself, we reach the Bastion.

    It takes longer than it should, but when the view opens, I notice that some of the walls have been damaged and even the barrier surrounding the palace feels weaker. It''s getting darker, and I can see that even lights that once served to light the streets are now activated sparingly. All in an effort to save as much energy as possible.

    Killing more monsters on our way, we reach the place only to be welcomed by the Butler. The man has shaved the remaining half of his mustache, and his clothes are different now. They are not as elegant and serve a more functional purpose, and I can sense multiple items on him.

    "Mister Gwyn, another Mister Gwyn, and Miss Vega, can I ask you to leave?" he says in the same tone. It seems that his ways can¡¯t be changed, even by their current situation.

    "Ehm, no?" I start off.

    He sighs, "Did you not cause enough trouble? You got what you wanted, so please show just a grain of restraint and leave."

    "Butler!" Vega shouts cheerily, and the man turns to her, "You look better without the mustache!"

    The man looks at her, at me, and then back at her, "Thank you, Miss Vega."

    The little half-demon only nods and puts her head back on the chest of my duplicate, her social batteries most likely already empty.

    "See, you should thank me for getting rid of your mustache. I did it to help you," My duplicate can''t help but poke.

    "That''s why I let Tess deal with people, you are a disgrace," I tell him.

    He doesn''t even seem to disagree but continues to talk to the Butler, "We know about a way to power the Bastion. Lots of mana."

    "We are not interested, Mister Gwyn. I thank you for your offer, but we already¡­" he freezes mid-word and looks back towards the Bastion. An expression of sheer surprise appears on his face, the elegant mask cracking to be replaced by anger, "What have you done?" he asks.

    "I left an anchor on the heart of your good ol'' Lord when I was keeping it alive. To be honest, Butler, I''m disappointed none of you noticed even though I tried really hard to hide it. Anyway, I just sent a wad of energy through and exploded it."

    The duplicate seems proud even with our usual expression and the Butler seems like he is about to jump down and choke him to death.

    Unbothered, Duplicaniel continues, "So, about our offer to power your Bastion with a lot of mana. Sounds good, right? It''s free, I promise."

 Chapter 320 - Magnificent mind

    Unsurprisingly, they let us in.

    Unsurprisingly, they seem to be pissed off.

    Unsurprisingly, my duplicate doesn''t care.

    I watch with amusement as he bathes in the glares of the Butler, and Housekeeper who has joined our party.

    Both of us are escorted through the Bastion, on the shortest route to the room where we met them for the first time. Getting there, we find that it still lies in ruins, a testament to the short clash between the Housekeeper and I.

    The tall and thin Armorer is already awaiting our arrival, alongside the Gardener.

    "We have only half a day until the barrier runs out of mana, along with the rest of the systems," the Armorer says in his quiet, whispering voice.

    With Vega in his arms, my duplicate just shrugs, and even I find myself wanting to punch him in the face for some reason. My minion seems to be enjoying the show as well. She is half-demon, isn''t she? Such a show of arrogance and power would be something she would appreciate.

    Indeed, I''m the most normal one here.

    While they talk, I plop down and sate my curiosity by watching them. All four of the natives seem to be holding back their emotions, but there is still a hint of panic in their expressions.

    "There is no way it''s that easy to transfer so much mana, it would tear you apart," the Armorer complains after he hears Plan B.

    "It''s fine, we have some decent skills, and we¡¯ll be working together with that lazy asshole over there," my duplicate responds.

    So rude.

    "Even then, it will take hours and hours of preparation to make it all work. You have no idea how many settings need to be changed. I will also need a sample of mana from the core you mentioned."

    "Sure," the duplicate reaches into the anchor we have placed on one of the least damaged circuits.

    Unable to contain it fully for a short moment, a wave-like mass of mana explodes from him, even pushing the Armorer a few steps back.

    I reach out and resonate with him, and together we close the anchor.

    Cursing under his breath, the Armorer gestures to the Butler, and both of them disappear through a rift to make their preparations.

    Left behind with the two remaining members of their small group, I find the Housekeeper standing in front of me. She is smiling, but her eyes are dangerous. Even now, she is still wearing the same light dress with the same skirt ending just over her knees, her shoulders bared.

    "I like the rapier you have; will you give it to me?" she asks shamelessly.

    "It''s a gift from someone very precious to me. I don''t know if I can just¡­" I start before she cuts me off. She just reaches out and takes it off my belt.

    For some reason, I can¡¯t help but find this amusing, especially as she starts checking the weapon for any sort of damage before cleaning it.

    The Butler appears again, and my duplicate follows him, alongside Vega, to whom I gesture my assent, as the Gardener brings up the rear.

    Once they¡¯ve left me alone with the Housekeeper we spend the next two hours in silence. I can feel her gaze on me, but I just continue my training.

    When I feel a sharp pulse of mana wash over the Bastion we stand up and head back towards the city walls. Neither of us is talking, even as we come to a lookout at the top of one of the higher walls. There, in the distance, stands two Veil Guardians, looking towards the Bastion.

    "They must have followed you," the Housekeeper blames me.

    "Probably," I agree.

    "I can call the Butler for support, and we can¡­"

    ¡°They¡¯re already connected to the Veil.¡±

    ¡°That''s not very good.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± I leave a tiny orb and anchor near her, ¡°If they move any closer, just destroy the orb, and I will be back.¡±

    After that, I teleport a few times after locating my duplicate and the Armorer. I find them gathered in the core chamber alongside Vega and the Butler.

    When I enter and reach the core, the Lord''s body is already gone, now useless. Instead, my duplicate is discussing with the Armorer.

    ¡°It won''t work, the core of this Skyhold Bastion is heavily standardized, and we¡¯ve only ever made slight adjustments to meet our needs over time. The amount of mana it can contain is measured in¡­¡± the Armorer says in his calm, whispering voice.

    ¡°It will be fine, I''m good with inscriptions.¡±

    ¡°Your inscriptions are far from adequate. I can already point out five twists and three wasteful lines on the ones you¡¯ve already inscribed.¡±

    ¡°Hey, if it works, it works.¡±

    While they discuss, Vega moves closer to me, keeping her distance from the others. ¡°Master, they like us even less than before,¡± she says somewhat happily.

    ¡°How does it make you feel?¡± I ask her with some curiosity.

    ¡°They hate master and uncle, but they¡¯re still willing to cooperate despite being scared. Because master is stronger than them.¡±

    ¡°Is being stronger that important?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It''s the best!¡±

    My disciple indeed. ¡°Good job, minion!¡±

    ¡°What did I do?¡± she asks confused, but I''m already standing next to the Armorer and the duplicate.

    ¡°We have two Veil Guardians outside of the Bastion, and they are already connected to the Veil,¡± I tell them.

    The Armorer turns to me, ¡°Standard procedure. They were once powerful humans twisted into their current forms by the Veil. The Veil Guardians'' main objective is to locate places like Skyhold Bastion or find strong survivors and then pass that information along.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°So, not good?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mister Gwyn, not good.¡±

    ¡°Hey, original weirdo, help me over here with inscriptions. That scrawny man is too scared to do anything.¡±

    Immediately the Armorer complains, ¡°I have to say it again, but the way you are using inscriptions is extremely primitive, it¡¯s taxing on the materials and the user.¡±

    ¡°Hey, if it works, it works,¡± I say to him and join Vega''s uncle.

    It takes a few seconds, but it''s enough for me to grasp his intent, and ignoring the rest of the room, I join in. My mana resonates with his, and we etch and paint inscriptions on the core itself and the floor around it. Together we create an anchor and use [Tether] to gradually connect it with the one we left in the Ignition Station.

    At this point, I activate Mana Wavelength Iris and take over, my new passive allowing me to handle more strain than my duplicate.

    This time he uses [Resonance] to connect to me, and we combine our [Mana Domains], using [Infusion] and [Mana Manipulation] to handle it all.

    Lastly, I put our beloved creation, the single use, ugly Focus crown on my head, and create a black orb of highly compressed mana, both of us working to keep it under control.

    ¡°Ready?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Go for it.¡±

    [Focus] activates, and I take the black mana into my body, using it to power the skill.

    The world around me slows as my brain processes all of the information my eyes are feeding me, and that''s when I activate [Tether] and [Redistribution]. The inscriptions glow radiantly. The ones we¡¯ve painted, and the ones we¡¯ve etched, as a trickle of mana flows from the Ignition Station''s core to be filtered through my skills. And I, slowly, increase the opening''s size, allowing more and more mana to pass through.

    Quickly, the amount blossoms into a powerful stream that I struggle to keep under control. My duplicate is helping me by activating inscriptions and quickly adjusting our mistakes, and even the Armorer and the Butler seem to be helping us in the background.

    And like that the core of the Bastion lights up, more and more mana filling it, the audible hum sounding in the room.

    It''s easy.

    It''s so damn easy with all of our preparations, and my duplicate¡¯s assistance, so in excitement, I widen the opening, and like a wave, much more mana flows through.

    The process speeds up even more. Yet still, it''s not difficult.

    I''m using so many skills, I''m handling black mana, I''m handling my eyes. I''m even making sure Vega is out of danger. Even then, it''s possible with black mana powering my [Focus].

    The world feels slow, I have plenty of time to react every time something breaks or cracks. And my inexperience is supported by my ability to improvise and handle it all while we work.

    Should I let even more mana flow through?

    ¡°Enough!¡±

    Should I open the pathway wide open and let the entirety of the core fill up? It could be fun.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    I bet I could handle it. The Bastion might break, and its core might be damaged. But I could do it. I can endure that amount of mana flowing through.

    ¡°That''s enough,¡± my duplicate disrupts my skills and forcibly pulls me away from the core, and only then do I come back to my senses. All the sounds my skill allowed me to ignore come rushing in and with them, useless information like the state of my body, pain, and other useless things.

    The black mana disappears, and my passive activates, fed by the Vortex Core, and taking a few steps, I plop down on one of the tables. My body hurts, my head hurts, and I realize I can''t see. But my mind is fine. Either thanks to my new passive or the results of our training.

    ¡°Close your eyelids; your eyes have been burned out. You don''t want Vega to see you like this,¡± my duplicate says, and then I can sense him moving towards Vega and pulling her somewhere else.

    I do as he told me and use more thermal energy from the Vortex Core. Then I examine the damage.

    Damn.

    Well, it could be worse.

    ¡°How can you be capable of channeling so much mana? You should be dead, reduced to a mass of burned pathways inside a charred body,¡± the Armorer says.

    I can hear the curiosity in his voice, maybe even bordering on fascination.

    He continues, ¡°You bear a magnificent mind to handle it all effortlessly. Your body is extremely conductive too, and your eyes... it''s been so long since I¡¯ve seen such a powerful trait. Has it already been strengthened? Once, twice?¡±

    Sensing his presence with [Perception], I release a bit of kinetic energy and push him further away from me.

    ¡°So, how is the core?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Full to the brim,¡± he doesn''t seem to mind but I can still feel his gaze on me. ¡°I already started the sequence to take off, and the Butler went to use communication systems to warn the citizens.¡±

    ¡°Flying already?¡±

    ¡°Yes, in the past few days, the Veil has become much more active in this area, and two Veil Guardians outside are bad news. We have to leave. But I want to show you something first. Can you transport both of us to the Housekeeper?¡±

    Feeling thermal energy healing my wounds and making sure Vega is safe with my duplicate, I push myself off the table and onto my feet.

    I almost stagger but I''m able to control my battered body and keep myself standing.

    My duplicate seems to be in a similar, if a bit better state, so there is no way I will be acting all hurt where that weirdo can see.

    Pushing through, I put my hand on the Armorer and teleport us to the anchor I left on the wall. Appearing on the other side, a sharp pain flashes through my head, and with my eyes still closed, I turn towards the direction where the Housekeeper is standing.

    ¡°Fuck, you look like shit. I like that,¡± she says immediately.

    ¡°Housekeeper, please, your language,¡± the Armorer says in a quiet voice.

    ¡°Fuck you too. We are at full attention, and there will be a lot of fighting fairly soon. You know what that means. I''m taking over.¡±

    ¡°All of us know the rules, Housekeeper.¡±

    ¡°Good, do we have enough juice to deal with these two jerks?¡±

    ¡°More than enough.¡±

    I''m still unable to see. It seems that because of my trait, my eyes are taking longer to heal than they would¡¯ve if I didn''t have my Mana Wavelength Iris. But I can use my other senses, and at that moment, I feel an immense wave of mana rush into the barrier and the walls.

    It spins, it twists, it hums, and I feel multiple segments of the barrier grouping up and creating a delicate shape that collects and directs all of that mana. That mana spins there, bounces, and clashes multiple threads against each other. All of that concentrates it even further, and the spinning circle gains even more speed.

    At this point, the noise of it reminds me of a sling spinning at terrifying speed.

    Suddenly, the Butler appears from a rift to stand at my side.

    ¡°Focus on the one to the left,¡± the Housekeeper barks at the Armorer who has taken control of the barrier. ¡°Butler, I want you to grab the voidsteel blades afterward.¡±

    There is no hesitation in her voice, and it seems to be well placed. The rays being emitted from the segments of the barrier roar through the air as if they were tearing it apart. In a fraction of a second, the rays hit their target.

    The Butler disappears, and a second later, he reappears. I can sense two red-hot, and undamaged voidsteel blades on his person.

    ¡°The second one has escaped,¡± the Armorer says.

    ¡°We expected as much. Continue our preparations for lift off. We will head to the Sanctuary and then move further south,¡± the Housekeeper orders.

    Well, it looks like I will get to see what happened to Darren and Nina after all.

    However, and more importantly, let''s see how this thing flies.

 Chapter 321 - Not bad

    I notice a presence coming closer, and take my eyes off the chunk of molten metal hovering in front of me and look towards the door.

    "What?" I ask, annoyed; it just started getting interesting!

    The butler returns my gaze and, after looking around the room, he sighs, "Mister Gwyn, I would like to ask you, once again, to please minimize damage to the rooms."

    What is he even talking about? I¡¯ve only melted a few bricks and metal plates with my thermal energy. Isn''t it their fault for having such faulty protections on their facilities?

    "The Armorer keeps complaining about the increased heat signature triggering alarms that he has to turn off."

    "Good, it will keep him sharp. I think he¡¯s been getting lazy over the last three days. So, what is it? Are we approaching the Sanctuary already?"

    "It is as you say, Mister Gwyn. The Housekeeper has told me to invite you to join us on the walls. You might be inclined to agree to help us push against the Veil forces on the ground. She said she doesn¡¯t want to waste the mana in the core, but I suspect you know her true motivations."

    "Sure, I will be there soon."

    After that, he leaves, and I look at the chunk of metal floating there. It¡¯s one of my experiments with one of the many metals I got from the Veil Ignition Station. I had decided to devote the past few days to experimentation, and I¡¯ve only left when something broke in this Bastion that hadn¡¯t flown in almost a hundred years.

    And damn, can it fly.

    I still remember everything so vibrantly, when we lifted off. I even took Vega, and we watched the Skyhold Bastion from afar, to get a better view, as it slowly rose into the air. Shaking, and crumbling in places, as people screamed, and waves of mana flooded through the inscriptions prepared by the Enchanter Guild so long ago.

    Just the sight of such a huge city rising into the air, hundreds of buildings, towers even, along with the surrounding walls was a truly amazing experience. I thought I knew what to expect, but when that huge mass just floated, I couldn¡¯t help but be amazed.

    Yup, I will totally try to replicate this sometime in the future. Maybe I can bully some of the people from Hard difficulty into working for me and helping with the construction. I should be able to handle a few of them.

    After the Bastion lifted off, my duplicate connected to the anchor in the Ignition Station to feed a trickle of mana to the Bastion''s core, refilling what we¡¯ve spent. Even that much isn''t strictly necessary as the sheer amount of mana in the core should last through weeks of flying, even while using the barrier and weapons, but we did, just in case.

    Storing the metal away, I extend my domain, place an anchor at the edge of it, and teleport. I repeat this until I reach the section of the wall where the others have gathered.

    As I arrive, I look over the edge, and observe the vast forest below and the mountains in the distance, noting that we''re floating well above their peaks. Even the clouds seem to be so close, just a bit higher and I might be able to touch them. And I love it.

    What I don¡¯t love so much is the way the Veil has become even more visible in the sky. It¡¯s already gotten to the point where I can see it without my mana sense or my trait, and soon enough, even people without good mana sensitivity will be able to see it as well.

    The Veil is made up of hundreds, and thousands of lines encompassing the entire planet. Like pathways and inscriptions hanging in the air. And even after spending the last few weeks here, I have no fucking idea how they did it. It annoys me.

    "One Veil Guardian nearby and a few hundred veilshriekers," the Housekeeper states, breaking the silence.

    "We will take care of the Veil Guardian," my duplicate says, appearing nearby.

    "Shouldn''t you be working on your plan to keep yourself alive?" I ask.

    "It''s almost done. Now I just need granny healer or soylent healer."

    "That¡¯s such a terrible name for the guy."

    "I know, I just couldn''t come up with anything better."

    Even as he says that I can tell that his mood has improved. "Are your preparations going well?"

    He nods, taking a few steps and looking over the wall, "It''s not perfect, but it should work. I just need a tiny bit of help from the annoying big guy. He¡¯s looking for something entertaining to do while he stalks the first Beyonder, so I¡¯m going to try something."

    "Sounds good. For now, let''s bully the Veil Guardian."

    Not even waiting for the Housekeeper, he jumps off the wall and I follow, the barrier lets us pass thanks to the identification bracelets on our wrists.

    The Housekeeper jumps right behind us, and when we stop our fall and float in the air, she continues to fall, in fact, she does something to increase the speed of her fall.

    She crashes into the ground like a meteor, her purple mana exploding into the surroundings, and she emerges from the small crater, undamaged. The monsters that survived her crash immediately attack her.

    That''s when the Veil Guardian that¡¯s been keeping an eye on the Bastion and communicating with the Veil decides to attack. My duplicate appears in his way, armor surrounding his body. Their voidsteel blades collide, producing a clear ring. They connect dozens of times before the Guardian''s jump ends and he lands on the ground.

    The two of us approach him, wearing the same armor and wielding the same weapons.

    The Veil Guardian increases the gravity in the area, as he growls and charges at me, only to be shot in the back of the head with a thin, concentrated cone of kinetic energy. The monster turns midstep, and that''s when I do the same, releasing a thin stream of kinetic energy from my Vortex core, throwing the monster into the air.

    At that point, the Guardian increases its own weight and quickly lands, before lowering its posture and swinging the blades on the end of its arms.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    The forest falls apart around us, trees falling to the ground cleanly cut, as we jump over and dodge a series of attacks we track with our senses.

    My duplicate''s heart beats, and he uses kinetic energy to power his armor, effortlessly pushing through the enhanced gravity and closing the distance.

    Another exchange later, the Guardian staggers back bearing a gash across its chest, and my concentrated stream of golden flames crashes into the blade it¡¯s using to protect itself. More mana flows into the voidsteel blade, and the monster swings its arm, cutting through the attack, only to be hit by a compressed javelin filled with kinetic energy.

    The monster staggers again, and more javelins slam into it one after the other. Some are filled with thermal energy, others with kinetic, and some are merely highly compressed mana.

    For the next ten minutes, we test our skills against the monster, looking for weaknesses and learning what kinds of attacks it has trouble with. The guardian tries to fight back, but every time it pushes one of us, the other takes advantage, so in the end, it''s not even a challenge.

    "It could be an enjoyable 1v1, but after learning its skills and how it fights, it''s not that fun anymore. It isn''t really that smart either," My duplicate says, finally taking the opportunity to bring out Flame Bearer, the heavily damaged arcane grade ax.

    Together we use [Redistribution], and the monster becomes unable to move at all with our combined effort. Well, more of my effort as I activate my trait to pierce through its protective field.

    The black ax lights up with glowing red inscriptions, thermal energy dancing across the blade. The weapon seems to strengthen the flames, and even this far away, I can feel the heat radiating from the ax. Trees burst into flame in a circle around us, scorching the air.

    "As expected, even damaged, this weapon still qualifies as an upper epic," as my duplicate swings the ax, and in front of him, a huge patch of trees gets washed away by the flames, crumbling to ash in moments.

    "The ax is doing most of the heavy lifting, and I only need to feed it thermal energy. It seems to work with mana as well, after converting it into fire, but it''s more efficient with thermal energy, and the effect is stronger," he says taking a step towards the Veil Guardian.

    At that moment, all the heat disappears from the area, pulled into the blade of the ax as its color shifts. There is no heat for me to sense, and even the blade itself feels ice cold. Then my duplicate swings, burying the ax in the monster¡¯s flesh.

    The Veil Guardian¡¯s body erupts in a short burst of flames, reducing it to a charred husk in a single attack.

    [You have defeated Veil Guardian - lvl 291]

    [Lvl 227 > Lvl 228]

    "That took most of the thermal energy in my Vortex Core, but the resulting damage seems to have been highly concentrated," my duplicate states while examining the weapon. After that, he disappears to help the Housekeeper finish off the veilshriekers.

    I, on the other hand, return to the Bastion seeking Vega. I have noticed a few lower-level veilshriekers; it''s time for her to level up.

    <hr>

    Vega dodges to the side with a graceful leap and leaps into the air, higher than normal, boosted by her kinetic energy. At this point, the hiding veilshrieker she failed to detect crashes into her, trying to tear her apart.

    I watch as the monster''s attacks fail to pierce Vega''s [Kinetic Barrier] and she siphons off bits of the attack''s kinetic force to fuel her passive.

    Crashing to the ground with the monster, she coats her weapon with mana, extending the blade, and stabs it into the monster''s side. She then pulls her legs to her chest and kicks the monster off her. Acting quickly, she throws the dagger, giving it a boost with kinetic energy, lodging it deep inside the monster''s head.

    This time, she senses the presence behind her and ducks under the swing, a dagger made of mana forms in her hand, and she uses it to stab the monster repeatedly, as she absorbs its attacks with her barrier.

    Not bad, if I do say so myself.

    Vega fights while I keep the stronger monsters out of her path. We don''t have much time, and in the past few days, it''s been hard to find weaker monsters, so we need to make the best of this opportunity. There is no need for much feedback either. Unlike me, who likes to switch between ranged and close-range attacks, Vega prefers fighting at close range.

    She relies on her barrier and her kinetic energy to give her short bursts of power. Using her heart and passive to generate and store kinetic energy, it doesn''t seem like all that bad an idea.

    Seeing that she is at the last monster, she forms a small orb of mana, and I feel her transfer kinetic energy into it. She ducks, jumps backward, and slings the orb in between the last two veilshriekers, where it explodes, tearing a sizable chunk out of both monsters.

    With one last push from her remaining kinetic energy, she boosts herself at the monsters with the dagger in hand.

    "Your handling of kinetic energy is good, but your mana control is lacking, minion," I say as she hobbles over to me, her senses scanning the area.

    "I know, but master¡¯s the one who¡¯s weird; mana isn¡¯t that easy to control."

    "That¡¯s just because you use your kinetic energy too much, minion. When we return to the Bastion, I want you to stop training kinetic energy for a week and focus on mana. You can''t even create a proper barrier, and your mana weapons are a disgrace."

    "I don''t need a mana barrier, master! I can use [Kinetic Barrier]!"

    "What about mana-based attacks? What if someone uses fire or lightning?"

    "I¡­"

    "Yes? You?"

    "I will train with mana more."

    "Good, I will show you some basic inscriptions and give you some mana stones with relevant information. When you return to your world, you can try inscribing weapons and make a lot of money."

    That seems to catch her interest now, "A lot of money?"

    "A shitload of money Minion."

    "Shitload of money!" she shouts happily.

    "Language. You are ruining the girl," the Housekeeper joins in, followed by my duplicate. Neither of them appears to have been wounded.

    Immediately, Vega''s expression changes, and her face becomes even less readable, like she does any time anyone else is around. My cute minion still has issues with trusting others.

    "I got a message from The Butler; someone called Nina has contacted us on the open channel. It seems like they are under attack." the Housekeeper says.

    The moment she says that a side quest pops up.

    Side quest: Help the survivors in the Sanctuary.

    Reward: 1000 shards.

    Some time ago, I would have been happy, but now, when I have almost 30 thousand shards, it doesn''t seem that much.

    "I need the granny and that healer guy," my duplicate says, turning to face me.

    Knowing my duplicate, he will repay me if I help, and that''s not so bad. I have a few ideas that won''t work without him, and he might refuse otherwise or ask for something in return.

    "Minion," I say reaching out to her, and she lifts her arms so I can carry her against my chest.

    Once there, she nestles in like a little animal, and the familiar sensation of her pointy horns poking my chin makes itself known.

    "The three of us will take the lead, you guys can follow us," I tell the Housekeeper, as we lift off.

 Chapter 322 - What an insane bastard

    POV Nina

    One after another, our lines break down. Hundreds of veilshriekers are pushing through, even at the cost of their lives. Every time one dies, two more climb over its body, and shriek with a hatred that makes the guards shudder.

    It reaches the point where we finally have to stop in the clearing in front of the iron door to the Sanctuary.

    (Housekeeper, how long are you going to be? We¡¯re in trouble here! The moment the first veilshrieker sees the door to the Sanctuary, he¡¯s going to send a signal to the Veil and summon the Guardians.)

    It doesn''t take long to get an answer, but even then, it feels like forever. After long hours of fighting, my mana and stamina are starting to flag.

    (They should be there any moment. Got to go, we have company as well, just hold on!)

    The connection cuts off, and I fight the desire to smash the device in my hand.

    And then, just when I''m about to swap out with a tired squad mate, two figures appear in the air. There is no mana radiating from their forms, no wings, no other energy I could sense. They just float there as if they were standing on solid ground and letting everything else move around them. There is no jerking, no movement from side to side.

    Just two figures floating in the air, unaffected by any outside force.

    One of them disappears, and a split second later, brilliant golden flames erupt into the air from somewhere within the horde, while the other figure slowly lands next to me. The man who calls himself Nathaniel.

    He is holding a little girl in his arm, his disciple, and I can¡¯t help but be relieved to see the calm expression that never seems to leave his face.

    Without any buildup or movement of mana, a stream of golden flames erupts from him as well, flooding the pathways between rocks and melting stones along with the monsters within the passage.

    The heat doesn¡¯t touch me or any of the men standing near him, all of it devoted to destroying monsters that die so easily that it makes our prior struggle seem pointless.

    ¡°No monster can see the entrance to the Sanctuary, otherwise they''ll summon the Veil Guardians,¡± I warn him as I allow myself to relax.

    ¡°Huh? Really?¡± his flames disappear, and his eyes examine me, a spark of interest dancing within.

    Then he says something to his disciple and sets her down. Right after, he disappears, and when he appears again, he holds a veilshrieker by its neck, the monster struggling and trying to attack. Nathaniel then lifts the monster up and forces it to look at the door leading to the Sanctuary.

    Immediately the monster freezes and lets out a screech that I had yet to hear from them. A pulse of mana washes over us, and Nathaniel does nothing to stop it. The next moment, the monster''s head disappears in a burst of golden flames, and its dead body falls to the ground.

    ¡°What have you done?!¡± I can only ask with horror.

    Another man appears out of thin air, an exact copy of the man that has doomed us all.

    ¡°I noticed the signal; you let it pass on purpose?¡± the newcomer asks.

    ¡°Yes, it seems like the veilshriekers are programmed to send the signal to the Veil the moment they locate the bunker. It should summon the Veil Guardian.¡±

    ¡°Only one? Two would be better.¡±

    What the fuck are they talking about?!

    ¡°If it''s two, I will move the minion back to the Bastion, and we can split them. If it''s one, you will stay and keep her safe.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± the second Nathaniel says and turns to me. ¡°Hey Nina, where is the healer guy? I have stuff I want to talk with him about.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you!¡±

    The growl deeper than any I have heard before fills the area, and a monster lands in the middle of the clearing. Just the pressure of the monster¡¯s mana nearly forces me to my knees, and the look in its eyes is something I''m sure I will take to my grave.

    Before I can even scream, a barrier stronger than any I''ve ever felt surrounds us, and one of the Nathaniels appears in front of the monster.

    He leaves a crater in the ground as he strikes the monster, sending it flying through the air, causing it to disappear in the blink of an eye, as its powerful body crashes through solid stone.

    Then armor forms around his body, simple and functional, though there is a regal kind of beauty to it.

    He walks towards the monsters with a complete lack of urgency, cloaked in mana, like a king in his mantle.

    <hr>

    I''m really thankful to Nina for telling me. I almost killed all of the veilshriekers before I even learned they could summon a Veil Guardian.

    The creature¡¯s attack crashes into me, and I can feel the air escaping from my lungs as I bulldoze through tons upon tons of rock.

    Damn, I barely saw that one.

    I strengthen my armor even more, just in time to absorb another attack which still sends me flying through the air.

    Lately, I¡¯ve had a hard time trying to level [Regalia], so I''m not infusing it with kinetic energy to absorb the damage, nor am I using a voidsteel blade. The only things I intend to use in this fight are weapons and armor I can make with my own mana.

    Just [Focus], [Regalia], [Mana Manipulation], and [Mana Domain] condensed until it hugs my body and armor. Oh, and I did use [Redistribution] and [Infusion] to pack as much mana into my armor and weapons as possible.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Okay, maybe it isn''t the only skill I¡¯m using, but it''s the main one, and I¡¯m only really using the others to supplement its effects.

    My armor is a darker shade of blue this time and streaks of purple and light blue flow across the surface, and my weapon is no different. I don''t push further, instead, I focus on improving the mana density and weight.

    [Regalia - lvl 21 > Regalia - lvl 22]

    I form a shield around my left forearm and block the next attack, though the Veil Guardian¡¯s voidsteel still manages to cut through and bite into my flesh.

    I dodge another swing, and repair my shield, reducing the size, and condensing the mana within.

    The result is the same, the blade cuts off a piece of the shield, and another swing cuts my sword apart. The Veil Guardian kicks out, sending me flying, and as I sail through the air, I dissolve my shield while flying through the air from the kick of the Veil Guardian and reform the sword in my hand into a long spear that I point in front of me.

    The Veil Guardian closes the distance in an instant, one blade arm cutting the spear apart and the other one burrowing into the stone near my head. The armor surrounding my knee extends into a spike, and I jam it into the monster¡¯s flesh, the gravity around me immediately increasing.

    I deactivate a few of my skills and resonate my mana, getting rid of the slowing effect, dodging another attack, and shrugging off its attempts at disrupting my mana.

    Running to the side, the monster dodges a barrage of compressed mana javelins that I left in the air, waiting to be triggered. Each of my attacks pierces deep into the ground.

    Close-range fighting seems to be counterproductive. My [Regalia] just isn''t at a level to handle voidsteel weapons. Instead, I put distance between us and more javelins form around me, each boosted by kinetic energy from my Vortex Core.

    Their speed is just enough to catch the monster, and they do manage to pierce through its skin, wounding it in the process.

    I disrupt the Guardian¡¯s signal to the Veil.

    My duplicate was right. Knowing what to look for and mainly being able to deal with the monster¡¯s jamming ability and its gravity field makes the fight almost easy. I just need to avoid its quick attacks, but even that¡¯s a simple matter with [Tether], even as the monster tries to get rid of it.

    In the interest of advancing my plan, I fire off a barrage of mana projectiles, destroying larger and larger chunks of the landscape in the process. It takes a bit longer and I almost get cut apart multiple times, but I do gradually manage to kill the monster.

    The reward is two level ups and another level in [Regalia]. Not bad at all.

    After salvaging the voidsteel slicers, epic weapons in their own right, from the corpse, I sell them to the system shop. Each one lands me just over 700 shards, leaving me with more than 30 thousand shards in total. It could''ve been 45 thousand if I hadn''t bought my newest epic passive, but hey, with the way it allows my mind to handle the strain of my trait, it''s more than worth it. Now I need something similar for my weak body.

    Nope, no stats in constitution. That''s for weaklings. Real mana enjoyers have their bodies broken after the simplest uses of their mana and then complain. Or they wind up coughing up blood because their bodies can¡¯t handle the strain, before saying something along the lines of, ¡°Good job, you made me use 10% of my mana.¡±

    Okay, maybe that doesn''t sound as cool as I thought.

    Also, my good mood seems to be showing. It seems like soloing the Veil Guardian was just that satisfying. I''m level 230, and he was just over 290, so that''s good, I think.

    When I teleport back after placing a few anchors, I find Nina in conversation with my duplicate, and when she sees me, it almost looks like her eyes are going to fall out.

    Good, finally some appreciation.

    ¡°Master! Good job! That monster was scary.¡±

    Oh, minion as well, is this my lucky day?

    ¡°Thanks, Vega,¡± in a good mood, I decide to call her by the name I gave her, and the reward is the smile she gives me, her good ol'' master.

    ¡°So, how does it look?¡± I ask my duplicate.

    ¡°Granny and her father Irvin are both alive and in the Sanctuary. Everyone seems to be prepared to evacuate, so we just need the Armorer to land somewhere close and get people in while we do some fighting.¡±

    ¡°Having both healers alive seems like it would be better for your plan,¡± I mention, and he nods. Then I turn to Nina, ¡°Where is Darren?¡±

    I know her answer from her expression, but then she says, ¡°He was killed along with a few of his weaker men. As punishment. The stronger ones are used for dangerous missions.¡±

    It¡¯s hard to read the exact emotion on her face, but she does seem to hate me, at least a little.

    ¡°For feeding human meat to people?¡± I ask. ¡°Why are you alive then?¡± I do not try to be sensitive about it.

    ¡°Ask our new leaders,¡± her eyes meet mine, and I decide to return her gaze.

    I ask her, ¡°Do you hate me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a dumb fucking question.¡±

    ¡°Did your father curse me in the end?¡±

    ¡°The most fucked-up thing is that he didn¡¯t. Even as they executed him, he just let it all happen. My father did it all for the people and took their sins on himself. He understood their, and your decision.¡±

    ¡°He was always too dumb and caring. He should have just let these people die.¡± Granny says as she exits the Sanctuary, pausing to spit on the ground.

    [Vitalist - lvl 103]

    That doesn''t seem to make Nina happy. ¡°I would fucking beat your ass if I could,¡± she says.

    ¡°Sure you would,¡± the old woman giggles and then spots me and my duplicate, her eyes ticking between us.

    She even takes a few steps closer and examines us with her mana.

    At which point she sighs, ¡°What an insane bastard you are.¡± That''s all she says.

    So very charming.

    Meanwhile, more people flood out of the Sanctuary, each one carrying as many things as they can, scared and looking around with big eyes. They pass by us on either side, gathering in individual groups in the clearing after getting the all clear from the scouts and their new leaders. Within the group, there''s at least one man I know.

    [Lifebloom Weaver - lvl 216]

    He is even 10 levels higher than the last time I met him. Irvin, the guy they kept locked in the tunnels under the Sanctuary to serve as a food supply. Willingly at first, and in the end against his will. But he seems much better now.

    His beard and hair have been well groomed, and he is wearing clean clothes, but the biggest change lies in his expression. It''s not quite as crazed as it was before, even though some trauma remains. But now, he seems more reliable, even happy. If that''s the right word to use.

    My duplicate seems to be even more happy to see him. He puts on our ¡°friendly¡± expression and reaches into our very small reservoir of social energy.

    Amused, I watch as he greets the man and granny, as he subtly compliments them, though it¡¯s still somewhat awkward, and then just says it, probably too annoyed to wait longer, ¡°So, I need your guys'' help. I want to transfer one of my eyes into my cute disciple over there. I just need a bit of healing and some other stuff. Of course, I will help you in exchange, with anything else you might need. Even that weirdo over there,¡± he points at me, ¡°is willing to help out.¡±

    Indeed, even though his chances for survival are low, my duplicate is not going to take it lying down. No, he is cooking.

    And I''m too fascinated to stop him.

 Chapter 323 - A week remains

    The plan my duplicate came up with is to give Vega one of his eyes, which will most likely give her a weaker version of our Mana Wavelength Iris. Of course, that''s not the entire plan.

    The duplicate has more experience with inscriptions than me and he¡¯s come to the conclusion that placing an inscription in his eye and giving it to Vega might be the best course of action. It might work better than trying to inscribe some random mana stone or other material, and we do have a lot of experience with creating constructs.

    Of course, the problem is that he can''t create a personality imprint. Even after weeks of practice, he¡¯s not even close. That''s how difficult it is.

    So his plan is to have the asshole from Beyond, the bored intent, help him with that.

    Giving his eye to Vega is also part of the plan as she will leave the tutorial fairly soon. Outside of the tutorial, it should be safer for him than inside where he would be constantly worried about getting deleted while crossing the floors.

    It''s an interesting plan, and I don¡¯t fully understand how the heck this could be the best idea he could come up with. But he has spent a lot of time thinking and theorizing, so there must be something to it.

    He is a smart guy, even if he is slightly mad.

    However, one last piece of the puzzle remains, getting that asshole intent to help store his personality imprint in the eye that he wants to give Vega. When I questioned him, my duplicate would only say that he knew where to push. The intent seems to be bored, so we might be able to broker some kind of bet or deal.

    I won¡¯t try to stop him, I¡¯ve already determined that it won''t put Vega in danger. Worst case, my duplicate fails, and Vega gets a weaker version of my trait. I¡¯m certain that she can inherit my trait the same way Min-Jae did with the eye we got on the 4th floor.

    As I¡¯m thinking all of this through, I float in the air and watch as tens of people from the Sanctuary rush into the Bastion which has settled nearby, crushing a small hill in the process.

    In the distance, a burst of mana explodes, marking the Housekeeper¡¯s battle against a big group of veilshriekers. Meanwhile, my duplicate is fighting a group of veilbinders in the air, a flying variation of those monsters. Even though they are human-like they have two sets of creepy wings instead of arms and their legs are fused into a single tail, limb, thing with a spike at the end.

    I, on the other hand, have a dozen or so highly compressed projectiles floating beside me, and shoot them when needed. Sometimes I infuse them with kinetic energy, sometimes with thermal, or I just compress them further, making them extremely durable so that I can launch them at mach speed. It''s something I''m quickly getting better at.

    Under my barrage, no monsters manage to reach the people boarding the Bastion, and I even level up once.

    Lvl 231

    Strength: 111

    Dexterity: 109

    Constitution: 266

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 897 + 897

    When everyone is aboard with everything they could take, I watch as a pulse of mana is sent through the Bastion¡¯s barrier and rushes to the bottom. A shockwave erupts from the flying island¡¯s underside, and the massive inscriptions covering the bottom light up.

    With a dull humming noise, the Bastion floats into the air, and I watch as it rises.

    I don''t think this will ever get old, watching this huge mass just float there. How the hell would something like this ever get old? Just imagine an island the size of a small city floating into the air. Imagine the sheer weight of it all. And then watch it float there as if it were as light as a balloon.

    Having dealt with all the monsters I wanted to fight, I fly over to the Housekeeper, and float above her position, before releasing a compressed jet of flame as thick as my finger, piercing the monsters ahead of me, cutting them apart, and leaving behind a series of burnt, even chunks. I sweep it across the area, putting an end to the remaining monsters before landing beside her.

    She lowers her defenses, allowing me to touch her shoulder, and teleport us back to the anchor I left on the Bastion, my duplicate appearing at our side at the same time.

    The Housekeeper brushes her hair from her face, she has the same smile on her face that she always does anytime she fights. But even now, the Housekeeper doesn''t seem like she¡¯s been pushed to her limit and gotten to fight all out.

    When she leaves, I turn to my duplicate, and we resonate our mana around us, creating a barrier that makes it impossible for anyone to eavesdrop on our conversation.

    "The Bastion''s Barrier has changed slightly again," I tell him.

    "The Armorer just doesn''t want to give up," my duplicate says while looking around.

    "Well, let''s continue acting like we haven¡¯t noticed. That guy thinks he¡¯s sneaky and he just doesn''t like us, and if he is in on it, the others probably are."

    "The Housekeeper doesn''t seem like it, but the Butler and the Gardener could join him just to fuck us over."

    "That¡¯s likely," I agree. "Well, in the worst case, we will kill him. I don''t like how creepily he looks at me."

    "He¡¯s been that way ever since you burned your eyes out transferring mana to the core. ''Magnificent mind,'' is that what he said? Maybe he wants to dissect you."

    "He is free to try. If he does, I¡¯ll get rid of him, and we¡¯ll take over the Bastion. But it''s nice to have him to drive it around and fend off attacks so we can do our thing."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "It''s not very long until the end of the floor, so let''s hold off," my duplicate says seeming to agree with me. "I¡¯m going to meet up with the granny and Irvin. They seemed like they would be inclined to help, but I will ask for more details and continue my work on the eye."

    "When do you mean to contact the intent?"

    "It said it would talk to me one day before I disappear to offer me the option to kill Vega again, so I¡¯m going to ask then. Anyway, I¡¯m going to keep practicing. I¡¯ll help you inscribe another weapon at night in exchange for some help later."

    "Sure," I say, and the moment I do, my duplicate disappears, and I detect him joining Vega, who approaches him as well.

    For a while, I stand on the wall and watch the constant barrage of attacks assaulting the barrier as the Bastion floats through the air. The attacks in question originate from a horde of flying monsters between level 100 and two hundred.

    None of the attacks damage the barrier at all, and their only reward is a rebuke from a series of sharp beams that proceeds to tear through the monsters with ease. Even the Veil Guardian I see watching us from a distance doesn''t bother to attack as it continues to trail us.

    The fully powered, floating Bastion is formidable enough to deal with these monsters. Even after a hundred years have passed, leaving some of its functions broken and mechanisms damaged.

    That makes me wonder what could have been able to take it down at its prime with its Lord, a man over level 300, defending it.

    <hr>

    A few days have passed, and my handling of black mana is getting better and better, and I''m increasingly satisfied with the purchase of my new epic passive.

    I am also going through the upper rare items I took from the Veil Ignition Station and finishing their inscriptions, turning them into epic weapons which I then proceed to sell.

    By working with my duplicate, we¡¯ve even managed to make a few mid bordering on upper epic grade items out of them.

    Back on the 4th floor, I turned two epic items into an upper epic, but that was with the help of that floor¡¯s Craft Guild. A lot of help. It seems like I''m still a ways off from being able to make epic items all on my own, but I will get there.

    Just looking at the damaged arcane ax that belonged to Nevan''s father humbles me a lot. The weapon, no matter how damaged, is something that I can¡¯t help but admire, and it shows how much there is left to learn. And arcane weapons probably aren''t even the peak.

    Rather than demoralizing me; it awakens my competitive spirit.

    Even on Earth, I used to excel at anything I put my mind to. It didn¡¯t matter if other kids were more talented or had better opportunities. I have always put more thought into it, always been more deliberate, and I¡¯ve always trained more aggressively. I possess a hunger that more talented people often lack.

    And if I meet someone with talent at the level of genius and hunger equal to mine?

    Well, in that case, I will push even more. I will risk my life. I will sacrifice my limbs. I will hurt, and I will bleed. People may call me crazy. But I will push even further.

    Savant? That weirdo who started in Beyond? Who cares?

    It will be me coming out on top.

    <hr>

    A week remains, and I have sold everything I can sell. Metal ingots, lower-quality alloys, any mana stones I can¡¯t use, and much more. I sold any items I couldn''t inscribe and inscribed all I could. I went through the Bastion and sneakily sold a lot of items from their storages.

    All of this has gained me enough shards to get to 49,725.

    My duplicate and I also hunted a few more Veil Guardians, and I sold a few of my voidsteel blades.

    As we¡¯ve been returning to the Bastion after our hunts, I¡¯ve noticed the way the Butler and the Housekeeper look at us change. Their behavior has changed as well.

    The Housekeeper seems more interested, and I notice her keeping a hand close to her weapon every time I pass by.

    The Butler keeps one rift open at all times so he can activate it quickly.

    The Gardener spends most of his time in his garden, where he has plenty of defensive mechanisms.

    The Armorer seems to be more and more interested day by day. I feel his gaze on my back. I feel his senses within the floating island as he keeps observing me. The little bit of cooperation we did have seems like a house of cards, each side ready to collapse. Them against me, the duplicate, and Vega.

    Caught in between us are Granny the Vitalist, her father Irvin, and Nina.

    Nina seems to hate me, but she doesn''t dare do anything. I think it is part of knowing she wouldn''t be able to do anything and partially she also realizes that it was largely her father''s fault.

    The granny and Irvin spend a lot of time with Vega and the duplicate. They theorize, discuss, and plan.

    Vega seems to be excited at the thought of getting a new eye, but that eye could disappear the moment my duplicate disappears as well. It just sounds like something the system would do.

    So in the end, it relies a lot on the intent and whether or not my duplicate can amuse it enough to broker a deal. The logic is that even the intent probably can¡¯t save my duplicate without giving him some more permanent ¡°status,¡± and on this floor, that means me or Vega.

    I won''t agree. No matter how much I might consider it to be a bit of my fault or even if I pitied him or regretted it. I won''t do it.

    As for Vega, the duplicate won''t do it.

    In the end, the plan is simple. The eye being a body part makes the duplicate hope it will be less susceptible to erasure than a mana stone. He also said he found it easier to work with. It is a piece of his body with mana circuits and bearing his passives and mana.

    I don''t understand it fully, but he¡¯s spent more time thinking about it, so I can¡¯t argue. Something tells me that he hopes that even if he fails, he might be able to get the intent to ensure that Vega can keep his eye. One last gift to our disciple.

    Just in case, we will also keep Vega''s original eye. It would be unfortunate if the duplicate failed and Vega ended up without an eye.

    That''s where the two healers will help. They also seem to be planning to weaken the eye further so it will awaken gradually. Mana Wavelength Iris is a powerful trait, and we don''t want our minion to melt her brain by using it too soon.

    Overall, things go well. I progress with black mana, and my handling of my eyes improves. I made a lot of shards. And Vega is getting stronger by the day.

    But it all feels off, and I don''t think this floor will end well for my duplicate. No matter how much he plans, trains, and hopes. He was put in a shitty situation, and the only way out seems to be killing me or Vega and striking a deal with someone he can¡¯t even trust.

    I have gained a lot thanks to our cooperation, and I thought I knew what I would feel if it came to this, but¡­ this is a shitty way to feel.

    That''s when I also decide to never do anything like this again.

    And I''m sorry.

    I won''t say it out loud, and I don''t think I need to. I''m sure he knows.

 Chapter 324 - Truth about the Veil

    ¡°Master?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Vega?¡±

    ¡°Now we¡¯re even more alike!¡± my minion says, with a smile. Her left eye has been replaced with my duplicate''s, and he now sits nearby, his eyes, making use of his passive to regenerate it and heal the wound.

    Meanwhile, both of Vega''s eyes are still red. Even after the duplicate gave her his gray eye, it briefly retained its color, before being overtaken by Vega¡¯s beautiful red. There is only a hint of a golden circle around the pupil.

    I wonder if it''s because of her demon heritage or because it came from my duplicate. Either way, after examining it, it seems to be working. Vega now possesses a weakened version of Mana Wavelength Iris.

    Even if it''s not as strong as mine, it should be of use to her in the future, and if their plan works, it should carry the duplicate out of the tutorial.

    For now, my duplicate is maintaining a connection to the eye with [Tether], the eye itself is heavily inscribed. Even though the personality imprint is imperfect, it should serve as a base in the case that the sliver of intent decides to complete it.

    His best hope is to go to Vega¡¯s world and then, one day when she becomes stronger, find someone who could restore his body from the eye. He¡¯s also carrying a high-quality mana stone with my best attempt at creating a personality imprint. A slightly improved version of the one I left with Myrra on the 4th Floor.

    We don¡¯t know if it will work and, if so, how this floor will react to having multiple instances, one for each attendee. But it doesn¡¯t hurt to try.

    Creating a big barrier around our group, I turn to Irvin, the man who was used as livestock, ¡°I wanted to ask before, but what exactly happened with the Veil?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think I would know or be willing to tell someone as crazy as you or your duplicate? Do you even realize how big a risk you took with that little girl?¡±

    Vega doesn¡¯t seem to like his question, so I answer before she can, ¡°I had hoped the Armorer would know more, but it seems like he was little more than a small fry, so he doesn''t know much. You, on the other hand, are quite high-level for a healer, and I have learned that healers are very, very sought after.¡±

    Even though he seems to be doing better than he was when I freed him, he still seems to have a bit of a wild streak. He even twitches every time he sees a sharp blade or anything that reminds him of a collar.

    ¡°Does it all even matter? Just curse the people responsible; they do not deserve more.¡±

    Rather than responding, I look at him and wait.

    At some point, his daughter, who still looks older than him, starts cursing at me and telling me to leave him alone, at which point he gives her a soft, loving look. The expression of a father watching his young daughter do something cute.

    ¡°It''s fine, thanks for worrying, my dear,¡± he says shortly and caresses her gray hair.

    When he turns to me, his expression grows serious, ¡°All of us thought the Enchanter¡¯s Guild had created the Veil on their own. They had done similar things before, some were even capable of defending an entire city, but an entire planet? It was something else.¡±

    Even his posture is the same, his feet up on the chair with his knees pulled to his chest, just like when I found him.

    In contrast, his voice is calm, as he remembers, ¡°I used to work in the main headquarters of the Enchanter¡¯s Guild. You might think I was in a position of authority, but even at my level, I was little more than low level personnel. They were just that powerful. It didn¡¯t matter what it was, but they always had to have the best, so obviously, they often collaborated with the leader of the Healers Guild.¡± He laughs shortly.

    ¡°I saw her perform a healing for one of the high ranking members once. She just entered the room, and their entire family immediately grew ten to twenty years younger. That one second paid for her new Skyhold Bastion. Can you imagine that?¡±

    Taking a short pause, he continues, ¡°She died, one of the first. The Veil went after healers, leaders, and anyone with access to our defensive systems. At first, we thought the enemy had infiltrated the Veil and used it against us. Then we thought it was a traitor, a rogue Champion seizing an opportunity. Some blamed our Absolute, but if he wished to, he could have taken over the planet even without the Veil.¡±

    ¡°Are Absolutes that powerful in comparison to others?¡± I ask.

    ¡°They are called Absolutes; how could they not be powerful?

    ¡°Okay, so what caused the Veil to go rogue¡±, my duplicate interrupts, ¡°and how the hell did the Absolute die if he was so powerful?¡±

    Irvin glances at him and then at his own hands, ¡°The Veil was never the creation of the Enchanter¡¯s Guild. I still remember Champion Niall screaming at the remaining leaders of the Enchanter¡¯s Guild before she evaporated them into nothingness. The Enchanter¡¯s Guild either bought or found an egg of a powerful divine beast. It was passed through the guild for decades, and then when it hatched, they took care of it and experimented on it. The beast possessed a domain type skill they had never seen before and an extraordinarily powerful mind.¡±

    From this point, it''s not hard to guess what happened, but I still listen to him and everyone else does as well. His daughter, Vega, my duplicate, and even Nina, who somehow ended up here with us.

    In a solemn voice, Irvin recounts what happened, ¡°They experimented on the beast. They made it stronger and used its skills. I don''t know the details, but you can imagine that it wasn''t so simple. In the end, only the brain and heart of the beast remained, kept in the biggest Skyhold Bastion that ever existed. Surrounded by enchantments powerful enough to slow down an Absolute. Surrounded by the most powerful members of the Enchanter¡¯s Guild. They even hired a Champion to work for them alone along with multiple Champion candidates. There they combined enchantments, metals, and mana stones, with the beast''s flesh to create an abomination that shouldn''t have existed. And they used it as the core of the Veil.¡±

    ¡°Did your Absolute not notice this?¡± the duplicate asks.

    ¡°I don''t know. He either did not notice, did not care, or he was working with them before it got out of control. Any of these options can be seen as a failure on his part.¡±

    Irvin continues, ¡°Champion Niall said that the beast had contacted the planet that was pairing with us. Desperate to be freed even in such a state, and the other planet losing the fight, incapable of dealing with our Absolute, cooperated. Both sides struck at once, and on that day, our Absolute fell. Before he died he took down the Skyhold Bastion where they held the beast. He died, but he also mortally wounded their Absolute, damaged the Veil, and destroyed an entire continent up north, which became a wasteland. There, his body lies.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Congratulations, you have completed a side quest.

    Reward: 5000 shards

    After listening to Irvin¡¯s words, I can only feel awe, thinking of the man who stood as this planet''s Absolute. He might have failed to contain the Veil for some reason, but even then, he didn''t take it lying down. Destroying a continent? Damaging the Veil? Mortally wounding the enemy Absolute? All of it after being surprised and betrayed?

    What a terrifying being.

    I wonder how he compares to Lissandra in her full power. Or to the Saint who had been dead for thousands of years on the 3rd Floor, yet even her body was enough to spread a form of Decay that wiped out most of the life on the planet.

    ¡°What was your Absolute¡¯s name?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Tassian. He didn''t belong to any noble family nor was he the disciple of any Champion. He took the rank of Champion by his own power and then went even further,¡± Irvin says, the admiration evident in his voice.

    ¡°Our previous Absolute gave up his title and passed it to Tassian without even trying to defend it. That''s how powerful Tassian was even as a Champion.¡±

    ¡°Can''t there be two Absolutes at once?¡± I wonder about that. A long time ago, on the second floor, I had heard that there were two Absolutes before Lissandra killed one.

    ¡°Each planet can only have only one Absolute; that''s a fact,¡± Irvin says confidently.

    Was I wrong? Did Lissandra kill an invading Absolute, or is Irvin missing something? Perhaps what I heard was referring to an Absolute candidate trying to take her seat.

    Deciding to try system censorship, I ask, ¡°How does one become an Absolute, what does it mean, and are there any advantages or changes?¡±

    As expected, then I watch as blank expressions appear on the faces of every native, and Vega looks at them, confused. I gesture for her to ignore it for now.

    Then I change the frequency of the resonating field that I keep around me to counter the Armorer''s attempts at spying and something more sinister. It''s getting more and more annoying, and at this point, he must have realized that I know.

    But I still hold myself back; I''d rather spend my remaining days on this floor training Vega and practicing rather than flying the Bastion. And even now, this place is safer than the outside world.

    <hr>

    A few days remain, and my duplicate, Vega, and I have convened in a simple room.

    Keeping a black orb floating near me, I observe as Vega once again tells the duplicate how powerful her heart will become. After inheriting his eye, bound; to awaken slowly with time, she has been much more friendly towards him. Him sharing my appearance probably helps as well.

    I can''t not notice that the duplicate seems happy about it. My little minion is just that lovable. She is smug, she is bratty at times, and she is getting more rebellious as she spends more time with us. But in the end, she¡¯s still my minion.

    Minion is cold to other people, she always keeps an eye on the exits of the room and keeps up her senses looking for any attack, and her barrier is always poised for activation. She won¡¯t let anyone, other than my duplicate or I touch her either.

    And her curious and cheery personality only shines through every once in a while, only others to catch a glimpse.

    I purposely avoid listening to their conversation. I use my skills to filter that out and focus on maintaining the barrier around us.

    It''s already been a few days since we last saw the Armorer and the Butler.

    The shield around the Bastion is under constant barrage, and Veil Guardians appear multiple times a day and have to be dealt with by either me or my duplicate. The core also starts losing more and more mana. At this rate, it won''t last much longer.

    Leaving for a few hours at a time, me and the duplicate made all the preparations needed. I¡¯ve gained all I can from this floor, and I don¡¯t want to be too greedy anyway. Keeping Vega alive is my priority.

    I watch as Vega hugs my duplicate with tears in her eyes. She says something while crying and my duplicate smiles at her.

    It''s extremely weird to see myself smiling that way, and unlike other people, it''s hard for me to read. Is it a happy smile? A sad smile? Is it fake?

    My duplicate says something in return, and Vega squeezes him harder, right after giving him a little peck on the cheek, and his next expression is easy to read. Sheer surprise, though pleasant.

    He ruffles her hair and pinches her tiny nose, then he looks at me.

    When I nod, he extremely carefully teleports Vega outside of the Bastion, and I resonate with his mana, allowing him to pass through the Bastion¡äs barrier. He disappears to hide Vega in the safe place we have prepared.

    Then I activate my trait, and keeping the black orb near me, I teleport to the room where the Armorer is hiding.

    Immediately, dozens of powerful attacks assault me, the pressure from the Bastion, shockwaves, mana attacks, physical attacks, all of it enough to kill a Veil Guardian.

    The black orb absorbs all the mana attacks thrown at me, and I block the physical ones with the multi-layered spherical barriers I prepared. Then, before the attacks can continue, I send out a wave of mana, much stronger with my eyes reading the frequencies, disrupting the mana in the room.

    The extremely thin Armorer sits near the core, with multiple tubes connecting his body to the core and inscriptions covering his skin.

    ¡°I just needed a few more minutes and I would get you,¡± he hisses at me in his quiet voice.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    After that, I use a voidsteel slicer and cut off his head, the blade strengthened by my skill cutting through his attempts at defense.

    The notification about the kill rings, and satisfied with that, I teleport outside of the room where the Housekeeper stands leaning against the wall.

    We just exchange a glance, there are no words said, but the understanding comes through.

    For the last time, I observe Irvin, who is there with his daughter, the two of them finding joy in each other''s company. I observe Nina, who probably hates me more than anyone else in the world, training even as the Bastion faces more and more attacks while trying to escape to the north where it will be safer.

    The Butler in his room detects my probing and shields against it. Yet, I still notice that he was standing in front of the mirror observing his growing mustache. Even then, his clothes are in a rough state as the man barely has any time to rest, helping anyone he can. He is a kind man.

    And the Gardener, deep in his garden, taking over the Bastion''s defenses now open to me, no threat at all.

    Such a weird bunch of people I have met on this floor.

    I teleport outside and fly for a while at my top speed. It takes a bit, but in the end, I stop and land on top of the first skyscraper I visited in the ruined city, with a poisoned Vega in tow, looking for a healer. There we found the old granny, who is now with her father.

    There my duplicate is waiting for me, his mana surrounding his body in waves and crashing against me.

    No words are needed between us. He has his own plan, but I will give him the opportunity to defeat me and rewrite my mind.

    I owe him that much.

    So let''s fight and give it our best.

    He activates orbs he¡¯s placed all over the city, and dozens of buildings immediately start crashing down in deafening explosions, at the same time, he reaches to absorb the kinetic energy of all that falling material.

    I reach towards the Veil and touch it. The Veil is more visible than ever, even without mana. Upon detecting my touch, ten presences appear almost immediately. Ten Veil Guardians reacting to my touch and rushing towards us.

    The duplicate attacks me, our mana clashes in the air and reverberates.

 Chapter 325 - What an opponent to face

    I activate my Titan''s Backbone tattoo, and one out of the epic item¡¯s three uses disappears. My eyes activate as well, and it¡¯s with these preparations that I finally absorb the black orb of mana.

    Immediately afterward the world slows down, my thoughts accelerating. Even with all the information I''m taking, I can barely feel the added strain.

    I activate traps that I placed days ago, and a dozen extremely compressed javelins erupt from every direction, speeding towards my duplicate, each one creating a sonic boom.

    The air around the duplicate vibrates as he uses all the collected kinetic energy to tear the weapons apart.

    At the same time, two thin streams of extremely compressed thermal energy burst from him, sweeping across the city, cutting skyscrapers apart, and stopping just an arm''s reach away from me.

    I absorb their heat and redirect it at the Veil Guardian that¡¯s been sneaking up on me, incinerating half of its body, yet the monster continues to press the attack.

    Three Veil Guardians have ganged up on my duplicate, and he throws them away with a strong blast of kinetic energy.

    At the same time, golden flames surround me and the duplicate, roaring through the air like a giant snake coiling around the two of us. Anything the golden flame touches gets melted or incinerated as my duplicate and I fight for control, power pouring from our Vortex Cores.

    The air shudders from the heat, stone, and metal melting and dripping onto the street below as the flames burn hotter and hotter as we combine them.

    Two Veil Guardians try to push through, only to be cremated despite their durability. Two notifications ring out informing us of the kills, as their voidsteel slicers fall to the street.

    The duplicate lifts the damaged arcane ax into the air and channels his thermal energy through it, further strengthening his golden flames, and a giant wave crashes against me.

    I don''t even blink, as my eyes read everything, and I absorb all of this information, the knowledge strengthened by my own experience manipulating thermal primordial energy.

    Redirecting the flames, I spin them around me, adding even more of my own power. I reach into my reservoir and send more mana through my heart, generating even greater flames, and straining my mind to keep it all under control.

    Like a tornado of golden fire, the flames spin with us in the center, expanding and setting the ruined city ablaze.

    The ever-present vegetation turns to ash, the stone glows, and the last remaining pieces of glass crack.

    More Veil Guardians die just from getting too close, they¡¯re not even a distraction anymore, faced with the combined flames of my duplicate and I.

    And we''re still fighting for control, and the flames wash over us in turns, only to be redirected each time.

    When the last Veil Guardian dies, and the signal is sent to the Veil, we barely take notice and relinquish control of the flames, allowing them to seep into the city, turning it into a burning hell.

    I activate another one of my traps, firing more compressed javelins at my duplicate, from the other side of the ruined city.

    He redirects them with a forearm coated in an extremely dense variation of barrier. He also takes the opportunity to activate a few of the traps he¡¯s placed, and an immense amount of mana seeps into the air, flowing through inscriptions in the stones nearby, hitting me with a strong jamming attack, a clear attempt to disrupt my mana.

    It''s the strongest jamming attack I¡¯ve ever felt, each of the sources emits a different frequency with a staggering amount of mana to back it up. At that moment, the duplicate closes the distance, swinging down with his ax.

    I quickly learn that I won¡¯t be able to absorb heat from the ax, so I try to push my body aside with kinetic energy, but he absorbs it, nearly matching my reaction speed.

    Yet I¡¯m still just a little bit quicker, and I strengthen my body with the full force of my mana and dash to the side, through the molten ground and debris surrounding us.

    Then the duplicate''s signature disappears, and the only thing that remains where he stood is a small black orb, absorbing the mana hanging in the air, preventing me from tracking him. I sense a strong burst of mana from elsewhere in the city before another erupts high above me.

    There he floats, a calm expression on his face. Around him, six tricolored orbs float, and he launches them all at me, the orbs becoming a blur of mana, screaming as they pass through the air.

    One of six orbs bursts far too soon, revealing its real state. Instead of a tricolored orb, its inside is filled with disrupting mana. When it bursts, I find myself unable to teleport and my external senses quickly become as unreliable as my eyes in this storm.

    Countering it, my mind goes into overdrive and to fight against the five remaining orbs, I push my mana into a single one, concentrating it even further, turning that single orb black and launching it at the deadly projectiles.

    My duplicate appears behind me, I don''t have any idea how. I sensed nothing.

    Our eyes meet, we¡¯re both using Mana Wavelength Iris and we grasp each other with a burst of [Redistribution], altering the frequency each preventing the other from moving.

    To counter my enhanced processing speed my duplicate radiates more and more mana, depleting dozens of mana batteries in the process. Then, while looking at me, he also touches the Veil, much more intensely than I did before.

    I watch him smile as a huge section of the Veil over us changes, mana enveloping the city. The Veil reforms, a long purple tear splits the sky, and an arm pushes through, followed by three more.

    The monster plummets through, crashing to the ground and even though it is only three times taller than me, it leaves a massive crater.

    [Veil Weaver - lvl ???]

    The duplicate disappears as the monster pounces, landing where he stood and attacks me. As the monster attacks, My duplicate launches a compressed mana javelin, and it crashes into the ground next to me, exploding into golden flames.

    Realizing that I won¡¯t get another option, I use Titan''s Backbone tattoo again, feeling the first use start to run out, and I absorb more black mana, strengthening my [Focus].

    In slow motion, I watch as the monster''s fist swings toward me and golden flames burst forth from the javelin.

    The entirety of my Vortex Core explodes, concentrated into a reverberating cone of compressed kinetic energy, damaging one of the monster¡¯s four arms.

    Golden flames burn my body, but at the same time, they activate my passive slowly healing the burns. Even then, the flames are stronger than my passive so damage starts to accumulate before I can absorb their heat.

    My anchors get disrupted, so instead, I form a barrier in front of me, layered multiple times, and mana rushes through my body, strengthening it even further.

    Even so, I get thrown again, sending my blood spurting into the air and my body rolling across the ground before I absorb the momentum of my movement.

    Before I can do anything else, the monster reaches towards me, still standing so far away. Even though my natural barrier and construct should stop it, I feel my body pulled towards it, the strongest feat of telekinesis I¡¯ve ever felt.

    I fly through the air right towards it and barely identify the effect on me with my trait and disrupt it, stopping halfway.

    The Veil Weaver moves two of its hands and the buildings to my sides crumble and fall, moving with all the speed of a bullet train and heading straight for me.

    Locating my duplicate, I shoot a tricolored orb at him and push through the disrupting effect, creating an anchor far away and teleporting to it.

    I watch the place where I stood get crushed, compressed, and totally obliterated. Huge chunks of stone and metal creating a giant ball of compressed material. The Veil Weaver tries to do the same to me and I feel pressure attempting to squeeze my body. To counter this I constantly radiate disrupting mana, stopping the attack by sacrificing a large chunk of my mana reserves.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    The monster is strong, stronger than a Veil Guardian.

    The Veil Weaver, unable to grasp me through my constantly resonating field, decides to track my duplicate.

    It tears free another huge chunk of the city, toppling buildings as if a giant stepped on them. Through all that debris, a tricolored bomb hurtles at the monster, only to stop an arm''s reach away as it gets torn apart by its telekinesis.

    I sense movement above me and monsters pour from the rift in the Veil. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of veilshriekers passing through and falling to the ground.

    The shrieks of an immense number of monsters mix with the sound of destruction caused by the extreme telekinesis. The Veil Weaver doesn¡¯t seem to care, and its attacks kill hundreds of veilshriekers as it tries to catch my duplicate.

    [Focus - lvl 47 > Focus - lvl 48]

    [Perception - lvl 42 > Perception - lvl 43]

    [Tether - lvl 34 > Tether - lvl 35]

    I¡¯ve finally managed to analyze the way my duplicate has been creating such sneaky anchors, and my domain expands as I place multiple of them. Even then some get destroyed by telekinesis, but others do manage to reach my duplicate.

    Then, when my duplicate gets thrown away by a blast of force from the monster, I teleport behind him and grab the ax, cutting off his hand and teleporting away with the weapon.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a dick,¡± he complains, looking at me standing on one of the buildings. Thermal energy already rushes through his body, slowly regenerating his hand.

    ¡°I wonder who summoned that asshole here to get me distracted.¡±

    Without a speck of regret, he shrugs, ¡°You did it first with Guardians.¡±

    Both of us have a smile on our faces. I can hear the loud beating of our Thermokinetic hearts, fueling them with any mana not held by Mana Cycling, we¡¯ve tapped into our Mana Reservoirs, we¡¯re finally using all the inscriptions we¡¯ve made, and leveraging all our preparations, making us stronger than ever before.

    We teleport multiple times, the Veil Weaver swings its four arms, each swing tears buildings apart, compressing them, and throwing huge chunks at us. All while tens of thousands of veilshriekers scream, attacking us with deep hatred.

    Large parts of the city are gone, the others are burning.

    It may as well be hell.

    With no need for words, my duplicate and I join forces, our Mana Reservoirs nearly emptying, all our mana rushing to our hearts, transmuting it into kinetic energy. The sheer amount feels impossible to control even with all our preparations, and yet there are two of us.

    He slips; I cover him, I slip; he takes over.

    We gather more and more kinetic energy, and then we start changing its frequency. A high pitch audibly reverberates through the air, and the two of us stand in the epicenter, as the waves of kinetic energy start crashing into the area.

    Everything they touch vibrates and dissolves into dust.

    We receive thousands of notifications informing us of the dying veilshriekers.

    Our kinetic energy crashes into the impossible amount of debris being thrown by the monster. The huge chunks are impossibly condensed into extremely dense projectiles. The Veil Weaver lifts up an entire small city''s worth of material high into the air blocking out the sky and sending it at us like meteors, some of which even manage to break the sound barrier.

    Yet waves of our kinetic energy continue to reverberate into the area, clearing bigger and bigger parts of the city around us, leaving a smooth surface, leaving behind material reduced to fine sand.

    The monster is strong, and it¡¯s pushing, no, forcing us to use everything we have, as our skills level up. The notifications ring.

    It''s fun.

    A single mistake and I''m dead, we are dead. If either of us stumbles we both die, neither one of us has any chance of surviving alone. But right now, together, we are stronger than the monster.

    Our combined assault finally lands, Halted for a moment by the Veil Weaver¡¯s telekinetic barrier as the monster holds all four of its arms in front of it, palms facing outward. The invisible forces clash, sending shockwaves through the ruined city damaging it further.

    I take over, pushing my eyes to function to a higher degree, and rapidly change the frequency of our attack until one of the beast¡¯s arms explodes.

    Then another one.

    The monster stumbles, losing control for a moment and its body gets torn apart immediately, with barely anything left behind.

    [You have defeated Veil Weaver- lvl 329]

    [Lvl 234 > Lvl 237]

    I lift the ax in my hand, absorbing a laser thin stream of thermal energy shot by the duplicate. Teleporting towards him, I swing the ax, releasing the stored energy and melting the ground under his feet as he dodges.

    When I try to teleport again, he disrupts the attempt, and a great multitude of projectiles crash into my barrier.

    He opens his mouth, and I immediately tilt my head to the side; as an orb that I couldn¡¯t detect until that moment, erupts from his gullet, leaving a deep, and bloody gash across my temple.

    His voidsteel slicer and the ax in my hand collide with each other, as our primordial energies roil in the air, seeking an opportunity to lash out.

    I also open my mouth, and the mana orb I¡¯ve been compressing buries itself into his forearm he lifts to protect his chest.

    A mana stone somewhere on his person activates, and I disrupt most of the attack, though the invisible blade of mana still manages to carve into my side.

    There isn''t a single veilshrieker left alive. A full third of the city has been reduced to ruins, and the piles of debris from the buildings have either collapsed into dust or been set ablaze in great, burning, heaps.

    I release a burst of kinetic energy from my feet, obscuring his view with the resulting dust cloud. At the same time, I create a fake mana signature to my right, taking inspiration from the twins. When I do reach his position I lash out with my blade, yet my weapon passes through empty air, as the fake signature disappears. It would appear that he had the same idea.

    Armor forms on my back, slowing down the voidsteel slicer just enough for me to parry with my own before it can bite into my flesh.

    Up close, both of us create dozens of mana projectiles, barely an arm''s reach from each other. The projectiles burst forth, boosted by our kinetic energy, as we bombard each other. For the most part they either wind up disrupted or deflected by small sections of barrier, only ever active for a fraction of a second.

    As the power from my tattoo and the black mana slowly begins to fade, I push ahead, letting him stab my thigh with his weapon, and in return, I swing my ax with both hands, dropping my voidsteel slicer.

    He tries to teleport, but I disrupt the attempt, bringing the ax forward with the full force of my body, only for the ax to clash with his blade, held in his remaining hand.

    The ax buries itself in his shoulder as I redirect it at the last possible moment.

    Breathless, we stand there facing each other, our mana clashing even now, as we disrupt each other''s attacks, and our primordial energies explode through the air before being absorbed.

    I know if either of us pushes any further, it will be a fight to the death, but I won''t step back. He will either give up, or one of us will die.

    That''s it.

    The tattoo''s effect disappears, taking the black mana with it, the aftereffects dragging at me even though the tattoo has alleviated the worst of it. My mind feels sluggish, the world feels empty, and even the mana around me begins to feel less vibrant than before.

    I channel more and more of my thermal energy through the ax, heating the head embedded in his shoulder, and pushing through his attempts to absorb the thermal energy that heals him, even as it burns him.

    "Fuck, you are dumb," he curses and takes a step back, letting go of the voidsteel slicer impaling my leg, and my ax pulls free of his wound.

    I allow him to use his thermal energy to heal his wounds, with no interference.

    Slowly, we begin to devote more of our [Focus] to dampening our emotions rather than maintaining the function of our skills. The world regains more of its colors and sounds come rushing back in.

    The air has been scorched, and motes of dust that once made up buildings begin to drift on the currents of air generated by the fires raging in the distance, but I take a deep breath.

    Then I breathe out slowly.

    I live.

    "Good luck," I tell my duplicate.

    He stands there, covered in wounds, cuts, and burns. Inscriptions depleted, mana stones cracked, and batteries drained. His eyesight has been blurred by his abuse of his trait. His hand is missing, and his leg seems to be broken. Yet, he stands proudly, and even now, he feels more dangerous than the monster we killed together. What an opponent.

    ¡°I will see you when you come to Vega¡¯s planet,¡± he says simply, and then he leaves to put his other plan into action.

    With the little mana I have left, I make way for Vega¡¯s position, on my way avoiding all the monsters while my mana slowly replenishes.

    Along the way, I take a moment to stop by a few places, to recover some mana batteries I stashed away, just in case our fight made it this far. I absorb the mana stored inside and repeat the process with a few batteries filled with kinetic and thermal energy. I have plenty, and by the time I reach the place, my reserves are in a much better state.

    Once I¡¯m within range of my anchor, I connect to it and teleport to Vega¡¯s side, appearing in the darkness.

    This is one of the old bunkers we have found while moving around. The bunker is fairly similar to the Sanctuary, though it is much smaller, and every entrance has been destroyed and covered by tons of rock and stone. The only way inside is via teleportation, and we had to extend [Mana Domain] to the limit in a single direction to place the anchors.

    Vega lifts her eyes up from the mana stone in her hands and smiles at me with a mix of joy and sadness.

    ¡°Will he be okay, master?¡± she asks quietly.

    At that moment, I decide not to answer.

 Chapter 326 - I lied

    While down in the closed-off bunker, I walk from room to room, controlling air filtration systems powered by my mana through the anchors I¡¯ve placed near them.

    Making them work wasn''t all that difficult, just a bit annoying given that the bunker¡¯s core is broken and the room containing it has been buried under several tons of stone.

    Yet, even though this place has been cut off from the outside, I¡¯ve set thermal orbs all throughout the compound, producing a bright yet gentle light. The filtration system hums gently in the background, but otherwise, it''s eerily quiet.

    The only other sound comes from my minion and I, searching the various rooms whenever we get bored. That and our race to pack in as much training as we can.

    I have decided to spend the remaining few days here, rather than going outside, where who knows what is happening. I''m also taking the opportunity to acquaint myself with the skills that leveled up during the fight with my duplicate. I¡¯ve got a lot of work to do on that front.

    Maybe I could be raising my level, or focus on leveling up my skills. I could be fighting any number of powerful opponents, yet every time I look at Vega, I hesitate. She is strong, but she¡¯s returning to her world soon, and I won''t be able to help her anymore. So I need to hold back and train her.

    I¡¯m not used to this sort of selfless thinking, and I¡¯m reminded of how attached I¡¯ve grown to this smug little half-demon. This silly minion of mine.

    ¡°Master! [Mana Manipulation] leveled up again!¡± Vega shouts as she comes rushing from somewhere behind me.

    ¡°Good job, minion,¡± I answer, and she smiles, happy to receive even this small praise, and returns her focus to the mana stone in her hand.

    It all helps her to take her mind off my duplicate. They got close in the days we spent together.

    Looking at her, I probe her mana with my senses, and she allows my senses to pierce through her natural barrier, something else she¡¯s gotten used to.

    I observe her left eye, the one she received from the duplicate, and I can still sense his anchor connected to it, even now making small changes as he continues to improve his inscriptions.

    For a while, I examine the web of delicate pathways, they represent something he¡¯s only been able to do as a result of his collaboration and experiments with the healers from the Sanctuary. He¡¯s spent most of his time working on this, but I¡¯ve spent mine polishing different skills, so I still don''t fully understand it. And yet, even I can tell that this won¡¯t be enough.

    I head back to the room where I¡¯ve stored most of my things. Looted items from the bunkers, station, and bastion. Items I¡¯ve had since the 4th floor and the auction. There¡¯s plenty here.

    Then there is also a small tube that holds Vega''s original eye. Something we have kept in case the duplicate fails and the eye he gave to Vega disappears. Irvin also put a mark on the eye. Waiting for the slightest bit of mana to activate it. At that point, the mark will release a dose of healing mana to help reconnect the eye.

    I wonder when Lily will reach that level.

    <hr>

    One day remains when others start sending messages in the Community.

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - Stay safe, Noname, I¡¯ll see you on the next floor.

    TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - I learned a lot, and I can''t wait to show you, Noname!

    Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - I hope you didn''t forget the promise we made!

    FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - food!

    Izzy (Hell, group 4) - I will see you soon, dumb Noname!

    I pick up a few messages, and then they disappear, and group 4 enters the 6th floor.

    They got to the 5th floor a day earlier than me, so it''s not really all that surprising. Now, they¡¯ve left to join the twins, one of which sacrificed his chance at some extra time with his disciple to follow his brother, who lost his.

    So that''s it. The floor is ending soon, after that, we won¡¯t have much time on the 6th floor before the tournament starts.

    What I don''t like is that I won''t be able to do the 3rd Beyond trial before the tournament; the timing just won¡¯t allow for it with the time left on my cooldown.

    That could be interesting, I think Savant should be able to fit the 3rd trial in. It could also cause Savant to miss the tournament. The 1st trial took one day, and the 2nd trial took one week.

    So there is a high chance that Savant postpones the 3rd trial until the end of the tournament rather than risk missing it. That''s what I would do.

    Keeping my mind busy, I find Vega and sit with her, watching her train and observing her eye.

    <hr>

    POV Duplicate of Nathaniel Gwyn

    Well, that''s it, I guess. I did as much as I could, and the personality imprint I¡¯ve been trying to make is impossible as of now. The work I¡¯ve done up until now is so terrible I would rather wipe it than let it stay in my minion''s eye.

    Over the past few days, more plans have failed, and my last ray of hope lies in imperfect personality imprints, something more like the signatures my original created. There are five of them, one on me, one is with the original, and three more have been scattered across the 5th floor.

    So it''s time for the last resort.

    I poke the head at my feet with my shoe, ¡°Come on, I know you are lurking around.¡±

    A quiet laugh sounds from the cut-off head of the veil shrieker, and eyes open up, ¡°So did you decide to accept my proposal, oh, unfortunate one?¡±

    ¡°You know very well I did not.¡±

    ¡°I might or might not know. The tutorial does grant its attendees some degree of privacy,¡± the mouth moves, but it is not at all in sync with the words. It doesn¡¯t even need to move its mouth to speak.

    ¡°Hurting Vega is out of the question.¡±

    ¡°I understand, so, what would you like?¡± Its tone of voice speaks to the cruel pleasure it takes in my current situation.

    ¡°Help me to inscribe my personality into the eye of my original''s disciple.¡±

    ¡°It''s amusing how much tamer you are now, unfortunate one,¡± the mouth moves in a soundless laugh. ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡±

    ¡°After getting my body back, I would be¡­¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Yes, no. You are not worth the investment. Outside of the tutorial, I already have multiple Vessels and beings that serve me; you can''t hope to touch any of them.¡±

    ¡°I see, in such a case, how about a bet?¡±

    The mouth of the head closes, and eyes turn right at me, nearly radiating amusement, ¡°Tell me more, unfortunate one.¡±

    ¡°I will kill Gaiathra on my own. I know you don''t give a fuck about me, but my success would be amusing enough, right? Might be a nice way to kill time before you return to your stalking.¡±

    ¡°Gaiathra is level 367, meanwhile, you are over 130 levels lower. Do you even realize the sheer difference in your status?¡±

    ¡°Won''t that make it more interesting?¡± I know I don''t have much time remaining; I already feel my body starting to weaken. As the system said before, the mirror wasn''t meant to be used like this, and my body is only temporary.

    So even if I fail, why not end it with a bang?This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°You have made preparations,¡± the Ruler¡¯s intent muses, he¡¯s probably checking now.

    ¡°A few, but that shouldn¡¯t change much, right?¡±

    ¡°Why not, I always love watching bugs like you realize where they belong. Entertain me then, and I will help you.¡± After that, the head stops moving and the intent is gone, yet I''m sure I''m being watched.

    I kick the head, sending it flying, and then straighten up.

    This asshole might be lying, but that doesn¡¯t change much. I don¡¯t think I can kill my original, and I don¡¯t want to merge with him. I¡¯m my own being. I won¡¯t be reduced to mere memories, leaving my personality in shreds.

    Deep breath in and out.

    I can do this.

    Taking a few steps, I pass through the barrier into the Valley where not a single presence can be felt as if the monsters had been wiped from existence.

    Only a single one remains, standing tall and looking at me.

    [Gaiathra- lvl ???]

    At its feet, is a big hole, revealing the ruins of the Veil Ignition Station.

    I guess the big danger noodle didn¡¯t like us stopping the mana radiation it was sleeping over.

    But now the core has been revealed, Nevan¡¯s alloy patch is gone now and the core is radiating more mana than ever before. All to the giant monster''s liking.

    The big yellow eyes turn to me as the snake whips around on its six nimble legs.

    I only have one chance, and I¡¯ll need to go all out. A single series of attacks with as much power as I can muster. Prolonged combat won¡¯t favor me.

    My eyes activate, the inscriptions I etched into my skin shine, and black mana seeps into my body in greater amounts than ever before. The amount is sufficient to destroy this body beyond any possibility of repair, yet I refuse to hesitate.

    I launch a javelin into the air over Gaiathra with an anchor tied to it. Then I connect to the anchor inscribed into a mana stone I left near the core. Its mana signature either too low, or weak for the monster to care.

    Yet the monster notices me when I appear near the core. Simultaneously, the mana radiation from the core crashes against me in waves and almost instantly destroys the epic pendant Nevan crafted for us.

    But even that short moment is enough, and a black mana orb forms near me, growing stronger until it''s consumed half of the mana in my body.

    I activate the anchor on the javelin as it passes over the monster''s head and appear in the air above the six-legged snake.

    The monster ignores me, curiously staring at the black mana orb that is rapidly devouring the immense quantity of mana leaking from the core.

    A massive tongue flickers as Gaiathra tastes the mana leaking from the core and seeping into the black orb that continues to maintain its size, even now. The orb devours and dominates the mana around it, strengthening itself further before pulling on the mana radiating from the monster itself.

    Oh, and Gaiathra doesn¡¯t like it.

    Its yellow eyes shine, and corroding mana seeps through the earth and surrounds the orb.

    To the monster''s surprise, that gets absorbed as well, devoured, taken over, and pulled inside of the orb that has begun to feel increasingly terrifying.

    A staggering amount of mana surrounds one of the monster''s six legs, creating a barrier around it. The monster swings it, hitting the orb and sending it flying away, even out of the Valley.

    Then, the monster turns its head towards me with a speed that feels unnatural for something as big.

    But I''m already all set with my preparations. The orb plan has failed, so it''s time for plan C.

    I lift my left arm towards the air and towards the anchor I can still feel high up there. Then I use a skill my original will never be able to use. He doesn¡¯t have the right state of mind to understand, I¡¯ve grown used to the thought of dying over the past few weeks.

    He may never even consider trying to learn the skill, hell, he might never be in the same situation as me.

    But I can do it. I haven''t tried it before, but I know I can.

    ¡°[Sacrifice],¡± I call.

    My left arm disappears in its entirety.

    I need to follow the traditions, don''t I?

    Notifications arrive as the skill levels up, and I use it again, my left leg disappearing as well, and a crazy amount of mana flows through me.

    The barrier I create blocks the monster¡¯s ¡°playful¡± attack, nearly draining me of everything I just gained and then some.

    The mana batteries I had on me are empty, and I reach through my domain and place an anchor right over the six-legged snake, and then use [Tether], connecting two anchors. One on a physical object high up, and the other is positioned just over Gaiathra.

    Then, as iron pulled to a magnet, the object I¡¯ve held floating high in the air gets pulled downward at a speed that continues to increase as I feed the skill with more mana.

    Gaiathra senses it but still sees me as an annoyance at most, it just shoots another attack at me, this time a bit stronger.

    [Sacrifice] activates, and my hair disappears, my right leg as well, along with a few fingers from my right hand, my last remaining limb. Even then I barely block the attack.

    The third attack Gaiathra throws at me is much more serious, and keeping [Tether] on, I do something even Lily was unwilling to do.

    I sacrifice my memories.

    The first ten years of my life disappear, and the barrier that blocks the attack still cracks, and all over my body, corrosive wounds start appearing, eating away my flesh.

    At the same time, it''s finally here. The skyscraper-sized mana crystal that I took from the bunker. Later, after examining the Bastion¡¯s levitation, I placed it high in the air, and currently, it''s falling at a high speed to the spot right over the snake.

    Best of all, it''s filled to the brim with a terrifying blend of my mana, thermal, and kinetic energy. Like a meteor, it streaks through the air, shining with golden thermal energy, transparent kinetic, and pale blue mana swirling inside.

    Gaiathra tries to move, and 11 more years of my memories disappear.

    [Redistribution] activates, allowing me, for a split second, to grasp this powerful monster.

    When the skyscraper-sized crystal crashes into Gaiathra, I use the last dregs of my mana to teleport to an anchor far outside of the Valley.

    And then I teleport again, sacrificing some of my useless organs to do so.

    Without any limbs and with black mana and life seeping out of me, I appear on top of one of the cliffs, leaning against the stone at my back.

    I watch as, far in the distance beautiful lights fill the sky, shining against the bottom of the clouds.

    Between my attack, the shattered core of the Veil Ignition Station, and the sheer pressure from the explosion the clouds part, blown away by the force. I can feel the shockwave even from this distance, followed by a burst of wind and thunder.

    A few more seconds pass before the notification I¡¯ve been waiting for finally goes off after a few more seconds, and a chuckle escapes my mouth.

    Thermal energy flows through my body, and I examine my mind, looking at what remains. The things that I subconsciously didn''t sacrifice.

    My mom and sister are there, something I wouldn''t be able to sacrifice. But more faces pop up to my surprise. A girl with red eyes, a cute corgi, a silly blonde, an occasionally terrifying black haired girl, a troubled young boy looking up to me, and more.

    People I barely know, yet somehow they are still here, my subconscious mind not wanting to give up on them.

    (Not in a million years would I expect someone like you to be able to awaken a skill like [Sacrifice],) the voice of the intent sounds in my mind.

    I blink a few times, barely able to keep myself awake, my heart beating slower and slower, as my life seeps out of me.

    ¡°Our deal,¡± I say.

    (You showed me something really fun, so consider me entertained, oh unfortunate one.)

    I use [Sacrifice] again, and one of my eyes disappears, just to keep my heart beating for a bit longer.

    (But I lied,) the intent says.

    The voice continues to sound in my head, (I wouldn¡¯t even be able to give you the status of your original''s disciple. I just wanted to see you kill her,) the voice sounds coldly amused.

    (You have rejected me, and for that, you will die.) The voice says.

    Well, I guess that''s it. I gave it my all, I defeated an extremely powerful enemy and learned a thing or two about myself. It''s not such a bad way to go.

    This past year in the tutorial was fun even though it was sad at times.

    ¡°Fuck you.¡± I manage to say.

    (So fun. This is what I will do next. In a day, the little girl you call Vega will return to her world, and I will ensure that someone is waiting for her. I can''t touch the original yet, but the disciple should be fine. I can¡¯t wait to see how he reacts when he finds out.)

    I think I may have only felt the rage I feel now, once in my entire life.

    My heart beats strongly, and I''m about to stand up before I realize I have no limbs.

    ¡°Do not fucking dare,¡± I hiss through clenched teeth, feeling blood fill my mouth.

    (Oh, but I will, so¡­)

    (You will not,) another voice sounds. This one I can''t grasp, unable to identify if it''s a man or woman, hell I can¡¯t even guess its age. Yet, at the same time, it sounds powerful.

    Very powerful.

    (Greed!) the intent hisses.

    (He will not touch disciple Vega, nor will he interfere on her planet.) These words are directed at me, ignoring the intent.

    Hearing them, I feel myself calm down, and as I do so, my heart finally skips a beat, and the world drains of its color.

    The intent says something to the Ruler of Greed, but it feels like a tiny dog barking at a wolf. And I know, at that moment, that he won''t be able to do anything to Vega.

    I feel a smile appear on my lips, and before everything turns dark, I hear that voice again, (Keeping you alive would be against the rules, but I can let her keep your eye.)

    My mind wanders off as the last whisper fills my ears.

    (You''ve been strong, you can let go now.)

 Chapter 327 - Im back

    I observe as all of the inscriptions inside Vega''s eye disappear one after another. All the work the duplicate put into it is gone, along with his [Tether].

    Surprisingly, his eye stays. For a moment, a golden circle appears around her pupil before it disappears, leaving her eye bloody red again. Yet, I can sense that it''s the same eye that once belonged to my duplicate, the one containing our weakened trait.

    The little half-demon senses the change as well, and for a moment, it looks like she''s going to cry, but she holds it back and just comes to sit beside me. Without asking, she leans against me, and I put my arm around her.

    ¡°He asked me not to cry if he failed,¡± she says quietly.

    ¡°Did he?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He told me to grow strong and kick your ass sometime in the future.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like him. Do you feel like crying?¡± I ask her.

    She nods, ¡°But I promised I wouldn¡¯t. He wouldn¡¯t want that.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± I say, and she looks up to me. I continue, ¡°I know for a fact, that he would be happy knowing someone had cried for him.¡±

    I put my hand on her head and gently stroke her hair.

    When she burrows her face into my chest and her body starts shaking, I continue to hold her.

    <hr>

    An hour remains until the end of the floor when my minion asks, ¡°Master, you still owe me for losing our bet.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do. What would you like?¡±

    ¡°I want to know why you named me Vega. You said there was a meaning to it.¡±

    ¡°Who is Vega? I know only minion.¡±

    At that, she smiles but only slightly, her mood still not back to her usual self. She pokes me, looking up at me with her big eyes.

    ¡°There are tens of constellations in the night sky where I''m from, and one of them is the northern constellation of Lyra. It''s one of the smaller ones. The brightest star in that constellation is called Vega.¡± I grab her horn, but do not shake her head; I just prod the point with the tip of my finger.

    ¡°The tutorial is a small place, in the end, one of many. Just like the innumerable constellations, there are a number of tutorials. But in this small place, this small patch of sky, I found you,¡± I say, despite my embarrassment.

    In my head, it never sounded so¡­ cheesy. Still, I can¡¯t regret telling her. To me, Vega shines brightly with her curious and cheery personality, despite her flaws. But saying it out loud just doesn¡¯t feel right to me.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re happy because I¡¯m not going to repeat myself, minion.¡± I need to assert my dominance to preserve my sense of masculinity.

    In response, her smile widens a bit, she doesn''t even poke any fun at me.

    Our remaining hour on this floor passes just like that. My silly disciple has decided to cling to me, and I can feel the warmth of her small body against mine. Her heart is beating strongly. I hold her hand, and I paint a series of simple, single use, inscriptions on her forearm, they¡¯ll be there to help her improve her mana weapons when she needs them.

    This time around I¡¯ll give her a few extra items, but nothing higher than a rare grade. Epic items seem to be exceedingly valuable even though I tend to find so many of them. Over the course of this floor and after having visited the Hard difficulty community, I have learned that out of all of them, barely anyone has access to epic grade items.

    Giving one to Vega at her level could bring too much attention to her. I also think she¡¯ll be better off if she learns how to survive without relying on items. She already has a weakened version of my trait, waiting to awaken as she grows stronger. Hopefully.

    I listen as she tells me about her plans, and how she¡¯s a little worried about having to rely on herself again. She tells me how much she will miss me and forces me to promise, for the tenth time, that I will find her when I get out of the tutorial.

    Lastly, I give her a small piece of weird metal that reacts weirdly to kinetic energy. It''s something I got from the auction on the 4th floor, and now it feels like so long ago.

    Vega has decided to rely mainly on her kinetic energy, so she might have a better use for it. It will also force her to continuously examine it and search for anyone who might know something about it.

    I figured I¡¯d give her something like a quest since she seems to be lost at the moment.

    Finally, I notice her glancing at something I can''t see, and I know the portal to her world is there.

    As I stand up, she lets go of me somewhat reluctantly and quickly collects the few things she is taking with her.

    ¡°Will you miss me, master?¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    ¡°You really will?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    A few short steps and she hugs me again, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re quite the asshole you like to say you are. Master is really kind, but he¡¯s also really hurting,¡± the last words she nearly whispers.

    Looking up at me with her red eyes glowing, she gestures to me to lean lower and when I do so, she gives me a quick peck on my cheek.

    ¡°When we meet next time, I¡¯ll just call you Vega. So try to stay alive until then, okay?¡± I call to her as she takes steps toward the portal.

    She gives me one last short glance, ¡°I always liked it when master called me minion.¡± She says, with one last cheeky smile, and then she disappears.

    Congratulations! You''ve successfully completed the 5th floor''s main quest in the fifth round of the tutorial for Hell difficulty. An entrance to the 6th floor has been created.

    I place an anchor near the portal to the 6th floor and extend my [Mana Domain], placing another outside where I emerge.

    Right away, I sense strong mana radiation everywhere, and the Veil seems to be burning in the sky with veil monsters all over the place. Killing the ones that get too close, I lift off and head towards the Valley.

    Then, I notice a mana signature hanging in the air, and change direction, heading towards a cliff with a good view of the area.

    There, at the top, I find what remains of my duplicate.

    Inside his body near the chest, I detect a hint of his mana. Pushing my emotions away, I pull a tiny mana stone out of his remains. When I probe it with my senses, I find that it¡¯s a collection of simple notes. What few sentences my duplicate could manage to inscribe in his last moments.

    Intent is bigger fucker than thought. Never trust. Wanted to kill Vega. Liar.

    Ruler of Greed helped. Saved Vega. Payback?

    Black mana scarier than thought.

    I could kill you back then. I was stronger.

    Apologize to mom. Hug Victoria for me. Be nicer to others. Fucking call them friends, at least in your head. Boop Biscuit¡äs nose.

    Remember me once in a while.

    Thermal energy flows from my core, and the golden flames slowly envelop him, burning off what remains. Then I destroy the small mana stone after making sure I remember every single word.

    Flying once again towards the Valley, I sense a black mana orb nearby. It''s much stronger and filled with much more mana than ever before. It continuously devours any mana that comes by, and it might be only me, but it feels like it¡¯s slowly, very very slowly, starting to pull in the ambient mana around it. I don''t even have to think about what could have caused it to grow like that. Only the core of the Ignition Station would have been enough.

    Finally, in the Valley, or what remains of it, I find a giant crater. Its immense size and the damaged area are hard to comprehend. Whatever my duplicate did, the explosion of the core and Gaiathra combined caused all of this. For a moment, I imagine the consequences on Earth if anyone capable of something like this arrived with proper preparations.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Otherwise, there doesn''t seem to be anything too useful. Gaiathra¡¯s bones are scattered everywhere, but since I already have a Champion''s bone, these don''t appeal to me at all.

    So, I head back, and when I teleport back inside the hiding place, I collect everything I want. Then, I accept the reward for one of the previous quests, and a lot of food and water appear in front of me, which I also take.

    With all these items, I pass through the entrance without any more hesitation.

    Congratulations! You have cleared the 5th floor of the Hell difficulty tutorial. Welcome to the 6th floor: Astral Prison.

    You have acquired:

    Skill combination token

    Skill upgrade token

    5000 Shards

    100 stat points

    Trait strengthening token

    I invest 100 stat points into mana and check my status

    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn

    Difficulty: Hell

    Floor: 6 - Astral Prison

    Time left until forced return: 4y 0d 13h 22m 51s

    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 1/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3

    Lvl 237

    Strength: 113

    Dexterity: 110

    Constitution: 268

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1015 + 1015

    Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)

    Sub-class: [Initiate of Pride]

    Active skills:

    Focus - Lvl 48

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 47

    Perception - Lvl 43

    Redistribution - Lvl 45

    Resonance - Lvl 45

    Mana Domain - Lvl 36

    Tether - Lvl 35

    Regalia - Lvl 23

    Infusion - Lvl 28

    Constructs:

    Reinforcement (Construct)

    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)

    Mana Regulator (Construct)

    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)

    Vortex Core (Construct)

    Passive skills:

    Mana Reservoir (epic)

    Arcane Resilience (epic)

    Phoenix Embrace (epic)

    Mana Overload Absorption (epic)

    Cognitive Fortress (epic)

    Titan''s Backbone (epic) 1/3

    Tokens:

    Beyond Difficulty entrance token

    Shards: 59,725

    Well, it seems like the system rewarded me with a skill combination token for that Floor''s main quest, the reward that used to be ???.

    ¡°I want to sell skill upgrade token.¡±

    Do you really want to sell the following item for 5000 shards?

    Skill upgrade token

    Yes/No

    I confirm and my shards increase to 64,725.

    It''s a nice thing to have, for sure.

    Then I take a better look at the place I¡¯ve ended up, the floor known as the Astral Prison.

    It''s dark, the only light coming from the surprisingly bright stars. It is also totally barren. There are no trees, no vegetation, no signs of water. Just dark, rocky terrain with a lot of pointy mountains scattered about the place. In comparison to the post-apocalyptic world overgrown by vibrant vegetation, this place feels almost depressing.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I''m here.

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - That''s good. I will have Izzy launch a bunch of bright orbs every few minutes. Try to track us. Other than the twins, we are all here.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - Will do.

    I close the community and check the floor quest.

    Floor quest:

    Escape Astral Prison

    Rewards:

    ???

    Epic-grade passive skill

    5000 Shards

    Increased daily Community limit

    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes

    Send a single item to your disciple (up to a rare grade)

    Once again the floor quest has turned out to be the last thing I would have expected, as have the rewards. It seems like the system is slowly limiting the amount of shards we can receive as a reward. It''s either that or the last two are expensive. There are no more stat increases anymore and once again there is a question mark in place of a reward.

    Is it so the system can make them more personalized? That could be it. But given the mood I''m in right now the last two rewards are what interest me the most. Fuck, the end of a floor always leaves me like this.

    I sit down on the rocky ground and sigh, looking at the starry sky. Even this barren area has some beauty to it, and never in my life have I seen such big stars, much less so clearly. In one part of the sky, I can even see what appears to be a purple nebula. This night sky is beautiful.

    ¡°Use trait strengthening token on Mana Circuit,¡± I say, and I allow the pain that follows to take my mind off these useless thoughts. Filled with this burning sensation, I stare at the night sky.

    I could have strengthened my Mana Wavelength Iris, but I haven''t even mastered them properly yet, and strengthening them could be a bad idea, stripping me of all the effort I put into being able to use them as much as I do. I¡¯m also hoping that strengthening my Mana Circuits will help me deal with my other traits and my ever-increasing Mana. So that I can continue to ignore constitution.

    Who needs to worry about the attribute imbalance at this point? For sure not me, that''s for future Nathaniel to deal with.

    Regardless, with my body still burning, I push myself up to my feet and then lift myself into the air, looking for Isabella''s orbs. There are no monsters, no wind, and no signs of civilization as far as I can see. Though the air does feel chilly, surprisingly chilly.

    Sending thermal energy through my body, I hold myself in that spot for a moment, turning around, before changing my position a few times. I move in a spiral, slowly getting further from my point of origin, looking for that signal.

    When I finally notice it, I start moving, pulling my items with me. It''s not as much as when I entered the 5th Floor, but there are a few rather large bags.

    As I approach, I trigger a web of extremely delicate mana and it sends a signal somewhere. That trigger causes a swarm of some kind of mana constructs to fly toward me in a threatening manner. They¡¯re basically a number of small orbs with inscriptions in them, bearing an obvious connection to their owner.

    Well, it seems like Sophie may have learned a thing or two.

    As my altitude drops, I finally manage to spot group 4, they¡¯re all sitting in a circle around a bright blue flame orb, which radiates a soft blue light and heat.

    Tess is already standing, with a long spear in her hand and a smile on her face. I''m sure she saw me long before the others could. Her blonde hair is shorter than it was before, but she somehow looks even more confident.

    Min-Jae is at her side, looking around, searching for me. He seems¡­ older now, it''s hard to describe. He just straight-up looks more mature.

    Maya, who has remained seated, yawns and says something to Sophie, who just shakes her head, in spite of her smile. Both of the girls, even in this situation, are ready for anything, but they trust the others to keep watch.

    Everyone seems to be happy, to be with people who¡¯ve shared their experiences, to finally have the chance to share it all.

    I feel Izzy trying to connect to me with [Empathy] and I let her, curious to learn what kind of feelings she¡¯ll pick up from me.

    (Food!) I hear Biscuit shout and even with [Focus] active, I feel a smile climb onto my lips.

    When I land, Lily charges me with a few surprisingly quick steps and stops an arm''s reach away from me. For a moment, I expect a slap or hug, but instead, she stands there as if waiting for me to say something.

    I look to Tess for help, but she just stands there smiling at me, and beside her, stands Izzy wiping her eyes.

    Back on the 1st Floor, I thought more of myself and basically ignored most of the others, ready to toss them aside. Yet, over and over again, they held their hands out to me, despite my terrible personality.

    I don¡¯t understand why; maybe they were trying to hide behind someone stronger, maybe they¡¯re broken like me. Maybe they are just straight-up weird.

    Why would you even want to befriend someone like me? I wouldn''t do that. Yet somehow, we wound up like this, and I remember the words left behind by my duplicate.

    For the first time in a long time, I have people I want to call friends, I guess.

    ¡°I''m back,¡± I say.

 Chapter 328 - 6th Floor

    ¡°No,¡± I say, responding to Maya, who is currently holding my damaged arcane ax.

    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll buy you something from the system shop worth 10 thousand shards.¡±

    ¡°Fifty thousand.¡±

    ¡°How the fuck would I even get fifty thousand shards? Ask in three to five more floors if I''m lucky.¡±

    ¡°Forty-nine thousand,¡± I prod.

    At that, Maya grabs a small stone from the ground, throws it at me, and smiles before continuing to examine the ax.

    I continue to pet Biscuit. Ever since I found them, he¡¯s refused to leave my side and lays in my lap while I sit against the wall of the cliff we¡¯ve chosen to shelter our camp. Not that I mind, the best doggo of the 6th floor deserves all the pets I can give. It''s hard to believe I¡¯ve been able to cope without him for so many weeks.

    Sure, Vega is a great ESM, but there is something hard to explain when I pet this silly corgi or boop his cold nose.

    Damn, I¡¯ve missed him.

    ¡°Nat! You killed a Veil Guardian all on your own?¡± Min-Jae interrupts, eyes wide, in anticipation of an exciting story.

    Biscuit woofs, either at him or at me for stopping petting, so I continue.

    ¡°A few. I brought a few voidsteel blades with me, so later we¡¯ll see if we can¡¯t get someone to make something out of them for you. By the way, you need to spend some more time training your [Telekinesis] and [Gravity Well]. I saw some scary stuff they should be able to replicate.¡±

    ¡°Oh, me too. I saw a Veil Guardian using strong gravity attacks against the Bastion. The Housekeeper nearly died when he focused it on her. But the guardian didn''t use telekinesis or anything similar.¡±

    I nod, ¡°There was one more monster. I saw it wave its hand and destroy an entire city. It tore down skyscrapers like they were nothing and kept throwing building-sized projectiles at me. Scary stuff.¡±

    The boy continues to listen as I describe a bit more of what the Veil Weaver did. Back then, I don''t think I would have had a chance unless I could cooperate with my duplicate.

    ¡°What about you, Tess? Did you kill a Veil Guardian?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°Two of them on my own and one with the help of the Bastion,¡± she says. ¡°I just needed to keep my crown charged and set some preparations in place. Then I¡¯d just shoot them from really far away. Sophie was able to kill two of them. She even controlled one for a while.¡±

    Sophie looks up from Izzy leaning against her, ¡°I only controlled it for a few seconds. The Veil didn''t like that at all, and it nearly killed me but the Butler and others killed it before it could finish the job.¡±

    ¡°That was dumb Sophie,¡± Izzy mumbles.

    Noodle is there as well, coiled around her arm. I can tell that he¡¯s looking at me, he¡¯s probably hungry for my mana, but a single glance at Biscuit in my lap makes him stop. I can¡¯t help but wonder how these two managed to establish their pecking order.

    ¡°During our last day on the Floor, I killed five,¡± Lily says.

    Most of the eyes in the group turn to her.

    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be that hard for her. She probably boosted herself with [Sacrifice] and she has the most powerful damage skill out of anyone in group 4, she would kill them. Her level is also getting rather close to 200, but it''s still scary to think that she might be able to pull that off.

    Well, it''s scary, but she is our scary crazy healer, so that''s fine.

    The others also managed to kill a Veil Guardian but they always had assistance from the Bastion itself or the four assholes running the place, mostly the Housekeeper or the Butler.

    The only people who managed to kill them on their own, whether they took them on in a straight up fight or by setting ambushes and traps, are those in Beyond. Well, other than Sophie, who I think would also do well. It''s just that she already used an upgrade token, and she¡¯s unwilling to leave Isabella for so long. Well, it''s not like she needs Beyond rewards with her [Manipulation].

    Of course, I killed the most Veil Guardians. My duplicate and I hunted them at every opportunity not to mention the ones I fought on my own.

    But group 4 is as scary as ever.

    ¡°So Biscuit, how was your disciple?¡±

    (Friend!)

    ¡°Oh, you liked him?¡±

    (Food.)

    ¡°I agree. Disciples should be respectful towards their masters.¡±

    (Food food!)

    ¡°Totally.¡±

    (Asshole?)

    ¡°Oh no, my disciple was great.¡±

    (Food?)

    ¡°I think it''s close but you are just a tiny bit cuter than her.¡±

    At that, he just woofs but continues wagging his short tail from side to side. Cute little rascal, I wonder how strong he got and what his disciple looked like.

    ¡°Have you guys found any monsters on this floor?¡± I ask.

    ¡°A few,¡± Tess answers me. ¡°They don¡¯t seem to be active at night, and they only really come out during the day. They¡¯re all level 150 and over, and many of them rank in the two hundreds. But we know how it goes, there will always be stronger variants.¡±

    This is such a weird setup. Isn''t night usually more dangerous, shouldn¡¯t that be when all the dangerous animals leave their hidey holes?

    ¡°Do we have any other info on the floor, what about news from the twins?¡±

    Tess moves closer and Sophie takes over, keeping watch with her web of mana and the swarm of mana constructs.

    I was able to grab one so I examine it while I listen to the others. Sophie doesn''t seem to mind even though she rolled her eyes. I like how different our approach to mana can be, there is still so much to be learned.

    Taking a seat next to Maya, Tess explains, ¡°The twins are being held by the master of the Black Tower. They¡¯ve tried to escape multiple times, but they were caught and punished¡­¡± She narrows her eyes and her expression changes, ¡°Apparently the second in command marked them and they¡¯re using that to track the twins.¡±

    I don''t like that either, ¡°We will locate them and get them out.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°We will, but carefully. Apparently, the master of the Black Tower used to be a Champion¡¯s disciple before he was sent to Astral Prison. So far we don''t know his level, but the twins have placed their estimate somewhere around 300.¡±

    ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡±

    Tess smiles, ¡°I thought you would say that, Nat. As you said, it doesn''t matter. We will get Aaron and Dennis back, and we¡¯ll punish anyone who¡¯s hurt them. I think everyone here is up for that.¡± She looks around.

    Surprisingly, the rest of the group seems to agree with Tess. I think as time passes, the people of group 4 are beginning to bond.

    ¡°We probably won''t be able to do it before the tournament, we only have fifteen hours until it starts,¡± I note.

    ¡°That''s true,¡± Tess agrees with me. ¡°We still don''t know how the tournament works, but hopefully, it will allow us to come together and plan everything out without Community censorship and time limits. As for the rest of this floor, we have only bits of information from Aaron and Dennis. Apparently, it''s a prison as the name implies. The entire moon serves as a dumping ground for the criminals, from multiple planets, and they¡¯re left to fight amongst themselves or die of starvation.¡±

    ¡°Are there any guards?¡± I ask.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°You said the twins are being kept by people from the black tower and this Black Tower has a master who presides over its functions, what is it?¡±

    ¡°The prisoners on this moon have created several groups in order to survive. Black Tower is one of them.¡±

    Nothing about this floor has been what I expected.

    The last floor was probably meant to illustrate the dangers of tampering with creation. Its whole purpose was to show us a world that fell at the hands of the Enchanter Guild who, in their hubris, enslaved a young divine beast. It also gave us a chance to learn more about the Pairing, enchanting, and the dangers of mana radiation.

    So what is this one about? We have to escape, but how? Is it supposed to teach us about portals between planets and planetary defenses? Are we going to find something like the orbital base from the 4th floor? What about spaceships?

    Well, I¡¯m sure we will learn as the floor progresses, but currently, we¡¯ve got the tournament looming on the horizon. After that, I will be able to enter the 3rd Beyond trial, and we need to free the twins.

    Things here really refuse to get boring.

    ¡°Nat.¡±

    I look at Lily who¡¯s clearly the one who called out to me and take note of her hesitation.

    ¡°Did you miss m¡­us?¡± she asks in the end. For a moment she even looks vulnerable.

    Lily must have grown up like Min-Jae, though she looks a bit calmer now, but of course, her separation anxiety still seems to bother her.

    ¡°Lily, don¡¯t bully Nat, you know¡­¡± Min-Jae starts.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say simply.

    Multiple pairs of eyes turn to me and I slowly return each gaze. Briefly, I meet their eyes. ¡°Yes,¡± I repeat.

    ¡°Fuck, how can you say that with such a straight face? Someone might fall for¡­¡± Maya mumbles quietly, looking up from the damaged arcane ax she¡¯s been babying.

    Isabella tries to connect to my feelings but I disrupt her attempt. Then I reach out and pinch Lily¡¯s nose and shake her head slightly.

    It''s nice to be back.

    <hr>

    ¡°So, my eye totally got stronger with me, Nat!¡± Min-Jae happily reports. ¡°All these waves I¡¯ve been seeing are gravitational in nature. Look what I can do.¡±

    He rushes and his eye shines slightly and I feel a weird burst of mana emanate from his body. Then he touches a rock as big as he is and the rock flies into the air.

    Both of us stare at it as it continues to fly higher and higher, ¡°I can do this to monsters and people too. Of course, the stronger the monster is, the harder I have to work to get through their natural barrier. At a certain point, it just won¡¯t work no matter how much mana I spend if the monster is too strong. But when it comes to weaker monsters and objects¡­¡± a single pulse of mana is all he needs to lift a dozen similarly sized stones into the air.

    ¡°I can do that to weaker monsters even without needing to touch them, but when I touch them it works better.¡±

    As we watch the stones he sent flying about half a mile into the air before they plummet, I start imagining what would happen if he did that to monsters or people incapable of flying or landing safely.

    ¡°Can you send them into orbit?¡± I ask.

    Right away he steps up and he turns to me with even higher excitement, ¡°I knew you would understand, Nat! I just thought of it a few days ago, but you figured it out immediately!¡± he says, speaking faster, happy to share it all.

    He continues, ¡°Right now I can¡¯t, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to in the future. Just imagine sending monsters to orbit or launching them into space. Or I could lift them into the air and let them crash to the ground.¡±

    ¡°Tess, Nat is at it again and Kim is getting riled up,¡± Maya calls from somewhere nearby.

    ¡°Min-Jae, my boy. Why would you stop there? Imagine if you could lift a rock as big as a building into the air and then increase its gravity and send it crashing into your enemies. Or perhaps you don¡¯t use a building, maybe you use high density metal projectiles, the sheer kinetic energy behind it would be terrifying. Did you hear about kinetic bombardment?¡±

    ¡°I did not!¡±

    ¡°I saw it on TV, it was some old army project. Tungsten rods or some such. As tall as telephone poles and probably as thick as Biscuit.¡±

    A woof sounds from somewhere nearby.

    ¡°They wanted to put these rods in orbit with satellites and then send them crashing to the ground, using gravity alone. Supposedly they would reach speeds as high as Mach 8 and deal as much damage as a small nuclear bomb.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that overkill, Nat?¡±

    ¡°You have to think big. With your gravity skill and telekinesis, you might be able to do it even without putting them into orbit.¡±

    ¡°I will think about it. You really like using your surroundings to fight. Whether you¡¯re using gravity, falling rain, or wind to generate kinetic energy or absorbing it from pre-charged orbs, I¡¯ve noticed that.¡±

    Well, he is not wrong, ¡°It gives me more firepower quicker. I told this to my disciple as well, but you should always try to gain an advantage, don''t bother trying to fight honorably. That''s an idiot¡¯s game. But now I need to accept one of my rewards. Tess, will you keep watch?¡±

    ¡°Sure, enjoy.¡±

    Thankful, I move away from the group somewhat, filter out their conversations, and accept my skill combination token.

    You have used an active skill combination token. Please pick two skills from the following that you would like to combine.

    Warning! Combining two skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill.

    Warning! Combining incompatible skills may result in worse skills.

    Warning! After combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination.

    List of available skills to combine:

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 47

    Perception - Lvl 43

    Tether - Lvl 35

    Regalia - Lvl 23

    Infusion - Lvl 28

    Five skills available. [Focus], [Redistribution], [Resonance], and [Mana Domain] are not here at all.

    I once again wonder if they are skills that are unavailable to combine or if they are higher tiered than the active skill combination token. If there even is something like hidden rarities as I¡¯ve taken to thinking of late.

    [Mana Manipulation] with [Perception]

    [Mana Manipulation] with [Tether]

    [Mana Manipulation] with [Regalia]

    [Mana Manipulation] with [Infusion]

    [Perception] with [Tether]

    [Perception] with [Regalia]

    [Perception] with [Infusion]

    [Tether] with [Regalia]

    [Tether] with [Infusion]

    [Regalia] with [Infusion]

    Well, the last time I didn''t even consider using [Mana Manipulation] given the way I relied on it, but this time I¡¯ll keep it on the menu, I think I should be fine, even without it.

    Let''s consider our options.

 Chapter 329 - Brilliant idea

    [Mana Manipulation] with [Perception]

    This combination could create something akin to my Mana Wavelength Iris, so this is most likely a pass for now. It could be great, but I already have my trait, which is more than good enough for that.

    [Mana Manipulation] with [Tether]

    Sounds interesting, but I really like [Tether], and I still don¡¯t think I¡¯ve explored it properly. So, this one is also a pass.

    [Mana Manipulation] with [Regalia]

    This one sounds the most interesting so far. I will think about it.

    [Mana Manipulation] with [Infusion]

    This is one to seriously consider, though I suspect that it¡¯ll just create a stronger, more mana-focused version of [Regalia]. Or maybe it will allow me to infuse mana more easily? In higher amounts? Like an improved version of my former skill [Mana Surge]?

    It''s not very enticing.

    [Perception] with [Tether]

    Also most likely a pass because I want to keep [Tether].

    [Perception] with [Regalia]

    This one is a straight-up weird combination, and I can imagine a worse skill coming out of it.

    [Perception] with [Infusion]

    Better [Infusion] maybe, a higher version of it? Though that could end badly as well.

    [Tether] with [Regalia]

    It could be interesting, but once again, nope.

    [Tether] with [Infusion]

    Also nope.

    [Regalia] with [Infusion]

    And once again we have something truly interesting.

    So, in the end, it''s either [Mana Manipulation] with [Regalia] or [Regalia] with [Infusion]. Either seems to be a good option.

    Would the first option make a more controllable version of [Regalia], so perhaps the second will make a stronger version of it?

    These options seem fairly similar. When I did this before, I gave up [Mana Infusion] and got [Infusion] in exchange. It would be cool if it came out the same, and I could get [Manipulation] instead of [Mana Manipulation], but unfortunately, I don''t think that will happen. I just don''t have the same kind of talent as Sophie, in the same way, it''s hard for me to do healing. I¡¯ve even tried to get other forms of Primordial energy, especially Tess¡¯s lightning, but I have failed.

    Now that reminds me of something.

    Tess combined her [Lightning Armor] with [Lightning Manipulation] and got [Storm Crown]. Does that mean that if I combine [Regalia] and [Mana Manipulation], I¡¯ll wind up with something similar? That could be cool.

    At this point, I can manipulate mana pretty well on my own, and the skill mostly serves as a definitive numerical value for my skill level. Losing the skill would, of course, be noticeable, but I¡¯m confident that I could adapt within a few weeks.

    That''s what I like about this. With all the things I¡¯ve done, I should have a dozen more skills, but for some reason, the system doesn''t give them out quite so easily. Though that also means that I can do some stuff without having the skills, so that''s cool.

    The system is clearly a mess, it¡¯s highly situational and individualized, given the way the rules change slightly from person to person.

    Well, let''s hope things work out like they did for Tess. It might also force me to improve my manipulation of mana without the skill.

    ¡°I want to combine [Mana Manipulation] with [Regalia].¡±

    Congratulations, you have successfully combined [Mana Manipulation] and [Regalia]! A new skill has been created.

    You have acquired [Mana Crown].

    [Mana Crown - lvl 0 > Mana Crown - lvl 9]

    I''m sure Tess back then got it to level 2, so at least that''s something. But it also irks me a bit. Tess got her crown earlier than I did. Does that mean I''m behind? Is my new skill stronger than her crown? It better be, Tess is just as competitive as me when it comes down to it.

    First, let''s check my mana. As I use Mana Cycling, I quickly notice a difference. It''s not horrible, but it''s there, and it''s quite noticeable.

    Well, it''s time to get back to the grind. Getting a skill back seems nearly impossible, even with the system warning of that during my use of the first skill combination token, but that''s fine. Only casuals from other difficulties rely on skills; I will learn on my own, yup.

    Let''s check the new skill then.

    As it activates, I feel a big chunk of my mana move and then form a halo over my head made of pale blue mana. Gradually, that halo hovering over my head expands a bit and changes shape, taking the form of a simple crown.

    I notice Tess glancing at me as she mouths, ¡°I got it first.¡±

    Tsk.

    Focusing on my new skill, I examine its functions and effects. So far as I can tell, it''s basically an empty mana reservoir similar to the version that Tess has, though hers stores lightning.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    It''s not unlike the orbs I¡¯ve been filling with my mana and Primordial energies, but unlike the orbs, the crown''s reservoir seems to be massive and optimized for mana. Of course, the question is how much I can fill it without destabilizing the whole thing. It''s also more stable than the orbs, so filling it and keeping it running should be easier.

    As I examine it more, I notice that controlling my mana seems to be a bit easier now, as if the crown is filling the gap left by [Mana Manipulation] while I have it active. The same goes for [Regalia], I''m still able to create armor and weapons at the same level as before without any extra effort.

    More testing is needed to see the difference between the old skills and the current one. But there is something that interests me more. I want to see how the crown interacts with my Mana Wavelength Iris and the black mana.

    I activate my eyes, and there is a small difference. It''s hard to explain, but it''s as if the crown has made them easier to control. It''s like it¡¯s dominating the mana and anything related to it.

    It''s not a very big difference, just a tiny bit, and I can''t help but be a bit disappointed. But it''s fine, my strengthened Mana Circuit has already helped with my eyes a lot, and my passives are doing their part as well. The problem probably lies with the low level of the skill as well. My eyes are a powerful trait so they might require more.

    Now then, black mana.

    I activate [Focus] and, with the help of [Redistribution] and [Infusion], I fill the pale blue orb with a lot of mana and continue to compress it. It''s a bit harder now without [Mana Manipulation], but nothing I can¡¯t fix with some training.

    When a golf ball sized black orb forms over my palm, I get a bit more attention from group 4, but too curious, I ignore them and continue.

    What I notice right away is that [Mana Crown] is reacting to the black mana. The crown and black mana seem to be at war with each other.

    Then I get a brilliant idea.

    Should I? It could be dangerous.

    No, I''m sure it WILL be dangerous.

    But I really want to try.

    ¡°I will be right back,¡± I quickly tell the others and push myself far away.

    When I land, I¡¯m surrounded by the same darkness as before, lit only by the beautiful bright stars overhead complemented by the giant purple nebula that takes up a third of the sky. Under that night sky, I use the method I learned in collaboration with my duplicate on the fifth floor to dominate a small amount of the black mana. It''s harder to do it outside of my body, without my passives and circuits to help, but I activate my eyes and push through.

    Then, slowly, carefully, I take that dominated small part of mana into my crown.

    In a blink, the blue crown hovering over my head turns pitch black.

    Then I start losing control over it. At first gradually, but it keeps getting harder to control faster and faster.

    I fight the process, giving my all.

    [Mana Crown - lvl 9 > Mana Crown - lvl 10]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 10 > Mana Crown - lvl 11]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 11 > Mana Crown - lvl 12]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 12 > Mana Crown - lvl 13]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 13 > Mana Crown - lvl 14]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 14 > Mana Crown - lvl 15]

    But no matter how much I try, how much pressure my construct or passives work against it, the crown turned black judges me unworthy to control its power¡­ for now. The black crown reaches into my body and starts absorbing my mana in defiance of my attempts to stop it, once again slowly, but then quicker.

    [Mana Crown - lvl 15 > Mana Crown - lvl 16]

    It slows for a moment but then speeds up again and when I decide to try to cancel the skill, it refuses to listen, akin to how black mana behaves, just much more strong-willed now.

    My body''s mana is gone, all of that big mana pool taken against my will by this unholy abomination over my head.

    With nearly suicidal fascination, I watch as it even reaches into my Mana Reservoir and starts emptying that as well.

    How the fuck is this even possible.

    So interesting.

    I quickly tie an anchor to a mana orb, shoot it toward the others, and then fly further and further away from them, even teleporting through anchors multiple times.

    When I finally stop, I find myself really far away from where I started and I¡¯ve depleted most of the mana in my reservoir, but I finally manage to remove the crown from my head and throw it away.

    [Mana Crown - lvl 16 > Mana Crown - lvl 17]

    It tries to reach me, to take the rest of my mana from my reservoir, but I move further away, and it seems like the crown can''t move on its own. It just hovers there eerily, slowly spinning. The connection it had to me disappears and as if unable to maintain its properties without me, it finally stops, without any mana left for it to absorb.

    Damn, what a terrifying thing.

    I love it.

    The way it absorbs mana is scary and it doesn''t even feel like its real power, just a side effect created by its combination with black mana.

    Well, I can observe it a bit longer. If it''s like a black orbs, it will start crumbling after being deprived of mana for a while. Well, with as much as it did absorb, it will take a while, but¡­

    The black crown shifts through a series of colors in quick succession. From black to pale blue to darker. Streaks of light blue appear, quickly joined by purple streaks. Then the crown turns bright white.

    And as terror-struck as I am fascinated, I watch it all happen.

    Then I teleport away as quickly as I can.

    I land next to group 4 once more, only for them to pepper me with questions, I turn in the direction of the crown. Wondering if we¡¯re far enough away. I flew a pretty good way out, didn¡¯t I?

    A bright white light appears on the horizon. At first, it is the size of a fireplace, then it quickly grows larger as the crown releases all the mana it has collected, unable to maintain its shape without its connection to me.

    There is no way that¡¯s going to reach us, right?

    The light becomes brighter and I check my mana stat.

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1015 + 1015

    Then I remember that my Mana Reservoir basically triples that amount.

    I reach into said Mana Reservoir and move the rest of my mana, creating a pointy barrier in front of us that should divert most of the explosion, though we will still take some of the impact.

    ¡°I might need some help here,¡± I call to the others.

    There must be something in my voice because they immediately rush to join me in my efforts. Everyone who can, moves to reinforce, creating barriers of their own or using support skills. Sophie even shows off her manipulation of the earth forming a sizable mass of rocks into a wall in front of us, which she proceeds to strengthen with her web.

    The horizon turns bright white and then a light flashes, illuminating a huge area around us, turning the night into the brightest day. Every stone, every inch of the cliff face looks like someone is shining a massive flashlight across its surface.

    Then the heat follows and even as far away as we are the heat wave crashes into us, slamming into Sophie¡¯s rock wall and baking the stone. The shockwave follows next and I feel pressure against my barrier and pieces of the wall crumble, while some of the weaker barriers the others made start to flicker.

    All of this is followed by the deafening roar of the explosion, just before the Mana Radiation hits us. Similar to what I felt back in the Veil Ignition Station, next to the cracked core. It¡¯s not nearly as strong and it¡¯s not dangerous to anyone here, but it''s there and I can feel it hanging in the air.

    Lastly, with Mana Radiation arrives a weak field, which seems to be an attempt at disrupting mana. It''s weak and barely noticeable, but with my experience, I can sense it.

    Gradually, the light and the heat dissipate and we lower our barriers after making sure that it''s safe.

    We were so far away, and yet this happened. Could I do that on my own, by compressing mana into an orb? I don''t think so. I wouldn''t be able to keep that much mana under my control or collect it quickly enough.

    Could I do that with the help of items, perhaps some epic mana stones filled with my mana? Probably yes, but I would need help to create such an item, like when the Craft Guild on the 4th floor helped me create the ant obliterator. But even then it wasn¡¯t this potent. There was some Mana Radiation, but it was even weaker than what happened here and there was no disruptive wave following that. I mean it was almost like an EMP.

    And that¡¯s not even what it''s meant for, it was just a side effect of losing control of a combination of two incompatible or exceedingly compatible things.

    I love it.

    ¡°Who wants to check the crater?¡± I turn to Group 4.

    Huh, why are they giving me those expressions? Aren''t they curious?

 Chapter 330 - Start of the 1st tournament

    POV Tess Hansen

    Nat and the others stand around the crater created by his skills. ¡°A small accident¡±, he calls it. Kim and Lily are following close behind, though I notice that he seems to be a bit disappointed.

    ¡°I thought it would be a bigger explosion. Was most of the mana wasted? Or is it¡­¡± he mumbles under his breath.

    Well, it''s Nat, so I''m not even surprised, as I observe the crater and remember the explosion and how far away we were when we felt its effect.

    Could I have created something like this? Probably not, I mostly focus on increasing single-target damage, that''s why I picked the Potency mana upgrade. Nat could probably do similar damage to a single target, but I believe that mine is stronger; it''s just that his skills and their applications are¡­ exotic.

    As I watch Lily and Kim follow him like little ducklings, I can''t help but smile. It feels nice for the group to be together once more.

    ¡°That''s a nice smile,¡± Maya says as she stands by my side.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I say, smiling at her as well. ¡°It''s nice to have the band all together, well, most of us.¡±

    ¡°Dennis and Aaron will be back soon, and then it is group 4 at full power once again. After months,¡± Maya sighs and looks at Biscuit as he floats around Isabella, who, with a serious expression, tells him that she could create a crater like this as well.

    ¡°Yes, and when they get back, it''ll be us against the world once again,¡± I say.

    ¡°Heh, so silly.¡±

    ¡°I know, right? So what do you think of this?¡± I ask, gesturing at Nat.

    ¡°The crater or the guy?¡±

    ¡°The guy. Things like the crater are old hat at this point, and they come as a package with him.¡± As I say that, I declare the space around Maya and me as mine, preventing our conversation from leaking out.

    He notices right away as I create the field, and a golden light flashes in his eyes before he turns back to Kim and continues to explain something.

    ¡°He seems a bit more approachable. Even his expression is softer when he talks to the others,¡± Maya says.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s not just me.¡±

    ¡°You know him better, so what do you think?¡±

    I take a moment to think about the answer, ¡°Nat is¡­ well, his upbringing has been a bit difficult, so he likes to close himself off and keep to himself. I think having to take care of his disciple on the 5th floor has helped him realize a few things.¡±

    ¡°I can imagine that with the way the system chose our disciples. Mine was way too similar to me, Tess; it was almost scary. As if I was seeing myself as a kid. How was yours?¡±

    ¡°Mine was the same. It was like looking in a mirror, but I''m happy for that. It made me realize how cute I used to be and how well I''ve grown,¡± with a smile, I poke her side and then dodge her playful attack.

    I continue, ¡°As for our walking bomb, I''m happy to see him like this. You might laugh at me, but I think out of all of us, he might be the most normal person here.¡±

    Maya shoots a few small mana projectiles at me, and I evaporate them with my lightning.

    Unbelieving, she lifts her eyebrow, ¡°I know he keeps saying that, but Tess, you at least, should know better than to fall for it. The guy is bonkers. But now then, do you still have that snack you stole from the Butler? I will trade you a few rare-grade mana stones for it.¡±

    <hr>

    I partially filter out Min-Jae¡¯s and Lily¡¯s conversation and examine the crater once more.

    How is it so small!

    From the way the shockwave hit us, I expected the damage to be bigger. There was no implosion either.

    Did most of it get sent upward? Is the rock here more durable? Was there too much mana for an implosion to occur, maybe it was the lack of negative pressure?

    The smaller crater could also be because it was just compressed mana without any skill infusions or instructions. That could be it.

    As for the crown and black mana, I¡¯ve already thought about what went wrong. It''s highly likely that the crown should dominate mana, maybe even the black stuff; it''s just that the level is too low or, maybe I used too much mana when I created the black orb. Both of these problems seem to be similar in nature so in the future, they could probably work pretty nicely together.

    Imagine a crown infused with black mana absorbing the mana from the attacks being thrown at me and filtered through the crown to change the frequency so that I can use said mana. Later on I might be able to use the crown as a medium to absorb ambient mana.

    I already have a few ideas, inspired by the ethercrystal shortsword I got from that guy, Elydor. I wish I could meet him one more time¡­ to talk.

    The combination won¡¯t be viable for a while yet. Pushing black mana into the crown gave it easier access to my own mana. It continued to absorb my mana even through the Mantle and my natural barrier, it usually wouldn¡¯t be capable of that, at least not at this level.

    Then it even absorbed mana from my Mana Reservoir and I find that highly interesting. Very, very interesting.

    Damn, this shit is going to be good. I just need some training and levels.

    That''s when Lily moves closer and pokes my side.

    I don''t let her know, but I carefully strengthen my body and even then I feel it. Once again, I''m reminded of the physical power of the muscle heads in group 4. The heretics that didn''t go full mana.

    ¡°You said you missed us, did you mean me as well?¡± she asks carefully.

    But I can see where she¡¯s going. She knows the answer but wants to hear me say it out loud. I don''t mind all that much, it''s not that difficult to say, but something in the way this petite girl looks at me makes me want to tease her.

    ¡°Oh, yes, I missed Biscuit,¡± I answer before turning around, and heading to the bottom of the crater.

    ¡°H-hey!¡± she shouts and quickly follows me, nearly immediately appearing by my side with a quick movement.

    Did she use [Sacrifice] or is it her own strength?

    ¡°So you said you upgraded your Constitution?¡± I say changing the subject.

    She pouts for a moment, but happy even for that conversation she answers, ¡°Yes! It will make my body much tougher. But the main reason is that the stronger the body I have, the more I get from [Sacrifice].¡±

    Lily is still somewhat awkward. We haven¡¯t seen each other in weeks so it will take a bit to get as comfortable around each other as before, but it''s also fun to see her struggle.

    Am I the bully here? Am I the asshole as Earth''s future Absolute declared so long ago and my first minion confirmed?

    ¡°Any improvements to your usage of the skill or [Reconstruction]?¡±

    Her eyes shine at the opportunity and she gestures for me to look.

    She uses her skill and slowly her face changes, her nose becomes a bit longer, her cheeks sharper and even the shape of her eyes changes. Her lips grow bigger and her chin moves too.

    In the end, there is a small but clear resemblance to Tess.

    ¡°I can reconstruct my body and face a bit. Though I don''t know how to change the color of my hair, yet, but I will get there,¡± she declares proudly.

    Is she using such a top-notch skill to do magical plastic surgery? Did she spend her time on the 5th floor learning that? What the heck? If she is going to waste such a great healing skill like that she should give it to me!

    ¡°All those small changes taught me a much greater degree of control. I leveled so much!¡± She says quickly after seeing my expression.

    Oh, that makes a bit more sense.

    ¡°And look!¡± Without any hesitation, she rolls up her sleeve, and a dagger made of gray mana forms in her hand, just before she cuts her arm off at the elbow.

    The gray mana in the dagger then lashes out at the arm as it passes, disintegrating it. Min-Jae, standing nearby, pauses whatever he was doing and has an expression I can understand.

    I watch as with visible speed, Lily¡¯s arm grows back. She doesn''t use [Sacrifice], it''s just her healing skill, and it only takes her a few seconds.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The petite girl smiles cutely, ¡°I can control [Disintegration] a bit more, and if I want, I can ensure anything the skill touches becomes more difficult or nearly impossible to heal. Well, it''s not like I need it that much. Usually, when I hit something with [Disintegration], it dies, so anti-healing isn¡¯t needed.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I see.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s cool, right?¡±

    ¡°Very cool, Miss Lily! And yes, I missed you as well.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± a slight blush appears on her face. ¡°Nice try!¡± she giggles. ¡°But I¡¯m still mad at you for leaving me alone. I can understand, Tess explained it to me, but I can''t help it!¡±

    Should I deploy the hug strat? She is weak against it. But somehow, that feels cheap, ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. Let''s just give it time, and we will see.¡±

    After a short silence, she answers, ¡°Yes, let''s do that.¡±

    It looks like the 5th floor helped her. She seems to have calmed down a bit and she¡¯s not as clingy. That¡¯s good to see.

    (Food!) a message sounds in our heads.

    ¡°We¡¯re coming,¡± I shout back and gesture for Lily and Min-Jae to follow me.

    As we get out, we rejoin the others who already made a small circle around Isabella¡¯s fire orb, taking out food and water.

    Tess starts talking first, ¡°We now don''t need as much food or water as we did on Earth, hell we can last days without it, but let''s be careful. It seems like food is going to be scarce here, that is if we don''t want to eat the monsters, and most of them don''t seem very tasty. As for water, we haven¡¯t found any yet, so let''s go over our reserves.¡±

    ¡°Water shouldn''t be a problem.¡± I show Tess my epic water bottle. It''s filled with multiple swimming pools worth of water that I filtered in the Sanctuary.

    Hearing my explanation, she says. ¡°See if you can use it. The system might have blocked its use.¡±

    When I do so, it works just fine.

    ¡°Great, so the water won''t be a problem, and with the food we have, we should be able to last comfortably for multiple weeks.¡±

    (Food!)

    ¡°A week or two less if we have to feed Biscuit as well,¡± Min-Jae jokes, and I¡¯m sure he gets called an asshole for that by our cute doggo. Deservedly so.

    Biscuit wobbles on his short legs in front of me. His expression gives the impression that he¡¯s asking if I can believe such rude behavior, and then he climbs into my lap. There, I sneakily feed him a few small pieces of the dried deer meat I made on the 5th Floor.

    Slowly, hours pass, and the tournament is coming closer. Everyone takes a few hours of sleep while others keep watch, and stories are told.

    We joke, we tease each other, and we fight over whose disciple is stronger or cuter. We theorize about how we will find them or get the coordinates to their worlds.

    Even in the cold area and lit by light from the stars only, it feels somewhat cozy.

    Biscuit''s small body is comfortably warm and heavier than before. Lily is sneaking and moving closer to me. Maya teases Min-Jae, and Sophie refuses to leave Isabella''s side. Noodle seems to be annoyed by that but doesn''t show any aggression towards her. Smart small danger noodle.

    But the happiest of all seems to be Tess. She is quiet most of the time, but she has that smile on her lips as her golden hair seems to shine in the starlight.

    So we wait, and then the notification finally comes.

    Congratulations on your 1st year in the tutorial!

    The tournament preparations have been concluded.

    During the duration of the tournament of the 5th round of the tutorial, all Floor quests will be put on hold.

    The tournament will have a 7-day duration, and you can decide to participate or not.

    More information will be given after entering the tournament floor.

    Would you like to participate in the 1st tournament of the 5th round of the Earth''s tutorial?

    Yes/No

    ¡°Does it mean side quests can still be done?¡± Sophie asks. ¡°Or maybe it will pause the floor fully, and all natives and monsters will disappear?¡±

    ¡°It''s possible that side quests will still be available for people who decide not to enter the tournament,¡± Tess joins in. ¡°That would mean that the system will either block the progression of Floor quests or remove the natives or places you need to visit for them. It should be capable of that.¡±

    ¡°The seven-day duration is interesting as well,¡± I say, adding my piece. ¡°That probably means there will be one long event or we¡¯ll have multiple events.¡±

    Min-Jae asks, ¡°Do you think there will be any duels or will it be something else? What if we aren¡¯t able to meet each other, and only see each other during the duels?¡±

    ¡°In that case, I want to apologize ahead of time. I won''t hold back,¡± Tess says, smiling brightly.

    Please decide in the following 30 seconds if you would like to join the tournament.

    ¡°Someone''s impatient,¡± Sophie sighs and then grabs Isabella''s hand. ¡°In case we get split, try to find me, okay? I will be using our signal if that happens.¡±

    ¡°I have Noodle; I will be safe, Soph!¡±

    ¡°First place is mine,¡± I tell Tess.

    ¡°We shall see,¡± she says, returning my gaze.

    The time ticks down, and with a small bag of a few important items and a damaged arcane ax in my hand, I click yes. The rest of the things stay on this floor, buried deep underground and hidden to be retrieved when we come back.

    I don''t even feel the effects of the teleportation and find myself in a different place. The bright sun makes me squint my eyes.

    Around me, I hear small birds sing, the sky is beautifully blue, and the gentle breeze moves through the leaves of the trees all around me. The air smells like summer.

    Then I sense a presence behind me.

    Mana rushes through my already strengthened body, and I swing the ax in my hand, ready to redirect it if needed.

    As my body tilts, my shifting point of view reveals a thin girl with messy brown hair and lively eyes.

    She ducks under the ax and tries to stab me with the dagger in her hand. It''s a playful move, but extremely quick.

    Kinetic energy explodes into the area around me, and sensing that, she aborts the attack. With an even higher speed and three nimble jumps, she moves behind just out of reach. In the process, she easily dodges the few small orbs I launch at her.

    Then there she stands, her lively eyes observing me. There is no text over her head, identifying her as one of the other tutorial attendees.

    But just the way she hid her mana from me is scary. I couldn''t feel it until she was nearly touching me. Even now, as I look at her, she is barely different from the tree next to her when it comes to sensing her presence. And that speed.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± I ask.

    Lowering her guard, she just shrugs her shoulders. Then she lifts up one of her fingers gesturing for me to wait and nimbly moves towards one of the bushes and breaks off a small thin branch.

    She takes a few steps closer, not worried at all, and draws into the dirt on the ground.

    (;-_-)¥Î

    Haaa, is no one here normal?

    ¡°Tacita?¡± I ask.

    She nods energetically, happy for my guess, her brown hair bouncing around her head as she does so.

    The tournament is a competitive base, but also an opportunity to meet your fellow tutorial attendees.

    In one day the events will start, until then please enter the common area.

    There are no monsters or natives, allowing other tutorial attendees to get to know each other.

    Death is impossible on the tournament floor.

    Enjoy your first tournament!

    I look at the woman next to me who is still reading the notification. She is the first Beyonder I¡¯ve met other than Tess and Lily, so I''m curious. So far she is the same as she was in the Community and refuses to talk. She only uses emoticons.

    My theory that I''m the most normal here is getting stronger even as I meet more and more people.

    ¡°I''m Noname, you may have seen me talking in the Beyond community.¡±

    She nods a few times and does some hand signs. Sign language? Is she mute?

    Seeing my expression, she just smiles weakly, as if not expecting me to understand.

    Well, it doesn''t matter that much. The tournament has finally started and even though it''s not what I expected, I feel myself getting excited.

    I can''t wait to see people from Hell and other difficulties.

    <hr>

    POV Tess Hansen

    We got split again. At this point it¡¯s starting to get annoying how often the tutorial does this.

    ¡°Hello friend, my name is Gareth. I''m happy to finally see someone outside of my group,¡± the man in front of me smiles friendilly.

    He is tall, muscular, and has a face that seems like the kind you see on superheroes. The man is wearing full plate armor made of silver metal. I don''t see any weapons on him, but the armor itself feels like it¡¯s at least mid epic grade.

    ¡°Hello Gareth, I''m Sset, we¡¯ve spoken.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a fellow Beyond explorer!¡± he says excitedly. ¡°It''s nice to finally meet you. I hope we get along!¡± he says energetically and with a smile.

    Right away I know Nathaniel is going to hate this guy.

    <hr>

    POV Lily Chen

    The man in front of me doesn''t move. Even his expression is neutral. But the way he stands makes me put my guard up.

    Even though he is missing his right arm judging by the empty sleeve where it once was, he feels very dangerous. And there is a beautiful sword on his hip. The sword is broken, and half of the blade¡¯s missing, yet he¡¯s still carrying it.

    His face is calm, even pretty, he has a small birthmark under the left corner of his left eye. He has long black hair tied into a ponytail and very light green eyes.

    ¡°Are you a healer?¡± he asks.

    How does he know that?

    ¡°And if I am?¡±

    ¡°Then I will ask you to restore my arm. If you are capable of that, I''m willing to offer a trade.¡± He pauses, his eyes observing me, ¡°Are you his healer? Grumpy?¡±

    I get ready to use [Sacrifice], ¡°Savant?¡±

    His expression changes and he nods.

 Chapter 331 - Channeler

    I decide to land rather than fly any further, and once I have I proceed to walk uphill towards some buildings I saw when I was flying earlier. Tacita seems to be amazed by my ability to fly and even claps for me when I land.

    As we walk, she seems to become a bit more comfortable, neither of us making any attempt to speak. That makes me realize that I may have found a kindred spirit, a fellow introvert.

    We take the time to enjoy the nice weather and the pretty forest as we pass by. Even the sound of the birds is calming, It reminds me of Earth. I wouldn''t be surprised at all if this floor was made specifically to resemble Earth.

    As I¡¯ve been checking the tournament status, I¡¯ve noticed something interesting.

    Participants in the tournament:

    Easy difficulty - 1290

    Normal difficulty - 802

    Hard Difficulty - 231

    Hell difficulty - 31

    Beyond - 6

    When I compare it to the numbers I saw the last time, I come to the conclusion that a few people from Hell difficulty are missing, a few scores of people from Easy and Normal difficulty are not here, and only one person is missing from Beyond. Tess, Lily, Tacita, and I are here and Savant and Gareth aren¡¯t likely to skip out. So the 1st Beyonder probably decided not to join.

    I find that interesting and wonder what kind of reason he could have.

    Tacita catches my attention and gestures to me in sign language, then points in a direction.

    When I search the area with my senses, I notice a presence belonging to a couple of people who seem to have mana signatures on the weaker end of the scale. Unfortunately, it seems like I¡¯ll be meeting more people before I can regroup with the others and let them deal with it.

    Still, I''m curious, so I head in their direction, followed by the thin young woman.

    I take notice as she moves extremely quietly. She makes not a single sound as she walks, releasing no mana at all. She¡¯s even suppressing her heat signature and I can''t sense her heartbeat either. It''s as if she is not there. And that fascinates me.

    ¡°Hello!¡± Shouts a blonde man with gentle brown eyes, waving at us with a smile as he rushes to meet us as another man follows behind him. ¡°What do you think of the tournament? Seems promising, doesn''t it?¡± he inquires.

    I don¡¯t respond and Tacita doesn¡¯t seem to be any more forthcoming than I, and upon seeing this he chuckles nervously. The young man is extremely handsome. By that, I mean supermodel level handsome. Like damn, isn''t it illegal for a man to look like that? He could easily work as a model or an actor.

    Good for him.

    It pisses me off. Should I bully him?

    ¡°I''m Channeler from Easy difficulty and this is Oren from Normal difficulty!¡±

    Oh¡­ damn.

    ¡°I''m Noname from Hell and this is Tacita, also from Hell.¡±

    ¡°Noname!¡± his eyes widen and he takes a few steps closer and his bearing changes a bit. Like a chameleon, he adapts to his surroundings and he almost seems to shift his behavior specifically to deal with me.

    I¡¯ve spoken to Channeler the most out of anyone else from Easy difficulty, and from what he¡¯s said, he¡¯s been putting as many points into mana as he can get away with. Of course, not to the same extent as me, but even that small fact serves to raise my esteem for him by multiple degrees over the majority of the others.

    In a calmer voice, he continues, ¡°It¡¯s such a coincidence to meet you here. I want to thank you for all the advice you¡¯ve given me. I appreciate it and I''m happy to meet a kindred spirit,¡± he smirks and reaches out to me with his right hand.

    I grab and shake the offered hand, ¡°It''s fine.¡±

    ¡°As you say! But damn, you two from Hell difficulty are really good at hiding your mana, I can''t sense it at all!¡±

    I decide not to complain about his awkward attempts at probing our mana. It''s not smooth at all, and the feeling is more reminiscent of a lash from a wet towel than a subtle probe.

    "Don¡¯t mind Tacita, she doesn''t like to talk," I tell him when I see he is looking toward her.

    Quickly understanding, he nods, "Noted. Though Noname, you¡¯re fairly close to what I was imagining. Though I did expect you to be missing more pieces from the way Grumpy trashed your passive in the Community."

    "Grumpy likes to joke." For the moment, I¡¯ve decided to avoid pushing for any more information. I want to ask for his level, skill levels, and a lot of other things like the rarity of gear and such. But I kind of like the guy, though I only really know him from the Community, and it would be rude to ask such personal questions about his power level.

    I¡¯ll find someone to ask later. There is no need to hurry with a whole free day before the events start. And Channeler seems useful, really useful. He seems to be extroverted, but he seems to have a knack for reading people and adjusting his behavior.

    A high-level extrovert class like Tess.

    He could be useful in the future. Especially with his face. People tend to be more trusting of a person with spades of confidence and a pretty face. I will have to point him out to Tess.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    As we walk, he continues the conversation, never too much, just a simple sentence here and there. Even Tacita seems comfortable, and the other guy whose name I¡¯ve already forgotten is trailing behind.

    "I wonder what the events will be like. There¡¯ll be duels for sure. Surely someone from Hell is going to win. Or maybe we¡¯ll be separated by difficulty."

    "There¡¯ll probably be events for each difficulty as well, it wouldn''t be fair if the system put someone from Easy difficulty against someone from Hell."

    He nods, "That''s true. I wonder how many Easy difficulty people you would need to beat one of you from Hell."

    Then he asks about mana, and I find myself talking a bit more, it''s certainly a subject that I enjoy. So I give him advice and explain some things. Honestly, it feels almost like explaining things to Vega all over again, and in honor of my good mood, I also give him a small mana stone with inscriptions for training.

    "But that''s a rare grade mana stone, are you sure you want to give it to me?" Channeler asks carefully.

    "Just take it, It would sell for a few shards at most. It''s almost not worth it."

    "What do you mean it¡¯s not worth it? Do you know how rare items like this are in Easy?" He pauses, seeing my expression, "I can only guess you don¡¯t. I can tell you that I¡¯ve only ever seen one a few times, and I don''t think anyone from Easy has a rare grade weapon or armor."

    "But it''s only 200 shards to buy in the system shop," I note.

    "Noname, I have 150 shards and I¡¯ve been saving up ever since we started the tutorial."

    I check my shards.

    Shards: 64,725

    Am I rich?

    "Okay, let''s make a deal. If we meet people, you make sure they don¡¯t annoy me, and I¡¯ll buy you some rare gear before the tournament ends. You can even pick something in upper rare grade."

    He stays quiet for a while and then quietly asks, "There are more grades within the rare grade?"

    That poor guy. "Yes, there are low, mid, and upper grades within each grade. It doesn¡¯t matter if it''s rare, epic, or arcane."

    "A-arcane? Epic?"

    Oh boy.

    "Ignore that for now. I will give you a rare grade item if you tell me what level..."

    "I''m level 43! My highest level skill is level 8, it¡¯s one of the highest in my group! I have three active skills and two passives!" He seems to be proud, even happy at the level he reached.

    I stop him before he can continue. If he continues, I will only pity him more. "Okay, that''s enough. Here, take this," out of my bag I take a low rare amulet that creates a barrier around the user.

    Channeler just stares at it as he holds it in his hand. It''s as if he can''t believe I actually did it, and his eyes move as he keeps reading the description.

    Under his nose, he smiles weakly, "Of course, the economy is different for people from Hell. Thank you," he says when he lifts his eyes up.

    This time his voice is calmer and even his expression changes, "Noname, I wonder, are you looking for a colleague? Once we get out of the tutorial."

    Oh? Interesting character, is he not?

    "I will introduce you to Sset; she deals with things like this," I say, deciding to dump him on Tess. It might add a bit of work to her plate, but I will make sure to pay her back. I always do.

    "Thank you." Channeler smiles, and I look away. It should be illegal for men to be so handsome. I don''t consider myself bad-looking, but this?

    I glance at him again, and he still has a small smile on his lips. His blonde hair is messy, but with his face, even that looks good. The lighting is perfect as well as if he were framed in time, waiting for someone to take a photo to put on a fashion magazine.

    It pisses me off. Should I take the amulet I gave him?

    "Let''s go," I order.

    Then I take the lead, with Channeler right behind and the other guy from Normal difficulty nearby. Tacita follows at the tail, stopping from time to time, to enjoy the breeze with closed eyes, only to rejoin us with a few nimble steps.

    A Dexterity build? Maybe some kind of assassin judging by how subdued her presence is. I just hope she doesn''t have an invisibility skill; that would be too much. My plan to declare invisibility illegal is still in effect. Anyone who uses one will be punished, and monsters with Phantom in their name will be killed on sight.

    As we move closer, more people join our group, each welcomed in turn by Channeler, who seems to have great social skills and a never-ending well of energy. He is friendly, but not too nosy, and sometimes even mentions that I''m from Hell difficulty, which seems to take care of anyone who might become a problem.

    Yup, I need to tell Tess to hire him; this guy will make a great shield¡­ face of¡­ Well, of whatever we need. Maybe Tess will decide to found a guild when we return to Earth. Maybe she¡¯ll even take over a country or two. Channeler, as of now, seems like the perfect person to be our public face. Handsome people sure have it easy.

    That''s also when we meet the first people from Hard difficulty. Two guys in decent-looking armor.

    When Channeler talks to them, they laugh at him and push him away before he mentions this growing group of people has members from Hell.

    "Nice picnic you guys have here. But aren''t you too friendly, walking around and holding hands?" one of them laughs. "This is a tournament, for fuck¡¯s sake, so fucking act like it!"

    His other friend smirks like a man who¡¯s used to throwing his weight around. Coincidentally they stop near Tacita, who has her eyes closed, enjoying the sun''s warmth on her face. When they enter her reach, she opens her eyes and tilts her head curiously.

    "What are you looking at, scrawny? Want to get punched in the face?" he steps closer, reaching his hand to put it on her shoulder. "People with weak presence like you should..."

    Before he says anything else, Tacita''s hand moves like a flash; only I seem to be able to follow the motion, and even then barely so.

    The surprised man staggers back and opens his mouth to shout something. Instead of words, bloody foam escapes his mouth, and he just now realizes there is a dagger embedded in his neck and grabs it. In sheer horror, his eyes expand.

    The guy with him shouts and moves to attack, but Tacita''s hand flashes again, and he falls to the ground. Surprised, he looks behind himself to find his legs severed right below the knee.

    As they start screaming, Tacita turns to me and shrugs. Then she takes a swift step and pulls the dagger from the man''s neck. While the man twitches and thrashes around, she wipes most of the blood from the blade on his clothes before putting it away.

    With interest, I watch as the wound starts healing at a high speed. The wound on his neck closes in a matter of seconds, and he quickly regains color in his face. The man keeps holding his neck, looking at Tacita with a terrified expression and gasping for breath.

    So it looks like there is something to the statement that it''s impossible to die here, but is it really? It seems like you can wound people. So what if you cut off a head or explode their entire body?

    The other man watches as his severed legs crumble to dust, leaving part of his pants and his shoes on the ground. From his wounds, a new pair of legs start to grow in a matter of seconds.

    When I look at people from Easy and Normal difficulty, they seem to be even more scared than the two men from Hard difficulty.

    I turn to Channeler, "Let''s continue. I want to rejoin my group in the common area."

 Chapter 332 - Common area

    By the time we reach the common area, our group consists of a hundred or so people. Channeler, meanwhile, proves himself to be even more reliable than I expected and manages to keep anyone from bothering me. He¡¯s either seen through my personality or he''s scared of somebody pissing off Tacita and I.

    At one point, I hear a weird noise from above, and when I look up, I see a drone flying by.

    The heck?

    Without thinking, I push myself up and fly towards it, and stop to observe it.

    It''s a drone from Earth, that much I can tell. It¡¯s on the larger side and probably represents an investment of a few thousand dollars. As it floats there, making its unmistakable noise, its camera moves and looks right at me. The drone then moves up and down as if I¡¯ve startled the operator, and then the camera looks down under my feet and then back up at me.

    I am willing to bet 10,000 shards that the owner is someone from Easy difficulty. Those guys seem to have the easiest time. What''s next? A helicopter? A yacht? I wouldn''t be surprised.

    So, I snatch the drone, land, and turn it upside down, which causes the propellers to stop spinning. The camera continues to move and look around.

    ¡°You can fly?¡± Channeler asks, welcoming me with a shocked expression on his face.

    ¡°A bit. Can you carry this? I will give you an uncommon item,¡± I offer.

    ¡°Will do, boss!¡± the handsome man says, immediately taking the drone with a big smile.

    As we pass through the tree line and enter the clearing on top of the mountain, the view opens up to reveal hundreds of people already moving around.

    The clearing is massive, encompassing a few dozen grassy hills, both small and large. There are plenty of buildings. Some are small, and others are a bit bigger, and not unlike towers in their construction. Perhaps they¡¯re meant to be a place for us to sleep between events?

    There are more things of note, but just seeing the sheer amount of people having conversations around us is starting to tire me out. They talk, and some even proceed to fight, flashes of mana erupting into the air. Someone screams, and I hear a baby crying nearby. Did a baby somehow find their way into the tutorial, or did somebody give birth in the tutorial?

    It''s all weird. Even though they are all real people from Earth right now, they don''t feel all that different from the natives.

    I examine that feeling a bit more but have to stop when I notice a car in the distance.

    A goddamn jeep with solar panels on its roof. And next to it are two more off road vehicles with solar panels plastered over the body. They are worn and slightly damaged, but they still seem to be fully operational.

    What the actual fuck. How did they even get here with those hills?

    As I probe the area with my senses and head toward the signatures representing my group, only Channeler and Tacita follow.

    Passing through the people, I hear music playing nearby, either from a smartphone or a stereo. It all makes sense given that the other difficulties seem to be much safer. Some people probably made it into the tutorial while they were camping and got to keep all their gear. Some probably even got teleported while they were in a shop and took a big chunk of it with them.

    It''s just that for us from Hell, we have nothing left from Earth. No clothes, no phones, not even rings. All of it was either damaged, destroyed, lost, or had to be left behind. Yet there are people with cars, drones, solar panels, and smartphones.

    I even notice an older guy moving around with a camera and recording everything. He is wearing clothes similar to the ones I saw on the second floor, and there is a sword on his hip. But he¡¯s holding a goddamn modern camera.

    Deciding I''ve had enough, I push further, but after a few steps, I stop and backtrack. My head slowly turns to the right, and there I see a young woman holding a chocolate bar and carefully opening it while talking to the people around her, all of them seemingly from the same group.

    I take a few steps and enter their camp, which immediately gets their interest, and a few of them stand up, mana rushing through their bodies.

    They are so weak.

    "What do you¡­"

    "I will trade a rare item for that chocolate," I say straight away.

    "What?"

    "Two rare items, and even more if you have anything else I want."

    Channeler stares at me with an expression that is almost funny, but I put my attention on the woman. "So?" I ask.

    "Are you serious?" the older man with a beard answers instead of her and moves closer. I identify their group as either Normal difficulty or Easy. Hmm, maybe I could go up to an epic item for trade. I''m totally willing to do that. I still have a few smaller epic items I didn''t sell to the shop, so I wouldn''t be losing much. I can sell these items for 1500-2000 shards each at most.

    In answer to his question, I nod, and their group quickly puts their heads together, and a passionate conversation ensues. It takes a minute, and slowly they become louder, arguing.

    When the man turns back to me, he says, "We can trade you three bars. One of them has melted, another is past its expiration date, and the last one has a small hole in the package. We also have a pack of marshmallows, two bottles of soda, and a package of crackers. Those are in perfect state."

    Sounds good for a start, but I will get more; let''s just flash some of my riches, "Okay, what do you want?"

    He seems to be thinking for a while, but before he can say anything, shouting erupts behind us, "That''s my drone! Can you¡­"

    Without turning, I use [Redistribution] to grab hold of the man shouting about the drone along with the rest of his group. Each of them freezes mid-movement, unable to talk or move, though I allow them to blink and breathe.

    "So?" I say, nudging the man.

    He looks between the newcomers and me and gulps, "At least a few rare items. I don''t think you will find that many of them¡­" he tries to apologize for the high price.

    But I¡¯ve already stopped listening, and I take five rare items from my bag. One pendant, two mana stones with interesting defensive inscriptions. Then a dagger I¡¯ve been researching and a ring that provides the wearer with a weak disruptive attack.

    "Here," I say, handing him the items.

    His group moves closer, all of them excitedly reading the descriptions. They barely hide how happy they are with the items and hand me all the promised items, even adding an extra package of gummy bears.

    Saying goodbye, I turn to the drone man and release him from my skill¡¯s hold, causing him to stagger.

    After a bit of silence, he just asks, "Can I have my drone back? Please."

    I gesture to Channeler, who hands him the drone, and after exchanging a glance with Channeler, he asks instead of me, "Now that you have your drone back, I wonder, do you have any more items from Earth? Sweets, other technology, drinks, foods. My boss over here is willing to trade. He pays in rare items and might offer even more if what you have is worth it!"

    With fascination, I watch as Channeler quickly assesses the situation and slips into his new role. Under his social skills and innocent handsome face, the nervous drone owner quickly calms down, and his eyes start glowing with greed as he thinks about what he could trade.

    Group 4 can wait. Baller Nat is going to buy some stuff.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    <hr>

    It takes a few hours longer. During that time, Channeler finds two of his friends from Easy difficulty and sends them to scout with the promise of rare items as payment.

    While they go through the place, I stand off to the side and observe the people there. There are hundreds of them scattered about. People from every difficulty from Hell to Easy.

    There are small fights, there are celebrations, and a number of them just take advantage of the opportunity to speak with each other, no one¡¯s gotten too aggressive yet. I also notice groups of people from higher difficulties moving about, to break up the fights in an attempt to establish some degree of order.

    It''s all fascinating to watch.

    Channeler, walking next to me, stops anyone who tries to engage me in conversation, and even Tacita seems content to follow us, enjoying the shield that is the man from Easy difficulty.

    I do not talk to her, and that seems to make her more comfortable, and I don''t mind. I do keep a tentative eye on her though, I¡¯m still curious about her skills and levels. She¡¯s made it into Beyond as well, and her short clash with those men only provided me with more questions.

    So, we move from place to place, and I use my bag full of valuables to buy a few more things. A smartphone with a number of songs on it and a small solar panel I can use to charge it, the most expensive of them all. Then there are the sodas, processed foods, and sweets from Earth.

    Someone offered to sell me a Jeep as well, but I have no need for it. At the moment, I''m sure most of group 4 can move at speeds higher than that car.

    There is also a short conflict when a few guys from Normal difficulty attempt to make similar trades and try to interfere with mine.

    Wanting to test them, I only use mana to strengthen my body a bit, and after a short clash, they find themselves on the ground, with broken legs. Their wounds heal quickly, and I learn nothing of note from them.

    So, I take over and lead us to my companions, and gradually we reach a nice spot on the edge of the common area. There below a set of nice trees in comfy-looking grass, sit the members of Group 4.

    ¡°You¡¯re late, Noname,¡± Tess welcomes me.

    ¡°I come bearing gifts,¡± I gesture at the things being carried by the guys from Easy difficulty.

    They set them on the grass and stand there awkwardly. The poor guys are too shy to ask for their promised rewards! Either that or they are too scared.

    ¡°Good job, boys.¡± I take two rare items from my bag and present them with them.

    They look at it for a moment and rush away while thanking me.

    When I turn to Channeler, I notice that he is looking at group 4. Oh, I guess I haven¡¯t introduced them yet.

    ¡°Sset, this is Channeler, he is super useful. We have to hire him sometime in the future if we have the opportunity.¡± As I say this, I gesture for Biscuit to come closer.

    ¡°Is he a model or something?¡± Maya asks, staring at the guy.

    ¡°I wanted to ask that too! Noname didn¡¯t tell me the girls from group 4 were so beautiful!¡±

    Half expecting the girls to react with annoyance, I look up. Instead, most of them seem to have an interesting expression on their face, happy for the compliment.

    If anybody less handsome said that, it would be extremely cheesy. Yet from this guy, it''s been taken at face value.

    The world is indeed, not fair.

    ¡°Biscuit, look what I bought.¡± While he sniffs near the bags, I take out a small package with a can of high-quality dog food. Just looking at it, I can guess that it''s probably more expensive than what most people usually eat on Earth.

    At first, I''m worried he won''t like it, but to my surprise, he sniffs a few times and then starts nibbling on it, letting out cute wet noises as he devours the ground meat paste.

    I sit there for a few seconds, listen to those noises, and enjoy a great ASMR experience. Then I pet him and stand up, heading over to the pair of blonde boys sitting nearby.

    Aaron and Dennis have old clothes that are dirty and filled with holes, hell, they can barely be called rags. Dozens of wounds, burns, cuts, and bruises cover their bodies. The kind of things that would usually get taken care of by their natural healing.

    I notice a mark on their forearms that seems to affect their natural regeneration, and the system doesn''t heal the wounds caused before entering the tournament.

    ¡°Is there a reason why Lily didn¡¯t heal you?¡± I ask them.

    Aaron answers, ¡°If we return with healed wounds, they will punish us even more and start asking who healed us and how we removed the mark,¡± he shrugs.

    ¡°They?¡±

    ¡°Black Tower. The vice guild master didn¡¯t like that we tried to escape a few times and likes to¡­ to do this. His mark stops natural healing, and he will notice if we remove it.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to heal them, but Tess said it would cause more problems. I hate it, but we still don¡¯t know where they are on the 6th floor.¡± Lily says as she approaches.

    ¡°We also asked her not to heal us, so don¡¯t blame her,¡± Dennis looks at me, his blue eyes smiling even with the wounds covering his body.

    Dennis'' disciple died. Aaron followed him to the 6th floor so that he wouldn¡¯t be there alone, and then they got treated like this by a piece of sentient trash. Looks like I¡¯m going to be busy after the tournament and someone will be very dead.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you two are otherwise ok. When we return to the 6th floor, we will find you. So just hold on until then.¡±

    The two of them exchange a glance.

    ¡°We already have a plan, but we won¡¯t mind the chance to fuck the guy up a little bit more with your help,¡± Dennis smiles brightly.

    ¡°Just that guy? The entire Black Tower is going in the trash,¡± I say.

    ¡°Even better! Maybe we can try to blow it up,¡± Aaron laughs as if he thinks I''m joking. So silly.

    But anyway, ¡°Have a welcoming gift.¡± I say, handing a snack to each of them. ¡°I¡¯m glad you are safe and¡­ I¡¯m sorry about your disciple, Dennis.¡±

    After spending time with Vega, I have a hard time imagining how I would feel if she died, so the poor boy must have felt terrible.

    He thanks me, somewhat taken aback, and then I move around Group 4, giving time to everyone in the group.

    Biscuit, done with his food, floats over to me and boops my nose with his front paw. Isabella hugs me, and some of the other members are already stuffing their faces by the time I return to Tess.

    ¡°For you,¡± I tell Tess, handing her chocolate. ¡°You like milk chocolate, right?¡±

    ¡°I would hug you for that, but Lily would get mad,¡± she says, accepting my offering and putting it away.

    ¡°I would not!¡± Lily protests, sulking nearby.

    ¡°In that case,¡± Tess says, swiftly moving closer and throwing her arms around me for a short hug, with a mischievous look on her face the entire time as she looks at Lily.

    She quickly takes a step back after a second. ¡°Anyway, Channeler left to find his group, so you had better pay him back later and throw in some extra. I would like to keep him around.¡±

    ¡°Planning to take over the world when we get back to Earth?¡±

    ¡°Just a few places with nice weather where our group can go on holidays. Will you help me with that?¡±

    ¡°If it''s not too annoying. Just point me at anyone you need to be beaten,¡± I answer, I even mean it.

    ¡°Sounds good! Anyway, was that girl following you who I think she is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that was Tacita.¡±

    To my answer, Tess nods, and Lily becomes curious, looking for the girl who¡¯s already snuck off somewhere.

    ¡°I met Gareth, and Lily here bumped into Savant.¡±

    Right away, I turn to Lily, who is looking up at me with a smile. ¡°I healed his right arm in exchange for this.¡± The petite healer shows me a mana stone with an extreme amount of data inscribed inside, ¡°It¡¯s from the 2nd floor. Research notes on the use of regeneration-class skills, made by Champion Tristan and his disciple Hella, who was a healer.¡±

    Oh, the guy who, according to the Floor quest, destroyed the world with the Sword of Aeons, the strongest mana battery in the world, and his unique skill [Dawn]. But how did Savant get his hands on it?

    Lily smiles brightly yet somewhat shyly, ¡°It¡¯s useless to me; I''m already a good healer! But I got it for you; I know you have been trying to get an active healing skill or something similar. Savant asked me to regenerate his arm in exchange for this and I refused at first. Then he said I should agree and give the mana stone to you. He must have seen me complaining about your weak passive in the Community.¡±

    Damn, has she been scammed by that guy already?

    Still thankful, I take the stone and decide to pay her back later.

    ¡°But Nat, if you fight him, be a bit careful. We fought, and I lost. Of course, it was only because I wasn''t fully serious; I didn¡¯t want to kill him!¡± she says defending herself and gesturing wildly, before slumping down and sighing, ¡°But I got angry during the fight and used [Disintegration] on a reflex. He let it hit him and¡­¡±

    That¡¯s where I stop her, ¡°No need to say more. I don¡¯t want to know.¡± Even this is a big hint, and learning more would take some fun out of it. I would be able to prepare, and I might become able to win just because of that fact. But I don¡¯t want to.

    That guy has been someone I¡¯ve wanted to fight for a long time, I¡¯m always wondering which of us is stronger. And now, hearing that he resisted [Disintegration], I feel my hopes rising even further. This tournament will be fun.

 Chapter 333 - Events for the 1st tournament

    "So, as I said, I recommend buying a Detachment token and using it to remove your skill''s upgrade. At least for your main skill." I say.

    "That shit costs a thousand shards. I¡¯m not paying that to weaken my skill," Maya says, looking up from the smartphone I bought, just to complain.

    Then, having said what she wanted to say, she switches to the next song, and from the speaker of the phone, a cheery Japanese pop song starts playing, "Damn, I wish so much I could download something else."

    Tess takes the phone from Maya''s hand and increases the volume with a lively expression on her face, "I love it!"

    When Maya tries to take the phone back, a red and white spark of lightning hits Maya''s hand.

    That gives me an idea, "Do you think you could charge electronics with your lightning?" I ask Tess.

    "Nat¡­ it''s Primordial lightning, and I don''t think that''s how electronics work."

    "Not with that attitude."

    Aaron jumps into our conversation, "How much did it all cost you?"

    "Twenty rare items, I think? Give or take," I answer.

    "Damn, how many shards do you have?"

    "A bit over 60 thousand."

    "Oh, 6 thousand, not bad at all¡­"

    "60 thousand."

    "6 thousand?"

    "Sixty."

    "Sixty?"

    "Sixty."

    (Food!)

    "Sixty fucking thousand shards?"

    "Sixty-four fucking thousand shards," I say.

    The expressions of everyone around are extremely amusing to watch, and I feel my energy refilling. Vega would call me an asshole, but I''m sure she would be proud of her rich master.

    "Won''t you be able to buy an arcane item soon?" Min-Jae moves closer, looking at me while, as always, a dozen balls float around him as he practices.

    "Nope, I''m saving for a passive."

    "If you have so many, you should just give me that damaged ax¡­" Maya tries.

    "No."

    "Fuck," she deflates.

    I still have to study it. Later, I might even try to fix it. I''m curious what a low arcane item is capable of at its full power.

    (Food?)

    "If you really want it, I can give it to you, Biscuit," I answer honestly.

    At that, he burrows his head into my chest, and I continue to pet him. Such a good snuggly boy. The best doggo of the sixth¡­ no, the best doggo of the tournament floor!

    (Food.)

    "Thank you, I¡¯ll hold onto it. If you decide you want it, just ask."

    The others ignore our conversation, seemingly used to it already.

    "So, what kind of person was Tacita?" Tess asks.

    "Very quick, high dexterity. She also doesn''t hesitate to attack and snaps back easily. I think she has some kind of skills or traits helping her hide her mana signature, and she is hard to detect. Assassin type, for sure over level 200."

    "Sounds fun. Gareth, Savant, and her are probably the only ones capable of causing us any trouble." Tess muses, "The others from Hell difficulty shouldn''t be too difficult to deal with, even though I''m surprised the First Beyonder isn''t here."

    She already knows about most of the things I¡¯ve learned on the 5th floor, along with everyone else in our group.

    My willingness to share seemed to surprise them a bit, but since then, they¡¯ve opened up as well, sharing as much as they could to help us put it all together. Between the Pairing, the Floors, and the things they¡¯ve been through.

    "You met Gareth, right Tess? Tell us about him." Lily asks.

    "He¡¯s pretty much the same as he is in the Community. He is friendly and non-threatening, but I think he is a healer. As for his disposition towards self-healing vs healing others, I couldn''t tell. His Constitution also seemed to be pretty high. He didn''t move quickly, nor did I feel that much strength from him. His mana was fairly normal as well."

    ¡°So, a paladin build, perhaps a paladin of justice?¡± Aaron jokes.

    ¡°Or some kind of templar! Maybe he¡¯s rounded out his skills with some disruptive attacks on the side,¡± Dennis adds smartly.

    Tess just gives them a short look and a small smile, ¡°I also met a few people from Hard difficulty. Samuel and some others from a group called Legion. They¡¯re made up of soldiers and the people who follow them. You talked to them too, Nat.¡±

    ¡°I remember the guy. He seemed interested in speaking to people from Hell difficulty. Something about our responsibilities after we return to Earth.¡±

    Tess nods, ¡°Yes, that one. It looks like he took it seriously. He and his group have been moving all over the place, stopping fights and trying to recruit people, but I don¡¯t know how successful he¡¯s going to be.¡±

    ¡°And how many nationalities have you noticed? I don¡¯t think Tacita is from America, and Channeler is probably from Canada. A few of the people from Normal and Easy difficulty were even from Europe or Asia.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Gareth is from Germany, even though his family is from Britain, they moved there when he was little.¡± Seeing my expression, she just shrugs. ¡°He was really talkative. I also met a few smaller groups from South Korea and a bigger one from India.¡±

    ¡°We met a few guys from Japan and Poland, but most people seem to be from North America,¡± Aaron says.

    Maya throws a piece of chocolate into her mouth and says, ¡°I met a few guys from Texas.¡± She smirks, ¡°They did have a lot of guns. Apparently, they got summoned while they were at a shooting range.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think guns are going to cause us much trouble,¡± Min-Jae says, seemingly excited at the thought.

    Even then, I can¡¯t help but agree with him. At this point, I don¡¯t even think jets, tanks, or missiles could do much to anyone from Hell difficulty. It''s a fun thought. It could still be dangerous with a surprise attack using armor piercing ammo, so maybe it''s something to test out later.

    ¡°I saw a few women with a couple of babies, they can¡¯t have been older than a few months,¡± Sophie says.

    ¡°That¡¯s so damn dumb,¡± Maya shakes her head, ¡°but I guess people from Easy difficulty would be like that. From what I saw, it''s a game for most of them, and they¡¯re rarely over level 40.¡±

    ¡°I did talk with a few from Normal difficulty.¡± Sophie says, carefully moving Noodle so that Isabella doesn¡¯t jostle him. In response, the white snake thankfully flickers his tongue. ¡°People from Normal seem to be close to level 80, and apparently, people from Hard are a bit higher than that. But everyone seems to be slowing down their leveling.¡±

    ¡°With people from Hell being close to 150, and rare cases reaching closer to 200, there is quite a difference,¡± Tess breaks off another piece of chocolate and offers a piece to Min-Jae who¡¯s sitting nearby, and he takes it thankfully.

    ¡°What level do you think we will be when we get out?¡± the young Korean boy asks.

    Sophie answers, ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone will get to Champion rank, we¡¯re probably a good way off from that. But I can imagine people from Hell and Beyond reaching somewhere within the range of 350 and 400 or close to it. People from Hard, anywhere from 200 to 300. Normal, 100-150, leaving Easy at 100 at the most.¡±

    ¡°I wonder how big a difference there is between someone at level 250 from Hell vs someone from Hard,¡± Lily asks. ¡°I saw one healer from Hard difficulty. She was healing people in exchange for items. She wasn¡¯t even able to regenerate limbs. Even Nathaniel''s pathetic healing passive is better.¡±

    ¡°The difference will be massive. We have better skills, we have better classes, and passives of a higher grade. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if we even get better traits. Plus, our skills are much higher in level,¡± I say, chipping in. ¡°I''m willing to bet that I would have been able to beat a level 150 in Hard difficulty pretty easily at level 75.¡±

    While we talk, I watch as the majority of the things I just bought slowly disappear, but today I don¡¯t really mind. When they hesitate, I even open them on my own, and the bottles of sweet fizzy soda move around the group. Everyone seems to be smiling more than usual, even more than when we looted the kitchen in the manor back on the 3rd floor.

    Isabella wakes up to the crackling of a pack of chips, proceeds to stuff her cheeks and moves closer to me while Sophie and Tess joke about the country we should take over when we get back to Earth. Apparently, the weather and the quality of food are the most important factors.

    ¡°Can I?¡± Izzy asks, moving closer as she looks at me.

    I nod, and then I feel her [Empathy] connect to me.

    Curious, I observe her expression, and the 11-year-old girl smiles at me, her green eyes shining brightly.

    When she disconnects, she puts her arms around me in a hug and then pats my back, ¡°You are much prettier than you were on the 1st Floor.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± she confirms, acting all smart. ¡°It¡¯s still not perfect, but very very slowly, you¡¯re starting to feel like a hero.¡±

    That amuses me even more, and she seems to notice that even without her skill.

    ¡°It¡¯s not funny! I saw it on the internet. Some old guy said that Heroes are not born; they are made, and to me, you¡¯re starting to look like a hero! You saved Soph and helped us so many times.¡± She explains.

    Such a silly girl. One day I really want to see her interact with Vega.

    Instead of responding to something so outrageous, I caress her head, almost trying to pull her non-existing horns, something I got used to doing.

    ¡°How was Seneca?¡± I ask her.

    A mistake, I realize quickly, as Izzy spends the next two hours telling me about her adventures on the 5th floor and the time she spent with Seneca, her disciple.

    It would be fine if she shared interesting information, but Izzy doesn¡¯t know about the Veil, the Ignition Stations, the Champions, and natives. She mostly talks about her adventures and fights, about teaching her disciple, and other silly things. But being in a surprisingly good mood, I decide to let her talk for tonight while I sit back and listen.

    At some point, the boys join as well, and Izzy gets Dennis to talk about his disciple who died.

    Such cruelty surprises me, yet Izzy keeps asking with her childish honesty, seeming to have some hidden plan in mind. Aaron tries to stop her a few times, but she manages to talk over him with a fast stream of words each time, and slowly Dennis opens up.

    He talks about his time on the 5th floor. How he was scared, how he was annoyed with his disciple, and how, as he slowly opened up, they started building a relationship.

    He talks about their adventures and all the silly things. In detail, he talks about the time they found a hill with a beautiful view. He talks about getting scared by a tiny animal in the middle of the night.

    Then he gets to the point when his disciple dies, and even though it feels cruel, Izzy keeps asking. And Dennis talks. When he cries, the little girl moves closer, taking his bigger hands into her smaller ones.

    Isabella asks again, she makes him talk more and share it all. She doesn¡¯t even use her skill to share his emotions with us, but it¡¯s all out in the open for us to see.

    No one talks over him, no one minds his tears; instead, people offer their support and listen to the quiet words he has to say.

    That¡¯s how we learn about his disciple, a young human girl called Draya with whom he spent such a short, yet impactful time.

    By the time the night comes, Dennis seems as if a weight has fallen from his shoulders, and he hugs Isabella for a long time, whispering quiet words of thanks.

    <hr>

    During the night, two of us keep watch while the others sleep. And one of those keeping watch happens to be me.

    The place we¡¯ve chosen to stay is a bit higher than the plain where the buildings and people are, and I watch the lights down there with abject fascination.

    Every single person there is a real person from Earth, not a native of the floor. It¡¯s still a weird feeling.

    I listen as some cheer, celebrating late into the night, and making contact with others. Over two thousand people, are all in the same situation. They share information, they trade.

    Of course, there are some fights, flames light up the sky, projectiles fly, and mana blazes up, but never anything too serious, they¡¯re just small conflicts aiming to establish a pecking order.

    Even then, a small group of stronger mana signatures moves to the conflict, stopping it and building up recognition early. People devoted to taking on that role even after returning to Earth.

    I wonder if they are truly selfless or if it''s just a cold calculating move with the hope of saving work and time later.

    <hr>

    When morning comes, half a day remains until the 1st event, but we finally get a notification from the system with the schedule.

    Events for the 1st tournament of the 5th round of the Earth tutorial have been decided. They are as follows:

    1st event - The Survival Domain

    2nd event - The Siege of Aether Keep

    3rd event - Avatar Confrontation

    4th event - The Arena

    5th event - Chronicle of the Past

    The first event will start in 12 hours. More information will be shared soon.

 Chapter 334 - WhiteWing

    ¡°So, the events are Battle Royale, Tower Defense, Raid Bosses, Duels, and whatever the last event is,¡± Dennis declares confidently.

    ¡°You and your theories. Just wait a few hours, and the event will start,¡± Maya stretches, and we continue to walk between the buildings and the camps people have set up.

    We¡¯ve already found a house with a nice view to stay in, and Aaron, Sophie, and Izzy have stayed behind to watch over our things. The rest of us have decided to look around and gather some more information.

    I secretly hope to meet BenDover and Sami, the guys from the Hell and Easy difficulty Communities. Finding them among so many people could be challenging, but a man can dream, right?

    At some point, Tacita joins us as well. She appears out of nowhere, walking with our group, and scaring a few of our members when they notice her.

    After I tell Lily who she is, Lily rushes to her and stops an arm''s reach away, ¡°I''m Grumpy! I can heal you! Na¡­ Noname said you can''t talk, and I''m a healer; I should be able to do it easily.¡±

    At that, Tacita shakes her head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything for it; it¡¯s really simple, and it doesn¡¯t even hurt,¡± Lily then reaches her hand to touch the slim girl and stops, with a dagger held at her neck.

    Quickly the mood changes, and the smile disappears from Lily¡¯s face.

    ¡°Take that dagger away before I tear your arm off,¡± our healer says calmly.

    For a moment, she and Tacita look at each other before the mute girl smiles brightly and takes the dagger away.

    To that, Lily calms down and says, ¡°Sorry for trying to heal you without your consent.¡±

    Tacita lifts her hands in the air, seemingly gesturing that it''s okay, and she gives a single short pat on Lily¡¯s shoulder. Her mood improves even more when Lily gives her a piece of candy from my hunt.

    Watching this exchange, I''m once more validated in my belief that I''m the most normal person here.

    Also, as we walk, I''m validated that Biscuit is the most handsome boy in this round of the tutorial. We see some animals, and some of them even feel somewhat strong. A white cat, a crow following a man from Hard difficulty, a big pitbull. We even see some monsters. A horse with six legs, a bird with a wingspan more than twice my length, And a pack of six weasel-like creatures.

    When Biscuit approaches them, seemingly out of curiosity, and then the animals and monsters start screeching out of pure fear. They tremble and don¡¯t even try to run; instead, they step back and cower, growling quietly.

    Each time, Biscuit just looks at them and then leaves.

    It seems to disturb some of Group 4¡¯s members, but I''m only proud. His greatness is showing even now.

    ¡°Did you notice that field?¡± I ask Sophie.

    ¡°Yes, and to be honest, it''s trash,¡± she says. ¡°I can sense that multiple people collaborated on it, and it¡¯s likely that they¡¯re all from Hell difficulty.¡±

    And I agree with her. The field covering the clearing is pretty weird. It¡¯s nothing like Veil and it¡¯s not even comparable to the barrier protecting the Bastion. The field in question is basically some sort of mana detector, meant to detect emissions over a certain level and send a signal and location to the creators.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably Gareth,¡± Tess joins. ¡°He said he was going to speak with Samuel, and that he felt like he had a point. So they, ''re probably using it to police this place.¡±

    We give her a questioning look, and she sighs, ¡°Gareth told me before, like I said, he¡¯s very talkative.¡±

    ¡°Well, it''s not like it is hard for them to take care of a few people. From what I''ve seen, I could deal with tens, maybe hundreds of Easy or Normal difficulty people fairly easily, and I could probably handle a good number of people from Hard as well,¡± Maya says.

    The way she underestimates her powers feels weird. I myself am sure that I could wipe out everyone from Hard difficulty even if all 200 some odd people joined forces against me.

    Following Tess, we reach a spot where a large group of powerful individuals have gathered. I can feel that much from their mana signatures. I switch to Sneaky Mode and observe like I used to back on the fifth floor.

    The central part of this clearing is occupied by a huge white spacious tent with multiple open entrances. The inside seems to be well illuminated though it¡¯s shielded from anything that might overwhelm the eye. It seems cozy, and the tent is big enough to fit a hundred or so people.

    ¡°Sset, my friend. I¡¯m glad you made it,¡± a man says as he emerges from the tent, seeming to be the strongest in the group.

    He seems to be around 40 years old, though he¡¯s muscular and fit. There is a friendly smile on his face, and his jaw is probably sharp enough to cut glass.

    The next thing I notice is the beautiful silver armor he is wearing. The armor looks heavy, made of thick plates of metal, and yet the man moves naturally.

    ¡°Hello Gareth, these are Noname, Grumpy, Knight, StrongestOne, and NotAaron.¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes turn to me as he examines me for a moment, and then he smiles. ¡°I¡¯m happy to meet you as well, Noname and Grumpy. It¡¯s always nice to see my fellow Beyond explorers. I also welcome you, Knight, StrongestOne, and NotAaron. Jakub and Maximillian seemed to speak with you quite often, and I¡¯m sure they would be glad to meet you when they return.¡±

    I once again have to remind myself that Jakub and Maximillian are Lootenant and Brainiac from the community. Gareth surely loves to continue to doxx everyone he meets. What a guy.

    When he stops in front of me, I observe him and the hand he offers. He is doing it all so naturally, with a big smile on his face. I already feel his extrovert passive leeching off my reserves of social energy.

    ¡°I would like us all to be friends, Noname,¡± he says, pushing his hand even closer.

    In the end, I shake hands with him just to make it stop, and he turns his attention to other members of group 4. He quickly greets everyone, gives out compliments, and asks about their experiences. And he does it all as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

    What a monster.

    When he moves to Biscuit, I expect our future animal overlord to growl at the man. Biscuit is really good when it comes to judging characters, and Gareth seems like a clear-cut B-movie villain pretending to be a paladin of justice. All so he can reveal himself as the villain in the final act.

    But to my surprise, Biscuit barks softly and lets the man pet him a bit.

    I¡­ I don¡¯t understand. As I start to use black mana to power [Focus] and think things over, Gareth turns to us all, ¡°In the past few hours, the system has unlocked a number of buildings near the center of the common area.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Anything interesting?¡± Tess, sits opposite Gareth in a similarly comfortable position, as the rest of us plop down beside them.

    At this point, it''s our extrovert against theirs, and I focus on listening.

    ¡°There are living quarters with plenty of rooms. They seem to be more luxurious than the ones on the edge, but they require payment in shards per night. The more expensive ones can run as high as several hundred shards per night. Some houses come with facilities for enchanting, smithing, and other basic needs. You can also rent more specialized facilities independently, without the house.¡±

    Good, as it should be. A few hundred shards per night? I was worried the system lost its way. Being reminded that the system is a scamming asshole is always nice. Later, I will fly over to check the buildings and prices. It might be worth it to shell out a few shards as long as the view is nice.

    Gareth continues, ¡°There are also facilities that can be unlocked. These facilities provide access to basic metals and materials at a better price than the system shop. People from Hell or Hard difficulty have already made deals and combined shards to unlock facilities and purchase materials.¡±

    ¡°You can put your shards together?¡± Min-Jae asks, surprised.

    ¡°Oh, sorry for the confusion! It¡¯s more like one person will pay for one day, another one for another day, and a third one might buy materials while they try to balance the expenditure.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all good. So the system is giving us a chance to craft and smith items for the tournament, maybe even an opportunity to fix and create items to bring with us after the tournament?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gareth agrees. Even sitting there in his silver armor, he looks somewhat majestic. ¡°There is also a tournament variation of the system shop that only allows items created, with materials from local shops to be auctioned off and sold to tournament participants.¡±

    ¡°How big a cut does the system take for the item sold?¡± I ask.

    ¡°How did you know the system takes a cut?¡± Gareth turns to me, surprised. ¡°Did you already know about this?¡±

    Knew it! System, you greedy little shit. Is it because the Ruler of Greed has something to do with you, or are you just set like that?

    ¡°I guessed from my experience with the system,¡± I respond.

    ¡°That makes sense, but nice catch. As you said, the system takes a 10% cut, which isn¡¯t that bad considering the reduced cost of materials.¡±

    I detect two presences moving closer, and two men enter the tent. One of them is slim and short with messy brown hair and seems to be somewhere around the twins'' age. The other appears to be somewhere around my age, maybe a bit younger, and he enters with a smile on his face.

    The smiling red-haired man turns to us. ¡°Group 4, the biggest Hell difficulty maniacs!¡± he declares.

    ¡°Maximillian, please, be nice to our guests,¡± Gareth says softly.

    ¡°Don''t worry, Gary, they¡¯ve heard worse from me! I¡¯m Brainiac, and this must be the best doggo of the¡­ what is it now? The best doggo of the tournament floor? That¡¯s what you guys have been calling him, right?¡± he moves and squats in front of Biscuit, offering him a hand for Biscuit to sniff.

    Then I sense an exchange between them, and Brainiac, real name Maximillian, stands up, shouting, ¡°He really talks!¡±

    ¡°Hello,¡± the boy with brown messy hair says, as he moves in with a friendly smile.

    ¡°Which one of you is Noname? I wanna see the legendary mana maniac.¡± Brainiac looks around, then following the looks of others, he stops at me.

    He takes a few steps, ¡°So, all the things I said before, I was joking, you know that, right? No hard feelings.¡± When he offers me his hand, I can''t sense any ill intent or dishonesty in his actions.

    Taking another big blow to my social energy, I stand up and shake his hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°So, how much mana do you have?¡± he asks curiously. ¡°Six, seven hundred?¡±

    I check.

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1015 + 1015

    So I nod, ¡°Something like that.¡±

    ¡°Max, it¡¯s rude to ask about that,¡± with a sigh, Lootenant moves closer and pulls his red-haired friend away, ¡°I apologize for Max. He''s a good guy but he can be annoying sometimes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Tess says, standing up with a smile on her lips, ¡°I¡¯m Sset, it''s nice to meet you in the flesh, Brainiac and Lootenant, or would you prefer Maximillian and Jakub?¡±

    It¡¯s amusing to see the two young men react to the pretty, tall, and blonde Tess. Lootenant seems to even blush, and Brainiac is taken aback, his eyes moving up and down Tess''s figure.

    With interest, I wait to see how long Tess will let him continue before she zaps him, but unfortunately, it doesn''t get to that point.

    Tess introduces Lily, Min-Jae, Dennis, and Maya.

    Unsurprisingly, the young men are happy to meet the other boys given the way they spoke in the Community, and they get sucked into a conversation like old friends.

    ¡°Tsk, I wanted to see Tess zap him,¡± Maya says, moving her chair next to mine.

    ¡°Me too,¡± I murmur in agreement.

    ¡°Want to bail and check out the houses they mentioned? Tess can take care of the rest,¡± she offers.

    ¡°You just want to find a nice house and have me pay for it.¡±

    ¡°Yes I do,¡± Maya agrees shamelessly. ¡°You are rich, and it might make you more attractive in my eyes. Don''t you want to look reliable and capable in the eyes of a pretty young woman?¡±

    Well, Maya used to be a professional trainer, and after her time in the tutorial, her body has become even more athletic and she¡¯s not wrong, she could easily be called pretty, between her dark skin, wavy black hair, and dark brown eyes, but.

    ¡°The ax is now 55 thousand shards.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, why! You said 49 thousand before.¡±

    ¡°I need to make more money to seem more capable, apparently.¡± I stand up. ¡°Take Dennis, and we¡¯ll head over. He can connect to Aaron and tell the others to move in.¡±

    Before I can change my mind, she quickly exchanges a few words with Tess and pulls Dennis away from the group, and we head outside and deeper into the center of the common area.

    The deeper we go, the nicer the houses are. The common area isn''t exactly flat; there are a few small hills with houses at the top. Some houses even seem to have been built into those smaller hills. The common area is massive.

    Walking through streets made of cobblestone and passing by beautiful houses, we reach the center of the plaza, at which point I take the opportunity to look around.

    Finding a house that I like, I head there; it''s on the smaller side with a workshop nearby. The house sits at the top of a hill that is shielded on one side by a forest, leaving the front of the house as the only part facing the rest of the place. And by being at the top of the highest hill in the area, it offers a nice view of the town.

    As we approach, a barrier stops us, and a message pops up.

    Would you like to rent Forest Edge Retreat and the accompanying facilities?

    500 shards/day

    Well, it looks like Gareth wasn¡¯t joking.

    ¡°Yes, I want to pay for the entire length of the tournament.¡±

    Would you like to pay 3000 shards to rent the Forest Edge Retreat and the accompanying facilities?

    Yes/No

    I confirm, and the shards disappear. After that, the barrier disappears, and Dennis sends a message to the others to move in.

    ¡°How much?¡± Maya asks curiously.

    ¡°Three thousand for the full duration of the tournament.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± she gasps.

    Unlike her, I don''t mind. Opening the tournament system shop and checking items and their prices, I already know I will get my shards back with plenty of extra.

    About ten hours remain until the start of the 1st event, so that''s plenty of time to cook up something nice.

 Chapter 335 - [Restriction]

    The first thing I bought was a bar of some random metal, which is floating in front of me now, held there by the mana I¡¯ve surrounded it with. To that end, I''m using my crown to increase my level of control. At the same time, I''m releasing thermal energy and melting it, allowing me to mold it into the shape of a dagger. All things I¡¯ve learned from Nevan.

    I would like to use better materials or even kinetic energy to pummel the metal more or experiment with alloys, but that¡¯s currently out of my reach. Those are goals for the future. For now, my goal is to create a rare item and sell it through the tournament¡¯s auction system.

    The materials must be bought from the tournament shop as well, but their prices aren''t very high, which of course means that the quality isn''t all that high either, but it should be enough for me to make some rare items.

    I allow the dagger to settle on the facility¡¯s worktable and take a moment to look over at Isabella and Sophie, who are experimenting in the corner. The sisters seem to be having fun together. Isabella creates flames which Sophie helps her shape and they use the resulting effects in an attempt to mimic my techniques.

    It was Isabella''s idea and the mind manipulator, Sophie ¡°siscon¡± Martinez, of course, agreed.

    ¡°Flames need to be more even at the edges and slightly hotter in the center,¡± I warn her for the fifth time.

    ¡°I know. You told me already!¡± the little girl complains.

    Turning back to my dagger, I absorb the rest of its heat, accelerating the cooling process, and observe the results.

    It''s made of simple gray metal with a core composed of a more conductive metal, creating rough pathways, connected to a mana stone embedded in the metal dagger. The dagger is entirely made of metal. If someone has a problem with that, they can modify it later.

    I spend a few more minutes sharpening it, heating up sections of the blade, and hitting it with small bursts of kinetic energy.

    The result is ugly as sin but it should be functional enough.

    Manabound Stiletto (rare) - This dagger is bound with mana, sharpening its edge as mana passes through. It can slightly disrupt magical armor or barriers.

    Should be fine for now.

    ¡°I want to sell this and the other five daggers I made.¡±

    To be able to sell the items in the tournament shop, register as a seller. Please, pick your alias.

    Huh? This again?

    For a moment, I think of just using Noname, but then I change my mind and pick a different name.

    Would you like to register as "Fuckyouintentbitch"?

    ¡°Yes,¡± I confirm. I hope that the stalker is watching. This one is for you, Duplicaniel. I know you would have appreciated it.

    Congratulations, you have been registered as ¡°Fuckyouintentbitch¡±, you can now offer items made by you for sale.

    What starting price do you wish to set for Manabound Stiletto (rare)?

    The low rare items are usually 200 shards outside of the tournament. As for this one, it did cost me around 50 shards worth of materials.

    ¡°150 shards,¡± I say, and then set the same price for the other 5 daggers I made and then close the window.

    I should get a 600 shards net profit if they sell for the price I''m asking. If someone bids more, my profit will be better. After the 1st event, I plan to make a few more to while away time here and make some shards. Others can have fun with people.

    Next, I move closer to where Isabella and Sophie are experimenting and observe the process. I don''t say anything but watch.

    Sophie is still using her [Manipulation] to help Izzy control her flames while her little sister tries to copy the techniques she saw me using. They are practicing on a piece of metal I brought here from the 6th Floor. The result can''t be sold in the tournament shop, but it''s good for practice.

    Curious, I observe Isabella''s blue flames and try to compare them to my golden ones. As of now, I still haven''t gotten what the exact difference is between flames made with thermal primordial energy and normal ones so I''m curious.

    Could it be that I still haven¡¯t seen the true power of thermal energy? Are there any steps I¡¯ve missed? Is the difference great or small?

    Isabella''s flames are the result of her [Pyrokinesis] and they are beautifully blue, with no hint of another color no matter how strong she makes them. With her subclass, Kindness, she can even control them. It''s to the extent that she can burn the monsters in a big area while her flames don¡¯t hurt anyone she doesn''t want them to. Not even heat touches them.

    I''m also fairly sure that her subclass strengthens her [Empathy].

    When she makes a mistake and more than the intended amount of flames leaks from her, I absorb some so she won''t destroy their project. Then I depart while holding blue flames over the palm of my hand and observing them, leaving the sisters to experiment.

    Entering the house, I meet Brainiac, Lootenant, and the boys in the living room.

    The red-haired Brainiac shouts, ¡°Nice place, Noname! I always knew you were rich.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± I wave at him and continue to the next room.

    I can¡¯t help but overhear the conversation behind me as he speaks to Dennis, ¡°To be honest, I thought he would be leaking mana all over the place but he seems¡­ normal? Was he just trolling us with all that mana stuff?¡±

    Escaping the range of his extrovert debuff zone, I plop into a chair seated next to a big window with a nice view. Outside the window, Lily and Maya seem to be having a light sparring match, while conserving mana before the 1st event. Even then, they move with surprising agility, both the healer and the athletic Maya.

    Once again, I''m reminded that I''m in big trouble if I lose control of my mana. Even with my Active Tempering, their physical stats are just that much higher than mine. Especially Lily, who¡¯s upgraded her Constitution and still puts a lot into physical stats. There is also the weird thing she¡¯s been doing to slowly strengthen her muscles and bones.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to spar?¡± I ask, looking at Tess, who¡¯s sitting nearby, reading some papers.

    I notice that her haircut has changed once again. Her back length blonde hair has been woven into a neat braid. She seems to enjoy changing it up every now and then.

    ¡°I have no time,¡± she says, gesturing at the papers. ¡°We are exchanging information with Gareth. Oh, did you know there are only 31 people here from Hell difficulty? 10 from Gareth''s group WhiteWing, 4 from IDK, 9 from our group, Tacita who is apparently alone in her group, Savant who is also alone in his group, and 6 from TheGuild. So 7 people decided not to join. The ones that never engaged with the Community.¡±

    ¡°We are also missing the 1st Beyonder guy, remember that.¡±

    ¡°I do, it''s hard to forget the guy.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to fight him.¡±

    Tess sighs, ¡°Of course, you did. But don''t worry, you still have Savant, Tacita, and Gareth. Oh, and there¡¯s Lily and I too so be careful.¡± She smiles before looking back at the papers. ¡°We tried to share more information about the 6th and 5th floor with Gareth''s WhiteWing but the system censored the words, muted them.¡±

    ¡°Well, no surprise there.¡±

    ¡°Yes. We tried to set ciphers, we tried telepathy, and we tried to hint or write the information down. But the system is adapting and censoring the words no matter what we try. Even when we tried to leak information by ''mistake'' or allow them to barely hear from a distance.¡±

    ¡°Have you tried anything like sign language?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the system even blocked that.¡±

    So very annoying. Before I can say anything we get a new system message.

    The 1st event - The Survival Domain will start in 1 hour!

    In one hour everyone will be transferred to a randomly selected map, all difficulties will participate together. The terrain will be picked from those within the system¡¯s database.

    You will be facing the environment, other competitors from the 5th round of the tutorial, and a shrinking domain.

    The 1st event will take place over the course of 5 hours, and the contenders will be rewarded according to their performance and final proximity to the center of the domain.

    Note: You can''t restore your mana or stamina during the duration of the event.

    Note: No equipment is permitted to be brought inside the Survival Domain.

    Note: There will be items of different rarities randomly placed within the domain to be used during the event. The items are:

    1 low arcane grade item

    10 low epic grade items

    50 low rare grade items

    100 uncommon grade items

    500 common grade items

    Note: You can use [Restriction] for this and the remaining events.

    Placing [Restriction] allows you to restrict your status to the state from the end of a certain floor you decide. You may break this [Restriction], but doing so after accepting it will be counted as a loss and you will be immediately removed from the event.

    To place [Restriction] you need to call out to what Floor level you want to limit your status. The stricter [Restriction] you impose upon yourself, the larger the improvement in your rewards.

    ¡°Fuuuuck, is the rarity after epic called arcane? How crazy must those items be?¡± Brainiac shouts from the living room.

    Well, it seems like everyone got the message.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± I ask Tess who seems to be reading the notification again.

    ¡°I like the part with [Restriction].¡±

    I knew she would like that. ¡°What if you restrict yourself to your power level of the 3rd Floor and someone like me chooses to stay on the 5th or 6th Floor level?¡± I ask.

    ¡°That makes it risky and fun, doesn¡¯t it?¡± she smirks.

    ¡°Oh yeah, it does,¡± I agree.

    This is fun. Being able to put a [Restriction] on myself could make even a fight against lower difficulty people fun while also giving out better rewards. For example, Gareth and his group are in the middle of the 5th floor and Savant is at its end, so the members of group 4, having made it to the 6th floor, with rewards from the 5th floor should have an advantage.

    But with [Restriction] in the mix?

    ¡°Dennis, you were right, it''s a Battle Royale,¡± I call out to Dennis who¡¯s sitting with the other boys in the living room.

    ¡°Told you!¡± he shouts back.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about your mana running out?¡± Tess looks at me with interest.

    ¡°With my reserves, I should have the advantage against anyone with less than me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± she nods. ¡°So what if you meet someone from Beyond or someone from our group?¡±

    ¡°No holding back,¡± I answer simply.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll throw something your way when I spot you,¡± she muses with a cheeky smile, ¡°should be easy enough.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you want to risk missing with your pitiful mana reserves?¡±

    ¡°We will see about that,¡± she declares.

    Now that I think about it, a good number of people will probably group up to survive until the end and last the full 5 hours before fighting among themselves. I could ask Tess now, but somehow I don¡¯t feel like it, seeing how competitively she¡¯s been looking at me.

    Well, I''m sure it won¡¯t be so easy for her to snipe me in a crowd of almost two thousand people. The map will surely be massive.

    <hr>

    With a few minutes remaining, group 4 reaches the center of the common area. There are lots of pretty trees planted to create plenty of shaded retreats surrounded by flowers and benches. There is even a fountain and a small lake nearby with their own seating. It¡¯s massive.

    There are people everywhere, excitedly checking the timer. It almost feels like some kind of celebration.

    I wonder what the mood will be like after the 1st event? Will fighting each other sour the mood? Will they be the same after seeing what people from other difficulties are capable of? I¡¯ve already noticed but Easy and Normal difficulty are fairly soft. I can tell just from the way they look at me or how cluelessly they move around, without paying attention. They¡¯re either incompetent or the lack of danger hasn¡¯t made the effort necessary.

    They grill outside, they drink, and they trade. There are even a few babies barely a few months old. I saw them fight among themselves too, but being under level 50 for Easy or 100 for Normal, they are not that strong. They seem even weaker when I consider group 4''s power during that period.

    In ten seconds, you will be moved to the 1st Event''s area!

    The countdown starts and I look around, meeting the eyes of the others in group 4. I even notice Gareth as he waves at me.

    Quickly averting his gaze, I notice another man looking at me and turn to him.

    The man has a slim face and pale green eyes. His long black hair is tied into a ponytail that rests on his back. Under his left eye, there is a beauty mark. He doesn''t avert his gaze and my eyes meet his.

    I feel my mana rouse up and my heart pumps Primordial Energies through my body. Instinctively, I feel myself collecting my mana.

    That man is dangerous.

    You will be transferred to The Survival Domain. You have three seconds to place [Restriction] if you wish to do so.

    I watch as he mouths a few words, and I do the same.

    ¡°4th Floor [Restriction],¡± I call in tandem with him.

    Then both of us disappear together with 2,355 more people, and the 1st event of the tournament starts.

 Chapter 336 - Start of the 1st event

    Flashback Savant - 1st Floor

    ¡°We will throw that cripple to the goblins!¡±

    ¡°You can''t do that! Are you even human!?¡±

    ¡°Shut up if you don¡¯t want to find yourself being thrown to them instead. There is no way he will survive the remaining duration of the Floor quest, so he can at least help us this way.¡±

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Just close your goddamn eyes if you don¡¯t want to see it! And you remaining dickheads better keep quiet or I will fuck you up!¡±

    I watch as the rest of our group does just that and no one else tries to voice a different opinion. When he turns to me, he isn¡¯t even smiling. He is scared. No, he is terrified, even more than he lets show.

    ¡°Hear that, cripple? In the next attack, you will hold the monsters back so we can run.¡± He looks briefly at the stick I¡¯m using to walk after I lost my prosthetic leg in one of the previous attacks.

    My classmates, my professors, everyone avoids my gaze when I look at them.

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    <hr>

    I feel [Restriction] envelop me and it''s a disgusting feeling. My stats are lowered and my skills are as well. There is that feeling of resistance when I try to access skills I didn¡¯t have on the 4th Floor. The resistance feels like it would be easy enough to push through, but that would mean breaking [Restriction] and I don¡¯t want that.

    My level has only been reduced by 20, but a good number of my skills have been reduced to a much lower level and my base mana is at 782 instead of over 1000. It''s still good enough to deal with anyone who chooses to attack me.

    Most importantly, my Thermokinetic Mana Heart has been downgraded. Vortex Core is also gone and with it, the improvements to my Mantle. The Cognitive Fortress and Mana Overload Absorption are gone too, and my healing passive is capped at its rare version.

    Annoying, but very doable.

    But one thing amuses me. It looks like this event is better for people who went for Amplification instead of Regeneration. Regenerating mana or stamina seems to be impossible here so the builds that rely on a small mana pool with quick regeneration are at a disadvantage.

    Amplification is indeed superior as I knew so long ago. Small pewpew builds can only shake in fear.

    I look around and find myself standing in the middle of a big plain. There are mountains in one direction, and in another is a black wall of clouds with lightning flashing inside that seems to be moving fairly quickly, passing through areas and devouring anything inside. In another direction, the white towers of a small city dominate the sky, and in the last direction is a forest with trees that seem to reach the clouds.

    A warning from [Perception], a flash of lightning, and I push my body away with kinetic energy to dodge the attacks. It happens again, and I continue running, strengthening my body as efficiently as possible.

    Watching the direction the attacks come from, I start to predict their trajectory which doesn¡¯t seem to change once they leave the caster and I avoid them without wasting mana.

    Of course, I can¡¯t see the attacker, but that white and red lightning is unmistakable.

    Tess''s barrage of attacks is aggressive, she¡¯s infused the rocks she¡¯s shooting at me with her primordial lightning, damaging the area around me. However, they¡¯re only intended to confuse me and make me let my guard down. A real attack will follow the moment I do.

    I expand my domain and focus on using [Perception] while I jump behind the huge rock nearby.

    More than sure that Tess is capable of piercing it, I keep my attention up aware of the possibility of her trying to reposition. At long-range, Tess has always had an advantage over me, especially now when I can¡¯t afford to waste my mana in some ill-advised attempt to catch her. I¡¯m also not sure what kind of [Restriction] she¡¯s put on herself, if any.

    My senses sharpen, looking for any sense of danger, and I feel my heartbeat quicken even when I¡¯m not using it to generate any energy.

    It¡¯s exciting. It¡¯s thrilling.

    Looking to the side, I watch the black wall of lightning move closer and closer to my position, the thunder roaring and the lightning tearing anything it reaches. There is also a new notification window, and I check it for a moment.

    FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? LightAbove (Normal, 6th)

    Is this the kill feed? And damn, Biscuit, did that guy try to kidnap you because he thought you were cute, and give you the opportunity to kill him mercilessly?

    Good boy!

    I watch as more notifications appear and the number of people inside seems to decrease quickly, barely a few minutes in.

    2210 / 2357

    Finally, the storm reaches the place somewhere between me and Tess, and I move from the rock and run toward the city I can see in the distance.

    A terrifying piercing noise reaches me and I rush mana through my body, creating a barrier around my forearm while launching myself away.

    Yet still, the thrown shield boosted by [Psychokinesis] and covered in Primordial lightning strikes the barrier, sending me spinning, and following it a stone crashes into my chest, the sheer force sending me rolling over the ground.

    Damn it, Tess! That¡¯s not how you use a shield! How the hell did you find an item so quickly?

    The attack stops, and I hear a small explosion from Tess¡¯s direction, either someone¡¯s attacking her or the storm¡¯s forced her to move.

    I use more kinetic energy, moving towards the city. A bruise is already forming on my chest and I¡¯m sure at least one rib is cracked. Between trying to conserve mana and being surprised by [Restriction], I wasn¡¯t able to strengthen my body quickly enough.

    While on my way, I grab the shield she attacked me with. It''s already crumpled, useless, just a common grade item, so I throw it away.Stolen story; please report.

    Reaching the gate, a pathetic excuse for a fireball comes right at me, and I don¡¯t even bother absorbing its heat and disrupt it with a little bit of mana.

    Quickly detecting its origin, I shoot an orb toward the attacker.

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Potato (Easy, 5th)

    The name sounds familiar, but I don¡¯t know why. But 5th in the name probably indicates the level of their [Restriction].

    Pushing myself up, I check the body that is already turning into particles, but I don¡¯t find any items and head deeper inside the city.

    Down on the street, three men are fighting each other, ice-based attacks crashing against hastily constructed barriers, and projectiles made out of stone erupt like they were launched from a shotgun.

    I create three small mana orbs and spin them around my body. To save mana, I make them move faster before slinging them.

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? George (Easy, 7th)

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? IsThisHell (Normal, 5th)

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Cheesus (Normal, 6th)

    This is getting fun!

    Curious, I say, ¡°Leaderboard.¡±

    A new window pops out.

    1st (40 pts) - Grumpy

    2nd (26 pts) - Savant

    3rd (22 pts) - Sset

    4th (18 pts) - FoodFood

    5th (15 pts) - Brainiac

    6th (12 pts) - BenDover

    7th (11 pts) - GoodBoy

    8th (9 pts) - Tacita

    9th (6 pts) - Noname

    Okay, first, what the fuck, Lily. Second, I really like it; it''s almost like a game.

    So, I "killed" 4 people, 2 from Easy and 2 from Normal. The points are probably different for each difficulty, so does it mean Easy is 1 point, Normal is 2 points? That would fit.

    But the requirement for winning this event is to survive for 5 hours and be as close as possible to the center of the Survival Domain, and I know where that center is. It''s marked by a tall pillar of bright white light that reaches and pierces the sky. I can also see the barrier far off in the distance. It''s hard to say if it''s shrinking, but it¡¯s either started the process or it will in time.

    Detecting another presence, I move, and see another man sneaking into the city. He is sending detection waves into the surroundings, and I look at the text over his head.

    ManaShallPrevail (Normal, 6th)

    Damn, I like the name, but I''m sorry, buddy.

    Once again, I shoot a dense mana projectile, and it reaches his head, about to pierce it.

    I curiously watch as the orb disappears just a millimeter before killing the man, and his body immediately turns into particles, teleporting him outside.

    So that''s how the system deals with that kind of wound. The attacks that just hurt will most likely pass and cause damage that won''t be healed by the system during events, and any attacks that would kill are negated, and the target is disqualified.

    A few more presences appear on the edge of my detection, and I start hiding my mana, using Mana Cycling as I move over the roofs.

    With just a few more jumps and careful boosts, I move behind one of the chimneys of a medieval style city. A few roofs down, a group of 5 men have gathered, two of them from Hard difficulty and three from Normal, discussing something energetically.

    The leader is holding a bow that seems to be around rare grade and keeps watch. He stands in the center sending waves of mana outward to scan the area.

    They are a bit secretive, but to me, he may as well be shouting in my ear.

    How the heck is he even from Hard difficulty with scans like that?

    I get ready for combat and reach past them, placing a [Tether] in the middle of their group, expecting them to react before I send an attack through.

    They do not try to disrupt it. Even when the man''s scans washes over the anchor, he doesn''t seem to notice it.

    They don''t sense anything even as I send a strong pulse of thermal energy through, causing it to explode in the middle of their group, killing them all and destroying a chunk of the building.

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? GigaChad (Hard, 6th)

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Toastmaster (Hard, 5th)

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? MidnightM (Normal, 6th)

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Bobby (Normal, 5th)

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Ellie (Normal, 6th)

    My points increase to 22.

    So, Easy for 1, Normal for 2, and Hard for 5. And I still can''t see rewards for positions, so maybe they¡¯re just personalized according to performance? That seems likely.

    I take the damaged bow out from under the debris, and it is in fact rare quality. Useless to me, so I just place it in the middle of the clearing to make it seem like a drop, and then I place an anchor near it, all while making everything as covert as possible.

    For the following thirty minutes, I watch a constant stream of people moving into and through the city. A large number of them detect the bow and head straight for it after scanning the area.  I''m almost disappointed by how terrible their scans are.

    After killing the 3rd group trying to take the bow and hunting two more groups passing through the city, I decide to change location.

    People here seem to be from Easy and Normal mostly, and there¡¯s rarely anyone higher, and I¡¯m tired of that.

    With a pulse, I destroy the bow and head out of the city, entering the grassy land where I limit my output even more while sending my scans out even further.

    1st (84 pts) - Sset

    2nd (68 pts) - Savant

    3rd (61 pts) - Grumpy

    The top three are being led by Tess; it''s obvious that she would have a nice advantage here because of her skills. I, meanwhile, am 5th with 49 points.

    I check the total again, to find that it¡¯s been reduced significantly since the last time I checked.

    1819 / 2357

    As I approach the field, I detect a presence that feels different from any other I¡¯ve felt until now.

    Hiding my mana and carefully placing anchors, I move closer, and on the edge of the forest, I watch two women passing by, both of them holding items and both from Hard difficulty. But there is someone else who interests me more.

    A man crouching at the top of a small tree the women are passing under. He has a shortsword barely as long as his forearm but he holds it more like a dagger.

    One of the women seems to notice something and quickly looks up but before her eyes meet the man, the air around him flickers, and, like a chameleon, he camouflages with the area. Even his presence disappears, in a manner resembling Tacita¡¯s, though it¡¯s significantly inferior.

    The woman, confused, squints her eyes, but then pokes her friend, and both of them rush away.

    Most likely saving mana, the man, who seems like he¡¯s about 30 years old, cancels his skill and appears again, this time with a cruel smile on his face.

    BenDover (Hell, 5th) reads the text over his head.

    My very good friend from the Community. One of the people I¡¯ve most wanted to meet. I still remember the numerous insults he directed at my family and then at me. I also recall how he mocked Eris and Myrra later, boasting gleefully about helping to kill them both.

    The blade of the shortsword he¡¯s holding is coated in a sickly yellow substance, something that feels like a combination of poison and disruption, and he becomes invisible again. At this point, I''m willing to bet his class has Phantom in the name.

    It''s like the asshole is actively trying to make me hate him even more.

 Chapter 337 - Silent Strike

    Well, it seems like my buddy BenDover over here finally made it to the 5th floor. He doesn''t even seem like he can detect the presence of my anchors.

    I''m long since used to my opponents disrupting them or detecting them and that makes me wonder if it''s less common than I thought. Is that not how it usually goes? Have the opponents I¡¯ve been facing just been that good?

    Curious, I put an anchor in front of him as he takes a step to follow and kill the women and that''s when he finally notices it. He squints his eyes and then to my surprise, he turns around and starts running away, even activating that camouflage skill of his.

    Huh?

    Before following him, I create two javelins, fill them with a decent amount of thermal energy, and then boost them with kinetic, shooting them at the women.

    One of them blocks the javelin intended for her and the other one tries to run away, dodging hers, but the javelins explode into golden flames.

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Momo (Hard, 5th)

    The other woman starts running away, even dodging the third javelin I shoot but then runs into an anchor and a burst of kinetic energy finishes her off.

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Emmmmmm (Hard, 5th)

    Then I use the anchors I placed to follow BenDover, easily tracking his location despite his attempts to hide it. To be honest, I would be quite disappointed if I was unable to do so. I put a lot of effort into being able to track invisible opponents.

    I find him standing in the middle of a clearing filled to the brim with his traps, almost like my anchors, but worse.

    ¡°I know it''s you, Noname! I saw the notifications. Show yourself, you dick!¡± he shouts.

    Things like this feel more satisfying up close and personal so I enter the clearing without trying to hide, using part of my mana to strengthen my body.

    BenDover is around 30 years old. He has a short pointy beard and creepy eyes. He isn''t all that tall but his shoulders are wide. The sword he¡¯s holding is coated in sickly yellow mana.

    ¡°Finally, I¡­¡± he doesn''t even finish the sentence before he launches an attack at me from behind, clearly trying to surprise me.

    An acid-like attack splashes against my barrier and sizzles on the surface, unable to penetrate it, even with the attack''s weak disruptive properties. A light flashes, blinding me for a split second, and when I can finally see again the man is gone and his traps as well.

    With a sigh, I enter the clearing, and boosting my body I turn around, grabbing the invisible man by his neck. My other hand grabs the arm holding the sword he was trying to stab me with.

    He opens his mouth and tries to spit yellow acid in my eyes, only for it to be blocked by a small barrier, then five needle-like mana projectiles strike at my back only to be stopped by [Redistribution].

    I disrupt his mana and break his arm, taking his sword. Then I let go and punch him in the face, using more mana to match his speed in defiance of his higher base stats.

    When he staggers back I send kinetic energy to the anchor behind him, sending him stumbling back towards me and I punch him again, breaking his nose.

    With interest, I take notice of the systems refusal to heal the wounds for now. So it seems like they only heal in the common area, not during the events. That makes sense.

    He curses, dodging my next attack and I sense he is boosting his body to increase his Dexterity. So I disrupt his mana, falling back on a tactic I experienced fairly often until I made the Mantle.

    His attacks slow, and I punch him again, then kick his crotch, making him¡­ well, bend over, and my knee hits his face, further breaking his nose.

    ¡°I remember you said something funny about my parents,¡± I note.

    Without giving him the opportunity to talk, I slow his movement with [Redistribution] and then pierce his side with the sword I took from him.

    Even then, he somehow manages to concentrate enough to create a blue mana dagger and stab at me at the same time as my shadow moves, trying to grab me and slow me down.

    Just a short pulse of disrupting mana ends both of his attempts, and I knee his face again, sending him to the ground where he groans. He is constantly trying to strengthen his body or activate his skill, but I''m disrupting it all with [Resonance].

    When I squat over him and grab him by his hair, he tries to say something, but it''s hard to understand with his torn lips and broken teeth.

    I look at his face, which is a bloody mess. ¡°I do not believe you were able to deal with the Matriarch or Myrra on the 4th floor."

    Without letting him say more, I create a small orb filled with kinetic energy over the palm of my hand, and grabbing it with my fingers I push the orb into his mouth.

    When I kick him away, I call out one more warning, ¡°I will find you in the common area,¡± and then I let the orb in his mouth explode.

    As before, the system doesn''t let it happen, and the man just turns into mana particles, being transferred outside.

    It seems like the system was prepared for this kind of attack as well and really doesn''t want participants to die. After seeing it in the works I guess I can do some hardcore training later.

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? BenDover (Hell, 5th)

    My points increase to 69, which is nice, but seeing the black wall of the storm, I decide to move away, heading towards the white pillar of light.

    <hr>

    I jump behind the tree and shoot a javelin toward a group of hiding people, barely missing the head of a man from Hard difficulty.

    His group launches a barrage of attacks at me. Rocks, pale blue mana projectiles, and even some decent fire orbs. At the same time, three more move to my right, trying to encircle me while others keep me busy. I send more kinetic energy to the orb I anchored to my core, making it spin faster around me.

    When the first woman with a sword and shield rushes at me, I sling it against her where it crashes into her shield, releasing the golden flames stored inside.

    Right after, I rush her, absorbing those flames and reusing them in a thin stream of flame that envelops another man.

    Strengthening my body, I grab an ax that the third one swings at me, disrupting the mana coating the blade. My kick breaks through his mana armor, causing him to crash into a comrade who¡¯s wielding a shield. I activate the anchor I placed on his chest while kicking him, and golden flames envelop both of them.

    Absorbing flames from the man I burned first, I grab him and use his body to block a barrage of attacks and shoot a javelin with an anchor tied to it toward the salvo¡¯s origin.

    When I appear behind the trio, they notice it, turning around, but I teleport again, appearing near another anchor in front of them. A thin cone of kinetic energy kills the man who launched so many mana projectiles.

    The fire mage envelops herself in flames and rushes at me in hand-to-hand combat, only for the flames to die off as I absorb them. A sword forms in my hand, and I cut her down and transform it into a shield, absorbing a barrage of stone attacks.

    I lift my leg and stomp, sending kinetic energy into the ground under me putting a stop to the man''s attack.

    He turns to run away, but two of my javelins pierce him in quick succession.

    Scanning the area with a wave of mana, I relax slightly and force myself to calm down.

    Breathe in. Breathe out. Slowly.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Now repeat.

    I have to hold myself back to keep from letting go and embarking on a rampage. I''m enjoying this event way too much.

    There are so many people with so many different skills, mostly in groups I have to deal with on my own. I have to do it while conserving my mana and stamina and I still have to get used to my reduced stats. All while avoiding Tess sniping me out of nowhere or Tacita popping out from behind a corner.

    ¡°Leaderboard,¡± I say.

    1st (168 pts) - Sset

    2nd (139 pts) - Noname

    3rd (136 pts) - Savant

    4th (91 pts) - Grumpy

    5th (84 pts) - Brainiac

    Of course, that silly blonde still holds the 1st spot. With her [Farsight], she just needs to locate easy or Normal difficulty people to kill with minimal mana and from a large distance. But Brainiac surprises me. I didn''t expect him to climb so high up. Lily better be careful too and avoid wasting her mana if she wants to be in a good state at the end.

    It makes me happy that Min-Jae made the ranking, currently at the 8th spot, followed by Biscuit in the 9th.

    Four hours remain and half of the original number of people remain, just over 1200.

    That''s also when the barrier, which has been stationary up till now, shrinks for the first time. The barrier seems to be composed of a mass of solid red energy, only allowing light to pass and finally shrinking at the speed of a top runner once exactly 1 hour has passed.

    It''s eerie to watch it approach at such high speed, especially when looking at the massive area it covers.

    At the same time, it starts raining, the raindrops themselves seem to contain a bit of mana. Not enough to cause damage, but enough to make detection class skills more difficult to use as the droplets splash and burst, generating noise in the form of stray mana.

    I [Focus] and filter out bits of useless information and the colors around me lose some of their vibrancy as the rain falls, drenching me immediately.

    The black wall of clouds expands and the lightning can be heard constantly, its strikes reverberating in the air and the flashes of light serving to light the area.

    Indeed, the system is good at setting the mood because a party of 6 men exits the line of trees seeming to have tracked me.

    Gareth (Hell, 5th)

    Brainiac (Hell, 5th)

    Lootenant (Hell, 5th)

    Mari (Hell, 5th)

    Ghast (Hell, 5th)

    Pumpkin (Hell, 5th)

    Yeah, this seems about right.

    ¡°Noname, are you dumb? You guys are on the 6th floor so why did you place such a heavy [Restriction]?¡± Brainiac asks the moment they spot me.

    ¡°Because I wanted to. Are you guys cheating? How the hell have you gathered so many members of your group so quickly?¡±

    The redheaded guy who seems to be the most talkative member of the group just smiles and shrugs, ¡°Power of friendship!¡±

    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t hold this against us,¡± Gareth stands in front of the others.

    A blue suit of armor surrounds him and he places some sort of mark on the other members of his group.

    I make an experimental attempt to disrupt that connection but it holds strong. Either my skill isn¡¯t high enough, I need more mana, or it''s just impossible to disrupt.

    ¡°Basic formation,¡± Gareth says simply.

    Brainiac immediately moves to the back followed by two others. Meanwhile, Gareth heads in first, two more members by his side. Mari, a woman with a dagger and a sword in her hands, and the man called Pumpkin with mana collecting in his fists, elbows, knees, and shins.

    I know I should keep my distance, maybe even fly high into the air and bombard them with ranged attacks. That style of fighting always seemed to be the best option. But as always, I make the decision to stay at medium range, and the reason is simple.

    It''s more challenging and fun that way.

    The first one to attack is Brainiac, and he shoots projectiles that I can''t see and can barely sense.

    To dodge, I tilt my head, and three sharp projectiles miss me, cutting through the air while the thunder roars as the black wall of clouds moves closer. The projectiles behind me seem to disappear, their presence weakens, and they turn to attack me again, in an attempt to keep me from noticing them.

    Acting as if I haven¡¯t seen them, I create a dozen projectiles of my own, spinning them around my body, and when Pumpkin attacks me with his mana infused limbs, I dodge to the side, and Brainiac''s projectiles disappear before they can injure his teammate.

    I launch my projectiles, and the mark Gareth placed on him glows, and silver hexagonal barrier the size of my fist appears to block them.

    The woman with a sword and a dagger senses my burst of kinetic energy and blocks it, and the projectile aimed at her is blocked by a silver barrier.

    I infuse my golden flames with disruptive mana, and the darkening area around us lights up, the raindrops evaporating as the flames envelop the man attacking me with his fire. The silver barrier surrounds him, and more and more mana rushes into it in an attempt to fight the disrupting properties of my flames.

    Even though I know I just need to keep it up for a bit longer to get through, I stop and dodge a few more invisible and hardly noticeable attacks from Brainiac, and then an even smaller one from behind me.

    ¡°Damn, you are the first one to notice that one!¡± he shouts.

    He falters in surprise as I shoot a javelin at him, boosted by kinetic energy that gets barely blocked by Lootenant who¡¯s staying close to him. The javelin just changes its direction mid-flight and heads to some kind of weird orb Lootenant dropped all over the place and hits it instead.

    Without time to examine the interesting skill more, I boost my body further, dodging Mari, who¡¯s clearly surprised by my sudden increase in speed and cut through her dagger and sword with a dagger coated in [Resonance].

    The man named Pumpkin launches an attack from behind, but I just shoot a blast of kinetic energy at him that even now gets blocked by a silver barrier, and I disrupt Brainiac''s attacks.

    In a smooth movement, I dodge Mari''s kick, and the dagger in my hand extends and turns into a spear which I burrow into her shoulder, spilling her blood.

    Before I can send thermal energy into her through the spear, she disappears, Gareth taking her place, my spear embedded in his shoulder.

    A silver light flashes and my barrier blocks it, throwing me away.

    I absorb my inertia mid-air, confusing Pumpkin, and his attack misses. Boosting my body, I stab my spear into his leg, but again, he disappears, Gareth taking his place as well. The man in transparent blue armor grabs my spear, and with impressive strength, pulls me closer.

    I disrupt a few more attacks from Brainiac, this time needing to use more mana as he seems to be trying to get through my mana jamming, and a mace made of silver mana similar to his barriers forms in Gareth''s hand.

    It clashes against my dagger, and I send more resonating mana through it, carving the mace apart to the man''s surprise, and stabbing the dagger into his chest.

    He disappears, and Brainiac appears where he was, and a barrage of extremely quick attacks clashes against me, cutting into my flesh twice before I disrupt them.

    Brainiac is smiling, but I do not attack him. Instead, I use the anchor I placed on the dagger I left in Gareth¡¯s chest and appear in front of the man who, like me, has made it into Beyond. His wounds have already healed, and his armor strengthens itself even further.

    I open my mouth, and a tricolored orb just turning bright crashes into him, and then I teleport away despite his attempts to stop it.

    Appearing in the air, I look down at the ground, expecting the explosion. Instead of that, a silver barrier surrounds my orb, and with a grunt from Gareth, it disappears, the explosion of white light, shockwave, heatwave, and following implosion tearing the forest nearby apart.

    No words pass between them, but they seem to be communicating. And this time, I really regret this limitation of not being able to restore my mana. I want to fight. I want to throw my all against them.

    But I can''t. I have placed a limitation upon myself and there are still four hours remaining. There is Tess, there is Lily, and Tacita, and most importantly, there is Savant.

    I check my reserves and close to 20% of my body mana seems to be missing already.

    My frustration increases even more when the man that was just standing next to Brainiac shoots a lightning spear at me, and I¡¯ve sensed him charging it the whole time. He even placed a mark on me that seems to serve as a beacon for the powerful charged attack made of white lightning. Something I let happen out of curiosity.

    Instead of dodging or using a black orb to absorb it, I just cover the back of my hand in a barrier of disrupting mana, and with a dismissive gesture, I disrupt the attack.

    ¡°Fucking monster! You¡¯re under a restriction, so act like it!¡± Brainiac shouts at me.

    ¡°Behind you,¡± I call back at him.

    ¡°As if I would fall for that¡­¡± in the middle of the sentence, he stops and throws dozens of slashing projectiles into the area.

    No matter that Tacita dodges them all, a calm expression on her face the entire time. She dodges and parries attacks thrown at her. Lightning and Lootenant''s weird orbs either disrupted or flicked away.

    When a silver barrier surrounds Brainiac, a wild smile appears on her lips, and her arm moves in a blur. She attacks dozens of times, the mana-coated dagger in her hand tearing through the barrier and turning Brainiac into particles of mana with one last slash that would have separated his body from his head.

    One of the reasons why I''m up here is because I noticed her sneaking closer.

    The rain continues to fall down, making her messy brown hair wet and stick to her face. Wordlessly, she catches my gaze, and she waves at me with squinted eyes and a smile.

    The message is simple.

    You are not safe there.

    Tacita (Hell, 4th)

 Chapter 338 - Natural enemy

    Out of every member of Hell difficulty or person that got into Beyond, there is one I respect more than any other. You wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that¡¯s because of the degree of the advantage they would hold if we fought.

    I don''t know Savant''s skills yet, but it''s not him. It isn''t even Lily despite the fact that she has the most powerful damage oriented skill I''ve seen so far. It''s not even Tess with her extremely long-range and powerful attacks. And it''s not Gareth with his barriers and weird form of teleportation.

    No, the person that worries me more than any of them is Tacita.

    Even now, I''m not sure if I noticed her because she wanted me to, she''s just that good at hiding her presence. And her speed does tell me one thing. Tacita is similar to me, a person who also puts most of their stats into a single attribute, and her favored stat is Dexterity.

    I''m Mana-oriented and because of what I do, my reactions will never be as quick as someone who goes full into body strengthening. I can reinforce my body with mana, I can boost my strength, and make myself faster with kinetic energy.

    But someone like her will always be my natural enemy. The main reason being that, in close quarters, unless I was already reinforcing my body as much as possible, I wouldn''t be able to react if she decided to kill me.

    It''s a weakness, and I already have multiple plans for dealing with it. But for now, there are going to be situations in which I have no chance against Tacita.

    I watch as she lashes out at the lightning mage that once stood next to Brainiac and jumps back and to the side, her feet moving nimbly, as she dances around his attacks. Leaping, bobbing, and weaving as drops of rain cling to her skin..

    Mari and Pumpkin try to rush her while Gareth and Lootenant keep an eye on me.

    So as I¡¯m floating there, I create two orbs at my side and fill them with mana until they¡¯re on the brink of becoming unstable.

    As I do that I sow the ground with a barrage of normal mana projectiles, tying anchors to three of them. The first orb explodes through an anchor I managed to place between Tacita and the lightning mage, who, unlike the stabby brunette, dies.

    Gareth creates a barrier around the rest of the group, but, being closest to the explosion, the lightning mage''s barrier is unable to resist the implosion and breaks. Tacita, meanwhile, just opts to outrun the explosion.

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Ghast (Hell, 5th)

    Tacita doesn''t seem to like that and grabs a stone from the ground, her arm a blur as she throws it at me. The stone crashes against my barrier with a surprising amount of force, and she changes her target to Lootenant, the raindrops seeming to burst outward as she moves at incredible speed.

    Mari and Pumpkin actually manage to stand in her way for a moment, keeping pace with her, though I do notice that their bodies seem to be radiating a silver aura, which flares up to create barriers and heal their wounds as needed.

    Gareth blocks my second tri-colored orb, once again surrounding it with a silver barrier before sending it to the same spot as before. I wonder if he placed some sort of mark there.

    Using the third anchor, I appear on the ground near Gareth, kinetic energy exploding from me, only to be absorbed by his barriers. I send disrupting mana at him right after followed by a blast of golden flames, and yet he reforms his barriers each time, successfully blocking the attacks.

    I sidestep a swing of his mace, causing it to crash into the ground and send chunks of muddy earth into the air.

    Thunder roars in our ears, and the wind grows stronger as the wall of black clouds moves closer and closer, blotting out all other sounds. The rain also grows in intensity, further obscuring my mana sight with the mana-filled droplets.

    Gareth stops holding back, and his blue armor turns silver, and a silver crown appears floating over his head. The hexagonal segments of his barrier orbit his form, and his mace shines brighter as he charges me. Each of his swings bears disrupting properties, and the marks he placed on his party shine brighter, surrounding them in that same silver light.

    Twelve sections of his hexagonal barrier move around him, forming larger ones to block my flames or splitting into a multitude of smaller ones to address heavy barrages. Though sometimes they stick to his armor, strengthening some parts further.

    The man negates most of my attacks, to my great annoyance, and I feel my frustration rise more and more, and my plan to limit my mana expenditure disappears from my head.

    Once Mari joins him, blades made of oscillating mana in hand, I have had enough. A black orb forms in front of my chest, and all of their eyes turn towards it, surprised by the unnerving feeling.

    A blast of kinetic energy from behind Gareth pushes him towards it, and silver and black mana clash.

    Following the clash, the black orb of mana manages to absorb a few sections of his silver barrier. Gareth moves to block it, though his weapon and crown flicker as the orb sucks in more and more.

    When he finally lets go of his weapon and moves back, pieces of his armor are missing, eaten away by black mana, and half of the hexagonal barrier is gone.

    Mari is also dead, an anchor placed near her head having reduced her into particles of mana.

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Mari (Hell, 5th)

    With the mana in my body reduced even more, I float into the air and fire one last projectile at Lootenant.

    Gareth finally manages to retake control of his abilities and blocks my attacks by surrounding the man with a barrier, but at the same time, Tacita passes by Lootenant''s traps, activating a few along the way, while avoiding their effects and finishing the man.

    Then, like me, she takes the opportunity to disappear into the forest as the gradually approaching storm ravages the area.

    The first bolt of lightning lands next to us. It evaporates a good chunk of a car-sized rock nearby, causing it to crumble into dust, leaving a small crater in the ground. The wind blows into me, leaving me feeling like I got hit by a truck, and I decide I do not want to get into that storm.

    Using more and more mana, I push my body through the air, leaving the thunder and lightning behind me. I remain high in the air, placing multiple anchors along the ground.

    When Gareth and the rest of his group exit the storm, a thermal explosion envelops them, and a rain of compressed mana javelins rains across the ground. When the flames disappear, pushed away by a wave of silver mana, Gareth and the last member of his group stand there free of damage, his barrier having tanked a bolt of lightning from the storm, the ground exploding around them, and the mud and rocks that erupted into the air.

    Tsk.

    Unwilling to waste more of my mana on a tanky target, I boost myself further, floating away when I catch a familiar mana signature behind me. Looking back, I see a figure floating just on the edge of the storm. And that figure''s head bears a crown made of lightning, brighter and twice as big as before.

    The woman''s blonde hair floats around her, shining in a beautiful golden color.

    I form a barrier to block a bolt of white lightning that Tess redirected from the storm, and while I don¡¯t take any damage it does manage to push me further away.

    ¡°Are you only hunting me?¡± I shout at her.

    There is no way she can hear it through all the thunder, but she seems to understand and smirks.

    Text reading Sset (Hell, 4th) floats above her head, along with the [Restriction] she¡¯s placed herself.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    High in the air on the edge of the storm, Tess and I face each other, and I feel my decision from before crumble and disappear. The hold I''ve kept on my mana weakens and it floods into my body for the first time since the start of the event.

    Gareth far beneath us, Tacita sneaking around, Savant waiting somewhere nearby. All of these concerns disappear, pushed far, into the back of my mind.

    I [Focus], and [Regalia] surrounds my body, quickly infused with [Resonance]. A shockwave explodes around me, pushing the droplets away, and I charge into the storm.

    Tess moves her hand, and two white lightning bolts created within the storm change their course and crash into my body.

    I¡¯ve already seen them striking multiple times and I know what to do. My armor tanks most of the damage and resonating mana tears apart the rest while I absorb the generated heat, collecting it inside my body.

    Seeing what I''m doing, Tess assaults me with a pulse of [Psychokinesis], slowing me down while pushing herself further away, so that she can maintain her advantage.

    Dodging to the side, I avoid another bolt of lightning, a few mana arrows filled with thermal energy shine as they pass through the storm, evaporating rain in the process.

    Tess lowers her altitude, tearing a few of the smaller trees and rocks from the ground with her skill before throwing them at me.

    I dodge through the air, taking a few more lightning strikes and constantly firing projectiles at her, forcing her to reposition in an attempt to distract her.

    The crown over her head shines brightly, its mana forming lightning projectiles that wait at her side, these ones formed of the usual red and white lightning. Tess launches them at me, making them move much quicker than the ones from the storm, and forcing them to change direction mid-air.

    Placing an anchor further ahead, I teleport past them repeating the process a few times, and reach Tess.

    The crown over her head disappears, turning into lightning armor that surrounds her body, and clashes with my [Regalia].

    Each of our clashes causes a small shockwave, creating a pulsating sphere devoid of the ever present rain as the escaping energy forces the raindrops away.

    I bombard her with mana projectiles at close range, boosted by kinetic energy, and it¡¯s impossible for her to block them all, so she tanks most of them, responding in kind with the lightning that constantly flickers around her.

    A few lightning bolts get pulled from the storm, hitting her body and strengthening her armor as I pressure her.

    I teleport, but the moment I appear, a lightning projectile crashes into my armored forearm, so I try again, only to get the same result. Clearly, Tess is reading and predicting my placement of the anchors.

    Finally having generated enough, my armor changes, my golden thermal energy filling it, heat radiating from me. Boosted by kinetic energy, I advance on Tess, the raw power of my flight better at this level, and after a short clash, I grab her arm.

    Tess, having expected that, pulls three white lightning bolts toward us, damaging my armor and further strengthening hers.

    Her lightning and my thermal energy rage against each other. The lightning piercing through the armor damages me, but my temporarily rare passive heals my wounds with the sheer amount of heat I¡¯ve surrounded myself with.

    My heart beats harder and harder as I barely hold on, avoiding her close range lightning projectiles and enduring the bolts she calls down from the storm. But I hold, and looking at Tess, I can¡¯t help but smile as well.

    With a strong pulse, more energy collects inside of me as I''m ready to push through, but then Tess slashes with her free arm. Not against me, but against her own hand. She cuts it off, leaving me holding the hand she¡¯s infused with all of her lightning.

    Pushing further away from me, much less Primordial lightning surrounding her, she calls, ¡°I learned it from you!¡±

    Her severed hand shines even brighter in my hand, and when I let go, it moves and grabs me instead, creeping me out even more than the astounding amount of lightning collected within.

    It acts like a lightning rod, leaving me feeling like the storm has been concentrated on me, and me alone, as I find a dozen lightning bolts heading in my direction.

    My eyes activate for a split second, and I disrupt the hand¡¯s mana, quickly deactivating the eyes afterward. I tear the hand apart with [Resonance] and watch as all the white lightning passes by, reverberating the air.

    When I look around, Tess is gone.

    You silly blonde. What are you, a gray lizard? Leaving your limbs behind like that.

    Checking, I find that I¡¯ve managed to spend ten to twenty percent of the mana left in my body.

    Forcing it back under my control, I fly out of the storm.

    <hr>

    Three hours remain, and the rain stops as if it¡¯s been cut off. The air grows colder, the water from the rain starts freezing over, and heavy snow starts to fall, quickly covering the trees and the ground.

    Walking through another post-apocalyptic city, I listen to the snow compressing under my feet, tracing the footsteps in front of me.

    The barrier shrinks once more, and even fewer people remain.

    980 / 2357

    A few of the slots on the leaderboard have changed as well:

    1st (193 pts) - Sset

    2nd (172 pts) - Noname

    3rd (169 pts) - Savant

    4th (168 pts) - Tacita

    5th (124 pts) - Grumpy

    Sensing a trap ahead, I avoid it and move to a rooftop where I disrupt a few mana sensing triggers and find a group of ten people, most of them seem to be from Hard difficulty. One of them holds an epic weapon, an ax made of ethercrystal, a transparent white crystal capable of absorbing mana.

    A few well-placed anchors go unnoticed and half of them die before they are able to defend themselves. They activate defensive shields but a wave of disrupting mana crashes against them, negating the shields before a highly compressed barrage of javelins finishes the job, destroying part of the roof and their fortifications.

    I take a short moment to check the leaderboard and savor the feeling of seeing myself in the first place. It''s hard to find large groups of people from higher difficulties.

    Amid the falling snow, I examine the rare and uncommon items that were in their possession, collecting a defensive amulet with a single use of a spherical barrier remaining, and pick up the epic ax.

    Ethercrystal War Axe (Epic): Crafted from Ethercrystal, this war ax absorbs part of any mana it touches. Each attack channels the absorbed mana to momentarily increase the user''s physical strength.

    I test the feel of the ax in my hand, swinging it a few times to get used to the heft. I used to have a similar sword and the ax could help me conserve some of the mana I would otherwise be using to strengthen my body.

    While on watch, I check the notifications.

    Sset (Hell, 4th) ? TheStrongestOne (Hell, 5th)

    Damn, Tess. Did group 4 do anything to piss you off? Did I do anything to you?

    And a few more.

    Savant (Hell, 4th) ? Gareth (Hell, 5th)

    Savant (Hell, 4th) ? Pumpkin (Hell, 5th)

    Detecting something that feels like tunnels under the ground, I place an anchor, teleporting below while keeping my eyes on the notifications.

    FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? Two (Normal, 5th)

    FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? One (Normal, 5th)

    FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? Sami (Easy, 6th)

    FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? Eve (Normal, 5th)

    FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? Overlord (Easy, 5th)

    FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? Snowman (Easy, 4th)

    ¡­

    And the notifications continue, proclaiming the names of almost two dozen participants who¡¯ve been defeated.

    Biscuit, what the heck did you even do? Did they anger you? It might be awkward back in the common area if you scare them too much.

    Anyway, clearly the best doggo of the tournament floor, no, the best doggo of the 1st event and Survival Domain!

    I start heading towards an area containing multiple presences, I trigger a few alarms on purpose, and when I exit the tunnel and enter a big underground area a dozen people are there, weapons out and mana ready.

    Quickly I locate two epic items and two people from Hell difficulty, respectively from group 8, TheGuild.

    AnotherOneHere (Hell, 5th)

    Swordmaster (Hell, 5th)

    In the shadowy darkness of the tunnels, golden thermal energy surrounds me and I take a step towards them.

 Chapter 339 - 6 / 2357

    I have been thinking lately, and my build is a big mess, to say it gently. Sure, I have a lot of skills, but no matter how hard I try to master them all, it''s impossible, and not often does each of the skills shine. They are all pretty situational and often countered by stronger or more skilled opponents.

    Sure, I''m extremely versatile, and I can switch up the way I fight, but at least to me, it feels lacking. Currently, I would say I''m at my strongest against multitudes of weaker opponents. The amount of mana and multiple skills I can use are good for bombardment and large-scale damage.

    When it comes to fighting a single, strong opponent, they can almost always pull off some kind of counter, forcing me to try to either surprise my opponent or overwhelm them with the sheer amount of bullshit I can throw at them.

    It''s not bad, not really. I did it all with the future in mind. I''m building a strong base to build upon, picking my own unique way. But until then, it will be a pain in the ass at times.

    I dodge a slash from a Hell difficulty man called Swordmaster, and his next attack slips across my armor while he blocks my swing.

    He jumps back a few times, and AnotherOneHere does something that changes gravity; causing it to pull me up toward the ceiling, rather than the ground.

    Surrounding myself with a barrier made of [Regalia], I tank a barrage of ranged attacks launched by people from Hard and Normal difficulty, as I take a moment to examine the skill disrupting my relative gravity before disrupting it.

    I fire off three projectiles in quick succession, each tied to an anchor, and teleport to one as they land.

    My ax burrows into the leg of a man who attacked me with a bothersome form of shadow magic. Taking care not to kill him, I absorb some of his mana through the ax, allowing the weapon to strengthen me.

    I teleport again leaving a thermal orb in my place, the orb explodes, reducing the injured man into particles and wounding Swordmaster in the process, who quickly changes direction and rushes me again.

    Before AnotherOneHere''s gravity skill can slow me down again, I disrupt it and burrow the ax into another man. Then I teleport again leaving another thermal orb in my place. This time it doesn''t manage to explode before being covered by a shield of rock emerging from the floor.

    Making distance between us, I send a small tri-colored orb through the anchor, allowing it to explode within the room, the explosion strengthened by its confinement. Dust and rocks fall from the ceiling, shaking the walls and pieces crumble down while the men and women shout.

    Four more people from Hard and Normal die, leaving 7 people.

    I set up another barrier, deflecting a barrage of attacks that move much quicker thanks to a liberal application of gravity magic by AnotherOneHere.

    When I teleport back inside the room, Swordmaster is already there, with a strange form of mana surrounding an epic sword that he holds with the confidence of an expert.

    It pierces through my armor and stops only after I add [Resonance] to the mix. His movement accelerates, the same weird mana moves to his feet as he kicks at me, causing the same kind of damage to my armor.

    He dodges a projectile I send his way, quickening his movements even more before burrowing his knee into my chest plate and then jumps back, tilting his head to avoid a cone of kinetic energy.

    Swordmaster''s sword cuts through my flames, and even without armor, his body resists the heat as he attacks me.

    When I teleport, he locates me surprisingly quickly, getting used to my style.

    I feel a pull on my body, as gravity changes once more in an attempt to slow me down and he seizes the opportunity, as his sword shines even brighter as he slashes towards my neck.

    My [Redistribution] at full power stops him for a moment. The pulse of disrupting mana makes him stagger in surprise as his enhancements disappear, and a sudden blast of kinetic energy tears a large chunk out of his arm. Yet the man still manages to avoid the worst of it.

    Before I can follow up, the rock I¡¯m standing on turns into mud, imprisoning my feet, as a golem-like creature as tall as me climbs up from the ground, reaching toward me.

    When the golem grabs my armor, I find myself unable to teleport, the last anchor disrupted. I¡¯m honestly surprised it took them so long to get around to that.

    More mana radiates from my body, the armor around me expanding and surrounding me leaving me twice my normal height and towering over the golem.

    With a single kick, I send the golem flying toward its creator, before returning to my normal size and teleporting to an anchor I left on the golem. A few teleports and kinetic blasts later, only two men from Hell difficulty remain, as my body is strengthened by the effect of the ax.

    ¡°Noname, you''re on the 6th floor, right?¡± AnotherOneHere asks as I face the remaining duo.

    Seeing no reason to be rude, I nod; the man has been rather polite in the Community.

    Swordmaster, with his sword on his shoulder, gives me a look before shrugging and nodding towards his group member, ¡°We always knew group 4 wasn¡¯t exactly normal.¡±

    ¡°It''s still disappointing to see such a difference between people from Hell.¡± Finishing his preparations, AnotherOneHere raises his hands and claps.

    The sides of the room I''m standing in tear apart, huge pieces of rock heading towards me in an attempt to crush me between them.

    They expect me to teleport, so I create an anchor and activate it halfway. Then, instead of teleporting, I send a tricolored orb that I¡¯ve been forming in my mouth. It explodes the moment Swordmaster reaches the anchor.

    I, meanwhile, create a barrier around myself, mitigating any damage from the rocks and the explosion that takes out Swordmaster. The poor guy was too incompatible with my fighting style and my skills made countering him simple enough.

    AnotherOneHere uses his gravity skill, slightly compressing a portion of the explosion and redirecting it. Wounded and exhausted he rests against the wall, breathing heavily.

    When my axe cuts into his leg, he looks up at me, ¡°That''s cold as fuck,¡± he breathes out as the axe starts absorbing his mana to strengthen my body.

    ¡°There are a few more people not that far over us. I will go after them right away, so I need to save a bit of mana,¡± I respond.

    He laughs unbelievably and shakes his head, "Well, good luck then."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    I nod, "Thank you."

    A few moments later, he turns into particles when the system judges that he¡¯s started to die.

    Only then do I allow myself to crack my mask and breathe out in a long, shaky breath. Then I concentrate and examine a few of the smaller wounds Swordmaster managed to inflict that are still healing at a slower rate than they should. These guys did have quite a few decent skills; they weren''t Hell difficulty for nothing.

    I lift Swordmaster¡¯s sword from the ground. An epic item with the effect of making wounds slower to heal the more mana is used to power it while increasing its cutting force as well.

    I decide to keep it along with my ax and proceed to look for the second epic item. It is a small ring that served as a consumable type of item, bearing three activations that would heal its bearer. All uses were probably gone even before the fight.

    In the future, I will have to get cooking with Lily and create my own version of an item with a similar effect as the ring.

    <hr>

    When two hours remain, the weather changes again. The snow disappears, and earthquakes ravage the area while the barrier shrinks again, evaporating anything that touches it.

    Moving to the middle of the Survival Domain, I fight more people.

    I encounter a group from Easy difficulty that has somehow managed to survive until now, though they quickly surrender.

    Another is a group from Normal difficulty that tries to fight back only to be flabbergasted even as I use the slightest amount of the mana generated by my body. Their attacks can¡¯t even reach me, and most of the time, just the strength of my body boosted by the ax¡¯s effect is enough to do the job.

    People from Hard are a bit more difficult to deal with and always move in bigger groups, sometimes they even travel with one or two remaining members of Hell difficulty. Fights against them are always enjoyable. Their skills are better, their stats higher, and their traits are more interesting. I examine them and take note of the way they make use of their skills, but in the end, even they find themselves defeated with a blend of skills that always surprise them.

    I, like a few others, have been through Beyond trials. Even if others could''ve gone, they have decided to not use the upgrade token that way or failed to fulfill the other requirements. So there¡¯s as much difference between me and a person from Hard difficulty as there is between me and most other people from Hell.

    I still haven¡¯t touched my Mana Reservoir containing three times the mana produced by my body, so I tap it to increase my speed towards the middle of the domain.

    <hr>

    One hour remains, and the barrier is slowly and surely shrinking from the size of a large city to who knows what ending point.

    In the distance, I see the lightning flicker and the terrifying sound of Tess''s projectiles and then a new notification.

    Tacita (Hell, 4th) ? Sset (Hell, 4th)

    I feel a disturbing gray mana move to my right, an explosion of it, and another notification.

    Savant (Hell, 4th) ? Grumpy (Hell, 5th)

    Savant (Hell, 4th) ? FoodFood (Hell, 6th)

    That already makes me the last remaining survivor from group 4 other than Sophie, who is God knows where. I can only feel the ghost of her presence in the web of mana constructs she¡¯s left behind.

    6 / 2357

    We have a much smaller leaderboard now.

    1st (431 pts) - Noname

    2nd (375 pts) - Savant

    3rd (333 pts) - Tacita

    4th (256 pts) - Soph

    5th (167 pts) - Bard

    6th (1 pts) - Adam

    A man with black hair tied into a ponytail and green eyes jumps up and lands on the roof opposite mine. He¡¯s wearing a simple-looking glove over his right hand that radiates an extraordinary amount of strength, even when not in use.

    ¡°I guess you found the arcane item?¡± I ask him.

    ¡°Yes, I had hoped to find it earlier and get more points, but even so, the timing is fitting. It uses a lot of mana, so you would probably like it better, though,¡± he answers.

    Interrupting our conversation, a man stumbles to the top of the roof.

    Bard (Hell, 5th)

    He¡¯s missing an arm and he does something to his body to keep himself from bleeding out. Just looking at his state, I guess he won¡¯t be able to last much longer.

    Looking at me and Savant he staggers and stops. Then he sighs, ¡°Fucking corgi, tore my arm off. He was so goddamn cute¡­¡±

    Before he can say more, Tacita appears behind his back at a speed unique to her, epic dagger in her hand slashing down and turning the man into particles. Tacita then stands there and sweeps her messy brown hair from her eyes. Her lively eyes meet mine and Savant''s.

    Tacita (Hell, 4th) ? Bard (Hell, 5th)

    Other than Sophie, one last man remains. The one with a single point. A member of Gareth¡¯s group. He walks up the stairs to the top of the building and reaches the roof after opening the creaking iron door.

    Adam (Hell, 5th)

    The blonde sixty year old looking man with long wavy hair is in a pristine state, wearing something akin to a suit. He holds no weapon and there isn¡¯t a single mark on his body. Either he¡¯s avoided fighting or he¡¯s just been hiding up until now. But it''s clear that he¡¯s barely used any stamina or mana, unlike the rest of us.

    The man in the suit turns to Savant, ¡°Hey youngster, wanna get rid of that glove and make things fair?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Understandable.¡±

    A silence ensues and all of us stand there nearly feeling awkward, no one wanting to be the first to face the arcane item.

    ¡°Hey, really, let''s get rid of that¡­¡± I try to say as well.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Damn it, ¡°Do you not want to fight properly? Using an arcane item is cheap as fuck.¡±

    ¡°I will fight one versus one during the duels. I know you would gladly use the glove as well.¡±

    Well, he is not wrong. Unlike him, I would¡¯ve probably used it a minute ago.

    ¡°So why don¡¯t you attack?¡± I ask him.

    ¡°Your friend is still sneaking around. She keeps trying to get into my mind and the glove requires a lot of concentration.¡±

    This time the man in the suit asks, sensing an opportunity ¡°So you can''t defend against her and use the glove at the same time?¡±

    ¡°There is only one way for you to find out.¡± Then his expression changes and his mana flows into the glove, ¡°Found you,¡± he says simply and moves his hand as if swatting away a fly.

    The part of the city he gestured towards explodes in a single yet impressive show of telekinesis, destroying multiple buildings and a big part of the street.

    Savant (Hell, 4th) ? Soph (Hell, 5th)

    The moment Sophie dies, the web and constructs that she¡¯s been planting all over the place all head for Savant, in a last act of revenge.

    Tacita disappears.

    A purple circle forms behind Adam''s back.

    And I reach into my Mana Reservoir, as all that mana floods my body. There is no more hesitation, no more conserving mana, and with an ax and a sword in my hands, black mana seeps into my body and my eyes activate.

    Less than thirty minutes remain, but I don¡¯t think I will be able to last more than a minute before the system judges I''m dead.

    Should be enough.

 Chapter 340 - Its MY mana

    With my eyes activated and strengthening and pummeling my body, I jump from building to building, prepared for Tacita to attack me.

    Even then, Savant doesn''t use the arcane glove and stands there, his mana surrounding his body as he fights the aftereffects of Sophie''s skill.

    Two tri-colored orbs shoot at him, one of them disappearing the moment it enters his reach, the other one redirected at Adam. The man in the suit repositions before the orb explodes, sending a shockwave and heat into the area. Purple mana flickers around Adam''s body as he does so.

    Keeping an eye on Savant, I try to find out what happened to the second orb, but it''s gone.

    Where did it go? I can''t sense anything.

    Like a flash, Tacita appears near Savant, a dagger in her hand slashing down only for her to freeze on the spot as he squeezes his hand into a fist, using the arcane weapon.

    Unbothered, Tacita''s presence becomes even fainter, and she disappears from the spot where she stood. A big chunk of the building implodes into a small spot as Savant fully closes his gloved hand into a fist.

    Purple mana erupts from Adam, moving like water and crashing against Savant in huge waves. The air flickers under its influence, and the pressure of his weird skill grinds the building around Savant to dust.

    Without even using his weapon, Savant does something, and even though the attack continues, it doesn''t touch him at all. Then he moves his hand, and all the anchors I''ve placed disappear.

    Tacita, who attacks him again, is thrown away, into the empty city, while Adam is sent crashing to the ground surrounded by his purple mana.

    With my mana around me like a brilliant flame, I endure it all, floating in the same spot in space. My eyes are bleeding as I read his movements and tactics. My domain expands even further, and Savant¡äs domain pushes against mine, a gentle orange light radiating from him.

    Within my domain, my mana becomes easier to manipulate, and within his, mana radiation slowly ramps up, attempting to crush me.

    I know that skill. It''s hard to forget. The skill that Champion Tristan, controlled by the mind mage Emperor, used to wipe out his world.

    [Dawn]

    In my domain, dozens of mana projectiles form a constant barrage to harry the man. Weaker ones disappear within his domain, and the stronger ones disappear an arm''s reach in front of him because of his other skill.

    Tacita moves to attack him again, but Savant, while defending against me, sends a pulse of telekinesis from the glove. The brown-haired woman tilts her body, taking damage and spinning around before lowering her posture to avoid another attack. Her body moves even quicker than before.

    Before he can attack her, I push against him with my domain, [Redistribution] and [Resonance] at full power crash against his body, trying to stop his movement and disrupt his mana as I read its flow.

    But all of it is pointless in attempting to match the arcane item. His hand moves and a big chunk of his mana disappears with it.

    The air reverberates, and I layer barriers in front of me when a huge area surrounding him explodes, all the buildings blown away as if by a powerful wind. Another pulse sends all dust away, revealing Savant standing on an untouched building and tons of debris floating around him.

    Tacita is there already, her knife embedded in his side and pointed at his heart, yet she is unable to push deeper, her movement arrested in the same way as the debris, at a high cost to Savant''s mana.

    He looks at her, the arcane weapon glowing. ¡°How?¡± he asks almost curiously.

    I bet if Tacita could move, she would just shrug.

    Then he squeezes his fist and she disappears, turning into particles, unable to escape this time. Her dagger glows once more before that, damaging her target further, making him stagger and spit out some blood.

    Immediately after, even wounded, Savant moves, lifting his hand with the glove in front of him. A javelin made of black mana stops an arm''s reach in front of him.

    He tries to absorb it like he did with the attacks from before, but it doesn''t work. It did cost me a lot of focus and damage to my body to make that javelin in my current restricted state, so what will he do now?

    With curiosity, I watch as he looks at the javelin and then at me.

    Then a gray mana I know so well emerges from somewhere within him to war against the javelin.

    When black mana and [Disintegration] meet, they clash for a short moment, and then [Disintegration] destroys part of the black mana javelin before the skill weakens enough for the remaining black mana to absorb it.

    Seeing that, Savant tries to absorb what remains but is unsuccessful.

    Having a good idea at this point what his skills are, I put my body and mana into overdrive. My attacks strike him once more, a barrage of thermal energy, kinetic energy, or pure mana constantly assaulting him and destroying the building he stands on. Adding to the mix, orbs filled with disrupting mana pop near him, pressuring him to keep up his domain and waste his mana.

    Adam and his wave-like purple mana shoot into the area, crashing over it and pressuring Savant even more. And the entire time, I keep collecting mana inside my body.

    This isn''t all, I know.

    Savant uses another chunk of his mana, and the glove on his hand glows, destroying more buildings and throwing the debris at Adam. The circle behind his back changes, and the purple mana surrounds him, defending against all that. Adam seems to be confident and he still has big reserves, so he will last longer than Savant, I¡¯m sure of that.

    That''s when one of my small black orbs crashes into his purple barrier, touching it and immediately starting to absorb it. Unable to stop it his defenses are sucked away, the barrier crumples, and the debris compresses on him.

    Another orb explodes inside of his barrier.

    Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Adam (Hell, 5th)

    2 / 2357

    The rooftop explodes under my feet as I use my strengthened body and a push of kinetic energy to fly in a circle, rows of buildings crashing behind me caused by the arcane weapon Savant wields.

    When he stops his attack, I examine my body.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    That''s not good at all. But it could be worse, I guess. Looking at it, the system will consider me dead in ten to thirty seconds, maybe?

    ¡°Not enough mana for the glove?¡± I call to Savant.

    ¡°It''s more fitting for obstinate people like you. It uses quite a bit.¡± He sweeps some hair from his face, and his domain skill shrinks even more.

    He is not capable of resisting my [Mana Domain], infused with [Resonance] and powered by a steady stream of mana from my Mana Reservoir.

    Another of my compressed javelins crashes against him, only to disappear to god knows where. A skill similar to the one the last king had on the 3rd Floor.

    Increasing pressure with my domain, I place anchors closer to him to distract him and charge ahead, squeezing the ax and sword in my hands.

    When I teleport, he moves his hand and activates the glove once more and all three of my anchors are damaged by telekinesis. But I don''t use any of them and just reappear on the same spot.

    When he lifts his arm towards me, I''m already in front of him, and telekinesis crashes against my crossed weapons, as I launch a few projectiles at him.

    As the epic weapons crumple and crack, I let go and teleport to one of the projectiles I had tied an anchor to.

    Losing control over the black mana, I force it out of my body into the shape of a black dagger, and my vision blurs out as my eyes finally deactivate, unable to keep them up.

    Sounds come rushing in as my mind loses hold over [Focus], and with a last stumble, I stab the dagger into the forearm wearing the glove.

    His absorption skill activates, trying to get rid of the black mana or send his mana to the glove, but the black dagger absorbs it all and starts sucking in more.

    Decisively, mana takes shape in the palm of his other hand, and he cuts off his arm at the elbow. An orange light shines around him, and he is blown away instead of getting killed by the kinetic energy I was able to collect.

    Once he¡¯s further away, he stops, blood dripping from his arm. Looking at him, I reach down and take the glove off his severed arm and put it on my hand.

    The moment I do so, I feel something eating at my hand, and I quickly identify the skill.

    I intentionally destabilize kinetic energy inside of my body, blowing off my hand with the glove on.

    I watch as [Disintegration] eats up my hand inside of the glove, and I laugh shortly. ¡°Well, that was kind of stupid of me. But I really wanted to try that glove.¡±

    When I turn to him, he stands there wordlessly, his [Dawn] defending him against my attacks. His eyes calm and sharp, calculating, observing my every movement, and that annoying skill of his flickers in the air, ready to drive me back.

    I glance at the black dagger that¡¯s already turned into a black orb, floating there, trying to absorb any mana that comes close, eating at both of our domains. I don''t think I can play it safely and try to pressure him from a distance until he is out of mana. He will probably be able to last that long.

    Ten seconds at most remain, and my body will crumble. I would die, but the system won''t let me; instead, it will send me away. So, let''s be stupid and check how far the 4th-floor me could be pushed before dying.

    All the mana I was releasing up until now gets pulled towards me like into a vortex, and [Focus] activates once more, forcing my trait to activate as well.

    One of my eyes loses its sight, and the other one is blurry, and I feel more wounds opening across my body. Then I reach out to all my remaining mana, all around me and in my domain, to pull it¡­

    I stop.

    ¡°You poisoned my mana.¡±

    ¡°So you have noticed. However, it doesn''t matter, you are done anyway. You won''t be able to control your mana anymore.¡±

    Me? Done?

    Because you decided that?

    It''s MY mana.

    <hr>

    POV Tess Hansen

    As always, when pushed to the corner, Nathaniel becomes the most dangerous. At the point where there is only a sliver of his life remaining, he throws all his failsafes away and becomes like a dangerous animal.

    He was always like this. Even when he got ganged up on by a group of boys who called him the brother of a murderer, he fought back. And then, when they pushed him to the point of losing, pummeled, and bleeding, he started biting, scratching, and fighting dirty.

    Just a few fights like that were enough. Even if he lost, the boys just became too scared, and decided that it wasn¡¯t worth the attempt anymore. That, and the fact that Nat hunted them when they were alone, beating them to the point where they were always moving in groups.

    Even now, he has the same expression as we watch him on a giant screen in the common area. The screen that allows people who left the Survival Domain to watch what''s happening inside.

    Nathaniel says, ¡°You have poisoned my mana,¡± and Savant answers.

    Even knowing that, the poisoned mana, his mana, continues to rush back into his body, his other eye losing sight, and wounds savaging his body.

    When he charges this time, the leg he uses to leap breaks in a dozen spots, turning into a floppy sack of shattered bone made of skin.

    He moves quicker than even Tacita did, destroying his body in the process. Yet, somehow, he¡¯s still capable enough to use that black mana of his to pull this off without immediately killing himself.

    We can''t die during the tournament, but being able to push yourself to the point where you know you will die requires a special kind of mind.

    When he crashes into Savant, the man, surprised, has time only to tilt his body and avoid most of the attack. Both of them roll on the ground, and in Nat''s arm, a nail made of black mana forms; he stabs it into the arm that Savant uses to cover his eye.

    The nail absorbs Savant''s attempt to push Nathaniel away, and Nathaniel smashes his head down, breaking Savant''s nose, and blood spills.

    Savant dodges another attack, his arm still somehow coated in pale blue mana; he stabs into Nathaniel''s side.

    In exchange, Nathaniel stabs the exposed jagged bone that''s left of his exploded hand and forearm into Savant''s neck. He has a cold expression on his face as he does so.

    The entire time their domains clash, Nathaniel''s easily overpowering Savant''s, as his mana radiates from his body, forcing the other man to shrink his domain more and more until it¡¯s barely covering his body. And anything outside of it is destroyed immediately.

    Heat, vibrations, and mana itself move around, trying to tear Savant apart, only stopped by the gentle orange light surrounding him. But it''s clear he won''t last much longer.

    Unfortunately, neither will Nathaniel.

    Savant observes him calmly, and when Nathaniel attacks him, he blocks the strike and stabs Nathaniel again.

    Ignoring that precise mortal wound another black nail forms in Nathaniel''s hand, and with a swing, he stabs it down towards Savant''s eyes. In the middle of that movement, his body turns into shiny particles, and he disappears.

    Silence fills the common area, no one says anything, and everyone is staring at the screen.

    While holding his palm on his strongly bleeding neck, Savant stands up and looks at the spot where Nat disappeared. For a short moment, he stares there, the meaning of that look is hard to decipher.

    The winner of the first event has been decided.

    The air next to our group wavers, and Nat appears, outside of the Survival Domain. He is fully healed, his clothes fixed as well, and his mana restored to the levels before the event started.

    Nathaniel blinks a few times, looking around with wild eyes, ready to attack. Mana radiates off him in waves that wash over the common area, causing some people from lower difficulties to throw up and others to faint.

    I watch him, curious what expression he intends to put on, but his expression just returns to his usual neutral face and his mana disappears as if it never existed, barely a whisper.

    ¡°I will get the fucker during the duels,¡± he declares simply.

    Even with his hard-to-read face, I can tell how dissatisfied he is.

    Then he turns around, passing by the groups of people and heading towards our house. Dozens of people flee from his path, some looking at him like some kind of demon.

 Chapter 341 - Better than a stick

    Congratulations, you have placed 2nd in the 1st event - Survival Domain and you have also reached 1st place in points collected - 441 pts.

    You can exchange your points for shards. 1 point = 5 shards.

    The reward for placing 2nd overall is 3 thousand shards.

    You may, either, receive the shards and choose one of three rewards, or forfeit them to choose from a selection of higher quality rewards.

    I close my eyes and lean back in the massive armchair I¡¯ve claimed for myself and moved to the terrace, offering a decent-ish view of the common area and the houses on the grassy hills surrounding it.

    So 2nd place it is.

    Tsk.

    If he hadn¡¯t gotten that goddamn arcane item if he hadn¡¯t absorbed a bit of Lily''s [Disintegration]...

    And what the heck even is that skill and how long can he store the absorbed skills? I''m pretty sure his skill does something like that after seeing it at work.

    So is that asshole storing the tri-colored orbs I shot at him? How much mana does it require to store them? What''s the name of the skill? How the heck does he have [Dawn] and the mana stone from Tristan that he gave to Lily?

    Did he get chummy with Champion Tristan back on the second floor?

    Biscuit! I need emotional support. I''m frustrated!

    As if he heard me, the best doggo of all tournament floors comes floating my way to land in my lap. He also got defeated so he is quiet and just rests on my lap while I boop his nose a few times and then pet him.

    ¡°We will get our revenge in the other events,¡± I whisper to him.

    He woofs in agreement and I focus back on the notifications.

    Should I try to gain as many shards as possible or try for better rewards? The rewards seem to be personalized so improving them in exchange for a few shards could be well worth it. I can also make shards by selling items in the tournament shop and it''s not like a few thousand shards are going to do very much for me.

    ¡°Biscuit, shards, or better rewards?¡±

    (Food.) He says cleverly before closing his eyes again, stretching, and continuing to rest.

    Cute.

    Rewards it is.

    You have decided to not receive your shards. Please pick one of the three following rewards:

    Epic grade passive skill

    Epic grade item

    Summon disciple (24h)

    Looking at the rewards, the passive and the item, must at least be mid-grade if not upper grade, to be listed here, but I''m not even thinking of them.

    ¡°Give me the last one.¡±

    The window disappears and my slowly souring mood immediately improves. The item is called a disciple summoning, not a minion summoning token but I can live with that.

    Grabbing Biscuit and holding him to my chest, I stand up and head towards the living room where the others are. A lively conversation immediately cuts off, leaving me staring down a number of awkward looks.

    Are they worried about my mood because I lost¡­ because that asshole cheated and got 1st place?

    ¡°I''m fine, like I said, I¡¯ll get that dick in the other events. But more importantly. Tess, get Channeler and see if he can¡¯t find frozen pizza or someone who can cook pizza for us. I''m offering an epic item for that.¡±

    I let the stream of questions pass, already planning.

    The 1st day was a free day without an event so now after the second day and first event, 5 full days and 4 events remain. If the events take as much time as the 1st, that leaves us with one more free day, probably before the last event to let us rest.

    I need to confirm, but if I''m right, that will be the day I introduce my very first minion to group 4.

    <hr>

    Flashback Savant - 1st Floor

    They fight the small green monsters and I watch as a few of them die, pierced by the primitive weapons.

    The wounds caused by their weapons are severe, of the sort that would kill them anyway without access to antibiotics and modern surgery. There are already a few people with high fever and sepsis from earlier attacks.

    As they scream and cry, I do not pity them. They left me to die.

    It''s a reasonable decision, without my prosthesis I can''t move as quickly as them and would only slow them down. That much is confirmed even now as three goblins surround me, two grunts and a shaman. All the warriors went after the group.

    I watch as a shaman comes closer and even though it¡¯s smaller than me, it smiles in glee, fire flickering in the palm of its hand before forming into a small orb.

    It''s captivating. I know it''s possible thanks to the existence of something called mana, but that doesn''t explain much. Is this some kind of technology so advanced that I can only describe it as magic, or is it just a force we don¡¯t understand yet?This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    And why is my group so slow to adapt to its presence?

    When the shaman pulls me down by my hair and reaches to push the flame orb into my eye, his guards snicker. The flame is about to touch me and I can feel its heat scorching my skin. I use my skill and absorb it.

    Seeing it disappear, the shaman squawks and I move a bit of the mana I got from the system and burrow my middle and index fingers into the shaman''s eye as deep as I can. The length of my fingers should be enough to reach the monster''s brain, judging from its size.

    When the body starts twitching, one of the remaining goblins charges at me. It moves at a speed comparable to other goblins of the same level. It also opens with the same kind of attack, aiming at the middle of my body below the rib cage.

    I avoid it and throw my body forward, crashing against the little green monster, both of us falling to the ground. The monster''s body feels tougher than I expected and it attacks, biting my neck and scratching at my arms. While it does so, I find the dagger on its belt. It¡¯s still in the same place I saw it before the attack.

    As I grab the dagger, I intend to slide the blade in between its ribs and stab it in the heart but change my mind, unsure of the anatomy. Instead, I burrow the dagger into the underside of the monster¡¯s jaw.

    The other goblin only seems to have a dagger, so as expected, it moves closer and jumps on my back. They often use their bodies first when they¡¯re enraged by the deaths of their clanmates.

    Before the second goblin stabs me, I use my skill and release the flame I absorbed from the shaman, striking the attacking monster in the face.

    While it thrashes and screams on the ground, I crawl closer and stab it in the neck a few times with the dagger I stole.

    I level up and my skills do as well.

    Crawling back to the corpse of the shaman, I take a dagger and burrow it into the monster''s leg, cutting, slashing, and tearing through the flesh and tendons until I sever it at the knee.

    I invest stat points into mana, then take the severed leg and place it on my stump. The length isn''t perfect, but my leg ends somewhere in the middle of the shin, and the shaman''s under the knee so it should be comparable to my normal leg.

    Then I use my skill and observe as my body absorbs the monster''s leg into mine.

    It looks awful, a thin green leg connected to my skin, they have smaller feet, with no shoes, or hair. Even as I stand up, it''s hard to keep my balance.

    But it''s better than a stick.

    <hr>

    Congratulations, your items have been sold through the tournament shop! You have gained 1120 shards. Ten percent will be taken by the system.

    And there it is. Taxes at last, indeed one of life¡¯s certainties.

    But even then, the revenue isn''t bad. I offered 6 items at an asking price of 150 shards a piece and received closer to 200 for each, that¡¯s what I¡¯d pay for a low tier rare item in the system shop. Did they like my items that much? I¡¯ll have to look into it.

    With net profit being around 800 shards, it''s not that bad for a few hours, but damn, I miss the ease of looting the Veil Ignition Station.

    After crafting five more items, I put them in the shop as well. Two daggers, one small shield, a spear, and a short sword. Each is a rare grade item, but it''s hard to say if they¡¯re low or mid grade. All I know is they are ugly as hell and sold by Fuckyouintentbitch. But the effects are nice.

    I set the starting prices a bit higher now, 160 for the daggers and shield, and 170 for the spear and sword, and I set the auction¡¯s duration at 3 hours.

    Satisfied with that, I stretch, but now that I''m done, an annoying thought about the result of the 1st event comes rushing back. So I try to think about something else for a bit. It''s fine, my time will come.

    Once outside the facility, I meet Lily in the garden, currently throwing her gray mana at the poor trees.

    ¡°Are we fighting the trees?¡± I ask her.

    She doesn¡¯t seem to be amused, ¡°I hate that Savant was able to absorb my skill; it shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±

    I agree with her. His skill didn''t absorb my black mana, but it succeeded with her [Disintegration]. The interesting thing is that the system allowed it even though he put the same [Restriction] on himself as Lily. So his skill must be quite good.

    More to think about. I already have plans to properly experiment with the black mana. My current immortality has given me some amazing opportunities, and after seeing that it really is impossible to die here and that my body and mana will be restored after the event, I can do just that.

    ¡°He probably had to use a shitload of mana for his skill to be able to absorb yours. Maybe his skill is just higher level than [Disintegration], or perhaps it has some means of countering yours to some degree,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°Or maybe I¡¯ve just grown overconfident. I kept leveling my other skills and somehow thought [Disintegration] would remain powerful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also an option. But your skill is capable of damaging someone a hundred levels higher, with a high constitution, so it''s not just that. But as you said, a bit of leveling won¡¯t hurt.¡±

    ¡°And you? Are you ok?¡±

    [Focus - lvl 48 > Focus - lvl 49]

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I pinch Lily¡¯s nose. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m going to introduce you to someone important to me in a few days.¡±

    As I say it, Lily seems to start panicking, ¡°Someone important?¡± she whispers.

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll like her.¡±

    ¡°H-her?¡±

    ¡°Yup, anyway, I¡¯m going to train on my own for a bit, so later.¡± Before she can say anything, I teleport to one of my anchors and fly for a while, reaching a clearing in the forest without anyone nearby.

    Checking my surroundings once more, I then move my mana to test something I¡¯ve wanted to do since the start of the event.

    A pale blue orb forms over my palm, quickly changing its color multiple times until it''s pitch black. But unlike the event where I was restricted, I can control the black mana quite comfortably.

    I let it seep into my body and use it to power [Focus]. Then, as the world slows around me, I create a bigger one than before, using quite a bit of the mana in my body.

    In this state that feels so addictive, I let that black mana permeate me, and this time I feel the pressure. It makes it much more difficult to control as black mana inside of my body reaches a certain amount, but I pay it no mind.

    Ignoring the pressure and wounds, I let it all seep in and then use it to power a different skill.

    [Mana Domain]

    Immediately my domain expands, and then more, and again. The size is unlike any I¡¯ve used before.

    Observing it with fascination, I try to understand and learn as much as possible before I lose control. The black mana inside of my body threatens to slip, and even controlling the mana I used to power my [Focus] has become much more difficult.

    Through the domain, I sense the mana of every being within it. It feels like I should be able to do even more, but as I make the attempt, the world blacks out, and I die.

    I died¡­Confused, I look around, still in the same place, though my skills have been deactivated and after checking, a chunk of my mana is missing.

    The feeling is extremely disturbing even though I quickly reactivate [Focus], this time powered by normal mana.

    It takes a few moments to calm my beating heart as I replay what just happened.

    Well, that''s a good start. The system didn''t let me die, which can only mean one thing.

    Let''s try it again.

    First, to see how black mana reacts with my other skills and then to learn how much I can control it. I have a lot of time before the 2nd event starts.

 Chapter 342 - (?_?)

    [Perception] powered by black mana isn''t that special, or at least it¡¯s not at my skill level. I''m not as good at using that skill as I am at using [Focus], so black mana makes it, well, more perceptive. I still prefer my eye trait, but it''s not terrible and could be used to improve my scans.

    I might even be able to locate Tacita right now and quite easily at that, but it''s kind of hard to control. I died three times before I got any actual results.

    The second skill I¡¯ve decided to test is [Resonance], mostly for the bits that used to be [Oscillation] rather than [Disruption].

    [Resonance] powered by black mana easily tears through the trees and rocks in front of me, it covers quite a large area as well. It''s like using highly concentrated, high-frequency kinetic energy but it feels sharper.

    Knowing I can''t die, I can afford to be less careful, intending to learn even from the way my body gets damaged. I died twice before getting the result I wanted from the skill.

    I also try to use [Resonance] with a burst of black mana to send a massive disrupting wave, as big as I can make it, and after examining it I''m almost sure it hit everyone within the common area. It¡¯s almost like a wide range EMP for mana.

    With that one pulse, the black mana I used for the skill is gone. It took up a lot of it, but the area is huge so I¡¯m satisfied.

    So what if it scared a few people and messed up the web the others from Hell and the Hard difficulty people have been constructing over the common area? It¡¯s a price I''m willing to pay.

    Next, I decide not to test it on more skills. The event is still a bit off, but I need to get there with my mana topped out.

    For the last test with black mana, I create a big amount and send it through my body, in a manner similar to my Reinforcement and body strengthening. And I observe it the entire time, without activating my healing passive even as my body takes damage, my bones and muscles strengthened by mana while it puts them through an immense amount of strain at the same time.

    I move that mana to certain parts, like to my feet or arms, and attempt independently strengthening them. Then I manipulate mana to create a black dagger before reabsorbing it.

    Each of these attempts would be extremely dangerous given that a single spike can tear my organs and mind apart, but here I''m not that worried.

    Congratulations, you have acquired a new skill!

    [Mana Manipulation]

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 0 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 38]

    Huh? What?

    Confused, I ignore the black mana for a moment and check my status and the skill is there.

    I¡¯ve reacquired one of my original skills.

    Didn''t the system say it would be extremely difficult to get the skill back? And I was already getting used to training without it, and why the heck is it so high level? The other skills I¡¯ve gained are mostly in the single digits.

    Is it because I had it before, and more importantly, does that mean I can use [Mana Manipulation] in another skill combination? Is that even allowed? If so then maybe, in the future when I use it for another skill combination, I can get it back again.

    This is a total scam!

    It''s still surprising, but I can¡¯t complain. It must mean that I have a great talent when it comes to mana, right? Hehe.

    I notice that my body is starting to take too much damage, and overjoyed over the new skill, I send kinetic energy into my brain and blow off my head. I die again, my body returning to its normal state.

    From testing, I know that if I had waited any longer the system would have restored me to my wounded state even if I wasn¡¯t dead. I''m still not sure what the exact time limit is, but it''s something that can be found out with a bit of testing.

    After "reviving", the first thing I see is Tacita squatting in front of me and looking at me in a way that I can¡¯t quite describe. Is it amazement? Admiration? Did she stalk me and see me testing the black mana and dying?

    She lifts her pointer finger close to her temple and makes a circular movement while looking at me.

    Oh, come on! Everyone normal would do that! You can''t die here, so it''s not a problem to destroy your body a few times.

    ¡°I''m normal. That was entirely reasonable,¡± I protest.

    She blinks a few times and then gestures at the ground where she quickly draws something with her finger.

    (?_?)

    ¡°I''m normal.¡±

    She wipes it off and pats my shoulder once before drawing again.

    (?_?)

    ¡°Did you come here just to make fun of me?¡±

    Tacita shakes her head.

    ¡°Do you want something from me?¡±

    A short nod.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    (>^_^)> ¡î??*???

    There is NO WAY she is more normal than me.

    ¡°Explosion?¡±

    She nods excitedly a few times but then gestures to indicate that I¡¯ve missed something.

    ¡°Do you want me to cause an explosion?¡±

    Tacita shakes her head.

    ¡°Did you find me because of an explosion?¡±

    She shakes her head again.

    Hmm, this is a fun game so I plop on the ground opposite of her and think.

    ¡°Did you maybe feel my disrupting wave?¡±

    (£Þ¨Œ£Þ)

    Carefully, she touches her shirt which I now realize is black.

    Oh.

    ¡°You want to see my black orb?¡±

    (£Þ¨Œ£Þ)

    ¡°What do I get in exchange?¡± I ask.

    To my surprise, she thinks about it for a while, and seriously at that. Then she pulls out a small brooch in the shape of a leaf and puts it on the ground.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Examining it, I learn that it''s an epic item with two uses left. Each of these uses increases dexterity by 200 points for 10 seconds. It''s the first time I¡¯ve seen an item like this and can¡¯t help but think about how scary someone like Tacita would be with something like this.

    I wonder how she deals with the attribute imbalance I''m sure she¡¯s experiencing. Without enough Constitution, each of her quick movements likely threatens to tear her apart. Is it some trait? Epic passives? Active skills? There are plenty of options.

    The item is nice, but I would rather try to build a good relationship with her. That would be much more valuable.

    ¡°I was joking, I¡¯ll show you for free. Just don''t attack me or my group without a good reason.¡±

    Tacita looks at me and then seems to be thinking about it for a while.

    A minute passes like that.

    Then she looks at me again, into my eyes and I return her gaze. She smiles gently and gestures with her hand.

    Maybe.

    "That''s enough."

    She takes the brooch and gestures at me impatiently.

    I reach out and compress mana into a smaller orb that quickly turns black, as I am already used to the process. She watches it all with fascination like an excited little girl finding a new toy.

    Her hands move in sign language, but she quickly remembers I do not understand and then points at the orb while looking at me with a question.

    ¡°Yes, you can.¡±

    Tacita nods quickly and a barrier forms on her skin as she reaches her finger towards the black mana orb. It starts absorbing her mana the moment it enters her range.

    At this point, I know showing her this will help her understand my black orb a bit better and maybe even learn how to counter it.

    But I also know she realizes that, and yet I''m still showing it to her. That much should help her form a better image of me. After all, I¡¯m the guy who showed her his secret weapon even though he didn''t have to. Obviously, just that won''t turn her into a friend or anything, but just a little bit, just a first step is enough, and to me, Tacita looks like someone worth keeping close. Well, maybe not too close.

    I lean against the tree with my back and observe her as she continues to examine the orb. She changes her barrier, she tries to move her hand so quickly I can''t even track it, probably trying to figure out if she can stop the orb from absorbing her mana by moving quickly enough.

    She pokes it with a mana-coated dagger as well.

    It''s like she is a curious cat playing with a new toy.

    In the end, she seems to be satisfied and stands up. Looking at me, she shows a thumbs-up.

    The heck.

    Then after waving her hand, she runs away at a speed that would probably look like teleportation to someone with worse senses.

    <hr>

    I head back to our house when a notification informs me that all the weapons I put into the shop have been sold. After the system takes its cut, I get 1200 shards. Plenty more than I was asking.

    Something seems to be amiss here. Why would they sell for so much? Looking at the price, people from Normal and Hard should be the only ones buying them, but with what they bought them for they could''ve gotten items from the system shop instead.

    Very suspicious.

    When I reach the house, Channeler is there as well. Unlike before, he is wearing much nicer clothes and he is slightly tidied up which makes him even more handsome.

    Again, the hell. It should be illegal for a man to look like that.

    ¡°Noname! I trained using the stone you gave me. It''s amazing! Someone from Hard even tried to steal it from me.¡±

    Oh boy. ¡°Did he get it?¡±

    ¡°Nope! Sset saw it and zapped him and the group who was trying to help him.¡± He moves closer and continues in a whisper. ¡°Sset is scary. A few of the guys from Hard difficulty cried and begged her to stop, but she was like: ¡®Channeler is with Group 4.¡¯ So goddamn cool, I tell you!¡±

    Oh nice, now even Tess is spreading Group 4''s name to other participants. But I''m curious about where she¡¯s going with this.

    ¡°Good, if someone bothers you just tell us. It should be easy enough to deal with them.¡±

    ¡°Will do, boss! By the way, did you hear about that creep selling rare items?¡±

    Huh, creep? I know multiple people registered as sellers and I even saw some rare items in the tournament shop, but who could have caught enough interest by now for anyone to be talking about them?

    ¡°Anything interesting?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yup! He made a few rare items and was selling them at a ridiculously low price! I''m friends with some of the guys from Normal difficulty and they¡¯ve already started talking about it. They say his weapons are being sold at the price of a low rare item with the performance of a mid rare! Apparently, not many people have realized their value yet.¡±

    Heh, what a loser, getting scammed already.

    Channeler continues, ¡°The items are ugly as hell and sometimes they¡¯re hard to hold and the shape¡¯s all wrong.¡±

    Wait a moment.

    He laughs shortly, ¡°The guys complained a lot about them being ugly, but the performance and effects are amazing for such a high grade so they¡¯ve been selling like hotcakes. I even heard some were trading them in for other, more valuable items with crafters from Hard difficulty who wanted to examine them."

    Please no.

    Channeler explodes into laughter, ¡°But best of all is the guy''s name. Everyone calls him Tent Creep who apparently wants to¡­ well, you know¡­ Anyway, if you see any tent you better avoid it.¡±

    T-That''s not it!

    I try to correct him, ¡°Isn''t his name ''Fuck You Intent Bitch''? I think I saw it.¡±

    Channeler just shrugs, ¡°What even is ¡°intent¡±? Anyway, they don''t care. Since the name has caught on, they¡¯re likely to keep using it,¡± he smirks. ¡°Obviously no one will make fun of him to his face. It would be dumb to make fun of someone with that level of skill!¡±

    ¡°Yes, that would be really stupid.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you could buy some of his stuff, creep or not.¡±

    ¡°Yes, maybe. Hehe, such a stupid name.¡±

    ¡°Right? I have to go to Soph. Gareth and others are getting annoyed by the web she is setting up around the common area. It interferes with, and has apparently been taking over, parts of their own web. They¡¯ve already sent Brainiac to talk to her, but apparently, he¡¯s just been messing around with the other members of your group.¡±

    Group 4 indeed, everyone seems to like stirring trouble.

    ¡°Sure, I think she is in the workshop with her sister, you can check there.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll see you later, boss!¡±

    As he leaves, I watch him for a bit longer. It¡¯s nice that his behavior in regards to me hasn¡¯t changed much after the end of the 1st event, unlike some of the others.

    When I enter the house, I find Tess alone in the smaller living room with all the furniture floating in the air.

    ¡°Tent Creep!¡± she shouts by way of greeting.

    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± In quick succession, I shoot a few mana orbs at her, and she destroys them with her lightning.

    ¡°If you want, I can find out who started it, and you can have a talk with the guy. But that would reveal your secret identity as Tent Creep, and they would laugh behind your back. Or you can keep it secret.¡±

    ¡°Let''s keep it a secret.¡±

    ¡°Sure! By the way, flying is much harder than you make it look. Other than you, Kim, and I, I¡¯ve only seen two guys flying briefly. Maybe there are a few more, but they are all terrible in comparison to you.¡±

    That improves my mood, and I know she said it on purpose. Such a cheeky blonde.

    ¡°They just don''t practice enough. I wanted to ask you something.¡± I move closer and sit in the armchair that starts floating with me on it under the influence of her skill. ¡°You went pretty hard on group 4 during the 1st event, is there a reason for that?¡±

    Tess attacked me the moment she saw me, and then again. I also heard she poked at the others and defeated Min-Jae. It''s weird to me, considering she was the one who wanted to create this atmosphere of camaraderie, yet instead of grouping up during the event she went off alone, even attacked a few of the members of our group.

    Slowly, the items float back to the floor along with Tess, who ends up on the couch opposite me.

    ¡°I attacked you because I thought it would be fun and I knew you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± When she looks at me, I nod and after a short smile, she continues, ¡°I poked the others to remind them that it''s not just you who¡¯s stronger than them in Group 4. I want them to know I''m here as well and they should not forget that.¡±

    ¡°Want to be their mom?¡±

    ¡°Actually, that might not be so inaccurate.¡± A plate with snacks floats over to me, and I grab one before it floats to Tess who takes some as well. ¡°I want us to be friends, but at the same time, I took on the role of leader for the most part so I need to remind them once in a while. As for Kim, I defeated him because he¡¯s getting cocky, Nathaniel. I saw how harshly he was treating some guys from the Hard difficulty. It was getting awfully close to bullying.¡±

    ¡°Just that?¡±

    ¡°Of course, that alone wouldn''t be enough, it''s just that since he got his new eye, he¡¯s been getting more and more confident. Kim is still young and he doesn''t know what to do with it, so he takes joy in lording his strength over others. But lately, he¡¯s been pushing it.¡±

    ¡°I could look into it,¡± I offer. Having Min-Jae act cocky and overconfident could cause him some trouble in the future, so I could help with that.

    ¡°That would be great, just please don¡¯t be too cruel. I will talk with him too so you can do it later.¡±

    ¡°Sure. That¡¯s fine.¡± I gesture and head back out.

 Chapter 343 - Start of the 2nd event

    The 2nd event - The Siege of Aether Keep will be starting in 1 hour!

    In 1 hour, everyone will be transferred to the Aether Keep.

    All difficulties will participate in the same instance.

    You will be facing a gradually increasing number of enemies trying to destroy Aether Keep. The numbers and strength of the attackers will grow over the duration of the event. You will have 5 hours to prepare your defenses and then 5 hours to defend Aether Keep.

    Participants will be rewarded according to their performance during the defense.

    Note: You can leave the event at any time you want.

    Note: Cooperation with natives from Aether Keep and with participants of the tournament is required and fighting among defenders, be it tutorial attendees or natives, may decrease your points.

    Note: You can use [Restriction] for this event.

    Well, the event seems interesting. The only thing I dislike is the part about not fighting other participants, but it says that there ¡°may¡± be a punishment. So maybe a bit of infighting is allowed? It also makes me wonder who or what the attackers are and what kind of place Aether Keep will be.

    There doesn¡¯t seem to be any restriction on mana or stamina regen, I can¡¯t help but like that part and I have to wonder if I should set a [Restriction]. Placing one might increase my rewards, but not placing one would give me more options for defending the place, which might work out better in the end.

    The question is how difficult the second event is going to be. If it''s easy and I placed no [Restriction], it could end up being overkill and earn fewer points.

    If it''s difficult and I placed one, I may regret it, and find myself hamstrung during the defense.

    Well, I¡¯ll have to leave that to future Nat. He can decide a few seconds before the event starts.

    Closing the window, I open another and put three items up for auction. Each one quickly made and apparently, according to the assholes who give me funny names, graded at mid rare. So this time I set the starting price for each one at 300 shards and set the time of the auction to 30 minutes. Let''s see how they do.

    As I did before the 1st event, I create a small orb inside my body and start filling it with my mana, trying to smuggle it in again.

    Entering the house, I find everyone already inside, spread out over the living room. The most notable is Biscuit who is facing Noodle in a staring contest.

    The white snake feels a bit stronger now. Did one of our animal overlords have a breakthrough in his training and is trying to fight for the position of Absolute?

    Well, in the end, it doesn''t matter. Biscuit doesn''t even release any mana, just looks at Noodle with his usual silly expression. The one that makes him look like he is smiling with his tongue slightly sticking out.

    Even that is enough and Noodle lowers his head and leaves in a clear state of defeat.

    (Asshole,) sounds proudly through everyone¡¯s mind as Biscuit announces his victory.

    That makes the introverted snake lower his head even more and burrow under the blankets on the couch.

    It might seem harsh, but Biscuit is cute so he can do anything he wants.

    "Yoo, can you lend me the ax for the event?" Maya asks shamelessly as the fight between two animal overlords is over.

    "One thousand shards per hour."

    She blinks a few times staring at me.

    "You can¡¯t afford to buy it so a subscription might be a good idea. Even if it¡¯s damaged, it''s an arcane item. It performs at the level of a mid to upper epic item and sometimes even a bit higher."

    "I heard you were offering an epic item to find someone to help you make a good pizza in a few days. We are teammates, right? You can be nice to me too."

    I shake my head, "That pizza is for my precious minion. She deserves it."

    I still remember Vega asking me about my food, and now that I have a token that will allow me to summon her for a day, there is no way I wouldn''t prepare a nice welcome for her. While the 5th floor wasn¡¯t all that long ago and it''s only been a few days since I saw her, this is too good an opportunity to waste, given that we are currently in the middle of a somewhat safe tournament.

    Maybe I could let her fight some of the people from Easy and Normal difficulty. I kind of wonder how my minion would do.

    "Can I become your minion too?" Maya tries again.

    I ignore her and pick up Biscuit from the floor, setting him in my lap and grab his lolling pink tongue, pulling it gently.

    Shaking his head, he woofs at me and calls me an asshole.

    In exchange, I pull his whiskers and whisper, "I¡¯m going to introduce you to someone in a few days."

    (Asshole?)

    "No, she isn''t an asshole like me." I boop his nose.

    (Food?)

    "No."

    (Food food?)

    "Hell no. It''s a friend."

    (Friend?)

    "Yes."

    He tilts his head as if thinking and then looks at me.

    (Food!)

    Goddamnit Biscuit, can¡¯t you at least try to be normal.

    "Any plans for the 2nd event?" I ask Maya.

    "Tess is talking to Gareth. Dennis, Aaron, and Sophie managed to set up some kind of telepathic conversation web or something, so we are waiting," Maya answers.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    "I heard Gareth complained about Sophie¡¯s web?" I turn to Izzy, who is still trying to make Noodle come out from under the blankets.

    "Soph kept talking about how bad their web is and they refused to fix it. So she created her own with Dennis and Aaron and then started taking over parts of the other web when they complained about it," Izzy sounds somewhat proud.

    That makes me wonder if I shouldn¡¯t create a third web and take over both of them.

    "Soph can be spiteful if she wants. One guy told her to keep her mouth shut and let them work when she tried to help with their web," Maya giggles. She seems to be enjoying the situation a lot.

    I get a notification and ignore Maya to check it out.

    Congratulations, all of the items you put into the auction were sold off for 1500 shards. After the system takes 10%, you will receive 1350 shards!

    Congratulations, you are currently the 1st in the crafter rankings of the tournament shop.

    Rankings:

    1st - Fuckyouintentbitch

    2nd - Miwa

    3rd - Adam

    4th - Jonathan

    5th - Athena

    Okay, 1st. The asking price I set was 300 for each of the 3 items, so how the heck did they all get sold for around 500 each? They were only rare items and apparently ugly even with their decent performance. There is something very suspicious here going on. I need to up my prices for sure.

    I¡¯m curious about the rankings too. Do they exist to give those with crafting classes the chance to earn some nice rewards too even if they don¡¯t place in the events? Very interesting.

    Around thirty minutes remain ¡®till the start of the event when Brainiac and Lootenant return, led by our three boys. They are a rowdy crowd, but the moment Brainiac and Lootenant see me they shut up.

    "What?" I ask the red-haired boy who is looking at me.

    "How did you sense my attack? Only the most powerful natives have managed that up until now." His behavior is slightly different from before too.

    "I¡¯m not helping the party who attacks a single guy six versus one."

    "Oh, come on! How the hell did you even fly? You were restricted to your stats on the 4th Floor, were you already flying back then? What is your level? By the way, Adam wants to talk with you, he is a bit annoyed at the fact you killed him while he was fighting Savant."

    ¡°Adam can go hide somewhere just like he did in the event.¡±

    ¡°Right? I complained to Gary but he didn¡¯t seem to mind. Apparently, that¡¯s just how Adam is.¡±

    Min-Jae also joins in, ¡°I warned you that you should look out for Noname during the event.¡±

    To that, Brainiac gestures widely, ¡°Who would trust that!? I know he¡¯s in Beyond, and he keeps gushing about mana in the Community. But then you meet him and he barely talks and acts like a cat looking down on us poor humans. He doesn¡¯t leak any mana at all. I¡¯ve got nothing against that, Noname,¡± He adds quickly, ¡°Then you meet him in the event and he just does all this weird shit. And at the end of the event, it looks like he¡¯s gonna start biting pieces off Savant before he dies. Then once it¡¯s all over he loses control of his mana and 357 people from Easy difficulty pass out and 106 more from Normal puke up everything they ate in the past half year and everyone from Hard difficulty with decent mana sensitivity gets scared shitless.¡±

    Is¡­ is he complimenting me?

    ¡°Noname,¡± Brainiac moves even closer, ¡°people are already betting on the result of the duels. Most of the main bets are between you and Savant, a lot of people have money on Tacita. But I¡¯m betting on you.¡±

    ¡°Launch,¡± I say.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Brainiac asks, confused.

    His rambling has put me in a better mood, so I may as well throw him a bone, ¡°The moment you shoot your invisible projectiles you move a lot of mana that makes it super obvious when you will shoot them. I can even read the trajectory that way. Then, the projectiles themselves are unstable and leak mana which makes them more apparent. I recommend using half of the mana you are currently using and focusing on making them more dense. If you¡¯re fighting other humans you can make them a quarter the size, they¡¯re too big as is.¡±

    ¡°Noname!¡± he shouts happily. ¡°You have to train me! I can trade you some items worth a few hundred shards per lesson.¡±

    Huh? He thinks that''s enough?

    ¡°It¡¯ll be at least 1000 shards per hour-long lesson. And that¡¯s heavily discounted already.¡± I answer. That much should make it worth it.

    ¡°Fuck man, that¡¯s too much.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±

    Brainiac seems to be thinking, ¡°I can get a few guys and we can split the cost. I bet after the 1st event there are plenty who would be willing to join.¡±

    ¡°Four thousand shards worth for group lessons. Five thousand if it¡¯s over 5 people. Ten thousand if it¡¯s over 10 people.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    What does he mean by what? There is no way I¡¯m going to let a bunch of people drain all of my energy if I don¡¯t have to. Sure, I can endure it for a while, but only for the right price.

    Now that I think about it, if I do well during the other events I might ask more. I wonder if there are actually people who would be willing to do that.

    ¡°Come on, Max, leave Noname alone,¡± Lootenant jumps in, pulling the red-haired Brainiac away.

    As Brainiac gets dragged away to the other room, he keeps shouting that I''m a scammer or some other nonsense.

    <hr>

    With less than ten minutes left on the clock, everyone else returns and Brainiac and Lootenant leave to rejoin their group.

    While I continue to prod and poke at Sophie and the twins'' web, Tess and the others have some sort of important meeting which I half listen to. I spend my remaining minutes thinking about what kind of [Restriction] I should set, or if it is even necessary.

    In ten seconds you will be moved to the location of the 2nd Event!

    The message finally sounds and the final countdown starts. 3, 2, 1,...

    You will be transferred to the Aether Keep. You have three seconds to place a [Restriction] if you wish to do so.

    Everyone else disappears, followed by me.

    Entering the area of the second event I look around. All two thousand tutorial participants are spread out across a massive courtyard, surrounded by a tall wall.

    Off to one side is a mountain rising into the sky with windows carved into its faces. Telling me that the mountain''s insides are filled with rooms and buildings. There are also more walls like the one currently surrounding us.

    The air here is slightly colder and the clouds almost seem to be close enough to touch.

    I give myself some time to examine the place. It''s simple, yet its architecture gives off the impression of old strength and power, and there are rough and fascinating mana-powered inscriptions.

    Interestingly, there are thousands of humans all around. Both armored and not. Each one scrambling to prepare the defenses. A dozen well-dressed men with guards following them are heading toward the participants whereupon they start explaining the situation.

    Well, it seems like we won¡¯t be defending this place alone.

    Looking around I spot and check in on a few people.

    Gareth (Hell, 4th)

    Sset (Hell, 4th)

    Grumpy (Hell, 4th)

    Tacita (Hell, 5th)

    And then there is also this guy.

    Savant (Hell, 3rd)

    I see. I think I know his reasoning and I had the same thought. The event has all of the tournament attendees participate and even calls for cooperation. It¡¯s very logical to assume that the event will be somewhat made to reflect that fact. Forgoing a restriction would probably be overkill and far from worth it.

    But, the system isn¡¯t always logical.

    The system is an asshole.

    That¡¯s why the text the others see over my head reads thusly.

    Noname (Hell, 6th)

    And as far as I can see it¡¯s the highest out of any Hell difficulty participant.

 Chapter 344 - A low price to pay

    Welcome to the 2nd event, the Siege of the Aether Keep. You now have 5 hours for preparations. Cooperation with other participants and natives is preferred, and doing otherwise will lead to a deduction in points.

    After 5 hours, the attack will start. The attack itself will last 5 hours with a gradual increase in difficulty.

    The longer you defend, the better your rewards will be.

    Enjoy the second event!

    After a few minutes of just looking around, I look for Tess and move towards her. Unlike me, the blonde started talking with people and natives the moment we arrived here. Scary.

    ¡°I think you made a mistake,¡± Tess tells me when she moves closer, reading the text over my head.

    I see, the poor blonde is still underestimating the system. But she will learn, she¡¯s a smart girl.

    ¡°Don''t look at me with that patronizing look in your eyes,¡± Tess complains.

    ¡°How are the natives?¡± I ask her, changing the subject.

    ¡°We¡¯ve already tested a few things. They¡¯re like the natives of the other floors with more restrictions. As if their only purpose is to defend Aether Keep. To their minds, we are reinforcements sent by one of their Champions. We were able to gain their cooperation by telling them their Champion instructed us to take command. Gareth and Samuel are already speaking with them and collecting information.¡±

    ¡°Sounds interesting, so what are we defending?¡±

    ¡°Aether Keep is a bastion carved into an extremely tall mountain as you can see. You can do a fly over later and learn more. As for the reason, there seems to be a deposit of arcanadium and other materials in this area.¡±

    Before I can say anything, she interrupts, ¡°Yes, we already sent people to find out if we can take it out of the event. We¡¯re locked out of the system and tournament shops, same as the 1st event. I did ask a few guys to go and try to craft some stuff with the materials. Maybe that could help us smuggle out some materials, but I don¡¯t think the system is going to let that slide.¡±

    That¡¯s such a shame. ¡°Anything you want me to do?¡±

    "Maybe set up some traps for now. You¡¯ll know what to do." Having said her piece, she leaves to live her busy life as an extrovert.

    I, meanwhile, continue to fill the orb inside my body with mana. I could do it with my crown, but I still don''t want Savant to see it. Flying a bit up, I locate someone else instead of scouting, and when I land, I find my good friend waiting there.

    BenDover (Hell, 4th)

    Surrounded by the rest of his 4-man squad from group 2, IDK, he is as charming as always, welcoming me without any fear. He is even smiling. One of the members of his group I know. The man called Bard, he actually managed to survive quite a while in the 1st event.

    ¡°You said you would find me after the event, did you change your mind? It won¡¯t be quite so easy now,¡± BenDover smirks.

    Huh?

    Oh. I remember now, I told him I''d find him after the event, right? But then I got distracted by my experiments with black mana and crafting, and I forgot. But seeing him up close now quickly reminds me why I wanted to do it.

    ¡°I forgot,¡± I say simply.

    ¡°Sure. I will be waiting,¡± he smirks and waves at me with a dagger in his hand, the same one that Lorven guy had on the 4th floor. I remember it being quite a decent epic item.

    I don¡¯t like it. It feels like he is looking down at me because it''s impossible to die during the tournament.

    His teammate tries to calm him down, but he just pushes him away and fearlessly takes a step closer to me, ¡°You keep looking at me that way like you want to do something. But you won¡¯t do shit. The event¡­¡±

    Using my much higher mana reserve, I grab and hold him with [Redistribution], preventing him from moving or speaking. Without an active [Restriction], I manage it easily, especially with the amount of mana I can use.

    ¡°When I feel like it, I will find you in the common area,¡± I say simply and then a concentrated blast of kinetic energy hits him, the system turning him into particles and sending him away.

    You have killed one of your fellow defenders.

    100 points have been deducted from your score as punishment.

    Current score: -100

    A low price to pay to ruin that guy¡¯s day.

    ¡°Any problems?¡± I turn to Bard.

    ¡°Would it matter even if I had any?¡± he sighs. ¡°Just go and do your stuff. We don¡¯t have to fight now that he¡¯s gone.¡±

    Poor guy, having to deal with that asshole because he¡¯s stuck clearing Floors with him.

    ¡°Later then,¡± I say, waving to him before flying off.

    For a moment, I consider being petty and taking down Savant, but in the end, I decide against it. That would give the impression that I''m scared of him and need to slow him down. That would be okay with nearly anyone else, but that guy is going down even without resorting to that. Plus there is no need to be an asshole.

    Yet.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Flying high above in circles, I examine the area. It looks pretty much like I expected. The mountain in question is a lot taller than Mount Everest though the slope isn¡¯t all that steep and there are multiple roads winding up the face, and framing the mountain¡¯s wide base.

    At least I think it''s taller; I''ve never seen Mount Everest with my own eyes, so who knows? It just feels tall and imposing.

    The Aether Keep stands at the top, surrounded by a series of three tall walls, with a huge empty plane behind each. After the last wall, there are buildings and structures carved into the mountain itself. All of this has been strengthened with mana and made out of materials tougher than anything known on Earth.

    The architecture is simple and rough, but it gives off an impression of power and impenetrability. I also take notice of a three-layered barrier. Each layer encompassed by a wall. Reminding me of the Bastion on the 5th floor.

    Flying a bit further at my top speed, no message pops out and the system doesn''t try to stop me, meaning I can probably abandon the event and fly around. But even flying so far, I don''t see any enemies, meaning, either the system is going to spawn them at the beginning of the attack or that they have some means of teleportation.

    Now that I don¡¯t have to conserve mana, I fly back at the same high speed.

    I could activate the crown and use it as storage for my mana, but I''m not sure if I want to at the moment. The others would see it and try to analyze it the same way I''m analyzing them. Especially Savant with that clinical examining look he turns on everyone.

    Then there¡¯s that huge screen in the common area. Even if everyone dies and leaves the event, they would still be able to watch from the common area. But how much does that even matter?

    When I land, the surrounding participants cut their conversations short, as everyone takes care to avoid getting in my way.

    It seems that slowly, the attendees from Normal and Easy difficulties are realizing the difference in power between themselves and the participants from higher difficulties. I can see it in the way they glance around and tense up when someone stronger approaches.

    Unsurprisingly, some stronger guys seem to be enjoying it and there is a bit of bullying going on. Currently nothing too bad, but knowing human nature it will only become worse.

    Of course, it''s nothing too prevalent; most people just want to compete and enjoy the event with others who are stuck in the same situation. But even a single guy from Hard difficulty could mess up the day for everyone else.

    ¡°I''m with group 4! So knock it off,¡± someone says calmly.

    Recognizing the voice, I head that way and find Channeler facing down two other men and a woman. They feel weak to me, but they¡¯re probably from the lower floors of Hard difficulty.

    I get ready to step in, but to my surprise, even the mention of group 4¡¯s involvement is enough to defuse things.

    ¡°Fuck, okay, okay, man! We are leaving, it''s our bad, okay? Just don¡¯t tell on us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! Everyone makes mistakes,¡± Channeler smiles. ¡°But please, apologize to him.¡±

    With interest, I watch as they do just that, all three of them.

    Then standing by the side, I listen to them as they pass by.

    The woman pokes the man, ¡°I thought you were a tough guy and you guys are getting scared of them just mentioning some random group?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Karen! They have that fucking lightning maniac. She would zap your ass off if she heard you or worse throw you to their dog.¡±

    ¡°A fucking dog? How¡­¡± their voices weaken as they walk out of my range.

    ¡°Noname!¡± Channeler notices me and comes rushing with a bright smile. ¡°I used your group¡¯s name like Sset told me to, again,¡± he says, looking somewhat ashamed. ¡°I know it works, but it feels¡­ you know.¡± He shrugs.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, but what was that all about? What is Sset even doing?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that? She¡¯s butting heads with Gareth. He and Samuel want to play sheriff and keep the strong from bullying the weak. They set up webs in the common area and have been defusing fights.¡± He looks around and moves closer.

    Channeler continues in a quieter voice, ¡°Sset told me she doesn¡¯t like it. She and Soph favor a different approach, something along the lines of: if anyone fucks around they get put down and the others step in line out of fear.¡± He smiles. ¡°Normally it wouldn¡¯t work, people would get pissed and push back, but Sset is very strong and Soph¡¯s web is already much better than anything Gareth and Samuel¡¯s people could put together.¡±

    How fun. Infighting and conflicting ideals! Tess seems to be cooking something up and Sophie¡¯s involved too.

    ¡°So what¡¯s her plan?¡± I ask. It¡¯s a bit weird but I did tell Tess to do anything she wants and then point me at anyone who complains. After all, that¡¯s the least I can do.

    ¡°Sset has been using your name to scare people into compliance and when anyone does anything too serious she personally beats the shit out of them. No matter what difficulty they are. With Sophie¡¯s web, she gets to the troublemakers quicker than Gareth. She¡¯s also been throwing Group 4¡¯s name around in the process.¡±

    Oh, so she¡¯s been doing some brand building.

    That sounds like a lot of annoying work, but if that¡¯s what she wants to do then she¡¯s free to do it. If Gareth and the others complain I will still be by her side. It would be fun to see Group 4 fighting against the opposition. Even though Tess, Lily, and I could probably handle a combined attack from most of Hell difficulty. Probably.

    ¡°Well, see you later,¡± I say, waving to Channeler as I lift off, locating and flying towards Tess and the others.

    On the way I spot and stop by Tacita who¡¯s leaning against a tree, watching the arguing group from a distance. She waves shortly and without a word, I plop down on the wall nearby, also observing them from a distance.

    Gareth and Adam stand opposite Tess, Maya, and Sophie, discussing something. Behind them stands Samuel. He¡¯s from Hard difficulty, a marine or something. His posture is straight and his clothes are well-kept. A sword as big as he is tall hangs from his back, though its weight doesn¡¯t seem to bother him.

    (Food?)

    Biscuit moves closer with his wobbly step. He notices Tacita near me and stops. Then he sniffs at her and throws a confused look my way.

    (Food!)

    I guess he couldn''t smell her? What an interesting skill or trait she has.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I say as I lift him from the ground and set him in my lap.

    Tacita doesn''t react and glances at the best doggo of the second event. It''s really hard to tell, but I could swear it seemed like she wanted to take a step forward and try to pet him.

    I wait for her to gesture at me, but she holds back and returns to observing the others.

    Well, it''s her loss.

    Maya also notices me and moves closer, handing me the damaged arcane ax I left in her care, and just waves at Tacita who ignores her. Rather than attempting further communication, she pokes Biscuit in the rump at which the doggo perks up and woofs at her a few times.

    Ignoring his frustration, Maya pokes him a few more times while Biscuit twists in my lap. Thankfully, he¡¯s patient with dumb people and deigns not to punish her for the offense.

    Maya then glances at the text over my head, ¡°I wonder who¡¯s right, you with no [Restriction] or Savant with the most severe [Restriction] out of Hell difficulty.¡±

    She pauses and looks at me, ¡°Can you create a barrier around us? So no one can listen.¡±

    I do just that and she continues, ¡°Tess will be busy for the next few hours, dealing with the natives, arranging the defenses, and hammering things out with Gareth. She told me to ask you to make a show during the event.¡± Maya gives me a serious look, ¡°No holding back. Go all out and make sure that even people from Hell difficulty are scared shitless.¡±

 Chapter 345 - Why do you care?

    I stop and look at her for a moment, and she actually seems to be serious. Tess probably wants to cement Group 4¡¯s strength in the minds of everyone here, whether they¡¯re from Easy or Beyond.

    I take a moment to ensure that the barrier around us is still functioning before I note, ¡°I would be showing my hand before the duels. Tacita, Savant, and Gareth would see all of my skills and other abilities.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Maya agrees. ¡°Tess already considered that. She knew you would object so she told me to ask: Why do you care if they see? You¡¯re on a higher floor than any of them so just fuck them up anyway.¡±

    Those two sentences from Tess, despite coming from Maya, make me think for a while, and though Maya continues to speak, I filter it out.

    Yes, Tacita might counter me. Yes, Savant¡¯s full abilities are still a mystery, but why should that stop me? I used to be more cocky and confident.

    It¡¯s as if I¡¯ve placed them all on the same level as me. Even if it¡¯s true, I shouldn''t be thinking like that; I should be an arrogant piece of shit. My subclass is Pride, isn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Okay,¡± I respond, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Tess must have realized it as well, even during the 1st event when I was conserving my mana for the final confrontation. So now that silly blonde is pushing me where she thinks I want to be.

    She really is good at reading people, isn¡¯t she?

    I activate my [Mana Crown], and when it appears over my head, I redirect all the mana I¡¯ve been collecting in the orb into the crown. Storing it there is much more stable and puts less strain on my body.

    Even then, the empty space inside the crown barely fills. What a scary mana battery this skill makes.

    I make my Thermokinetic Mana Heart compress the mana it generates as much as it can and redirect the stream of generated mana into the crown. My body¡¯s store of mana is full, and my reservoir is full too, so all newly generated mana will flow into the crown. In five hours, a nice amount should be generated.

    My Vortex Core is also full, compressed Primordial Energies swirling inside of it.

    That is amusing enough. The Armorer said as much on the 5th Floor. My body is extremely mana-conductive. All thanks to my Mana Circuit, my passives, and my constructs. It''s almost as if I''m turning myself into a mana battery, the rest of my body serving as a conduit to direct and shape that mana, right down to my second trait.

    Let''s just try not to end up like Armorer''s former Lord, imprisoned and used as a mana supply.

    ¡°I''m gonna go prepare then. See you later.¡± I wave to Maya and carefully set Biscuit down.

    The best doggo decides to do his own thing and wobbles on his way as he follows Maya away.

    Tacita is observing me with her lively eyes, still leaning against the tree, brown hair falling over her forehead. Her eyes flicker towards my crown a few times and I watch the thoughts flash behind her gaze. As if she¡¯s already picturing our confrontation in her mind. I can tell, I¡¯ve done the same so many times already.

    ¡°Do you think you can take me down?¡± I ask her.

    She pauses for a moment, though it¡¯s only a short one. Tacita smiles brightly, her eyes squinting into a dangerous gaze.

    ¡°I see.¡± There is no need for more words.

    Even as I walk away, I start already preparing ideas on how to best use my mana here.

    I like the idea of using the ethercrystals they mine here. With a few good inscriptions, I could probably turn the entire mine into a bomb. But the quest is to defend the place¡¯ not blow it up, unfortunately.

    Or I could turn myself into a bomb, in a bid inspired by Lissandra¡¯s actions at the end of the second floor. The system would surely keep me alive.

    The problem with that is that I don¡¯t want a permanent construct like that, and I don¡¯t know if the system will remove it. Any alterations I make to my body during the event will probably stay even after I leave.

    We¡¯ve already learned that it¡¯s probably impossible to level a skill during an event, though they tend to level up at the end of the event as if the experience were being collected and applied in the common area.

    There is also the fact that after I left the 1st event, my body was fully restored and my mana was returned to the state it was in before the event, but would that happen to the constructs made during the event? Especially now when I don¡¯t have a [Restriction] active?

    Well, let¡¯s not risk it and go with a single-use method; it will be a bit more difficult without mana conductive paint, but it should still be manageable.

    ¡°Mind if I join you?¡± Lily asks, as she nimbly rushes to my side, leaving the others to their discussion.

    Grumpy (Hell, 4th)

    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t distract me too much, sure.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying I''m distracting?¡± she shoves me playfully, a smile on her face.

    I have a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. I''m sure she said that same sentence a long time ago, but this time it feels different. It feels more like a joke rather than her being pushy.

    ¡°Yes yes, by the way, do you want my left arm? You could use it for [Sacrifice] later. After you restore it, we can find out how much it costs and how long it takes to regenerate your mana before the attack starts to find out if it¡¯s worth it,¡± I offer.

    With her being restricted, my arm could give her an impressive boost. And who knows, maybe this will count towards my points.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Sure!¡± the petite healer answers without hesitation.

    I might have offered it, but please, at least pretend to be a bit shocked and hesitant.

    <hr>

    ¡°Are inscriptions difficult?¡± Lily asks as we sit at the edge of the outermost wall with our feet hanging over the edge.

    A massive clearing is stretched out beneath us, descending from our position. Despite the chilly air, the view of the surrounding mountains and valleys is breathtaking. It just has that sort of rough untouched natural beauty.

    All of it is so big, so unreal. Alien even. ¡°Most of the time I just go by feeling while remembering the things that didn''t work before,¡± I answer her.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that boring?¡±

    ¡°Is your plastic surgery skill boring?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not plastic surgery!¡± she pouts. ¡°I did it to improve my fine control. But I think I know what you¡¯re getting at.¡±

    ¡°Simple as that. Do you like any of this, Lily?¡± I ask curiously.

    Even while engaging in conversation, I make sure to keep filling my crown with mana and continue to inscribe a thin layer of my skin with pathways. I do it in this way so I can just use [Resonance] to scratch a thin layer of my skin, and make it all disappear. Or even if I just focus my healing passive there.

    ¡°This event or overall?¡± Lily asks.

    ¡°Overall.¡±

    ¡°I love it, Nat.¡± Lily smiles while looking at the giant mountains that fill our surroundings, swinging her dangling feet, ¡°It doesn''t matter how much it hurts or how sad it gets at times, I wouldn¡¯t change any of it.¡±

    Curious, I observe her and devote a bit more attention to our conversation, ¡°What do you like so much about it?¡±

    She opens her mouth to say something but quickly closes it.

    She looks at me for a second and smiles as if she¡¯s changed her mind about something, ¡°I like that I¡¯m not alone more than anything. I like that I¡¯m not weak anymore and I like being useful. I¡¯m changing, Nat, I¡¯m not how I used to be and it¡¯s scary at times.¡±

    Quietly waiting, I let her think and I listen.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the stats, or the skills, and traits. What I mean is that I¡¯m not the same person I was on Earth and I think the old Lily would be scared of me. But at the same time, she would also be happy for me. I think I¡¯ve improved a lot thanks to the others.¡±

    ¡°Most of it was probably thanks to Biscuit.¡±

    That makes her laugh out loud. ¡°Yes, Biscuit did more work than anyone else. Seriously though, most of it is Tess, she¡¯s like my friend, leader, and mom all combined into one.¡±

    ¡°She does a lot. You guys should help her and show her how grateful you are, at least once in a while. No matter how she acts, it¡¯s difficult for her too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I think Maya noticed it first. Though Sophie realized it a bit later. They¡¯ve become really good friends. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s slow when it comes to stuff like this.¡± Leaning back, she sighs. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have enough mana to restore your arm again and replenish it before the attack starts.¡±

    I nod and, lowering my defenses, coat my hand in resonating mana and cut off my arm at the shoulder, putting it on the wall next to the other.

    Lily touches me right after, her healing mana closing the wound and slowly regrowing my arm. She can do it faster, but she¡¯s either taking things slow to conserve as much mana as she can or for the opportunity to touch me longer. Either could be true.

    I bet it¡¯s the second option.

    To break the silence, I challenge her, ¡°Guess what my subclass is.¡±

    ¡°Pride.¡±

    ¡°Close enough, you can try¡­¡±

    ¡°Pride.¡±

    Dang it.

    ¡°Nat, it¡¯s quite obvious and I think most of the group knows. But I think it suits you. I know pride is generally viewed in a negative light, but yours is comforting. It¡¯s like you have this unshakable confidence in yourself. I often find myself being jealous of you. How easily you seem to deal with situations and events that bother me for days.¡±

    She¡¯s restored my arm up to the elbow by the time she continues, ¡°For example, that thing with Tent Creep, I know I would be cringing for days, but you already seem to be over¡­¡±

    She stops as I pinch her nose and shake her head, and a playful laugh escapes from her lips.

    ¡°For the future Ruler of Lust, you really are quite the comedian, Miss Lily.¡±

    ¡°One day I will have to beat the crap out of Aaron for coming up with that. But you can try to guess my subclass too. Do you think you can do it?¡±

    ¡°Wrath,¡± I respond, much to her surprise.

    Seeing her expression, I must have hit the nail on the head.

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I guessed what you would pick back then. We spoke and you told me you wanted to learn to control your skills. I did have two more guesses but that one seemed like the most likely option and you just confirmed it.¡±

    After a minute of silence, she asks quietly, ¡°Was it the right decision?¡±

    ¡°It was a decision you made on your own, that¡¯s all that matters. You just have to do your best to follow through.¡± I stand up and stretch. ¡°We humans have to try hard to avoid being left behind by our future animal overlords. Biscuit and Noodle are here and ready to take over the moment we show the slightest bit of weakness so do your best.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± she blinks, confused.

    Oh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve shared that part of my theory with the others. Well, I¡¯ll have to do that at some point in the future, slowly to avoid scaring them off.

    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later. I want to go and place a few traps, but I¡¯ll be back before the attack starts.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass that on to Tess¡­ and our future animal overlords,¡± she says carefully.

    Sometimes people don''t appreciate me as much as they should.

    Waving at her, I jump over the edge and fly away from the walls.

    The traps will be simple. A number of anchors inscribed into mana stones to make them last longer and keep more of them active than I could with my skill alone.

    Obviously, I won''t be using my materials and mana stones. I bet the natives have some nice stuff stashed away somewhere. Sharing is caring, isn¡¯t it?

    I can also string up some extremely dense, hair-thin threads of mana across the terrain; that would be nice too. Running into one could cut an enemy apart before they ever realized what was happening, and the amount of mana is minuscule. I¡¯ll need to find out how long they can last and how strong I can make them.

    There are a few more surprises after that too. Maybe I can prepare an avalanche or something that Min-Jae can help along with his gravity magic.

    There¡¯s the question of whether or not I should be using these traps in the first place. I might just wait it out and join the fight near the end when everything seems lost. That could look cool; I bet Biscuit would be proud of me, and it would give me the opportunity to do something flashy.

    Anyway, whoever does attack will receive a warm welcome.

 Chapter 346 - That maniac

    By the time I return, thirty minutes remain until the attack, I spot Tess next to the rest of group 4; everyone else is already gone. As I land beside her, she seems tired.

    So, even the extrovert class can take damage from prolonged exposure to another extrovert¡¯s leech aura.

    ¡°Don''t look at me like that, Nat, it pisses me off. I swear some people are straight-up stupid.¡±

    ¡°Surely you mean Gareth. Has he already revealed his true colors?¡±

    ¡°Gareth is fine, he¡¯s probably the most reasonable goddamn person in Hell difficulty believe it or not. Group 4 included,¡± she sighs. ¡°Savant keeps calling Gareth disgusting and then leaves to do his own thing while calling you dumb for not using [Restriction].¡±

    ¡°Well, his face is stupid.¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s Tacita. Anytime I try to ask her for anything she just draws her emoticons and shrugs. By the way, good job killing BenDover, the others from his group refuse to cooperate.¡±

    ¡°I can go smack them around if you like.¡±

    ¡°Please don''t.¡±

    ¡°Okay. What about the natives?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re mostly ok. According to them, we¡¯ve been sent here by their Champion to help with the defense so they mostly listen. The one with the highest level is close to three question marks, and the others are level 200 and below. There are a few civilians, but we¡¯ve sent them to hide in the mines. We¡¯ll probably be rewarded based on how many natives survive and how much damage the mines take.¡±

    ¡°Did they know anything about the Pairing, the 1st Generation, or the Tutorial?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, they feel more like machines, they¡¯re not quite as human as the residents of the other floors.¡±

    ¡°And the attackers?¡±

    ¡°Tens of thousands of monsters controlled by a neighboring kingdom that specializes in taming and controlling of armies of monsters.¡±

    ¡°Damn, Sophie''s in for a treat.¡±

    Tess nods, ¡°She¡¯s already setting up her web with the twins. If you have any free time, try to make some improvements. How¡¯s your crown?¡±

    ¡°It''s as full as it¡¯s going to get, but it would take days, not hours to completely fill it.¡±

    She points at her own [Storm Crown] that floats over her head, ¡°It¡¯s the same for me, but it¡¯s nice to have some preparation time and this event seems to be more fitting for those of us who focus more on regeneration rather than amplification.¡±

    It¡¯s hard for me to abide by such heresy but I may as well let it slide, this time, ¡°Do you still want me to go all out?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Blow up the mountain, burn the valley, and just do your thing. I want to scare the others a bit. Samuel¡¯s too cocky for my taste. He keeps forgetting how much more powerful people from Hell difficulty are compared to his group from Hard difficulty. It should also make Gareth more cooperative since he seems to think that his group can deal with anything, so prove him wrong and you¡¯ll make things a lot easier for me.¡±

    So interesting. ¡°Are you planning to take over?¡± I ask her.

    She looks at me for a moment and sighs, ¡°I wanted to take it easy and delegate a bit. But Gareth is too soft. I mean, even that could work, he and his group are powerful enough but it''s painful to watch how slowly he¡¯s been moving. Meanwhile, Samuel¡¯s trying to recruit us all into the army so we can serve the greater good the moment we step out of the tutorial.¡±

    ¡°Anyone else?¡±

    ¡°A few guys from Hard difficulty but they¡¯re too weak to mess with anyone from Hell difficulty. Group 3 with your friend BenDover seems like they just want to leech off the others and group 8 with AnotherOneHere and Swordmaster showed a degree of interest before the 1st event. Apparently, you kicked their collective asses and they¡¯ve been mostly neutral since.¡±

    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯ve been super busy, but Tess, what do you want out of this? You know we can easily ignore all this and focus on our own group. Between us, we¡¯ll be fine no matter what happens here or after the tutorial.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± She gestures for me to come closer while she creates a field around us to prevent anyone from listening in on our conversation. ¡°But you¡¯re too antisocial, Nat. Sure, we can make it out on our own and threaten people with [Disintegration] and whatever fucked up bomb you develop by then. That would be doable, but things become much simpler if we can get a few more guys on our side. What if the other rounds end with one person at the helm? What if we return to Earth and someone else has already seized control? Some of us could die if it came to this.¡±

    ¡°It annoys me that you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, me too. I just want to make a place for our group so we can stay together and bring our families with us. But for now, let''s make some connections. Do you mind?¡±

    I shrug, ¡°Not really. Just ask and I¡¯ll do what I can, I know I make you deal with a lot of annoying stuff so that''s the least I can do.¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°You are reliable as always, Nat. Do your thing and I¡¯ll do mine. I can¡¯t help but notice that Tacita seems to like you if we can call it that. She ignores me, so maybe try to get her on our side. That girl is scary. Don''t take it personally but if you don¡¯t pull something out of your sleeve she will be the one winning the duels.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know, but have some faith in me, I already have some ideas to work on. By the way, what the fuck is Izzy doing?¡± I point at the 11-year-old girl sitting on the stairs with Noodle coiled around her.

    There¡¯s some kind of weird construct floating over her head that seems to be manipulating the light around her in some weird way, and two blue flame orbs float at her side. They¡¯re as big as basketballs and I can feel their heat increasing.

    ¡°Oh, that was Sophie''s idea. She did some mumbo jumbo and manipulated the light, and air around Izzy to work like a magnifying glass. Izzy can absorb heat like you but in her case, it¡¯s easier to take it from natural sources while you can take yours from skills. So she¡¯s charging it up.¡±

    Oi, I''m jealous now. I know I shouldn¡¯t be since my skill still seems to be stronger, but I can''t help it after seeing Izzy¡¯s new shiny toy.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to hang around a bit, I¡¯ll join you before the attacks start,¡± I tell Tess, already on my way over to Izzy.

    Tess waves me off as if she had expected that response, she has a look on her face, almost like someone having to deal with a silly child, but I decide to let it go.

    As I stop in front of Izzy, she opens her eyes and shouts, ¡°Stupid Noname!¡±

    ¡°Yes yes, so what has Sophie prepared for you?¡± I point at the construct hanging above her head.

    ¡°I don''t know, but it makes the sun warmer and I can absorb all of the extra heat.¡±

    Well, warmer is an understatement. I¡¯m fairly sure that if Izzy wasn¡¯t absorbing the excess heat the concentrated light would be melting through the stairs right now. It would certainly be more than enough to burn a normal human alive. However Sophie¡¯s construct is also very fragile, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s ready to crumble at the slightest touch. It¡¯s also connected to her web and seems to be receiving power from it. The mana cost to maintain it isn¡¯t very high either, it¡¯s honestly pretty efficient.

    Maybe I should sit down with Sophie and the twins when I find some time. Lately, they¡¯ve been cooking up some really nice stuff.

    ¡°And what is Noodle doing?¡± I look at the pearl-white snake with green eyes. The beast with an ancient bloodline or something.

    ¡°Noodle eats mana.¡±

    ¡°I know that; he¡¯s always done that. Has he become any stronger, or gained any new abilities? What else can he do?¡±

    Izzy starts thinking and then adds, ¡°Noodle sleeps a lot too!¡±

    I exchange a glance with the aforementioned danger noodle, and he flicks his tongue at me.

    So eating and sleeping. What a life.

    I''m jealous. Not even joking.

    <hr>

    POV Sophie Martinez

    ¡°That maniac is at it again!¡± Aaron says out of nowhere, and I look up from the table where the three of us have been drawing our web.

    By maniac, he can mean only one person. With a sigh, I connect to our web, and he¡¯s right, the maniac is there. He¡¯s going through the entire web of extremely delicate mana pathways I created as if it''s nothing. He¡¯s reading them at a speed that still shocks me, even now. How does he do that?

    ¡°Shhh, he might hear you,¡± Dennis says quickly and turns to me. ¡°Should we try to push him out?¡±

    ¡°Just let him be, he¡¯s done it before. He¡¯ll get bored eventually,¡± I turn back to the table.

    ¡°But how does he do it? We are using [Connection] so we can cooperate, and he just cuts in. Oh, wow look! He made a change!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s infusing his mana into our web, though he¡¯s not connected to it. I could spend more time on defenses, but there is no need for that now. And it¡¯s okay, he¡¯s creating a backdoor so he can connect to our web more easily next time.¡±

    Dennis takes a moment to connect to the web and observe what the maniac is doing, ¡°I wonder if it would be the same if we hadn¡¯t restricted ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it would,¡± I respond. ¡°Focus on your work. Though that does remind me, you guys are getting better at this, you should speak to him after the event. Maybe you can learn the coordinates from him and sell them at ten thousand shards a pop. He¡¯ll probably want a portion, but you can still earn a decent amount.¡±

    ¡°A few thousand shards is nice, but after hearing how much he has, it feels depressing,¡± Dennis sighs and connects to my current project to help me with it.

    The skill he shares with his brother is a boon when it comes to connecting the smaller webs of my design. Both of them have already acquired [Mana Manipulation], and I¡¯ve agreed to teach them a bit.

    I am just happy that they don¡¯t blame me for failing to fight the First One back then. I wouldn¡¯t blame them, and they were angry, but after what happened to Aaron''s disciple on the 5th and to them on the 6th, they¡¯ve opened up a bit. Things here are complicated.

    It¡¯s a new experience for me as well, but for now, I think I¡¯ll go along with Tess¡¯s plans. It''s not so bad, and most importantly, Izzy seems to be having fun. She¡¯s finally stopped pestering me about befriending the others.

    Her [Empathy] is something else, it makes for a really scary skill, and my precious little sister is slowly growing up. Surrounded by danger she shines so painfully bright, constantly reminding me how much I love her.

    The same is true for the twins; I can see the constant messages they exchange and the care they show for each other.

    ¡°So what do you think?¡± I ask them as they examine my preparations.

    ¡°We probably won¡¯t be able to finish it before the attack starts, but somewhere in the middle, we should be able to convert your webs into a single unit for a short moment. The communication part is easy.¡±

    ¡°That much should be fine; Gareth and his group''s pathetic web can fuck off.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, fuck off Gareth!¡± the twins smile happily, ¡°Our skills work well together. Maybe we can be the psyops unit of group 4.¡±

    ¡°Tess will be the leader, and Lily will be our healer, Biscuit and Noodle will be the mascots. Izzy, well we¡¯ll come up with something for her to do, and Kim can be long-range artillery with Tess while Maya tanks for us.¡±

    ¡°How about the maniac?¡± I ask curiously.

    ¡°He¡¯s the person we call when we need to blow shit up.¡±

 Chapter 347 - Still considered human?

    Unlike the 1st event, we haven¡¯t been stripped of our items. In my case, I brought a voidsteel blade, the damaged arcane ax, and a few smaller things. The axe''s performance can''t compare to the glove Savant used, and I''m jealous.

    Savant was restricted and, in my opinion, had pathetic mana reserves. Yet the glove still did such impressive damage. That''s why I rushed to put it on. If I had gotten the glove instead of him, I''m sure I would¡¯ve torn the others apart in that event.

    Damn, and that glove was only low arcane. So what does that make my ax? Low, mid, or upper? Nevan was really skilled and he collaborated with Champion Niall to make it, so maybe mid? And how high is the difference between the mid and the other tier? Surely it¡¯s a wider gap than one would see when comparing rare or epic items.

    I heft the ax in my hand. It feels heavy but not overly so, and it''s warm even though I haven¡¯t fed it any mana. Its inner flame pulsates slowly like a beating heart.

    During this event, I¡¯ve decided to channel most of the thermal energy stored in my Vortex Core through the ax to put it through its paces.

    The inscriptions on my skin are also going well, and the crown over my head holds quite a nice amount of mana at the moment. It also seems that I¡¯ll have no trouble keeping the crown active indefinitely. It does require a bit of mana for upkeep, but it''s barely noticeable and my regeneration easily covers the cost.

    Of course, the crown will require a bit more mana if I use it more heavily, but it''ll be well worth it.

    I¡¯ve also been trying to infuse it with my other energies, but it doesn¡¯t seem to work. It only accepts mana. Thermal and kinetic energy refuse to enter at all. It is in the name though, so I can''t be too mad.

    During this event, I could send black mana to it, the way I did when I first got the skill, but even back then it felt like the explosion wasn''t as strong as it could be. It was just the after-effects of two things clashing, and the resulting explosion was highly wasteful.

    So tricolored bombs? I can make a lot of them. I could just use mana to power the ax? A few black mana orbs could fuck up any enemies that happen to use mana. Or I could burn them; thermal energy is reliable for large-scale damage. Maybe I could power [Redistribution] with black mana and absorb all the heat in an area, freezing the occupying enemies, well that or I could just immobilize them.

    As I pass a group of the other participants one of the guys from Easy difficulty quickly jumps out of my way, apologizing as he rushes to avoid me.

    There are whispers and people are glancing at me. It¡¯s something we¡¯ve all had to deal with to some extent. The people from Easy difficulty are slowly beginning to realize the true difference between them and the higher difficulties. I¡¯ve already overheard some of them questioning whether or not we can still be called humans. It''s an interesting thought.

    Am I still considered human? Do I care?

    Some people seem to enjoy the rise in status while others seem to be worried by the prospect. Both positions are understandable. And it will be even worse when the tutorial ends and we encounter normal humans once more. Even now, there have been accidents caused by people from higher difficulties interacting with low level individuals.

    A single hug can crush someone with a weaker body. Accidentally releasing a bit too much mana. The heat from a skill can burn people. These things happen.

    People from Hell difficulty seem to do a better job controlling their powers, while it seems that those from Hard difficulty have a harder time. And people seem to realize it, every single one of the 31 people from Hell is being tiptoed around.

    There are men offering their services as assistants. People trying to make connections. Groups asking us to intervene because of the power we hold.

    Lily, who¡¯s clearly the strongest healer in Hell difficulty, has it the worst, a constant stream of people have been coming to her with old wounds, asking, begging, and offering to pay for her services. They want their limbs restored, or their hair regrown, or their scars healed and pain relieved.

    They keep asking and asking. Even if there are over two thousand people and most of them are reasonable, there¡¯s also a group of people that are shameless. Even brave enough to ignore the difference in strength, wanting to take advantage of our kind hearted Lily.

    It annoys me, they¡¯re doing it right now; when they should be focusing on the event with mere minutes remaining ¡®till the start. But healers are sought after and this is just the start.

    Some people want their youth back, it''s mostly meant as a joke, or at least I hope it is, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to stay that way. We¡¯ve seen it and looking at Lily¡¯s talent I actually think it will be possible for her, later. Just a few hundred more levels and making some normal human feel and look decades younger should be easy. Hell, there were people who lived thousands of years being kept alive by the dead Saint¡¯s aura.

    At her full power, the Saint Absolute was probably capable of holding that aura over entire cities, making its citizens almost immortal beings. Something like that is hard to fully grasp.

    What would a power like that cause on Earth? Even if it was much weaker? Lily would become nobility instantly. One of the most powerful and important people on the planet.

    I saw other healers too, mainly Gareth who can heal with his aura-like silver light. Even he is not at her level, not even close. His healing is much slower and more gradual.

    Reaching the top of the wide stairway, most of the ¡°leaders¡± are already present, and Gareth is arguing with Savant.

    I observe for a while and, even now Savant seems to be a loner. Untrusting of others, only here to hear their plan to inform his own. But I notice an interesting item on him. A beautiful sword with half a blade. It''s broken cleanly and yet even so, he wears it at his waist.

    What is it?

    When I try to extremely carefully send my mana there, a field around it detects it and pushes my senses away. A weaker version of [Dawn], meaning that Savant had learned the skill even before the third floor or at least sometime during it.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    He stops talking to Gareth and without a speck of doubt turns his eyes to me. Did he trace it back to me or was it a guess?

    Calling Gareth and his way of dealing with things disgusting, he turns around and leaves with a clinical look on his face. It''s like he is dissecting everyone he looks at.

    I could go bully him, learn more about this sword he values so much, or perhaps as revenge for the 1st event. But that just feels cheap. Plus, I''m sure he would just leave the event rather than sit there and let me.

    The others don¡¯t antagonize him either. Even if he has the strongest restriction right now, he was also in Beyond before any of us. He also climbs the Floors alone. No one underestimates him. And neither do I.

    From the end of the first event, it felt like I should be able to fuck him up fairly easily. My domain is equal to or just slightly weaker than his, but with my reserves, I could just wait and brutally overpower him.

    But I saw his expression during our last clash. He knows it and the same as me, he¡¯s planning countermeasures. He now sees my crown and more of my abilities.

    But who cares? Prideful and cocky, Nathaniel is back. That guy is going down no matter what. Well, at least as long as I don''t get matched with Tacita¡ªthat could be a bit problematic, to be honest.

    ¡°How much time do we have left?¡± I ask when I rejoin the group, slightly to the side.

    ¡°Five minutes,¡± Tess answers simply.

    Curious, I check her crown and she lets me do it. She has a fairly decent amount of Primordial lightning squared away. And a few javelins hanging in the air behind her, two of them epic. At this point, she has no problem making items like that float without a noticeable drain to her mana reserves.

    Maybe I should do something like that, it looks cool.

    Biscuit wobbles in at that point and for a moment I imagine him with some sort of crown of his own. I really like that idea. The corgi would look great. But knowing him, he¡¯s going to copy me without my interference.

    We decide to make some last-minute changes. The groups that intend to cooperate with our little alliance will man the first wall and the field between it and the second. The plan is based around the theory that the difficulty being easiest at the start will provide an opportunity for those from the lower difficulties to score some points.

    Currently, they are in place, their mana painfully slow to activate, and their skills at the ready. A lot of them seem to be taking this as a fun and friendly competition while they do their best to ignore the other difficulties. Some uncooperative groups are also on the walls, with their goal to gain as many points as possible.

    The natives move about, following the orders of their leaders. Men and women in armor. Their levels rarely exceed a hundred, only a few manage to break two hundred, and only a single individual has a level approaching three hundred.

    There is no notification as the five hours of preparation give way to defense. Just the earth shaking and far down the mountain, the ground begins to bulge out, and pieces of stone and dirt explode into the air. Revealing a deep dark hole and a head poking out.

    An ant.

    This one is smaller than the bus-sized monstrosities I remember. It''s probably only as big as Biscuit. Almost a cute little thing. Almost. But the reaction is unsurprising.

    In group 4 alone, most of us are wearing murderous expressions, and they are not the only ones. Some of the other participants from Hell difficulty are the same. Our hatred for the species seems to be unanimous.

    So as the ant rushes out and behind him hundreds more ants start climbing out, they are close to abandoning our plans and attacking right away. Not caring that the monsters are only level thirty at most.

    There is no invisible connection connecting them all, no hive mind. These ones seem much more normal, communicating only with pheromones.

    ¡°We are sticking to the plan,¡± Tess says simply and I can sense one of the twins connecting to the web and sending communications to the leaders of each group.

    Tess has a cold expression on her face as she says this, unlike many others. But just that seems to be enough and most of the people seem to calm down.

    Someday I will have to learn how she communicates with them. I know Tess is scary at times, but she¡¯s wound the others around her finger too quickly. Is she using Lily, Sophie, and I as threats?

    Well, let''s check something first.

    I use one of the anchors I¡¯ve maintained with the help of a mana stone and appear on the spot closest to the hole in the ground which continues to spew forth ants.

    The monsters notice me right away, dozens of them crawling my way while shooting acid at me. I just form a suit of armor around my body and ignore them while burning the ones that make contact.

    I pass through them to reach the hole, before squatting and looking down the bore as the monsters surround me.

    As the attacks crash all around me, I send my senses into the hole, seeking its origin. I would go down myself, but it''s not very wide, and I refuse to crawl through there.

    My senses detect thousands more monsters, most of them around level thirty or a bit higher. I do not detect anyone controlling them, not even another kind of monster.

    For a moment, I think of creating an antomic bomb and throwing it in but decide against it. It would make Tess look silly, having others not attack while I do this as her group member.

    Sure, it would be funny and satisfying, but... actually, just a tiny bomb wouldn''t hurt anyone, right?

    (Nat, if you do what I think you want to, I will stop keeping these people from bothering you,) I hear through the connection Sophie and the twins set up.

    (All the people?) I ask.

    (Do you think you¡¯re being left alone just because you went a bit wild during the first event? Tons of people wanted to talk to you. People rich outside of the tutorial, asslickers, people who wanted to become your disciple, or the ones that wanted to befriend you. There were also plenty of pretty young women and even a few men. I kept them all back.)

    Well, I was a bit surprised that I wasn¡¯t being bothered more.

    Disappointed, I use my anchor and reappear next to her. She just nods and smiles imperceptibly. Standing there tall and proud in her armor, her golden hair fluttering and crown floating over her head, Tess really looks regal and reliable as always.

    ¡°I will rely on you to run interference from here on.¡±

    She nods, ¡°It''s my pleasure. Let''s just watch the kids play, and when the stronger ones pop out, you can do your thing. And Nat, be flashy when you do so.¡±

    That much was obvious, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°I have a good idea, you¡¯re going to like it.¡± As I say so I get rid of all the traps I placed. All the anchors, all the threads, everything.

    The others can have some fun comparing themselves to each other. Then after they¡¯re done I will show them something really nice.

 Chapter 348 - Under attack

    I wave at Tess and leave the wall, heading to the generator that powers the barrier.

    There I grab one of the natives by the shoulders, ¡°Soldier! I have noticed that this part of the wall and defense is damaged. You are a scribe here to make sure it works smoothly, right? Explain the process to me so I can relay it further to our leadership.¡±

    Confused, the man looks around, trying to get anyone to help, but there is only me.

    ¡°We do not call ourselves soldiers, sir, but I will sir!¡± he answers in the end. ¡°If you move over here, you can see the hidden control panel. You said there is a problem with it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the enemy is attempting to disrupt the barrier on the first wall.¡±

    ¡°That would be terrible! Let''s quickly confirm everything¡¯s working as it should.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, soldier!¡±

    ¡°I''m not a soldier, sir. Please, right this way.¡±

    <hr>

    The barrier is a much rougher version of the barrier the Bastion on the 5th floor had, so I don''t spend much time checking it out. I just take note of some interesting ways they deal with this kind of construct, it will be useful in the future.

    I leave, appearing back on the 1st wall. Not even one hour out of five has passed and as I look down the mountain, it all seems to be under control.

    Yup, just thousands of level thirty, corgi-sized ants.

    They are under the wall, nibbling on it at places while the lower difficulty participants shower them with attacks. Some of them do have some mildly interesting skills like hot water, a weak variation of hypnosis, some wider area sleep debuff, and snow attacks that seem nearly useless.

    Then there are traditional mana projectiles, fire and ice attacks, some kind of shadowy nonsense, weak variations of lightning, gravity, and telekinesis. Most of the people from Easy difficulty seem to be using their weapons as a crutch. Either as a focus for their mana or as damage amplifiers.

    So far, the atmosphere is light and people laugh, joke, and smile as they compete to slay as many of the little monsters as possible. They find this easy as the ants struggle to climb the wall because of the barrier coating its surface.

    Do they really think it¡¯s all going to be this easy? Actually, that may be what they¡¯re thinking. The weirdos.

    I just continue to fill my crown and observe it while doing so. I haven¡¯t tested it properly yet and looking at it, it''s still pale blue. From what I know, my mana changes colors the denser it is. I''m not sure if it''s the same for the others as it tends to change under the influence of skills, passives, and traits. I¡¯ve seen plenty of variation, that¡¯s for sure.

    For me, it''s pale blue, followed by dark blue. As I push further it starts to develop pale blue streaks and beyond that, some of the streaks turn purple. And then it goes boom.

    The crown is still at the light blue stage, hungrily devouring my mana. At this point, I start thinking this thing might be even scarier than my Mana Reservoir.

    Moving a bit further from the others, I put my damaged arcane ax on my lap and send my senses inside it with the support of multiple skills.

    During the tournament, I saw what an arcane weapon did in Savant¡¯s hands. The guy doesn¡¯t even have all that big a mana reserve and yet the weapon did such a great deal of damage and was even able to ignore natural barriers to some extent and have enough power to spare to hold people in place.

    What would someone like me be capable of doing with that glove? With my mana reserves? I would easily win the 1st event, I believe.

    So here I have a weapon of similar or maybe even higher rank. The glove was low arcane, meanwhile, the ax could be mid arcane at its peak. Even now, damaged as it is, it¡¯s at least upper epic in terms of power.

    My goal is simple: to bring it up to par with a low arcane artifact, at least for a little while. It probably won¡¯t be anywhere near full power, but it should be more than enough to pull off the kind of flashy stuff Tess wants to see. And I will gladly oblige.

    Mostly because I think it sounds like fun. But also to show others how dumb they were to restrict themselves. Tacita¡¯s the only one who stands out, either she has the least severe [Restriction] or she hasn¡¯t made it to the 6th floor yet. She probably hasn¡¯t made it, but I can¡¯t be sure.

    As I observe the ax, it''s the same as before. A myriad of twisting lines, and things I can barely perceive even as I use [Mana Domain] supported by [Mana Crown] and my Mana Wavelength Iris.

    The interesting part is that I can''t change these lines. I can''t scratch them out as I could with other weapons. I can''t connect new lines to them. I''m just not at the point where I would be capable of doing that with an arcane weapon.

    Well, maybe that''s not fully accurate. If I used a lot of mana, at full force, I should be capable of making it happen. The problem is that I lack the control required to do it properly and would probably just fuck things up instead.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    So the plan is simple. I will try to make use of my [Infusion] and recreate the missing lines. I won''t even be etching them into the ax, rather I¡¯m going to try to make a temporary connection, using thin threads of mana infused throughout the weapon in an attempt to reconnect the damaged parts.

    My lines will be much weaker than the ones engraved in the weapon. They won''t be able to bear the output the weapon requires. Well, not for long. If I do a good job, I should be able to use the weapon for a few seconds. Something between 5 to 30? It''s really hard to say currently as I have no idea about the true power of the weapon.

    Janky, just the way I like it.

    A thin hand touches the blade of the ax, a presence I never felt until she got too close. It''s obvious who it is.

    When I look up, her lively eyes observe me and the ax from a veil of messy brown hair.

    ¡°110 thousand shards for the ax. Two thousand shards if you want to use it for one hour. I do not offer subscriptions to use during the events,¡± I tell her. The more I observe the ax, the more I like it. Not for my personal use like the other weapons, but just for the opportunity to learn from it. So the prices have doubled.

    Tacita points at the damaged part of the blade and gestures at me.

    ¡°Yes, it''s damaged, but 100 thousand is for the cheapest low arcane weapons. This is more likely mid-grade.¡±

    She stops her gestures and pokes the ax a few more times. A gentle pulse of her mana rushes from her finger and through the surface of the weapon. Then she just shrugs and plops down on the grass, her back resting on the wall nearby.

    After ten minutes, when I take a break from my work, I ask, ¡°Are you waiting for stronger monsters too?¡±

    A nod.

    ¡°Me too. I think others are being dumb if they think the system isn¡¯t going to throw some kind of bullshit at us. The increased rewards for the restrictions aren¡¯t going to be worth it.¡±

    Tacita energetically nods again, her hair flying around her head. Then she taps her temple a few times and smiles.

    Thirty more minutes pass.

    ¡°Do you not like Tess?¡± I ask.

    She looks up at me, thinking for a while.

    A gesture with her hand.

    ¡°Not really?¡±

    A nod.

    ¡°Yeah, Tess is scary.¡±

    Another nod.

    ¡°It shouldn''t be that easy for someone to deal with people.¡±

    Two quick nods.

    Escaping Isabella¡¯s clutches, Noodle also appears nearby. I notice him sensing my mana and he quickly changes direction and rushes towards me at high speed. His tongue flicking towards my mana. Even from where I am, I can sense him absorbing tiny bits of the mana I release into the area around me for threat detection.

    The amounts of that mana are incredibly small and even most people from Hell difficulty can''t sense it. Yet here¡¯s Noodle nomming away at it.

    When he gets closer, he freezes. Slowly his head turns to the right and he spots Tacita. He stares at her as if surprised by the fact he couldn''t sense her up until now, nor even see her as she sits stock still and has probably managed to hide her heat somehow.

    He quickly slithers towards me and then stops a short distance away, waiting.

    ¡°You can come.¡±

    Once I give him permission the polite snake moves closer and gently coils around my arm, his head resting on my shoulder looking and following my gaze. Carefully, I release a bit of my mana which he starts absorbing.

    Separating part of my mind, I observe as he absorbs mana, and with another part, I send senses towards the first wall.

    Most of the folks from Easy difficulty are already starting to get low on mana, resting to the side, and groups from Normal difficulty are replacing them. Even now, an hour in, no monster has even reached the top of the wall; the barrier feels weaker, but it¡¯s still going strong.

    So far, I¡¯ve only sensed a few stronger attacks, mostly from bored people from Hard difficulty.

    There is also a new kind of monster now. Spiders averaging around level 50. They emerge from the same holes as the ants, several having opened since last I checked. The ants and spiders do not fight each other, attacking together instead. They throw themselves against the barrier and sacrifice their lives to weaken it even a bit further.

    So far, it seems to be working; as the mana from the batteries powering the barrier is slowly exhausted.

    When exactly one hour has passed, the mood changes and the battle comes to a pause as the earth starts to shake.

    Curious, I fly up, but something grabs my feet. When I look down, I see Tacita holding onto my feet, hanging in the air to get a better view.

    I pause mid air and look down at her.

    She looks at me.

    ¡°What the fuck.¡±

    A shrug.

    With a sigh, I fly us both higher and look beyond the first wall. As I scan the area another hole opens, much bigger than the others. Much, much bigger. From the hole, emerges a lizard-like monster, rising with slow, lazy movements, as it tears through earth and stone, before stomping and shaking to shed the rubble.

    The monster has orange eyes with vertically slit pupils and a snake like head, with a body covered in gray scales. It stands on four thick legs, and its tail is long and very thin at the end. It almost reminds me of a Komodo dragon.

    [Quake Serpent - lvl ???]

    It doesn''t feel as strong as the Gaiathra I saw in the Valley, much weaker actually, so maybe it just entered into the range of three question marks. Level 300 and some change perhaps?

    It''s earlier than I expected, but I can say that I was right. I would love to see Tess''s and Savants'' expressions right now.

    The monster takes a few steps, killing hundreds of ants and spiders as it does so. Then a rumbling pulse of sound emerges from its body and appears to move through its strong legs and into the ground. The earth around it explodes, causing thousands of the small monsters to die, as the earth shakes. They eventually reach the wall, immediately cracking the surface.

    It repeats, the barrier weakening even further as chunks of stone come loose and take some of our people with them. They either die from the fall or get killed by the monsters that continue to attack even as they are dying of the same damage.

    Finally, screams fill the area, as people start to realize that the wall has been lost and rush to abandon the post.

    Looking at the giant lizard, I have a single thought.

    I can take it on easily.

 Chapter 349 - Have fun

    At some point, Tacita lets go of my feet and lands nimbly like a cat, running somewhere else already with her incredible speed.

    I look at Noodle, who is still coiled around my arm, "Why aren''t you that big?" I ask, gesturing at the giant lizard. Noodle seems to understand and flicks his tongue a few times rather than answering.

    Okay, you¡¯re cute, so you can keep your secrets. But remember good ol'' Nat who fed you his mana when you¡¯re the size of a skyscraper.

    I take a moment to locate our leadership and push myself over to them, a cacophony of frantic discussion assailing me as I land.

    ¡°Yes, I can fight it, but I believe it would cost me my life or render me useless afterward,¡± a man clad in simple armor says. The highest level native I¡¯ve seen, the one approaching level three hundred.

    ¡°How is it possible for there to be such a strong monster? This event was supposed to be inclusive of all the difficulties, this just doesn''t make any sense,¡± Samuel asks, looking around confused.

    Oh, but it does.

    I meet Tess''s gaze, and whisper, ¡°I was right.¡±

    The system is an asshole.

    Tess doesn''t react, in that way so common to the uninitiated, faced with someone wiser in the ways of the world.

    I was right.

    ¡°Noname, do you think you can take it? You don¡¯t have any restrictions,¡± Brainiac asks, he and his group close to Gareth.

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    For the first time, Savant joins the conversation, ¡°There is surely a way around it. The system is usually fair, so it wouldn¡¯t have done this without giving us a way to deal with it.¡±

    Oh? So that''s how he sees the system?

    ¡°Maybe that guy is meant to take care of the lizard?¡± Maya gestures toward the strongest native knight.

    ¡°Maybe.¡± Tess pauses, listening to an invisible voice, and then continues, "Dennis says the monster stopped attacking after it broke the 1st wall, and more of the stronger monsters are approaching the second.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it''s just here to break the walls? A mechanic by the system?¡± Brainiac wonders, ¡°Or it is on cooldown and needs some time to recharge its ability to break the walls and barriers.¡±

    ¡°This is not a game, Max,¡± Gareth says.

    ¡°Oh, come on, Gary, even these natives are nothing like the ones on the standard floors. This feels extremely gamey. We just need to CC the lizard when it tries to destroy another wall. Or we can try to kill it before that?¡±

    ¡°CC?¡± Gareth asks, but Brainiac ignores him and continues speaking to the others.

    Through the Connection the twins have prepared for group 4, I send a message, (I''m sure the lizard isn''t the end. I¡¯m going to lay low until the end, either that or I¡¯ll do something flashy when you guys flunk out.)

    (You don''t want to help?) Aaron asks, somewhat surprised.

    Instead of me, Tess answers, (Just let him do his thing. This is a nice opportunity for us to develop some teamwork.)

    A number of messages are exchanged, but I¡¯m already lifting off, as I feel Savant''s piercing gaze settle on me.

    I head deeper into the fortress, even beyond the first wall, and there I sit on top of the tower, my legs dangling over the edge with a view of the remaining two walls and the one that was destroyed.

    Even from this distance, I can see the lizard lying near the rubble of the 1st wall and waiting. Maybe Brainiac really is right, or perhaps the lizard is there as a challenge for the stronger participants and will move either to face them or destroy the walls.

    Just as before, thousands of monsters, ants, and spiders proceed to scuttle across the debris. These ones are slightly bigger, and their levels are starting to get closer and closer to 100.

    I watch as they catch up with groups of stragglers from Easy and Normal that failed to escape quickly enough. The groups face them while pulling back with support from Hard difficulty.

    A single spider the size of a motorcycle catches up to five of the weaker members, and I have fun watching as they face him with their might. There is something enthralling about seeing a group of people facing down an opponent stronger than themselves.

    They are giving it their all, bleeding, screaming, using the last bits of their mana. There is no escape as the monsters surround them, and they are scared of dying, not having tasted it yet. So, they fight, giving it their all.

    When the spider dies, impaled on one of their spears, they seem proud. The fear they felt until now is replaced by the elation of victory.

    The feeling fades as a group of bigger ants reaches them, turning them into shiny particles as they disappear from the event.

    Similar sights are happening all over.

    One group is swallowed by a larger group of monsters as they try to aid the others. A lone woman surrounded by yellow flames fights an entire group of monsters. The group running and barely escaping to the wall where someone stronger faces the monsters that were following them.

    And the entire time, I keep working on the ax in my hands.

    <hr>

    More time passes, and three hours remain.

    Easy difficulty has been mostly wiped out, though a few members still remain contributing with a ranged attack every now and then, unable to do more.

    The second wall has already been surrounded and battered by the endless hordes of monsters, we¡¯ve even seen a new type. An octopus-like monster that crawls over the ground, always surrounded by dozens of other monsters which move to protect it.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Their role is simple, getting close to the barrier and slowly corroding it with the cooperation of others of its kind. The method of attack is surprisingly effective, and quickly drains the barrier.

    That''s when Hell difficulty decides to move, throwing ranged attacks at the monsters while letting Normal and Hard difficulty mop up the rest with the natives.

    Once again, everyone knows the difficulty is increasing, so they are saving their mana, only using amounts they know will regenerate quickly.

    <hr>

    After another thirty minutes, the Quake Serpent moves. The giant monster stands up, the immense mass of its body moving alone threatening.

    Pausing my work, I turn my attention down to the others and do it just in time.

    The crown floating around Tess''s head shines brighter, white and red lightning surrounding her and an epic javelin hangs in the air at her side. She makes an inaudible declaration, lightning seeping into the weapon. All eyes are on her as she stands on the second wall, her golden hair floating, lightning cracking around and through it.

    She grabs a javelin and takes a stance, her leg moving back as she twists her body, the wall cracking around her. Then she throws the weapon.

    Like myriad birds chirping, the lightning crackles as it passes through the air. Its flight accelerates half way through, having been boosted either by Min-Jae or Tess herself.

    The lizard doesn¡¯t even have time to react, and the javelin lodges itself deep into its eye, disappearing somewhere inside its head.

    As it does so, the monster starts thrashing around while emitting a scream that I feel in my bones. The monster releases the energy it was collecting, in an explosion with itself at the epicenter shaking the earth, creating holes in the ground, and even without being aimed correctly it manages to damage the wall.

    The monster twists, twitches, scrambles, scratching its own head into a bloody ruin in an attempt to get rid of the piercing pain of Tess''s attack and the lightning that now burns within its skull.

    More and more mana radiates from the monster until the lightning stops. The lightning that flickered in its eye is now gone, drowned in the monster¡¯s mana.

    The silence is almost eerie, followed only by the sound of falling debris caused by the thrashing of the wounded monster.

    Then the lizard turns its remaining eye toward the source of the attack. Its tongue flicks out a few times, and something changes. The scales of the monster change color. From dark gray, they turn lighter, and like a wave, a shockwave radiates from the monster at the center. The attacks landing on its body now barely damage it, either sliding off or dispersing upon impact. Like pebbles thrown against a wall.

    The attack has clearly revealed something about the monster¡¯s skills. I don¡¯t think Tess actually made an earnest attempt at killing it. They would have used Lily otherwise. This was just a probe to see what they were facing. They are unwilling to give their all, as they have a growing suspicion that the Quake Serpent won¡¯t be the end of it and might just be the start.

    They could throw their might into trying to kill the giant monster quickly so they have fewer opponents to deal with later, but they can¡¯t be sure the monster doesn¡¯t have some other trick to play. It does have three question marks after all, the thing¡¯s over level 300. And there might also be another enemy waiting just for that.

    Using the distraction, someone touches Sophie and the twin¡¯s web. It''s a sharp, smooth movement. Hard to notice, clinical, using the fact that nearly everyone was focused on the lizard.

    (Was this you?) a message sounds in my head. Sophie obviously noticed it as well.

    (Nope.)

    (I thought so, this felt different. Someone absorbed a small part of my web, creating a weak connection to it. It was him, right?)

    (Probably.) From where I sit, I track the person who did it.

    Savant, noticing the touch of my mana, pushes against it, a gentle orange light radiating from him. But before he does that, I notice that he is doing something with the broken blade he brought here. He seems to be preparing something as well.

    I could stop him. I could even fly down there and forcibly take the sword off him. He would probably leave the event rather than let me, but even that could be a win for me.

    What stops me is simple curiosity.

    I want to see what he can do with the [Restriction] he placed and with his skills and the sword. I already have a suspicion of what the latter is.

    So I just let it be and sneakily, to avoid leaving any tracks for Sophie, I clear the parts Savant messed up so she can''t cut him off easily.

    Then after seeing that the giant lizard doesn''t attack, I return to the ax on my lap.

    <hr>

    Two hours remain, and I have a theory.

    As the natives said, there is a group of people attacking who specialize in taming. That group is controlling the Quake Serpent and using it only to destroy the walls when they are weakened.

    This could be a setup made by the system or the fact that the group just doesn''t want to throw the Serpent into an attack against the nearly level 300 human who defends the Aether Keep, who would probably kill it with his advantage as a defender.

    So currently, it''s a game of chicken, one side waiting for another to make the first step while weaker forces fight each other.

    Moving for the third time, the Lizard destroys the second wall and, once again, stronger monsters start rushing out of the tunnels. Many of them are over level 150, ants, spiders, octopuses, and now even termites, in huge amounts.

    Once again, the strongest people participating in the tutorial hold back and wait.

    Hard difficulty people are fighting now, along with a few of the people from Hell difficulty, for the first time a large amount of mana blankets the area, and high damage skills start activating.

    I observe things for a while, curious to find out what level the others are operating at and the kinds of skills they use. As I do so, I continue to dabble with Sophie''s web, watching what Savant does to it. I find it interesting, and some of these things inspire me to the point that I decide to change my plans a bit.

    Savant''s interactions with the web feel clumsy but the progress and improvement he shows is nothing less than amazing. His clumsy first attempts quickly become much more confident and sneaky as he analyzes parts of the web and, while he¡¯s hiding from Sophie, he manages to absorb parts of it.

    That''s what they call a genius.

    Some of the things he does are eye-opening, in ways I haven¡¯t even thought of, honestly, it¡¯d probably take me dozens of attempts before I had the same idea. And he¡¯s doing it all with such a severe [Restriction].

    But even then, he¡¯s far below my level and if I used my [Focus] and eyes, I would blow him out of the water easily. My skills and traits are just so much better when it comes down to it, and I''m sure they would continue to be so even if we were at the same [Restriction]. Even so, I''m not blind enough to not accept a simple fact: Savant is more talented than me.

    However, it''s something I never cared too much about. I''ve seen people like him my entire life. People born with talent, people born with stronger bodies and other advantages. In the end, it''s about who is crazy enough to push themselves further.

    Standing up, I stretch and take a glance at the fight taking place down there. Thousands of monsters are climbing over the destroyed walls, throwing themselves against the people standing their ground under the final barricade or those shooting from the top of the wall while the barrier flickers around, being attacked by the octopus-like monsters.

    Screams, cries, and noises of skills burning through the air fill the area as blood is spilled.

    Two hours remain until the end of the event, but my preparations are already done.

    To be honest, watching them fight down there is getting annoying. It''s frustrating to see how hesitant and careful they are. Sure, there''s some logic to it, but if it were up to me, the giant lizard would have been nuked out of the event the moment it appeared. That would probably screw things up, and I would end up losing a limb or two, but it would feel more satisfying.

    So while others are having fun, let''s check on the Aether Keep.

    (Have fun,) I send through the connection kept up by the twins and head towards the mines.

 Chapter 350 - Without a single speck of doubt

    Landing on the balcony, I encounter very few people. Everyone from the tutorial is already fighting down there, and the explosions can be heard even at this distance, and I can feel the tremors in the ground, the vibrations shaking clouds of dust from the ceiling.

    Once inside, I meet very few guards, only the bare minimum, along with some people in the uniforms of different workers. Further deep inside, the civilians lie in hiding.

    Pushing through them all, I slowly pass by the rooms, scanning the area.

    Like the exterior, the inside of the Aether Keep feels rough, yet it gives the impression of solidity and safety. There is a cozy feeling inherent in the tons of tough stone blocks surrounding us and the flickering orange light playing across the walls.

    After a few minutes of walking through empty hallways, I pass through the door leading to the mines, and the atmosphere changes. The walls become rougher, the tunnels narrower, the lights brighter and the air isn''t as well ventilated either.

    After some time, small crystals seem to start growing from the walls, along with thin veins of mana-conductive metal. All mere chaff, left behind, not worth bothering with in comparison to the larger deposits deeper in the tunnels.

    Surprisingly, the mines are constructed in the same pre-industrial style we once had on Earth, and probably still do in some places. To be honest, I expected something different.

    Sure, the walls are rather smooth, compared to those on Earth. The light is sharp and emits no smoke. Even parts of the tunnels were probably constructed much quicker than their counterparts on Earth. There is also no need for wooden supports, it''s all been reinforced with the help of skills. And the ventilation works surprisingly well.

    Yet¡­ I don''t know what I expected. Wouldn''t a single high-level individual be able to do this much, almost, on their own? That probably creates its own issues but it also raises more questions.

    Is mining just a task reserved for low-level workers, leaving higher-level individuals with greater degrees of freedom, or do they spend all their time fighting? But that can''t be it; there has to be money to be made, surely enough to tempt even those with a high-level.

    Maybe they have regulations to prevent materials from being mined too quickly, and flooding the market?

    That is more likely.

    How interesting.

    The more I learn, the more I find out how little I know. An entirely new world is constantly being opened up to me.

    I expand my domain and place an anchor further ahead to which I teleport, and then repeat this multiple times in quick succession.

    In a few seconds, I pass a much greater distance than I did in ten minutes of walking, and I continue until I reach the smaller cave that seems to serve as storage.

    There are massive and, from testing, extremely heavy iron boxes. After cutting them apart, I find them to be full of chunks of the mana-conductive metal arcanadium. Something I have some experience with.

    In its rough state, the metal is darker, and there are imperfections in it, unlike the ingots I found in the bunkers on the 5th floor.

    (You are not going to join? I thought Tess wanted you to be flashy?) I hear Sophie say through the connection made by twins.

    Holding a chunk of arcanadium in my hand and examining it, I answer, (You guys have some fun. I¡¯ll do something flashy after you all die.)

    (You better not regret it when we kill the serpent and you don''t get any points. Check the leaderboard; you are dead last.) After that, Sophie cancels the connection.

    I do not even bother checking it and send another pulse into the area.

    Locating another stockpile, I move there with a few teleports, and this time open a box containing ethercrystals, a material capable of absorbing mana in its vicinity when properly prepared. A sword I once had on the 4th floor and the ax I found in the 1st event were made of the same material. Both weapons turned absorbed mana into physical enhancements.

    As with the arcanadium before, the ethercrystal here hasn¡¯t been processed, a number of the crystals are milky, cracked, or are simply an inferior product. It also seems to make them less receptive to mana.

    The ground under me shakes, and dust falls from the ceiling, and the roar of the monster reaches me even down here. A loud crack erupts, and I teleport away as the place I stood ends up buried under a mass of stones.

    I teleport a few more times, finding a cache of mining tools. Clothes, masks, and tools suitable for excavation.

    Once again the ground shakes and the dust starts falling from the ceiling as if it intends to fall on me, but this time I create a barrier and support the walls, stopping the stones from burying me.

    Then I continue to examine the inscriptions on the tools. They¡¯re really simple, yet there is beauty in their simplicity. A great deal of focus seems to have been given to improving their efficiency and reducing mana consumption.

    The protective gear is similar. Some parts of it even have inscriptions to keep you warm when fueled by mana. The inscriptions on the clothes have been woven from threads containing bits of conductive material that I have a hard time identifying.

    Putting it away, I sit on the ground and look at the barrier holding up the stone around me.

    It''s a shame that the shop is locked; I could sell a lot of stuff. It''s also a shame we can''t take items from the events, we¡¯ve known that since the 1st event. But I guess it would be too much if someone took a low arcane item out of an event or tons of materials from the mines.

    I release the barrier and watch as the stones start falling, about to bury me there, and at the last moment, I use the anchor I left outside and teleport to it.

    Appearing at the tower behind the last standing wall, I sit at the top looking down upon the pandemonium.

    The Quake Serpent is now shining a brilliant shade of white, though one eye is still blind. But the monster is moving extremely quickly, belying its size. The lizard rushes towards Lily who avoids its attack, and once in a while, a burst of gray mana pours out from her. She¡¯s still carrying the bag of our limbs on her back.

    Great holes have been rent in the monster¡¯s flesh, eaten away by [Disintegration]. Even the monster''s head hasn¡¯t come away unscathed, signs of a failed attempt at destroying the brain I would imagine.

    Chunks of metal the size of large cars fall from the sky, pulled by an invisible force, striking the monster and dumping an immense amount of kinetic energy from the sheer speed and weight.

    I locate Min-Jae who seems to be controlling them. His attacks do cause some damage, but not enough. There is also Brainiac who keeps taking potshots at the lizard¡¯s good eye with his invisible projectiles.

    With a horrifying noise, three javelins come flying down, burrowing into the Quake Serpent''s head, immediately followed by red and white lightning crashing from the sky and flowing into the weapons.

    The monster roars again, thrashing around, killing any monsters and people that get too close.

    Even so, there¡¯s not much in the way of damage. The monster still moves, quickly approaching the wall, only to be stopped by a man with a silver barrier surrounding him.

    The earth shakes, and the wall is cracking and about to break apart when the strongest native finally moves. His mana surrounds him like a cape and he draws a sword wrapped in a brilliant light as he enters the fray, confidently facing the monster.

    The monster rears up, towering high in the air, its white scales seeming almost indomitable.

    That''s when purple tentacles explode from the ground, each as big as the monster, crawling over its body, tying it down, surrounding it, the tips piercing into the lizard''s body.

    The monster roars, falling to all fours as the tentacles envelop its face, hooking themselves to its maw and forcing it open.

    There Biscuit floats nearby, a purple ball of mana floating over his form. The orb destabilizes, turning bright white, only to be shot into the monster''s mouth just before the tentacles weaken and disappear.

    Biscuit starts fluttering in the air about to fall down when Min-Jae reaches him and pulls him into his arms, flying away as quickly as he can with his clumsy method.

    As the monster tries to spit out the orb, it explodes from within, its jaw reduced to a bloody mess. Blood drips from the gaping hole, and the moment that blood touches the ground it melts the stone, creating a toxic mist.

    Even that kills multiple people, even a few of those being protected by Gareth''s silver light.

    The native knight attacks next, his sword extending much further as he thrusts the blade at the Quake Serpent.

    The ensuing fight goes on for quite a while.

    Natives, and the people of Hell difficulty come together to defeat the Quake Serpent. More monsters appear to help, separating the groups and forcing them to deal with weaker monsters as well.

    Isabella unleashes the orbs she¡¯s been charging all this time, the two of them manage to consume one of the Quake Serpent¡¯s legs in its entirety, taking a big chunk of the beast¡¯s torso with it. The sheer heat generated by the skill kills some of the defenders and forces Lily and Gareth to heal a few of the more important fighters.

    The web covering the entire Aether Keep activates finally, strengthening Sophie''s skill and its reach. Thousands of ants turn against each other, tearing their fellow attackers apart, some even start crawling up the giant lizard.

    And then she takes over more ants. And more. Between the web and her cooperation with the Twins, Sophie controls thousands of monsters, forcing them to fight their own forces, defending even against the opposing army¡¯s attempts to wrest them from her control.

    With one final burst, Tess releases a stream of lightning into the giant lizard''s head, and finally, the giant beast stumbles.

    Its body crumbles as its maw continues to move, trying to bite at something, anything, its toxic blood splashing over the ground, the fumes killing indiscriminately.

    The survivors stare, unmoving, not knowing how to react as the massive creature falls.

    There is silence that slowly breaks into a loud shout, the ones remaining celebrating the victory.

    The monsters taken over by Sophie through her and the twins'' web turn to attack again, clearing the remaining forces. Gradually, others join the fight.

    An hour remains.

    Tacita and Savant are nowhere to be seen, and under Tess''s orders, group 4 goes to rest, preparing for what is surely to come.

    <hr>

    Thirty minutes remain. The silence is unnerving, and some natives disperse, celebrating already with their families hidden in the mines.

    Lily refuses to heal, conserving her mana and the bag of limbs on her back. An army of a few hundred ants stays off to the side, under Sophie¡¯s control, and Isabella is once again charging her fireballs. The silence is eerie, the wind quietly blowing over the battlefield.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    <hr>

    Twenty minutes remain and nerves are frayed, some of the surviving tutorial attendees quarrel with each other, constantly looking for a danger that they can''t see or feel.

    A few smaller fights erupt, but neither Tess nor Gareth can be bothered to interrupt.

    Everyone is saving their energy and when some of them look towards me with nervous expressions, I return their gaze.

    <hr>

    Fifteen minutes remain and one of the corpses on the battlefield starts twitching. A big spider with a myriad of symbols all over its skin. The corpse moves from inside, skin stretching and limbs bending until the chitin splits, and another form crawls from the dead monster.

    A domain envelops the area and the remaining members of Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulty die nearly instantly, their bodies turning into shiny particles.

    As they die, the monster covered in blood and gore from the spider stretches. A human-like figure with eight eyes. Its skin seemingly replaced with a black carapace and two additional pairs of spider-like legs protrude from its back.

    [Rotweaver - lvl ???]

    It¡¯s somewhere between levels 320-340. If I had to guess.

    In that moment, multiple things happen.

    Savant takes over the web, the gentle orange light of his domain surrounding the area and pushing against the monster¡¯s domain while attacking it at the same time.

    After a long while, Tacita also appears. Out of nowhere, she is just there, standing by the Rotweaver''s side, her dagger coated in mana.

    The monster moves, reacting to her but it''s too late. The dagger in Tacita¡¯s hand turns into a blur, and green blood explodes into the air. The severed head and limbs of the monster fall to the ground and silence ensues.

    Tacita disappears again and at the same time another corpse on the opposite side of the battlefield starts moving, twisting, and from its inside, the Rotweaver steps out. Before the monster has even fully emerged, Tacita is already there, a hand turning into a blur and its head flies off.

    The Rotweaver dies and another corpse moves.

    When Tacita reaches it this time, her attack deals no damage, spraying sparks into the air as the dagger skids off the carapace.

    Swiftly changing posture, Tacita stabs instead, her dagger burrowing into the monster''s mouth and she moves her hand, cutting the head open.

    A new corpse twitches. Then another and another. A dozen corpses move.

    The others join in this time, fire raining down, lightning erupting, and a mental attack probing here and there, but to no avail, there are too many corpses and the Rotweaver stands up again and again.

    Its domain expands, as Savant''s shrinks, unable to resist the monster any further. Gareth is forced to surround his team with silver light to fight its influence, and Tacita is gone again, waiting for an opportunity.

    Thousands of corpses left outside start twitching. Natives, monster corpses, all of them get back on their feet. No matter how damaged the monster is. It doesn¡¯t matter how many of their limbs are missing, or if the head is gone, or if half the body¡¯s been destroyed. All of them rise at once, reanimated by the Rotweaver.

    At last, even the corpse of the Quake Serpent stands up, both of its eyes missing, covered in wounds. The ground shakes under its feet.

    The fight starts anew.

    Sophie fights, trying to maintain control over her ants while Savant decimates the enemy forces with the help of his domain and the web he¡¯s partially absorbed, even with his [Restriction].

    Tess, Lily, and Gareth face the Rotweaver. Tess supports the duo from a distance, Gareth tries to take as much attention off them as he can, and Lily finally sacrifices the limbs in the bag, her speed equalling Tacita''s, and her gray mana obliterates the monster.

    The monster is powerful, but not that powerful. Its strength lies somewhere else. No matter how many times they kill it, it always pops up anew, growing more resistant to their attacks and learning more.

    Others fight the giant lizard and thousands of monsters radiating an energy that seems to make the domain of the Rotweaver even worse the more monsters surround them.

    10 minutes remain when Swordmaster dies along with a few people from the other groups.

    9 minutes remain when Bard and AnotherOneHere die under the assault of the Quake Serpent.

    8 minutes remain when Sophie and Isabella disappear, killed by hundreds of monsters, drained of their energy and their blue flames dying out.

    7 minutes when a few members of Gareth''s group disappear.

    6 minutes when Min-Jae and the twins get overrun after Min-jae deals significant damage to the Quake Serpent.

    5 minutes and Tacita appears again, in quick succession killing the Rotweaver five times. Then dying as the monster¡¯s domain focuses on her.

    4 minutes and Savant¡¯s domain disappears and immediately after most of the remaining members die, Savant is one of the first.

    3 minutes and Gareth runs out of mana, his silver light and crown disappearing. Tess disappears too with Biscuit who was trying to help her, dozens of purple tentacles tearing monsters apart and his gentle purple light pushing against the domain.

    Lily, now with one arm remaining, falls to the monster as well, her mana gone and the domain taking its toll on her.

    2 minutes remain as Rotweaver pulls out the heart of the strongest native, the man unable to do anything.

    Rotweaver increases its output, the monster seemingly much stronger than it was when the fight started. Growing stronger as the end of the event closes in.

    Terribly wounded, Quake Serpent moves quickly, a charge collecting in its body and animated corpses of humans and monsters crawling all over the battlefield, a sickly light radiating from them.

    The Rotweaver eats the still beating Mana Heart of the knight it just killed, and its eight eyes turn to me.

    It¡¯s dark outside.

    One minute remains and I stand up, my domain expanding as I take over the remains of the web, using it in the same way as Savant, something I learned from his example.

    My Vortex Core empties, thermal energy flowing into the damaged arcane ax, and the crown over my head starts flooding my body with mana.

    This won¡¯t take long.

    <hr>

    POV Channeler

    The fight taking place on the screen in the common area is hard to comprehend. I knew the people from Hell difficulty were strong, but this is too much. Facing monsters stronger than anything I knew could exist, they hold their ground, using skills in a way I can''t imagine.

    I and everyone already outside are once again reminded of the sheer difference between us. It''s not only stats or skill levels. It''s also the way they fight.

    People from Hell difficulty are hungrier, wilder, and more aggressive. From the way they¡¯re fighting, it almost feels like it¡¯s just another day for them. They do not hesitate when that powerful monster attacks, throwing everything against it.

    The silence that fills the common area is eerie, and through the screen, we can even feel a portion of the pressure being generated by the monster. It''s not quite like a monitor, it¡¯s more like a screened window allowing ¡°air¡± to flow through.

    Though the system is limiting it, I feel myself getting sick just from the mana being released by the monster.

    Even being so strong, people from Hell difficulty die one after another, all of them appearing in the common area, their bodies restored, clothes fixed, and mana replenished. None of them seem satisfied like they¡¯re eager to jump back in and face that horror inside.

    So this is why they are where they are.

    When a minute remains, I check the leaderboards.

    1st (689 pts) - Soph

    2nd (576 pts) - Savant

    3rd (553 pts) - Sset

    4th (551 pts) - Tacita

    5th (501 pts) - Grumpy

    6th (490 pts) - Gareth

    7th (471 pts) - Brainiac

    8th (469 pts) - TheStrongestOne

    9th (401 pts) - NotAaron

    10th (389 pts) - FoodFood

    And there is one name right at the bottom

    2357th (-99 pts) - Noname

    The last remaining person inside the second event finally moves, seemingly unaffected by the pressure that caused the others so much trouble.

    Noname is wearing simple, almost casual clothes; he wears no armor, and no visible equipment other than the ax and a weird blade on his belt. Standing there, he seems out of place, careless even. He moves his hand, sweeping the hair from his eyes, and I can see the gold circles appear around his pupils on the screen.

    Even now, he maintains his neutral expression.

    Some people start talking, complaining about why he hasn¡¯t helped until now, but an orange light radiates from a single man, the pressure bringing the babbling masses to their knees.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± the man says simply, his eyes glued to the screen.

    Noname, as if he knows we¡¯re all watching, stretches, and for the first time since I¡¯ve met him, a smile overtakes his face. It''s an eager smile, careless, and full of honesty.

    He is happy, and it is terrifying.

    Noname floats into the air in that unnervingly stable flight of his, almost as if the world is moving around him rather than him moving through it. The ax in his hand glows brighter, and I can swear I feel the heat radiating from the system¡¯s window.

    Rotweaver screeches for the first time, the sickly aura it radiates tries to expand again but it can¡¯t, held at bay by something else, something even stronger.

    As he swings the ax, golden flames explode. Like a wave, they pour from the weapon¡¯s blade. Small at first, but quickly expanding and crashing into the monster below.

    The stone burns red now; corpses are set ablaze, burned to ashes nearly immediately. The flames reach the Quake Serpent, setting even this monster ablaze. They climb up its massive body like a living being.

    20th (299 pts) - Noname

    Quake Serpent roars soundlessly, a shockwave exploding through the earth as it rushes towards Noname who isn¡¯t even flying all that high, about to take a bite at him.

    Something black moves around Noname, and inconceivably the monster freezes in place, its mangled bloody maw wide open around him.

    With calm movement, he lifts the ax and once again the flames explode, flowing right into the monster''s face and mouth, burning it from inside. The flames feel alive as they eat the monster, turning its giant body into a charred husk while it can''t even move.

    6th (499 pts) - Noname

    The air around him flickers from the sheer heat and the remains of the monster get blown away.

    Rotweaver screeches again, the limbs behind its back weave and glow, a more sickly aura radiating from the monster. The remaining reanimated corpses move as one in their offensive.

    The ax swings again, the rest of the monsters burned by a flame that envelops the entire area. At the same time, Noname lands on the ground, all around him his golden flames burning, the ground cracked and turned into magma.

    Wounds cover his body, but they are slowly healing. The flames closest to him get pulled into the ax.

    1st (798 pts) - Noname

    After a few steps, he stops, a silence so deep the only sound is the breathing of the people in the common area. All gazes are on the screen as that man stops in front of the monster, surrounded by that hellish landscape. It¡¯s dark and only his flames serve to light the area.

    The Rotweaver is burned, the left half of its body missing, three of its eyes are burned out and the aura it had radiated so intensely is just flickering. There are no more corpses to escape to.

    On its own feet, the monster tries to run, but with a speed that rivals Tacita''s, he reaches it. He grabs the back of its neck and burrows the monster''s head into the molten earth.

    The smile on his face grows even wider as the crown over his head loses most of its shine, mana flowing into an orb the size of a basketball. The floating orb changes colors in quick succession, from pale blue to dark blue, then gets streaks of light blue and purple all over, and then starts shining bright white with a shimmering of golden light. The sheer amount of mana it contains is hard to imagine.

    ¡°That dumbass,¡± someone whispers, and when I look up I notice it''s Sset. ¡°That fucking dumbass,¡± she repeats.

    As if hearing, Noname blinks, a bit of his usual casual face returning, and he glances towards the Aether Keep just nearby.

    ¡°Oh,¡± his mouth moves as if he just remembered something.

    But it''s too late and the orb explodes, instantly evaporating what remains of the monster.

    1st (1298 pts) - Noname

    A burst of flames erupts from the center of the ball, in a shockwave sending the remains of the wall and earth into the air. They expand at great speed, destroying everything in their path.

    As they are about to reach the Aether Keep, they freeze. The flickering air immolating everything in its way stops, and the heat disappears. The shockwave, nearly visible, flickers in the air.

    All of this held at bay by that single body that produced it all.

    In that moment I realize that it''s only been one year since the tutorial started and that nothing will ever be the same, even if we return to Earth. Our lives have changed, and the Earth will change, all because of him and people like him.

    Noname, looking like he is about to break apart, finally disappears, appearing in the common area. With his clothes, and mana restored.

    The living weapon and winner of the second event without a single speck of doubt.

 Chapter 351 - Hey babe, are you a nuke?

    Holy hell, that felt satisfying, and it was surprisingly easy. Sure, I would have probably died if I had done that outside the bounds of the tournament, but it''s totally fine. Sooner or later, I will get to the point where I can pull off stunts like that with impunity.

    The amount of black mana I used to keep my body from breaking apart as I channeled all that mana was enough to kill me. However I was able to hold on until the end, and the system ended the event before I crumbled. I don¡¯t think the others even saw that.

    I need some time to think over my actions. The inscriptions and the black mana strengthening my body helped me channel the force of my mana. I¡¯m surprised how close I am to being able to pull that off even without the black mana to strengthen my body.

    My Mana Circuit is really pulling its weight. The new eyes are helping and my passives are helping too. So maybe I should strengthen my Mana Circuit again? A few more rounds of active tempering after we leave the tournament? A few more levels in my skills?

    But damn, the [Mana Crown] is really good. I love that thing. Keep doing a good job. I also love the ax, good stuff. It handled all of that mana like a champ, without picking up a single scratch.

    Anyway, it''s time to check my rewards.

    Before opening the notification, I make sure to act strong and slowly walk through the crowd.

    At some point, a group of people from the lower difficulties starts to cheer, ¡°Noname! Noname! Noname!¡± the chant carried by dozens of voices.

    It''s surprisingly disturbing, especially seeing the expressions they are making.

    Are they not ashamed? Weirdos.

    Well, it''s better than having them shout Tent Creep, so I place an anchor far away and teleport a few times, reaching our house and taking my favorite spot in the armchair near the window.

    Congratulations, you have completed the 2nd event - The Siege of Aether Keep in 1st place and you have taken 1st place in terms of points collected - 1298 pts.

    No [Restriction] was placed therefore no bonus has been awarded

    You may exchange your points for shards. 1 point = 5 shards.

    Your reward for taking 1st place overall comes out to 5 thousand shards.

    You may choose to receive the full allotment of shards (11,490) and pick one of three rewards or forfeit the shards to increase the quality of your options.

    It¡¯s here that I hesitate. Eleven thousand shards is a lot and it would be a nice bump to my current total. I don''t think I¡¯m going to get an arcane passive anytime soon, but that amount could help a lot.

    Yet I still have to question how these shards will actually improve my rewards. Maybe it¡¯ll be enough to net me an upper tier epic passive? It could be a high grade epic item again, perhaps it¡¯ll be a bit better? I already have a few good passives that fit me, so it would be hard to change them.

    Well, let''s take out the shards this time.

    ¡°I want to receive shards,¡± I state, and the balance of shards I hold increases.

    Shards: 77,644

    I¡¯m still short but I will get there, and when I do, it will be glorious.

    Now then, let''s check out the rewards.

    Please pick one of the three following rewards!

    10 levels, skill upgrade token

    Epic grade passive skill

    Epic grade item

    Well, nothing for my minion, but that¡¯s okay.

    My first complaint is that I should be getting these 10 levels anyways; I killed a shitload of enemies, even two of the stronger ones, so why¡¯s the system cheaping out... the fuck am I even thinking, it''s the system we''re talking about here.

    I give the window the bird and check the rewards again. Once again, I¡¯ve been offered an item and a passive. Maybe they are really good? Upper epic grade?

    Whatever, I¡¯ll check them out later if I get another offer after the remaining events, but there is one thing I still want to try.

    ¡°Can I forgo my reward to improve my final rewards for the tournament and the last event?¡±

    It is possible to forgo rewards to improve any future rewards.

    And you didn''t tell me that?! This asshole of a system needs a manual. If I had known that before, I wouldn¡¯t... never mind, I would have still taken the summoning token for my minion even if I had known. Haaaa... I''m too old for this crap.

    ¡°I want to save my rewards and improve my final rewards.¡±

    There is no other notification, and the window disappears. Then I check other notifications that flooded my inbox after I completed the event.

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 38 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 39]

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 39 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 40]

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 40 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 41]

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 41 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 42]

    [Redistribution - lvl 45 > Redistribution - lvl 46]

    [Redistribution - lvl 46 > Redistribution - lvl 47]

    [Mana Domain - lvl 36 > Mana Domain - lvl 37]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 17 > Mana Crown - lvl 18]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 18 > Mana Crown - lvl 19]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 19 > Mana Crown - lvl 20]

    Good stuff, I should do stuff like that more often. Damn though, isn¡¯t [Mana Manipulation] about to reach the level it was before I used it in that skill fusion? The next time I get a skill combination token, I will have to seriously consider using [Mana Manipulation] in the mix. I really might be able to get it back again.

    Screw you, system.

    Done with the rewards, I stretch and start replaying the fight in my mind when group 4 rushes into the house.

    ¡°Holy fuck, what are you, a nuke?¡± Maya calls from the door.

    ¡°That''s a weird pickup line,¡± I reply.

    ¡°Hey babe, are you a nuke? Because you''ve blown me away,¡± Dennis says in response to my quip, and the three boys laugh together.

    "Are you a volcano? Because you just melted through my heart." Aaron adds to another wave of laughter.

    "Is your name Atomic? Because you just split my heart in two." This time it''s Tess piling on with a cheeky expression.

    That makes the boys laugh even more.

    "Do you work at a nuclear facility? Because you¡¯ve just caused a meltdown in my heart." Min-Jae also joins.

    Do they wanna get beaten?

    "Is it hot in here, or is that just the nuclear fusion between us? It¡¯s fusion, right?" a quiet voice joins in.

    ¡°Damn it, Lily.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Damn it, Lily!¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Maya! You too, Dennis! I will beat you up!¡±

    (Food! Food!)

    Go and get them, boy! Defend your friend!

    ¡°Okay, okay, this is enough. Let''s stop before we cause pun-tamination.¡±

    Damn it, Tess. Damn it.

    At least Biscuit rushes into the room and floats into my lap, looking at me with a curious expression. I return his gaze, and for a moment we look at each other.

    In the end, he just woofs once and lies down so I can pet him.

    Do I look like a villain, sitting in an armchair with my legs crossed and the best doggo of the tournament floor in my lap instead of a white cat?

    ¡°Izzy, take a pic!¡± Lily calls.

    ¡°Yes!¡± cries the 11-year-old girl with the smartphone I bought, as she pulls it out of the dresser she stored it in.

    She then cleans the lenses and takes a pic before I can protest.

    Quickly running to me on her short legs she shows me the photo, ¡°Look!¡±

    I am indeed a villain. But damn, Biscuit is really photogenic. Then I look at my face and freeze.

    What is that expression?

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take pictures of others too!¡± Izzy shouts happily, rushing back into the room to do just that. Some members of our group even pose for group photos.

    The atmosphere is nice, my people are happy with the results of the event, and not the least bit surprised by my actions, unlike the others. But I guess it¡¯s not the first time they¡¯ve seen me do something like that.

    Tess moves in closer to speak, ¡°Good job out there. You made the right decision, waiting until the end. People could see us struggle to fight the monster and the others from Hell could feel how strong it was. While you wiped it out just like that.¡±

    ¡°I will be relying on you to keep the people at bay,¡± I respond simply.

    ¡°No problem. You¡¯re mine too, so I have to prevent any poaching.¡± She smiles, then looks up and calls, ¡°Izzy! Can you take a picture of me and Nat?¡±

    ¡°Coming!¡± Isabella shouts and quickly takes a few more photos of Noodle hanging around Maya¡¯s neck, while Maya pretends to be strangled and Noodle is clearly not impressed.

    Tess plops down on the armrest of my armchair and smiles while Isabella takes a photo of us. That prompts the others to rush in and take a few more photos against my will. There¡¯s one with Lily, and the boys surrounding me. And another of Maya forming a victory sign with her fingers.

    Some of them notice my growing annoyance and that only seems to egg them on as they continue to bully me.

    Biscuit is woofing, and they start talking about rewards, Isabella finally stops taking photos, and Tess and Maya fight over the phone, each wanting to play a song they like from its library.

    Lily starts telling me about her experiments with the remains of the Champion¡¯s heart. She becomes instantly interested when I show her a bone from the Champion¡¯s finger I retrieved from the 5th floor. We make plans to try something together before the tournament ends. There¡¯s a lot of testing to be done, after all, we can¡¯t die.

    The twins then proceed to ask about the coordinates to Lissandra¡¯s home world, Eladore, while telling me about the conversation they had with Sophie during the assault. They offer me a nice cut, so we agree to do that sometime after the tournament and put our time here to better use.

    At this point, I¡¯m beginning to suspect that the people here are taking advantage of my good mood to get their way and my eyes naturally slide to Tess who suspiciously averts her gaze.

    I knew it.

    I will let it pass for today, I¡¯m still in a good mood after the event. Even though I almost obliterated the Aether Keep along with the Rotweaver.

    A small mistake. A tiny one.

    Could have happened to the best of us.

    Against my will, I also learn rumors about a guy from Easy difficulty who¡¯s reached the highest floor of anyone here. The rumors also say he killed the other 199 people from his group.

    At some point, Izzy proudly presents me with a smartphone, and judging by Sophie''s look of shame, I can only guess that she somehow has something to do with this. Probably some form of coercion on the part of her little sister.

    Isabella shows me a video of myself. It looks like she recorded it from the giant screen during the event. In the video, I¡¯m floating in the air, with a golden circle appearing around my pupils and the crown glowing over my head as I lift the ax.

    The video has a number of glitchy effects layered over it and she even added filters, along with some kind of Phonk music playing in the background, trying to make the video¡¯s contents, and me by extension, look cool.

    Please help.

    Should I destroy the hellish device? We haven''t seen any smartphones on the other floors yet. Not even on the super developed 2nd Floor. So maybe they shouldn''t exist. It only cost me a few rare items, so I could easily do it; it''s a cost I''m willing to pay to put an end to this. It seems like Isabella¡¯s just getting started and who knows what else she¡¯s going to get up to.

    She even happily chirps that she saw someone with a laptop while sitting on my lap, her objective clear. Even Noodle¡¯s been roped into helping, poor little disgraced guy. Poked and prodded by Izzy, as he slithers closer, the entire time glancing at Biscuit who keeps a close watch on him.

    Noodle acts cute, Isabella acts cute. In an attempt to make me buy the laptop for her. She says she could make even better videos for me as if that were something I would want.

    Hell, I am willing to pay if she doesn¡¯t make them anymore.

    With a sigh, I agree to buy it if she promises to be nice to Vega when I summon her here and let me do some small tests on Noodle. She agrees right away.

    Poor Noodle.

    Vega is still only around level 40 while Isabella sits somewhere over 150. But their ages are fairly similar, and I remember the stories Vega told me. It would be nice if she could have fun with Isabella at least for that one day.

    When the snacks start appearing on the table and everyone takes a short break before doing their tournament stuff, I decide to do the same.

    I just move to my quieter corner and stay there while experimenting with my mana.

 Chaper 352 - The rules of the third event

    Tess, Sophie, Gareth, his right-hand man Adam, Samuel, and I have gathered in the living room, sitting together in awkward silence, but I''m enjoying it.

    Everyone else is outside doing their own thing and having fun, but I''m stuck here helping Tess. Though I am eager to learn what kind of silly things they have to say.

    Adam, who I remember wanting to have a conversation regarding some of the things that occurred at the end of the first event before the start of the 2nd, is looking at me. Even now he wears the same suit, the older man sits ramrod straight. He seems to be somewhere around 60 years of age going by his face, but none of that shows in his movements.

    He moves with as much energy as any young man. That in itself has some interesting implications. How might the system influence someone, let''s say, 100 years old?

    Just throwing a few levels and stats into boosting their constitution would probably go a long way toward improving their life. Even Lily alone is more than capable of making some level of improvement. In the end, even an old man could be brought back from the edge of death and fully rejuvenated.

    Now that I think about it, could Lily heal things like cancer and HIV? What about genetic diseases and PTSD? Wait, wouldn''t Sophie be better for mental problems?

    It''s an interesting train of thought.

    Now back to the present, I meet Adam¡¯s gaze. According to Tess, Adam is one of the richest men in Germany or something like that. Who cares, I bet I have more shards. And it''s not like money will be all that useful when we return to Earth.

    ¡°Sset, I would like to ask you to reconsider once again. I know you don¡¯t like Samuel, but I do not think he is wrong,¡± Gareth says.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve said it all before, Group 4 isn''t interested in following your stupid rules. I know what Samuel is trying to do and what he¡¯s hoping to accomplish with this petty show of authority, it won¡¯t end with the tournament,¡± Tess answers in a calm tone.

    Gareth smiles patiently, ¡°This isn¡¯t about what comes after the tournament, this is¡­¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± she cuts him off. ¡°But you need to stop acting like an idiot. And you, Samuel,¡± she turns to him, ¡°you¡¯re too weak to be ordering our group around.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Samuel, don''t do that,¡± I add.

    ¡°Noname, this is serious. We need to establish some kind of order here. It¡¯s calmer now, but we still have problems that need to be solved. We need to have rules in place when we return to Earth. Even the slightest touch of our mana has the potential to kill a lot of people.¡± I don¡¯t like Samuel''s tone of voice. As if we should follow his orders because that¡¯s all he¡¯s ever known. He¡¯s the kind of person who always has to do things by the book.

    ¡°Why bother? We can leave that for future tournaments and our return to Earth. Some of us, not you Samuel, will be powerful enough to give orders to those from the lower difficulties if you want to keep order.¡± I say.

    Isn''t it simple?

    ¡°But what about Hell difficulty and Beyond?¡± Adam asks for the first time, his calm eyes on me.

    Tess continues instead, ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that as we go. We might not have a Champion before the tutorial ends but we should have a few candidates to set some ground rules. Plus, we¡¯ll learn more from our experiences in the tutorial; that''s what it¡¯s there for, right?¡±

    As the conversation continues, they seem to be taking her more seriously. Tess is only around 20 years old, so even though they¡¯re trying, it''s going to be hard for Gareth, Samuel, and Adam to take the young woman seriously right away.

    Yet, Tess and, by extension, group 4 cannot be ignored. We have three people in Beyond. We have Sophie and her mind-blending. Now that I think about it, Lily¡¯s a Beyonder too but she¡¯s also the strongest healer in our round of the tutorial, and I don''t think that will change. We have Biscuit and Noodle too, and best of all, we have me, hehe.

    Group 4 is scary indeed.

    ¡°See you later,¡± I say, already bored of the conversation, and teleport to the anchor I placed on the roof. There I meet Lily, who holds a twisted chunk of flesh, with a finger bone next to it.

    ¡°Have you gotten bored already?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Samuel was about to start talking about great responsibility coming with great power. Or call me a teleporting atomic bomb or some other ridiculous thing.¡±

    She smiles, ¡°He¡¯s not so bad, just uptight.¡±

    ¡°Obviously, he would be nice to you, you are very important. But you should watch how he treats people from lower difficulties. The man would be happy to declare martial law if he could. But he¡¯s weaker than us so he has to tread carefully when we¡¯re around.¡±

    ¡°The people from Hard difficulty aren''t that weak.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re very weak, Tacita here has already killed Samuel once or twice when he bothered her,¡± I gesture.

    ¡°Tacita here?¡± Lily turns to the side to find Tacita sitting beside her. She almost jumps out of her skin, surprised by the girl who¡¯s clearly been sitting there for who knows how long without being noticed.

    ¡°H-how long¡­¡± Lily whispers.

    ¡°She was there when I got here,¡± I say and wave at Tacita who returns the gesture while looking at the bone and scrap of heart Lily¡¯s been experimenting with.

    ¡°You can''t do that! You have to at least let me know when you are nearby!¡± Lily complains.

    Tacita quickly carves her response into the roof.

    ?????

    Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand her reaction, ¡°Learned anything interesting from the bone? The guy used to be pretty tough.¡± I ask Lily.

    Lily''s eyes shine excitedly as she turns back to me, ¡°Yes! That bone is perfect!" She pauses before asking, "Should I talk in front of her?"

    "It''s too late for that, she knows a lot of things and already knows most of our names from all of her sneaking around. You guys didn''t notice her most of the time."

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    "Oh..."

    Tacita''s hand turns into a blur and she carves something else into the roof.

    (£»¨‘_¨‘)

    "It''s fine, just don''t spread it around."

    (£þ^£þ)©g

    I gesture at Lily to continue.

    "I¡¯ve been having some trouble with the heart though, it''s a lot more complex, even as damaged as it is. But with the heart, I could maybe help you with your Therm¡­ with your heart. Not now, but sometime in the future, when we don¡¯t have to deal with that annoying healing aura from the tournament grounds.¡±

    That sounds really promising, it should be possible to upgrade my heart with Lily''s help, but I don¡¯t really know how much we can influence my mana generation, honestly, it would probably be at least as difficult as using ambient mana. But maybe we could get it to compress my mana a bit more. Even now it''s only around 10 to 20%.

    ¡°But the bone is much better,¡± Lily continues. ¡°It¡¯s fairly compatible with my skill so I should be able to make my bones even stronger. And I should be able to do the same for you. It will take some time given your garbage Constitution, I mean I don''t want to hurt you, but we can make it work.¡±

    ¡°There is a question if I want to. I saw some interesting traits that influenced skeletal framework and making them stronger could make it more difficult to use them.¡±

    ¡°We can try to do both, but not here. The healing aura is annoying and heals me before I even make proper changes.¡±

    I start thinking, ¡°Maybe we will be able to make some nice stuff for group 4 together. We can try to give one of my eyes to the others. If it¡¯s too strong, we can dampen the effects and let them ¡®awaken¡¯ gradually. It will probably never be as strong as the original, but a healer on the 5th floor did the same thing for my disciple.¡±

    ¡°That sounds difficult. Oh, I also tried to create a mark to leave on people so that they could heal as needed. The one you told me about. It''s really bad right now, but in a few weeks, I should be able to create stronger ones.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±

    ¡°No problem! You can get rid of your pathetic healing passive and I will give you a lot of marks.¡±

    My healing passive is trying its best!

    While pinching Lily¡¯s nose to punish her, I turn to Tacita, ¡°Do you need something?¡±

    She shakes her head.

    ¡°Just hanging around?¡±

    A nod.

    ¡°Well, I will leave you guys so you can have some fun together,¡± I then place an anchor and teleport to the workshop where Isabella¡¯s already waiting.

    The little empath stands in the corner over a table, her blue flames melting the metals I gave her and trying to make things from them.

    I head over to my table without disturbing her. It''s time for me to make a few more items.

    <hr>

    In the end, I create five more items over the next few hours, and set the starting price higher at 500 shards each, even though the materials for each item only cost me about 50 shards.

    I set the auction¡¯s duration at an hour and close the window.

    After a bit of waiting, a notification pops up.

    The 3rd event - Avatar Confrontation will start in 12 hours!

    Everyone from Hell difficulty will have the opportunity to create an Avatar, for which they may set a [Restriction]. The Avatars will be placed in separate arenas.

    Hard, Normal, and Easy difficulties will then be able to challenge these Avatars. Each difficulty will have to pay a different amount of shards to challenge the Avatar.:

    Easy difficulty - 5 shards

    Normal difficulty - 10 shards

    Hard difficulty - 30 shards

    The Avatars won''t have emotions and won''t have any memories beyond those required for combat and managing their abilities. The only goal of the Avatars will be to defeat their challengers.

    For defeating the Avatar, the challenger will receive suitable rewards according to their performance and the strength of their opponent.

    Note: There will be no cap on the number of participants in a challenge.

    Note: A Hell difficulty attendee can create a single Avatar, with any [Restriction]. The Avatar in question can be challenged three times at most.

    Note: If an Avatar defeats the challengers, the creator of the avatar will receive rewards as well as all the shards paid for the right to challenge the Avatar. The system claims 10% of these shards.

    Note: The creator of the Avatar can add additional rewards for beating the Avatar to entice more challengers. The additional rewards can be shards or items. The additional rewards will be lost in case the Avatar is defeated and split among the challengers according to the challengers'' performance.

    The Avatars can be placed in 12 hours and it will be possible to challenge them during a 24-hour timeframe.

    Okay, that''s a lot.

    Opening the notification again, I jump up to take a seat on the table I¡¯ve been working at and read it again. I''m glad the Avatar won''t possess any of my memories or emotions. If it did I don''t think I would be willing to set one, not after the 5th floor.

    This is not the kind of event I would have expected but it sounds fun enough. The most important things are, Hell difficulty people will place Avatars so there can be 31 Avatars at once, with or without [Restriction]. Each Avatar can be challenged three times, which means people from other difficulties can join up to 93 fights against someone from Hell difficulty.

    The interesting part is the lack of restrictions on group size. This means that over 2 thousand people can challenge a single Avatar at the same time, provided each of them is willing to pay.

    That makes deciding the level of [Restriction] a bit more fun. Alone, no one from Easy difficulty would be willing to challenge someone like Tess or Lily, but if they create a big enough group and the girls place the right [Restriction], they might get some challengers. Placing additional rewards could also help.

    However, there is a bit of a problem for me. A very big one.

    Is there going to be anyone dumb enough to challenge my Avatar? Especially after the last event?

    Damn.

    But it''s too soon to give up already. I already have an idea. It''s time to make use of the group 4 psyops unit and the uselessly handsome man. Reaching out, I touch the web covering our house and Sophie responds.

    (What?) she asks.

    (I need you to get the twins and connect with Channeler. Tell him to come here and to bring as many of his friends as he can. Useful ones only.)

    (Will do. But what are you planning? You saw the notification, right? You¡¯re screwed.)

    (Worry not. I just need you guys to help me with a disinformation campaign.)

    This is gonna be fun.

 Chapter 353 - I want him dead

    The living room was too small, so we decided to meet in the garden. It''s a nice change of pace, seated at a group of tables loaded with snacks, surrounded by a variety of lovely shade trees, and vibrant green grass, with a nice breeze to bring it all together.

    Even Biscuit¡¯s in attendance, floating around and sniffing at the gathered people. Some of them almost seem to be terrified; I guess they saw his performance in the prior events. Now that I think about it, didn''t Biscuit kill a bunch of people from Easy and Normal difficulty during the 1st event?

    As for the people milling about, we¡¯ve managed to gather about twenty men and women from Easy and Normal difficulty. Channeler, Dennis, Aaron, Sophie, and Izzy are also here. Off to the side, there¡¯s Tacita, sitting on a branch high up in a tree, nomming on some kind of snack she¡¯s stolen and observing us down here. I don''t think she¡¯s been noticed by anyone other than Sophie and I.

    I¡¯ve already brought Channeler up to speed on the situation, so he starts, ¡°So, the goal is simple. We need to make Noname look as weak as possible.¡±

    Someone giggles before being silenced by two of her friends

    ¡°Good fucking luck with that,¡± I hear before they cover her mouth.

    Channeler, unbothered, smiles at the gathered people, his handsome face projecting a calming aura.

    As he continues, even I find myself starting to believe his words, ¡°You guys have got it all wrong. During the second event, Noname waited for the others from Hell to weaken the monster so he could steal the rewards.¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s going to believe that!¡± someone shouts.

    ¡°Why not, Eve? We all saw it. Noname used an item, that¡¯s the only reason he was even capable of defeating the monsters. It is a powerful item he stole like a coward on one of the floors, that¡¯s the only reason he¡¯s gotten so far.¡± He looks at Sophie, Izzy, then the twins. ¡°Even his own group has been complaining about how much they¡¯ve had to carry him.¡±

    That¡­ that sounds reasonable, doesn''t it?

    ¡°Plus, Noname¡¯s Avatar won¡¯t have the ax,¡± Channeler adds.

    Someone else asks, ¡°What about the first event? He didn¡¯t have that ax then and he almost won!¡±

    The handsome man shakes his head, ¡°Once again, Noname was lucky, he even got his hands on an arcane item that¡¯s why he got so far. It''s insane how lucky this guy is. Even then, he lost against Savant.¡±

    ¡°Didn''t Savant have the arcane glove?¡±

    Channeler looks confused, ¡°Has anyone confirmed that? Savant won¡¯t deny it, he¡¯ll pretend he did because he¡¯s trying to hide his true power until the duels, right? In truth, Savant fought with skills alone.¡±

    This time a small group of people starts mumbling among themselves.

    (That guy is good,) Sophie sends.

    (He¡¯s mine,) I return.

    After waiting for everyone to quiet down, Channeler continues, ¡°Obviously, we¡¯re going to lead by example and challenge Noname. Don¡¯t worry about the shards. Noname promised to reward us accordingly. Each of us will get an uncommon item and we get five rare items. But,¡± Channeler lifts his finger, ¡°The items are from Tent Cre... from Fuckyouintentbitch, and Noname was able to buy them. He might throw in some extra if we do well.¡±

    A few people giggle and Tent Creep gets called out a few times.

    Maybe I should beat them up.

    They do seem more enthusiastic after hearing that though. It looks like the performance of my items has spread.

    Continuing, Channeler explains, ¡°Noname will place a high [Restriction] on his Avatar and place a few decent rewards. Of course, the first few groups of challengers will probably lose. We need to be in those groups to downplay it as much as possible. Then for the third challenge, we¡¯re going to get as many people as possible. I will take time with each of you to go over the things we expect people to say and our excuses.¡±

    Watching everything go down, I almost feel like a villain and I love it, it¡¯s like having my own minion to enact my evil plans. The group asks a number of questions and Channeler answers each with patience and a smile. He even knows all their names and after watching them I''m sure half of the people here are only helping because they¡¯re into him, men and women.

    (Handsome people sure have it easy,) I send through the twins'' link.

    (I wish women would look at me the way they look at him,) Dennis sighs.

    (Maybe we can have Lily use [Plastic Surgery] on our faces to make us look better,) Aaron tries.

    (You guys are all dumb, none of you are that bad looking.) Sophie replies as she observes the crowd while testing a few adjustments.

    She seems to make a bit of progress, so I ask, (Well?)

    (I could probably influence people from Easy, without being noticed, normal too if I push it. But it wouldn''t be all that strong, just the tiniest poke towards them deciding to challenge you, nothing more. It would be like a friend giving you advice. People from Hard difficulty would notice that and it wouldn''t affect them. It would cause more trouble than it¡¯s worth.)

    (Fair enough. Let''s not do that then. How about you?) I turn to the twins.

    (No problem, boss!) Aaron sends with a smile. (We¡¯re happy to trash you a lot. We¡¯ll even see if we can get Brainiac to help. It''s good you didn''t call Kim, he is terrible at lying as is Lootenant.)

    (It will be easy, but you have to teach us coordinates on the 6th floor in exchange, without taking too big a cut!) Dennis reminds me.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    (As promised,) I agree.

    For a while, I watch Channeler and while some of the things he¡¯s saying kind of annoy me on an irrational level, I appreciate the effort. Not only that, but he¡¯s making Savant look that much stronger, maybe that will keep people from challenging the guy and stop him from earning any rewards, that would be a nice bonus.

    I don''t really think it will help very much. People aren''t that dumb, but it is fun to watch.

    <hr>

    I spend one hour crafting the items to serve as rewards for the people Channeler managed to rope into helping. Yet I still think it will be worth it.

    To avoid connecting my name with Fuckyouintentbitch, I''ve already hinted at buying some. For the rest, I''ll drop a few clues and leave it to their imagination, I¡¯m hoping they''ll think I know the guy.

    After finishing my crafting, I walk through the common area, heading towards WhiteWing.

    Surprisingly, I can already see some people looking at me. Some try to hide their laughter while whispering some private joke to the person next to them. It''s not many, but it¡¯s already spread enough to be noticed, and every once in a while, I see some of Channeler''s helpers going around and talking to people. He really picked some good helpers, they don¡¯t hesitate in the least as they strike up conversations.

    Is this the true power of people from lower difficulties?

    No one from the higher difficulties is quite that friendly, though we did have to get used to floors where people were ready to stab you in the back at any time.

    As I approach the big house Gareth''s group has been using, I stop to look at it for a while. It has multiple floors, their yard is bigger than ours though they don¡¯t have a workshop.

    Our house and the view it provides are definitely better. Group 4 wins once again.

    ¡°Noname, you¡¯re slow as hell. But I guess that''s why you¡¯re in Hell difficulty,¡± Brainiac says welcoming me with a lame joke.

    I ignore him and proceed to enter the house, and he quickly follows behind, ¡°And what the hell are these rumors I¡¯ve been hearing in the common area? I¡¯ve already had like five people ask if it''s true that you got an arcane item during the 1st event and that I beat you in a duel.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± I ask instead of answering.

    ¡°It sounded fun so I said I beat you three times in a duel and the arcane item was found by someone from Easy difficulty and you still almost died while stealing it,¡± he says with a bright smile.

    Nice, free labor.

    ¡°Ask the twins if you¡¯re interested; they¡¯re in on it and wanted to speak to you anyway. But if you do anything to ruin my plan, I will find you.¡±

    ¡°Sure, no problem! Gary and Sset are already waiting, so go upstairs; I¡¯m going to find Dennis or Aaron!¡± Once again, he¡¯s ditched his responsibilities in the pursuit of fun and leaves the house. I can¡¯t hate him for it either; the guy clearly has his priorities straight.

    As I¡¯m walking upstairs, I detect three mana signatures in the room and knock before entering. There in the small room, I find a man tied to a metal chair. With a weaker version of the Null Collar around his neck. It¡¯s not epic, it¡¯s probably rare at best. It clearly won¡¯t allow him to use his mana.

    Even that is enough, this guy¡¯s clearly from Easy difficulty. Though a short examination tells me that he¡¯s probably the strongest person from Easy difficulty I''ve met. Hell, he¡¯s probably stronger than most of Normal.

    The more I observe him, the more interesting it is. Maybe he¡¯s stronger than some of the weaker people from Hard difficulty?

    The man tied to the chair is around thirty years old. He has a short beard and brown hair and a wild expression in his gray eyes. He is of average height and quite muscular. Meanwhile, Tess sits in a chair nearby, and Gareth stands in the corner of the room.

    ¡°So that''s the guy?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tess nods.

    ¡°So what if I am? You can''t do anything. Once the tournament¡¯s over, I¡¯ll be freed, and you won¡¯t be able to reach me,¡± the man''s voice is calm, despite his wild expression.

    There is something chilling about the way he looks around and speaks.

    ¡°That would be quite a wasted tournament for you,¡± I mention.

    ¡°I can live with it,¡± he responds coldly.

    ¡°What¡¯s the name of your skill?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Noname, you can''t be serious!¡± Gareth says, speaking for the first time, and the usually calm and compassionate man sounds like he¡¯s on the edge. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time or place for that.¡±

    ¡°Does it matter?¡± I step closer and send mana to the man, forcefully overwhelming him and breaking through his natural barrier. Sending my mana through his body, I examine it and his mana.

    Other than a token attempt at the start, he doesn''t bother trying to defend himself and watches me with eyes that tell me he would stab me if he could. Or something much worse.

    Such an amusing guy.

    ¡°So how many?¡± I ask Gareth.

    Tess answers instead, ¡°It''s hard to say exactly, but we think he killed all 199 members of his group, sometime during the 1st Floor.¡±

    ¡°How did he do that? It couldn¡¯t have been that easy.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure,¡± Tess says, shaking her head. ¡°Maybe he poisoned them. He seems to have the skills for it. We spoke to a few of the people he defeated in the 1st event, and they seemed to confirm that he had some kind of poison smoke and acid that melts through low density mana. Both of them cause a lot of pain as well.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he just poisoned their water or something and killed them slowly,¡± I ponder as I examine his body.

    Other than being surprisingly high-level, it seems normal. I''m not an expert, but there is nothing remarkable. The guy just seems to be some kind of sociopathic mass murderer. Maybe he wanted to level up or take their equipment. Or maybe he¡¯s just a murderer and a twisted person who found himself in a place without any rules.

    I stop using my mana and look at him. The entire time, and now even more so, he watches me with those eyes of his. I''ve met plenty of psychos but this one seems to be a special case.

    ¡°Any idea what floor he¡¯s on?¡± I ask.

    ¡°If he went no [Restriction], then he¡¯s made it to the 11th floor, that''s what a few guys saw,¡± Gareth joins.

    ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t that the highest floor out of anyone here?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes, and before you ask, yes, we¡¯ve tried to get info out of him, but he refuses to cooperate and the system censors everything else as always,¡± Tess leans back on her chair.

    Such an interesting situation. So, how do you deal with a murderer like that? Do you even want to? He can''t be killed during the tournament. Sure, he can be fake killed, even tortured, but after a few more days, he will be back to doing whatever he wants.

    Even if he goes back to the Floors, anything he does will be limited to fakes created by the system not actual people. The question is if Gareth and Tess want to punish the guy for what he has done. More interestingly, do they even have the right to decide that?

    Curious about what they¡¯ll do, I turn to them.

    Gareth is silent and indecisive, unwilling to show his darker side, which I''m certain he has. There is no way the guy looking like a hero, with shiny armor, healing skills, and speeches about protecting others isn¡¯t evil.

    Tess, on the other hand, returns my gaze easily, her eyes unwavering as she declares simply, ¡°I want him dead.¡±

    That''s why I like her.

 Chapter 354 - Expectations and consequences

    "Are you sure?" I ask Tess, my curiosity growing. I want to see how she responds.

    "Yes," she says simply.

    "Do you have the right to decide that?" I ask though I don''t care what happens to the guy. I want to know what the young blonde in front of me is thinking.

    "Who cares if I have the right?"

    Ok, that¡¯s a good answer.

    So I ask again, pushing her, "I killed a real human, I threw that guy on the 1st floor to the Cinderbear."

    "Yes, you did."

    "Soph and Hadwin also killed the guy who wanted to kill Soph after his friend died."

    "Yes, they did."

    "And Izzy probably burned a group of people from Hard difficulty who entered Hell difficulty back on the third floor. Are you going to punish all of us as well?"

    "I will not." A simple answer.

    "That''s hypocritical."

    "Yes, it is."

    "So you want others to follow your rules while acting as judge, jury, and executioner without following the rules yourself?" I continue to push.

    "It''s not about rules I want them to follow. As I told you before, I will be leading this round of the tutorial. I will take over so our group will be safe when we return in four years. Yes, it''s still far off but it will be better to start right away."

    Gareth is just listening and the murderer tied to the chair is forgotten. Only when the bound man tries to say something do I hold his mouth shut with [Redistribution].

    "No one will want to follow a woman who sets rules she won''t follow herself," I note.

    "They will have to," another simple answer I like.

    "So this man is an example?"

    "Yes, we will make an example of him. A lot of them think they can do anything they want during the tournament because they can''t die. A lot of them also know about this murderer, rumors have been spreading for a long time and he even bragged in Community."

    "Sounds good," I can¡¯t help but be fascinated by this version of Tess. And yet that can''t be all there is to it.

    Her subclass is Chastity and now here she is, greedily trying to pull everyone under her control. Gareth, other difficulties, and even the people from Hell. All in the name of protecting her friends and maintaining the camaraderie she¡¯s always wanted. It feels greedy but pure at the same time. Such a twisted combination.

    So I don''t mind helping, "I could forcefully inscribe a construct inside of his body. The kind that would trigger gradually a few days after he leaves the tournament. I could make one that constantly disrupts his mana or one that will make his heart explode. Something impossible for someone of his level to deal with. With a bit of help from Grumpy or Soph and some testing to learn what the system will allow, I should be able to do it fairly easily."

    "We can''t do that," Gareth finally joins in. "I know where you¡¯re coming from, Sset, but this, this is too much. You won''t fix anything if you become a murderer as well."

    "I¡¯ve told you before Gareth, but you¡¯re too soft. We saw it all over the previous floors, there was always someone strong keeping the others in check. The second floor had the Champions. The third floor had a king. On the fourth floor, the lynthari kept the order and no one dared to step too far out of line. Even what we learned about the fifth, the Absolute, the Champions, and their powerful guilds," she gestures around.

    "I know where you are coming from. But there has to be another way."

    "Probably? Maybe we¡¯ll find a utopia on one of the higher floors. But Gareth, Soph and I looked into his mind, albeit briefly. I felt flashes of his emotions when he killed people. This man is nothing more than a rabid dog to be put down."

    She takes a step towards the bound man and looks down at him, her voice turning darker, "We¡¯ve all done things we¡¯re not proud of and I''m sure we will continue to do so. And probably worse. We will kill natives, we¡¯ll even kill people from Earth. Hell, some of us might end up like this man. But right now I want him dead because of the things I saw in his memories. Later I will learn more about the way I want to walk. Then I might regret it, or maybe not."

    Instead of talking to Tess, Gareth turns to me, switching his strategy, "And how about you? Have you accepted the idea of killing him so easily?"

    "I have," I affirm.

    "Would you kill so easily no matter who asked?"

    "I only agreed because Sset is the one asking," I clarify. "I trust her," I say, focusing on Gareth, and returning his gaze.

    The man seems to be distraught. But he doesn''t feel weak or indecisive. It''s like he¡¯s honestly trying to find a better way.

    Gareth takes a step closer to me, his voice more urgent, "What if she¡¯s lying? You only have her word, and it''s a big decision. You should think this over. What if she¡¯s using you or intends to in the future? Perhaps she¡¯s twisting the truth to make you do what she wants."

    "I''m not entirely sure, but I think I might kill her."

    That shocks Gareth into stunned silence. He keeps looking back and forth between Tess and I.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    When I look at the blonde, she is smiling at me, gentle and understanding.

    "How can you say that so easily, isn''t she your friend?"

    "It¡¯s not easy," I tell Gareth. "Isn¡¯t a betrayal of that magnitude a good enough reason on its own?"

    "Even though she¡¯s your friend?" Gareth asks, refusing to let go.

    With a sigh, I continue, "Wouldn''t that just make it that much worse? I do things she asks of me without questioning her. I gave her my trust and she knows it and can make use of me. But that comes with expectations from my side and consequences should she betray them."

    Stepping closer to the bound man, I collect my mana and touch his head, sending it through his natural barrier. I break through easily and place an anchor directly on him, infusing it with enough mana to last for days. It might disappear if he enters the event, but I¡¯ve remembered his mana signature so I should be able to find him quite easily.

    Turning to Tess, I reach to the anchor I placed in the common area, "I will return home and will come up with something later."

    "See you later," Tess says.

    "Sure," I activate the anchor and disappear, appearing in the middle of a crowd.

    My sudden appearance makes some people jump, while I continue towards the house where I felt Min-Jae''s signature. Walking for a minute I reach the patch of trees and start cycling mana to hide my presence. Min-Jae has become better at detecting people lately.

    Silently I enter a small patch of trees and when I hear his voice I slow down, carefully stopping as the view opens up. There I can see him. Min-Jae is around 16 years old I think and at the moment he¡¯s facing down a few men from Hard difficulty. Three to be exact.

    Lootenant is with him or Jakub if I want to use the name Gareth doxxed.

    The Korean boy seems to be excited about something, though Lootenant looks like he doesn''t want to be there.

    "We told you you¡¯re wrong," one of the men from Hard difficulty tells Min-Jae threateningly. "We cursed at that lightning bit... woman, but so does everyone else. So what do you want?"

    "I don''t like that you call her that. She is my friend," Min-Jae doesn''t seem to be impressed at all and faces the three men easily.

    I''m sure he wouldn''t be able to do this without the powers he now possesses. Thanks to them even a thin boy can face three adult men.

    They seem to realize it as well. They aren''t exactly weak, but people from Hell difficulty are just different so they hesitate.

    "Look," their leader says in the end, "I got it. I''m sorry, okay? I understand that she is your friend so I apologize." The man is surprisingly reasonable.

    Min-Jae, on the other side, seems to be disappointed. I can see how he watches them. The stance he takes is something that reminds me of mine and I could swear the expression too. He is even releasing a bit of his mana.

    I can see a thrill in his eyes as three much older and bigger men apologize to him, but immediately I can tell it won''t be enough. I''ve known people who acted the way Min-Jae is now.

    "That''s not enough," Min-Jae calls to them as they turn to leave.

    His skill activates and his gravity field surrounds the men, slowing them down as they fight to keep standing.

    "Enough Kim, we don''t¡­" Lootenant tries to stop him, but Min-Jae shakes him off.

    Taking a few steps towards the men he says, "I don''t think you were honest enough. As you said, she¡¯s my friend." Even as he is saying so, I can see a tenuous smile on his face.

    That smile and the way he pushes away their efforts to escape his gravity field tell me enough. I don''t even have to watch as he uses the excuse of defending his friend to put these men under his boot. Especially now that he is also angry because they insulted Tess and probably called her even worse names. I already know the reputation she has.

    As Tess said before, Min-Jae is young and because of his past, it''s no surprise he turned out this way after getting all these powers.

    Having seen all I wanted to see, I use an anchor I left in the common area to teleport away. There, I start walking around and checking for some things I could buy. Maybe some interesting stone that would prove to be a damaged arcane item, a ring with the personality imprint of someone powerful, or a talking sword.

    Bored and wanting to take my mind off my useless ponderings, I gesture for a young boy who¡¯s watching me from a porch nearby to come closer.

    "Do you want something?" I ask. The boy was following me for a good minute.

    "Are you Noname?" he asks.

    The boy sounds even younger than Isabella, and he feels much weaker. Easy difficulty probably.

    "Yes," I say.

    "The Cheater Noname?" he asks curiously.

    Damn, some people just really lack survival instinct.

    "Why do you think I¡¯m a cheater?" I ask just in case, knowing it''s most likely the result of Channeler''s efforts.

    "I heard your group got an arcane item and you stabbed them in the back to take it for yourself. And even then you lost to Savant who was tired because he already defeated like 20 people from Hell difficulty."

    Oh. My. God. I love you, Channeler my dude.

    The boy doesn''t let my silence stop him, "During the second event too! You have some leech skill you used to steal mana from other people. Mom said it would be impossible to have so much mana otherwise! You also stole mana from the mines and the natives. All while you waited for the others to weaken the monsters and because you were scared!"

    "Be careful," I add with some urgency in my voice. "I don''t want people to know about my cowardly [Mana Steal] skill," I say, stealthily handing him some candy I traded for a common item.

    "I knew it! A nice lady was telling my father about it and I overheard! Is it true that you also have an item higher than arcane, but to use it you have to sacrifice 10 years of your life?"

    This is getting ridiculous.

    The boy doesn''t stop, "And you are such an asshole that you are sacrificing the life of your group instead!"

    There I pause him, "Kid, wanna learn something funny?"

    The weird kid nods and steps closer.

    How the hell can you talk about me in such a way and then just listen?

    I lower my voice to add more dignity, "There is one word I heard the most powerful Absolute I¡¯ve ever met say. That word bought her the respect of her enemies and the love of her friends."

    His eyes expand, "There is such a word?"

    "Yes," I gesture for him to come closer and whisper. "Don''t tell anyone. You promise?" I hand him another candy.

    "I promise! My dad said to never break a promise!"

    I nod and look around, like I¡¯m making sure no one¡¯s listening, "That word was ''nya.'' She added it to the end of every second or third sentence she said, gaining the respect of everyone who heard it."

    Then, unable to resist, I flick his nose and teleport away.

    Silly kids.

 Chapter 355 - Miwa

    I teleport back after the auction ends, I check the result and receive just over three thousand shards for the five items. The tournament shop has already covered our rent for the house and workshop, and a few days still remain.

    It''s not as good as looting the Veil Ignition Station, but it''s good enough that I should be able to make a few thousand extra shards before the tournament ends.

    As I check the crafter ranking, I''m still first, with the second person being someone called Miwa and even Adam is there. For a moment, I consider buying their things to examine them but then decide not to. Looking at my results and 1st place, it''s obvious I''m doing better. So, there probably wouldn''t be all that much I could learn from them. I still might do it before the tournament ends.

    Sensing a few signatures on the roof, I boost myself into the air and land on top of it. Lily and Tacita are still in the same spot, and Maya and Sophie seem to have joined them. The women observe Tacita while talking to Lily.

    Maya is closer to the mute girl. Maybe too close. Unlike me, she doesn''t seem to notice the tension in Tacita''s body every time someone moves too quickly, gets close, or speaks too loudly. It''s obvious to me after dealing with her for a bit, but Tacita seems to be about as twisted as the rest of us.

    Maya, being as straightforward as she is, smiles and holds out her hand by way of introduction.

    When Tacita ignores her, Maya makes a bit of a mistake. She presses closer and reaches out to her with a kind word.

    In a flash, her hand is severed, and Maya staggers back, a dagger sprouting from her neck. She coughs, blood spraying from her mouth and soiling her clothes.

    Maya doesn''t panic and her face takes on the deep calm of the skill we share. Before Lily or Sophie can move, Maya puts a hand on the wound after pulling the dagger free, blood seeping between her fingers. A blade made of mana extends from the stump of her severed hand. Even bleeding, her expression turns dangerous.

    Lily lets go of everything and moves at a speed rivaling Tacita''s, reaching Maya and putting a hand on her to heal her quicker. She heals her even before the tournament healing aura activates, the wound closing within a blink.

    Then the three of them stand there, skills at the ready to launch an attack on Tacita.

    On the other side, the mute girl is calm, her slim body relaxed, arms hanging along her body, and fingers slightly bent. Her feet are placed just so, priming her for a sudden burst of speed.

    Not to escape, but to attack. Even facing three powerful members of Hell difficulty, Tacita doesn''t hesitate.

    It might be sociopathic, but I want them to fight. I bet Sophie and Maya would go down, almost without a struggle, and only Lily could defend herself. However, the knowledge of our immortality in this space takes the sting from such thoughts.

    But I don''t forget to warn them, ¡°If you damage the house, I will expect an item equal to the damage caused.¡±

    Tacita lifts her hands and gestures at the trio opposite her after meeting my eyes.

    ¡°You too, I don¡¯t go around destroying your stuff, so I would expect you to extend the same courtesy.¡±

    That causes her to deflate a bit, and her stance becomes more relaxed.

    "You saw what she did to Maya," Lily says through clenched teeth. Maya, unlike her, maintains a mask of calm, her eyes on Tacita.

    Have they forgotten who this girl is? She¡¯s been solo climbing the floors, the same as Savant. She has time and again proved herself to be an extremely dangerous individual and she¡¯s unstable to boot. Maybe the way she acted made them forget? Tacita''s behavior tends towards the playful, most of the time, not to mention the silly emoticons she uses instead of speech.

    It''s amusing, to be honest. How little it takes for people to let their guard down. Just a few smiles, a bit of childish behavior, and an innocent face.

    Unlike them, I strengthen my body every time I see even a shadow of Tacita and keep a barrier under my skin, ready to activate. Not even once have I forgotten to do so.

    I also know that Tacita has taken notice; she knows that I''m ready to fight her anytime. But being twisted as she is, she doesn''t mind my lack of trust. No, it almost seems like she prefers it, she¡¯s actually more comfortable when I try to keep her at arm''s length.

    Tacita looks down on those who¡¯ve grown complacent. But I guess that''s the inevitable result of her climbing the floors alone and being on constant guard.

    So I just tell Maya, "Dennis told me you know about someone who can make pizza."

    While keeping her eyes on Tacita, Maya says in a calm tone, "Yes, I¡¯ve spoken with her already and can arrange a meeting."

    "Sounds good. Can we go?"

    Maya glances at me and then at the mute girl. Her expression slowly returns to normal, and she examines her bloody clothes. Her expression clearly shows that she realized she made a mistake and that she¡¯s really dissatisfied with the result.

    Cursing, Maya says, "Yes, just let me change clothes." She then jumps off the roof and enters the house.

    For a while, I sit there observing the standoff between Sophie, Lily, and Tacita, but in the end, it looks like there will be no fight.

    "Boring," I mutter and jump off the roof, and take a seat on one of the benches outside, waiting for Maya.

    <hr>

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Maya and I enter the common area and only then does she turn to me, "I fucked up."

    "A bit," I nod. "Do you know where?"

    "I thought of her as harmless and allowed myself to get lulled into a false sense of security by the safety of the tournament."

    "I agree, you have [Focus] too so you should keep it running in the background constantly. Use it to keep your strengthening just a blink from activating or to monitor your surroundings. Whatever you like."

    We pass through the plaza as she leads us through the crowds.

    After a while, she asks, "Would she still act this way outside the tournament? If there was no field preventing us from dying?"

    "Yup," I say.

    I know that without a speck of doubt. Tacita¡¯s actions would be the same even out of the bounds of the tournament. Whether it be a native or a real person. It doesn''t matter. That''s how she is.

    My answer seems to strike the usually straightforward and talkative Maya silent, as she retreats deep into her thoughts.

    I, on the other hand, try to look as weak as possible. There are even a few people trying to probe my mana, in an attempt to scan me with their skills. Even Maya notices them, but I act as if I haven¡¯t and merely reduce the amount of mana leaking from my body.

    All in an effort to help the disinformation campaign.

    It¡¯s in this fashion that we reach a smaller house, carved deep into a nice grassy hill, covered with colorful flowers. Outside of that house is a small workshop, issuing the constant ringing of a hammer striking iron, along with a lot of heat.

    "Let''s wait outside, apparently she¡¯s sensitive about being interrupted," Maya says.

    Though it leaves me curious, I plop down on a stone nearby and Maya does the same, and we wait.

    I do not send my mana sense toward the blacksmith Miwa¡¯s workshop. She is the second ranked crafter in the tournament shop and it looks like she may be the person I need to help me make pizza for my minion.

    It takes about an hour and in that hour, I die four times. All caused by black mana turning my brain to mush as I experiment with it. It''s mostly part of my experiments with [Focus], It¡¯s either that or direct infusions into my brain. All the while I keep a field around me to stop mana from seeping into the area, keeping as much as I can inside of my body.

    At this point, I start thinking that before the event ends I will have to be a bit more careful and stop relying on the passive healing of the tournament. It would be unfortunate if I tried something like this outside.

    Anyway, I''m learning a lot and the control I¡¯ve refined with the help of my Duplicate improves even further. Now even more so than before, I realize how much time experimenting with him saved me. Months, half a year, maybe even a year that I would¡¯ve needed to practice on my own, slowly to avoid blowing my head off.

    Maya also trains as she sits next to me, a focused expression on her face while she moves mana through her body.

    Another hour passes before a woman in her forties finally exits the workshop. She has a youthful face and seems to be Asian, Japanese if I had to guess. The heat seems to radiate from her skin while she wipes the sweat from her brow and glances at us, then taking a few steps she greets us with a nod.

    A few seconds later she coughs and tells me, ¡°Hey, my eyes are up here.¡±

    Maya seems to be shocked for some reason and pokes me.

    I lift my eyes from her right arm, which is made entirely of metal. It¡¯s clearly some sort of heavily articulated prosthetic, covered in delicate inscriptions. Looking up at her I ask, ¡°You didn''t make it, where did you get it?¡±

    The metal itself is an alloy I do not recognize. Possessed of a silvery color with a pinkish luster.

    The arm is beautiful and I''m unable to take my eyes off it.

    She looks at me, ¡°I''m Miwa, I would like to hear your names first.¡±

    ¡°Noname.¡±

    ¡°Knight, nice to meet you, Miwa.¡±

    Miwa nods, ¡°Thanks, even if they are aliases. Now then, I thought you wanted help with pizza, offering an epic item in exchange?¡±

    ¡°I have a healer in my group. She can restore your flesh and blood arm. I will add two epic items in exchange for your metal arm,¡± I offer.

    ¡°I apologize, but no.¡±

    ¡°Five epic items and my healer will make your new arm stronger than the original should be.¡±

    ¡°I already said no,¡± Miwa repeats decisively.

    Should I try to steal it later? I mean, she¡¯s only in Hard difficulty, it should be easy enough. It might be worth the hell Tess would raise or Gareth''s complaining. I¡¯ve seen a few prostheses, but this arm is something else, there¡¯s only one floor where she could have gotten it.

    ¡°You got the arm on the second floor, right?¡±

    Seeing no reason to lie, Miwa nods, ¡°I got it from a man called Keiron.¡± She lifts her arm, it moves perfectly, fingers reacting immediately and nimbly as their natural counterparts. Even the metal seems to bend slightly at the required places.

    The arm is a masterpiece and more so having been given by Champion Keiron. Maybe he was nerfed on Hard difficulty or not, no matter what it''s not something to ignore. More so him being a descendant of Lissandra.

    I want to offer another trade, but Maya pokes me before I can and when I look at Miwa I do realize that if I ask again she will send us away. Even now, this polite reception is little more than an act.

    I will think of something later.

    ¡°Yes, we came here because of pizza. Apparently, you can make one.¡±

    Miwa gestures to us to follow her and heads towards the house, ¡°I like to cook so when we reached the common area I traded with other people and got a lot of ingredients. With what I have, I should be able to make pizza as well.¡±

    We enter the hallways at which point she takes off her shoes and puts them to the side. We follow her example and wait for her to invite us in.

    She leads us to a small but lovely kitchen, and the woman, still in her work clothes, starts preparing tea, her metal arm moving as nimble as a normal one. Me and Maya both sit there awkwardly. Even Miwa seems to be somewhat cold because of my offers.

    Well, I think I know what will make her more friendly.

    ¡°I can give you an item for the pizza, but what do you think about this instead?¡± I put a few pieces of metal on the table.

    Turning back to us, Miwa sighs, ¡°Please, do not try to change¡­¡± she cuts off. Miwa quickly puts the kettle away and takes a quick step towards the table from which she grabs a small piece of metal.

    It''s voidsteel, not a blade, just a few pieces of the metal I found in the Veil Ignition Station.

    As expected, the woman seems to be even more interested now. Voidsteel is extremely expensive in the system shop and is mostly sold in ingots for one or two thousand shards. Then there is the problem that they are difficult to work with, especially for us from Earth with only a year of experience. So the pieces I gave her should be even more enticing given the way they should allow her more freedom to experiment.

    Then I decide to push more, ¡°I also have a damaged arcane grade item.¡± I lower my voice, trying to make my offer sound as enticing as possible. ¡°I will let you look at it if you let me look at your arm.¡±

 Chapter 356 - Just give me the goddamn robotic arm

    After being told to fuck off, we leave the place. It''s the nicest way anyone¡¯s ever told me to fuck off, and I don¡¯t realize what''s happening until we¡¯re already outside, and she throws our shoes out behind us.

    HOW! How is she not enamored by the chance to examine an arcane weapon? Just show me the goddamn robotic arm!

    "Maya, I''m annoyed," I complain to the woman next to me.

    "You should run [Focus] in the back of your mind to¡­" Maya swiftly dodges my mana projectile and deflects another by creating a barrier over the back of her hand.

    She smiles playfully, "Just let it be before you make it worse. We can ask Tess or Channeler to talk to Miwa and at least get you your pizza."

    "But the arm¡­"

    "Oh, come on! What''s even so fascinating about it?"

    "It was made by Champion Keiron, the dude with the [Avatar] skill and the descendant of Cockroachsandra. That alone makes it interesting."

    Her eyes burn on my skin as she asks, "Please tell me you are not planning on stealing that arm."

    "Borrowing. I can give her both of my arms if she wants. They¡¯re good arms."

    She snorts, "Only Lily has any use for your arms, please act like a normal human. You shouldn¡¯t be so laidback about losing an arm. I mean, what are you, a lizard or something? Having Lily on hand is making you even worse."

    Grabbing my hand, she pulls me away from the house, "You have that arcane alloy you keep babying. Maybe she would like to examine that more, she seems like a blacksmith."

    She lets go of my hand and I shake my head resolutely, "She would want a piece of it. I know that. I''m not willing, not even if she offers to give me the arm."

    "Is it that good?" Maya wonders.

    "Yes. It was made by someone who worked with the Champions on the 5th floor and was rewarded for it by their Absolute. His life¡¯s work."

    "But it''s only arcane." She pauses, giggling. "Only arcane," she repeats. "You already have a damaged arcane ax."

    "That''s not how it works," I offer my hand to Maya and she puts hers onto it. Then I teleport both of us, appearing near our house, and I continue, "It''s arcane even in its raw form. If you have, let''s say, upper rare materials like metals or stones you can, with a lot of work, create low or maybe even mid epic items."

    She pauses me there, "But I saw arcanadium, endurium, and some other metals and that¡¯s not including the rare crystals she had, some of them were even epics.."

    "Yes, that''s the difference in the purity of the material. I don''t know that much about it, but these metals are rarely found in their pure state, so they usually need to be purified. Nevan told me about a method he had to categorize the different grades of ore, but I ignored it back then."

    "So that arcane alloy can be turned into a mid or upper arcane item?"

    "Probably? There is a low chance that I may even be able to make something better than arcane, but probably not. Even Champions tended to carry arcane weapons and items. If the system hasn¡¯t been reducing the grade of these items, then it means that mid and upper arcane are usually what the new and weaker Champions would have."

    "And the system¡¯s already been putting low tier arcane items in the tournament?" she asks unbelievingly.

    "If I''m right, there is a huge difference between grades within arcane." It makes a lot of sense, in my opinion. As the rarities will grow, the difference between low, mid, and upper will only increase.

    Maya smiles out of nowhere, "When you have the funds, buy me some arcane armor or something. I¡¯ll be your personal minion if you do. We [Focus] holders have to stick together, right?" she pokes my side.

    In retaliation for her shameless declaration, I ask, "So what level is your [Focus]?"

    That silences her for a moment, and she sighs, "That skill is scary to level. Anyone who makes it to the higher levels can''t be normal," she says, repeating her favored excuse.

    "But I turned out just fine," I say, in defense of my favorite skill, and myself by extension.

    She doesn''t answer, so I turn to her.

    Huh? Why is she looking at me like that?

    <hr>

    A few more hours remain until the start of the third event when I notice Biscuit returning from outside. It seems like he¡¯s been doing that lately, going out alone to do Biscuit stuff somewhere in the common area.

    At this point, I¡¯m more worried about the people than the little corgi, but so far there have been no complaints, so we let him do whatever he wants.

    Most of the group are outside, around a campfire they¡¯ve set up. A few trees have been felled as a sacrifice, so we probably aren''t good renters, but screw the system.

    They¡¯re roasting the marshmallows I bought along with some other things, like meat from some of the higher-level animals they fought on the 5th floor. Even Brainiac and Lootenant are here, leeching off us once again. They seem to have really hit it off with our boys and can often be found hanging around. The atmosphere seems to be cheery and very noisy. Ew.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    It¡¯s at this point that Biscuit floats in through the second story window.

    Activating my eyes and crown, I observe him, wondering what he¡¯s been up to. I do have to be careful to avoid his detection; he¡¯s getting better at it. Biscuit moves from room to room and for a while, he even stops next to Noodle; I can sense their signatures close to each other.

    The future Danger Noodle is sleeping there on the couch and Biscuit floats over him. He does something and then leaves the snake alone, entering my room before leaving after a moment.

    He floats at his terribly slow speed out of the window to rejoin the others while shouting something about sustenance. I''m just happy he got bored of shouting ¡°bitch,¡± I was worried it was going to be his new favorite word.

    Placing an anchor, I teleport into my room and look around the place where Biscuit stopped. The sounds of people sitting around the fireplace are muffled and fade into the background, and there on top of the nightstand, I find a small piece of dried meat. It is clumsily wrapped in wrapping from the candies we¡¯ve eaten. Biscuit must have seen how much we liked eating the cheap candy after a year in the tutorial, so he thought the jerky would taste better for us if he wrapped it.

    Did he also carefully collect all the wrappers?

    In quick succession, and ignoring the privacy of Min-Jae and the twins I check their rooms. In each, I find the same. A small piece of dried meat clumsily wrapped in pink wrapping.

    For a moment, I imagine the little corgi using his mana tentacles to do that.

    Teleporting to the living room with Noodle, I find him in his usual spot on the couch. And sitting there, in front of the little snake, is another wrapped hunk of meat and there is a blanket awkwardly thrown over his body unlike when he first went to sleep.

    Noodle isn''t sleeping anymore, and when I enter the living room, he looks at me and then at the candy wrapping and the blanket.

    These two cute animals often clash, fighting for dominance. So the awkward form of affection on the part of the silly dog seems to surprise the white snake.

    Noodle looks at me again with his green eyes, as if trying to understand the meaning of all of this. Why would the corgi do that?

    "Figure it out on your own," I tell him before leaving the house.

    Instead of teleporting, I walk over to the campfire where the others have gathered. The fake stars are in the sky and the night air is refreshing and warm accentuated by the crackling of the fire.

    I pass by Brainiac, who is once again hitting on the girls, and bend down to pick up Biscuit.

    (Asshole!) the corgi shouts, surprised by my actions, moving his paws and twisting his body in an attempt to escape.

    Holding him under his front legs, I straighten up my arms, Biscuit''s hind legs hanging and swinging slightly, the corgi turned towards me.

    (Asshole!) he repeats in my head.

    As a reward, I shake him slightly, but the doggo seems to be enjoying that.

    I lean closer and touch his cold nose to mine, much to the corgi''s surprise. But he quickly gets out of it and licks me while repeatedly shouting his first and favorite word.

    (Food food food!)

    <hr>

    Only an hour remains until we get the notification for the third event. It''s still night, yet from the hill where our house is, we can see thousands of lights shining in the common area. People moving around, lights of the houses, campfires set.

    Nobody here is a normal human anymore, and that applies even to the weakest among us. Even a few levels are enough to put the average person on a footing with those who¡¯ve trained their whole lives.

    We are stronger, we can move faster, and our stats make us more resilient. It''s easier to go without sleep for some time, and after the body upgrade, a lot of us require less food, water, and rest.

    Even with that, only a few things would change if we returned to Earth. But it doesn''t end with this.

    Some people lack the proper scope. They see people from Hell as tactical weapons of mass destruction. Weapons to be used as deterrents by their respective countries. But that''s straight up silly.

    We¡¯re in the process of the Pairing, we will be forced to fight a whole other planet and face its natives, who are likely to be much more experienced than us and have had more time to build their forces.

    We¡¯ve just been introduced to the system, everyone in the tutorial is our First Generation. People who went through the tutorial while learning as much as possible. The goal here seems obvious now.

    We¡¯re being groomed to lead, protect, and set the order once we return to Earth. Some of us will need to serve as teachers.

    Every time I think about it, I feel the excitement in my chest. The boring life I had on Earth has been left behind, replaced by something new and grand. The pursuit of power in the name of taking on opponents who want to see me dead, and the opportunity to explore the powers we¡¯ve received.

    Champions, Absolutes, and their Disciples, Rulers, and maybe something over that? The mystery of what happens after reaching level 99 in a skill. The final Beyond trial and Beyond itself. And more.

    Thinking on too small a scale is straight up stupid. This won¡¯t end with Earth.

    <hr>

    Back in the common area, I examine the window that pops up announcing the event.

    Please, create your avatar. You can decide the severity of your [Restriction] as well as any additional rewards.

    Warning, if your avatar gets defeated, the additional rewards will be split between the challengers.

    Warning, once you set a [Restriction], it can''t be changed.

    Looking at the window, I think of the love and hate relationship I have with the system and the tutorial. From a certain point of view, it also makes sense that Savant thinks that the system is fair.

    But, the system is still an asshole.

    I set my avatar and look around the common area, Lily next to me has finished setting up hers as well.

    Then after a minute a notification appears for the difficulties under Hell and everyone starts scrolling through their windows. Then like clockwork, a conversation starts. Slowly growing shocked calls and hundreds of people looking around, some people look almost like their eyes are bulging out of their heads.

    Some of them find me, poking their friend, and like that, hundreds of pairs of eyes are looking straight at me.

    The reason is obvious, a simple small window they¡¯ve all been shown.

    Avatar: Noname, group 4

    Restriction: 3rd Floor

    Additional rewards: 80,000 shards

 Chapter 357 - Pump these numbers up

    For a short moment, I bask in the gazes of the people, but when Brainiac comes rushing, screaming about where the hell I could have gotten so many shards, I teleport away.

    I appreciate [Tether] more and more, the way it allows me to avoid people is amazing.

    Through the [Connection] the twins set up I receive a call from Channeler, (Boss! Good job with the shards! I don''t know how you tricked the system, but that¡¯s going to help a lot!)

    (Tricked the system?)

    (The amount of shards. Did you bug it out somehow? We could use it maybe or¡­)

    (I didn¡¯t have to. I have the shards.)

    The silence that ensues is quite long, but it warms my cold heart.

    Actually, can I even say that? My heart can generate a lot of heat, so maybe it''s not all that cold.

    (Are you serious?) Channeler''s voice is quiet.

    (Yup.)

    (Are you maybe dumb?)

    Okay, someone''s asking for a beating.

    Before I can send a message, Channeler adds, (Do you realize what you have done?! With such a high reward, I wouldn''t be surprised if over a thousand people challenge you at once!)

    (That would mean thousands of shards for one challenge, after the system''s cut. That''s not bad.)

    (Noname, please¡­ you set a 3rd Floor restriction! I know you¡¯re strong, but your restricted Avatar can''t defeat hundreds of people from Hard difficulty!)

    (It¡¯ll be fine.)

    (It won''t be fine! You¡¯re going to lose all those shards. So many!)

    (Channeler, my dude. Don''t worry, just keep to the plan and let me know when people challenge someone interesting so I can come and watch.)

    (Will do,) Channeler says, sounding deflated as he does, and I end the conversation.

    It''s a bit after midnight, and yet the common area is lively enough for me to take notice even from afar. A giant screen dominates the center. Well, not one. Four of them, arranged in a cube for people to watch from every direction. So far, there¡¯s not much to be seen, and it seems like only one Avatar can be challenged at once.

    That''s interesting and it adds a degree of complexity, given the 24 hour limit. Still, with 31 Avatars that leaves room for 93 challenges. Joining all of them would cost a massive amount of shards, so I don''t think anyone is going to be joining all of them. Especially if they¡¯re from Easy difficulty, they usually have 50-100 shards at most. The fact that Channeler has 150 is a feat in and of itself.

    Now that I think about it, I should probably feel bad for trying to get shards out of these people.

    Nah, screw them. Anyone fighting my Avatar is after my shards, so I have no need to pity them. Plus, I can always think of it as a form of patronage, after all these shards will go a good way towards making myself stronger, which will, in the end, help the people of Earth.

    Probably.

    I still haven''t decided what to do once we get out, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll like whoever winds up attacking us in the pairing, so I¡¯ll probably join the fight. Even if it¡¯s only to level up and acquire some nice loot.

    Pushing these thoughts away, I place a few more anchors, and teleport until I reach our house. Once there I sit on the roof and wait for Lily. We¡¯re meeting to collaborate on a few experiments. We¡¯ve decided not to sleep for the next 24 hours, and we shouldn¡¯t have any problem staying up for that long. Plus, I don''t want to miss any interesting Avatar fights, so I maintain an open connection with Channeler and the others so they can continue to feed me information.

    It takes a few more minutes but Lily appears on the roof with a big smile on her face, ¡°Thanks for the warning! You were right, Savant and others were extremely fun to watch when they learned about your additional rewards.¡± She laughs, a memory flashing behind her eyes. ¡°Brainiac even started calling you sugar daddy Noname and insulted us for keeping you to ourselves.¡±

    Lily plops down on the roof next to me, a smile still on her face. Her eyes seem to glow. ¡°Dennis said Savant looked like someone told him they pissed into his drinking water for days.¡±

    Oh boy, maybe I should have stuck around longer.

    ¡°Tess said Gareth and Adam think you managed to bug out the system.¡± She stretches and lays on her back, ¡°I haven''t laughed so much in so long! Seeing the expression on Savant¡¯s face was priceless.¡±

    ¡°Screw that guy,¡± I note.

    ¡°Yeah, screw that guy!¡±

    I give myself time to enjoy the image of the pissed-off Savant, and silence ensues.

    Quietly after a minute, Lily breaks the silence first, her words careful, ¡°Nat, I can fix your arm. Make it so it isn''t pale anymore.¡±

    As she says so, I glance at my left arm which is pale no matter how many times I restore it or how much sun it gets. Lily¡äs left arm shares its pallor. She probably could have fixed it at any time, at least I think so. It¡¯s obvious why she hasn¡¯t. But her decision to make the offer has left me curious.

    ¡°Why?¡± I ask, turning to her and our eyes meet as she lays there.

    ¡°I¡­¡± she starts and falters, ¡°I¡¯ve been speaking to Tess, Sophie, and Maya a lot and I think I was wrong to push that on you.¡± She looks at me as if waiting for a response, but I stay quiet.

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    So Lily continues, still somewhat awkwardly, ¡°It was unfair of me and I shouldn''t have tried to force myself on you that way. The girls told me they were surprised you hadn¡¯t been more upset.¡±

    At this point, her emotions may as well be an open book. The more time I spend with group 4, the easier it is to understand them. The same way they¡¯ve learned to understand me. The experience is interesting.

    "So I''m sorry," Lily finally gets out, sulking over my silence and finding it increasingly difficult to speak.

    But I think it''s important for her to say this in her own words. Sometimes it can help one understand their emotions better.

    While she waits for my answer, I notice that even as she said so, she seems worried. This black-haired healer of ours is still scared of being abandoned. It doesn''t matter that she understands that it won''t happen or that making my arm pale hasn¡¯t changed anything.

    For her, it''s a connection she bears to me, and like the rest of us, she can¡¯t help but be scarred inside by her past traumas.

    "I see," I say simply.

    Lily nods and reaches, "Then I will fix it."

    "I see, but I refuse," I say, pulling my left arm back, much to her surprise.

    While she stares at me with her big eyes, I say simply, "I like my arm the way it is. I think it looks cool."

    That silly healer of ours looks like she is about to cry.

    "You¡¯re going to like my minion, she¡¯s a crybaby too," I note.

    "I''m not a crybaby," Lily says, quickly wiping her eyes.

    "Something in your eyes?"

    "Yes, the dust. This tournament floor is terrible."

    "It really is."

    A slightly longer silence ensues and I add, "Don''t misunderstand."

    At that, Lily only nods, "I know."

    Looking at her and remembering the way she was a year ago, I can see that she¡¯s really changed and grown up. But who among us hasn¡¯t? And going through all of it together has somehow brought us closer together.

    Thinking about it, it was the start of the 4th Floor where I decided to give this group a chance and I still remember the conversation I had with Lily. Even then she almost cried. Crybaby indeed.

    As I thought it over, I don''t think it was a bad decision, it¡¯s not bad at all, being surrounded by this far from normal group of people. At times and with limitations, of course.

    Weirdos, all of them. And poor old me having to deal with them.

    Anyway, I turn to Lily, "Let''s try cutting my chest open and see what we can learn about my heart before the system heals the wound."

    <hr>

    We have to give up after an hour of testing and a few lame jokes about Lily being close to my heart or holding my heart in her hand.

    Not because of jokes but because of the healing of this floor. No matter how hard we try to slow it or keep the wound open by stopping it from closing, it always heals after a few seconds.

    According to the severity of the damage, it can be nearly instant or slower when the wound isn''t severe. Me or Lily causing it doesn''t change anything, the healing is the same in both cases.

    Well, it''s not like I didn''t expect that. This healing aura is also the reason why Active Tempering won''t work here. For it to work, my body needs to be infused with a special frequency of mana and get damaged. Any sort of healing prevents Active Tempering from doing its work.

    It''s almost like working out. You need to lift enough weight, enough times to damage your muscles. Then, while you sleep or rest, the damaged parts heal and become stronger provided they have the nutrients to do so. Well, it''s not exactly that, but it''s similar to Active Tempering.

    So, cutting my chest open, I was able to see my heart for the first time. A beating Mana Heart, slightly modified to serve as a medium to generate thermal and kinetic energy in exchange for mana.

    The heart was surprisingly normal. It didn''t glow. There was no change in appearance.

    Sure, there was some mana radiation as if the chest cavity were acting like shielding, and each beat of the heart creates mana, but that''s probably all that¡¯s different. Other than the inscriptions surrounding it from my constructs, it was almost normal if you can call it that.

    At least it allowed me to gain a bit of knowledge I can use in the future when I try to upgrade it again.

    (Noname, they¡¯re challenging your Avatar!) says a message from Channeler.

    How interesting. Was it the additional rewards and severe restriction? Or do I have the rumors to thank?

    ¡°Somebody¡¯s challenging my Avatar, wanna watch?¡± I ask Lily, who¡¯s returned to studying the Champion¡¯s bone.

    Hearing me, she quickly puts it away, ¡°Yes!¡±

    I offer her my hand, and after a bit of hesitation, she takes it in hers, and I teleport us away. Like most of the people from Hell difficulty, Lily is more than capable of enduring the process with her enhanced body and mind well adapted to powerful skills.

    Appearing to the side, we move even a bit closer.

    (Your Avatar is the first to be challenged,) Sophie sends through the web with the aid of the twins¡¯ connection.

    She has chosen to sit with some of the other members of group 4 and Hell difficulty taking up benches around the central plaza of the common area. Some of them have occupied the terraces with drinks and food close at hand. It''s all being treated like an event to be enjoyed.

    (I would expect them to test it out on someone else, no matter how much we tried to make me look weaker,) I reply.

    (Eighty thousand shards is a lot, Nat,) Lily says, joining the conversation. (A lot,) she repeats.

    (Lily¡¯s right. Plus, it''s not that expensive for Hard difficulty, so even if they die, it''s worth trying once.)

    (So how many of them are going in?) I ask.

    (They¡¯ve gotten greedy, so only twenty members from Hard difficulty. The group is being led by Samuel of all people, would you believe that.) I can hear Sophie smile through the link. (He threw his weight around and tried to limit the number of people who could enter.)

    (How does it work exactly?)

    (One person challenges the Avatar and a countdown starts. The countdown is 15 minutes, and within that time, anyone can join the challenge, and then they enter together. At first, there was only Samuel and his handpicked group, but the more time passed, the more people joined. You should have something in your notifications. It''s as much our event as it is theirs.)

    (You¡¯re right,) I reply while checking the window.

    Challenge 1/3 - 9 minutes remaining until the start

    Number of challengers:

    Easy - 10

    Normal - 26

    Hard - 33

    Collected challenge fees: 1300

    We¡¯re going to need to pump these numbers up.

 Chapter 358 - This one is for you

    It really looks like a fun event. Seeing so many people all around, some of them sitting on the grass in groups like they¡¯re on a picnic, others occupy the benches surrounding the plaza, while still more watch from the terraces of their houses.

    The four screens are more than big enough to see what''s happening from that distance.

    It¡¯s just after midnight, and yet I don''t think many people are sleeping, not with all the excitement over the event. It''s an opportunity to compare themselves against others in the same situation. To group up and challenge them together without needing to worry about dying.

    Maybe they can win and stomp in the face of some person from Hell difficulty that managed to annoy them. Maybe they can earn enough shards to buy a higher grade passive.

    I can totally understand that.

    (What have people been saying?) I ask through the link.

    This time Dennis answers, (They are excited and worried. I don''t think many people intend to challenge you, and Channeler and his harem are being careful, I think they¡¯re saving most of their persuasive efforts until the third challenge.)

    His brother follows, (They also know the challenges will be there later so they don''t mind watching others try it first before wasting their shards.)

    (Are they not worried about some early bird beating my Avatar?)

    (Not that much,) Sophie notes. (Isabella checked the emotions around and most people are still scared of you, even with everything we tried. But the fear of missing out will probably kick in by the third attempt, and with a bit of help from our side, a lot of people will try.)

    (You might lose! What level were you at the end of the third floor?) Aaron asks.

    (Around 120, I think.)

    (What? Are you serious?)

    (Yes.)

    (What the fuck.)

    (Yes, what the fuck!) Dennis follows it. (There are people from Hell on the 5th floor who¡¯ve barely reached 150, and you were 120 during the third floor?)

    (Did you think I lost all those limbs just for the fun of it?)

    (Do I have to answer?)

    Little twerp, just wait.

    (Anyway, I can''t imagine my avatar losing, even if they have a few hundred people challenging me,) I say.

    (But there are 231 people here from Hard difficulty, your avatar might not be able to face them all. They don¡¯t have a [Restriction] and some of them are decent,) Sophie notes.

    (It will be fine.)

    (If you say so...)

    With about Five minutes until the start of the challenge, the screens flicker before lighting up. A forest appears on the screen, pocked with a multitude of big clearings. The trees of the forest seem to be fairly normal in size, with vibrant green leaves, all the same variety of oak.

    It''s a bright day with few clouds in the sky.

    My Avatar finally appears in the shot, standing in one of the clearings, unmoving, devoid of expression, though it feels different from my usual self. As if there were no glimmer of life behind his eyes.

    The most interesting part about him is the colors. He looks as if he¡¯s been drained of all vibrance. His skin, clothes, and hair look grayish. Only his glassy eyes retain their color.

    So, third-floor.

    Back then, I still didn''t have my subclass and I didn''t have my skill upgrades removed. I only had the Mana Circuit trait and my mana stat was around 400, and then doubled by my attribute upgrade. There was no [Regalia] or [Mana Domain] or [Infusion].

    If I remember correctly, I had [Focus], [Mana Manipulation], [Perception], [Redistribution], [Armament], [Mana Surge], [Mana Infusion], and [Resonance].

    As for my constructs, all I had were my Kinetic Mana Heart, Reinforcement, and Mantle. And most importantly, no epic passives.

    It''s interesting, I''m fairly certain there won¡¯t be anyone in Hard difficulty at that level. There is something I think will happen after reading the rules of this event and if all goes as planned, I have no need to worry at all.

    Three minutes remain and too many people start moving around, so I offer Lily my hand and place an anchor, before teleporting us onto the roof of a nearby house.

    More lights appear around the common area. Some from skills, some from items, even some normal lights powered by batteries. Though we''ve been here for a few days, it still feels weird seeing the latter here in the tournament.

    The chatter is playful and groups of people are fixing their clothes, doing stretches, and preparing weapons. Some are even seemingly planning formations.

    On the screen my Avatar stands in place, unmoving.

    When just a few seconds remain, I end my conversation with Lily. We can work out the process of giving me a second heart later.

    I check the notification.

    Challenge 1/3 - 5 seconds remaining

    Number of challengers:

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    Easy - 31

    Normal - 41

    Hard - 80

    Collected entrance fees: 2,965 shards

    That''s a lot more than I expected for the first challenge. Not like I¡¯ll complain. Their entrance fees will be mine and they will get a lesson in greed for going after my shards.

    No lesson for me, but that''s fine after all I¡¯ve been put through by the system and past Nat, screw that weirdo.

    All of the challengers disappear as the event starts and the common area grows quiet, people starting to whisper as all eyes turn to the screens.

    The moment they enter, my Avatar uses his kinetic energy and lifts himself high into the air. I know he is using [Perception] to judge the danger.

    Afterward, he returns to the ground, finding no reason to waste mana on flying. He moves with calm determination, emotionless with a single objective in mind.

    On the other side, the group of just over 150 people quickly splits into multiple smaller groups and starts using their detection skills.

    I find myself unable to take my eyes off the screen and continue to watch.

    Back on Earth, I was never a fan of sports like football or hockey. I didn¡¯t find it interesting and didn''t understand what brought so much joy and frustration to so many people. Yet, right now, I feel like I might understand, if only partially.

    Watching my Avatar walk under the trees while knowing they¡¯ve found and surrounded him excites me even though I¡¯m not the one fighting. It has nothing to do with the shards at stake. Just being around so many people and seeing the challengers at the ready allows me to take in some of their emotions and excitement.

    As they are about to surround him fully, my Avatar sets the forest on fire. A burst of thermal energy explodes outwards with him at the center, burning dark yellow.

    The challengers, knowing what he is trying to do, have groups dedicated to jamming any method of scanning they think he might have and push themselves to rush him all the quicker.

    Like a flamethrower, my Avatar pours flames on his surroundings as he moves through the field.

    When the first person attacks, my Avatar doesn''t hesitate at all, launching an orb through the head of a challenger from Normal difficulty who appears outside. The challenger curses but quickly joins a group of his friends in the common area who laugh shortly and turn to the screen.

    In quick succession, ten more challengers, all from Normal and Easy difficulty, appear. Lashing out with grape-sized orbs, my Avatar spins around himself while setting the forest on fire. The heat doesn''t touch him at all, on the contrary, I know it only serves to fuel his flames.

    ¡°Pyromaniac,¡± Lily whispers nearby.

    ¡°Back then I really liked my thermal energy,¡± I note.

    When I think about it, back then I also liked making use of the upgraded form of [Redistribution], Symbiotic Transference, to use kinetic and thermal energy to strengthen my body. And that¡¯s without throwing in the stuff from [Armament], my experiments with disrupting mana, and some early testing with the thermal orbs.

    Damn, I¡¯ve grown quite a bit. The third floor Weirdthaniel was quite scary, experimenting with his heart, but in comparison to me now, he feels so weak.

    But even that seems to be enough to trouble the challengers. My Avatar is picking them off one after another, the flames growing bigger and hotter, a huge patch of the forest has been set ablaze, and that seems to cause trouble for anyone caught without good perception skills and those found lacking in their physical stats.

    Once in a while, my Avatar absorbs heat from the flames, turning them into speed and strength, brutally smashing the heads of his challengers with a mace-like weapon of his own creation.

    As the system said, my Avatar''s single objective is to defeat opponents as effectively as possible, so he does just that.

    When a group of 10 Hard difficulty challengers find and attack him, he ignores their attempts at slowing him down and disrupting his mana. The Mantle takes care of that easily.

    Flames close to him weaken and disappear and he moves at a much higher speed. The mace in his hand turns into a sword, the blade resonating and cutting through any barriers they make. It doesn¡¯t matter if it was made from mana, stone, or wood.

    Their skills fail to damage the Avatar as he disrupts them or blocks them with armor made of mana. Even now, he¡¯s not going full out, he¡¯s saving most of his mana, while he steamrolls through the attacking group.

    Ten Hard difficulty challengers appear outside.

    They launch their strike at range, bombarding him with attacks, but they¡¯re either too slow or too inaccurate with all the smoke, then my Avatar rushes them. The flames in the forest die off as he passes by, his speed increasing further, as he pushes himself to the limit with kinetic energy.

    He disrupts the barriers they try to stack, his flames rushing ahead. He concentrates them more and a laser-like stream moves through the battlefield, cutting multiple people apart.

    Someone attacks him up close only for my Avatar to sling orbs he¡¯s been spinning around himself at the attacker. A few of them get blocked, but the skin of the attacker is unable to endure more, and he soon succumbs to the barrage.

    The following fight doesn''t take that long, and my Avatar hunts down the remaining challengers, without once going full out, nor examining opponents'' skills, or trying anything fancy.

    Just like a machine, he mows through them, and then the last one appears outside.

    The screen flickers, settling on one last shot of my gray Avatar standing in the burning forest before the screen turns off.

    Channeler and some of his group were inside, also challengers, and now they move around, laughing and waving their hands, downplaying what my Avatar did.

    They do it carefully, and I feel a bit of admiration. I think after a minute of that I would be drained of my social energy. Hmm, maybe there is a primordial version of it?

    (I keep forgetting how scary you can be,) Dennis notes.

    (You dumbass, he just nuked an army of monsters during the second event, how can you forget,) his brother replies for me.

    (But look at him. You can¡¯t feel any mana coming from him and other than looking around like a cat, he seems like a grumpy grandpa rather than a walking bomb. Then he does all this weird shit like the thing with Tent Creep. The more you know him, the more he feels like a very very grumpy grandpa who has trouble showing his emotions. That, or a cat.)

    (Dennis,) I call.

    (You fucked up, you dumbass,) Aaron immediately pokes.

    (Yes?) Dennis asks carefully.

    (This one¡¯s for you, little jerk. Sophie?)

    (Don¡¯t you pull me into this, Nat. I''m not interested in childish¡­)

    (A few days ago, Dennis said you have a smaller ass than Maya, but that he would let you squish his head in your thighs or something like that. I listened with only half an ear because I was practicing.)

    Someone tries to destroy the connection with a very strong hint of panic. Over and over again, attempts are made to disconnect, but Sophie pushes them away, keeping the web and her connection to it alive.

    I continue, (He also said group 4 girls have disappointingly small chests with the exception of Maya and maybe Tess.)

    The attempts increase.

    (Oh, he did?) Sophie''s voice is cold.

    (Yes.)

    After that, the connection cuts off, the web having been silenced by its creator.

    When I look to the side, Lily is staring at me with big eyes, ¡°You are evil.¡±

    ¡°I didn''t lie. They often sit around in the living room with Brainiac and Lootenant and forget that I''m there training. So I tend to catch a thing or two. You would be surprised to hear the things I¡¯ve heard.¡±

    Then I check the rewards.

    Congratulations, your avatar was victorious in the 1st challenge! You have received 2,668 shards. The final reward will be delivered at the end of the 3rd event!

    Not bad. Is this what they call passive income?

 Chapter 359 - Hypothetically

    Over the next few hours, there are three more challenges.

    One of them is against little Isabella. A group of people from all three difficulties, around 60 people in total, most of them from Hard.

    They enter expecting an easy win against the kid but get welcomed by unrestricted Isabella.

    Within seconds, blue flames devour them all, burning through their barriers, and heating up the environment enough that some people die from that alone.

    The girl easily dodges their attacks. Her Avatar predicts who will attack and when by tracking their emotions through [Empathy].

    To be honest, it''s not even close, and Isabella cheers for her own Avatar the entire time. There is no shame to be found and when the challengers get out one after another she makes fun of them.

    That''s something I can get behind, it¡¯s entertaining to watch all these adult men and women avoiding her gaze. They can''t even say anything back, just her Avatar was enough to show them a clear difference in their power levels.

    The next challenge is against the lightning man from Gareth''s group. I think his name was Ghast. A group that attacks him does so because one of their members is capable of redirecting lightning with some sort of metal manipulation, using it to create lightning rods.

    Obviously, that group doesn¡¯t fare much better.

    In the end, the effort appears to have been a playful lark by a group of curious people willing to spend some shards on a challenge. Even though they lost, they seem to be satisfied and often laugh.

    For their last challenge, they¡¯ve decided to take on someone from BenDover¡¯s group, only to lose once again.

    Then they stop, leaving a few people behind in case there is a challenge so they can inform their groups, and the remainder slowly goes to sleep.

    Before leaving, I take a moment to listen in on Channeler and his group. The uselessly handsome man is aware that a few people have already connected him with Group 4 so he lets his friends talk most of the time, only joining the conversation when necessary.

    "Strong?!" he laughs pretentiously while talking to someone from Easy. "He clearly abused the fact there was a forest and burned it down around us. Had we been fighting on an empty plain, we would have probably won. He probably has some kind of passive or trait that makes him stronger around the fire," he postulates.

    The woman from Easy difficulty says something and he smiles at her sweetly.

    "Of course, I''m helping group 4, they¡¯re paying me." He leans closer and whispers, "Most of them have no idea how much shards are worth so they tend to be ridiculously generous. Noname is also less than... bright, so I got a lot from him."

    Dude. I know you¡¯re just trying to help, but you didn''t have to go quite that far.

    Another man shoves Channeler and throws a few insults at me while he¡¯s at it, catching one of Channeler''s helpers in the crossfire.

    Channeler just nods in response, saying, "We just need better terrain, maybe a few more people and it should be doable."

    The conversation quiets down and they disappear into the distance.

    Lily and I move to the side, to join Tess, the twins, and Sophie.

    I feel my cold heart warm inside when I see how awkward Dennis is around Sophie and Tess, unable to look up. His brother seems to be enjoying the situation as well, but he doesn''t dare to push it for fear of retaliation. I know he said some interesting stuff himself, back when they were showing off for Brainiac and Lootenant.

    "Do you think anyone will really fall for it?" Lily asks when we join them.

    Tess answers for me, "People aren''t that dumb, Lily. Some of them might, but the rest will likely be acting on their greed. Nat offered a LOT of shards as additional rewards so it''s worth the gamble even if the chance of winning is low."

    "But Nat and Channeler spent so much time preparing, he¡¯s even paying them in items. Is it all for nothing?" Lily asks, looking up at Tess and I.

    Knowing me, the lightning blonde smiles, "That''s just how Nathaniel has fun. He just likes messing with people."

    I mean, she is not wrong. It''s annoying, but there is a lot of humor in watching others make sad attempts at trash talk. Even though I don¡¯t expect it to do much, it''s worth it just from an amusement perspective.

    "You¡¯re weird," Lily notes and I shrug, copying Tacita. Unfortunately, it doesn¡¯t quite have the same effect.

    Walking under the dark sky lit by stars, the sound of conversation fades away, and we find ourselves at our house, with only the six of us for company.

    "How do you know that maniac so well, Tess?" Sophie asks and yawns. She seems bored, but I¡¯ve noticed the way she enjoys gossip.

    "We used to date on Earth," Tess says, carelessly dropping a bombshell of a revelation.

    That gets any number of interesting expressions from others. Especially the twins and Lily.

    Seeing that, Tess smiles, "We were both really young. He was my first boyfriend."

    I stay quiet.

    "Then after a few weeks, he tried to use me as an alibi." Tess stretches, a slight smile still on her face. "Back then, it really broke my heart. Did that handsome bad boy date me just so he could use me later? Did he even care about me?"

    The others are stunned into silence, and we continue to walk in awkward silence.

    "Now that I think about it, you never apologized, did you, Nat?" Tess asks.

    "I did not," I agree.

    "Fuck, that''s brutal." Sophie breathes out finally.

    "Right?" Tess turns to her. "Poor innocent me betrayed by the first boy she ever liked."

    "You said alibi, what happened?" Lily asks quietly.

    "That''s not something for me to say," Tess says clearly, and a few of them turn to me.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    For a moment, I have an inkling of an urge to say something. To explain what happened and share it with the others. I almost open my mouth to say it, but in the end, I stay quiet. When my eyes meet Tess¡¯s, she returns my gaze calmly.

    I know what she is trying to do, and she isn''t even trying to hide it.

    Still, in the end, I stay quiet.

    <hr>

    A few hours later, I''m finally done crafting the items for Channeler and his group. Even though they aren¡¯t helping much, I don''t mind. I honestly think of it as an investment, Channeler recommended them and that¡¯s enough for me to think that they might be useful in the future.

    Biscuit, who¡¯s been lying on the table, and watching me the entire time, stretches, reaching out his tongue, which I grab and give a tug.

    I totally deserve the look he gives me, but I don¡¯t mind. When I let go of his tongue, he continues to stretch.

    I boop his nose and show him the last item I made. Biscuit sniffs it and loses interest because it''s not food.

    "One day I might make you some equipment as well."

    (Food?)

    "Not food."

    (Asshole.)

    "Am not."

    (Friend.)

    "Don¡¯t try to blackmail me!"

    (Food!)

    "You just ate!"

    (Food, food!)

    "You¡¯ll get fat."

    (Sustenance.)

    "You won''t die from not eating for a few hours."

    (Asshole.)

    "I''m not letting you die of hunger. How can you say that!"

    (Sustenance.)

    "For fuck''s sake, okay. Maya¡¯s in the house, she knows where I''m hiding the deer jerky."

    (Food!)

    "Just go, damn it."

    When Biscuit floats away like a burrito-shaped blimp, I sigh. I miss my minion; she listened to me most of the time. Meanwhile, dealing with Biscuit is like dealing with a kid. A terrifying kid who can create mana bombs.

    It''s not my fault.

    "You¡¯ve been feeling weird for the past few hours," Isabella notes from her corner as she continues trying to melt the metal I¡¯ve been giving her. She seems to be really enjoying it.

    I run a quick check, just in case, but she isn''t connected to me with her skill, nor is she reading my emotions.

    The little girl smiles, her green eyes shining, "I''m getting better at my skill. I can feel a little even without connecting to you."

    That¡¯s a scary thought. I will have to come up with ways to counter it.

    "Are you okay?" She jumps my way a few times, bouncing on her short legs. "I¡¯ll be happy to listen. I promise not to tell anyone, not even my dumb sister Soph!"

    "It''s fine," I wave it off.

    She hugs me shortly, "If you say so. But please be careful with that skill. Don¡¯t overuse it."

    As if, [Focus] is too good to let it waste away on the sidelines.

    "You¡¯ve already told me that, more than once," I note and push her away.

    "And I¡¯ll keep saying it because you do not listen. Any more and you¡¯ll be dumber than Soph! At least she listens to me sometimes."

    "So anyone who doesn''t listen to you is dumb?"

    She looks at me, somewhat disappointed, "Dumb people are dumb, not just the ones who don¡¯t listen to me," she says as if it''s obvious.

    I see, makes sense.

    No, it does not. I do not understand how kids work.

    "Do you enjoy melting stuff?" I ask.

    "I''m not melting stuff! I''m practicing smelting!"

    "I see."

    "Don''t laugh!"

    "I''m not laughing."

    She kicks my shin in response, dealing no damage, "I can feel your emotions."

    "Yes, yes." I pause for a while. "I wanted to ask you something."

    Isabella''s face turns serious and she sits in the chair nearby, her full attention on me. It''s quite funny seeing the serious expression she is trying to make.

    What I want to ask her is a bit silly and may be the result of my own cowardice. I could also ask someone else, but there aren''t many people I feel comfortable enough around to ask for advice.

    So yeah, better to ask an 11-year-old girl, right?

    Maybe I really am dumb.

    "So, I did something bad to someone I know. It was a long time ago, but lately, around a year ago, I met that person again. Oh, it''s all hypothetical. So let''s say, hypothetically I met that person after a few years, just a year ago, hypothetically."

    Isabella just nods and waits.

    "So how¡­ what should¡­ I¡­"

    "Just apologize," Isabella interrupts me.

    "It''s not that simple."

    She shakes her head like she¡¯s dealing with an idiot, "It''s simple!"

    "There is no way it is that easy. She probably hates me for it even if she¡¯s not showing it. Hypothetically, of course. Betrayal is one of the worst sins you can commit, especially when someone trusts you and never wished you any ill."

    "Just apologize."

    "I mean, betrayal like that is beyond pathetic. Sure there might have been a reason and it was always part of my plan long before I ever met her, but who would have known that person would prove to be so important to me."

    "Apologize!"

    "Back then it wasn''t even something I would have thought about, but in the past year, still hypothetically, a lot of things changed. So how to say it? It feels right to do something about it?"

    "Dumbthaniel."

    "I¡¯ve decided to make some changes and set rules for myself, to avoid being a savage. I know now that what I did isn¡¯t something I can abide by. Not long ago I threatened to kill someone if they did the same."

    Isabella stands up and starts kicking my shin and I strengthen my body further.

    "I even said it in front of her. Damn, do you think she smiled because she remembered what I did? Did she get pissed off because I did something to her, that I had just said I would kill her for? Is that why she mentioned it in front of others? Oh, and don''t misunderstand, Izzy, it''s all still¡­"

    "Still hypothetical!" She kicks me, blue flames creating a small explosion at the place of impact.

    "Yes, still hypothetical." I pause and then look down at Izzy who, at this point looks like an angry kitten.

    She isn''t an ESM, but she¡¯ll do.

    I cradle her in my arms, putting her in a similar position to the one my minion likes. Ear against my chest and her tiny horns poking the bottom of my chin.

    Isabella struggles, trying to get away, but in the end, it''s not quite right, and I let her go.

    "Thanks for the help, Izzy," I tell her, ruffling her hair.

    She pushes my hand away and while I head out she shouts something about all the dumbasses she has to deal with.

 Chapter 360 - Challenging the Avatars

    Sitting on the roof, as I observe the group of poor guys who thought it was a good idea to challenge Lily''s avatar.

    Lily decided to go with a mere 4th floor restriction, and it''s fun to watch as she tears through men who are probably thrice her weight and twice her size. She takes them on in a style similar to the one she used to fight the Fallen Hero.

    Her Avatar is using its [Sacrifice] to boost its movements and it doesn''t bother wasting any mana on [Disintegration]. The sheer strength of its body is enough to allow it to go berserk.

    The event is fun for us and an interesting learning opportunity for those from other difficulties. For them, there¡¯s a difference between seeing people from Hell doing all these things and then having to face them.

    Sure, they got a taste during the 1st event, but they still thought they might stand a chance in a group only to fail regardless.

    Each Avatar can be challenged 3 times, and 1st and 2nd challenges are mostly limited to smaller groups, hoping to get a better reward.

    No one from Hell difficulty interferes, and the remaining attempts are slowly getting more organized, and bigger groups are being put together, a lot of planning and information sharing is going on. Samuel, being the annoying guy he is, is behind most of it, and he even has a few more guys to help him.

    In the end, it seems like the first 2 challenges are to test the Avatar, and they are saving the last ones for their real attempts.

    Tess¡¯ Avatar is challenged as well, and the group gets wiped out before they even reach her.

    Gareth is attacked by dozens of people and still takes no damage.

    Even Min-Jae, the twins, Brainiac, Lootenant, Adam, Maya, and others take easy wins against the smaller groups.

    The restrictions are mostly around the fourth floor, Tacita also being fourth. But there is that one annoying guy who¡¯s restricted himself to the 3rd floor as well.

    Savant.

    His Avatar has five epic items and 20 thousand shards offered as additional rewards, and other than my Avatar, his seems to be the most frequently eyed one.

    My Avatar still got challenged only once, and his Avatar not even once. Channeler told me that there are a few dozen people going all over the common area, trying to look for anyone who¡¯s faced me, in an effort to gather information on my abilities.

    It''s entertaining to watch. They¡¯re taking it much more seriously than I thought they would, and a big part of it probably has something to do with Samuel.

    Seeing how effective he is, I guess it makes sense that Gareth¡¯s been keeping him around and to a certain point, Tess as well. He seems like a useful guy.

    What''s also fun is that the murderer guy from Easy difficulty is also accepting some challenges and entering the arenas to face the Avatars.

    After each attempt, they take him away, tie him up, and put the null collar back on his neck. Yet the guy seems to have a decent amount of shards and accepts nearly every challenge, joining with all challengers.

    Seeing others having to keep grabbing him because the system is teleporting him away is amusing enough.

    I also watch as he generally tries to take advantage of his stealth in an attempt to damage the Avatars with his poison-like attacks.

    The guy clearly thinks a lot of himself and sometimes he gets into clashes with other people; in one situation, he even attacks and kills one careless guy from Hard difficulty and multiple people from Normal.

    It''s like he¡¯s doing it on purpose just to make fun of us. Especially when in the challenge against BenDover''s Avatar he just attacks the other challengers immediately, standing there and smiling while they scream in pain from his poisonous attacks.

    He gets outside and it''s Tess who pacifies him, grabbing him by his neck and pulling him away like a dog while he tries to attack her.

    Then, when thirty minutes later another challenge starts, he accepts it again and this time attacks other challengers right away.

    While others expected that, some people seem to have a lot of trouble dealing with his poisonous mist, not to mention how quick and hard to catch he is. Even though he''s from Easy difficulty, he has to have some degree of skill to have made it to the 11th floor, so there must have been some decent rewards.

    Samuel, the killjoy, takes him out with a swing of his giant sword and the murderer appears outside, laughing as Gareth approaches him with a dark expression.

    "The system does allow some changes, I can probably make his heart stronger. The system might even consider it beneficial. But it will continue to get stronger and stronger and once he¡¯s out of the tournament, it will explode in a week or two," Lily says with a surprisingly angry tone.

    "We can give it a try," Sophie nods.

    She, Min-Jae, and Biscuit are sitting on the roof with Lilly and I as we watch the event.

    "I could give him a [Geas] that would suppress his survival instincts. Or if the system allows it, I can ensure that he decides to end it on his own. Sophie offers"

    Only Min-Jae seems to have any doubts regarding the topic of our conversation. "Is he really that bad?" he asks carefully.

    "Imagine the worst you can and then double it. That''s what that man is. I saw hints of his memories when we were looking into whether or not he really killed all those men, women, and children. He¡¯s the lowest of the low." Even Sophie, who usually only cares about her sister, seems determined to end him over what she saw.

    I, on the other hand, watch a group of 100 people face down Biscuit.

    Some of the Easy and Normal difficulties still remember him tearing them apart during the 1st event so they are careful. However, Biscuit has no restriction, and even his grayed-out version looks cute. It even moves like the original, slowly wobbling on its short legs.

    Avatar Biscuit doesn''t really hesitate much, and it creates two purple orbs which turn bright white, before shooting off towards a group that gets in his way.

    Their attempt is good, and it even seems like they might be able to pull it off, but that''s when tentacles form around Biscuit, extending to the length of a football field. They whip through the air in a blur of motion, cutting cleanly through a huge patch of trees.

    When the tentacles crash into the group¡¯s barriers, they either slice through without resistance, or shatter them with sheer force, and concentrated fire.

    Biscuit also uses a mental attack to scream directly into their heads, as it turns out most of the challengers aren¡¯t quite skilled enough to block it out.

    The orbs explode, wiping out half of the group. A few mana projectiles snipe the injured members and tentacles finish off the rest.

    "Good boy," I say, looking over at Biscuit and handing him a piece of deer jerky.

    He tilts his head, slightly confused before he quickly noms the offered treat. The defeated challengers meanwhile group together once they¡¯re outside and start trading notes.

    "Nat," Min-Jae says, interrupting my musings, so I return my focus to the conversation they¡¯ve been having.

    "Yes?"

    "Should we really kill him?" he asks carefully.

    Even though he¡¯s well on the way to becoming a bully himself, killing a real human still seems to disturb him deeply. It''s not hard to understand why. That¡¯s how normal people should act. It''s just some of us who are a bit twisted.

    "I don''t care," I stretch and yawn.

    Even though the guy seems super annoying, it''s interesting to watch others struggle to figure out what to do with him. In the past few hours, I also have to wonder if I¡¯m only helping Tess and doing the things she asks of me just because she¡¯s the leader of the group and picks up my slack. Or is it because I¡¯m trying to atone?

    Every day I learn a bit more about myself, and I wonder if it''s the same for others. Am I just so dumb that I¡¯m forced to slowly discover these things, or is this their normal as well?

    Well, it doesn''t really matter all that much. I already know what I intend to do. It''s useless to hesitate any longer, and it just doesn''t fit me. I just need to find the right time.

    As for the murderer from Easy difficulty, I haven¡¯t even bothered to remember his name. He¡¯s just a small fry and he¡¯ll be dead soon. There is only one interesting thing that came out of this.

    If he reaches the highest floor of the tutorial and clears it, will he get teleported to Earth?

    Until now, we¡¯ve been running with the theory that everyone will return at the same time and we¡¯ll probably continue to think that. If he could return after clearing, then there¡¯s probably going to be people from the first round on Earth by the time anyone from the 5th round makes it out.

    Oh, or it could be that by the time we got in no one from the first round had even gotten close to clearing the tutorial. If our theory is right then the 1st round started 4 weeks before ours so they wouldn''t have had a chance.

    "They¡¯re challenging Savant," Lily points out at the same time I notice it. Savant¡¯s Avatar appears on the screen, in the same area as the other Avatars. The same forest and a 15-minute countdown starts during which anyone can join.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    It''s the 1st out of three challenges, so not many people from lower difficulties bother to join. Savant being the winner of the 1st event and with his selection of rewards, around 100 people from Hard join in.

    "Would be funny if they killed him," Min-Jae notes with a smirk, "just imagine."

    I''m glad group 4 seems to have the same distaste for the guy as me. Well, it¡¯s not so much that I dislike him, he just annoys me and I think it would be fun to see him struggle. Otherwise, I would say my relationship with him is neutral.

    But I do not think they will be able to challenge him. He cleared the 3rd Floor alone. He dealt with the Last King and his warriors and then put the Saint to final rest. A bunch of people from Hard difficulty won''t be enough.

    When the challenge starts, it is as I thought. Savant''s Avatar uses his domain, even though it¡¯s not as strong as it was in the 1st event it is still capable of quickly killing the weaker challengers with the mana radiation alone.

    The domain doesn''t use a lot of mana as I don''t think he invested that much in that stat. Yet it''s still capable of doing so. It¡¯s something I¡¯ll have to look into. There might be something I can use to improve on my own domain.

    Savant even manages to extend his domain across a huge area. After all the weaker challengers die off he starts shrinking it and targeting Hard difficulty, they finally locate him, destroying the tree he¡¯s been standing on.

    That''s when he shows off that weird skill of his. He absorbs fire attacks, mana projectiles, ice cones, water blasts. It doesn''t even seem to cause him that much trouble.

    Smoothly and with an emotionless expression, the Avatar uses that single skill for defense and offense, turning their own skills against themselves.

    He¡¯s meticulous when he does too, finding weaknesses and using the right attacks against people who are either incapable of defending or those who find it draining to do so.

    As for close-range combat, even third-floor Savant is quicker than any of them. He uses bursts of mana with perfect timing and amazing efficiency to boost his movements only when he needs to.

    He deprives them of their weapons, using them in brutal melee attacks and as throwing weapons. He runs away, repositioning, and using his domain before continuing to absorb their attacks and fight.

    And none of this even seems difficult to him; the Avatar is clearly not going all out.

    When I turn to the side, I notice Min-Jae''s clenched fist. The boy must know it the same as I do. Even on the third floor, Savant would have been able to defeat him if Min-Jae got careless.

    It''s not just stats or levels. Currently, Min-Jae is higher level than Savant was on the 3rd Floor; his main skills are higher leveled too, along with his passives. Yet, it''s clear to see in the way Savant fights. The same as it is for Tess or Tacita; Savant is clearly a cut above the normal Hell difficulty enjoyer.

    Well, the duels will be interesting, that is for sure.

    Losing to Savant''s Avatar, the challengers crash out. Then, an hour later, they challenge my Avatar again.

    At this point, plenty of them know that I''m watching the event from our roof with some of the other members of group 4, so some of them glance towards me as they wait to enter.

    In the end, the group is bigger than the first one. just over 120 people from Hard difficulty, which is more than half of them, and there are plenty from Normal and Easy difficulty as well.

    My Avatar waits for them once the countdown finishes and all of them make it inside. Just like before, my Avatar flies up, counting the number of opponents he has to face. And as before, he fights the same. This version of my Avatar also starts setting the forest on fire.

    This time they¡¯ve come prepared, a few groups peel off to fight the fire. Either by trying to put it out, weaken it, or cut off its access to fuel.

    It is somewhat effective, severely reducing the number of trees that burst into flame.

    If it were me, I would probably destroy the forest just to get rid of everything the Avatar is trying to set fire to. But they don¡¯t have the mana to spare.

    A group of sneakier people attacks while two groups attempt to distract the clone and two more try to defend against the flames.

    Unsurprisingly, my Avatar sees through the various sneaky bullshit skills. My hatred for invisible enemies and anything with ''phantom'' in the name shines through brightly and I start liking the Avatar as he mercilessly murders the wannabe sneaks.

    Good job, king! Go and get them!

    "Fuck, he tore his head off."

    "He killed him with his own leg."

    Even some of my fellow members of group 4 seem to be appreciating the show.

    As they push him further, my Avatar absorbs the heat from all the flames he can reach, creating a fire orb that floats beside him, and he keeps feeding it more thermal energy as his heart beats strongly.

    He only uses that energy as he needs it, to strengthen his form. Blades oscillate, as they cut through armor and barriers alike, and [Armament] absorbs a lot of the incoming damage.

    When someone tries to use sleeping gas, a poison attack, or blind my Avatar, he simply creates a helmet without a visor, relying solely on [Perception] to bolster his awareness.

    Then, the Avatar detonates the flame orb.

    The challengers were expecting him to shoot it at them, having been warned by the more mana-sensitive among them, who surely know the amount amount of energy contained within. They are constantly aware of that and being unable to cancel it they¡¯ve prepared for the Avatar to shoot it at them.

    But nope, the Avatar detonates it right next to his own head after charging into the biggest of the surviving groups.

    The flames wash over the forest, setting it ablaze, reducing the forest to ash and baking the ground. There is a hint of gold in these flames and no one is capable of stopping them as they devour most of the group.

    Then from the center of the explosion, my Avatar steps out. The helmet around his face is destroyed and half of his face is burned terribly, bone showing through.

    All the flames die off, pulled towards him, as he ignores the wounds. Then he attacks again.

    The rest of the challengers die in a minute.

    Just over five thousand shards flood into my account. Of course, that¡¯s only after the system takes its ten percent cut.

    Anyway, Avatarthaniel did a good job once again.

    "Who do you think would win? 3rd Floor me or Savi guy?" I ask.

    "Neither of your Avatars went all out, so it''s hard to say," Sophie states while observing the group that, straight out of the lost challenge, starts brainstorming.

    "I would win," I say confidently.

    "Famous last words," Sophie pokes. "I''m more curious how they will challenge you in the final attempt. Channeler said they plan to go against you with probably over a thousand challengers, even people from Easy are willing to gamble 5 shards to do so. The thought of you losing almost an arcane item''s worth of shards is as painful as it''s funny."

    "It¡¯ll be fine," I say, waving my hand.

    <hr>

    The challenges continue to the point where a lot of people from Hell get challenged twice with the last challenge remaining.

    I also realize that within 24 hours, they do not have time to challenge every Avatar three times. Since only one Avatar can be challenged at once, and there is a 15-minute waiting period followed by the time spent facing the Avatar. So they are a bit more selective.

    Every Avatar gets challenged at least once, but some of them do not get challenged a second time.

    Tacita is a menace, killing the group that challenges her with such efficiency they wind up more scared of her than anyone else, Biscuit included.

    Isabella gets called a crazy kid.

    Even after challenging her a second time, they don¡¯t even find Tess as she snipes them from afar.

    Gareth endures combined attacks from dozens of members of Hard difficulty. His damage output isn''t all that high, but just by having a stronger body than them, he slowly takes them down, in the end, he¡¯s not even tired and he hasn¡¯t a single wound on his body.

    The twins and Min-Jae do well, winning the first two challenges. The twins use [Sensory Deception], causing their challengers to attack each other and moving at high speeds with their [Haste]. They also launch a number of mental attacks that seem to disrupt most of the casting of their opponents.

    Min-Jae uses [Gravity Well] and [Telekinesis] mainly. Small stones turning into bullets, easily killing people or forcing them to waste mana on maintaining their defenses. The projectiles are much heavier than they should be, causing a surprising amount of damage.

    But even without the overt use of our skills, there is a clear difference between Hell and other difficulties. People from Hell move their mana quicker, skills are activated faster and are more powerful. Their body strengthening and senses are much better. Even people from Hard difficulty can''t compare.

    It''s interesting and I expected the difference to be smaller, but in the end, maybe people from Hard difficulty just aren''t that strong. Or are people from Hell just that much stronger?

    Only three out of the 31 people from Hell difficulty managed to lose in the first two challenges and none of them came from group 4.

    Overambitious restrictions were probably the cause of the losses in question.

    Maya''s Avatar, using armor and weapons made of mana, cuts through them. Her technique with weapons shows as she restricted herself to the 4th Floor where she paid some people to give her lessons. She really looks like the knight she named herself for in the Community.

    Sophie, with the same 4th Floor restriction, is also scary. Even then, she was capable of getting into the head of The First One and holding him down. So what are some challengers from the tutorial in comparison?

    Her Avatar is ice cold as it takes over a group of people from Easy who start stabbing each other. Anyone who gets close to her freezes just for a moment which she uses to stab them somewhere vital. Her [Manipulation] interrupts castings, causing attacks to explode in the middle of their groups.

    Those with weaker defenses die just from the pressure of her mental attacks. Then she easily manipulates the mana around her, redirecting the attacks being thrown at her or disrupting them outright. She manipulates stone as well, spikes made of the stuff impaling multiple people. The branches of trees twist and bend around people. It''s not the kind of combat she prefers, but she wins nonetheless.

    When about five hours remain, my Avatar gets challenged for the third time. The first Avatar out of all.

    It''s not because of Channeler and the disinformation campaign we did. No, the cause is exactly what we expected: simple greed.

    It''s like a lottery. You know you¡¯re probably going to lose, but what if...?

    I watch as the number of challengers grows until there are five seconds left until the start.

    Challenge 3/3 - 5 seconds remaining until the start

    Number of challengers:

    Easy - 1021

    Normal - 755

    Hard - 212

    Collected entrance fees: 19,015 shards

    My Avatar appears in the arena for the last time. The same empty expression as before and grayish in color. With close to two thousand people arrayed against him.

    The common area becomes eerily empty, just a few remaining people remain, mostly from the lower difficulties, and us from Hell. For the first time ever since the start of the tournament, it¡¯s grown quiet.

    The following slaughter takes barely two minutes.

 Chapter 361 - Gareth

    My Avatar does exactly what I thought he would when faced with a large group of opponents that he couldn¡¯t face head-on.

    That beautiful bastard just flies straight up.

    Yup, it''s that simple, yet it still gives him a huge advantage.

    It''s like introducing a helicopter with machine guns and rockets into a conflict between people fighting with muskets. And it isn''t pretty.

    Once he¡¯s out of range, the people below struggle to detect him and a few of them do manage to reach that far, warning the others of the upcoming attack. But it''s all to no avail.

    Five seconds pass.

    Ten seconds pass.

    Nothing.

    People from Easy difficulty, nervous and more sensitive to the fluctuations, are already starting to feel his mana concentrating high in the air.

    Fifteen seconds pass and a number of fairly decent barriers form over a number of groups.

    Thirty seconds pass and Samuel shouts, causing people to scatter and spread out over a wider area.

    Then my Avatar attacks. Like a crashing meteor, he slams into the ground where the greatest concentration of people from Hard difficulty are, and like an EMP, a disrupting wave explodes from him. It spreads over a huge part of the forest, weakening barriers, canceling skills, and straight up disrupting them.

    He then lifts off as quickly, a single orb left in his wake. A thermal orb as big as an orange. It shines an intense golden color, the immense heat being released causing the air around it to waver.

    Golden flames explode into the area and with this, dozens of people from Hard difficulty start appearing outside.

    And more follow.

    One after another, their hastily recreated barriers, their armors, and skills fail to resist the brilliant golden flames. Bodies melt, charred to the point the system pulls them out.

    Being charged by so much thermal energy, the orb envelops a huge area, killing hundreds of people.

    When it looks like it''s the end, from high up in the air, an orb lands in the middle of another group. A tricolored orb that turns bright white, exploding into heat, a shockwave, and following with an implosion.

    Then another tricolored orb lands somewhere else, and a third one too.

    The explosions are changing the landscape, tearing the trees from their roots, sending huge chunks of the ground flying through the air, and flinging human bodies around, burned and crushed before disintegrating into a cloud of shiny particles.

    There is no sight of my Avatar, as he hangs safely in the clouds. It''s an efficient and smart choice.

    Down below is pandemonium. People are burning, the ones not dead have been left with terrible wounds and missing limbs. Some of them scream, most of the leadership is already dead and safe outside in the common area.

    As I thought, my Avatar seems to have run low on mana and there are no more big explosions. Instead, a rain of orbs as big as grapes falls to the ground, each of them letting out a whistling noise as it passes through the air.

    Some of the survivors try to hide under trees or block the attacks. A few even attempt to shoot something towards where the orbs are coming from. But it''s to no avail. The Avatar focuses his attacks on people who have been weakened or occupied with fighting against the forest fire.

    Just ten seconds is enough to finish the rest of Easy and Normal difficulty. Tens, hundreds of people decimated by an Avatar with most of its mana depleted.

    The surviving members of Hard difficulty shout and hurl insults at my Avatar. Every single one of them finding themselves frustrated with their inability to reach him with their attacks.

    Obviously, the Avatar doesn''t care at all. Not even a little bit. I love the guy.

    On the screen, his face shows for a moment. Calm and expressionless while he forms some larger mana projectiles around himself, compressing them. Using natural gravity and his kinetic energy to launch them at the remaining challengers. Unable to use the flames the challengers just put out, he simply smites them from up on high with mana projectiles.

    It''s quite shameless.

    ¡°Why do you not fight like that? It looks so easy!¡± Min-Jae comments, watching the screen with big eyes.

    ¡°Because it would be boring,¡± I respond.

    I figured this fighting style out a while ago. Most of the people around my level or higher can''t fly. That''s something kinetic energy allows me to do. Having air superiority and being able to launch ranged attacks without worrying about retaliation is truly powerful.

    Maybe it is even the most optimal way to fight for me, seeing the Avatar fighting that way.

    But it''s so boring.

    If I fought like that I wouldn''t be in danger. I wouldn''t gain more experience. I wouldn''t see the skills of the people I¡¯m fighting. I wouldn''t learn what is possible and how people tend to fight.

    I could, but I don''t want to fight that way because I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get any stronger doing so. It¡¯s as simple as that.

    Still, knowing that I could fight that way, I wasn''t worried about them defeating my Avatar, and Avatarniel didn''t disappoint.

    Such a cowardly little prick. Good job! You are making Papa Nat very rich!

    The last remaining group gives up and leaves the event rather than wait for the Avatar to kill them.

    Just like that, in under two minutes, my last challenge is won, my restricted Avatar, the bane of almost two thousand people.

    Congratulations, your avatar emerged victorious in the 3rd challenge! You have received 17,113 shards. The final event reward will be given after the end of the 3rd event!

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    It physically hurts me how much the system took with its 10% cut, but there''s nothing I can do about it. But damn, an arcane passive might not be all that far off. Most likely not during the tournament, but maybe sometime during the 6th or 7th Floor.

    ¡°Fricking monster,¡± Brainiac lands on the roof near us.

    ¡°I won''t give you any shards,¡± I say before he can continue. They¡¯re mine. My precious!

    My Avat¡­ no, I worked hard to get them.

    Brainiac snorts, ¡°Not even I¡¯m that shameless.¡±

    ¡°So what are you doing here?¡± I ask as he sits down next to me and the other members of group 4.

    ¡°I had to get away from Gary, the old man can be annoying sometimes.¡±

    ¡°You should beat him and take over as leader of WhiteWing,¡± Aaron jokes.

    ¡°Only if you take over Group 4,¡± Brainiac sighs, ¡°Even if all of WhiteWing attacks him together we have no chance against Gary.¡±

    ¡°He doesn''t seem that strong,¡± Maya mentions with interest.

    ¡°Gary is crazy strong.¡±

    ¡°Sure he is.¡±

    ¡°I''m not joking!¡±

    ¡°He just looks like he would fit better as a pastor or the director of an orphanage.¡± Maya snorts.

    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Brainiac nods. ¡°But that''s only because we¡¯re real people from Earth.¡±

    The conversation is getting interesting so I listen. At the same time, Gareth''s Avatar appears on the screen and a 15-minute countdown starts.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Min-Jae asks, moving closer while sipping on his drink.

    ¡°I mean exactly what I said. Gary is nice only to people from Earth and no matter how trashy they are, he always gives them a chance. Only once he really believes they are beyond helping will he become ruthless.¡±

    I knew it. The paladin of justice is secretly evil. Right now Brainiac might think the Earthlings are being protected by Gareth, but I''m sure his dark secrets will spill. There is no way someone acting so nice to people isn''t evil.

    Brainiac lowers his voice, ¡°On the third floor he killed a hundred or so natives. Women, and children too, no hesitation at all. We needed water and food and they had it. So he just took it on himself and murdered them all. After that he smiled, saying to us to not worry and that he would protect us and take these sins upon himself.¡±

    I watch Gareth''s Avatar. Restricted to the 5th floor, it stands there below the trees. The chiseled face of a 40 or 50-year-old man waiting for his challengers.

    ¡°Gareth hasn¡¯t gotten angry with us, not even once. He never shouts, he never despairs, he never hits us or anything, and often takes hits instead of us. Not once in the past year did I have a worry that he might hurt me,¡± Brainiac says, his usually cheeky expression serious.

    ¡°You shouldn''t underestimate him just because he acts silly sometimes or seems nice. He¡¯s in Hell and in Beyond for a reason,¡± Tess warns the other members of our group.

    ¡°He is,¡± Brainiac nods. ¡°You know what''s funny? He¡¯s at his strongest when he is alone. Fighting with us, he holds back a lot to protect us, but the moment he¡¯s alone his fighting changes. Just wait and see.¡± He points at the screen where the Avatar waits for the challengers.

    A few minutes later Gareth¡¯s Avatar¡¯s 3rd challenge starts with over a thousand people inside.

    Right away the man starts moving towards the group of challengers and a silver crown floats over his head.

    Once again, I have to wonder what his crown is called. Other than me and Tess, he is the only one so far that has one. That offers another question, are crowns rare? Are they considered powerful or important?

    Getting closer and seeing the first people from behind the trees, Gareth starts radiating silver light from his skin. Maybe light is the wrong word, it''s more like silver smoke seeping through his pores.

    In his hands, two maces form, each of them with a few nasty spikes, and both weapons probably as long as my arm. Over his shoulders, two silver orbs float.

    Combat opens with Gareth slamming a mace into a melee attacker from Hard difficulty.

    Not even for a second is the man capable of facing Gareth''s strength, his arms cracking and the mace piercing the skin-tight barrier and turning the man into shiny particles.

    A group launches ranged attacks at him and whether they bombard the ground around him or his skin he doesn''t bother to create armor around himself. He faces them all easily with just the sheer strength of his stats and enhanced body.

    One of the orbs shoots ahead with surprising speed and reaches a group of twenty ranged attackers. Before they can move, the orb expands, in the blink of an eye, almost like a bubble, and each of them finds themselves inside of that bubble. The bubble stops expanding and then changes color to a darker shade of silver.

    The group finds themselves unable to get out. Their bodies slam against the inner walls of the bubble and their weapons fail to pierce it. Before they can try more, the silver bubble starts shrinking as quickly as it expanded before.

    All twenty people are caught in that. From the size of a small house, the bubble shrinks to the size of a small room and then to the size of a basketball, and finally to the size it started at. Everyone inside it, unable to escape, is squeezed and killed.

    Attacks start anew. Gareth is bombarded while moving almost lazily from group to group, no one manages to endure more than one attack from his mace. The two silver bubbles move around, enveloping groups of people and turning them into shiny particles.

    Outside of the tournament, the result would be more gruesome. A bunch of people reduced to a compressed bloody paste.

    The forest exploding around him from the challengers'' attacks doesn''t cause him much trouble. He seems capable of going on for days.

    Shadowy attacks fail to slow him, fire causes him no trouble. They can''t disrupt his mana and they even fail to pierce the orbs. Anyone who winds up inside one of those silver bubbles dies without exception.

    When they start moving out of his reach or the range of his bubbles, he changes strategy. The crown over his head disappears and the silver smoke stops leaking from his skin. Instead, armor forms around his body.

    His armor isn''t bulky or impressive. It seems almost skin-tight and dense. At the same time, the maces in his hands dissolve, and Gareth dashes, the ground exploding under his feet.

    In a blink, he reaches another group, gloves forming around his hands as he delivers a shattering blow to someone¡¯s head, reducing the man from Hard difficulty into particles. Gareth twists his body and grabs the poor man''s sword in his hand as he kicks another assailant, caving in their chest, and dispersing them into a haze of silver particles.

    Like Lily, Gareth uses the strength of his body and armor to go wild and tear the remaining people apart.

    ¡°Gareth is really bad at doing multiple things at once,¡± Brainiac sighs. ¡°But when he doesn''t have to focus on healing, teleporting, and keeping our marks active he can be really scary.¡±

    Nice. First, Gareth doxxes the real names of everyone from his group, and now here¡¯s Brainiac giving us exposition on his abilities.

    What a group.

    ¡°So what are the names of his skills?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Not telling!¡± Brainiac answers.

    Well, maybe they aren¡¯t that stupid.

    ¡°It''s fine, I might ask Tacita, I''m sure she already knows the names if you guys talked about them sometime during the tournament.¡± While I say it I glance back to the top of the chimney where a thin girl with messy brown hair sits.

    Her eyes meet mine and her expression seems to be surprised and in quick succession a weird field she generates changes a few times. But each time I change my detection as well, allowing my senses to pierce through.

    Only her last attempt succeeds at confusing me for even a moment longer and then she stops when I see even through that.

    Tacita seems dissatisfied, annoyed even, her eyes turning dangerous as she examines me, studying the way I¡¯ve been detecting her.

    I hope you didn''t think you could keep hiding from me forever.

 Chapter 362 - Challenges

    During the next few hours, as we watch the challenges, Tacita and I play a game.

    As she sits on the chimney, rooted within her barrier, her skill, trait, or whatever it is, keeps changing. She alters it rapidly as she figures out my methods for detecting her.

    Sometimes it takes me a few seconds to pierce through, sometimes it takes thirty minutes. She¡¯s really good at it, and it''s intriguing to observe. She¡¯s not like Savant or Tess, with their genius level use of skills, they¡¯re both quick to learn and grasp new concepts. She¡¯s not even like me with my abuse of skills to push myself further than others while trying to scam the system.

    What Tacita is doing is mostly based on wild instinct. Like a bird thrown out of the nest, forced to learn to fly by instinct rather than rote learning.

    And damn, does she seem to be getting annoyed. Her penchant for stealth seems to be an important part of her identity. The way she gets twitchy when people get too close, it''s no surprise.

    Yet I refuse to take that into consideration. No, I even resort to using my eye trait when I have trouble piercing through her hidey barrier.

    The longer this goes on, the more dangerous she feels. The playful mood is gone, and her eyes are glued to the back of my head. I can nearly feel that gaze burning me.

    I also keep my body strengthened, while preparing to empty my Vortex Core, and funneling a large amount of mana to my Mana Regulator for Reinforcement.

    It''s a clear challenge to her, and I might be playing with fire, but I can¡¯t bring myself to care. I don¡¯t like having her sneaking around and appearing out of nowhere. I¡¯ve had a deep hatred for such tactics ever since my experiences on the 1st floor. It''s not to the point of trauma anymore, but I still find it deeply unsettling.

    So we either set some rules about that or we will fight. That''s my message to her.

    Meanwhile, the remaining Hell difficulty Avatars go through their third challenges.

    After being beaten by me and Gareth, they challenge a few of the weaker-looking ones. Just like before, they continue in groups of anywhere from a few hundred to one thousand. I turned out to be the exception with close to two thousand. They even win some of them.

    BenDover gets tired out and hunted down once he runs out of mana. Brainiac fails to reposition quickly enough and gets surrounded, as they use the forest to their advantage, limiting his ranged attacks.

    Lootenant is more defense based, so he finds himself lacking in means of attack.

    Aaron and Dennis get tired out, neither of them capable of sustaining long combat against that many people who are getting better and better organized. They are also weaker on their own and separated from their twin.

    The murderer from Easy difficulty is also joining a lot of these fights, often getting in a few nasty attacks during the challenge only to be pulled away once he reappears in the common area.

    At this point, around 150 people from Hard difficulty create a core that goes around challenging Avatars one after another. They are the main forces the others join and follow their lead. That group of 150 people has gotten quite efficient at this point. There''s a ranged unit, a melee unit, a unit of scouts, defenders, and a few really weak healers.

    They protect each other, their members switching places to keep their mana topped up and stamina fresh. Once again, they¡¯re being led by Samuel and the other soldiers from his group. Once they¡¯ve seen how well they do, the others seem to have an easier time trusting his lead and following orders.

    They defeat another Avatar from WhiteWing and another from BenDover¡¯s group.

    ¡°Would be nice to see them beat your Avatar, Tess, especially given the way you¡¯ve been putting Samuel down,¡± I note.

    Tess doesn''t flinch, her bearing confident and carefree. ¡°If anyone from Beyond lost, I would be deeply disappointed,¡± she says.

    ¡°I still want to see them beat Savant,¡± I sigh while looking on as they make preparations in the common area. The next Avatar is Tess, restricted to the 4th Floor.

    ¡°Maybe if he went for a 2nd Floor [Restriction],¡± Tess states, watching the proceedings with interest as they split into groups, having received final orders. ¡°I regret not going for 3rd. I was too careful.¡±

    ¡°Scared.¡±

    ¡°Careful.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Has anyone told you that they would like to punch you?¡±

    ¡°Yup, I heard it constantly on the 5th floor. He was a handsome lad with a very punchable face himself.¡±

    ¡°I see. By the way, can you stop playing with Tacita? You¡¯re starting to scare people.¡±

    ¡°Hell no.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I forget how stubborn you can be once you¡¯ve made a decision. Anyway, I spoke to Miwa. How did you make her so angry?¡±

    ¡°He wanted to steal her arm,¡± Maya says, nomming on snacks that she shares with Biscuit sitting next to her.

    ¡°It''s still an achievement. Miwa is an extremely polite, patient, and reasonable person. Anyway, she¡¯ll still prepare a pizza, salami with some extra cheese. A few of the ingredients are old, but they should be fine. The price is an epic item and a single mid-sized piece of voidsteel.¡±

    ¡°What? We said epic item only.¡±

    ¡°That was before you decided you wanted to steal her arm and kept pestering her for it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, but the pizza had better be good.¡±

    Tess shakes her head, ¡°You know you could find a better use for an epic item, right?¡±

    Ha! Better than feeding my ESM? No way. I already have plans to take plenty of pictures of the little half demon.

    Now that I think about it, demons are indeed dangerous. Just a few weeks and she¡¯s got me acting like this. Am I really so weak or are the people around me just scary?

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    ¡°I still have a few and I should be able to make them on my own soon. So I wouldn¡¯t worry about it,¡± I tell Tess.

    ¡°Truly you are the sugar daddy of group 4.¡± Maya says, turning to me, ¡°When you summon your disciple, I fully intend to watch and learn from her. Then I¡¯ll be your minion and you¡¯ll make epic items for me,¡± she jokes.

    ¡°What? I can''t hear words of people with a [Focus] below level 40.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s starting,¡± Sophie says, interrupting us and nodding at the screen.

    Tess''s avatar stands alone, with a shine in her eyes as she activates her skill, she quickly spots the challengers. Her crown forms above her head in an instant, white and red lightning cracking in a halo of energy. Then her avatar moves away from the groups attempting to locate her.

    While her Avatar runs, stones lift from the ground, floating after her. She imbues the stones with lightning and leaps through the trees, cutting a few branches loose with her bare hand before shaping them into javelins.

    In a few minutes, she has a decent number of projectiles floating around her, lightning crackling through the airborne arsenal. The Avatar does all of this while keeping the challengers in her line of sight, and collecting information.

    So when she attacks, it''s no surprise that she kills Samuel first.

    The man dies in the middle of a sentence, a stone the size of my fist tearing through him from over a mile away.

    Before the challengers can even react, five more die, each one the leader of their respective units, and none are able to endure the attacks. The Avatar made sure they were strong enough. With her eyes, Tess can see really far away and she can see a little bit of mana too. Not enough to use for detailed analysis like my eyes, but it''s more than enough to detect mana signatures and large surges of mana.

    The challengers start repositioning and strengthening the barriers. A few seconds later ten more attacks kill ten more people. And this time the attacks are coming from the opposite side, the Avatar moving quicker than they could ever have expected.

    There are 196 people from Hard difficulty and each of them dies before the Avatar touches anyone else. Not a single Hard difficulty challenger endures the attack. They are all perfectly timed and unexpected, hitting weak spots with enough force to kill. Each with just the right amount of lightning.

    Once she¡¯s taken care of them, she changes her strategy. She uproots trees from the earth and flings them into the remaining groups, before following up the attack with a barrage of stones the size of motorcycles.

    And the entire time they can¡¯t even locate her precisely enough to attack.

    ¡°Why are you so cool, Tess,¡± Maya asks, sighing with her eyes glued to the screen.

    I mean it might be cool, but all she¡¯s doing is flinging junk at them from a distance. It must be boring as hell. Let''s ignore the fact my Avatar did the exact same thing.

    Anyway, to no one¡¯s surprise, Tess''s Avatar wipes out the challengers and Tess scrolls through a window to see how many shards she got. It won''t be as much as I did, but it¡¯s a nice amount for sure. Probably enough for her to buy an epic javelin.

    The epic items start at 4 thousand shards, but some of them cost multiple times that. There is definitely a difference between low, mid, and upper, even if the difference isn¡¯t as noticeable as it would be for an arcane item.

    When the challengers return brainstorming starts and most of the challengers don¡¯t really seem all that disappointed. As if they got the result they were expecting and they¡¯ve chosen to take it as a learning lesson. Though I mostly get that sense from Hard difficulty.

    That makes me reconsider a few things. Lately, I¡¯ve been thinking of them as weak, how could I not? Even restricted members of Hell difficulty can wipe them out with ease, but maybe I¡¯ve just been lacking perspective.

    It''s not like Easy has a power level of 1, Normal has a power level of 2, Hard of 3, and Hell of 4. It''s more like Hell difficulty is a few stages above.

    Yet, Hard difficulty isn''t that bad. Logically they shouldn''t even be, the tutorial must be¡­ well, hard, for them as well. They¡¯ve shown me a hunger for improvement that¡¯s a cut above the people in Easy and Normal who seem to take things at a more relaxed pace, more like a hobby.

    When the tutorial ends, I can certainly imagine a few people from Hard growing strong enough to destroy a small city on their own. Maybe even a bit more when it comes to the stronger ones. But for the moment that¡¯s mostly speculation on my part.

    It''s fun to think of the differences between us.

    Oh and now that I think about it, don¡¯t the strongest people tend to be loners? Actually, it might be half and half.

    Currently, we have 6 people from Beyond here. Tess, Gareth, and Lily are on the more sociable side while Tacita, Savant, and I seem to be more introverted. Though I''m sure our trio of introverts would win. Yup, screw those extroverted weirdos. I bet they¡¯re fine talking to people, even the moment after they wake up. Creepy.

    I also decide to ignore the fact that we three introverts are certainly weirder and bigger assholes than our counterparts. But it''s not like they¡¯re normal either. Everyone in Beyond is a bit twisted.

    When I finally crack through the change Tacita made in her field, I turn back to the screen. That one was difficult, it took me the longest time yet to pierce. Tacita can be surprisingly stubborn, it seems. Ever since we started, she hasn''t moved from her spot or stopped staring at me.

    The next avatar they challenge is Min-Jae. They don¡¯t even go in with that many people, below 500 even.

    I already suspect the result, but Min-Jae gets defeated. He takes out a bit more than half of them and they have trouble catching up to him. The Avatar even uses the eye he got on the 4th floor as it precedes the restriction.

    In the end, it''s not enough and his attacks gradually weaken as they catch up to him. Current Min-Jae would wipe them out easily, yet the [Restriction] he chose is too severe. The young boy is too proud to go higher than 4th.

    The result is a celebration among those excitedly discussing the fight. The one who did the most walks away with the better part of the two thousand shards Min-Jae offered as an additional reward and an epic item he got from the 5th floor. He did set it up after he saw me creating my Avatar and the result is what it is.

    If Tess knew, she would¡¯ve probably stopped him. Even the twins would¡¯ve done that. But Min-Jae did it all on his own.

    Even before his Avatar was defeated, he disappeared from the roof.

    When Lily''s Avatar appears on the screen, I stand up and detect where Min-Jae went. I don''t even have to watch this challenge as I''m sure Lily will wipe the floor with them with her surprisingly low [Restriction], the 5th Floor. But that''s just her. I''m sure she would be able to do it with the 4th Floor one but she doesn''t seem to have the confidence.

    I stop in front of Tacita, ¡°I have to go now. But let me tell you one thing. I¡¯ve humored you sneaking up on me for a good while, but I don''t appreciate it.¡±

    Even back on Earth I had bullies trying to ambush me in groups. I spent three days fighting for my life, being hunted by Phantom Goblins only to be stabbed every time I faltered.

    It''s not something I can help, even if there¡¯s no malice in it, even if it¡¯s just playful teasing. I don¡¯t trust Tacita the same way I trust group 4. And even though I can''t die here, I can¡¯t bring myself to allow it.

    Just for once, I¡¯m going to be nice and try to solve things by talking instead of fighting, ¡°Do you know what I mean by that?¡± I ask.

    Her eyes shine below her messy bangs, giving me a long appraising look. Her expression changes a few times until it lands on one of understanding.

    A few seconds later, she nods.

    The field around her changes but this time it''s more akin to a playful attempt to hide and catch someone off guard to laugh at them later. Like a game.

    She looks at me with a question and tilts her head. Her own warning to me, to avoid pushing her any further.

    ¡°This much is okay.¡± I also change the way I detect her to match her change.

    From now on, it''s a fun way to keep ourselves sharp rather than anything more sinister.

    A bright smile appears on Tacita''s face and she waves as I use one of my anchors to follow Min-Jae.

 Chapter 363 - Kaboom!

    I reach Min-Jae just as he catches up to a smaller group of people. Once again I hide my mana and watch from a distance.

    Without hearing their words, I can only guess at their conversation, but it''s not all that difficult. The people he¡¯s confronted seem to be from Hard difficulty, specifically from the group that challenged his Avatar just a few moments ago.

    At first, Min-Jae seems non-aggressive even though I can sense his wildly swirling mana and see his clenched fists.

    The situation escalates after a short exchange, and the group ends up easily pushed to the ground by a gravity field. Yet even then, the boy seems confused. There is none of the satisfaction he expected, just a dirty feeling, I would think.

    It''s hard for me to guess because I''m just an asshole who doesn''t care about anyone outside of his own family and friends. If someone had asked me one of those trolley questions like, "Would you rather save 1 friend or a million people you don''t know?" I would let the strangers die. Without hesitation.

    Of course, the situation would be shitty and I like to think that I would feel something, but I have my priorities straight. That''s one of the main reasons I want to be so strong. So things like that won¡¯t happen to me, leaving me to do whatever I want.

    Min-Jae, on the other hand, is young, troubled, and had a difficult childhood, forever caught in the shadow of his siblings. You can even see it in his choice of subclass, Envy, and the ways he¡¯s been trying to emulate me.

    I don¡¯t think it''s too big of a problem. Min-Jae will grow and change, and these experiences will serve to guide him in the future. He is still young, and looking for his place in this world.

    So for now, I don¡¯t bother to intercept him even as he waves his hand, uprooting and crushing a few of the surrounding trees. He stomps angrily, causing more trees to fall under the resulting gravitational waves.

    Then he almost seems to flee from the people at his feet, with an indescribable look on his face.

    <hr>

    (They¡¯re about to challenge Savant,) Sophie says over the web some time later.

    (I see. I won''t be watching this time,) I answer and then disconnect from the web. Keeping an eye on the man in front of me, I create a chair from mana and take a seat opposite him.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t watch my Avatar fight. Why?¡± I ask Savant.

    Sitting in a cheap camping chair, he returns my gaze.

    ¡°It cost me a few uncommon items,¡± he says in lieu of an answer as he touches it carefully. ¡°It¡¯s only been a year, but I have this weird feeling of nostalgia seeing these items from Earth.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a chair.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just a chair.¡±

    He stands up and throws a few logs into the fire he¡¯s built nearby, over which hangs an iron kettle with water coming to a boil inside. Nearby, he has a glass with a tea bag prepared.

    ¡°I wanted to observe everyone. To collect some information I could use during the Duels,¡± he says.

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°I changed my mind. It was mostly thanks to you. I still think my way is better, but watching you during the 2nd event, I came to the question - why am I being so timid and nervous?¡±

    When the water starts boiling, he pours it into the glass and then leans back in his cheap camping chair, his eyes turning back to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m stronger than any of you.¡± He declares like he¡¯s speaking an absolute truth. ¡°The moment I entered the 2nd Floor, Champion Tristan took an interest in me. Through my talent, I became his disciple and grew quickly. Before he died, he declared me a Champion candidate. I am strong,¡± he repeats.

    Silence fills the small camp Savant has set up in the forest. A spoon clinks as he starts mixing the water in his glass.

    In a quieter voice, he continues, ¡°I don¡¯t need to see more, learn more, prepare more. I will win even without the effort. I want to confirm that.¡±

    ¡°So you''re second guessing yourself and want to prove that you are the strongest? How human,¡± I reply.

    ¡°It¡¯s highly possible. I''m human too in the end. So what¡¯s your reason, why aren¡¯t you watching my Avatar fight?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Same here. I mean, if I thought you were going to lose your additional rewards, I would probably watch, just to laugh, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen. Plus it wouldn¡¯t be as satisfying to beat you.¡±

    ¡°Pride?¡±

    I nod, ¡°Patience, Diligence, or Pride?¡±

    ¡°Patience.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Taking a sip, he looks at me, ¡°You haven¡¯t been declared Champion candidate yet, right?¡±

    ¡°Nope, but I might try to have someone declare me an Absolute candidate.¡±

    He swirls the tea inside of his glass and nods, ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°So, is that the damaged Sword of Aeons?¡± I ask, gesturing at the broken sword on his hip.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°The best mana battery of Eladore?¡±

    ¡°Yes, though I think it¡¯s weaker than it should be. The system is probably limiting items and the like to arcane at maximum within the tutorial.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. Still, I will buy it from you. 100 thousand shards.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You could bet it. I¡¯ll throw in my ax and shards and you bet your broken, and certainly useless-to-you, sword, winner takes all.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    He seems to be getting a tiny bit annoyed. It''s quite fun. Is that how people feel, teasing me when all I want is to be left alone? I think I understand a little now.

    Out of nowhere, I feel a ping at the edge of my detection as Tacita enters the area. She is still hiding, but after our standoff, it doesn¡¯t feel as annoying as before. The girl is surprisingly understanding. As long as I try not to trigger her, she tries not to trigger me.

    I mean, she will still try to stab me in the neck if I cross that invisible line, but as weird as it sounds, I think that''s fine.

    A bit later, Savant takes notice as she passes through his domain which he keeps activated at all times. Of course, it''s not at its full power, but it seems to be enough to detect Tacita, who hasn¡¯t been making the greatest effort. Still, [Dawn] seems like a really good skill.

    ¡°You are not going to watch them challenge you?¡± I ask Tacita.

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    She shakes her head and sits on the ground to my left side and Savant¡¯s right.

    The fire crackles and the man sitting in the camping chair sighs.

    Tacita¡¯s hand moves and she uses a stick to draw on the ground.

    ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)

    ¡°I mean, yeah, they¡¯re probably going to lose, but won¡¯t it be fun to watch? You could also watch them challenge this guy here and use the information to beat him later.¡±

    ( ?? - ??)?

    ¡°She says she can take you on easily,¡± I translate for Savant¡¯s benefit.

    ¡°I think at this point it''s obvious that the winner of the 4th event is going to be one of us.¡± He pours more boiling water and then adds another tea bag. Then he opens five packages of sugar and pours them all in.

    My teeth hurt watching that.

    ¡°There is Gareth, Sset, and Grumpy, but none of them are likely to win,¡± he says, thinking aloud while stirring his tea with his spoon.

    His green eyes seem to shine in the light of the campfire, ¡°Sset is strong at the range, but other than a few surprises, she can''t take any of us up close. Not without a degree of preparation she won¡¯t have. Gareth lacks damage output. He is also too slow to catch anyone here.¡±

    Savant takes a sip and then adds two more packages of sugar, ¡°Grumpy will probably win the duels during the second tournament if she grows properly. But right now she is lacking.¡±

    (?? - ?? )

    ¡°Tacita disagrees.¡±

    ¡°She could still win, of course. But Grumpy will be very dangerous in a few years.¡±

    As if I didn¡¯t know that.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± I ask Tacita.

    U(¥Ä?)¨Ï

    ¡°Yeah, same.¡±

    ¡°So what are you doing here?¡± Savant asks me.

    ¡°I was curious,¡± I say honestly. There is nothing more behind it. I just wanted to talk with this man who reached Beyond so early. Well, other than the one who started there.

    Even now, he doesn¡¯t feel that strong, to be honest. I know most of his favorite skills and I nearly beat him once. Yet I still get the same unnerving feeling every time I go over the fight and imagine it continuing with the new information I have.

    It''s exciting, and out of everyone here, he is the one I want to fight the most. Even more than Tacita, more even than Tess and Lily.

    ¡°And you?¡± Savant asks Tacita.

    ? ????

    ¡°I see.¡± He nods.

    Unlike other people, he doesn¡¯t do sudden movements while Tacita is nearby. Even his voice is calmer and softer. He also doesn¡¯t get closer to her when he throws a piece of wood into the fire.

    And his behavior towards me isn¡¯t any different. I can¡¯t bring myself to be annoyed by his actions, and I''m sure it''s calculated on his part. He is clearly reading and observing me the same way I am him.

    Having seen enough, I stand up, turning to him, and say, ¡°You really need to lay off the sugar,¡± and with that last sentence, I use [Tether] to telepo¡­

    Huh.

    I use [Tether] to teleport away.

    ¡­

    I use [Tether].

    ¡­

    (¨R¨Œ¨Q)

    I find myself unable to teleport within Savant¡¯s domain. Somehow, sneakily, he cut off my connection to my anchor right when I was about to disappear.

    ( ¡ä ¨Œ ` )

    Well, there goes my cool exit.

    Savant, to make it worse, doesn¡¯t even say anything, sipping on his glass of sugar as he watches me.

    I sit back down. ¡±Do it again,¡± I say as I examine his domain and the way it sneakily blocked my skill. Right away, I activate my Mana Wavelength Iris and try to examine it deeper.

    While Savant starts saying something, I create an extremely small anchor near one of the legs of his chair and start sending vibrating mana through it, stealthily weakening the leg.

    <hr>

    After some time, I leave, Savant unwilling to show me how he cut off my access to my anchor. It''s not surprising, but he¡¯s still an asshole.

    At least he didn''t notice the damage I did to the leg of his precious chair. Unfortunately, it didn''t break while I was watching, but it will probably happen sometime soon in the future. That''s what he gets.

    With people from Group 4 nearby, a notification finally pops up.

    Congratulations, you have placed 1st in the 3rd event - Avatar Confrontation.

    You may choose one of the three rewards if you decide to accept.

    ¡°I want to use them to enhance my final reward,¡± I say right away and the screen disappears.

    At the same time, the four giant screens disappear as well.

    As expected, Savant, Tacita, and Lily were not defeated. Sophie survived too, and from one point of view, I think people are scared of her more than anyone else.

    I can see it in the way they look at her and the way they avoid her. Even some members of Hell difficulty seem to share in the sentiment. Mind manipulation seems to be just that despised, even among people who have very little experience with it.

    Izzy and Maya both lost. Izzy was defeated by the strategy they tried to use for me and Maya lost when they tired her out. It could be different if they chose no restriction, and the challengers seem to realize that even as they defeated the Avatars.

    But overall the mood seems good in lower difficulties, the event was fun for them even though they didn¡¯t get the most juicy additional rewards.

    Honestly, it''s surprising considering that most of them died multiple times in the process. The reason might be the difference between how ¡°death¡± feels during the event and in the common area. Having some experience with that, I would say that death in the common area feels much, much worse, and certainly feels more real.

    It''s possible that that¡¯s the system at work.

    The 4th event, Duels, will start in 24 hours. The 5th day of the tournament affords the opportunity to take a break and get to know your fellow tutorial attendees.

    You will receive more information as the duels approach closer.

    Well, it''s time.

    ¡°Use minio¡­ disciple summon,¡± I call.

    The invitation was sent to your disciple. If accepted, your disciple will join your side for the following 24 hours!

    ¡°Where is she?¡± Tess asks curiously.

    ¡°She needs to accept the invitation.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡±

    I nod and then we wait. We''re soon joined by Lily, Maya, and the rest of group 4 now that I think about it. It''s kind of weird, to be honest, and I hope they don¡¯t spook my disciple. At least we¡¯re off to the side of the common area, far from the noise of others.

    Your disciple has accepted your invitation. Creating an entrance!

    A few seconds later, Vega steps out of a door we can''t see.

    Seeing her face carefully looking around and blossoming into a big smile as she spots me, hits surprisingly hard. The end of the 5th floor was just a short time ago, so why? I bet it¡¯s because she is a kid. I can''t bring myself to be mean to kids. Probably a result of my past. Well, I don''t think that¡¯s a bad thing, so I won''t try to change it.

    But damn, Nathaniel Gwyn, you are getting soft with some people. I need to beat up BenDover to feel manly again. That reminds me that I once again forgot about him. I wonder if he is sitting somewhere, scared, expecting me to come for him.

    ¡°Master!¡± Vega shouts and comes running on her short legs. I notice she glances at group 4, but once she sees me acting normal, she decides to ignore them as she comes to a stop in front of me. She lifts her arms so I can pick her up. Then she nestles her ear against my chest where my heart is.

    ¡°Minion,¡± I say seriously.

    ¡°It¡¯s Vega, master!¡±

    ¡°Why do you feel stronger? You left close to level 40, so why are you 50-60?¡±

    ¡°Kaboom!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®kaboom¡¯ me!¡±

    At that moment, I hear shouts and screams nearby and sense a powerful presence appear in my domain. When I turn around, I find a giant wolf.

    The wolf is pitch black and taller than the tips of the trees nearby. The golden eyes shine with surprising intelligence, and he is looking in a single direction.

    At Biscuit, who is in Isabella¡¯s arms.

    (Human¡­no, Asshole! Let go of my master right away!) the powerful, and young voice shouts in our heads and probably those of everyone nearby.

    Even though people around are panicking and preparing to fight, Biscuit doesn¡¯t seem bothered in the least. He simply allows himself to be held by Isabella. As he does, with his legs hanging down and his tongue lolling, he almost looks as if he¡¯s smiling with a cheeky look in his eyes.

 Chapter 364 - A demon and a wolf

    The panic erupting around us is glorious. Hundreds of people from the lower difficulties turn in flight as they spot the black wolf from a distance.

    I admit that I might have underestimated their survival instinct. I halfway expected them to stand around taking photos of the giant wolf snarling at Isabella and calling her an asshole.

    But well, some of them faint just from the pressure of the wolf''s telepathic messages, so maybe I shouldn¡¯t get my hopes up for their abilities.

    (Let go of my master! How dare you, human! Master, this is such a disgrace! Please, I beg of you, let me avenge you!) he shouts telepathically. Yet the wolf still doesn¡¯t attack.

    Knowing where to look, I can sense his telepathic connection to Biscuit as they communicate.

    Unsure what to do with the unmoving potty-mouthed wolf, we opt to stand there and wait it out. One thing is for sure: if he so much as moves in an aggressive manner, he¡¯ll have a few dozen members of Hell difficulty piling up on him in moments.

    Like Vega, he doesn¡¯t have any text floating over his head. Vega used to have the title of [Disciple] over hers on the 5th Floor, but it was gone when she returned after her week off. It hasn¡¯t returned either. Does that mean we won¡¯t have access to this information after we leave the tutorial? Is this a tutorial thing only?

    ¡°Master, I want to pet him! Can you hold him down like you did with that Ashenwolf?¡±

    I ignore my disciple and keep my eyes on the giant creature. This situation, especially the reactions of the people around me, has become highly entertaining. Once again, something new has been thrown our way, an unexpected situation caused by a single blimp-like doggo. This burrito-shaped corgi is always doing stuff like this.

    Damn, I love that silly little animal.

    ¡°Biscuit, is this your disciple?¡± I ask, it¡¯s the only sensible thing I could think to ask.

    ¡°There is no way¡­¡± Maya tries to say.

    (Friend!) Biscuit interrupts her, speaking into our minds.

    Oh boy.

    ¡°Sophie, please tell the others from Hell to calm down. Group 4 will take care of Wolfy,¡± I tell her.

    Sophie acts immediately, without asking questions, and relays the message. With Vega in my arms, I use kinetic energy to push myself through the air and land in front of the black wolf.

    The creature is massive about the size of a building. His mere presence feels overwhelming, not to mention the sheer weight of him as he shifts his body. His golden eyes shine dangerously as he bares his teeth, each one longer than I''m tall, and he lowers his head.

    (Asshole, I have not attacked because my master doesn¡¯t wish for me to do so, but I refuse to watch the disgrace he is being subjected to. Tell that young female to let him go! Right away!) His voice sounds like that of a young boy, and the thought that he might be little more than a pup comes to mind.

    Just how big must his parents be? How powerful is the wolf? He doesn¡¯t feel as strong as Gaiathra nor as strong as a Veil Weaver. Maybe he¡¯s around the level of a Veil Guardian?

    I want to fight him and test him out. He is the first monster I¡¯ve met with human intelligence and capable of speech. Actually, is he considered a monster or an animal?

    (Friend,) Biscuit says, relaying the message through the common area.

    It feels like the declaration was mostly meant for me, almost as if the corgi knows what¡¯s going through my head.

    Damn it, okay. I won¡¯t bully the wolfy.

    Biscuit floats from Isabella¡¯s hands and slowly flies over to me. Then he looks at the wolf who lowers his head in response, like a child expecting a spanking from his father.

    (Friend!) Biscuit tells the wolf and floats over to Vega who I hold in my arms and sniffs at her curiously.

    ¡°Master, are these people and creatures your minions?¡± Vega asks, her eyes ticking between Biscuit, the wolf, and the others.

    ¡°You could say that,¡± I reply.

    ¡°Were they your minions even before I became your disciple?¡±

    ¡°You are my first minion,¡± I respond, knowing what she wants to hear, much to the happiness of the red eyed half demon.

    She shifts in my arms, clearly satisfied, her tiny horns poking the bottom of my chin. ¡°Then as First minion and First disciple, I outrank them and they have to show me respect!¡±

    (It¡¯s you who will be showing respect to the master, youngling!) Wolfy complains.

    ¡°Just wait until the master holds you with his powerful skill, I will pet you for hours!¡± Vega threatens.

    (WHAT!?), the young black wolf seems genuinely shocked. (My lineage is that of an ancient wolf who devoured planets. I will not allow myself to be petted by a weak girl smelling of those maniacal demons!)

    ¡°Your heart is weak!¡± my minion shouts back as if it¡¯s the worst insult she could come up with.

    Then Maya says what I can only believe everyone¡¯s been thinking, ¡°What the fuck.¡± She is almost laughing, in shock and sheer disbelief at the situation we¡¯ve found ourselves in.

    <hr>

    As threatening as the Wolfy Boi looks, he doesn¡¯t cause any trouble. Having been reined in by Biscuit, he obediently follows his master¡¯s orders, and when we move on to our house, he lays down nearby, crushing part of the forest as he does so.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    I notice that everyone from Group 4 is weirdly stiff, bodies ready to explode into movement and fight. It¡¯s as if they were yanked out of the playful mood engendered by the tournament and into a life threatening struggle. They stay like that even as Biscuit explains everything with Isabella and myself to translate.

    The young wolf calls us assholes multiple times and I don¡¯t even have to think for a second to know where it comes from.

    Goddammit, Biscuit.

    The future animal Absolute, Overlord of Earth, Archmage of the tutorial, and deer jerky addict, just floats between us and his disciple. Proud as he tries to introduce both sides.

    I bet the corgi saw me summoning my disciple and did the same. Something he probably managed with one of his rewards from the events. So far, no one else seems to have received the same reward.

    (Food,) Biscuit declares stopping in front of me.

    When I grab his cheeks and squeeze them and then hold him to boop his nose 50 times, the black wolf shifts in his position, golden eyes watching the disgrace I subject his master to.

    ¡°Master, you can do that to my nose too!¡± Vega fights for my attention.

    Instead, I let go of Biscuit who floats to the black wolf who''s conversing with Gareth and Tess. Then I grab Vega¡¯s horn and pull her closer.

    ¡°¡®Kaboom¡¯, you said.¡± I shake her head.

    ¡°Kaboom!¡± she answers happily.

    ¡°Tell me what you¡¯ve done.¡±

    <hr>

    POV Aaron Dalton

    (Fuck, this is creepy. That guy almost seems to be smiling,) Dennis tells me through the link we¡¯ve kept separate from the one integrated into Sophie¡¯s web.

    (He isn¡¯t.)

    (Just look closer, the corners of his lips are twitching up, and look at the way he¡¯s holding that girl. What the hell, isn¡¯t he just a mana maniac? Why does he look like her older brother now?)

    (More like a dad.)

    ¡°Kaboom!¡± the girl smiles as she replies to Nathaniel.

    She¡¯s even younger than Isabella but at the same time, I feel nervous just seeing her. Every time Nathaniel looks away, her expression grows cold.

    I¡¯ve never seen a child like that before.

    For a moment my eyes meet hers as well when Nathaniel turns to the side to say something to Kim sitting next to him. Her red eyes are devoid of expression, just like Nathaniel on the 1st Floor.

    It reminds me of the mana rain, of us fighting to survive as the drops pierced our skin and Nathaniel coldly massacred the monsters. She¡¯s just like he was then.

    But that expression disappears the moment Nathaniel starts turning her way. She smiles at me and even waves, but it feels fake. Her eyes only seem to light up again when Nathaniel turns his attention back to her, a big smile overtaking her face.

    Through our link, Dennis can feel my emotions and I can feel his, and we are of one mind when it comes to the little girl.

    (She¡¯s a demon,) Dennis says.

    Tiny pointy horns, deep red eyes. She looks like she is ready to start a fight at any moment and will try to bite out your neck if she has to.

    (Izzy, what do you think of her?) I ask, adding her to the conversation. At the same time, Aaron adds Sophie.

    (She is scary!) Isabella shouts the moment she connects to the web.

    (She is just a girl, she¡¯s probably been through a lot,) Sophie tries. (Is there a chance it¡¯s that? Nat said his disciple had a harsh life.)

    (It could be¡­) Isabella hesitates. (But she is scary! Even the pretty wolf feels less dangerous!)

    (Well, fuck,) Dennis sighs.

    (Don¡¯t curse in front of Isabella!) Sophie warns. (What emotions do you feel from her?)

    Isabella is silent for a while and then says, (She is very happy and really likes Nat! But she doesn¡¯t like us.)

    (Maybe she¡¯s jealous, maybe she thinks we¡¯re going to take Nat from her,) I offer as we observe the little girl.

    ¡°I found a nest of gray lizards, a LOT of them. The gray lizards I told you about, and they really were tasty and their limbs really do grow back. Maybe I can get you one sometime so that you can learn to regrow your limbs faster!¡± Nathaniel¡äs disciple looks at him and studies him seriously, ¡°How is Bambi¡¯s curse? Did it get better?¡±

    What are they even talking about?

    (She is not worried about us taking him,) Isabella disagrees. (At least not much! She just doesn¡¯t care about us. She got very scared when she appeared here and saw us all, but the moment she noticed Nathaniel she calmed down.)

    That is surprising. Other than the few glances Dennis and I¡¯ve caught she seems normal. Even now she is smiling happily while talking to him and when Nat introduces people to her she greets them. She seems friendly, almost like she¡¯s just a kid, scared of meeting a lot of new people out of nowhere.

    But I just can¡¯t help but feel nervous when her eyes change just a tiny bit every time she looks at anyone other than her master.

    (She is really good at detecting mana too,) Sophie mentions. (She¡¯s had her mana senses up the entire time, constantly checking for danger.)

    I didn¡¯t notice anything.

    (The hell, really? I can¡¯t sense anything either!) even Dennis seems to be as shocked as me.

    (Try to focus on it a bit more, like this,) Sophie implores as she shares her method for detecting the interference and I feel it too.

    Only then do we notice. The faintest touch of her mana senses.

    (Oh and by the way, what she¡¯s doing feels extremely similar to what Nat¡¯s been doing. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t even sense Nat doing it most of the time. But I¡¯m sure he¡¯s expanding his senses around himself even now.)

    (He¡¯s happy,) Isabella says out of nowhere and with Sophie¡¯s help she shares what tiny bits of feelings she can detect through Nathaniel¡¯s defenses.

    It¡¯s so weird. Even though his face stays nearly the same as always, he seems more lively, even his movements are quicker, as if his whole being has been affected. He doesn¡¯t even seem to mind as she snuggles up to him, her head pressing into his chest. As if it were routine.

    But then Nathaniel seems to notice something and mid sentence, his eyes light up with a golden circle around his pupils. He turns to us and I feel him take over a section of the web as if it were nothing. No matter how many countermeasures we¡¯ve placed to limit this kind of influence.

    (Izzy, I told you to stop doing that,) his voice admonishes through the link. (But anyway, my minion sensed you guys probing so at least come and greet her. You¡¯re acting like a bunch of creepy stalkers.)

    Then his presence disappears.

    Looking towards us, one of the red eyes of his disciple changes too, the faintest hint of a golden circle appearing around the pupil.

    The girl younger than Isabella smiles at us, but I still feel like a bug in her eyes.

 Chapter 365 - Sold for Jerky

    It doesn¡¯t seem like my minion cares much for the people I¡¯m introducing her to. I can feel the tension in her posture and I see it in the way she¡¯s constantly monitoring them.

    Well, it¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s just shy around new people. She even gave Nevan a chance and she liked Duplicaniel because he looked like me. Vega¡¯s a good girl! They will not become friends in the 24 hours we have, but she will bear with it for my sake.

    But damn, as I listen to her telling me how she found a lair of gray lizards and spent a day collecting kinetic energy to collapse the roof on top of them, I can¡¯t help but be moved. She is indeed a good disciple.

    ¡°So where are you currently in your world?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°I left the village after beating the snot out of a few people! I know master told me to lay low, but I couldn¡¯t help it. Plus, I didn¡¯t even tear their limbs off, and their broken bones will heal soon enough,¡± she declares somewhat satisfied. ¡°You said you would do much worse, but I held back!¡±

    I wish Sophie and Maya wouldn¡¯t look at me like that.

    ¡°It was also really easy to steal from them. The locks were easy to break and no one used any mana-based defenses! After an hour, I left half of the things I stole behind because they were too heavy to carry with me.¡±

    Just how much did she take?

    Minion continues, ¡°I tried to steal as much as I could, just like you showed me in that bunker! You know, ¡®take and sell anything that¡¯s not glued to the floor¡¯!¡±

    Nodding at her statement, I look away from the rest of Group 4. I don¡¯t think I deserve the looks they¡¯re sending my way.

    Vega¡¯s eyes shine as she happily describes how weak-hearted most of the people from the village were and how easy it was to deal with the monsters and animals further from the village.

    It looks like she¡¯s been having fun even though she is on her own now. Well, it¡¯s only been a few days, so she might get bored after a while. But so far this minion of mine is happier than she ever was in the village. It¡¯s certainly not something she would have been able to achieve without getting stronger.

    ¡°Wanna check on the wolf?¡± I ask when she finishes her story.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    With her answer, I stand, and Sophie, Maya, the twins, Izzy and Lily follow us to the rest of Group 4 with Biscuit and the black wolf.

    ¡°So your name is Vega?¡± Lily asks with a soft voice and gentle smile, in a clear attempt to be friendly.

    The other members of Group 4 seem to be curious though they view her with a sense of caution. That tracks given that I haven¡¯t really told them much regarding Vega.

    My minion glances at me then our black haired healer and nods while answering Lily¡¯s question, ¡°Yes. Vega is the name master gave me! He said I¡¯m the brightest star of his tutorial. That in the darkness of the tutorial, he found¡­¡±

    I quickly cover her mouth with my hand, but the expression she makes tells me that she knows very well what she is doing.

    Little devil.

    As a punishment, I flick her nose.

    Tess, seeing us coming, leaves Gareth with the others who¡¯ve gathered around the wolf, to meet us. She surrounds us with a barrier to keep anyone from listening in, and Sophie supplements her efforts by jamming any foreign mana with the aid of her web.

    ¡°Are you going to introduce us?¡± she inquires.

    ¡°Sure. Vega, this is Tess. Tess, this is my disciple Vega.¡±

    ¡°Hello!¡± Vega says simply, and Tess smiles at her understandingly.

    Probably by intention, she doesn¡¯t pressure my minion, knowing the little half demon will be happier that way, and turns to me instead. ¡°Did you know about this?¡± she asks, gesturing behind her at the giant black wolf.

    ¡°All I knew was that Biscuit liked his disciple,¡± I say watching as Biscuit floats out of our house.

    In one of his tentacles, he holds a piece of deer jerky he clearly stole from the sealed cupboard I was hiding it in. He sets the small piece of jerky in front of his disciple.

    The giant wolf looks at the ground where the small piece of deer jerky is and then at Biscuit, who floats proudly.

    ¡°Anyway, he seems surprisingly reasonable. And not just because of Biscuit, he just seems to be like that,¡± Tess continues. ¡°He knows about the tutorial and tournament, but some kind of custom or rule seems to be preventing him from acting in aggression while he¡¯s here. Though I suppose it could just be an aspect of his personality. He is surprisingly naive.¡±

    The black wolf lowers his maw and sticks out the slightest hint of his tongue to lap up the jerky along with a few stones and some dirt. Yet he doesn¡¯t seem to complain and eats it all while thanking his master.

    ¡°I¡¯m lost here,¡± Tess sighs. ¡°All of our disciples were so much weaker than us. The others seem to be the same, and yet Biscuit¡¯s is so strong. I bet he could take out most anyone from Hell difficulty with ease. We are trying to get information out of him, but he refuses to share anything of use, and he doesn¡¯t want to tell us his name. He just says that there are some things he doesn¡¯t want to say and that the system will censor the others.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it would.¡± The system is an asshole.

    ¡°He also said that we should just be patient, that most things will be revealed in the course of the tutorial,¡± Tess mentions. ¡°He¡¯s placed a lot of trust in the system and the tutorial.¡±

    ¡°Master, I want to pet him! Like the Ashenwolf!¡±

    ¡°Soon, minion, soon.¡±

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I¡¯m Vega, not a minion!¡±

    ¡°You just said you were my First minion and that other minions had to listen to you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Vega!¡±

    Nice strategy, acting dumb while looking cute. Classic minion.

    ¡°Maya said you spoke with Miwa?¡± I ask, turning to Tess.

    ¡°Yes, just visit her at her house. I was able to make another deal. You¡¯ll see when you speak to her, consider it a small surprise from me.¡±

    ¡°What have you done? Tess?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±

    Haaa. Bullied in front of my minion. My image will never recover from this.

    (You, Asshole with too much mana and a weak body!) shouts the telepathic voice of the wolf.

    Surely he isn¡¯t speaking to me? My body¡¯s gotten quite a bit stronger, and my passives and traits are helping a lot, so I wouldn¡¯t consider it too much mana. Actually, I¡¯m sure I can raise it even more. It¡¯s been too long since it threatened to break my body.

    But the glances being thrown my way as the wolf speaks tell me more than enough. Well, no worries, I will convert them soon enough.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to share information about the tutorial, the system, and stats, I don¡¯t know what we could be talking about.¡± I say, coming to a stop at Gareth¡¯s side in front of the giant wolf.

    Biscuit is already sitting on top of his head. It¡¯s nice to see minions respect their masters.

    (My master has summoned me for only 12 hours, asshole. In that time, I have decided to observe you and the other assholes to see if you are a fitting company for my master!)

    The way he speaks it¡¯s almost like Biscuit¡¯s some kind of mystical guru, and the respect he gives him makes me curious. I just wish he wouldn¡¯t talk to us like that.

    ¡°So you want a fight?¡± I ask.

    (Great! It¡¯s good you understand! Yes! I will fight you and¡­) then he stops mid sentence, his golden eyes looking up at Biscuit, (But master! I promise I won¡¯t hurt him¡­ much!) he complains.

    Even though Biscuit doesn¡¯t say anything, I can see bits of his mana flickering around his body.

    The ensuing messages exchanged between wolf and corgi alone, and after a minute, the black wolf turns to me again. (Asshole with too much mana. Surprisingly, my master is worried that you might hurt me, rather than me hurting you. I do not understand; you feel weak.) The giant head lowers, as the black wolf sniffs me.

    His head alone is as big as a bus.

    ¡°Ten pieces of jerky if you let me fight him,¡± I tell Biscuit.

    (Food!)

    ¡°I don¡¯t have that many. Twenty.¡±

    (Sustenance!)

    ¡°You won¡¯t die of hunger, but okay, thirty.¡±

    (Friend.)

    ¡°I won¡¯t hurt him, don¡¯t worry. He is your disciple after all.¡±

    (Food!)

    ¡°Okay, deal.¡±

    The black wolf seems to be shocked. (M-master, did you just sell me out for a measly¡­)

    I ignore the wolfy and turn to Tess, ¡°Can you take care of Vega for a bit? I will go to Miwa to get the stuff.¡±

    ¡°I wanna meet minion Miwa too!¡± Vega in my arms says.

    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise for you. And you should get to know the others at least a bit. I¡¯ll be back soon enough.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. I¡¯ll keep her safe, and we¡¯ll send you a message if anything happens,¡± Tess smiles at Vega. ¡°You can call me Sset in front of the others.¡± She says gesturing at Gareth.

    The definitely-secretly-evil man looks at Vega with a weird expression, especially at her red eyes and horns. I wonder what¡¯s going through his head as I remember everything Brainiac told us about Gareth during the Avatar challenge. That also makes me wonder about Gareth¡¯s disciple and how Gareth sees him.

    Damn, I love this place. So many interesting things to see and think about.

    Anyway, ¡°Minion, if anyone attacks you, fight back. Use the kick or kaboom. Otherwise, you can trust Sset and the others, and I will leave an anchor on you.¡±

    Then I turn to Biscuit¡¯s minion, ¡°See you soon, wolfy. We will fight before you leave.¡±

    The giant monster just snorts, putting its massive head on the ground, and looks around while communicating with Biscuit.

    I create an anchor and then fly for a short moment, stopping in front of Miwa¡¯s workshop. As one might expect, heat pours from within alongside the ringing of iron.

    I have to wait ten minutes before the second ranked craftsman calls for me, ¡°Just come inside and don¡¯t touch anything.¡± Then the clanging continues.

    ¡°Already preparing the pizza?¡± I ask, trying to lighten the mood as I enter the smithy.

    The place isn¡¯t that big, but there is a massive anvil in the center, and just a step away from it are a few tables bearing inscriptions, a wall covered in tools, and a floating stone that radiates a lot of heat, while being powered by Miwa¡¯s mana.

    Miwa doesn¡¯t seem to be amused. ¡°I picked out the items you offered. I want that small dagger made of voidsteel and a mid-sized piece of broken voidsteel blade. For that, I will make the pizza you want and add in some extra ingredients.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    Miwa, holding a silver hammer in her hand, smashes it into a piece of mystery alloy a few times, working it on the anvil while feeding more mana to the floating stone. The heat spikes, and she redirects it towards the anvil which absorbs it and then emits into the metal being worked.

    While it is heating up, she turns to me, ¡°I¡¯ll also show you this arm.¡± She lifts her right arm made of a silvery metal with a slight pink luster. Even with all the heat in here, it doesn¡¯t seem to have absorbed any. It¡¯s just as cold as it would be outside. And that just seems to be a property of the metal, not the inscriptions within the arm.

    ¡°So what do you want?¡± I ask.

    Tess is really good at dealing with people. I could get used to such surprises.

    ¡°Sset told me you know somebody I want to meet.¡±

    Huh, I don¡¯t know all that many people. Tess could probably do the same, so why bother me?

    Miwa continues before I say anything, ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to meet that person ever since I bought one of their items.¡± She gestures at one of the darker corners of the room.

    As I look I notice a number of items laying on the table. Items I immediately recognize. None of them are pretty but they apparently perform fairly well. And Miwa has more than half a dozen of them.

    ¡°I want to meet Tent C¡­ Fuc¡­ the person who¡¯s taken first in the crafter rankings. Sset said you could connect me with them.¡± Miwa seems to be ashamed to say those words, but her expression changes for the first time.

    She ignores the metal on the anvil as it starts to melt, and a deep look of interest takes root in her eyes. Nearly a creepy amount of interest.

    Is it how she saw me looking at her arm?

    But now I also know why Tess seemed to be having so much fun. Damn it.

 Chapter 366 - A bit weird

    If I tell her it¡¯s me, will Miwa expose my identity as Tent... the top-ranked craftsman? She wouldn¡¯t, right?

    But damn, she looks creepy. It''s almost like she¡¯s about to start drooling at the thought of meeting the 1st ranked craftsman in the tournament. Is she a stalker? Is that why she bought so many of my items? Was she driving the prices up?

    Miwa, noticing my gaze fixed on the ugly items, smiles, her face taking on a manic cast.

    She takes a step closer to them, ¡°I bought as many as I could! I even got a few of the members of my group to chip in. I owe them, but it was worth it!¡±

    Miwa takes two items: one is a dagger I made, and the other was made by someone else, likely Miwa herself.

    She confirms it soon, ¡°I made this dagger. The system rates it at mid-rare.¡±

    The dagger she is showing me is beautiful, and even though it''s pretty, it doesn''t feel weak. The inscriptions are a bit clumsy, but she did a good job shaping the metal, compressing it, and making the result pleasant to look at without sacrificing the performance.

    Next to her dagger is one of mine, and as they both lay there, the difference is stark. My dagger is much rougher, a mere chunk of dagger shaped metal. There are imperfections; it''s ugly, and even my inscriptions feel less delicate.

    Miwa picks up both of them and sends her mana through the blades. Then she swings them against each other.

    With a clang, her blade is sundered, and my dagger comes away whole, despite suffering a tiny chink in the blade.

    ¡°This dagger,¡± she lifts up the surviving one with a smile, ¡°is barely rated mid-rare, bordering on low-rare.¡± Her voice has more emotion in it, and she talks quickly.

    Like someone finally receiving permission to talk about their hobbies and obsessions.

    ¡°So I want to meet him or her. I will let you examine the arm if you promise not to damage it. Sset said you bought items from them and can contact them.¡±

    She takes another step closer to me, and I hold out my arm to keep her at bay. ¡°Okay, okay, let¡¯s calm down.¡±

    Finally coming back to herself, Miwa blushes and quickly takes a step back with an apologetic smile on her face.

    She bows quickly, ¡°I apologize for my behavior!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just let me think about it, ok? And give me some space.¡±

    I quickly teleport to an anchor I left in my room and take the dagger she wants and a good chunk of voidsteel. Then, I return to the anchor I left behind.

    ¡°For now, take this for your help with the pizza. I¡¯ll talk to Fuc¡­ to that person, and get back to you soon.¡±

    ¡°Please do so and thank you!¡± Miwa takes the epic dagger and the metal and carefully puts them away. ¡°Should I start preparing it?¡±

    ¡°Maybe in an hour or two?¡± Then I get an idea, ¡°Actually, I will come to you in about a day, and we can make it together. Would that be fine?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but I can¡¯t guarantee the result if anyone else is involved.¡±

    I wave my hand, ¡°That is fine. So tomorrow?¡±

    After she nods, I quickly teleport away. Dealing with the drooling fanboys is a problem for future me to deal with. Screw that weirdo.

    Appearing on the roof of our house, I scan the area.

    As expected, there are hundreds of presences gathered around our lodgings. It¡¯s no surprise people from other difficulties are intrigued, and the giant black wolf can be seen even from afar. Focusing on one presence in particular, I place a couple of anchors and find Channeler at its source.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    He stumbles back, almost collapsing in shock. I forgot some people aren¡¯t that good at detection or surprises.

    ¡°You can¡¯t keep doing that to me,¡± he complains as I help him back to his feet.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be used to it by now?¡±

    ¡°Give it a few dozen more tries,¡± he jokes weakly, nodding at the wolf visible even from here. He asks. ¡°Is that your new pet?¡±

    ¡°Biscuit¡¯s,¡± I reply.

    Seeing that I¡¯m not joking, Channeler only laughs, ¡°Yeah, that makes sense.¡±

    ¡°There is no need to worry; he won¡¯t do anything. And even if he did, we can¡¯t die here, so it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°You could defeat him?¡±

    For a moment, I think of it, remembering the sheer weight of the wolf, the feel of his mana, and his childish yet dangerous eyes. The wolf isn¡¯t weak, no, even though the mood around him has been light, he¡¯s still dangerous.

    ¡°Yeah, I could,¡± I admit.

    ¡°How strong is he in comparison to the things you¡¯ve fought on the other floors?¡± Channeler asks.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Honestly? I¡¯m not sure about our current floor, but I¡¯ve met stronger beings before and fought some of them. Make sure to look at him properly. Monsters as big as that wolf probably won¡¯t be anything rare once our round of the tutorial ends.¡±

    ¡°Are you referring to the Pairing?¡± he asks, looking in the direction of the black wolf.

    ¡°Yes.¡± is my answer.

    ¡°And you¡¯re already fighting beings as strong as that wolf.¡±

    ¡°Hell difficulty has been feeling easier lately, as we¡¯ve gotten stronger, but there are always surprises and fuck-ups. So yeah, it¡¯s not all that rare. Why do you think only 38 out of the 250 people who started in Hell difficulty have survived?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, Noname,¡± Channeler says carefully, ¡°you¡¯ve been so easygoing about it, that it¡¯s never really felt like you were struggling, it¡¯s like nothing¡¯s too dangerous for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡±

    That blonde and uselessly handsome man just smiles and shakes his head.

    What is he, posing for photos?

    ¡°Lately I¡¯ve been noticing something.¡± He says.

    While he¡¯s grasping for the right words, I die. Black mana tearing my heart apart as it gets too close. Still, I maintain composure and slightly modify my attempts. Once again I¡¯ve managed to confirm that too much mana, too close to my mana heart is less than a good idea. I clearly need to make some changes.

    ¡°You, Savant, Tacita, Sset. Everyone from Hell really. You all seem¡­¡±

    ¡°A bit strange?¡± I offer. I¡¯ve noticed that too.

    ¡°Something like that. At times, this something shines through that makes it obvious why you ended up in Hell, and I¡¯m not trying to insult you or anything. I just can¡¯t help but think that it would probably take someone like you to endure it all, and none of the Hell difficulty attendees exactly seem like they were exactly happy with their normal lives back on Earth.¡±

    ¡°Can you give me an example?¡± I ask, gesturing for him to continue, curiosity getting the better of me as I move my mana through my body.

    ¡°I have a friend who trained as a professional psychologist, and he said that Tacita seems to demonstrate a lot of the signs associated with someone who¡¯s experienced a lot of deep emotional pain. He can''t be sure but said that she might be a patient from a psychiatric hospital or a domestic abuse survivor, maybe even sexual trafficking. Savant and Gareth both seem like sociopaths and likely you as well ¡ªeither that or Asperger''s syndrome. It''s hard to say confidently, so these are only guesses. Then I heard Kim talking about his family, and he seems to be happier here than he ever was back home. Dennis and Aaron also seem to have experienced some form of domestic abuse, apparently, they¡¯ve been passed around by their family ever since their parents died and they¡¯re constantly changing schools.¡±

    ¡°You know their real names.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they told me, so did Tess. So my point is that I have spoken with the others. Brainiac, Lootenant, Adam, AnotherOneHere, and that¡¯s the one thing you all share - you like this world. Almost like you were missing something back on Earth.¡±

    ¡°That sounds right.¡±

    ¡°So how is it for you, Noname? Are you the same?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. What else does your psychologist friend think of me?¡±

    ¡°He thinks you might have had a messed-up childhood, probably something to do with your parents. That seems to be the most common issue. He sees something that suggests deep emotional scars.¡±

    ¡°Interesting. He seems to know a lot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s a bit weird. He¡¯s got an eidetic memory and a habit of watching people.¡± Channeler says nodding.

    ¡°Anyway, it''s not something I want to talk about. Can you get me a few people who are willing to fight? Easy, Normal difficulty, and maybe one or two from Hard.¡± I ask, changing the subject.

    ¡°I could try. What do you want them to do?¡±

    ¡°Just a bit of light sparring. No worries, their opponent won¡¯t be from Hell difficulty.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a problem. You won¡¯t need to offer any rewards. There are plenty of people who just want to get close to you guys, so I can use that, so long as we remember that person in the future.¡±

    Damn, is this what a high-level extrovert is capable of? It seems so easy when he says it.

    Then I remember something and pull a small mana stone from my pocket, ¡°I prepared this for you. It should help you practice moving your mana. I modified it so it should be perfect for you.¡±

    Channeler takes the stone, and as expected, he ignores me for a moment, examining his new toy. I don¡¯t even mind; it¡¯s nice to see someone with similar interests to mine.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask,¡± I warn him, ¡°try to examine it on your own and come to your own conclusions. It will help you more if you do. I¡¯ll give you some more before the end of the tournament, at least if you do a good job with this one.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll just accept the gift.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll see you later.¡±

    After I teleport, I think for a moment. Should I wait for a response? Are there any customs or rules regarding etiquette when it comes to teleportation, are there places and situations where it might be considered rude to do so?

    Lately, I¡¯ve been getting used to my instantaneous mode of transport, but I should probably ask Min-Jae to let me train under his increased gravity field so I don¡¯t get too lazy. It¡¯s been a long time since I pushed my body with proper exercise.

    As I arrive I find myself welcomed with an unusual sight. Tacita standing across from my disciple and staring at her. Tess and Lily are standing nearby, and I can almost feel their skills on a short trigger and mana hum under their skin. The girls are about as far away from Vega as Tacita, though they certainly realize how terrifyingly fast the girl with messy brown hair can be.

    Tacita must have appeared there out of nowhere, surprising them and cornering Vega.

    (It¡¯s fine,) I say sending a message to Tess through Sophie¡¯s web. If they do something stupid it might trigger Tacita.

    ¡°She is my disciple,¡± I tell Tacita, as she looks from me to Vega.

    Even as quirky as she is, she can be startlingly intelligent at times, that sentence alone will surely tell her a lot - the meaning of Vega to me and what will happen if Tacita tries to hurt her. Yet, at the same time, that sentence feels empty. Tacita is faster than me, and she is closer. If she decided to do anything, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to stop her in time.

    And the same as me, Tacita realizes that Vega might not be included in the ¡°can¡¯t die during the tournament¡± part of the message. Something I failed to think of in my stupidity.

    I act as calmly as I can and take a few steps closer, as I feel my heart pounding in my chest.

    A few more steps, and I¡¯m almost within reach. A black mana orb forms deep inside my body, ready for absorption, to strengthen my body to the fullest. The anchor I left on Vega is ready to be activated at any moment.

    Then Tacita moves her hand, and I almost attack her. But her movement is restrained, and I hold myself back through clenched teeth. She looks her over without malice, and slowly, gently, she reaches a hand out towards Vega.

    She looks at me, her hand stopping mid-air, and when I don''t react, she continues and gently touches Vega¡¯s pointy horn with the tip of her finger.

    Tacita then smiles brightly, her eyes devoid of ill will, and I feel myself calm down.

    Then my minion kicks her in the shin.

 Chapter 367 - Horns

    As the kick lands, Tacita turns away from me to look at Vega, a look of sheer surprise on her face.

    And Vega kicks her again. The second kick lands as well, which Tacita surely allowed again.

    (Don¡¯t) I warn through Sophie¡¯s link as Tess and Lily move to intervene. Yet I still take a few steps closer, ready for anything.

    Displaying an unusual degree of care, Tacita puts her finger on Vega¡¯s forehead and pushes her away, causing the young half demon to stumble.

    As I catch Vega¡¯s gaze, I can¡¯t help but think ¡°Oh no¡±.

    It¡¯s like Vega is confirming I¡¯m nearby to help, as she forms a dagger in her hand to stab Tacita with, as she taunts Vega by standing too close.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ever touch my horns!¡± my minion shouts, her voice trembling with anger.

    The silent assassin dodges swing after swing with ease, her expression overcome with mischief. Her hand darts out in a blur, knocking the pale blue mana dagger from Vega¡¯s hand.

    Before my minion can continue, Tacita gestures for her to stop. She takes a step closer and presses her own dagger into Vega¡¯s hand, closing her fingers around it. Then, unsatisfied, she pries the minion¡¯s hand open, shifting her hold on the dagger, until it settles into a more natural state.

    Tacita then gestures for my minion to attack again.

    For the following few minutes, my minion tries to stab her as Tacita avoids Vega¡¯s attacks and corrects her form. A poorly positioned blade here, a wrong step there, an overzealous swing. Tacita somewhat impatiently corrects it all, with a slightly annoyed expression, as if not understanding why the minion is that bad at trying to kill her.

    When Vega does anything too bad, Tacita flicks her tiny horns.

    (She appeared here out of nowhere, right in front of Vega. Not even Sophie¡¯s web detected her. Sophie couldn¡¯t even feel Tacita¡¯s mind.) Tess says carefully, speaking directly into my mind.

    (And then she touched Vega¡¯s horns?) I ask.

    (Yes), Tess nods. (Vega didn¡¯t seem to like that very much and shouted at her just a moment before you showed up. They seem to be sensitive and when you showed up Tacita touched them again.)

    As we talk, I watch as Vega opens her mouth launching a thin, needle-like projectile of mana at Tacita¡¯s face.

    Even then, her attack is easily dodged, though it still makes Tacita smile brightly.

    As is the proper reaction to having someone try to kill you.

    Over and over again, Tacita corrects my minion, who just refuses to give up. Watching it all go down, I find myself counting the ways my minion has improved while leveling her skills.

    Vega always did prefer fighting at close-range, her style aggressive, not unlike Tacita¡¯s, honestly I can¡¯t bring myself to think of the experience as anything but helpful, so I let it happen. Still, I don¡¯t forget to make my presence known, as a reminder to Tacita to step lightly.

    Either because of my warning or, more likely because she¡¯s taken a liking to Vega''s personality, Tacita makes sure not to push her too far. Though she¡¯s fully capable of doing so. And that¡¯s just knowing how many times she¡¯s killed Samuel alone.

    But damn, swindling a free lesson out of one of the most powerful people in Hell difficulty. My Minion is truly a cunning little creature.

    As I watch, I check my own notifications. I¡¯ve managed to level a few of my skills thanks to all my training in the common area, especially my [Perception] thanks to the staring contest I had with Tacita.

    [Perception - lvl 43 > Perception - lvl 44]

    [Perception - lvl 44 > Perception - lvl 45]

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 42 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 43]

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 43 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 44]

    [Tether - lvl 35 > Tether - lvl 36]

    [Infusion - lvl 28 > Infusion - lvl 29]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 20 > Mana Crown - lvl 21]

    Not bad at all for a few days. Especially given that my higher level skills have been getting harder and harder to level. I could probably get more out of skills with lower levels, but I would be stupid not to seize this opportunity.

    I already lost count of all the times the system decided I was dead, each time I¡¯ve made huge improvements when it comes to handling black mana and the higher frequencies of kinetic energy. And yet it still feels a bit off.

    Sure, I can push myself further and learn more, but there¡¯s still something missing. That feeling of danger and death if I slip up is gone. And with it, at least subconsciously, I¡¯ve lost my drive to give my all. My mind has dulled, and I find myself failing to push my limits.

    Actually, it¡¯s hard to describe it properly, and despite my efforts to fix it, I find myself at a loss. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s ruining my plans, but it¡¯s still something I need to consider.

    ¡°This is what I expect of my minions,¡± I tell Maya, who¡¯s been watching from the sidelines.

    She did say she wanted to become my minion to get free items, didn¡¯t she? I can¡¯t help but enjoy watching her expression as she witnesses Vega¡¯s assault on Tacita.

    At this point in the fight, Vega is tired. She¡¯s expended a decent chunk of her mana, and her body¡¯s been injured by her own careless manipulation of kinetic energy and mana. My minion is bleeding from her eye too. A faint golden circle etched in her iris.

    Yet she continues to push herself, improving at a terrifying speed, not a speck of her aggression has been expended, and her attacks retain their enthusiasm.

    I think Maya, and the twins, and a few of the other members of our group are starting to be surprised that I¡¯ve let things get this far. After all, I summoned Vega to have a nice time and share my favorite food with her, like I promised back on the 5th Floor.

    Instead, here she is now. Stumbling, injured under the weight of her own powers, her tiny hand barely holding on to her dagger.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    But my minion is smiling.

    Vega seems to be having fun right now, learning things from Tacita that I could never teach her. So in the end, I can¡¯t stop her, because it¡¯s something she wants to do.

    I wait for her to stumble, on the verge of collapse, before I move in to catch her before she hits the ground. And before I can stand, Tacita¡¯s vanished, leaving me to look at this silly minion of mine. She¡¯s breathing heavily lying in my arms and trembling from the pain of her wounds.

    ¡°Did you have fun?¡± I ask as I take her over to Lily.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Vega says, nodding as her brow furrows, ¡°But that human touched my horns, master! And I couldn¡¯t hear her heart at all. Is she sick?¡±

    I respond in an attempt to answer my confused minion, ¡°We humans don¡¯t care about hearts quite as much as demons do, minion. As far as we¡¯re concerned, they¡¯re little more than hearts. And I think she has a skill or trait for the purpose of hiding it.¡±

    ¡°Humans are weird, master. But not you! You feel more like a real demon! Thank you for letting me have fun.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes, but you should lower your barrier now, okay? Lily¡¯s going to heal you, so be nice.¡±

    ¡°I will¡­¡± Even as dissatisfied as she is, she complies, and Lily touches her for a few seconds, closing her wounds, and leaving my minion refreshed as all the pain disappears.

    Confused, Vega blinks a few times and looks at Lily while mumbling, ¡°I will really have to get a healer of my own...¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Lily,¡± I say, in my ungrateful minion¡¯s place.

    ¡°No problem! Vega¡¯s very cool, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen such a brave young half demon.¡± Lily says trying to be sneaky, though it¡¯s easy to see through her intentions.

    There is no way my minion will fall for that.

    When I look down, Vega¡¯s face seems normal. Her expression is neutral and her eyes full of curiosity. Yet I can feel her heartbeat quicken.

    ¡°Just a few years and she might be able to beat Tacita with ease,¡± Lily says.

    The half-demon¡¯s tiny heart beats even quicker, and I can see how hard she works not to smile.

    Minion¡­

    <hr>

    Once inside our house, Vega looks around full of curiosity. She seems to like the furniture; even the smallest things are new to her. But most of all, she enjoys sweets I saved up from my shopping spree. She seems especially fascinated by the smartphone.

    ¡°Master! What kind of item is this, did you make it?¡± She asks while holding the phone gazing at the picture I took of her.

    ¡°It¡¯s a device made on my planet. There was no magic or mana involved in its production.¡±

    Vega shakes the phone, only to be surprised when the picture doesn¡¯t fade. Though she drops it, surprised as the screen darkens, slipping into battery conservation mode.

    I grab it before it can crash to the floor, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you didn¡¯t break anything. It also can¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s weird, master. Humans are weird.¡±

    ¡°I guess they are. Now smile,¡± I point the camera at her, ready to take another pic.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to, master. I already did it a lot of times! I even let you take a picture of me with your minions! I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°One more of that fruity candy you liked. I hid it before you ate them all.¡±

    Immediately she smiles brightly, and I take a picture. When I look at the screen, it¡¯s indeed the best one yet.

    ¡°Good job, minion,¡± I say, and pull the candy from my pocket and give it to her. Though this time, she takes care not to bite into the wrapping, carefully extricating the sweet before consuming it with joy.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about you, minion; It¡¯s too easy to manipulate you with gifts,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°It¡¯s only that way with master!¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°It is!¡±

    ¡°You took sweets from Tess, Lily, and Maya. You even let them pinch your cheeks and hug you.¡±

    ¡°Master always said to get as much as possible from dumb people! I gained amazing items in exchange for that short hug. I scammed them!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, minion, but did you even think to ask for more?¡±

    ¡°More?¡± she asks, tilting her head.

    ¡°Yes, more. You accepted the first offer they gave you, but you should always ask for more, go back and forth, and meet somewhere in the middle. Watch.¡± I say turning to Lily. ¡°You gave Vega one candy for a ten-second hug. Wouldn¡¯t you pay three times that for the same hug?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Lily answers happily.

    Minion seems to be shocked, ¡°N-no way.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you who got scammed, minion. You might be cunning, but my group is full of weirdos, so you can¡¯t let your guard down.¡±

    ¡°What should I do now, master?¡±

    ¡°Well, if someone scams you with the intention to hurt you, you can hurt them back; that much is obvious. If you were stronger, I would tell you to beat Lily and others, but as you are now, you would lose.¡±

    ¡°I could stab them when they aren¡¯t looking or prepare an exploding orb for them!¡±

    ¡°That would be going too far. I know you don¡¯t care about them, but they¡¯re members of my group.¡±

    ¡°Nat, your disciple is a bit extreme. I¡¯m not sure if I can get you to accept me as your minion like this,¡± Maya sighs from the couch, nomming on our snacks as always.

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem with you. Why would I accept you as a minion with such poor resolve, right, Vega?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Her heart is also weak!¡±

    ¡°Little demon, why are you so obsessed with hearts?" Maya asks. "Why do demons like them so much?¡±

    I catch a glimpse of the annoyance on Vega¡¯s face before she puts on the fake smile again, ¡°I¡¯m half demon and half human. And a stronger heart means a stronger demon,¡± she says as if that should explain everything.

    ¡°Demons are usually born with a 4th trait, most of the time it is some sort of modification to their heart. The stronger the heart, the stronger the demon and they seem to prefer being around strong people,¡± I say, explaining to Maya and the others listening in.

    ¡°What if there is someone powerful without a strong heart?¡± Maya asks, teasing my minion.

    But Vega doesn¡¯t hesitate, stating that ¡°You can¡¯t become truly powerful without having a strong heart.¡± as if it were a fact.

    I leave them to their fight walking into the kitchen with Sophie, Izzy, and the twins. Izzy tried to make friends with my minion, but after no end of trying, she left, tired.

    ¡°So what was the problem, Izzy? You can be honest with me.¡± I ask, stopping next to her.

    The 11-year-old empath sighs before responding, ¡°I had to stop using my skill around her. She is constantly ready for an attack, and I keep feeling spikes of anger from her. She¡¯s probably imagining methods for attacking us.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that normal? I used to do that all the time.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Izzy agrees. ¡°But it was much harder to detect from you! I¡¯m at a higher level than her, so I can feel a lot even without trying. I need to level up my skill and improve my control.¡±

    Sophie puts her hand on her sister¡¯s shoulder and continues in her place, ¡°Vega doesn¡¯t trust us at all. Whenever you¡¯re not in the room, she puts on that fake smile. And it¡¯s almost creepy how nice she is when you are there, then she borders on clingy.¡±

    Well, it¡¯s not like I can refute that. She might be even more picky with people than I am. She¡¯s reluctant to trust anyone other than me, and she only seems to respect people on the stronger end of the spectrum. Plus, Vega isn¡¯t human, so can we even judge her with our normal human thinking?

    I wave a quick goodbye and head back to my minion, who¡¯s sitting in my armchair and poking at the armrest.

    ¡°Minion, let¡¯s check on wolfy.¡±

    Immediately her uninterested expression changes, a smile blooming across her face.

    Dealing with other people is so much work. The trouble I¡¯m having with Tess. Lily and her insecurities. Min-Jae and his delinquent phase. My minion, clinging to me, even as she sees the others as bugs. And right when I thought that most of my troubles were over, new ones popped up almost immediately.

    Walking outside, I absent-mindedly reach down, ruffle Vega¡¯s hair, and prod her tiny, prickly horns.

    Vega smiles at me, and I can¡¯t help but think about how different her response is. Not that long ago, she was willing to stab Tacita just for touching them.

 Chapter 368 - Looking for a fight

    To break the silence, I ask, ¡°Have you been leveling your [Concentration], what about your [Mana Manipulation], and [Kinetic Barrier]?¡±

    ¡°Yes! All of them! [Mana Manipulation] the most. I practice every day with the mana stones you gave me.¡±

    ¡°Hardworking as always, minion.¡±

    ¡°I need to get stronger.¡± Vega nods seriously.

    As we approach the forest, I notice a bunch of kids nearby, standing behind a fence and staring at the giant black wolf. They do seem to be scared though their curiosity has clearly won out. Most of them hail from Easy difficulty. They appear to have been accompanied by a few adults, who honestly don''t seem much better.

    Even from this distance, I hear one of the kids shout towards the wolf, ¡°Nya nya nya!¡±

    ¡°Oliver, I told you to stop saying that!¡± The man, probably the boy''s father, shouts before slapping the back of his head.

    ¡°You got it wrong, Oliver! You should only be adding it to the end of the sentence because¡­¡± the second boy doesn''t finish because the man slaps the back of his head as well.

    We don¡¯t hear much more as their conversation fades from the range of our hearing. I turn to Vega, ¡°Minion, have you given any consideration to saying nya at the end of your sentences? Long ago, it was some¡­¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t do it!¡±

    I see. Humanity is doomed.

    Lynthari and human 0, half demons 1.

    ¡°So how are things going?¡± I ask as we approach Tess and Gareth, who are still conversing with the black wolf, patiently sitting nearby with Biscuit on his head.

    ¡°He¡¯s been surprisingly nice,¡± Gareth says.

    ¡°We¡¯ve gotten a few ¡°tiny¡± bits of information,¡± Tess adds.

    ¡°Anything fun?¡± I ask.

    ¡°We were right, there are 14 Rulers. One for each Radiance and Blight. Each one is usually much more powerful than a given Absolute, and most of them used to be Absolutes. The number seems to have been limited by the system itself, and there can¡¯t be more than one for each Radiance or Blight.¡±

    ¡°We expected that much, didn¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s nice to have it confirmed. What is fun is that in some very rare cases, a powerful Absolute can potentially defeat and even kill a Ruler and take his place. Sometimes the title of a Ruler is hereditary, an Absolute can receive the ruler¡¯s powers via a ceremony. In some cases you need to kill them or have a better handle on your Radiance or Blight, it differs from Ruler to Ruler.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of unexpected but not that surprising if you think about it,¡± I say.

    ¡°Yes, it also seems like being called Absolute isn¡¯t just for the sake of it, and some Absolutes are much more powerful than others. We tried to get more, but the system censored a lot. Floors, Rulers, Absolutes, information on future tournaments, the System, Pairing, factors outside the scope of the tutorial.¡±

    (It¡¯s still too early for you, human. Just trust in the system, and gradually everything will be revealed.) The black wolf snorts, his breath bending the grass in its path like a strong wind.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± I tell him.

    (It matters not what you want or do not want, human.)

    Well, if this young wolf isn¡¯t just as cheeky as his master. Still, I have to wonder why someone as high-leveled as the wolf needed a master. Him becoming a disciple can mean only one thing: he was about to die. Like every other disciple, he was saved from death by being sent to the tutorial, at which point he became a disciple, after being picked by the system due to their similarity to a participant.

    ¡°So how did you become Biscuit¡¯s disciple?¡± It''s simpler to just ask than stress over it.

    (Master possesses the same primordial energy I do, and even though master isn¡¯t as high-leveled yet, his mastery over it is much greater than mine.)

    Biscuit, you cool little thing.

    Sensing my pride, he lets out a gentle woof from atop his disciple¡¯s head.

    ¡°What kind of energy is it?¡±

    (Human, this is not the kind of information to be shared. The primordial energy my master and I possess is extremely rare, more so than the five that are usually known. You also seem to possess primordial energy, I can smell it.)

    ¡°Maybe, maybe not. So, is your primordial energy really that powerful?¡±

    (It¡¯s rarer than most. As with the others, its power relies on its bearer. Human, you are indeed stupid and ill-informed. That much should be basic knowledge, you should already know if you reached the first tournament.)

    ¡°Sure. You said your predecessor was an ancient wolf and devourer of planets. Was he a Ruler?¡±

    (My predecessor was the first in our line to possess the primordial energy my master and I share. He was one of the most powerful Absolutes to ever live, human. Even Rulers shook in fear of his blinding power!)

    The wolf seems simple. He likes to trash-talk, but he is weirdly naive and likes to show off. From a certain point of view, he may as well be similar in age to Vega. That reminds me that I have a promise to fulfill to my minion.

    ¡°Biscuit, can my minion pet your disciple?¡±

    (I will not be pet by one of those crazed demons!)

    (Food.)

    ¡°Of course, I will. I¡¯m sure we will find more deer sooner or later.¡±

    (Food!)

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    As I pick up Vega to boost ourselves onto the wolf¡¯s head, I hear Gareth ask, ¡°Sset, am I the only one who is taking this seriously?¡±

    Landing on the top of the giant wolf¡¯s head, I stride over to Biscuit and put Vega down. My minion quickly drops to her knees and burrows her hands into the the black wolf¡¯s thick fur. Judging by her smile, I can only guess that she came to like petting dangerous animals after her experience with Ashenwolf. Nice, another person converted.

    Meanwhile, Biscuit¡¯s disciple is suspiciously quiet, and for some reason, I find it funny. It¡¯s almost like I¡¯m teasing a little kid.

    I sit down next to Vega, and Biscuit floats over to my legs so that I can pet him.

    After the end of the 5th Floor it feels nice to have some time to relax and spend at least a week in a safe place. Maybe that¡¯s part of the system¡¯s intent, letting people unwind and interact with others from Earth so that they can have some fun before being thrown back to the floors. Just a week of that.

    From my previous conversations with the others, I¡¯ve found that most of the people from the other difficulties aren¡¯t that hostile or suspicious. Everyone here is going through the same situation, so we share that experience with each other. That seems to build a relationship between us pitting us against the tutorial, bringing us closer together, and smoothing over petty differences.

    Of course, there are exceptions, like the murderer from Easy difficulty, BenDover from Hell, and a few more people I don¡¯t even know the names of. But I know Tess and others are dealing with them.

    That¡¯s another reason for me to keep an eye on Vega. It is possible that she can¡¯t die here, the aura might just be an area effect. But there is also the possibility that its effect only applies to people from Earth. So it would be stupid to risk it. Tacita has shown me how little it would take. So at all times, Vega will be either near me or with Tess, Lily, and Soph.

    Still, there are Savant and Tacita to worry about. The only people capable of doing anything to her even with others protecting her. I don¡¯t think they would try anything, but I¡¯m an untrusting person, so I need to prepare for anything.

    ¡°Wolfy, what¡¯s your name?¡± I ask him.

    (I won¡¯t be telling you my name, human.)

    ¡°So stubborn,¡± I say tapping on the top of his head, something I¡¯m not sure he even felt. Then I watch as Vega moves closer and stops just an arm¡¯s reach away from Biscuit, who eyes her curiously.

    Vega carefully reaches her hand and touches his nose with her pointing finger. She does it extremely carefully and gently, something she saw me doing.

    Biscuit lets it happen, watching her with his intelligent eyes. He then licks her finger, and she pulls her hand back quickly in response, surprise overtaking her face.

    Her eyes jump from Biscuit to me and then back to Biscuit, and she reaches again. This time she lets him lick her hand, and surprised by her own reaction, she giggles.

    Biscuit woofs at her, and Vega moves closer and touches his forehead, his cheek, and then carefully and slowly puts her small hand on top of his head. When she starts caressing him, Biscuit closes his eyes, patiently enduring her clumsy attempts at affection.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± I ask, leaning back to watch as she pets him.

    ¡°It¡¯s weird, master. I know he is smarter and stronger than me, but I don¡¯t feel like I need to worry about him hurting me. And it¡¯s not just because I have you here with me.¡± As she speaks, she stops petting Biscuit, until he chuffs at her, leading her to quickly continue.

    In response I ask the black wolf, ¡°Did you hear that? Why can¡¯t you be more like your master?¡±

    The black wolf decides to keep his dignity and stays quiet.

    ¡°Maybe you would master your primordial energy as well as Biscuit if you behaved like him.¡± I tease.

    Silence.

    ¡°I bet that ancient predecessor of yours wasn¡¯t so uptight like you. He probably...¡±

    (Human.) He interrupts me finally, (If you are looking for a fight, let¡¯s fight.) As he growls, I feel its deep rumble in my bones and the ground beneath me. It reverberates in my chest as we square off.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    <hr>

    We face off against each other, having moved to the edge of the common area, relocating to a big clearing surrounded by trees on three sides. Far enough away to avoid causing any damage to the common area at large, not to mention the houses, and camps there. I think. Details¡­ who needs to care about such little things. I just know I¡¯m excited.

    This tournament is fun and all, but at the same time, it feels fake, no real danger has been presented to me. It¡¯s almost to the point that I can¡¯t wait to return to the floors to experience some real danger, and yet even though this is just as fake, it feels more real. It feels strange to say, but that¡¯s the only way I can describe the sensation.

    Nearby, I see Tess with the rest of group 4 and Vega in between them. They¡¯ve learned from our previous experience and so they¡¯ve taken greater precautions, going so far as to set a barrier in advance. It¡¯s not like they are close; actually, they are pretty far, but better safe than sorry.

    The wolf in front of me stretches and shakes, his teeth bared in imitation of a smile. He doesn¡¯t say anything, the kind and boyish atmosphere around him is gone. Instead, every one of his movements feels dangerous, like that of a predator, and his golden eyes take on a vicious glow.

    I can already feel my heart pumping madly, so I better calm down so that I don¡¯t hurt him too much. We still don¡¯t know if our disciples can die here, and I promised not to hurt him. I know there are even more people than Group 4 watching. Some of them are curious, and others are bored and hoping for an exciting fight.

    At this point, there is no sense in hiding anything. Of course, I fully intend to hold back, I don¡¯t want to hurt him after all, but I don¡¯t exactly need to hide my abilities either.

    The first to attack is the black wolf. One moment he stands there, a towering giant. In the next, his body shrinks to half of his original size. Though it¡¯s still massive.

    His maw snaps shut around the space I formerly occupied and he charges me again, moving so quickly just with the sheer power of his stats.

    I dodge again, black mana seeping into my body from an orb embedded inside me, as I match his speed, opening our battle with a hit and run game of tag.

    He lashes out with a paw, mana trailing his claws. He snaps his maw shut, sending a small shockwave through the air. I retaliate by shooting a mana projectile at him, and he dodges, only for his senses to pick up a concentrated blast of kinetic energy, which he dodges as well. Nimbly moving on his legs, he keeps his golden eyes on me, his speed increasing as his body continues to shrink, leaving me struggling to avoid him. The stalemate continues as each of us waits for the other to use any other skill beginning to fight in earnest.

    I see amusement in his eyes as I let my [Mana Crown] form over my head so I can flood my body with more black mana from the orb inside. His amusement quickly disappears when armor surrounds my body and becomes denser and bigger, creating a mech made of mana.

    [Redistribution] holds him down for a moment, and the massive arm of my mana mech grabs hold of his shrunken body.

    There are no more childish screams or complaints anymore; instead, he shows me all of his teeth, bearing his fangs in all their terrible beauty.

    Through my Mana Wavelength Iris, I watch his mana swirl, as his body grows to its original size.

    But my mana mech grows with it, my crown serving to keep the mana I¡¯m releasing under control, with some assistance from [Mana Domain] and [Mana Manipulation]. The armor surrounding me matches his rate of growth, gradually turning a lighter shade of blue until I use [Redistribution] and [Infusion] to shore up the gaps with mana.

    The wolf is now the same size he was before and a bit more, and my armor equals his size, dark blue mana surrounding me.

    Finally, he gets away from my hand and jumps back, the ground exploding under his feet as he lowers his body and charges at me.

    I take a wad of kinetic energy I¡¯ve been compressing in my Vortex Core and use it to help maneuver the mana armor surrounding me, and we clash into each other.

    Instead of a clash of wit and attempts to take each other down smartly, it turns into a brawl between two equally stubborn individuals.

 Chapter 369 - Hide it from others

    Moving the huge suit of armor takes time, but it''s fun, and I had already decided that I would need to practice against an opponent like this. The ones I wouldn¡¯t be able to damage with ranged attacks and would need to engage at close quarters.

    The wolf bites into my side, and my arms move, grabbing him around his neck. But there¡¯s another factor at play. There¡¯s some kind of weird field around his body that disrupts and absorbs mana anywhere it comes into contact with him.

    It isn¡¯t quick nor is it all that strong; rather, its effects manifest as a gradual and unstoppable pull. It continues even as I tighten my hold on my mana by expanding my domain and adding my crown to the mix.

    Just like that, it eats my mana. Not unlike Savant¡¯s penchant for absorbing attacks to store for later use, but the wolf seems to be¡­ eating and transforming it? It¡¯s not even like what Noodle¡¯s been doing and I can¡¯t really grasp the difference.

    My leg moves, and I slam my knee into his head before letting go, causing the giant beast to stumble back and shake his head. I follow through immediately, closing the distance while keeping an eye on my mana reserves.

    Once again, the wolf fails to dodge and lets me slam into him, his teeth burying into the mana of my mech and tearing out chunks that I have to reform at an exorbitant mana cost.

    As a reward, I punch him in the head, getting a growl from him before punching him again.

    He jumps back, mana surrounding his body, preparing to activate some kind of skill. As he does, I turn and tear a few trees from the ground complete with roots, and throw them at the wolf. Each one hits, dirt pouring from the roots.

    Boosting my armor with what remains in my Vortex Core, I charge him again, each step shaking the earth.

    Again, he waits for me, but this time, before we clash, his head and mouth become much bigger. A shadowy aura of eerie mana engulfs him, and his expression grows darker.

    Like a horror existing only to consume everything.

    The giant maw is about to snap around the entirety of my armor in a single bite when I let go of it, ejecting myself from the wolf while taking as much mana and kinetic energy as possible with me.

    Reduced to my original size, I crash into the ground and watch as that giant maw gulps down what remains of my armor and the black wolf returns to normal. Almost normal anyway, he¡¯s still enveloped in that same eerie mana.

    A deep growl reverberates through the clearing, almost like a laugh, as the black wolf licks his chops. His eyes narrowed in a cruel expression, full of ill intentions as he takes a step towards me.

    I float into the air to meet him, my body rising to the height of his head.

    His maw is open, fangs bared, body lowered into a predatorial crouch, and he keeps his steps soft as if he were stalking unsuspecting prey. The golden eyes are squinted into a dangerous expression.

    For a moment, we face each other down, and then with a deep growl, he bites at me.

    Black mana seeps into my body, much more intensely than before, and the crown over my head shines brighter. I use [Redistribution], and the black wolf halts his movement, maw open ready to strike, yet the giant body fails to move.

    I convert more of my mana into its black variant, making use of [Focus], [Mana Manipulation], and [Redistribution], powering the skill holding the black wolf.

    There was a time, not so long ago, that the amount of kinetic energy flowing through my body would have been enough to disintegrate me on the spot, and yet now it¡¯s doable. I make that kinetic energy my own, change its frequency, and release it all in a single powerful blast that sends the wolf¡¯s huge body flying.

    The wolf crashes to the ground, rolls a few times, and bulldozes through the forest, bowling over dozens of trees.

    Before he can stand up, I¡¯m there, floating over him and grasping him once again, holding him in place despite his struggles.

    Finding himself unable to move anything but his mana, tendrils as black as his fur extend from his body, their length extending multiple times beyond that of the wolf¡äs body. They swirl around, destroying the ground and the trees before they thrust towards me.

    I create a black orb in front of myself, absorbing the mana constructs rushing towards me with ease. It pulls the moment they enter its range, devouring the black tendrils, sucking them in, and growing more powerful in the process.

    (That mana!) His voice rumbles in my head, for the first time since the battle started.

    Once again, the field around the wolf changes, eating away at the mana I¡¯m using to power my [Redistribution], as he attempts to escape my hold. Before he can do that, I reach out to the black orb that absorbed his attacks and touch it, forcing it to elongate into the form of a javelin twice my height.

    Just as the wolf is about to escape, the javelin made of black mana embeds itself deep within his hind leg.

    He attempts to turn his head to pull it free, but he freezes mid-movement, and his eyes shift back to me.

    There I float in front of his head, a tricolored orb floating over the palm of my hand. Filled with my mana, ready to explode. Just a little push is all it needs.

    I watch as he growls, his teeth snapping right in front of me out of anger, all while the black javelin devours his mana faster and faster.

    ¡°Do you know anything about that mana?¡± I ask him, gesturing at the javelin sprouting from his leg.

    I can¡¯t help but find his expression amusing, so I reach out and boop his nose which, now that I look, is almost bigger than me. After reabsorbing the mana from the tricolored orb I fly over to the javelin and pull it free while boosting my body.

    Right away, it starts trying to devour my mana, and though it once again fries my brain, killing me in the process, I manage to put it under my control. It seems like I¡¯ve grown careless within the common area, and the tournament as a whole. It also absorbed a lot more of the wolf¡¯s mana than I thought.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Well, it¡¯s not really a problem; I wouldn¡¯t have even died if I hadn¡¯t lost my concentration.

    When I fly over to the black wolf and show him the javelin, he stays quiet.

    ¡°Is it some kind of secret?¡±

    He growls, (I don¡¯t know how much I should tell, so I¡¯d rather stay quiet.)

    ¡°Is it rare?¡± I wave the javelin, which is growing more annoying by the second as it threatens to subvert my control.

    (Extremely rare, human. You shouldn¡¯t have it. Hide it from others.)

    ¡°I was already told to hide my eyes and my primordial energies. It¡¯s annoying. What now? Do you mean to tell me that I can¡¯t make use of any of my abilities?¡±

    Following my lead, his mana calms down, and he settles into a less aggressive stance, as his eyes regain their usual shine.

    (This is different from traits, primordial energies, or even bearing powerful passive and active skills, human. People might want someone with a powerful trait to try to steal it or breed with you in hopes of securing it for their own lineage.)

    W-what?!

    He takes a moment to sniff at the black javelin. (Primordial energies are also rare, and their holders can be kidnapped to learn from them or for the purpose of experimentation on bodies capable of containing primordial energies. Sometimes they are enslaved. But none of that really matters human. No matter what you do, there will always be more beings lusting for power. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a skill, a passive, mind control, healing, primordial energies, or a powerful trait.)

    The black wolf then pulls away from the black javelin and looks at me instead, (I¡¯ve never seen it with my own eyes, but even still I¡¯ve heard about it. There have only been four beings in the last few millennia that have possessed it. Each of them¡­)

    The rest of the words get censored to my surprise, and the wolf notices it as well.

    This is unexpected. I could understand information on Pairing and the First Generation being censored as they are about the system, but this? Did the Ruler¡¯s intent interfere again? Was it the Ruler of Greed or is this somehow connected to information the system doesn¡¯t think I should have access to? Another thing to add to the ever-growing list of mysteries.

    ¡°You held back during the fight, why?¡±

    (Human, don¡¯t make me call you stupid again. You and your group belong to my master¡¯s pack. And unlike my master, I''m not as good at controlling my primordial energy, so I didn¡¯t want to hurt you. And you held back for the same reasons. I can see that crazed look in your eyes when you fight, I can smell it pour off of you, and see it in your movements. You and that little demon are the same.)

    ¡°I will have to take that as a compliment.¡±

    (Do as you wish, asshole human! We will fight the next time we meet. But for now, I need to receive feedback from my master and his teachings. I don¡¯t have much time left here.)

    His wound has already begun to close, as he walks back through the wreckage of what was once part of the forest.

    Now that he¡¯s no longer surrounded by that eerie primordial energy, he once again feels like a bratty young boy. A giant bratty young boy with fangs as long as I am tall, yup.

    Well, it was a nice warm-up, but it doesn''t feel satisfying, so I just have to pin my hopes on the two remaining events. The Duels and the Chronicle of the Past, whatever that means.

    <hr>

    Sitting on the terrace of our house, I¡¯m taking a moment to enjoy the soft breeze in my hair and the sweetly scented air, it smells like summer. As I have many times before, I take a deep breath in and take a sip from a bottle of sugary soda from Earth that I bought for two uncommon items. I even used my skill to absorb its thermal energy, thus chilling it to just the right temperature.

    Off to the side, Izzy is showing Noodle to Vega, the kind pyromaniac girl still trying to make friends.

    Biscuit floats in the air in front of his disciple and dispenses his wisdom to the giant wolf.

    Between them and the other members of Group 4, there aren¡¯t many people around. They¡¯re all engrossed in cooking meat on the fire, talking, sparring, and practicing their skills.

    There were some complaints after my light spar with wolfy. A few dozen people from Easy difficulty lost consciousness. Again. At this point, I can¡¯t help but be reminded of those fainting goats I once saw on TV.

    Some people even complained, but it''s not like anyone asked them to watch. At least most of them were smart enough to stay quiet. Channeler said that sooner or later people might start screaming and running away or kneeling in worship at the sight of me. I deeply despise either option.

    Wanting to change my thoughts, I look at Tess who has taken the opportunity to steal my other can of soda and is now sipping on it, just opposite me. She, more than anyone, seems to be enjoying this, even though all she¡¯s doing is sitting to the side and watching everyone have fun.

    I guess a big part of all of this is thanks to her. I don¡¯t think Group 4 would be as close as we are otherwise.

    Tess Hansen is slightly taller than me. Her blonde hair now ends just below her shoulders, once again she¡¯s gotten a new haircut. Her gray eyes are calm, but her face freely displays her emotions. She is only 20 years old, two years younger than me. Yet she did all of this.

    And it''s not like I can ignore it. Even the duplicate''s last wish was a request for me to let them in and accept them as my friends, not to mention the apology I owe my mother. I do not take these words lightly, so even though I''m not fully feeling it, I am willing to accept the fact that the duplicate, knowing he would die, knew best the kinds of regrets I would have.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Tess turns to me, for a moment confused, but she quickly comes to understand. She examines me and I let her by returning her gaze.

    ¡°Apology not accepted,¡± she says with a soft smile.

    ¡°I see.¡± It¡¯s the obvious result. If I was in her place, I can only think that my choice would be the same.

    ¡°Was this how you meant to apologize?¡± Tess asks.

    ¡°No. At first, I wanted to give you some items. Maybe make a weapon for you, a few epic javelins. Or I could buy anything you want from the shop with my shards.¡±

    ¡°So why did you change your mind?¡± She asks, propping up her chin with her hands as she stares at me.

    ¡°For a while, I thought that giving you something of value would make it easier. Like I¡¯d be paying you back. To show my intentions and willingness to sacrifice my own possessions to make amends.¡±

    She nods, ¡°That sounds like you, but you didn¡¯t do it in the end.¡±

    ¡°No. I did not. I thought you would prefer an honest apology to being bought off.¡±

    ¡°You are right,¡± she agrees.

    ¡°But you rejected it.¡±

    ¡°I rejected it because I don¡¯t think you fully mean it yet. I can see a hint of true honesty, but you¡¯re not quite there yet.¡± She leans back in the chair and takes a sip, enjoying the taste of the sugary soda in her mouth. ¡°It''s close, but there''s still a little bit missing.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°So just this once I¡¯m going to be petty, Nat. I¡¯m going to let you apologize to me a few times. I will let you feel the full breadth of these confusing emotions and I will have fun while doing so. Watching you squirm, so close to understanding but not quite there.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like fun.¡±

    ¡°For me, for sure. For you, it will be a bit worse.¡± Her smile shows her teeth.

    Well, it''s not like I don¡¯t understand. Nothing is ever that simple. But I will stay the course my duplicate has set for me until I understand things properly.

 Chapter 370 - Cruelty in you

    Just a few minutes remain until the black wolf returns home. Biscuit''s token only afforded them 12 hours, rather than the 24 granted by mine. However, in that time we did manage to get some information out of him and he got to continue his training with Biscuit. Somehow.

    It¡¯s still an interesting sight to see a burrito-shaped corgi floating in front of a giant wolf who quietly listens and nods along. I bet if he could, he would be taking notes. He has that much reverence for Biscuit.

    The black wolf was about to die, then he was saved by the system and summoned to be Biscuit''s disciple. Right away, he understood the majesty of the jerky addict Biscuit and his control over the primordial energy that they share. Even though his level is higher, just knowing that he was willing to learn from Biscuit and even revered him as his master shows quite a bit about his personality.

    At the start of his visit, he complained and growled at us a lot, but towards the end, he closed his eyes as Vega and the other members of Group 4, gathered to pet him.

    Obviously, he still complained about the wound to his dignity, but it¡¯s not like it changed anything.

    There are even a few dozen photos in Izzy¡¯s smartphone gallery, mixed in with pictures of Vega and our group. The smartphone is being kept charged by solar panels running campsite chargers. That smartphone is now on the table nearby, playing cheerful J-pop. Tess¡¯s favorite.

    It took a while for Vega to get used to our style of sorcery, but now I notice her humming along with the phone when she thinks no one¡¯s watching.

    While others wait in the clearing, I¡¯m sitting off to the side, moving mana inside of my body. Compressing and decompressing it, testing the limits of my body when it comes to using black mana to power my skills. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been doing almost constantly here in the common area.

    I¡¯m sure I would make better progress training outside, with real danger, even so, it helps to know my limits.

    How much black mana can I use to strengthen my body and how much will kill me? How long can I keep it under control? If I generate too much too quickly, how much abuse can my body take? What passive is helping the most when it comes to handling it and what happens when I turn off this or that passive? Can my epic healing passive keep up with black mana damaging my body? If so, to what point?

    And there are always more questions. Testing my eyes, my strengthened mana circuit.

    [Redistribution - lvl 47 > Redistribution - lvl 48]

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 44 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 45]

    [Mana Domain - lvl 37 > Mana Domain - lvl 38]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 21 > Mana Crown - lvl 22]

    The process of leveling my skills has been going pretty well, and from what I''ve seen, I¡¯m not the only one from Hell difficulty taking the opportunity to train, I¡¯m not even the only person in Group 4.

    Then there are those from Hard difficulty who seem like they want to move up to Hell. There aren¡¯t many of them, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they use it after the tournament. Samuel is not one of these people, preferring to stay with his group and grow stronger as a unit.

    Everyone is also using this opportunity to plan, and it might have been part of the intent behind the tournament. even the system told us to take the opportunity to speak with the other attendees, the First Generation of Earth.

    The black wolf stands up and looks down at Vega, tapping on his front paw.

    (Master is smart indeed, assholes, all of you,) he seemingly can¡¯t help but say.

    But that¡¯s when Biscuit returns from the house, two purple tentacles holding a small bag which he places in front of the young black wolf after wobbling over on his short legs.

    (Food.)

    The curious black wolf creates two shadowy tendrils of his own and opens the bag. Inside, there are dozens of pieces of deer jerky. The ones I used to bribe Biscuit into letting me challenge the black wolf, and even more from the ones the corgi was saving up.

    With his pink tongue lolling from his mouth, Biscuit''s expression has all the charm of a cheeky smile.

    (Master¡­ I can¡¯t,) the wolf sounds moved.

    (Food!) The corgi¡¯s tentacles move and slide the bag close to the wolf. his voice is firm.

    In response, the black wolf lowers his head, dozens of times bigger than Biscuit. Biscuit floats into the air, lifts his front right paw, and boops his disciple¡¯s nose.

    (Thank you, master.)

    Only a few seconds remain.

    ¡°I will see you soon, Wolfy! Next time, I will be stronger and I¡¯ll make you my minion just like your master is a minion to my master!¡± Vega is smiling as she says so. ¡°So get stronger so that I don¡¯t have to be ashamed of you!¡±

    (Crazed half demon,) the wolf snorts.

    ¡°Thank you for all the help and for enduring it all. It was nice meeting you.¡± Tess says, giving a small bow which the black wolf returns.

    ¡°Take care, wolfy!¡± Lily shouts.

    ¡°I hope you get even bigger! As big as a city!¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t forget us! I¡¯m going to brag about meeting you .¡± The twins shout, seizing the opportunity to toss in their two cents, as does the rest of the group.

    Just before the wolf disappears through a door we can¡¯t see, his golden eyes find me sitting on the roof of our house.

    (Asshole human, take care of my master. He is too nice for his own good as are some of the human members of your pack. You and I both know that mere strength is insufficient, sometimes you need to make hard decisions and be cruel.)

    I nod.

    (I saw that cruelty in you and it will help you. But, human, get stronger. Get someone to declare you a Champion candidate and find yourself a good master. You are powerful and prideful, I agree, but don¡¯t be too stubborn to receive guidance from those you deem worthy. Like I did.)

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± I whisper.

    Afterward, he turns away and takes one last gentle look at Biscuit and nudges him carefully with his giant nose.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Then the wolf disappears, returning to his world.

    <hr>

    Isabella and Vega are watching as I craft an item. It¡¯s just a simple dagger with the simplest of inscriptions.

    I even let them try it on their own while I offer them advice.

    The results are terrible, but Isabella keeps jumping up excitedly when she does something correctly.

    Vega gradually changes her bearing and manages a few genuine smiles. At least they feel more honest than before, even given the presence of another.

    <hr>

    I watch as Vega attacks Tacita again, the mute girl appearing out of nowhere for another round of teasing my disciple.

    Once again, Tacita takes a harsh stance, shaking her head every time Vega takes too long to complete a task.

    Vega spends the next two hours being mentored by Tacita, who seems to have taken a liking to the daring girl and for some reason seems to be fascinated by her horns.

    Each time Tacita touches her horns Vega attacks her all over again, growing more aggressive with each prod.

    After some time, Tacita grows bored with the exercise and leaves after touching Vega¡¯s horns one last time.

    <hr>

    In the living room, the twins and Min-Jae sit opposite Vega, taking a short break for some food.

    When Min-Jae slides some sweets he hid toward her, Vega takes them shamelessly and quickly eats them as if she was worried he was going to take them

    The young boy watches with a smile as she stuffs her cheeks while the twins make fun of her.

    ¡°You should thank him. Min-Jae was saving these sweets for himself,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°Master almost never thanks anyone!¡±

    The twins stop laughing when I look at them, and Min-Jae hides his smile.

    As a reward, Vega gets an extremely sour candy from me.

    I watch her face scrunch and her eyes squint. I¡¯m sure she knows why it''s happening, yet the little half-demon refuses to give up even on very sour food and still eats the candy.

    <hr>

    ¡°Can I take him with me?¡± Vega asks while holding Noodle, her hand moving across his scales, savoring the sensation.

    ¡°Noodle is mine!¡± Isabella shouts, indignant.

    ¡°You said you wanted to be friends? Aren¡¯t friends supposed to give each other gifts?¡± Vega asks innocently, but I can see her red eyes shine and the corner of her lips lift.

    Even Isabella must feel her emotions.

    ¡°You¡­ you!¡±

    ¡°I think you lied then.¡± Vega hugs Noodle and continues to pet him.

    The white snake with emerald eyes just looks at me almost as if he blames me for his current situation.

    Sorry, bud.

    <hr>

    ¡°You feel strong, you just need a better heart,¡± my minion says seriously.

    ¡°I already have a plan in place to make that happen. Nat, and I are going to work on some modifications. I experimented with the remains of a Fallen Hero¡¯s heart and learned more from a Champion¡¯s body, and Nat¡¯s heart,¡± Lily declares with cheer.

    ¡°Tess, Nat is continuing to ruin poor Lily,¡± Maya shouts in the direction of the living room loud enough to be heard from the kitchen, where we¡¯ve set up shop.

    ¡°Lily¡¯s already a lost cause,¡± Tess shouts back.

    ¡°You are probably the smartest of master¡¯s underlings! The gray smoke you showed me felt really strong. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a skill some powerful demon created long ago. If you get a powerful heart, you will be strong!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already pretty strong.¡±

    ¡°But your heart is weak,¡± Vega says, confused.

    (Nat, can you come here for a moment?) Tess sends through the link.

    (Sure.)

    Leaving Lily and the minion to argue, I head to the living room and then follow Tess outside, onto the terrace.

    I strengthen the field around us that makes it impossible for others to listen, and both of us disconnect from the web.

    ¡°The murderer from Easy difficulty is gone,¡± she says seriously.

    I quickly check the anchor I placed on him, and find the connection severed.

    Right after, I check our surroundings and Vega, but I sense nothing. I repeat it a few times to the point that not even Tacita would be able to escape my senses, but there is nothing.

    ¡°He¡¯s not here,¡± Tess shakes her head, ¡°he left the tournament.¡±

    ¡°I thought it wasn¡¯t possible to leave the tournament.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we thought the same thing. We even paid someone from Easy to try to leave as the tournament started and he couldn¡¯t. But you should check the Community numbers, Nat.¡±

    Something in her tone makes me do just that.

    Easy difficulty: 1319/2000

    Normal difficulty: 862/1000

    Hard difficulty: 241/500

    Hell difficulty: 39/250

    Beyond: 7/10

    Oh. That¡¯s interesting. Easy difficulty has one less attendee and Hell difficulty¡¯s gained one.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible that he got a reward from the tournament before he left, he did pretty well during previous events. Maybe it allowed him to enter Hell difficulty even though it was only possible to jump on a level higher or lower before.¡±

    ¡°Or he had help from our nosy friend. It sounds like something the Intent would do.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s an option.¡± She says, nodding solemnly. ¡°We wasted our opportunity to get rid of that man.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not like you to be worried over some weak guy.¡±

    ¡°I know, but you could say that I¡¯ve grown paranoid. If the Intent that¡¯s been messing with this tutorial was willing to risk angering the Ruler of Greed and did that, he must have had something in mind. And I don¡¯t think it was anything good for us.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t expect it to get any better,¡± I say.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The Intent is here because of the guy who started in Beyond. The Intent is probably a fragment of a Ruler, and the Rulers have a bit of sway over the tutorial even though it seems like Ruler of Greed has primary control of our if not all tutorials. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some of the other Rulers come crawling out of the woodwork to watch the guy and mess with us in the process.¡±

    Tess sighs, ¡°That¡¯s just great.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it. We will deal with it when we come to it. Just make sure the others are training as hard as possible when they¡¯re in the common area. If we can get stronger, we will have more leeway.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re already doing so much, Nat. Sophie weakened some of their memories so they can continue to train and die. I know, I know. Don¡¯t look at me like that. Not everyone can handle dying here as well as you do. But we will be ready when the 6th Floor comes. But I need to ask you once again to keep your distance so they can face real danger and improve on their own.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. Gather the others so they can say goodbye to Vega and I¡¯ll take her to Miwa and Channeler. After that, Vega is going to leave¡±

    I¡¯ve only got a few more hours with my minion, and after that, it¡¯s two more days of the tournament. Then it''s back to the Astral Prison.

 Chapter 371 - Sparring

    The first stop is Channeler, who I¡¯ve had preparing a few opponents for Vega from the lower difficulties. In part, so that she can gain some experience in a relatively safe space, though I mostly want to see how these guys handle the little half-demon.

    I locate one of my anchors opting to fly over instead of teleporting. I head over to the anchor until I reach Channeler who¡¯s surrounded by almost a hundred people.

    "Sorry, they were curious and wanted to watch. Most of them have been cooperative," Channeler says by way of greeting.

    "That¡¯s fine," I tell him before turning to Vega to get one last confirmation. "Are you ready, minion? The plan is for you to fight until we find someone about as strong as you, and then for you to spar with them."

    "Can I stop holding back? Like with that girl where I couldn''t hear her heart?"

    "Sure, go all out. I¡¯ll interfere if it''s going to be too much."

    Having her answer, Vega stretches in imitation of me, staring in the direction of the hodgepodge of people from Easy, Normal, and a few curious individuals from Hard difficulty that Channeler¡¯s managed to round up.

    "We can start with George and Susan; they are both from Easy difficulty."

    "Yeah, I don''t think that''s a good idea," I say, examining them.

    "I know it¡¯s going to be two versus one, but they won''t hurt your disciple. They¡¯re quite..."

    "That''s not what I meant."

    "Oh," his expression turns serious. "Then give me a moment."

    While Channeler goes to the group of people, I turn to Vega, "Change of plans, minion. Start slowly, and if they are weak, stop fighting. Find out if they can keep up before putting in too much effort."

    "Why? If they¡¯re really that weak, they need to know!"

    "Channeler spent a lot of effort pulling these people together, and I don''t want them to think he did this just so a 6-year-old girl could curb stomp them."

    "Minion Channeler should just be happy that master keeps him around!¡± Vega says.

    "I know where you are coming from, minion, but try to think about the future. If I cause too much trouble for him, he¡¯ll find someone else to work for."

    "You should let him if he¡¯s really that dumb,¡± she says, ¡°there¡¯s no reason for you to work with people like that!"

    "Minion, you¡¯re being too naive. There are situations where you want something, and you can''t avoid people. Having someone who understands you and deals with them in your place is invaluable."

    "Is that true?" Vega asks, seeming to suspect me of lying.

    "It¡¯s true, minion," I say, ruffling her hair out of habit. "So respect these people and keep them close. They won''t work for free, so make sure to make it worth their time. Otherwise, they may leave you in the lurch at the first opportunity."

    "Demons wouldn''t do that! They only follow the strong, so I need to become strong enough that they don¡¯t leave!"

    "That may be minion. But I still want you to think about it, okay?"

    After my minion nods in agreement, Channeler comes back, just in time.

    "We¡¯ve decided to start with George and Susan from Easy. I already explained everything to them." He says.

    "Sounds good."

    I give Vega a push, and she steps forward, even now I¡¯m keeping my full suite of senses focused on her. I might really be paranoid.

    Once the woman and man from Easy difficulty finally square off against her, the fight starts.

    It''s Vega who attacks first, and 5 seconds later, the man and the woman roll on the ground. Nothing seems to be broken, except maybe their pride.

    Good minion, she did what I asked her to.

    "Please, Noname, can you tell your disciple to hold back a bit? I didn''t know she was that strong," Channeler whispers, coming to me after checking the man and woman over for injuries.

    "She did hold back. A lot." I whisper in response.

    "But you said she was level 62."

    "Yes."

    "But... okay, forget about it. Let''s try Jon from Normal. He is one of the stronger ones there and should at least be higher level than she is."

    After I agree, the short, muscular, and wide man moves to face Vega.

    There is already a weak, almost transparent mana armor around his body with a deeper shade of blue around his forearms. The palms of his hands are darker yet, covered in a strange form of mana.

    Once again, Vega charges first, not even creating a dagger in her hand.

    She dodges under the man''s kick altering her speed multiple times in quick succession in an effort to confuse the man and throw him off. She then closes in on him, burying her knee in his crotch in one smooth movement.

    Unfortunately for the man, her knee sends a weak burst of kinetic energy through. The mana armor around him flickers as he almost loses control over his skill, and with a groan, Jon stumbles back.

    Before he can say anything, Vega kicks him again hammering away at the same spot, breaking through the stronger armor around his forearms and piercing his last defense.

    For a moment, I think she might attack again, but she stops and looks down at the adult man rolling on the ground with a confused expression on her face.

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    "Master, he isn''t even hurt that much. It''s just a little pain. Why is he lying down? He would be dead if this was a real fight." She asks, turning to me.

    While Channeler rushes to the man, she rejoins me, and I quickly create a barrier around us to keep anyone from hearing her and thus preserve what remains of the man''s dignity.

    "He is older than me and has more mana too. But he¡¯s weak and slow. And he gave up so easily. I didn''t even use the kick at its full power so it couldn''t have hurt that much." Vega sighs disappointed.

    Even though she tries to hide it, I notice a hint of a smug smile on her face as she watches her defeated opponent.

    Damn it, minion.

    The last hope of protecting the tutorial attendees'' dignity is the man from Hard difficulty.

    Well, there are three of them, but Channeler only picks one while the remaining two talk and laugh.

    I think I heard something interesting, so I try to strengthen my hearing in that way that some members of my group can. But I''m only able to hear bits and pieces of their conversation. Being able to listen to others isn''t an ability I¡¯ve ever found to be worth the time investment.

    In the end, I turn back to Vega and her opponent as they take their place. His level should be closer to 100, so he should have a good shot at defeating my minion.

    Unlike the others, he also radiates more mana, and his body strengthening seems better. Another melee build, seemingly, though he does seem to have a weak sheet of weak lightning arcing across his body as he seizes the initiative.

    Vega waits until the last moment, and with her body boosted by kinetic energy, she dodges to the side, launching a single mana projectile at the man who dodges it and charges her again. Vega creates a dagger in her hand, and the man also radiates more mana, the lightning around him flickering even beyond his body which he uses to ward her off.

    The minion used to melee range, doesn''t seem to like it. It¡¯s clearly a barrier between her and the kind of fight she enjoys.

    Even so, she doesn''t hesitate and releases more mana, forming a weak imitation of mana armor.

    With a strong push of kinetic energy, she reaches the man even as his kick lands on her arm, leaving a scorched mark behind.

    For a short moment, the man looks towards me, expecting me to stop the fight. It almost costs him, and he barely blocks the kick aimed at his nether regions.

    As an answer, a burst of lightning shoots towards Vega, and the armor around her body moves, all the mana concentrating on her forearm which she uses to block it.

    She launches another orb of mana, boosted by her kinetic energy at the man who hastily avoids it, only for Vega to use the opportunity to close distance, with a knife in hand. The move seems to be an imitation of Tacita''s style, with a hint of my minion''s aggressiveness and her skills as a crutch to get her out of any tricky situations she happens to land in.

    But before she can even connect, the man moves at a higher speed, and his kick sends Vega rolling on the grass as she clumsily tries to absorb her own momentum.

    The man once again checks with me, and seeing that I don''t mind, he sighs. Then he follows my gaze and notices a mana knife lodged in his calf.

    An expression of surprise is quickly replaced by pain, and he pulls it out, the mana dissolving once Vega¡¯s dismissed it.

    Getting back on her feet, my minion smiles with determination, despite the burn marks on her skin, and the scratches covering her body. Her shoulder also seems to be dislocated.

    So cool.

    "Minion, say ''I can do this all day.''"

    "I can do this all day!" she shouts and charges the man again.

    They clash shortly multiple times, leaving another small wound each time, barely a nuisance to the man in question, and more burns for Vega. But my minion keeps coming back for more.

    The man isn''t even holding back, and despite being at a higher level, he seems to be having trouble dealing with the nimble half-demon, who¡¯s been using kinetic energy to move erratically and weaken his physical attacks.

    It goes on for a minute or two, but at some point, the fight starts getting too heated, so I decide to interfere.

    "That should be enough," I call.

    Vega refuses to stop, continuing to charge the man who stopped the moment I called.

    So I use [Redistribution] and grab hold of my silly minion, who freezes mid-air, moving slowly toward her opponent. A wild expression has overtaken her face, and in each hand, she holds a dagger. The daggers at this point are nearly transparent, a clear sign of her depleted mana.

    I boost myself closer with my kinetic energy and poke her nose a few times, my minion locked in place.

    "Thanks for helping," I tell the man from Hard difficulty. "My disciple seemed to be having a lot of fun."

    Unlike Vega, the man has already healed. A result of the healing aura in the common area. Vega¡¯s state only serves to confirm my suspicions regarding the protections afforded by this place.

    "It''s fine." The Hard difficulty attendee says smiling weakly and turning to my minion. "She¡¯s very strong. Your name is Vega, right? Thank you for the duel."

    Vega still doesn''t move as I hold her in my skill.

    "She won''t answer. I need to punish her for being so stubborn. Can you thank Channeler for me as well? I¡¯ll meet up with him sometime in the other events."

    "I¡¯ll pass it along."

    I touch Vega and transport us both to one of the more private spots I discovered. It''s a clearing pretty far away from the common area, surrounded by trees and a small stream of clear water passing through.

    It''s comfortably quiet here.

    "Do you know what you did wrong?" I ask her.

    Vega blinks a few times, still bound in the air. She can¡¯t defend herself even as I touch and push the tip of her nose, tilting it upwards, "I wouldn''t expect such a dumb way of fighting from someone with [Concentration]. Do you agree?"

    Silence.

    "I mean, some aggression is fine, but to go to the point of acting more like an animal than a thinking human? Isn''t that too much? If you want to be aggressive, go into it with some strategy in mind or at least be strong enough to get away with it."

    I give her some more boops on the nose and move her hair, covering her face until she can barely see me through it. Then I tickle her.

    "Some opponents are weak against rapid attacks and aggressive opponents. Others are weak against ranged attacks. Another group isn''t good at physical combat. Yet I have noticed that my silly disciple still fights the same. No matter how much I try to change it."

    I pull a patch of grass from the ground and put it on her head.

    "I wouldn''t say anything if you were strong and excelled at a single type of combat. In that case, you might be able to make it work. But minion, you aren''t there yet."

    Lastly, I move her body over the stream of water and release my skill, leaving her to fall into it.

    She quickly jumps out spitting water and sputtering like an angry kitten, shaking and letting out a series of hissing noises. Then she stands there, angry, wet, and wounded from the duel.

    "Have you any defense, minion?"

    When she stands quietly, I move closer and touch her, teleporting us over to Lily, who didn''t expect to see Vega after already saying goodbye. And especially not in such a state.

    Before we return to Miwa, Vega changes into new clothes and gets fully healed.

    Then I teleport us back to Miwa. Between my experience using [Tether] and Vega¡¯s improved level, I clearly don¡¯t have to worry about hurting her anymore.

 Chapter 372 - What were you talking about

    "Hello, I''m Miwa," the woman says, introducing herself to Vega with a small bow.

    "I''m Vega!" Vega replies.

    "It''s nice to meet you, Vega."

    My disciple and I look around the small but cozy kitchen of Miwa''s house. Unlike the smithy she¡¯s rented out and shares with several people from Hard and Hell difficulty to use at set times, the house we find her in now is hers alone, and spread out on the table in front of us are the ingredients she¡¯s prepared.

    Vega¡¯s already been told what her surprise will be and seems all the more excited for it. After saying goodbye to group 4, she was overcome with joy the moment she heard what we would be making.

    Meanwhile, group 4 got only a few short words, Biscuit and Noodle being the only exceptions. Though maybe Tess and Lily were exceptions as well, after all, Vega seems to have recognized them as the top dogs of our pack.

    "We will prepare the dough first. Do you want me to do it, or do you want to do it yourselves?"

    "We¡¯ll do it. Vega, sleeves up, and let''s wash our hands before we start."

    "Yes, master!" The little half-demon says, washing her hands as I lift her up to the sink, and then I do the same, waiting for Miwa''s instructions afterward.

    I''m a terrible cook, it''s not really something I generally enjoy, but here, in this moment it seems like a fun idea.

    "See the bowl I prepared? Add a bit of sugar and yeast and mix it with warm water. Then we let it sit for anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. The yeast might not be very good anymore, so the dough may not turn out all that well. But there is nothing we can do."

    "Not a problem, you already warned me. Vega, you¡¯re in charge of mixing, okay?"

    "Yes!"

    I take the yeast and sugar and put them into the bowl with warm water following Miwa¡¯s instructions.

    Vega gets off to a clumsy start, so Miwa steps in and guides her hands in a more stable motion. She then has to stop Vega from eating the raw dough.

    Once she¡¯s done mixing the dough, Vega washes her hands again, making me lift her up to the sink, and Miwa covers the bowl with a towel.

    "While we wait, you should add flour and salt to a bowl and we¡¯ll blend it with the dough when it''s done." Miwa gives Vega the proportions, though Vega manages to spill some flour on the table.

    When the dough is ready ten minutes later, I take it and add to the bowl with the flour and salt.

    Vega sits on a chair, watching nearby, fixated on my every movement as I blend it all together with some oil. The mood between us is still a bit awkward because of what happened during and after her sparring match, but being so young, she quickly shrugs it off and starts enjoying herself in fairly short order.

    This time it¡¯s my turn for Miwa to teach me the proper methods, and I knead it on the table which she coats with a dusting of flour to make it less sticky.

    Somehow I can¡¯t help but find it relaxing, I even take a small chunk of dough and fling it at Vega.

    The little half-demon giggles and shoots a mana projectile at my face which I disrupt. Though playful, her attack is strong enough to kill someone from Easy difficulty.

    I continue kneading for 5 minutes, and Miwa corrects me multiple times, even asking how it''s possible to make a dough so stiff and ugly. Behind her back, Vega furrows her brows and forms more projectiles, but I disrupt them before she can send them rushing at Miwa.

    Next, Vega oils the bowl, and we put my kneaded dough inside, cover it with a damp cloth, and put it near the heated oven so it can rise. This will take an hour or so.

    While we wait, Miwa talks to me about crafting, her expression extremely lively as she speaks. Meanwhile, Vega noms on some kind of snack she found and now that I think about it, probably stole from Miwa.

    ***

    An hour or two later, we are done and the pizza is finished, and we have the result we expected: the Perfect Pizza.

    "Master, should it be so black on the bottom?"

    "It should not," Miwa says carefully.

    My minion and I made this pizza. We topped It with cheese, a few pieces of salami, and a tomato sauce base. It was Vega''s idea to use my flames to cook it, so I tried to mimic the temperature of the oven-like thing Miwa set up with a few mana stones inscribed to produce heat.

    I just surrounded the entire pizza with the heat while keeping it afloat with an arm made of mana.

    The result is impeccable.

    "Master, it''s very crunchy." Vega says as she bites into it.

    "If you¡¯re not careful, you¡¯re going to break your teeth," Miwa warns.

    I never made pizza before, but my first attempt turned out much better than I expected. Maybe it is because I had my minion to help, and a tiny bit of assistance from Miwa, yup.

    "Master, why are you not eating?"

    "You shouldn''t be eating it either," Miwa says, pointing out useless things.

    In response, Vega scoots over to me and offers me a bite of her pizza, which I accept. That makes her smile, so I take a piece off my plate and eat it as well.

    While devouring the crunchy pizza, Vega makes satisfied noises and wears a smile even more radiant than the one she wore when she was eating candy back in our house. It''s the same smile she wore when I invited her to eat with me for the first time. I did invite her to eat with me even now to Miwa''s confusion and Vega''s happiness.

    Yes. The pizza might be somewhat lacking. Some of the ingredients are a bit stale, especially the cheese. There¡¯s not a lot of tomato sauce, and the salami is too greasy, not really suitable for use as a topping. The dough is pretty good, but it didn''t rise enough, so the pizza is dense and now burned as a result of my inexperience.

    But at the same time, it''s a meal that Vega and I prepared together, and that seems to make the little half-demon happier than if it was a perfect meal.

    Together we devour it all, and when we are done, we leave, saying goodbye to Miwa.

    "How long?" I ask, walking side by side with my minion.

    "Five minutes."

    "I see. Take this." I say, pressing a small bag of inscribed mana stones into her hands.

    Most of them are basically a series of ciphered trials; she¡¯ll only be able to access their contents if she can solve the intricate inscriptions I prepared and fix the parts I blocked.

    It''s a form of training that will serve to improve her control and open up new lessons to help her on her way as she¡¯s ready to master them. Most of the stones are tiny, smaller than my pinkie nail. It''s the stones we got off Nevan''s dead friend in the Veil Ignition Station, and I still have a lot of them. Their size will make it simple for her to smuggle them as needed.

    Vega freezes on the spot, and I follow her gaze.

    There at the treeline is Savant, casually passing through. His long hair tied into a ponytail, his green eyes fixed in their typical expression. Clinical and sharp as a scalpel.

    At that moment, he notices my signature and looks towards us. At me and then at Vega.

    My minion stiffens and moves behind me, her arm reaching out and grabbing the hem of my shirt. I can sense her heart beating wildly out of fear.

    Savant turns his eyes away and disappears into the trees, and only once she¡¯s sure he¡¯s gone does Vega relax a bit. An expression of shame mars her face as she realizes what she¡¯s done.

    "Are you fine?"

    "Yes, master, but that man... he is..."

    "It''s fine. Just another person I need to deal with."

    "Is he?"

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    "Yes, it¡¯s nothing you need to worry about." I place my hand over hers, and she lowers her natural barrier, allowing me to teleport us further away. We reappear in a place with a nice view of the entire common area.

    We wait in silence as her timer ticks down.

    "Thank you for inviting me here, master. I know you could have gotten more training if I hadn¡¯t been here."

    "It''s fine. I still got plenty of training even with you here."

    "Is it really ok?"

    "Yup, it was me who invited you here so why should you be worried? I¡¯d rather you tell me how you liked the other members of my group and my favorite food?"

    "Pizza was amazing."

    "Liar."

    "It was! As for your group, I liked Biscuit, and wolfy was fun. Maybe Lily was ok too; she would be a great demon."

    "Possibly yes but don''t say such scary things."

    "But I''m happy that my master seems to have people they can trust and that you are doing well in the tournament. You have to win the remaining events and then the entire tournament."

    "That''s the plan." I grab one of her horns and shake her head gently, "This time it¡¯ll probably be a while, years maybe until we see each other again. I might contact you or send a message when I get the 6th-floor rewards, but until then, do your best."

    "I will be much stronger the next time we meet."

    "Kaboom?"

    "Kaboom!" Vega nods happily.

    "Sounds like a plan."

    In response, Vega turns her eyes to the side, and I know she is looking at the portal back to her planet.

    Minion rushes to me and gives me a quick hug, squeezing as hard as she can. When she lets go, there is a bright smile on her face.

    "Master is the first person who ever missed me. You even summoned me so early... Thank you. Now you have to win the tournament, and I have to get stronger. I¡¯ll make sure to find a good healer and reliable minions, just like you!"

    "I wish you all the best, minion. Take care."

    "Yes!"

    With one last bright smile, she disappears, passing through the portal.

    After she does, I reach into my pocket and pull out a folded piece of paper she must have placed while she was hugging me. Slowly I unfold it, revealing a clumsily drawn picture. An image of several stick figures standing next to each other.

    One of the figures has two big red dots instead of eyes and is seemingly standing on the body of a giant black something. Probably a wolf. With a pool of red around it, probably meant to represent blood.

    And off to the side, stands another stick figure. This one is much more delicate and detailed, showing off the time she must have spent on it. It has black spaghetti-like hair, and by way of eyes, it has two dots, one brown and the other gray.

    Yellow flames burn around it as it stands in a heroic pose. There is even something floating in the air next to it. A burrito-shaped blob.

    Well, I guess I know what Isabella and Vega were spending so much time working on in secret.

    Very carefully, I fold the paper and put it back into my pocket.

    Now then, I have someone I need to speak with.

    I activate an anchor I left on one of the men from the Hard difficulty group Channeler invited to the sparring match. When I appear beside him, I find him in the presence of the other Hard difficulty attendees from the match with Vega.

    "Hey," I greet them.

    None of the three seems to have sensed my anchor or my use of the skill, so they jump in place. Their expressions change from smiles to nervousness.

    "Hello."

    "Oh, hey."

    I ignore them and turn to a quiet man who appears to wear the most nervous expression, "What were you talking about during the sparring matches?"

    "I... ehm... just about people we know."

    "Were you? Who exactly?"

    "You heard, right?" He laughs awkwardly.

    All trace of the bravado he had while Vega was fighting dissipates, and his arrogant expression has faded, and the man grows extremely tense.

    "Go on, tell me," I invite.

    "I... I was telling Blue and Jai about how your teammate, that Korean boy, how he atta... spoke with us after the 3rd challenge against his Avatar." He shifts from foot to foot, and unconsciously, he moves mana inside his body.

    I laugh, "Oh, I saw it too. It was quite pathetic, right? He almost cried after losing those items."

    The man¡¯s expression warps into a look of pure shock.

    "I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on him for a while, and he¡¯s always like that. Wallowing in confusion and trying to imitate the people around him. Then acting like a little kid anytime something goes wrong. And damn near constantly comparing himself to the others. It¡¯s pathetic, isn''t it?" I say, smiling at him.

    "Yes..." The man laughs awkwardly, but I notice that he is calming down.

    The smile he gives me is more honest now as he continues, "Man, I didn''t know you had the same experience. But it makes sense seeing how you deal with other people. Of course, I don''t mean it as an insult!"

    "It''s fine. I guess it does make sense others see me like that. I don''t like people all that much. Well, most of them."

    "Yes. But it was amazing what your Avatar did, even though it lost me some shards." He laughs, and his expression reverts to the expression he wore while talking about Min-Jae, "And that boy, yes, such a crybaby. Man, I swear we laughed at him for an hour..."

    His body turns into shiny particles as he dies.

    Reappearing a few steps away, he has a confused expression and throws up right after. Cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

    Hyperventilating, he falls to his knees with a pained expression on his face.

    "F-fuck... what..."

    "I killed you," I say, coming to a stop in front of him. It''s interesting that Hard difficulty attendees endure it so terribly.

    "What?! But why!"

    "Well, ''killed'' might be the wrong word since you can''t die here, but you know what I mean." I take a step closer, and he turns into a cloud of shiny particles once again, reappearing a bit further away.

    I place an anchor through my extended domain and teleport in front of him.

    Just like he did before, he throws up and falls to the grass, shaking and squirming in pain.

    "Man, this is pathetic. It''s not even that bad, so man up or something, okay?"

    "P-please, stop. What did I do!? Tell me!" he coughs.

    "Nothing terrible, really. Min-Jae kind of deserved it. But something about the way you¡¯re trashing him pisses me off. Anyway, I have to go. After I kill you the third time, the system¡¯s going to teleport you much further away, and I''m too lazy to look for you. But if you want me to find you again, keep talking shit."

    I don''t even wait for his answer, and I release another highly concentrated kinetic energy from my Vortex Core tearing his body apart and he explodes into a cloud of shiny particles.

    Using one of my anchors I teleport away and watch the countdown until the start of the fourth event.

    The 4th event - Duels will start in 1 hour!

    Participants will be sorted into 16 groups. 12 containing 148 participants and 4 containing 147 participants.

    The winner of each group will advance to the final round, and have a chance to be crowned winner of the 4th event.

    Note: No [Restriction] can be placed during this event.

    Note: It''s possible to forfeit your duel by giving up or focusing on the command "Forfeit."

    Finally, the duels are starting soon, and I decide to check my stats one last time.

    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn

    Difficulty: Hell

    Floor: 6 - Astral Prison

    Time left until forced return: 3y 359d 23h 58m 51s

    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3

    Lvl 237

    Strength: 113

    Dexterity: 110

    Constitution: 268

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1015 + 1015

    Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)

    Sub-class: [Initiate of Pride]

    Active skills:

    Focus - Lvl 49

    Perception - Lvl 45

    Redistribution - Lvl 48

    Resonance - Lvl 45

    Mana Domain - Lvl 38

    Tether - Lvl 36

    Infusion - Lvl 29

    Mana Crown - Lvl 22

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 45

    Constructs:

    Reinforcement (Construct)

    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)

    Mana Regulator (Construct)

    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)

    Vortex Core (Construct)

    Passive skills:

    Mana Reservoir (epic)

    Arcane Resilience (epic)

    Phoenix Embrace (epic)

    Mana Overload Absorption (epic)

    Cognitive Fortress (epic)

    Titan''s Backbone (epic) 1/3

    Shards: 123,129

 Chapter 373 - Start of the 4th event

    A new window opens up to me, and in it, I can see all 16 groups. The 2356 tournament participants have been separated into groups of either 147 or 148. I belong to a 148-member group, and after searching, I don¡¯t find any of the other members of group 4 in it. There isn¡¯t anyone from Beyond in my group either.

    However, I do find one interesting face in my group: BenDover.

    That reminds me that I forgot about him again, so it¡¯s nice to see him here.

    Then there¡¯s Brainiac, Adam from WhiteWing, and Samuel in another group. Miwa is in their group too, along with a few others from Hell difficulty. Otherwise, it seems like a boring group. The more interesting one is the one containing Tess and Lily, the two of them will probably find themselves jostling for a place in the top 16.

    Tacita¡¯s group has both Sophie and Isabella in its ranks. Savant got a few people from WhiteWing, Channeler, and Maya. Biscuit¡¯s group has Aaron and Ghast, the lightning guy from WhiteWing.

    Min-Jae meanwhile has found himself in a group with a few people from Hell difficulty I don''t know.

    I spend my time focusing my attention on the others from Hell difficulty and ignore the rest, it should be fairly obvious who¡¯s going to be coming out on top of their respective groups.

    Instead of returning to the house, I lay on the grass and stare at the sky. It¡¯s nice to have some quiet after all these busy days full of people. But overall, it was my decision, so it¡¯s obvious who I have to blame. Past Nathaniel of course, screw that guy.

    Even so, I¡¯m glad I summoned Vega. Sure, we just said goodbye to each other less than a week ago, and I could have used the token later. But knowing the tutorial, there¡¯s no telling when I¡¯d have found a safe enough time to do so? It just seemed like the perfect opportunity.

    I stretch and yawn. The grass is thick and nicely soft, the ground embracing me in a comfortable chill. Lying there, I feel myself start to calm down. The need to move and fight I felt since the moment the duel¡¯s countdown was displayed begins to fade.

    While I wait for the countdown to start ticking down. I sit on the ground and watch the window.

    To win your group, you will need to win 8 duels! Your mana and stamina will be restored after every duel.

    When there are 8 participants remaining in each group, you will be moved to a common area where you may choose to watch the remaining group matches.

    Good luck!

    I feel a pull on my body, and as always, I try to follow along watching how and what the system is doing, and yet, I still find myself unable to do so.

    After being moved, I open my eyes and find myself in the middle of a huge clearing. The floor is made out of gray stone, and the weather is clear, without a single cloud to mar the clear blue sky.

    There is even a soft breeze, and other than the two of us, there is no one to be seen.

    ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake. Fuck¡¯s sake. Fuck¡¯s sake. What the fuck have I done,¡± my opponent curses.

    Such a beautiful day.

    ¡°Wanna forfeit?¡± I ask BenDover.

    He doesn¡¯t answer, but before he can use any of his skills, I reach through my domain and place an anchor on him.

    Sensing it, he tries to remove it, but he is too slow, and I send kinetic energy through. Just a little to throw him to the ground.

    I raise a barrier deflecting his ranged attacks.

    His wounds aren¡¯t healing, though I shouldn¡¯t be surprised given the state of current events, and I can¡¯t think of anything else I would want to examine, so I just send much more energy through, emptying half of my Vortex Core. It explodes a huge chunk of the floor, sending debris flying through the air.

    Congratulations, you have won your 1st duel!

    After that, I appear outside and observe my Vortex Core. It seems to have been refilled. So it seems like the system has no problem replenishing the more obscure reserves as well.

    My second round is against a young woman from Normal difficulty.

    ¡°So that¡¯s it,¡± she sighs. ¡°I forfeit!¡±

    Congratulations, you have won your 2nd duel!

    I appear back outside, and soon after, I get summoned back in.

    ¡°I forfeit!¡± The man, feeling like a member of Hard difficulty, shouts.

    Congratulations, you have won your 3rd duel!

    Another match.

    ¡°Fuck, not him! I forfeit!¡±

    Congratulations, you have won your 4th duel!

    Standing back outside, I feel the calm mood I had before slowly eroding away.

    Another round starts.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just immediately forfeit, damn it,¡± I say before the woman can say anything.

    ¡°W-why?¡± she asks. She¡¯s from Hard difficulty for sure.

    ¡°I mean, at least try to fight,¡± I beg.

    ¡°Will you hunt me outside in the common area if I don¡¯t?¡± She asks while taking a few steps away from me.

    ¡°Not really, but¡­¡±

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°I forfeit!¡± She shouts and disappears.

    Congratulations, you have won your 5th duel!

    Appearing outside, I release a chunk of kinetic energy from my Vortex Core and stomp, detonating the soft grassy ground I laid on before.

    Congratulations on your placement in the top 8 of your group! You will now be moved to the common area.

    The scenery changes again, and I find myself in the common area surrounded by a few hundred people, with more appearing as their groups work their way into the top 8 as well. Being surrounded by the noise of so many people only serves to add to my already sour mood.

    Stepping away to catch a break, I boost myself into the air and land on the roof of the tall house we used to watch the other events. As if we had planned the meeting, the remaining members of group 4 follow over the next few minutes.

    ¡°Has everyone made it into the top 8 of their groups?¡± Tess asks.

    And everyone responds, issuing their affirmations.

    ¡°Good job, I guess we were lucky to not get strong ones right away.¡±

    ¡°Or it was planned,¡± Maya sighs. ¡°But why did I have to get into the group with a member of the weirdo trio.¡±

    ¡°You can do it, Maya! Just imagine how shocked Nat would be if you beat Savant. So give it your all and don''t be such a scaredy cat,¡± Dennis says with a smirk.

    ¡°You can do it too! Maybe Sophie will do you and your brother a favor and squish you between her thighs if you take first in your respective groups.¡±

    What a terrifying counterattack. It seems to cause a lot of damage. The result is immediate impenetrable silence from the twins and Min-Jae as well.

    ¡°Oh, come on, Dennis, why don¡¯t you say anything?¡± Maya seems to be enjoying every moment. ¡°Aaron, why don¡¯t you help your brother? And you, Kim? We don¡¯t know anything about what you said, so why are you so worried? Are you hiding something?¡±

    Nice combo indeed and the boys, smartly I might add, decide to keep quiet.

    In the end, Maya sighs, ¡°Boring.¡±

    <hr>

    The first out of us to get summoned inside is me.

    Finally, I¡¯m facing another person from Hell. Someone from group 8, TheGuild. A man I haven¡¯t met before.

    The area we find ourselves in is different this time too. A floating island high in the sky, and I move to the edge of it and look down in an attempt to sate my curiosity and find myself gazing into a never-ending blue sky as far as I can see. A few clouds move lazily through the sky beneath us, and yet the floating island doesn¡¯t seem to have any inscriptions that I can find, nor is there any mana powering it. It just floats, probably to make the event more interesting to watch.

    I wonder if it¡¯s for participants only or maybe even the Rulers themselves, should they decide to watch. Or maybe it¡¯s possible for other beings to watch. Should I wave my middle fingers at the sky?

    Creating a barrier in front of me, I block a barrage of invisible slashes. The attack feels like an extremely sharp breeze, invisible to the eye, leaving me to rely on the movement of its mana to betray its trajectory. It¡¯s not bad at all, though it¡¯s lacking in oomph.

    Above my palm, I create a single mana orb and compress it until it turns dark blue.

    More attacks surround me, swirling like a tornado, slashing, trying to tear through, but to no avail.

    Reaching into my Vortex Core, I use a stream of kinetic energy, boosting the orb such that it disappears in the blink of an eye.

    Even though he was surely expecting my response and after creating some sort of wind barrier, the man is unable to defend himself, and the orb, moving at high speed, pierces through his chest.

    Congratulations, you have won your 6th duel!

    Back on the roof, Tess sighs, ¡°You could be more considerate. I know the guy, trust me, he¡¯s a really nice person.¡±

    That makes me snort, ¡°Maybe to the women. He attacked me while I was examining the arena.¡±

    ¡°Did you consider that ignoring them and examining the arena during a duel might piss them off?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    The screen lights up before Tess can say anything else that makes no sense, and two figures appear on the display: Samuel and Brainiac. The redheaded Brainiac that our boys have befriended and some other military guy from Hard difficulty. The result seems to have already been decided.

    On the screen, a few sentences are exchanged, the sound enveloping the common area from all sides, making it possible to hear even over the noise of two thousand people.

    Brainiac teases the man. In much the same way I do, he seems to dislike uptight military men who are good at organizing, but to some of the more free-spirited Hell difficulty attendees, it all feels too stuffy.

    The projectiles Brainiac likes to use shoot from his body are invisible, and Samuel barely manages to deflect the attacks with his giant sword.

    From below, the sound of the crowds cheering explodes, as people hype each other up in support of their personal favorites.

    ¡°A few groups have started going around and setting up bets. Mana stones, magical items, food, and items from Earth. They take and write down anything. They bet on winners of groups, winners of duels overall, and a few other things,¡± Sophie clarifies, reading my expression, as she follows the path of my gaze.

    ¡°Damn, they act quick.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and some have started selling snacks too. I think Adam¡¯s been helping them quite a lot. Even here, he is trying to make as many shards as possible. But I guess that¡¯s why he is in the top 5 of the crafter rankings.¡±

    ¡°Who has the best odds of winning the duels?¡±

    Sophie falls silent for a bit, a stiff expression taking over her face as she concentrates.

    ¡°There are four people with a few small differences between them. But Tacita comes just slightly ahead. They say that her speed is the biggest advantage when it comes to fighting humans versus humans. You seem to be a bit ahead of Savant, who is third, and they¡¯ve placed Tess in 4th.¡±

    ¡°Poor Gareth and Lily didn¡¯t even get on the list,¡± I say, being sure Lily is listening.

    ¡°I will beat Tess, and they will see! I bet they only picked her because she goes around zapping people, the guys from Hard difficulty are just more scared of her. If I did that too, they would place me there instead!¡± Lily complains.

    ¡°So what¡¯s your plan for fighting Tess? She¡¯s probably going to keep a distance and pick you off from afar,¡± I become a bit curious.

    I wonder how I would fight Tess if I were Lily. Using [Sacrifice] to get as close as possible in an attempt to end it all in a single [Disintegration] attack. But Tess then again would be expecting that, and unlike Lily, she can fly.

    Sure, Lily can use some ranged attacks, but they can¡¯t compare to Tess¡¯s range.

    ¡°As if I¡¯d say any of that to her face,¡± Lily snorts much to Tess¡¯s amusement.

    ¡°I¡¯m already excited for the fight, Lily,¡± Tess smiles at her.

    With that, the duel between Brainiac and Samuel comes to an end, Samuel loses, unable to get too close even after using his body strengthening and some sort of movement skill that caused his feet to glow and slide across the ground like an ice rink.

    Brainiac displayed a great sense of positioning and managed such a massive and consistent barrage of attacks that he seems to have been able to launch almost infinitely.

    The next match takes place between a couple of people from Lily¡¯s group. It¡¯s a mixed gender pair from Hell difficulty. Their arena turns out the same as mine and Brainiac¡¯s. A great floating island where they fight for over 10 minutes, trying to tire each other out. Both of them are extremely careful and swift to dodge. A woman with a bow, using projectiles created out of pale blue mana, that move almost as if they have a mind of their own.

    The man uses his skill with mana to compress the orb into a disc shape with sharp edges. He then proceeds to move it with the power of his mind alone, the disc easily cutting through trees and stones, and tilting at times to block the arrows.

    Yet, in the end, the man loses. An arrow that missed him and got stuck in the tree moves out of nowhere and takes the man in the back. The ordeal proves just enough to distract him, and causing him to take a hit by a few more attacks. The woman then takes the opportunity to attack more aggressively, wearing him down quickly and winning the duel.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t that bad,¡± Tess says. ¡°Sophie, what¡¯s her name?¡±

    ¡°I think it was Alaine from TheGuild. I think she and Swordmaster are married.¡±

    ¡°Swordmaster is a nice guy too. They fit well together.¡±

    Sophie nods, ¡°Yes, TheGuild so far seems to consist of quite the number of decent people.¡±

    Petting Biscuit, I listen with one ear and nibble on some snacks I stole from Maya. Surprisingly, she doesn¡¯t complain too much. Maybe she still harbors the hope that I will sell her my ax one day.

    This isn¡¯t really all that bad. How could a football or hockey match compare to this? Watching people use interesting skills, fighting, and giving their all. Truly, not bad at all.

    Soon after, Isabella disappears, a thin figure appears alongside her on the screen, facing her down.

    Sophie, who¡¯s been speaking with Tess up until now, grows quiet, and I see her clench her teeth, her eyes becoming much colder.

    Tacita on the screen tilts her head in surprise and looks at Izzy opposite her.

 Chapter 374 - So thatâ€™s why they call you...

    Blue flames surround the young girl, not as an attack but in an effort to create an area around her that¡¯s as hot as possible.

    I can see Isabella staring at Tacita, seemingly in an attempt to read her emotions, something I don''t think she¡¯ll be able to do given the effects of Tacita¡¯s field. But Tacita seems to appreciate the effort and smiles at the girl.

    Isabella moves her hand and a dozen thin threads of fire lash out around her, like whips extending to assault Tacita.

    The mute girl just takes a nimble step and dodges the first, tilting her head to avoid another, and leaping playfully over another. Her movements are smooth and playful while the environment around her burns and cuts to pieces. Thin blue threads of fire cut through stone, trees, and the ground leaving deep gouges in their wake.

    The fire intensifies, and with it, so too does the heat around Isabella. The air flickers and the surface of the stones start to glow an angry orange color with the heat.

    Even so, it''s not enough. Tacita disappears, her immense speed removing her from sight, and when she appears again, she is standing in a different spot, dagger in hand, its blade covered in blood.

    Slowly, Isabella reaches towards her neck finding a long scratch, a whisper of blood flowing from the wound.

    Tacita waits until Isabella looks at her and gestures at her, the meaning clear, Forfeit.

    Instead of that, Isabella wipes the blood into her clothes, rolls her sleeves up, and slaps her palms together. The veins in her arms become visible through her skin. Glowing with a blue luminescence that seeps through the muscles and skin. The effect slowly traveling up the length of her arms, past her elbows.

    In response, the heat radiating from Isabella increases several times over. The blue flames crash into each other, violently lashing at the air as if they were caught in the winds of a storm.

    The ground continues to absorb the heat until the girl finds herself standing in a pool of magma and fire, her shoes dissolving in the heat and the edges of her clothes beginning to catch fire. Yet the flames leave not a single burn on her body, not a single hair left out of place by that heat.

    Dozens of threads of fire, like burning ropes, spin, burn, and thrash around as she faces off against Tacita.

    And in that moment, the smile fades from the mute girl''s face, replaced by a look of simple acknowledgment. The dagger in her hand visibly vibrates, falling under the effect of her skill.

    Once again, Tacita disappears, and when she comes back into view, she finds herself having to dust off her clothes and put out the fire on her sleeve, and glancing down at the burn left on her forearm.

    The dagger is gone, stabbed through Isabella¡¯s eye who a split second later turns into shiny particles.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Soph,¡± Isabella says the moment she appears outside. Even so, she lifts her arm and carefully touches her eye. Her hand is shaking and so is her voice. It¡¯s obvious she felt a bit of pain before the system bailed her out.

    Curious, I look over to Sophie who stays quiet, moving to be closer to her sister. Her expression right now tells me that things are going to be interesting if she ever gets to face off against Tacita.

    Out of everyone from Hell difficulty who isn¡¯t already in Beyond, Sophie is the one I think would be the best fit for the other weirdos in its ranks. The only thing holding her back is her little sister.

    ¡°Izzy, were those blue veins of yours a trait?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s called Burning Blood.¡±

    ¡°Damn, sounds cool. Is it a boost to your fire-related abilities? Does it buff your heat generation? Or is it your storage capacity?¡± I try to guess.

    ¡°All of the above!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s even cooler than I thought. Give me.¡±

    ¡°No! But it¡¯s still cool, right? Though I still want to have floating blue hair like Seneca¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Was that a trait your disciple had?¡±

    She shakes her head and I notice she is getting calmer, ¡°It was more like Vega¡¯s horns.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you can work something out with Lily, she likes to play around with that kind of stuff.¡±

    ¡°Only for training,¡± Lily corrects.

    Isabella says something to Lily and they start a conversation, no doubt hashing out details and I turn back to the screen. Though before doing so, I glance over at Sophie who still wears an expression of cold rage, even stronger now that Izzy¡¯s been distracted.

    On the screen, Savant faces Pumpkin, a melee attacker from WhiteWing.

    The fight opens with Savant using his domain and the time starts ticking down. Without a good defense, Pumpkin will quickly find himself poisoned by mana radiation and I''m sure Savant is concentrating on making it worse for him.

    As the gentle orange light shimmers around them, the two men rush together in combat, Savant showing himself to be surprisingly at home with melee combat.

    Though as watch, I figure that it¡¯s probably a mix of things he saw back on Earth and the lessons he received on the 2nd and 4th floors. Even so, Savant combines these moves together really well and if he makes a mistake, he quickly realizes it and doesn¡¯t repeat it a second time.

    Even so, Pumpkin is faster and very flexible, he¡¯s dual wielding daggers, each moving like it has its own mind. His skin is coated in something like scales that seem to add to his defense without restricting his movement. For a while, he even manages to push Savant back and gradually uses more of his mana as his movements become more and more aggressive.

    He is clearly dominating the extremely talented and less experienced man.

    Savant''s eyes bear a curious expression, but they are otherwise not very lively. It¡¯s like he is dealing with an annoying child and soon he reaches the point where he¡¯s seen everything he needs. Seemingly oblivious to Savant¡¯s tricks, Pumpkin uses his trump card. Two more arms grow from his back and extend to grab Savant.

    The limbs are very thin, and longer than normal arms, moving at a speed he thought his opponent wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge. Or, and I think this is the more likely option, he knew Savant was playing with him. He must have seen the guy''s performance during the previous events just like I did. So he¡¯s decided to give it his best shot.

    In reaction, Savant¡¯s domain shrinks back in the blink of an eye and from that energy, he creates a sword with a thin blade.

    That makes me focus on him with much more interest. Using a domain that way is not something I¡¯ve seen before.

    The broken Sword of Aeons in his left hand and the newly created sword in his right. He moves more of his mana to enhance his strength and movement speed increasing them exponentially. At the same time, the sword created from his domain seems to cause Pumpkin visible discomfort. He has trouble breathing and even moving as burn-like wounds blossom across his skin, caused by the concentrated radiation pouring off the orange sword.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Four scaly arms are sent flying before the sword made of orange light pierces through Pumpkin¡äs chest, his movements bearing a clear similarity to Pumpkin¡¯s own.

    Then in a shower of particles, his opponent disappears and Savant with him.

    There is an excited conversation going down in the common area as people rush to place bets. Group 4 also starts commenting on that, but I filter it out while I replay what I just saw over and over again in my head.

    As I do so, the duels continue and some of them are interesting enough for me to watch. It¡¯s interesting to see the kinds of abilities people have developed during their time in the tutorial.

    Maya wins her fight against her opponent, a man with a weird combination of body armor and mental attacks who chooses to fight her at melee range. His mental attacks do not seem to work all that well against Maya whose [Focus] and [Armament] is on a much higher level than his. She quickly shifts between spear, sword, and dagger, and even shoots a bow a few times. Her ability to create mana-based weapons is exceptionally fast.

    Then there is Biscuit who made the top 8 of his group.

    Obviously.

    He faces the lightning mage from WhiteWing, someone called Ghast. Unlike people before, Ghast attacks Biscuit without any hesitation, ignoring his cute appearance. The lightning the man creates crashes against purple tentacles extending from Biscuit¡¯s back, while the tentacles either disrupt or absorb it.

    I almost start smiling when Biscuit starts running while barking at the man. He doesn¡¯t float, no, he just runs on his short legs, jumping over the debris on the ground. The purple tentacles elongate and swirl around his petite form, defending him while two purple orbs float at his side.

    The man has no shame or concern for his image and tries to run away and reposition when that cute dog rushes him. But before he can do so, the ground under him cracks and a single purple tentacle grabs his ankle.

    Ghast creates a lightning bolt, which he attempts to send through the tentacle, either to destroy it or to reach its creator, but to no avail. Biscuit¡¯s creations are shockingly dense and the tentacle holds the man solidly in place.

    Looking up, Ghast sees one orb turned projectile shoot at him, elongated into the shape of a spear.

    Ghast crosses his arms, and an image of a shield made of lightning forms in front of him blocking the blow. He then extends one of his arms releasing a rain of small lightning bolts, which roar through the air like a minigun emptying its magazine in a fraction of a second.

    The ground around Biscuit explodes, dust and earth flying into the air under the weight of his barrage.

    When it dissipates, Biscuit is still there, undamaged.

    A mental attack hits Ghast and with it, a purple orb turns bright white which explodes soon after defeating the man, Ghast having found himself trapped in the grasp of the purple tentacle which held him in place.

    Indeed he is a merciful future Absolute. Even letting a lowly human show some portion of his skill before showing him his place.

    I pet Biscuit who appears back on my lap, ¡°Good job.¡±

    (Food!)

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    (Food.)

    ¡°We will see.¡±

    (Food food.)

    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± I boop his nose and turn back to the screen where two lucky members of Hard difficulty merrily beat the shit out of each other. Lucky because they got so far without facing anyone from Hell difficulty.

    At the same time, a notification rings about three more items that have been sold, bringing me all the closer to having two hundred thousand shards. It looks like my rank as 1st crafter has been cemented just like that. What remains is to find out if the reward is worth it. Even if it¡¯s not, I don¡¯t think I will complain that much, just having the shards is nice enough.

    It takes a bit longer but the fight finally ends, the woman who won standing there, bloodied and tired, screaming at the sky from sheer exhilaration.

    ¡°Sometimes I think it¡¯s more fun watching people from lower difficulties fight,¡± Maya notes, ¡°There is something eye-catching about seeing them give their best.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Tess chimes in.

    Finally, it¡¯s Min-Jae¡¯s turn to be summoned inside, and he finds himself facing off against someone from Hard difficulty. The huge muscular man with a hammer that is probably heavier than Min-Jae. Surprisingly, the man is calm after finding out who he¡¯s been pitted against.

    Unlike him, Min-Jae smiles brightly. He is looking around as if trying to find the ¡°camera¡± that shows it all in the common area. Then he offers the man the first attack, promising to only defend once.

    ¡°That dumbass¡­¡± Maya sighs.

    And as expected, the man seizes the opportunity. He lowers his stance and over one minute his body shines slightly, muscles not bulging quite as much, and an interesting amount of mana surrounds the hammer.

    Even so, Min-Jae doesn¡¯t seem to be worried and his left yellow eye shines.

    The man from Hard difficulty attacks and at that moment the field around Min-Jae activates an immense pull of gravity slowing the man to a crawl after a few quick steps. But that doesn¡¯t seem to be his intention and instead of just blindly charging, he throws his hammer.

    Min-Jae reaches his hand in its direction, mana swirling around him as he uses either [Gravity Well] or [Telekinesis]. He doesn¡¯t even put that much effort into it, not expecting much from someone from Hard difficulty.

    But surprisingly, just once, the hammer flashes, disrupting for a second Min-Jae''s grab and emptying the mana collected inside of it in the process.

    Unable to react in time, the hammer smashes into Min-Jae''s left side, breaking his bones and throwing him rolling on the ground.

    From there, the boy lifts his head, groaning in pain, and the skills he was using deactivate. His eyes open up in panic as he sees how close his opponent is, just two steps away.

    Min-Jae clenches his teeth and his left eye glows, the man¡¯s chest caving in, compressed by immense gravity and turning him into shiny particles.

    When our teammate reappears outside, no one says anything but I look at him with interest, curious to see what reaction Min-Jae will have.

    He catches my gaze and turns away. Was that shame I saw in his expression? Anger? Annoyance?

    A few more groups fight and I finally get summoned back inside. Only 4 members remain in each group. After this fight, it will be the group finals. My opponent this time is a guy from Hard difficulty.

    ¡°Fuck man, I thought I would climb higher,¡± he sighs. One of Samuel¡¯s cronies. I think he¡¯s an ex-marine or something like that.

    I find it interesting. Wouldn¡¯t people with that much experience, real combat experience be more fitting for Hell difficulty?

    ¡°Are you going to forfeit?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I mean, probably.¡±

    ¡°Would you mind if I try something?¡±

    ¡°Your special attack or what? Will it hurt?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if you agree I will have a bit better opinion of you. I will also remember you agreeing to this.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s my name?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I thought so. I¡¯m Matthew, remember it. And go ahead. If it¡¯s some kind of torture or other bullshit I will forfeit.¡±

    ¡°I might forget your name so talk to the Channeler or Sset. They are good at peopley stuff.¡±

    ¡°Man¡­ okay, damn it, just do it.¡±

    I nod and my [Mana Crown] forms over my head. My [Mana Domain] expands and I use black mana to strengthen my body, something I¡¯m starting to grow quite proficient at, I can even manage to keep it going for up to ten seconds with barely any aftereffects.

    Then, having my body strengthened with black mana to endure the strain, I start releasing my mana and filling my domain with it. Like a broken dam, it floods into it, filling the area with more and more of my mana. It floods from my reservoir and my body mana. There is no skill here, just me emptying my reserves.

    I barely get started when the man stumbles, his face pale.

    A few seconds later, he falls to his knees, seeming to be having trouble breathing.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why they call you a goddamn mana maniac.¡± Even as he says so he clenches his teeth, trying to endure as much as possible.

    I barely start releasing mana from my Mana Reservoir and even that seems to be too much and the man faints, soon turning into shiny particles.

    Congratulations, you have won your 7th duel!

 Chapter 375 - Want to spar for a moment?

    After reappearing on the roof I start replaying the events of my last match. I knew that too much mana could make people with high sensitivity faint and that enough could overwhelm even the stronger ones.

    I''m almost certain that I could create what I¡¯ve heard called mana radiation at a high enough level. And I could probably accomplish the same effect with less mana with the right combination of skills, like Savant¡¯s [Dawn] and my [Mana Domain] if I try to learn it. I¡¯ve already seen Savant using it a few times so it shouldn''t be all that hard for me to replicate.

    With a high enough concentration of mana, mana radiation can be created even without having access to a skill. As for how much it would take, it''s difficult to guess. I''m sure Champions and Absolutes are capable of it, after seeing zones like the Valley on the 5th Floor.

    As of now, I have yet to fully understand the effects. Does it just overwhelm people killing them once the mana density exceeds their body''s resistance to the pressure? Does it act like some sort of poison? Does it affect animals or monsters?

    More fun stuff to experiment with.

    ¡°Congratulations on making it to the finals of your group,¡± Maya says.

    ¡°I¡¯m not selling you the ax.¡±

    ¡°Douchebag.¡±

    Another fight starts, flickering into view on the screen. Adam vs Miwa, who got surprisingly far.

    They face each other. Adam in his clean suit seemingly unarmed and Miwa with her pink tinged silver arm and a katana. She gives Adam a bow which he awkwardly returns.

    ¡°Adam¡¯s been trying to hire Miwa for a while and he refuses to stop looking for the real identity of Tent Creep. Miwa has to refuse him constantly, decrying him as a fake who cares only for money rather than the art of crafting,¡± Tess informs me as she ties Maya''s hair into a braid.

    ¡°Hehe, Tent Creep,¡± Maya giggles and looks back at Tess who smiles at her.

    ¡°For some unknown reason, the price for the ax just went up by 20 percent,¡± I state, as I turn my attention to the screen.

    Purple mana surrounds Adam, much as it did in the second event. It moves and looks like waves, surrounding and crashing against him.

    Opposite him, Miwa tightens her grip on the katana and takes a well-practiced stance. That katana, held in her prosthetic arm, takes on the same pinkish hue as her arm and she charges, swinging her weapon.

    She cuts an opening in the purple wave of mana with her weapon and tosses a metal cube on the ground in front of her absorbing another attack from Adam.

    Even so, it''s not enough and the man just releases more. The wave-like mana crushes and grinds away at anything it touches.

    ¡°I thought she would do better, having that arm from the Champion and all,¡± Maya states.

    ¡°She¡¯s from Hard difficulty. The Champions there probably weren¡¯t as powerful as they were on our floors,¡± Tess points out as she finishes working on Maya''s hair. ¡°She is also a crafter and she spends most of her time on that so it makes sense.¡±

    ¡°The arm is upper epic at most,¡± I say, joining the conversation.

    ¡°Huh, you have plenty of items like that so why do you want her arm so much?¡± Maya asks me.

    ¡°I believe it can be upgraded to arcane. The base of the arm is amazing, everything from the material, to what I saw of the inscriptions. It wouldn¡¯t take much work to push it over the line.¡±

    I would need to examine it a bit more but I''m fairly sure that I''m right. The arm reminds me of the unfinished upper rare items I found in the Veil Ignition Station and upgraded to sell.

    Even so, Miwa doesn¡¯t seem to be that disappointed when she loses. Her movements are smooth and elegant and the weapon, strengthened by her arm, does surprisingly well when faced with someone from Hell difficulty.

    Still, the fight ends with her loss and a few fights later Lily faces Alaine, the woman archer we saw not that long ago.

    After exchanging a few words with her opponent, the length of Lily¡¯s hair shortens and she dashes. Three arrows rocket towards her, each intercepted by Lily¡¯s hand, only to be eaten away by [Disintegration]. Lily boosts her movement further, bulldozing through the stone rather than moving around it. A huge chunk of stone just disappears, eaten away by her skill.

    Alaine tries to keep her distance and slow Lily down, all to no avail. Lily reaches her and ducks under the last two projectiles. She tanks the last one as it pierces through her neck, only for the wound to immediately close.

    The arrow in Alaine¡¯s hand contracts into a palm-length blade, which she thrusts at Lily, who makes her arm disappear with a simple touch, almost as if it had never existed in the first place. Then Lily strikes out again, boring a huge circular hole in Alaine¡¯s chest before she explodes into particles and both of the women reappear outside.

    Now that both of them have made the finals for their group, Tess and Lily exchange competitive looks. That duel will be fun to watch.

    Sophie goes next, facing a woman from Hard difficulty and the fight barely takes a few seconds. The woman¡¯s mental barrier breaks nearly immediately and she fails to stop her hand from stabbing her in the neck with her own dagger, causing her to forfeit nearly immediately.

    That gets Sophie into the finals against Tacita and when she gets out she has the same expression she did when Tacita defeated Izzy.

    In the remaining fights before the group finals, Gareth defeats his opponents, while Biscuit, and Dennis defeat theirs as well.

    Then Min-Jae¡¯s up. The duel in question deciding who will go into his group finals. His opponent is the scrawny man from Hell difficulty, and unfortunately for Min-Jae, his opponent seems to have a solid counter for him and more combat experience to boot.

    The man disappears taking advantage of his assassin-build, either becoming transparent, going invisible, or making use of some kind of camouflage.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Min-Jae tries to counter it with a gravity field centered around his person and his metal orbs proceed to spin wildly around his person. Each of the orbs in question is quick enough to tear the man apart the moment he moves closer. That¡¯s just how dangerous they are.

    At this point, it should be easily winnable for him. He just needs to reduce his output. Even half would be enough to deal with the guy and allow him to save his reserves. But unfortunately, Min-Jae doesn¡¯t do that.

    Shaken by the result of his last fight, Min-Jae is more worried than he should be, he¡¯s focusing on useless stuff, and draining his mana quicker than he should. He seems to realize it after some time as well and finally lowers his output and starts randomly moving a few orbs further in the distance, trying to blindly hit the man he can''t seem to locate, not even by using his eye to watch the surrounding gravitational waves.

    The reason seems simple enough to me and I stare into the air high over Min-Jae. Maybe he saw the perfect opportunity or maybe he¡¯s running out of mana, the scrawny man appears in the air, with some kind of weird platform made out of mana under him.

    That platform disappears and pulled by the heightened gravity, he falls at high speed, crashing into Min-Jae and likely breaking a few bones in the process. But even so, he stabs Min-Jae about a dozen times, reducing the surprised teen into a cloud of fine particles.

    When Min-Jae appears on the roof and then leaves without saying anything, I place an anchor on him and turn back to the screen. But there are still a few fights I don''t care that much about before the finals of the groups, so I guess I have some free time now.

    ¡°I¡¯ll check on him,¡± I tell Tess, who seems like she is about to follow Min-Jae.

    To be honest, it¡¯s getting on my nerves seeing him act like this. I know I said he is still young and dumb, but this?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too harsh,¡± Tess says.

    ¡°Sure.¡± I use the anchor I left on the 16-year-old boy and teleport directly to him.

    His reaction time is decent and he senses me even before I appear and his skills crash into me before he realizes who I am.

    I deflect the attacks and face him. ¡°That was kind of disgraceful.¡±

    He blinks a few times and I can see anger behind his eyes, but he holds it back. ¡°Yes. I fucked up.¡±

    ¡°Quite a bit. Want to spar for a moment?¡±

    The silence stretches on for a bit longer.

    ¡°Nat, I don¡¯t know what you are trying, but please, I¡¯m really not in the mood.¡±

    ¡°Just for a bit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but no.¡±

    ¡°A short spar, come on.¡±

    ¡°I said no!¡± he screams. ¡°Do you not have enough?! Did you not enjoy seeing me fuck up everything I could since the tournament started? You¡¯re always watching, looking, without saying anything and now you want to spar?! No fucking thanks! I¡¯m not in the mood to take another beating.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t, I will just attack you.¡±

    ¡°Fucking do it then! Beat me up! I hope you have fun doing so like everyone else. Maybe even mention how easy it would be.¡±

    ¡°I mean, after seeing today¡¯s matches I could use 1st Floor [Restriction] and win. It would be easy, even back then my mana orbs were decent and I could sling them fairly quickly. You tend to get impatient and careless against weaker opponents, so I would take advantage of that, taunting you into making a mistake and then I¡¯d shoot an orb through your legs. Your defenses tend to be a bit weaker around your feet.¡±

    I take a step closer and look down at him, ¡°My body strengthening was decent too so I could use your arrogance to get in close. Then I would let you hurt me, maybe tear off my arm or a leg, or blind one of my eyes. After that, I would push through and cut your throat.¡±

    I mean what I''m saying. Even though it might have cost me my life, I can''t imagine failing to kill Min-Jae before dying. Of course, I would probably run away and try to continue the fight in a way that would allow me to survive, but in a fight to the death, Min-Jae would lose to 1st Floor me.

    ¡°Nat, I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re¡­¡±

    I don¡¯t let him finish and send a burst of kinetic energy at him, sending him staggering backward and almost falling down.

    Even through all that, he uses gravity, and the next two orbs I shoot at him crash to the ground at the places he marked.

    ¡°Fuck, what¡­¡±

    More of my mana orbs fly in his direction and he redirects each of them and when I jump back he increases gravity under me. Stones shoot up from the ground to fly at my face. In response, I coat my palm in mana and let them crash into it.

    Min-Jae senses me creating anchors behind and above him. His body becomes lighter and he pulls himself with [Telekinesis] just in time to escape a burst of flames and kinetic energy. A dozen orbs pour from his pockets and proceed to spin around him whistling through the air.

    He parts the yellow flames I send his way with [Telekinesis] leaving them to flow harmlessly to either side of him.

    Every time he tries to say anything or stop the fight, I push more.

    Another orb, a javelin filled with thermal energy, an anchor nearby. My attacks do not give him time to think and I push him deeper and deeper into the forest where he resorts to throwing trees at me and changing the gravity around them so that they find themselves pulled toward me.

    He levitates into the air but my bombardment continues, yellow glowing orbs and flames exploding all around him, forcing him to land, increasing gravity as I step closer.

    Even using [Telekinesis] to move his body he barely manages to dodge my attacks. He knows I¡¯m far from going all out. But he has no time to do anything about it.

    I know his skills well. I¡¯ve seen him fight many times, and I know where he¡¯s lacking, and what I need to target in an attack. So as we clash I fight in a way that allows him to utilize his strengths. I let him use the environment against me, I use skills I¡¯m sure he can counter and I poke at his weaknesses, forcing him to react.

    Like that, the fight becomes faster and faster. Min-Jae knows the attacks I¡¯m using and I can read the movement of his mana with my eyes so I allow him to use everything he can.

    An orb nearly kills him but he redirects it at the last moment, a look of sheer surprise flickers across his face, caused by his own reaction.

    My flames surround him and I see him debate running away, but I don¡¯t give him the opportunity and he uses his skills to redirect them around himself and push them away. And a smile climbs its way onto his face as he succeeds.

    At close range, he keeps escaping my anchors and the explosions that rock the environment in their wake, he¡¯s getting better at sensing them as his mind relaxes. He allows his instincts to take over and guide his reactions, allowing him to respond quicker than standing in place nervously.

    And as the fight goes on and his reserves drain he smiles more and more. There is no other thought in his mind outside this fight. I don''t allow it. He doesn¡¯t think of useless stuff like worrying about losing, people looking, or what others might think.

    We simply fight for the sake of it.

    He finally stumbles and falls to his knees and even then it¡¯s not over. He pushes himself back onto his feet, gathering the last bits of his mana he bombards me with the deadly orbs he¡¯s bonded to himself.

    After I block even that attack, he tries again, but there is nothing left.

    Min-Jae stands there, breathing heavily, sweat wetting his hair and making it stick to his face. He is looking at me, wanting me to say something.

    I send a soft burst of kinetic energy at him, just enough to make him fall on his ass. Then, while he is looking up at me, I teleport away, leaving him to reflect on his own.

 Chapter 376 - Tess vs Lily

    I return just in time to be summoned for my round in the finals. My opponent is Mari from WhiteWing. She uses a dagger and short sword, falling back on her high dexterity and mana. And she tends to use said mana to further enhance her damage output and speed.

    ¡°Being in the top 32 isn''t that bad,¡± she notes.

    ¡°There are only 31 people from Hell difficulty here in the tournament.¡±

    ¡°You sure know how to ruin the mood.¡± Mari lowers her stance and more mana floods into her weapons.

    At the same time, lights start glowing under her skin in whorls and patterns reminiscent of tattoos.

    There¡¯s a short burst of mana and a flash of light as she strikes her sword with her dagger. The effect of which serves to blind me and disrupt my senses.

    [Perception] seems to be confused by that, so I fall back on my primordial energies to track her heat and kinetic energy, while boosting my body with normal mana.

    She lashes out at me with a thrust, which I avoid with a step to the side, coating my blade in a layer of resonating mana and retaliating with a downward slash, severing her arm.

    Mari spins on the spot, adjusting her grip on the dagger, and lashing out at me again as she avoids my follow up strike.

    Her dagger lets off a flash of light and disruptive mana, but this time I¡¯m prepared, and move to counter it while dissecting the skills involved. Then I send her flying with a burst of kinetic energy, followed by yellow flames to box her in.

    She creates a barrier around herself and endures the flames for a while before I infuse them with [Resonance] to break through her defenses.

    Congratulations, you have won your 8th duel and ranked first in your group! You have qualified for the finals. The finals will take place one hour after all finalists have been declared!

    Once I¡¯ve returned I take the opportunity to find a more secluded place so that I can focus on my training. I still watch the fights since they are interesting enough, but I can¡¯t forget that the tournament will be ending soon, so I need to maximize my gains.

    I keep my crown over my head while feeding it bits of black mana in an attempt to find the tipping point.

    So far, I have learned that the crown helps me improve my control over black mana. The real problem arises when the crown turns black. Then it just starts absorbing all the mana it can touch.

    My theory is that the black crown doesn¡¯t have any stronger mana-absorbing properties than black mana. The reason why its pull is so strong is because it quickly absorbs so much mana. An amount I never use when compressing my mana to create a black orb.

    So, for example, if I use 50% of my mana to create a black orb, it will be as strong as feeding the black crown 50% of my mana.

    The main difference is that the black crown bears a connection to me that allows it to empty my reservoir, making it more difficult to fight its pull. On the other hand, the black crown tends to crumble faster than the orbs.

    Thankfully, there are advantages even though they are theoretical for now. The crown bears a stronger connection to me than the orb. That means it should be easier to use than a black orb. Of course, that only really applies if I can solve the control issues. Right now, it¡¯s more difficult to use the black crown than the black orb.

    At first glance, it doesn¡¯t seem to make much sense, but there is a bit of twisted logic behind it.

    My goal is still to make the black crown into a tool to absorb the ambient mana around me and make it my own.

    It sounds straight-up broken, too strong, and a project for the far future, but it also sounds like something that should be possible, that¡¯s why I¡¯m taking the opportunity to train here. When the tournament is over, I will train something else, maybe I¡¯ll find a way to better utilize my massive reserves of mana. That sounds like it¡¯ll be important. Constantly growing my mana is nice, but I need to be able to use it in the first place.

    I need more skills that increase my damage output. Maybe even a signature move that doesn¡¯t require charging or preparation. A single target high damage strike would be nice too, something for the stronger opponents.

    There I pull myself from my thoughts as one of the more interesting fights starts. Damn, am I starting to turn into a sports fanboy? Do I need a beer and a hotdog to eat during the fights?

    This fight in particular will decide the finalist for their group, Tess against Lily. I have a winner in mind, but it will be entertaining to see it happen.

    And it starts strong.

    Instead of putting distance between them, Tess stands in place, causing Lily to falter as she moves to charge after her with everything she¡¯s got.

    Tess can see her surprise, and it only serves to amuse her. A crown surrounded by red and white lightning forms over her head, and her blonde hair starts shining like gold as beautiful armor surrounds her body. Sleek and functional at the same time, with lightning crackling around the edges.

    The sky over the floating island they stand on starts turning darker.

    Lily lets it all happen, and like me, she must know why Tess has done this. It¡¯s simple. The blonde has decided to indulge her pride and show Lily, who¡¯s been getting very confident lately, why she¡¯s the leader of the group and assert her strength in the process.

    Lily is shorter than Tess. Her eyes are brown, unlike Tess¡¯s gray, and while Tess seems to be releasing light, Lily seems to be absorbing it. That dangerous gray mana seeps out of her like a cloud of deadly smoke capable of destroying anything. A gray dagger forms out of it, and Lily¡¯s hair starts shrinking, her waist-length hair seemingly retracting into her head until it stops at her shoulders.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Tess simply watches as Lily sacrifices her hair, a few of her organs, a bit of flesh, and most likely some senses too.

    Both of them attack at once.

    Before they crash, lightning roars through the sky and hits Lily head-on, destroying her leg and burning half of her body.

    Without blinking, Lily takes a step, her wounds healing in a flash. She swings her dagger, and smoke seeps out of it, devouring Tess¡¯s primordial lightning.

    Tess moves to the side, looking more like lightning given form than a human, and Lily follows matching her speed, bolstered by her sacrifices.

    Tess pelts Lily with large stones, each one the size of a car. She also pulls trees up by the roots, and a constant barrage of lightning tracks Lily as if it were being pulled by a string.

    Like an unstoppable nightmare, Lily passes through it all, her flesh healing with terrifying speed. [Disintegration] devouring lightning as if it were nothing, while she nimbly dodges oversized projectiles and cuts through them with ease.

    I can see the surprise in Lily¡äs eyes as Tess stops dodging and crashes into Lily head on, her lightning zaps the girl, causing her to freeze for a moment.

    Lightning spears appear from behind Tess¡¯s back and pierce through the black-haired healer, then Tess¡¯s armor disappears, collapsing into a spear of red and white lightning before piercing Lily¡¯s neck.

    Yet, the healer doesn¡¯t vanish in a cloud of particles.

    Gray mana explodes around her, devouring everything: air, lightning, Tess¡¯s leg, and the ground she stands on. A big chunk of the area around her disappears, leaving a smooth surface.

    And Lily stands there, her wounds fully healed and hair even shorter, even one of her arms gone, sacrificed.

    Once again, a gray dagger forms in her hand, but before she can take a step, two stones as big as buses crash into her from the sides, squishing her in between. Still, she almost dodges the blow, only her lower body managing to get caught in between the stones.

    Lily swings her arm, cutting herself off from what remains of her body. Then she stumbles as her body regrows, one of her eyes disappearing, and she seems to have gone deaf, sacrificing her hearing.

    Tess, standing on a single leg, still dodges Lily, using a lightning-based prosthesis instead of her leg to move. She destroys Lily¡¯s leg and dodges a strike from the dagger made of gray mana along with its follow up.

    Lily charges her, letting go of the dagger, and strengthening her body instead, but one last bolt of lightning falls from the sky, damaging her even further, her wounds seeming to heal slower as a result of dwindling mana reserves.

    Tess hasn¡¯t even used her [Declaration] and even chose to fight up close, giving a huge advantage to Lily.

    But now, a barrage of projectiles and spears hits Lily for the last time. The black-haired healer continues to push through, her grey mana devouring the attacks and her limbs regenerating, though more slowly now.

    Step by step, she moves closer with determination on her face, but to no avail. Lacking mana reserves and running out of things to sacrifice, she hits her limit, which becomes even more noticeable due to her inexperience, impatience, and overreliance on two powerful skills. So, Tess wins.

    The black-haired girl disappears in a burst of shimmering particles even as she sacrifices more parts of her body in an attempt to heal.

    Under the dark sky, the lightning crown over Tess¡¯s head finally flickers and disappears. Even tired, wounded and with her golden hair plastered to her face Tess looks very regal right now.

    She then disappears, teleported by the system, returned to the roof with the rest of group 4.

    Lily and Tess, fully healed, face each other, but before anything can be said, Maya jumps on Lily from behind, hugging her and calling her terminator. Tess also smiles and compliments Lily, while giving out a few pointers.

    Lily doesn''t seem too happy about it, but she can use it as fuel for her determination to improve. That and she needs more mana, yup.

    The next fight is Brainiac versus Adam. The tall redheaded boy quite easily beats Adam. Both clearly know each other¡¯s skills, and Brainiac shows surprising skill not fitting his nosy and extremely cheery personality. He fights cleverly, using ranged attacks that have clearly improved since the second event. As per my advice, they are smaller, sharper, and contain less mana, making them harder for Adam to track.

    Brainiac fights from a distance, shooting them through the trees even as they pierce easily, leaving finger-thick holes. Gradually, he tires out the older man, emptying his reserves, and takes the win.

    Biscuit is in the finals against Aaron. The best doggo of the tournament floor shows no mercy from the start, bombarding Aaron with mental attacks and tentacles that extend a great distance.

    Aaron is quick, often leaving very convincing afterimages of himself that even contain mana, heat, and the feeling of weight.

    For Biscuit, they are easy to destroy, but it takes some of his reserves while Aaron moves around, blending with his surroundings by using [Sensory Deception] and relying on [Haste] to move quickly.

    That way of fighting has helped him so far, easily dealing with hard difficulty and even one guy from Hell difficulty. He can also use mental attacks, but they don¡¯t really seem to work all that well on Biscuit, who merely responds by shouting louder the moment someone tries to connect to his mind.

    In a last-ditch effort, Aaron dodges through the tentacles and mana projectiles and reaches Biscuit, only for it to be revealed as a projection, and the real one attacks from the side, a dagger in his hand.

    Even so, Biscuit reacts in a flash and envelops him in his purple tentacles.

    The gentle corgi then shakes Aaron until the boy forfeits, Aaron surrenders to escape and to avoid throwing up from all the shaking before appearing outside. There, he curses under his breath while Biscuit leaves my lap, wobbles up to him, and nudges Aaron with his small head until the boy relents and pets him.

    Gareth faces Dennis in the finals, the second twin sharing a combat style with his brother.

    I think it¡¯s great they got so far, only losing against strong opponents. But both of the twins are much stronger when they can fight together. When they fight alone, it¡¯s like most of their skills can¡¯t be used properly. It''s a weakness they need to work on.

    Gareth, having some knowledge of Dennis, acts gentle but firm and allows some attacks to hit that fail to damage him at all before changing his armor, moving quickly, and defeating the second twin.

    Then Sophie disappears with Tacita, and the two women face each other on the floating island. The common area becomes eerily quiet for a moment before the conversations resume at a much quicker pace. People bet as quickly as possible, trying to guess the winner of the fight.

    Sophie has a terrible reputation as a mind manipulator, and Tacita is a crazed girl, barely even a young woman, who kills people if they get too close.

    Tacita¡¯s nonchalant bearing changes one second after the duel starts. Before she even moves, blood seeps out of her eyes and ears, and her arm moves. Tacita stabs at her own neck, only managing to redirect the dagger at the last moment and burying it just over her collarbone.

    It becomes quiet once again as Sophie¡¯s green eyes shine coldly and a swarm of dozens mana constructs surrounds her.

 Chapter 377 - Sophie vs Tacita

    Sophie loses control as Tacita changes her field, and the mute girl disappears.

    Even while that is happening, Sophie keeps her hands moving as she sets up her web. She works quickly, creating floating constructs the size of bees that roam the battlefield in a chaotic fashion, drawing nearly invisible threads of mana behind them.

    Sophie detects something and waves her arm, causing the ground to bulge a few steps away from her before bursting into a large spike and piercing high into the air. She spins swiftly causing another three spikes to burst from three more points.

    It¡¯s almost impressive to see how little this distraction seems to trouble her as she continues to build her web and more constructs.

    For a moment, Tacita appears, dried blood under her nose, ears, and eyes, and the skin over her collarbone bleeding down her shirt. She stands there calmly, dagger coated in her own blood. Did Sophie just force Tacita out of her stealth skill?

    Changing her grip the mute girl takes a step.

    A dozen or so constructs take off after Tacita, each one its own, self contained trap, ready to trigger their effect the moment it¡¯s destroyed. The arm holding the dagger turns into a blur and all of the constructs disappear, each of them having been cut to ribbons in the span of a second.

    When the spikes pierce the ground, Tacita avoids them gracefully, jumping from side to side, avoiding them with ease, even while dancing between the threads of Sophie¡¯s web.

    Every second she is moving closer to Sophie, who continues to throw everything she can against her. Her web, constructs, earth spikes, wind slashes, and even the air over Tacita changes, attempting to focus the light and burn Tacita like an ant under a magnifying glass.

    And every time Sophie tries to use her mind manipulation, Tacita creates a short dagger out of mana and throws it at Sophie in a beautiful straight line. The dagger leaves a trail of blue mana in its wake, forcing Sophie to defend herself as it pierces through multiple barriers with ease.

    When Tacita gets just a few steps away, Sophie shrinks her web, pulling the constructs into a tighter perimeter, before spinning a number of threads together, and attacking the mute girl.

    The web actually seems to affect Tacita¡¯s movement now, hampering it, as it pulls oxygen out of the air, restricting her ability to breathe, hell it even seems to be altering the temperature, and density of the air.

    Seeing all this, Tacita continues to walk slowly, playfully dodging her opponent''s attacks as needed, her arms the only parts seeming to move, her speed causing them to vanish in a blur as she deals with each attack. She looks angry as she does. The angriest I¡¯ve seen her yet.

    One step away from Sophie, she moves her arm and jams her dagger into Sophie¡¯s neck.

    Sophie tries to grab Tacita¡äs arm, which would improve her manipulations, but Tacita pulls the dagger free, before removing Sophie¡¯s entire arm and taking a step back.

    Then they face each other. Sophie, bleeding from her neck and the stump of her arm, and Tacita watching and waiting for her to die.

    There is an invisible fight we can¡¯t see or sense, but I¡¯m sure [Manipulation] and Tacita¡¯s skill or trait are clashing even now.

    Gradually, Tacita squeezes her dagger, blood once again flowing from her eyes as her hand moves. Turning the dagger against herself, the tip of the blade pierces the skin over her heart.

    Then the movement stops, and in a lash-out-like movement, the arm swings, sending Sophie¡¯s head flying and reducing her into a cloud of shiny particles.

    Soon after, Tacita also gets teleported outside.

    The crowd under the screens becomes extremely loud, with different groups of people chanting the names of the girls. Some erupting in celebration, and others complaining as they rush to check their bets.

    Sophie doesn¡¯t seem to be happy but quickly finds herself drawn into a conversation with the others, all the while trying to keep her sister from noticing, though I''m sure she can still feel it.

    As I wait for the next fight to start, I create a black orb over the palm of my hand and, as always, it tries to fight back while I shape it, creating a projectile, dagger, and other constructs. I¡¯ve found that Mana Cycling helps here a lot too, though I probably should have expected that from a technique left to me by that cockroach-like Absolute. Not to mention all the progress I¡¯ve made with the aid of my duplicate and all the training I¡¯ve been doing here.

    As we approach the end of the tournament, I plan to continue my testing. In particular, involving the combination of black mana and my [Mana Crown] and trying to use it to power my skills in interesting ways.

    The result will probably be¡­ well¡­ explosive. Excited as I am, I figure I¡¯ll need to put it off to work on improving my control, just a bit more before moving on with the attempt.

    Lately, I¡¯ve thrown a lot of effort into trying to master black mana and I can¡¯t shake the feeling that my basics are still lacking. It might not be a bad idea to slow down a bit and work on the basics. In the long term, I¡¯ll be better off than I would rushing to use powers I barely understand.

    Then there is also Miwa and her arm and her desire to meet Tent¡­ the first-ranked crafter, damn it.

    ¡°Maya¡¯s up against Savant,¡± Izzy pokes me, jolting me back to focusing on the screen once she¡¯s done speaking with Sophie who she still calls dumb.

    ¡°Why is Noodle growing so slowly, it seems like he eats a lot of mana,¡± I ask as I turn to the screen.

    ¡°I told him to not grow too quickly so that I can continue to carry him around and pet him! He¡¯s cuter at this size.¡±

    I see, that makes sense.

    Poor danger noodle.

    Meanwhile, back on the screen, dark blue armor starts to surround Maya, and before the helmet can cover her head, I take notice of the cold and focused expression on her face. She must know she doesn¡¯t have much of a chance, but that won¡¯t stop her from trying.

    Maya activates her [Boost], and her high dexterity increases even more as she charges Savant, short swords in hand.

    This time, Savant doesn¡¯t use his domain and pulls out the broken Sword of Aeons instead, not seeming to care that it only has half a blade. He uses it like a long dagger or a very short sword.

    His strengthening combined with the short bursts of mana he uses to reinforce his body are nearly perfect. Better than anyone from Hell difficulty, he strengthens his body with his mana. In very short bursts, he becomes almost as quick as Tacita.

    He avoids her attacks with extreme accuracy, sometimes by a hair¡¯s width, merely by stepping to the side or jumping back, occasionally moving so little as to simply tilt his head.

    He matches Maya¡¯s speed, and each time their weapons clash, he uses the bare minimum level of force, preferring to absorb the excess with his skill. He even manages to make use of the absorbed energy and releases it as needed to strengthen his attacks.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    I think his skill is probably something along the lines of [Absorption], [Counter], or [Redirection], or something with a similar name. Though the skill allows him to absorb attacks and store them for a while, it likely comes at the cost of his mana. The longer he stores it or the more powerful the skill is, the more it¡¯s going to cost him.

    His skill must be really good too, given the way it was even able to store [Disintegration]. Either that or it was a higher level than Lily¡¯s skill and required Savant to use a lot of mana.

    It doesn¡¯t worry me that much. With my reserves, I should be able to overpower it quite easily. There is no chance he can endure it with his pitiful reserves.

    Savant dodges and lashes out with his sword, the blade¡¯s edge glowing in the gentle orange light of his domain. It easily cuts through Maya¡¯s armor and causes a serious wound.

    Without hesitation, Maya creates a patch made of mana to stop the bleeding, and instead of using [Boost] to enhance her healing, she uses it to attack again. She keeps changing her weapons, switching from daggers to hammers to swords, all in an effort to catch Savant off guard.

    At times she even creates additional limbs made of mana from her back and attacks with them instead.

    It still isn''t enough and the fight ends a minute later with Savant barely warmed up and Maya''s armor flickering as she starts to lose control. At that point, Savant ends it with a few swift swings of his sword, slicing through Maya''s creations like nothing.

    ¡°So who do you think is stronger, Nat or Savant?¡± Aaron asks Maya when she gets out.

    Maya, in a state of deep concentration, takes a moment to jolt back to reality, and then a few more as she stares at the blonde boy.

    ¡°Savant may be ridiculously skilled, but Nat is crazy to the point of being suicidal.¡±

    ¡°So Nat?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine Nat losing, but I don''t think that Savant showed everything he can do, so I would expect him to have some nasty surprises in waiting.¡±

    ¡°So Savant is the smart kid who finds it easy to study while Nat is just a dumbass spending his nights brute-forcing the lessons?¡±

    ¡°No, Nat sets the class on fire and then uses the distraction to cheat while getting terribly burned.¡±

    ¡°The fuck?¡± Aaron shouts, stealing the words from my mouth.

    For now, I may as well ignore the pokes at my surely normal personality.

    On the screen, the scrawny man who beat Min-Jae wins his fight, becoming the finalist for his group. I think he¡¯s from BenDover¡¯s group. A similar assassin build, but unlike the 30-something BenDover, the scrawny man must be over 50, though it¡¯s not like it matters that much anymore with the benefits granted by our stats.

    A few fights later, and the group fights end, leaving us with our 16 finalists.

    Congratulations on becoming the finalist for your group. The finals will start in 1 hour!

    Group 1 - Swordmaster

    Group 2 - Noname

    Group 3 - Brainiac

    Group 4 - Bard

    Group 5 - Gareth

    Group 6 - FoodFood

    Group 7 - Wanderer

    Group 8 - Zenith

    Group 9 - Savant

    Group 10 - Rook

    Group 11 - Meridian

    Group 12 - Sset

    Group 13 - Tacita

    Group 14 - Vesper

    Group 15 - Luminary

    Group 16 - AnotherOneHere

    Having seen the groups in their full glory, I can¡¯t help but think about just how unlucky Group 4 was. A lot of them met someone from our group or Beyond, preventing them from making the finals.

    There are even two people from Hard difficulty who were lucky enough to get groups without anyone from Hell in them, Zenith and Meridian.

    The duels are announced as well, while the participants are split into two groups.

    Group 1 - Swordmaster vs Group 2 - Noname

    Group 3 - Brainiac vs Group 4 - Bard

    Group 5 - Gareth vs Group 6 - FoodFood

    Group 7 - Wanderer vs Group 8 - Zenith

    Group 9 - Savant vs Group 10 - Rook

    Group 11 - Meridian vs Group 12 - Sset

    Group 13 - Tacita vs Group 14 - Vesper

    Group 15 - Luminary vs Group 16 - AnotherOneHere

    It looks like I need to win against Swordmaster, followed by either Brainiac or Bard. Then that leaves either Gareth or Biscuit. The winner of this mini-group will go against the winner of the other mini-group. Likely Savant, Tacita, or Tess.

    ¡°Are you happy with your group?¡± I ask Tess as we read from our system windows.

    ¡°Well, I need to win my fight and then I¡¯m up against Savant. It¡¯s a shame, I wanted to fight Tacita, but there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    ¡°Already giving up?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I will throw in my best, but I think out of everyone you¡¯re the only one who can reasonably face the guy.¡±

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t shown off much. He got an arcane weapon during the first event, and had a high [Restriction] during the second and third.¡±

    Tess chuckles in response, ¡°That¡¯s more than enough for someone like us to make a judgment, right?¡±

    ¡°I guess.¡± I sigh.

    Then I look at the mana stone I¡¯ve been keeping in my pocket. It''s the one Savant gave to Lily in exchange for restoring his arm. The stone contains research on healing made by Hella, a disciple of Champion Tristan.

    Knowing Savant had it since the second floor, it''s obvious that he saw the research as well. There¡¯s a lot here about body modification, more than there is about healing wounds or regrowing limbs and organs.

    Things like taking parts from someone else and making them your own by ¡°healing¡± them into place, and simply making your body accept them.

    Every bit of it is nasty, descriptions of taking the corpses of long-dead Champions and trying to use them. Changing limbs, transplanting the hearts and flesh of more powerful humans, even body parts containing traits. It also talks about the risks inherent in such procedures. Rejected traits, the body fighting back against foreign organs. Such procedures are extremely dangerous should the new part be rejected.

    And I wonder how much of this knowledge that guy has used and how much of that body is still his own.

 Chapter 378 - Terrifying predator

    Min-Jae returns to the rooftop just as the hour-long rest is reaching its end. He¡¯s quiet and there¡¯s still an aura of disappointment hanging over him. But who the heck knows, it''s hard to deal with people. Why can''t everyone be as simple as my minion and our future animal overlord? Things would be simpler then.

    ¡°Such a good boy.¡± I rub Biscuit''s belly. The best-looking corgi that ever existed looks back at me, seemingly confused, but like the perfect being he is, he just accepts it and starts wagging his short tail. Emotional Support Corgi sure is a nice competition to ESM.

    ¡°Nat¡­¡± Min-Jae wants to say something but I interrupt him.

    ¡°You are young and dumb. But it would be nice if you stopped caring about useless stuff. And get yourself together, before the tournament ends, I have questions about your eye.¡±

    ¡°O-okay.¡±

    I wave and then vanish into the Arena to face Swordmaster. This time the arena has changed once again. We find ourselves in the middle of a huge field covered in grass, tall enough to reach the middle of my shin as it sways in beautiful green waves with the motion of the ever present wind.

    However, the stone pillars all over the place do serve to break up the scene somewhat. Some of the pillars are as big as buildings, while others are shorter than me. The sky has a slight orange tint to it, like on Earth just before sunset. There are no clouds but the sky makes it look like there is a ring around the planet, like those around Saturn.

    ¡°It''s pretty, surely the nicest arena so far.¡± Swordmaster, like me, is looking around, neither of us willing to start the fight quite yet. The man didn''t attack me while I was looking around so that''s a point for him.

    ¡°Wanna bet this place actually exists outside of the tutorial? You might have a chance to visit it if you are lucky.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be quite so easy.¡± He shakes his head, ¡°Even our closest star to us is lightyears away.¡±

    ¡°Not with that attitude it won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I just swing my sword. Space travel is not for me.¡±

    As he speaks he pulls out his sword, its beautiful blade formed of ethercrystal. It¡¯s not difficult to guess what kind of abilities the weapon will have, or that it¡¯s surely an epic grade item.

    My opinion of the man having been thoroughly bolstered, I decide to mirror his approach somewhat. My mana seeps into my hand, extending and creating a sword. I push further, compressing it until it turns dark blue with swirls of light blue and purple inside. My Mana Regulator redirects a big part of my mana into Reinforcement and we face each other.

    Swordmaster attacks first, silent, the grass around him barely reacting.

    When I use kinetic energy to dash, a shockwave erupts in my wake, creating a ripple in the green grass. The grass loses some of its color and the wind becomes more distant as I slide deeper into [Focus].

    The air reverberates as our weapons slash, just a single exchange making it clear that he is much more skilled when it comes to handling weapons. I, on the other hand, am stronger and faster thanks to the huge amounts of mana coursing through my body.

    Swordmaster soon starts dodging my attacks, trying to predict and read them instead of barely blocking them.

    We attack each other, the collisions between our weapons creating small shockwaves, while invisible slashes follow our blades, and sparks of mana explode into the air.

    We find ourselves constantly repositioning and using the pillars as cover and angles of attack, we fight simply. Without relying much on mana and skills.

    I find myself enjoying this even caught in the depths of [Focus]. There is something satisfying about moving my body and simply reacting to the movements of my opponent while he does the same. Swordmaster is very talented, also realizing that this could have ended long ago, so at times it feels like a lesson as he focuses on my weaknesses. When I fix them at least a bit, he focuses on another one.

    Even so, ten minutes later, he jumps back a few times. More mana seeping into his transparent blade as it starts to shine while seeming to ignite the mana around him.

    More kinetic energy flows out of my Vortex Core, and we dash at each other, the last exchange reducing him to white particles as the system teleports him out, and I follow soon after.

    It takes me a few minutes to replay our fight and I feel my mood improve slightly. That duel was fun, with all this mana I almost forgot how much fun it is just to move my body.

    The next duel is Brainiac against Bard, with Brainiac winning, and catapulting himself into the top 8 with me.

    After that, it''s Biscuit¡äs turn. Before he disappears, I wish him luck and promise a lot of jerky if he wins.

    They wind up in the same arena, as I did, leaving a corgi and Gareth to face each other. The grass bends gently under the wind as Biscuit floats into the air.

    ¡°This is awkward. I¡¯m going to feel terrible fighting you,¡± Gareth sighs.

    Even so, Gareth still covers his body in a suit of silver armor as a crown of the same color forms over his head. Two orbs form over his shoulders. He doesn''t seem to be underestimating his opponent this time around.

    Dozens of purple tentacles shoot out from Biscuit, surrounding and grabbing Gareth, who tears some of them just with the sheer strength of his body as he cuts through others with weapons of his own creation, setting himself free.

    But that little time is enough, and the orb Biscuit was preparing is ready. It''s bigger than any I¡¯ve seen him create before, the purple color starting to turn bright white. It seems like he¡¯s decided to put everything into this single attack.

    Biscuit falls down from where he was floating, tired. Every ounce of his mana concentrated in the orb making its way towards Gareth, who just got out of the tentacles.

    Gareth groans in surprise, the crown over his head shining brighter. Gareth¡äs two silver orbs form into a single one and shoot towards the bright white orb, surrounding it.

    As Biscuit¡äs orb explodes, Gareth keeps layering barrier over barrier until his crown starts to flicker, but it stays. The silver light of his barrier surrounding the orb extends further. The explosion stretches, making the barrier bigger before it weakens and Gareth compresses it.

    In the end, the light of the explosion inside the orb dies off, and Gareth launches it far away, where it bursts open, and the intense heat scorches a huge part of the field.

    Taking a few slow steps, Gareth stops in front of Biscuit, who can barely move, and looks up at the man.

    ¡°That was a very strong attack, I have only a tiny bit of mana left,¡± he says, clearly very tired, as he gently reaches out his hand towards Biscuit, who lets the man pet him.

    Gareth smiles gently, ¡°Can you please forfeit? I don''t want to hurt you.¡±

    Rather than complying, Biscuit moves quickly and bites Gareth¡äs hand.

    At first, Gareth laughs it off, calling it cute, but soon a shocked expression appears on his face, and he jumps back, blood dripping from his hand before it heals over. His extremely durable body, damaged like that by a simple bite.

    Biscuit shows his teeth, his usually gentle brown eyes glowing with a hint of purple. The shadow behind him expands, seeming much bigger than it has any right to be, a myriad of tentacles swirling inside.

    Licking his lips for another taste of Gareth''s blood, Biscuit seems much bigger than before, even though nothing has changed. His cute little mouth feels more enormous than even his disciple''s and his teeth more dangerous.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    The sound coming from him has a haunting and primal quality to it. Like the raw snarling of a terrifying predator.

    Gareth doesn''t get a chance to attack, and Biscuit disappears, forfeiting this duel.

    Biscuit appears back in my lap, lying so that I can''t see his expression or eyes. I can only see the shape of his body and the back of his head.

    Slowly he turns around to me, and I get to see it.

    His face is back to normal, a cheeky glint sparkling deep inside his eyes.

    (Food!)

    I quickly take what few bits of deer jerky I have on me and feed them to Biscuit.

    Leaning up to his ear, I whisper, ¡°I don''t mind if you start eating planets or something. But try to avoid eating humans. They are dirty.¡±

    We don''t want him to get a taste of that. If he develops the same addiction to people that he has to deer jerky, it could be very dangerous.

    (Food!) He shouts, his tone sounding disappointed. How could I dare think that he would eat anything other than high-quality deer jerky?

    In the next fight, Wanderer beats Zenith, the lucky or unlucky Hard difficulty member.

    Savant defeats Rook easily, and Tess beats Meridian, who is also from Hard difficulty.

    Tacita faces Vesper, the scrawny man who beat Min-Jae. From the start, she seems to hold nothing but disdain for the man just from the way she looks at him. When he blends with his surroundings, she just lifts her eyebrow, and her eyes continue to move, clearly tracking the man who thinks he is invisible.

    Cursing, he appears again, and she dodges a few thrown daggers before disappearing.

    Vesper, with sweat rolling off his brow, continues to look around, swinging his dagger, and trying multiple skills, yet he finds himself unable to do anything.

    One of his fingers falls off, followed by his ear, then a leg. All in quick succession, Tacita takes each piece without the man even noticing.

    It''s clear he is about to forfeit, but before he does so, Tacita appears, standing in front of him, her dagger sprouting from his neck.

    Both of them disappear, the victor having been decided.

    And once AnotherOneHere wins his duel against Luminary, the top 8 has been decided.

    Group 2 - Noname

    Group 3 - Brainiac

    Group 5 - Gareth

    Group 7 - Wanderer

    Group 9 - Savant

    Group 12 - Sset

    Group 13 - Tacita

    Group 16 - AnotherOneHere

    Warning. It is now possible to die inside the Arena.

    Then there is no other message, but even that single sentence is enough for my mood to change. The vague boredom that¡¯s plagued me up till now vanishing into the ether.

    Just how much can you be excited for a fight if you know that there will be no consequences? No death, no real danger. Sure, it is fun to be able to go all out without worrying about useless stuff like breaking your body or having your brain melted under the pressure of your own mana.

    But this? I really like it. This is much better.

    Once again, the system gives us an hour before the next duel will begin, but I already feel myself getting giddy.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill Brainiac, he is a dick sometimes, but he¡¯s still a nice guy,¡± Dennis says moving closer and nudging my side.

    Aaron joins in as well, ¡°I mean you could beat him a bit, the guy deserves it for sure, but killing him would be too much.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± I say, waving my hand dismissively. These little jerks just love that kind of joke. Or at least I think they¡¯re joking. They don¡¯t actually think I would kill the guy, do they? I mean, there is no real reason to, and even though he¡¯s annoying at times, Brainiac isn¡¯t that bad.

    Noname vs Brainiac

    Gareth vs Wanderer

    Savant vs Sset

    Tacita vs AnotherOneHere

    Soon the event will be over, we just have a few more fights.

    <hr>

    The Arena for the quarter-finals is different once again. This time it takes the form of a lake the size of a tournament city for sure. That lake is perfectly calm and the water at its deepest barely reaches my ankles.

    The calmness of the lake leaves it almost like a mirror, the surface perfectly reflecting the blue sky. And there, far, far in the distance, stands a giant tree. I can¡¯t even guess how tall it is, but it has to be a few miles high at least.

    ¡°Want to go check the tree before we fight?¡± I ask Brainiac, who is already opposite me.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, man, it seems really far off, and how long do you think the system will let us stay here?¡±

    ¡°We can test it out. You¡¯re going to lose anyway, so you can forfeit in the worst case.¡±

    ¡°Ouch¡­ you don¡¯t have to be so direct.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°Damn it, fine, let''s check the tree.¡± He sighs.

    I float into the air and stop near him, grabbing him with one of my mana arms. In front of us, I create a pointy barrier and behind us, I leave an anchor to estimate the distance. Then I start releasing the kinetic energy stored inside my core while replenishing it through my thermokinetic heart.

    Gradually, I increase the speed of our flight, ignoring the complaining Brainiac at my side. I continue to fly like that for a few minutes, but the tree doesn¡¯t seem to be getting closer at all. I even use my eyes to check it, but I can¡¯t detect any problem, and when I check my anchor, I land with a sigh.

    Turning around, the anchor is just a few seconds of flight behind us.

    ¡°See, it¡¯s the same in the games, you can¡¯t leave the area.¡±

    ¡°We could,¡± I correct, disagreeing with him. ¡°The system isn¡¯t the problem, it¡¯s this place. The lake seems to be causing this, and I can¡¯t disrupt the effect or see through it. If I could, we would be able to reach the tree.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s not the way the arena¡¯s been set up? It¡¯s just an effect of the place the system picked for our arena?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°Whatever, why are you so interested in that tree in the first place?¡±

    ¡°I think it might be alive like The Living Tree on the 4th floor, so I wanted to take a look. But it doesn¡¯t matter if we can¡¯t reach it.¡± I take a few steps, each sending ripples across the shallow lake and destroying the reflection on its surface, then I stop and face Brainiac.

    He quickly catches on and takes a few more steps back as well, settling at the distance most comfortable for him.

    The water around him ripples slightly, and a dozen or so projectiles rocket through the air, directly at me, each one the width of my pinkie and extremely sharp. There are even a few smaller and weaker ones mixed in, in a clear attempt to hide them.

    All of his attacks seem to be made of wind, or compressed air now that I think about it, I mean it¡¯s either that or something similar. Maybe vacuum now that I think of it?

    I tilt my head to dodge two and step to the side to avoid a few more. I let three crash into my forearm without much in the way of strengthening, and blood is drawn, the projectiles nearly piercing through the limb entirely.

    When I check the projectiles stuck in my forearm, I find that they do have some weight to them after all, and a sense of mass. Still, I can¡¯t quite decipher what they are.

    The projectiles that missed me are now returning behind me, and I send a disrupting wave toward them. Half of them disappear, and the other half ignore it. There is no mana on them anymore, and they fly just by their momentum alone, seemingly made out of solid matter in their own right.

    I dodge and examine the attack for a bit longer, sometimes letting some hit me to examine them. There are a few more surprise skills Brainiac uses, but these projectiles are what interest me most so I take some time.

    When I have had enough, I send a strong disrupting wave and then let a huge amount of golden flames seep out of my core.

    At the last moment, I remember something, increase my control and stop the flames mid-air, the water under them sizzling and evaporating.

    ¡°D-did you just almost kill me?¡±

    I quickly lower their power, the golden color turning yellow, and reduce the stream to a quarter of its size.

    ¡°Noname! Did you fucking forget we can die now?!¡±

    I let the flames continue with a much slower speed toward Brainiac, and after cursing, he forfeits.

    Outside of the arena, no one says anything, but Maya chuckles until Tess gently slaps her in the back of her head.

 Chapter 379 - Before the finale

    Gareth scores an easy win in his next fight. Even though it¡¯s possible to die now, neither seems to hold back much. The fight still seems dangerous, but also like friendly sparring.

    Wanderer is a petite woman using shockwaves. She uses them to attack, reposition, and mimic flying for a second or two. Sometimes she even concentrates them much like I do, but they lack the damage output required to hurt Gareth.

    When Gareth wins, there is barely any sign of the fight on his body.

    As I wait for Tess and Savant to enter the field, I try to figure out the system¡¯s intent behind allowing us to die within the Arena at this point in time. Even during the start, the system said that it was impossible to die during the tournament. Does it mean the rules changed or was this always the plan? Am I just paranoid, thinking some sliver of intent from the Rulers would bother to mess with us?

    Either option could be true, though it¡¯s not hard for me to imagine the system doing this on its own to shake up the final matches. Whatever it is, it can wait as the two people enter.

    Tess with a dozen javelins floating behind her back, wearing armor she got on the 3rd Floor from Edwal and had improved and fitted on the 4th. The javelins are a mixture of a few epic ones with the rest being rare. Mostly made out of endurium.

    Savant is wearing a chestplate I¡¯ve seen him wearing on a number of occasions, a light weight and well fitted scale mail cuirass. Other than that, he enters with a bracelet on his wrist, a necklace, and the damaged Sword of Aeons on his waist.

    This time, Tess takes a more mobile approach and rushes to put more distance between Savant and herself. Her [Storm Crown] is already in place and she even uses [Psychokinesis] to move herself faster.

    Her opponent doesn¡¯t react and stays rooted in his starting position. The orange light is already starting to seep out around him, and he holds the Sword of Aeons in his hand.

    Once she thinks she¡¯s far enough away, Tess makes her [Declaration], the air itself vibrating as she forces the world to obey her will. What she said, I don¡¯t know, either I lack the capacity to understand, or she¡¯s chosen not to let anyone know, or perhaps the declaration doesn¡¯t quite make the transition from the Arena. But the result is obvious.

    The crown over her head grows in diameter, doubling in size, as the lightning lashes out at the air chaotically.

    The first javelin to sail through the air is an epic grade artifact. In the blink of an eye, it reaches its target, leaving a trail of red and white lightning behind it.

    Instead of piercing his chest, it slows as it gets closer, either the pressure from Savant¡¯s domain or some unseen ability slowing it down and weakening the lightning. In the end, he grabs the javelin depleted of its lightning and, after examining it curiously, he lets it fall.

    Before that javelin even touches the shallow water of the lake, five more pass through the air, each of them at different speeds and all of them focusing on the same spot.

    The result is the same, the five weapons devoid of lightning falling from the sky to sink down into the water.

    Seeing that, Tess sighs and drops all but one of her javelins, and all the lightning from her crown and other weapons flows into it over the next ten seconds. The javelin cracks under the amount of energy stored in and surrounding it and Tess launches it directly into the air.

    Once again, Savant lets it happen. His eyes watch her like a tiger standing to the side, ready to pounce on its prey.

    After a while, that javelin starts falling down like a meteor, lightning cracking all around it as it shines like a solitary star. Its falling speed is further increased by Tess¡¯s skills.

    Without even attempting to dodge, Savant¡¯s posture straightens, and lightning starts flowing from his hand and crackling around the Sword of Aeons. Shining red and white, like the one he absorbed before. It blisters his arm, eats into his flesh, and a few bolts lash their way across his cheek, causing a burning scar. Even so, he somewhat forces it under his control and slashes at the falling javelin.

    The water from the bottom of the lake explodes into the air, as the sheer force of the impact causes a large quantity of water to burst into steam. The displaced water rapidly makes its return to earth, falling like rain and rippling out across the lake. Somewhere within the area of impact, Savant remains, hidden by the cloud of vapor, a bit of red and white lightning continuing to arc through the fog.

    Tess moves her arm, and the javelins in the water lift into the air again. There is no lightning crackling around them this time. But before she can attack, a javelin flies from the point of impact at a speed nearly equal to that of her last attack.

    Even though Tess is not expecting to react, she sends a strong push in an attempt to stop the attack.

    A single thump sounds, and shocked, Tess looks down at her chest. There she finds a huge hole piercing through her body, big enough to see through. Clearly a mortal wound.

    ¡°I forfeit,¡± she says, evacuating as quickly as she can while her body sways from blood loss, her eyes losing focus and becoming more and more distant.

    When she appears outside, the wound is gone, and her clothes and mana are restored. Tess gasps for air.

    If she had hesitated a bit longer, she would be dead.

    If Savant aimed any higher, she would be dead.

    That much is obvious.

    So that¡¯s how we play.

    I filter out the conversation of my group and watch the next duel. Tacita against AnotherOneHere.

    After the last duel, Tacita seems to share my feelings, and the moment the fight starts, she disappears.

    Before her opponent can even react, he finds himself staggering back, her dagger piercing deep into his chest, slicing through his armor and ignoring any other defenses he may have had. A mercy I¡¯m sure he knows. That dagger could¡¯ve easily been placed in his eye and killed him before he could forfeit.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he mumbles while the blood flows from his wound.

    He disappears, and a new notification pops up.

    Congratulations! You have placed in the top 4 of the Arena of the 5th round of the tutorial. The fights will continue immediately with the final duel happening one hour after.

    Death is still possible within the Arena.

    Note: The remaining competitors will not be healed by the system after the duel ends, only mana and stamina will be restored.

    The duels are as follows:

    Noname vs Gareth

    Savant vs Tacita

    Someone from the group says something, but I feel myself pulled inside and rush to find my bearings within the new Arena.

    This is the 1st floor. The clearing we¡¯ve appeared in is set under a dark sky lit by the northern lights. Blue, green, and pink, they shine vibrant in the sky. Unlike in my memories, this place is eerily quiet, not even the sound of leaves moving in the wind. Nothing is moving; as if we were frozen in time.

    ¡°Forfeit.¡± I give a single warning to Gareth.

    ¡°No.¡± He answers simply.

    Both of our crowns appear at the same time, and he shoots a few of his orbs at me. They reach me quickly and expand, trapping me inside of a bubble as it tries to shrink, crumpling me up inside.

    But it doesn¡¯t move, the sheer pressure of my mana holding it at bay.

    My eyes activate, and I decipher the frequency, using [Resonance] to step through the bubble.

    Gareth reaches me quickly, his slim armor covering his form and dagger in hand. For a second, I grasp him with [Redistribution], add that energy to my own, and release a burst of kinetic energy from my core.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    The earth in front of me explodes, sending the man flying through the forest and breaking the trees in his path. I use the anchor I placed on him, and after creating a tricolored orb, I send it through.

    Far in the distance, an explosion rocks the forest, followed by two more as I send out more orbs. Then my anchor disappears, crumpling under the amount of mana I¡¯ve sent through and because I didn¡¯t have time to make it stronger.

    The explosions stop and a few seconds later Gareth stumbles into the clearing, his body bloody, mangled, and burned. A silver light shines around his body as it heals him and his armor surrounds him again. Huge parts of the forest behind him have been left in a state of disarray not to mention the fire.

    I compress a javelin over my shoulder and fill it with thermal energy before launching it at him. As flames explode around him, I use an anchor I placed on the javelin and appear right in front of Gareth.

    While he swings his silver mace at me, I absorb the flames around us and release more thermal energy from my core. That forces Gareth to stop his attack, and a shield nearly as big as him embeds itself in the ground as he blocks the attack. The golden flames slide across the barrier, scorching the earth at his side and heating up the air.

    Taking a bit of black mana I created, I boost my [Resonance] and disrupt his shield, which causes him to cross his arms in front of his body to block them.

    Even so, the ridiculously resilient man endures them, his armor failing in the heat and starting to melt at the edges.

    Another disrupting wave powered by black mana dispels his armor, and he continues his attempts to hold the flames at bay with his body alone. His flesh melts away, leaving his bones exposed while his body continues to regenerate.

    Gareth takes a step towards me.

    Then another as a silver mace forms in his hand.

    Before he can take a third step into the flames, a compressed javelin as thick as my leg appears behind him, I launch it at him, boosting its motion, piercing his belly, and anchoring him to the ground.

    Exhausted, Gareth moves to get rid of it but then notices the javelin turning bright white.

    His eyes glance from it to me.

    ¡°I forfeit,¡± he says with a smile and disappears before the javelin explodes.

    Appearing outside, I let my replenished thermal energy flow through my body to activate my passive and heal the small wounds I have taken. As the system said, they haven¡¯t been healed, only my energies and mana have been restored. Even so, I¡¯m not worried about Gareth. The man will surely be able to heal wounds of that level.

    I use [Focus] and force myself to calm down.

    While watching the screen, I continue to work on my Flamebearer, the damaged arcane ax. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been working on ever since the end of the second event. The goal is to create temporary inscriptions like I did back then. Until now, I haven¡¯t had a reason to take it into the duels with me, but that¡¯s about to change.

    Tacita and Savant both appear in the Arena clearly modeled after the 1st floor.

    The mute girl takes a deep breath, pulling out a second dagger. Both of the weapons are of epic grade. The first one is shorter and with a wider blade, made out of silver metal. The second dagger, which she¡¯s showing off for the first time, is made of black crystal. It looks brittle as if a single attack would break it.

    Releasing her held breath, Tacita blows a strand of hair from her face. All her attention is concentrated on what I guess is as quick a movement as possible.

    [Dawn] surrounds Savant close to his skin, the orange light radiating like armor.

    Mana coats the two daggers, and Tacita disappears.

    When she appears again, she¡¯s only holding one dagger; the black one is gone. Tacita looks at her arm which is quickly changing colors, an orange light spreading from her hand and reaching higher.

    Without hesitation, she swings her dagger and removes the arm at the elbow, after that the field around her changes slightly, likely in an attempt to counter or weaken the effect the next time she attacks.

    Savant is standing there, a black dagger piercing through the palm of his hand, the attack stopped before going through his eye.

    Tacita went for a kill. There was no hesitation at all.

    Looking at the black dagger, Savant watches as it crumbles, turning into dust. His arm starts turning black and then crystallizes, and it spreads quickly. If he doesn¡¯t do anything, I¡¯m sure that attack will leave his entire body like that.

    He pushes at the encroaching crystal with his domain, countering the effect somewhat, and as the orange light seeps through his body, it seems to be reverting it to some extent. Aware of his reserves, he doesn¡¯t push more to remove it and decides to save his mana; he just keeps it at bay.

    When Tacita attacks again, targeting his head, he barely manages to parry the strike with the Sword of Aeons, and Tacita reappears further away.

    It takes a huge toll on him, I can see, but for really short moments Savant is almost capable of matching her speed. Almost.

    Once again, Tacita¡äs body is poisoned by his domain. Each clash costs her, even the short exchange they just had was enough to leave her affected. Not showing any hesitation, she charges again, attacking from the side, her arm becoming a blur.

    Savant barely covers his vitals, and the dagger stabs him three times: striking his arm, his knee, and the right side of his chest.

    Tacita pays a high price for the exchange though. Blisters form all over her body, and her breaths are quicker and shallower. One of her eyes seems to lose its sight.

    ¡°You will die if you don¡¯t forfeit,¡± Savant says as he shifts his weight on a different leg.

    A bit of mana glows at the tip of Tacita¡äs dagger, and she swings it, creating an image in the air just from the afterimage of the glowing mana.

    U(¥Ä?)¨Ï

    A crazed smile climbs its way onto Tacita¡¯s lips, and more mana seeps into the dagger, its surface vibrating visibly, cracks forming across the surface of the weapon. Her feet bury themselves in the ground, and she lowers her body. The mana poisoning reaches further, blinding her other eye as well, and she just closes her eyelids.

    The orange light of his domain dances across Savant¡¯s skin, flickering like flames.

    Tacita reaches him in a blink and nearly severs his arm, the bone serving to stop the slash that was meant to separate his head from his neck.

    I can see how much it surprises Tacita that his bone stopped her attack. She tries to dash back but finds herself unable to. She falls to the ground, her chest barely moving. Her skin starts shivering, and some of her hair falls out as her limbs thrash as they cramp.

    Savant watches her. He doesn¡¯t attack, but he doesn¡¯t take down his domain and Tacita is slowly being poisoned to death.

    Then she forfeits and disappears.

    For some reason, I realize that I''m about to stand up, grab Lily, and teleport somewhere. It''s a surprising reaction for multiple reasons, but I stop myself and wait.

    The reaction I expected to happen comes quickly.

    ¡°Nat, we need to help her!¡± Lily shouts, grabbing my shoulder and shaking me.

    ¡°We need to?¡± I ask curiously.

    ¡°Yes, we need to!¡±

    ¡°She is unstable and dangerous. She could kill any one of you at any moment, so I don¡¯t think we need to.¡±

    ¡°Nat?¡± Lily cries, shocked.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I thought you were friends, I thought you¡­¡±

    ¡°Lily, I¡¯ve only known her for a few days. Don''t misunderstand, I care about our group only and I will kill anyone who tries to hurt us. As for Tacita, I don¡¯t mind being neutral with her, but we aren¡¯t friends, and she doesn¡¯t belong to this group.¡± These words are meant as much for me as they are for Lily.

    ¡°Please...¡± she whimpers.

    I look at her. Lily is almost crying.

    ¡°Even though you don¡¯t know her?¡± I ask with interest. It''s a question I want to ask myself as well.

    ¡°Please. She¡¯s dying. I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s going to help her.¡±

    ¡°Okay then if that¡¯s what you really want.¡± I put my hand on her shoulder and teleport to Tacita¡¯s lair. It¡¯s deep in the forest, a small hideout built around a fallen tree.

    There, hidden inside, lies Tacita, curled up, shaking, and clearly dying.

    I watch as Lily rushes towards her, immediately using [Sacrifice] and sending a burst of healing through the girl.

    I don¡¯t mind helping Lily. She¡¯s a member of my group, someone who¡¯s helped me over and over again. Someone I want to call a friend in the future.

    But Tacita? There are things I like about her, but there¡¯s a lot I don¡¯t. And I know she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill me or anyone from group 4 if she thought it was necessary.

    Why would I want to help such a person? Out of some sense of petty sympathy? Because of pity?

    ¡°I can¡¯t help her fully, Savant¡¯s poisoning is too deep. I can¡¯t use [Disintegration]; I would probably kill her.¡± Lily is desperate, and her constant healing is the only thing keeping Tacita alive. The mute girl is on the brink of death because of what [Dawn] did.

    With a sigh, I concentrate my mana through [Focus] and force it into the shape of a small black nail. I lower my head and pass under the fallen tree.

    In this tiny hideout, a single large blanket full of holes lies, most likely an item from Earth, judging by the design. A few stolen items are strewn about as well, some of them are even ours, Earth food I bought that disappeared. In the corner of this small place, a few daggers lie, all of them extremely clean and well taken care of. Laid out and organized like treasures.

    Lowering my hand, I pierce the black nail into Tacita¡¯s chest, and for a moment, she opens her eyes that are already healed by Lily. They meet mine, and I can see the stubbornness in her gaze. A strong will clinging to life.

    "It wasn''t my idea. It was hers." I gesture at Lily.

    The black nail starts absorbing the mana that¡¯s poisoning her and some of Tacita¡äs own as well. I try to control it so it absorbs only Savant¡¯s and I succeed only partially, but it¡¯s the best I can do.

    When all of the mana poisoning is gone, I remove the nail and turn it into an orb. I will need to get rid of this somewhere.

    Lily touches Tacita again and starts healing her. Tacita¡¯s breathing steadies, her convulsions subside, and color gradually returns to her face.

    The entire time Tacita holds a dagger in her shaking hand. Even in the state she is in she is ready to fight back. It''s something I''m sure Lily didn''t notice.

 Chapter 380 - Final duel

    We stay a bit longer and I keep an eye on Tacita and the knife she has hidden behind her back.

    She is like a wounded animal, growling, and showing teeth, but knowing she is getting help and not biting because of that. I can¡¯t help but find it amusing to watch her face while Lily works on healing her, at this point Tacita¡¯s probably finding herself feeling even better than she did before the duels.

    As we leave she doesn¡¯t bother to draw anything for our benefit. She just watches us, clearly having us so close is making her nervous.

    Giving her one last glance, I teleport us away and let Lily deal with any questions our group might have. I, meanwhile, take the opportunity to stretch and return to sitting in the spot I abandoned before. I still have some time before my final duel with Savant, so I may as well work on Flamebearer.

    I replay the events of the 1st event in my mind, paying special attention to Savant¡¯s use of the arcane glove he found there. Back then I wasn¡¯t taking anything too seriously, but arcane weapons are probably difficult to control. Very difficult.

    Flamebearer is like that even with my temporary inscriptions. It''s hard to say how much more difficult it is to control a fully powered arcane weapon.

    To hear Savant tell it, the glove tended to guzzle mana, and yet he made decent use of it, even with his paltry reserves. And the restriction he had in place only makes his feat even more impressive.

    Hell, he demonstrated his prowess again during his duel with Tess when he managed to force her primordial lightning under his control. I think his skill gives him an edge when he needs to manipulate an ability that he¡¯s absorbed.

    That explains why he couldn¡¯t control her lightning before absorbing it. Even so, the fact that he was able to do as much as he did says a lot.

    Then there¡¯s his duel with Tacita. I''m not worried about his domain or poisoning as I can counter it with mine. Actually, he should probably be worried about my domain. No, the interesting thing is that his bones were capable of resisting Tacita''s attacks.

    Tacita showed a rare expression of surprise when he did that. Connecting it with the mana stone he gave to Lily and the knowledge it contains, it''s possible he made some modifications.

    The question is if he replaced all of his bones or picked and chose. If I had to guess, I would say he went with the latter.

    (Would you mind if I asked you something?) Sophie probes, connecting to my mind.

    (Go ahead.)

    (While you were playing with your ax, Lily explained what happened with Tacita. She tried to not show it, but she was disappointed and surprised.)

    (Makes sense. So what¡¯s the question?)

    (I''m surprised by your reaction. I think it¡¯s out of character,) she says.

    (Is it?)

    (Yes, I would have thought you would try to help just to get her on your good side, it wouldn¡¯t have even cost you anything. You already seem to have some small connection with her, and she seems to respect you.)

    (Weren¡¯t you trying to kill her earlier?)

    (A bit, but that was just in the duel. I don¡¯t think I truly wanted to kill her if you know what I mean. So can I have an answer?) Sophie pushes.

    (I''m an asshole, simple as that.)

    (Were you waiting so that Lily could take the blame? Why would you do that? Why¡­)

    (Anything else?) I snap, interrupting her.

    (Just one more. I noticed a weird feeling a few times during our conversation, but did you die?)

    (Yeah, once or twice.)

    Sophie cuts off for a long moment and when she continues, her tone cautious, (Nat, others are coming to me to weaken their memories so they can keep dying while training. Yet you died at least two times during our conversation and who knows how many times before. Are you sure¡­)

    (It¡¯s fine. A bit of training didn¡¯t kill anyone¡­ well, you know what I mean.) Having had enough, I just cut off the connection.

    Two times? It was twice as much.

    I''m using this opportunity to examine my heart as much as possible, even cutting it apart inside of my chest to examine its pieces. So of course, there are some risks.

    It would probably be safer if I didn¡¯t work on Flamebearer at the same time, but it¡¯s fine.

    As for Savant, I''m curious how he will heal. At the start of the tournament, he appeared missing an arm, which Lily restored, but I can¡¯t help but wonder if he did it on purpose so he could examine her healing. Maybe he even absorbed some? What an annoying guy.

    Either way, I¡¯m certain that he has some plan to heal the wounds Tacita inflicted. The weird effect produced by that dagger can probably be removed if he¡¯s willing to sacrifice a decent chunk of his mana to fuel his domain.

    As for me, I don¡¯t think the duel will last very long. I plan to go all out fairly quickly and I have no qualms about using the last charge of Titan''s Backbone. It already proved itself in my fight against my duplicate.

    Once again, I feel myself getting giddy.

    Soon.

    <hr>

    POV Brainiac

    I poke Gary and gesture at the screen. The old man finally stops talking and focuses his attention.

    After he got his ass kicked by Noname, he seems even more interested in this fight. He may be trying to hide it, but I can tell that he is deeply dissatisfied with being subjected to such a one-sided defeat.

    Well, it¡¯s not his fault. Noname¡ªthat guy is bonkers, even the twins and Kim can¡¯t say any different.

    The screen displays an image of the final Arena, where the two stand, face to face. The setting appears to be a generic city from Earth.

    They¡¯re surrounded by skyscrapers and the sun sits high in the sky. Down on the streets, cars, bicycles, and a myriad of other vehicles stand parked. But not a single human can be seen.

    Though the setting is familiar, I can¡¯t help but find the image of a city without its multitude of bustling inhabitants disturbing.

    ¡°Hey, Adam, know what city it could be?¡± I ask.

    ¡°It looks like somewhere in North America.¡±

    ¡°How lazy can the system be? It could have at least set it in New York, Paris, or San Francisco. That¡¯s where all the big disaster movies take place, right?¡± Mari asks, giggling.

    ¡°Well, the two of them are definitely going to cause a catastrophe.¡±

    I watch as Savant leaps to the top of a skyscraper in a few bounds, his path up the building, marked by a trail of crumbling glass and concrete. Meanwhile, Noname is already waiting at the top. As always, he wears that same punchable expression that¡¯s so emblematic of his personality. The one that makes it seem like he is looking beyond you like you¡¯re just a bug in his way.

    Granted, having known him for a bit, it¡¯s probably not intentional, but damn, I would love to punch him. If he was at least a bit less good looking¡­ if he smiled a bit, I bet all the girls would be all over him. Even so, I don¡¯t know how big a chance they would have with that mana maniac.

    The fight doesn¡¯t start immediately. For a moment, they face each other, neither of them using their skills. They are measuring each other.

    A few seconds pass and not a single word is exchanged. Then the fight starts.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Noname takes a step forward and mana roars from his body as that pale blue crown appears taking its place over his head and golden circles form in his eyes. He stomps and the entire skyscraper cracks and starts to collapse.

    Orange light flows from Savant and crashes into Noname¡¯s mana and for a moment they seem to push against each other, though the blue mana starts to take over as Savant jumps to another skyscraper.

    Like a predator pouncing on its prey, Noname charges him and swings that ax of his with both hands.

    Golden flames devour the area, burning between the buildings, cracking glass, and reducing the cars below into molten heaps of slag.

    Another swing and more golden flames explode into the area.

    And then a third evaporates the building Savant was standing on, the man surrounded by his orange light and holding that broken sword in front of him.

    Slowly the flames die off, leaving burning streets, destroyed buildings, and molten metal in their wake.

    ¡°Well, I had hoped it would do more damage, but at least it depleted a lot of your mana,¡± Noname says as he floats in the air. Without any hesitation, he throws the ax aside, leaving it buried in one of the buildings.

    ¡°Your ax¡¯s output was unexpectedly high.¡± Savant nods.

    Both of them are weirdly calm.

    This time it¡¯s Savant who makes the first move and the orange light he¡¯s been radiating increases. It expands further and further, lighting up the sky, like the breaking dawn. It pushes against Noname¡¯s own light and rapidly approaches it, eager to make contact and poison him just like Tacita.

    ¡°Sword of Aeons was the best mana battery on Eladore, wasn¡¯t it? I wonder how much mana you stored to push me like that.¡± Noname inquires, seemingly unconcerned, even as the orange light reaches him.

    Blisters start blossoming across the surface of his skin but he seems to be examining them instead of trying to fight back. More and more orange light exerts its pressure on him, surrounding his body like it means to devour and drown him, while it slowly forces him to reduce his mana expenditure.

    ¡°Well, not like it matters.¡± He says, the serenity in his voice making me shiver.

    It¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t even care that he can die now. He acts no different than he did when he was invulnerable. On the contrary, he¡¯s even more daring now.

    Noname lifts his arm to the sky and one of those scary black orbs forms in the palm of his hand. It grows more and more until it¡¯s the size of an orange and then elongates into the simple shape of a sword.

    Immediately, all the orange light surrounding them gets pulled inside. It doesn¡¯t even touch Noname anymore, it just flows into the black sword like water down a sinkhole.

    Noname floats into the air again, holding the black sword which absorbs any mana close enough to reach him. His blue crown slowly spins over his head.

    Then he starts releasing his own mana seemingly unaffected by his terrifying black sword.

    Every time I think he might reach his limit, he pushes more and more mana from his body.

    And then more.

    And more.

    ¡°Fuck¡­ just how much¡­¡± Mari sighs.

    And more.

    Gareth keeps his eyes glued to the screen and I realize that calling Noname a mana maniac was an understatement. How is he not dead? Did¡­ did he invest all¡­ of course¡­ of course he did. He was always telling us in the Community, we were fools to think he might be joking.

    What a monster.

    <hr>

    Everything is fine, it¡¯s even running smoother than expected.

    Savant¡¯s [Dawn] can¡¯t do shit against me. The black sword just absorbs any of his mana that reaches me. It sucks it in like a black hole. Sure I could make it easier to upkeep and maintain the black mana as an orb, but the sword looks cooler.

    My training also paid off and with the help of my eyes and [Resonance] I can change the frequency of black and normal mana so they do not affect each other. It¡¯s extremely difficult and I''m sure the aftereffects will be severe even with Titan''s Backbone. Though I can¡¯t keep it up for long, which may be a problem in the near future, but it should be fine for now. No, it¡¯s more than fine.

    Most of my primordial energies are gone but I can still use all of the mana I¡¯ve pushed into the surroundings to pressure Savant, his domain is already dissipating and he turns it into that orange sword that seems to be trying to fight it. So far he¡¯s enduring pretty well even under all of the mana I¡¯m radiating, an attempt at mimicking his domain and mana radiation.

    Seeing as he¡¯s not trying to poison me anymore, I split the sword into three parts, forming each one into a javelin before launching them at him.

    Each one crashes to either side of him, pulling on his mana and devouring it gluttonously.

    I reach towards all the mana within my [Mana Domain] and shape it. I send it his way in the form of tricolored orbs, javelins, mana wires, and mana orbs. Each attack pierces through a skyscraper as Savant jumps from one to another and I force the black javelins to follow him.

    We destroy the city so similar to the one I grew up in, leaving everything trashed. The choice of this Arena is a clear message from the system.

    Look and see what you could do to your planet and cities.

    Buildings crash. Roads get torn apart, cars bowl over. I unleash flames that melt the concrete and kinetic energy reduces large statues and telephone poles into dust.

    Savant dodges, the orange sword made of his domain flickering under the constant pressure applied by my orbs and mana. Yet he still manages to absorb some of my attacks. Some fire disappears here, and a pulse of kinetic energy doesn¡¯t hit him as strongly there, and tricolored orbs fail to explode.

    His heart beats. At this point, I''m sure it¡¯s not the original. Neither is his right arm, one of his legs, and one of his eyes. All of these parts came from different beings, all of them more powerful than his own and absorbed into his form.

    So I''m not surprised when all the attacks he absorbed get released, compressed into a single orb, not dissimilar to my own. His poisonous domain, my fire, and kinetic energy, my tricolored orbs and javelins, all of it merged into a single orb, which he sends my way with perfect timing.

    Even before it explodes, the orb releases immense heat, setting nearby buildings on fire and collapsing the road under it.

    I move one of three black javelins and shoot it through the orb, the black weapon sucking in all that mana, leaving only primordial energies behind, which I reabsorb into my Vortex Core.

    The attack disappears as if it never existed.

    I move my arm and the three black constructs fly back to me, all of them contained within my domain. In my hand, they connect and reclaim the form of a sword. Moving them now is much more difficult, but they are also so much more effective.

    Boosting my body, I reach Savant who meets me head on, his orange sword clashing with mine.

    I watch as his sword tries to poison me, to take over black mana. The domain is extremely concentrated in that weapon. But it can¡¯t do anything. The black sword just absorbs it all with ease and it doesn¡¯t even seem to have enough to resist.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to keep it up for much longer so that¡¯s why you are pushing me,¡± he says as if it¡¯s a fact.

    ¡°Yup, soon it will start wrecking my body. How much more mana do you have stored in that sword?¡± I ask, gesturing at the Sword of Aeons.

    ¡°Enough to keep resisting your domain for another ten to twenty.¡±

    I shoot a pulse of kinetic energy at his head only for it to be absorbed, and returned immediately. He does the same with my fire, javelins, and the tricolored orbs I form over our heads. All of it taxes him, I can see that.

    In the last attempt, he finally pulls out his trump card. He absorbs his left arm, the one Lily restored at the start of the tournament.

    His sword made of his domain disappears with it. The wounds on his body heal, the arm most likely containing some of Lily¡¯s healing powers and his strength and speed increase likely enhanced by the biomass he absorbed from his arm.

    The orange light ignites again. A light shines from the broken blade, extending it and giving it the look of a normal sword. His domain taking the place of the missing mana.

    Savant then powers his sword with the mana remaining in his body and the Sword of Aeons itself.

    It¡¯s scary how much comes through and some of his domain even pushes through the black sword I made, for a moment escaping its reach and affecting my body. The damage reaches my heart even though my domain and all my other defenses. It pierces through my mantle and spreads through my circuits.

    Even then, it¡¯s not enough.

    It¡¯s far from enough.

    My heart thumps and I compress the mana flowing through my body. I throw the black sword far away and I grab hold of Savant¡äs hand, holding his sword in place. Then I push further, I compress more and more until all the mana currently flowing through me becomes tricolored before resolving into that mysterious black mana.

    In a blink, it devours my mana poisoning and threatens to tear me from inside, until I push it out. Ignoring the damage it causes I form a big nail out of it, the same kind I made during the 1st event.

    I then jam said nail into Savant¡¯s chest, making sure he understands the message.

    He tries to absorb it, he tries to work around it, but he can¡¯t. Not currently. With his body in tatters from our bouts and the sheer amount of mana we were channeling and our abuse of powerful skills, he looks at me.

    I''m ready for anything. My mind is sharp, my heart is beating wildly, and the world feels so colorful, so alive.

    Show me what you can do when pushed to the brink.

    ¡°I forfeit,¡± Savant says simply and disappears.

    For a moment I just stare into the air and at the destroyed city all around me.

    What?

    I appear outside in the common area, to the sound of people shouting my username down below.

    What just happened?

    Some members of my group rush to congratulate me but I don¡¯t hear them.

    Did he give up just like that? Just because I had an advantage?

    I feel myself clench my teeth and my now restored mana starts seeping from my body.

    Is he messing with me?!

    I send my senses through the common area in one strong pulse and fail to locate him. I can''t sense him at all.

    As my mana starts to build up I glance at Lily and Isabella who are smiling. Izzy is even holding my hand and I''m sure she can feel my emotions right now. I once again look at the crowd down in the common area, most of them shouting my nickname, happy and celebrating the end of the event.

    When I glance at Izzy again, she smiles at me and taps my hand.

    Feeling extremely frustrated I sigh and seize control of my mana. I start cycling it again before it can start to leak and reach the people down below.

    This doesn''t feel satisfying at all.

 Chapter 381 - Itâ€™s youâ€¦

    Congratulations, you have won the 4th event - Arena!

    Do you want to accept your reward or would you like to forgo receipt to improve your final rewards?

    Your reward for winning the 4th event is:

    Passive skill combination token (low epic)

    ¡°I would like to use it to improve my final rewards.¡±

    The window disappears and I look at the palm of my hand, clenching it into a fist and then opening it.

    What a cowardly little bitch.

    Sure, he was about to lose. He gave his all, and I overwhelmed him. But still! What the hell. Fight me, show some pride, and don¡¯t just look at me like that! Goddamned Patience, is it his subclass, is that why?

    Savant my ass.

    I don¡¯t remember the last time I felt so frustrated. He¡¯s more talented than me, he has some amazing skills, he was mentored by a Champion, and declared a Champion candidate. Yet he thinks so logically. It''s as if he¡¯s weighing everything, without taking any joy in the fighting.

    And now he¡¯s hiding. I went looking for him. I¡¯ve scanned the entire area of the tournament, but I couldn¡¯t find him. So I can¡¯t even try to punch him to vent.

    As has become my custom whenever I¡¯m annoyed, I pull Biscuit closer to my chest.

    We are alone in the living room in the huge armchair I¡¯ve reserved. Biscuit is quiet, and I have a suspicion he is sleeping off a large quantity of meat he found somewhere.

    His small body is soft and warm, and I can sense his heart beating calmly and hear his breathing. The fur on top of his head is pleasantly soft as I pet him.

    I wonder if I should start referring to him as an ESC, emotional support corgi, or ESFA, emotional support future absolute, or ESAO, emotional support animal overlord? It could be something to think about in the future.

    I pull up my status and check the skills that leveled up after I left the Arena.

    [Resonance - lvl 45 > Resonance - lvl 46]

    [Mana Domain - lvl 38 > Mana Domain - lvl 39]

    [Mana Domain - lvl 39 > Mana Domain - lvl 40]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 22 > Mana Crown - lvl 23]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 23 > Mana Crown - lvl 24]

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 45 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 46]

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 46 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 47]

    At least the rewards are nice, damn it.

    Once this tournament is over I need a break. Somewhere with fewer people. Maybe once we get the twins out of that Black Tower I can disappear for a bit and do some hunting on my own. Staying with them all the time could also slow their growth and mine as well if the danger isn¡¯t high enough. It sounds like a good plan, I would think.

    But for now, I have a few hours before the last event, so I may as well visit Miwa and check out her arm.

    Before that, I can put the items I made into the store.

    I open the interface, and as I do, I put in twenty mana stones. Each of them qualifies as a rare quality item, and they shouldn¡¯t sell for too high a price. But I¡¯ve inscribed each one personally, making the same sort of exercises for mana manipulation that I gave Vega and Channeler.

    I¡¯ve already tested them to my satisfaction. Vega and Channeler have certainly made some decent progress. So I set a starting price of 300 shards and time of auction until the end of the tournament.

    I won¡¯t complain about an extra few thousand shards before it''s all said and done.

    <hr>

    I find Miwa in her workshop as always. She almost seems to live there.

    After a minute or two, she emerges, and her expression isn¡¯t quite what I remember. It''s hard for me to guess what emotion she is feeling. Maybe she watched the duels or maybe she heard something?

    ¡°So, about the guy. You know, the number 1 crafter¡­¡± I start carefully.

    The moment I mention that person, her eyes light up, and her stance opens a bit. She may still be hesitant, but she definitely has a strong interest in hearing me out.

    ¡°Can you bring me to them? My offer is still on the table, I¡¯m willing to let you examine my arm.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ about that¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, did they refuse? I can add ten rare grade items I made. I can throw in some of the ones I made for my group members too. I will owe them, and it will be a lot of work to make new ones, but I can do it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that. Let me show you something.¡± I request, walking past her and into the workshop.

    Inside, I find a corner with a metal table covered in inscriptions. After grabbing some low-quality mana conductive metal from a nearby pile, I start releasing mana, suspending it in the air.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Thermal energy flows from me, and I surround that metal, imitating a furnace and keeping the heat even. I gradually increase the intensity, and as it starts to melt, I move my mana to mix it evenly.

    Miwa stands somewhere off to my side, at first seeming like she wants to interrupt, before settling in to watch.

    I stoke the heat, and my golden flames envelop it as I cut off the air. Continuing an experiment I¡¯ve been working on in an effort to learn how it might change the result. As it reaches the proper temperature I begin to release kinetic energy to hammer the metal.

    As time goes on, I slowly start absorbing heat from the dagger. It took me some time to get it right, and even then, there are imperfections. Cooling it down too quickly will only serve to ruin the final product.

    Of course, it could always be worse. I could use water to cool some parts, there are alloys, and oils I could have added into the mix, I could have tried layering the metal, heating it to different temperatures, and heating it for longer. I¡¯m certainly not starved for options and I definitely have plenty of room to improve in the future.

    But for now, I just let it cool as I work on shaping the molten metal into a bracelet as thick as my pinkie.

    At the same time, I use my skills to engrave inscriptions across the surface of the item and lace some more along the inside. It would definitely work better with a different alloy to serve as the base, but then it would take longer as well.

    The process still takes over 2 hours, and Miwa silently watches without saying a single word the entire time.

    When it''s all said and done, I let the bracelet drop to the table with the clang of colliding metal.

    I check the results Identifying it as a low rare artifact bestowing an effect that will allow its owner to endure high levels of heat as it absorbs the excess and redirects it away once the storage reaches capacity.

    ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± Miwa says, finally breaking the silence.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°You¡­why would you call yourself that¡­ never mind, forget I said anything! You should have told me earlier! I¡¯ve been admiring your items for a while.¡± Miwa gushes, picking up the bracelet and smiling brightly, showing me the item, ¡°They are ugl¡­ that is to say they lack aesthetic appeal, the metals are often a mess, having been worked at excessively high or low temperatures. They are clearly amateur work.¡±

    ¡°Uh, okay?¡± Is she trying to start a fight?

    ¡°But at the same time, I can feel the enthusiasm and the raw talent. And the inscriptions are amazing! I don¡¯t think there is anyone from our round of the tutorial better at working with them. And even on the floors, people like you were rare.¡±

    Miwa continues to talk and talk. She talks about the item and the materials it''s made of. She asks about inscriptions, and she points out mistakes I made.

    Without hesitation, she presents me with a notepad full of notes on crafting. There are experiments she performed, alongside their results. Along with a few methods of smelting from Earth. Methods for working metals and more.

    The notepad alone is extremely valuable, but she even gives me a pair of mana stones with more information. One she got from the second floor and one from a blacksmith who worked under Champion Keiron.

    There is no hesitation at all. She only tells me she already read and memorized it all dozens of times over.

    In her group, there is no one she can talk with about crafting properly, so she is happy.

    So I tell her about Nevan and his alloys and the things he showed me. I show her the arcane alloy he made, which I keep on me at all times. I even let her see Flamebearer.

    Miwa seems like she¡¯s going to pass out from excitement at any moment, as she jumps from item to item, peppering me with questions.

    In the end, I show and tell more than I had planned. But she reminds me of Cael, the craftsman from the 4th floor, a bit too much honestly. There is not a single sign of greed in her actions, and I just can¡¯t see her selling the items I leave her with for simple profit. All I see in her is a pure love for the act of creation, nothing else.

    She also shows me the arm, and I examine it and the way it''s connected to her body. I examine the material and inscriptions. I even copy most of them into one of the many mana stones I keep on me.

    I make Miwa move the hand, send mana through it, and activate the various inscriptions. We even activate some she didn¡¯t know about, like one particularly efficient example that serves to make her arm even stronger, and a few more she will have to examine on her own. The arm seems to have been shielded from examination by anyone other than its owner, so it''s difficult to parse even as she allows me all the time I need.

    Still, I learn a lot and I believe that knowledge will stay with me, add to what I currently have, and allow me to create better things in the future.

    Unfortunately, she still rejects my offer to buy her arm. She doesn''t care about the possibility of receiving a new arm, courtesy of Lily.

    I could offer to rent her Biscuit for a few hours, but something tells me she wouldn''t accept, and I have nothing more valuable than that so I give up.

    Lastly, I inscribe a mana stone for her. Miwa has a skill that allows her to manipulate flames, but the inscriptions I created should allow her to practice and improve that skill. Maybe even evolve it.

    She is probably happiest about that part.

    When I finally leave, she thanks me repeatedly and bows profusely, her behavior having done a complete one-eighty over the course of my visit.

    I wonder if she saw something in me when I was crafting, just like I saw in her when she spoke about her love for the art of creation.

    <hr>

    I spend some time with Min-Jae and examining his eye. It works very well, and I don¡¯t find any problems.

    When Vega was still here, I also checked her eye. I might have gotten a bit paranoid after reading the contents of the mana stone that cowardly asshole Savant gave to Lily. Thankfully, it seems like everyone did a good job, and Vega''s weakened Mana Wavelength Iris fits her well.

    I wonder if I might be able to sell my eyes sometime in the future, perhaps I could even give a few away, weakened versions of course. Just pull it out, have Lily or another healer weaken it with my help, and then fit it to another person, and sell it.

    Logically, it shouldn¡¯t affect the trait itself, at least I don¡¯t think it should. I¡¯ll definitely need to learn more before going through with it.

    Min-Jae is still acting embarrassed, and it''s fun to see. Just that short spar won¡¯t change much, but he is a smart boy, so he should be fine. He will probably get his ass kicked a few times before that, but that''s to be expected.

    To be honest, if I see him doing it again, I might beat him up. I dealt with a lot of bullying growing up, people called me the brother of a murderer or poked fun at my mother.

    Of course, I¡¯m a hypocrite too and I bully others as well. BenDover is an example, or to a smaller extent, others. But at least I¡¯m an asshole who has enough power to be an asshole without getting killed by some vengeful chump. Meanwhile, Min-Jae is weaker, and it could cost him his life later. He can mimic me once he gets stronger.

    With little more than an hour until the last day of the tournament, we get a new notification.

    The 5th event - Chronicle of the Past will start in 1 hour!

    Everyone will have the opportunity to engage in a 1v1 combat challenge with one being from the database of the Earth¡¯s tutorial. Beings such as natives from the already completed floors.

    Every participant will be given 1 challenge, so choose wisely!

    Challenged beings will be of the same quality as an Avatar, possessing no memories other than those required for combat. They do not possess emotions or the ability to talk and have no motivations other than defeating the challenger.

    Note: There will be no rewards for the 5th event. Your performance will be included in the calculation of your final rewards instead.

 Chapter 382 - Chronicle of the Past

    ¡°Hey,¡± Tess says, moving closer to me.

    ¡°What is it this time?¡±

    She chuckles, amused by my reaction, ¡°I wanted to confirm something. Lily seems disappointed with you over that thing with Tacita, but I can¡¯t help but wonder if that¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m an asshole. It''s simple.¡±

    ¡°Really? Why then, was your first reaction to grab Lily and teleport to Tacita? I saw it, I have good eyes. I sensed you preparing to teleport.¡±

    ¡°You must have seen wrong.¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡±

    ¡°Yup, it was all Lily¡¯s idea.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried about Tacita becoming attached to you?¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy, Tess? That girl is bonkers. She isn¡¯t attaching herself to anyone.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying. But I wonder why. Would that really be so bad? Does the idea scare you? Having someone like her attached to you? Maybe you just like acting like an ass so people will leave you alone.¡±

    ¡°Totally. Anyway, did you see the last event? What do you think?¡±

    Tess looks at me for a bit and then lets go of the previous subject, ¡°I will be challenging The First One. Lily will probably go against The Fallen Hero. Sophie is also going to pick The First One for obvious reasons. The rest still isn¡¯t that sure. Have you made a decision?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ve got a few ideas about that. Could you get Channeler and a few people from Easy difficulty? I¡¯ll give them some items if they use their challenge the way I want.¡±

    ¡°Sounds intriguing. I¡¯ll give him a call. And don¡¯t forget to set something aside for Channeler, he was helpful most of the time.¡±

    Who does she think I am? I¡¯m already preparing some nice stuff for my future PR guy. Enough to make him the most powerful Easy difficulty attendee.

    <hr>

    I spend half a day training with Lily, trying to beat some sense into her and improve her efficiency. She tends to use too much mana and needs to invest more into her reserves, as the result of her duel with Tess demonstrates.

    Using a lot of her stats for constitution is nice as it means better body parts to [Sacrifice], but even that consumes mana. She also spends a lot of mana regenerating her body, which now costs more because of her high constitution.

    Her ideal strategy would be avoiding injury and taking advantage of her tough body through [Sacrifice], but Lily seems to like cosplaying a bulldozer during fights.

    In the future, the power of constitution and some additional traits could make her investments more viable, but that¡¯s going to take a while.

    Then I spend a bit of time with Izzy, demonstrating a few better ways to use her flames. Sophie helped her a lot with that, and Izzy herself is pretty good, so it''s just a nudge towards a different direction.

    As always, I remind Maya to not be a scaredy-cat and level her [Focus] more.

    So far, no one from Hell difficulty has chosen to issue their challenge for the 5th event. We have people monitoring the auditorium, once again set up in the common area, with multiple screens displaying each challenge.

    Some of the people from Hard have chosen to challenge powerful monsters they met on previous floors and couldn¡¯t defeat. Others challenge humans they want to learn something from, stretching fights out as long as possible.

    Challenging to learn is the way to go, I think. Yes, some want to overcome their trauma and near-death experience, but that¡¯s not for me. My challenge has already been decided, and I will wait for the end. Not like it is that far, just a few more hours.

    When people from Hell difficulty start issuing their challenges, I teleport to the common area.

    It¡¯s a bad day for ants as I watch both Sophie and Tess obliterate the First One.

    Something nearly snaps in me as I see that black ant again, standing there like it had never died even while seeming like an empty husk.

    Tess is usually quiet about this kind of stuff, but I think The First One was something she sees as her big failure. Even though she doesn¡¯t talk about it or show it to others, I¡¯m sure it bothers her a lot.

    As I watch her fight that ant, I think I can understand that, at least partially. Even though it won¡¯t be a satisfying form of revenge and it won¡¯t change anything, it will be a step forward. She might need this more than any prize she could have gained.

    Her fight isn¡¯t even that difficult. Without the support of his [Hive Mind], the First One is weaker, and the much stronger Tess defeats the black ant.

    When Tess gets out, Maya makes sure the others leave her alone, and Tess sits to the side of the roof near us. There is a solemn mood around her as she sorts through things in her head.

    Sophie also gets in and it¡¯s even worse for the First One¡äs Avatar. He just freezes on the spot as his skill and Sophie¡äs [Manipulation] clash. He stays like that for the rest of the challenge. Sophie just holds him there, tearing as much knowledge as she can from his usage of [Hive Mind] as he tries to use it to counter her skill.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Where Sophie failed back then, she succeeds now and holds him in place with ease. But I don¡¯t think she feels as satisfied as she would have hoped. The First One is an Avatar and without his Colony may as well be a weaker version of himself. One thing I can say, even hating the ant as much as I do. He was truly formidable back then.

    The Challenges continue, and at some point, Savant reappears as well. He says a name and appears inside, facing a young-looking man. The ten-second countdown starts, and Savant starts his preparations to face him.

    ¡°Champion Tristan, he said,¡± Sophie, who¡¯s recently reclaimed her space on the roof, mumbles.

    That makes me check the man again.

    Tristan has a young, friendly looking face. He is slim, and his blonde curly hair makes a nice contrast to his simple black clothes decorated with a few subdued golden ornaments. His eyes are sharp and have a slight orange hue to them. He looks very dignified even for the Avatar he is now.

    Back on the 2nd floor, I heard multiple people say that Champion Tristan easily classified as the closest being to attaining the title of the Absolute from the entire world Eladore. Even closer than Champion Keiron or the mind mage emperor. And that man took Savant as his disciple for some reason, even declaring him a candidate.

    Now they face each other, Savant radiating as much mana as he can, focusing it all on defense. To stay alive for as long as possible and learn from the man who took him in.

    When the countdown stops, the duel doesn¡¯t even take a second. Tristan barely moves, and Savant dies.

    Appearing outside, Savant doesn¡¯t seem to be dissatisfied, and I see the calculations going behind his cowardly eyes. Maybe he came up with better ways to forfeit duels that just started. Maybe he learned to say the word ¡°Forfeit¡± much faster.

    Maybe¡­ I shake my head and sigh.

    Biscuit¡¯s challenge is a huge deer with white glowing antlers. The deer is extremely majestic, each step he takes makes him look like a being from a fable. Like the kind of spirit our ancestors would have worshiped as a god in ancient times.

    The deer dies almost immediately in a single hit that seems to avoid damaging the body. Before Biscuit gets teleported out, tentacles surround the deer as he tries to bring it out with him.

    Appearing outside without his prey, Biscuit seems extremely confused and disappointed.

    (Food!) he shouts.

    His head moves from side to side, and he even tries digging into the rooftop with his front paws, while sniffing at his surroundings.

    (Gone!) He cries, with pain in his voice.

    I pick him up, and while he keeps complaining over and over again, I feed him pieces of my decreasing reserves of deer jerky.

    ¡°Hang in there, buddy,¡± I say trying to comfort him.

    I think Biscuit was a 2-year-old corgi when he entered the tutorial with us. On the 1st floor, he ¡°awakened¡± for lack of a better term. He still could be considered a kid, a child, even younger than my minion or Izzy.

    However, I find his naivety extremely endearing. His attempt to pay for stolen meat with pieces of glass he thought were the same as the mana stones they used as currency. Packing up pieces of meat with candy wrappers, thinking it might make us happier because he saw how much we enjoyed them. And more.

    His worldview is simple, and even most of his abilities were gained just to get more food. Tentacles to reach the places we had hidden food, telepathy so he could ask for more food.

    ¡°You are one cute little thing, aren¡¯t you?¡± I whisper, making sure no one hears, and boop his nose a few times.

    (Gone!)

    ¡°We will get you some later, don¡¯t worry. And where did you see that deer? Did you face a monster like that on the 5th floor?¡±

    (Food!) He confirms.

    Receiving a Notice from Sophie, I look at the screen to see Min-Jae facing down a monster I haven¡¯t seen yet. It''s bipedal with human-like features and four arms. Its skin looks like it is made of metal. Maybe it¡¯s something Min-Jae met on the 5th floor?

    Soon the reason for this challenge becomes obvious as the monster seems to possess a skill similar to [Telekinesis].

    Min-Jae, like people before him, uses this to observe the monster and try to learn as much as he can. There also seems to be a hint of fear and hatred directed at the monster. Maybe it caused him trouble before.

    In the end, the boy wins. It''s still not fully satisfying, but his fighting feels just a little bit less tense. At the end of his challenge, he even seems to enjoy it.

    The twins go one after another, both of them summoning the same monster. A small blue one with a huge head and a thin body that keeps creating illusions. That monster seems to be much stronger than they are able to handle, and after a while, they both lose. Even so, I can see their excitement as they exchange their wordless conversation.

    The next member of our group to fight is Maya, and she faces a female lynthari I don¡¯t know. The warrior is wearing simple armor and wields a longsword.

    ¡°It¡¯s Maya¡¯s teacher from the 4th floor. One of the best sword masters of Virelia. The lynthari liked Maya and taught Maya when she asked for lessons. She agreed and in exchange, Maya had to accompany her when she went to the city and shout vulgar stuff at people who tried to talk to her teacher,¡± Tess explains with a giggle.

    ¡°Typical lynthari.¡±

    ¡°I know, right? Still, Maya was rather fond of her and learned a lot. She didn¡¯t have time to say goodbye, and I think she wanted to see her one more time. Maybe even learn a thing or two or see how much stronger she has become.¡±

    To watch the scene play out on screen, I can¡¯t doubt what Tess said. Maya is getting pushed back by an extremely skilled lynthari. I recognize parts of her move set that Maya seems to have adopted into her own style. The lynthari also likes to quickly switch between a number of weapons created from mana. She uses a shield, then she switches to a spear, then a dagger, and finally back to a sword.

    The style looks extremely confusing and very versatile. It requires a lot from its user, but the result seems to be worth it.

    Maya holds back and focuses on her technique instead of exploiting her higher level. And because of that, she loses, but she doesn¡¯t seem sad at all. Instead, she smiles proudly, satisfied with her growth.

    ¡°Can you connect me to Channeler?¡± I ask Dennis, and with a nod he does.

    (You guys can do it, I will pay as promised if it works.) I say, sending it through the connection.

    (Sure thing! The guys are excited!)

    Then I watch the scene down below, as one man separates from his group and heads towards one of the screens. I¡¯m too far off to hear what he said, but I know the words. They are the words I told them to say.

    ¡°I want to challenge the winner of the 1st round of Earth''s tutorial''s 1st tournament.¡±

    The man then disappears, teleported inside the arena to face his challenge.

    The event is called The Chronicle of the Past after all.

 Chapter 383 - Bloody brawl

    An Avatar appears before the man from Easy difficulty. An Avatar of the man who won the 1st tournament of the 1st round of Earth¡¯s tutorial.

    The rumor spreads quickly, and before the countdown ends, signaling the start of the duel, all eyes have been glued to the screen, examining that man.

    He is very tall and muscular, the build you would see on strongmen. He¡¯s bald, has a bushy black beard, and looks to be in his thirties. He wears simple clothes and seems to be unarmed.

    When the duel starts, he takes a few steps and stares down at his challenger. It¡¯s just a moment, but even that seems to be enough to unsettle this particular member of Channeler¡¯s group.

    Then the Avatar swings his arm, and the upper half of his opponent''s body disappears, and just like that, the challenger reappears outside.

    ¡°Did you see that? That one swing left a massive crater,¡± Aaron says excitedly.

    ¡°High strength?¡± Min-Jae guesses.

    ¡°That dude was massive, and probably as heavy as the two of us and Min-Jae combined,¡± Dennis says, staring at the now blank screen with his eyes wide open.

    ¡°But it seems like you were right, Nat! We really can challenge the winners of the previous tournaments.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s all that useful, but it¡¯s going to be nice to see some of the other tutorial attendees. We might even find out how many rounds our tutorial has,¡± I inform Min-Jae.

    ¡°The next challenge is beginning,¡± Sophie says, and we turn back to the screen.

    The 2nd round winner of the tournament is a young redheaded woman with a long scar on her cheek. She is wearing simple, well-made armor, which I recognize as the armor of the Fallen Hero. Her only weapon is a huge ax with two blades.

    Even so, she doesn¡¯t bother using her weapon and nonchalantly kicks a stone off the ground towards her opponent. It speeds off like a bullet and kills the man from Easy difficulty.

    ¡°Hot.¡±

    To my surprise, it¡¯s Maya who says that. She gets a few surprised looks, and I can see the twins want to say something, but neither is brave enough to do so.

    The winner of the 3rd round¡¯s 1st tournament is a child. A boy looking to be even younger than Isabella. He has brown curly hair and deep blue eyes. Very deep blue, likely a result of one of his traits rather than anything approaching his natural color.

    As ten seconds pass, the boy¡¯s shadow expands, and two pitch-black wolves rise from its depths, as if they were made of ink. They attack at once, dashing at the challenger who quickly dies at their hands.

    The two black wolves turn into a liquid-like substance and seep back into the boy¡¯s shadow which quickly returns to normal. The entire time, his blue eyes seem to shine.

    Then the time comes for the winner of the 4th round¡¯s tournament.

    It¡¯s a 27-year-old woman. Most people would probably find her attractive. Her eyes are both brown though one of them is slightly lighter in color than the other.

    She¡¯s wearing simple clothes. Black pants and a gray shirt with long sleeves. The design seems to originate from the 4th floor. Her black hair is pulled back into a simple ponytail, clumsily done, she never was any good at doing it herself.

    Even as an Avatar, confidence and grace radiate from her as she stands waiting with perfect posture.

    ¡°Nat¡­¡± I can hear Tess say quietly.

    ¡°Something happened? Why is your voice like that, Tess?¡± Maya asks, voice full of concern.

    ¡°That woman, she¡­¡± Tess hesitates, unsure what to say.

    ¡°She is my sister,¡± I answer in her place.

    I watch the screen as Victoria takes her first steps. Her movements are so familiar. The Avatar moves just like her. Confident and daring. It''s as if she is daring the entire world to throw everything it has at her. And I¡¯m sure if that happened, she would endure it all without complaining. That''s how she is.

    The challenger dies with a single swing of her arm.

    When she disappears, I can only stare at the place where she stood.

    (Boss, we tried to challenge the 6th round winner, but it didn¡¯t let us. The same goes for higher numbers. It seems like we can challenge only rounds below the 5th for some reason.)

    (I see. How many guys do you still have?)

    (We have five left. They can challenge¡­)

    (Tell them to challenge the winner of the 4th round tournament. One after another. Don¡¯t ask why.)

    (I¡­ I understand. Can do!)

    These five guys from Easy difficulty die one after another. Each of them receives some mana stones with inscriptions from me. But at the moment, I don¡¯t care about the cost.

    The thought of testing who this event would allow to challenge disappeared from my mind the moment Victoria appeared.

    Each challenge gives me 10 seconds in which I can see the Avatar of my sister and then a few more seconds as she calmly reaches her challenger. A few of them try to run away, but she catches up to them quickly and finishes it.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Group 4 is quiet, likely in an attempt to give me space after a quick exchange in the group chat.

    When it¡¯s all over, I find myself staring at the screen.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you challenge her? You could see her longer¡­¡± Maya tries, and her voice is unusually soft.

    ¡°No, I will never fight her.¡±

    Just the thought of hurting Victoria, even in the event of a sparring match, disgusts me.

    She is someone who cared for me for so long. Who took so much on herself and suffered on my behalf. There is no way I will hurt her, not even for a friendly sparring match. Not even if it¡¯s only an emotionless Avatar.

    Never.

    But there is someone with a different idea, a silly and petite black haired girl who moves impulsively and probably thinks she is helping me. She even wastes her challenge.

    Lily appears inside facing Victoria, and she turns towards the ¡°camera¡± and smiles. I know she does it for me.

    What a dumb girl.

    For ten seconds, Lily and the Avatar face each other. Then the fight starts.

    Unlike before, Victoria¡¯s Avatar acts differently. Her posture changes, and as she charges, even her speed is much higher.

    She and Lily clash against each other, Victoria easily dodging Lily¡¯s strikes and hitting her a few times in retaliation. Lily takes two blows to the face, two to the neck, and a stronger one to the chest.

    Lily staggers back, her tough body enduring it so far. Out of everyone from the 5th round, Lily has one of the highest physical stats, and with the addition of [Sacrifice], probably the highest. Yet Victoria matches her.

    Another exchange sends Lily rolling on the ground as Victoria pounces on her. Even in a fight, she seems so collected.

    Finally, Lily is forced to use [Disintegration].

    Victoria shows incredible reaction time and jumps back. She glances down at the missing piece of her shoulder and, for a moment, I can see her calculating her next move. Then she attacks again. She uses more of her strength and mana while dodging Lily¡¯s burst of [Disintegration].

    But then, to Lily¡¯s surprise, Victoria gets hit by a series of strong, slow bursts of gray mana, and her entire body disappears. Only a finger remains, plopping to the ground behind Lily.

    Lily stands there more shocked than anyone watching.

    ¡°That was unexpected,¡± Maya mutters.

    But Lily doesn¡¯t find herself teleported outside; the duel doesn¡¯t end.

    In a blink, Victoria regrows from her finger. The flesh extends from the finger, along with bones, nerves, organs, and skin. It happens extremely quickly, and Victoria grabs Lily¡¯s arm.

    Lily, who was looking around at that moment, starts pulling her arm back in shock, but Victoria pulls harder and tears Lily¡¯s arm from its socket.

    That makes Lily stagger back, a short scream of pain escaping her while her arm starts regrowing.

    Before it¡¯s restored, Victoria takes a step swinging Lily¡¯s severed arm. She lands a blow on Lily¡¯s face, striking with great force, sending her staggering with a broken nose. And then she advances with another quick step and swing, making Lily stumble even more.

    Before the third hit lands, Lily uses [Disintegration], lashing out at Victoria.

    Victoria swings, deflecting the gray mana with Lily¡¯s own arm. As the arm of a person who possesses that skill and uses it often, it only makes sense that it should be able to endure it. The only sign of damage on the arm is the ragged skin at the stump and a few disintegrated pieces of flesh.

    Lily continues to attack, and every time, Victoria uses her arm to block her gray mana. After a while, all that remains is a jagged bone, and Victoria attacks head-on.

    She spits, and I can see a bloodied piece of something fly over Lily.

    ¡°Was it her tongue? Did that crazy woman bite off her own tongue and spit it behind Lily?!¡± Maya says in shock.

    The moment that piece of tongue lands on the ground, another Victoria grows from it just like she did from the finger. A perfect copy of the original.

    That copy quickly moves and puts her arms around Lily from behind while the original uses the bone jutting from Lily¡¯s severed arm to pierce Lily¡äs chest, aiming for her heart.

    A whip-like burst of gray mana is sent from Lily, both versions of Victoria getting hit. One loses both arms, another one its legs under the knees.

    From these cast-off limbs, three more Victorias quickly regrow.

    Victoria, missing her arms, knees Lily in the chin, and the one without legs grabs one of Lily¡äs arms.

    The other three Victorias each grab a limb and start pulling.

    Lily screams as they tear off her limbs, and another burst of gray mana devours everything around it in a wide area, and all the Victorias with it.

    Still, they had time, and further away, two bloodied fingers make their landing. From each finger, one Victoria regrows.

    Lily sways a bit but straightens up as they attack her relentlessly. They are much more confident now, better at dodging [Disintegration], and after a while, one of them bites off her finger and spits it out.

    The finger spawns a third Victoria. After dodging, she swings her arm and punches Lily in the jaw, staggering her and almost causing her to lose consciousness as the powerful blow shakes Lily''s brain. All three of them seize the opportunity and attack Lily. Two start pulling her arms, and the third one grabs Lily¡¯s head after punching her again in the same spot.

    Lilly¡¯s bursts of [Disintegration] gradually weaken, still damaging them, eating away at their flesh, and blinding them, but they still continue to pull.

    In the end, Lily¡äs head lets go before the limbs, and they pull it free, dangling her spine behind it.

    Finally bursting into a cloud of particles Lily reappears on the roof.

    The result is a total shitshow.

    She wanted to help, to have a duel so I could see my sister for just a bit longer, and yet it ended like this.

    A total, absolute shitshow.

    Instead of fighting with her to allow me a longer glimpse of my sister, it ended with them getting into a bloody brawl.

    But I do understand. I tend to screw things up when I try to help, making them worse instead. It caused my sister so much trouble back then.

    There was no ill intention from Lily, none at all. In her own naive way, she just wanted to help, without thinking it through at all. It''s almost silly. What did she imagine would happen?

    Lily tries to get out of the rooftop, but I move to her and grab her arm. I patiently wait until she lifts her head from the ground and looks at me.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say.

 Chapter 384 - The end of the tournament

    The remaining challenges of the 5th event continue, but other than a few of the more powerful members of Hell difficulty, we don¡¯t pay them much attention. Also, Channeler is already trying to get some last-minute people to challenge a few individuals and beings we wanted to try to challenge before I made them go against Victoria.

    ¡°So Nat, your sister¡­¡± Maya starts carefully.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°She seems ¡­ nice. Hehe.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°But damn, why do you both have to fight like that? What kind of combat even was that, regrowing her body and tearing limbs off? She beat Lily down with her own arm.¡±

    ¡°It makes sense if you think about it. Lily¡¯s arm should logically endure [Disintegration] at least a bit, so she used it as a shield.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem with you, Nat. You don¡¯t even see anything wrong with that. Tess, you said you met his sister a while back. What kind of person is she?¡±

    Tess takes her eyes off the screen and turns to Maya, ¡°She is very polite.¡±

    Maya blinks a few times and gestures wildly at Sophie, who also shakes her head.

    I let them talk and jump down to the common area. Upon reaching one of the terminals to start the challenge, I stop and look at the screen. There are so many options for me to challenge, but at the same time, there is only one. The only person I feel anything like admiration for.

    ¡°I want to challenge Lissandra Hawthorne, Absolute of Eladore.¡±

    Feeling myself pulled, I do not even examine it and find myself inside the arena. Like everyone else¡¯s, mine is unique. It is a clearing with vibrant grass and purple flowers that cover it in its entirety. A few pillars stand in the distance, crumbling under the weight of their age, and off to the side, stands the ruins of a building that must have been glorious once, long, long ago.

    The Absolute Lissandra stands opposite me, just a few steps away. She is as I remember her. Tall, in a black suit that would be more fitting on a male. looking to be around 60 years old, and her hair is gray. But most importantly, there is that absolute confidence of hers, evident even in the form of an Avatar.

    A ten-second countdown starts and black mana from an orb I create seeps into my mind, the world starts feeling as if it has slowed down. My Mana Wavelength Iris activates as well, and in this state, I stack layers upon layers of barriers around me, using all of my body¡¯s mana.

    Once I¡¯m done with that, I reach into my reservoir and start using that as well, and a third of my reservoir disappears like that.

    The second third powers [Redistribution], which I¡¯m ready to use at any moment to defend myself.

    The last third I use to further power my mind and eyes while keeping a single black orb in front of me, one last attempt at defending myself.

    In these ten seconds, my body gets ruined beyond measure. I¡¯ve used too much mana too quickly and recklessly. All my reserves are emptied in mere seconds. But I just need to endure for a moment.

    Ten seconds pass.

    Lissandra looks at me and then takes a single step. The step resounds in a seemingly infinite echo, and I feel myself stumble and fall to my knees, barely able to keep myself from fainting.

    Another step and the echo continues, but I hold on and force myself to keep my eyes and mind in one piece, staring at the most powerful being I have met so far, not counting the Rulers.

    Lissandra stops holding back her mana, and it radiates from her. It moves like a wind that, without any effort, blows through all of my defenses. It¡¯s not even an attack, just the sheer pressure of her unrestrained mana.

    All of my efforts are nothing in front of this Absolute.

    Then the black orb absorbs some of her mana, and bursts open like a bubble, unable to contain the overwhelming force.

    I find myself back outside and for a long moment, I stand there, replaying what happened and trying to decode what my eyes saw. I still have a long way to go, but I don¡¯t feel quite as hopeless as before. I have seen her move her mana, and with it came a tiny bit of understanding.

    This kind of knowledge I value more than any reward, more than any item.

    <hr>

    In the remaining few hours, we try to challenge the 1st Beyonder, but his Avatar fails to appear. We make multiple attempts, but no combination of words seems to work. Even the Intent or Rulers refuse our summons, but that¡¯s only to be expected.

    I also catch Channeler and force him to accept a few upper rare items, making him by far the strongest and richest member of Easy difficulty.

    I notice a few members of his group giving him some interesting looks, so I mention that if something happens to Channeler, I will find the one responsible. I make sure this message spreads.

    We don¡¯t want my PR guy to get hurt.

    Then my mana stones sell, the last few shards trickling into my account from the tournament shop.

    Congratulations, your items were all sold in the tournament shop! You have gained 10,346 shards. Ten percent will be taken by the system.

    The bidding still went even higher than I could have expected.

    There are a lot of goodbyes, many people making friends in the week we¡¯ve had here, that¡¯s far from normal in my book. It takes me months to get used to waking up 30 minutes earlier or later than usual and these people made friends.

    Humans can be scary indeed.

    Gareth, Brainiac, Lootenant, and even Samuel come to say goodbye. I also notice Tacita standing in the distance. She stares at Lily for a while, but she does take a moment to glance at me. Then she disappears as she is used to do.

    We also say goodbye to the twins, who will be separated from us the moment we exit the tournament. They still have wounds on their bodies, something they¡¯ve had to endure the entire time they¡¯ve been here.

    As our time approaches its end, I move to the side where, for one last time, I make use of our immortality in this space. I create a big orb of black mana and feed it to my crown.

    The result is the same as before. Despite all my training, experience, careful thinking, and inscriptions, none of these help me control it.

    After disconnecting from the crown which still manages to steal almost all of my mana, it crumbles and explodes in a shockwave that washes over the entire common area, giving one last scare to the people around us.

    A small goodbye from me to them.

    Congratulations on completing your 1st tournament! The second tournament will take place 2 years after the start of your tutorial.

    In the second tournament, all rounds of the Earth¡¯s tutorial will participate.

    Congratulations, you have placed 1st overall in the 1st tournament of the 5th round of Earth¡¯s tutorial. Your reward has been improved.

    Congratulations, you have placed 1st in the overall crafter rankings of the 5th round of Earth¡¯s tutorial. Your reward has been improved.

    You have rejected multiple event rewards in order to increase your final reward. Your reward has been improved.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Please pick 2 out of 5 possible rewards before you are transported back to the 6th floor where your Floor Quest will continue.

    Rewards to pick from:

    Passive skill combination token (upper epic)

    Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)

    Passive skill (upper epic)

    Item (upper epic)

    15,000 shards

    ¡°I want the passive skill combination token and the trait strengthening token.¡±

    Passive Skill Combination Token (Upper Epic) - Allows you to combine two passive skills up to upper epic rarity. The resulting combination will be a unique skill that cannot be obtained otherwise. Passive Skill Combination Tokens cannot be bought or sold in the system shop.

    Trait Strengthening Token (2nd Stage) - Allows you to strengthen your trait by one stage, either from the base to the 1st stage or from the 1st to the 2nd stage.

    After that, the scenery changes and I find myself where I was before we entered the tournament.

    Both Aaron and Dennis are gone, the lush grass is replaced by rocky ground and we stand beneath a dark sky with a nebula shining across the bulk of its expanse.

    We are back on the 6th floor.

    I open my system and check, confirming my suspicions. the system seems to have chosen to feed me just a bit more information on passives:

    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn

    Difficulty: Hell

    Floor: 6 - Astral Prison

    Time left until forced return: 3y 357d 23h 59m 21s

    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3

    Lvl 237

    Strength: 113

    Dexterity: 110

    Constitution: 268

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1015 + 1015

    Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)

    Sub-class: [Initiate of Pride]

    Active skills:

    Focus - Lvl 49

    Perception - Lvl 46

    Redistribution - Lvl 48

    Resonance - Lvl 45

    Mana Domain - Lvl 40

    Tether - Lvl 36

    Infusion - Lvl 29

    Mana Crown - Lvl 24

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 47

    Constructs:

    Reinforcement (Construct)

    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)

    Mana Regulator (Construct)

    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)

    Vortex Core (Construct)

    Passive skills:

    Mana Reservoir (upper epic)

    Arcane Resilience (mid epic)

    Phoenix Embrace (mid epic)

    Mana Overload Absorption (low epic)

    Cognitive Fortress (mid epic)

    Tokens:

    Beyond difficulty entrance token

    Passive skill combination token (upper epic)

    Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)

    Shards: 135,369

    I guess we¡¯ve unlocked a bit more of the system. The Item in my hand is no different.

    Flamebearer (low Arcane, Damaged) - Flamebearer held dominion over fire, with a mere swing capable of igniting the horizon. This ax¡¯s blaze once burned with immense fury. Despite the damage and its weakened flames, moments of intense heat surge through its blade, offering a glimpse into its fiery past.

    But before I can really think about it another window pops up.

    You have been invited to become a disciple.

    If you decide to accept, you will be summoned to train and study under your master for 2 weeks.

    If you choose to reject, there will be no consequences.

    You have 10 minutes to decide.

    Do you accept?

    Yes/No

    Well, this is unexpected.

    <hr>

    Three minutes later, each member of group 4 present takes a seat in silence, each processing the news of the invitation I got.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s an additional tournament reward. You said you rejected event rewards multiple times, so I think this is part of it,¡± Tess says.

    "It could be it. The message seems to be nearly the same as the one my disciple received before she entered the tutorial," I answer.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to enter the third Beyond trial?¡± Min-Jae asks.

    ¡°I wanted to go to trial, get Aaron and Dennis out of the Black Tower, and do a lot of other things. This message has ruined all of my plans.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll get another chance if you reject it now,¡± Sophie muses. ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s a one-time thing. And what does this even mean? Will you be leaving the tutorial, or will your master be one of the tutorial¡¯s natives?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t rule out the possibility of interference on the part of the Rulers either,¡± I say, shrugging my shoulders.

    ¡°I think you should accept it. If the tutorial can be trusted, your master may be able to help you a lot. You might even get someone powerful enough to declare you a Champion candidate, whatever that means.¡± Tess seems to be pushing the most.

    She knows just as well as I that they will face greater challenges if I leave, yet she still does it.

    She seems to read my mind for a moment, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. We will get the boys out and wait for you to complete the Floor Quest.¡±

    I wonder, is it worth it to push back the next trial of Beyond anymore than the tournament already has? But I have to agree with Tess. The rewards I picked for the tournament are more than amazing, but it makes sense for this invitation to be part of it. There is a weird twisted logic to it.

    If I get a capable master, it has the potential to make me more powerful than any other reward I could get. And who knows how much information I could collect? I might even get summoned out of the tutorial.

    At least I don¡¯t need to worry about group 4, well, not much. They have a few monsters in their ranks, and Tess will make sure to keep them all alive.

    Okay, I guess I¡¯ll just have to follow my gut on this one.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to accept,¡± I tell them.

    Then after retrieving a few things from our hidey-hole and leaving the rest with them, I prepare to leave.

    I do not use the passive skill combination token as I have a great plan for it but I don¡¯t have enough time to work out all the potential kinks. As for trait strengthening, it¡¯s still too soon to strengthen my eyes. Mana Wavelength Iris is just too powerful as it is.

    So just like that, we find ourselves being separated again. Both sides wishing the other luck and telling a few lame last minute jokes.

    ¡°I accept,¡± I say and once more feel myself pulled away.

    <hr>

    POV Earth

    ¡°Professor, w-we have a problem.¡±

    ¡°Go on, Liam, don¡¯t make me pull it out of you. You young folks are supposed to be direct. Leave the pointless tiptoeing around to oldtimers like me.¡±

    The young man by the name of Liam gulps, ¡°We¡­ we found a spider on the moon.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you did? Maybe it¡¯s just some kind of contamination left over from the moon landings? No, wait, since when do we have telescopes that powerful?¡±

    ¡°Professor, we didn¡¯t use a telescope...¡±

    ¡°Excuse me? Liam, I don¡¯t know if this is your idea of a joke, but if so I¡¯m deeply disappointed in you.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t use any of our telescopes, Professor. It can be seen with the naked eye.¡±

    Silence ensues, and the old man bursts out in a boisterous fit of laughter, but as a minute passes and he sees the unchanging face of his student, his laughter tapers off.

    With a serious expression, Liam continues, ¡°The spider in question is the size of the entire state of Colorado.¡±

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    I immediately recognize the place I find myself in. The poisonous lake nearby, the weird inscriptions covering the sky. I even recognize the forest around me.

    I¡¯ve clearly found myself back on the 5th floor, and by the looks of it, the Veil is in the same state I left it in. It might even be the same instance.

    But there is one thing that shocks me more than any other. There are three presences beyond the trees on a small clearing near the lake. I can¡¯t see their owners yet, but I recognize their signatures.

    One of them is the murderer from Easy difficulty. The other is a tall lynthari woman and the last¡­

    ¡°Little pup, are you going to come out or do I have to grab you by the scruff of your neck and drag you out myself?¡±

    We were wrong. This was never part of my rewards.

 Chapter 385 - Five rules

    Like my minion before, I walk from behind the trees and enter the exact same clearing she entered back then. There, these three people greet me.

    The murderer from Easy difficulty stands there awkwardly. He is not tied, and there is no mana holding him at all. Yet, he stands there with a terrified expression, not daring to move or say anything.

    Myrra looks just as I remember her, tall and cheeky. Her white hair easily flows in the wind, and her golden eyes are squinted with a happy smile.

    The emotion I''m feeling right now is extremely silly.

    There is just one problem: her tail sways from side to side in the manner she does when there is danger around.

    ¡°Feral one, be very careful, she made a deal with some being to kill you,¡± Myrra warns me.

    And the third person lets her say it. It''s like it doesn''t matter at all if I know. That absolute confidence tells me she will deal with anything thrown her way.

    Lissandra sits on the stone nearby. Unlike her version I just met in the 5th event, she is young and beautiful, an ethereal kind of beauty that''s hard to grasp or describe. Her silver hair flows over her shoulder, tied into simple ponytails. She is wearing black clothes, more fitting for a male, but looking easy to move in.

    As before, her body is flawless. That''s the word I could use. It''s like it¡¯s made with the single purpose of being as athletic as possible. As she shifts, I can see that in each of her motions. Every movement sends a shiver down my back as if I''m standing in front of a peak predator.

    It''s a sentiment confirmed by the calm in the area around us. All over the forest, monsters are fighting, veilshriekers crawling, the Veil intensifying this pressure. Yet, the small area around us has not a single monster nearby, as if they do not dare to enter her territory.

    Lissandra doesn¡¯t say anything for a while but continues to observe me very intently. Behind her eyes, I know she is thinking of something. Something very important.

    ¡°I''ve decided. I won¡¯t kill you, little pup,¡± Lissandra states, as she makes her decision. She was always quick to do that.

    She jumps on her feet, picks up the black dagger that was stabbed into the stone, and puts it on her belt. The moment she does so, time around us feels like it slows down, and the pressure increases.

    A single giant orange eye appears there and grows in size until it covers a third of the sky, which turns pitch-dark.

    ¡°Fake one, we made a deal,¡± the voice of that entity I met multiple times roars through the air, making it vibrate and the world shake. ¡°Do not dare to try to¡­¡±

    ¡°I have a few requirements, of course. If you break any of them, I will kill you, little pup,¡± Lissandra tells me, totally ignoring the thing in the sky.

    ¡°Why?¡± I ask her, also ignoring the intent.

    I wouldn¡¯t take it lying down, but seeing her now, it feels like I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against her. None at all. It¡¯s this primitive feeling that¡¯s hard to describe, and she is the only person who makes me feel this way.

    If it comes to it, I will fight till the end, but this¡­ this would be throwing my life away. I hate it. I dislike how weak I feel and the difference in our strengths.

    This won¡¯t do. This can¡¯t go on. There is no way I will allow myself to feel this way.

    Seeing it¡¯s not getting attention, the intent in the sky disappears, its anger is easy to imagine. The world becomes normal once again, and the sounds come rushing back as the sun appears back in the sky.

    ¡°Good, Envy is now gone. He won¡¯t be able to mess around with this tutorial for a year or two. Maybe less if other Rulers share the backlash with him, which could be quite possible.¡± Lissandra turns to Myrra, ¡°Little kitten, kill that man but freeze and keep his heart.¡±

    Myrra does so right away. The murderer from Easy difficulty tries to use his mana and defend himself, but a single hole is pierced through the middle of his forehead, and his body falls on the ground like a puppet without strings.

    Lissandra takes a few steps towards me and taps with her finger right over my heart.

    ¡°Originally, I agreed to a deal with Envy so I could get your heart and status, little pup. The man that just died was supposed to be used so I can transfer his status to this female lynthari you saved in such a silly way.¡±

    As she talks to me, I examine the black dagger on her belt. That thing is totally the one I made on the 3rd Floor and came back to bite my ass. It currently doesn¡¯t even try to absorb any mana. It just sits there.

    I find it very, very interesting. Something I should try to experiment with. But maybe I should pay attention to Lissandra. She seems to notice me getting distracted, and I know if I push it more, there will be consequences.

    So I say, ¡°You made a deal with that entity. He wanted me dead, and you agreed, asking in exchange to be moved here, this floor was probably kept ¡®alive¡¯ by the entity and maybe because of my and my duplicate¡¯s attempts to have it kept running after I leave it.¡±

    Lissandra gestures for me to continue.

    ¡°The plan was to kill me as the entity wanted and for you to take my heart and status, the status of that now-dead man going to Myrra. Then you would either on your own or with some help become Earth¡¯s tutorial attendee and get out of it when it ends.¡±

    ¡°Simple, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lissandra takes a step back and gestures at Myrra to come closer.

    ¡°Are you not worried about breaking the deal you made with Envy?¡±

    ¡°Little pup, why would I even keep the deal with someone who would break it at any moment? Envy is just inept to allow himself to get used that way.¡± She says it towards the sky, to someone who might be listening, ¡°But if he is dissatisfied, he can wait for when I get out of the tutorial, and we will solve it then.¡±

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    Even though her original was just an Absolute, when her world got scanned and included in the tutorial, she doesn¡¯t seem to care. Back then, she would be weaker than a Ruler, and now, much weaker than her original self, she still shows confidence to face him.

    But something has changed about her, I have noticed.

    ¡°You are different now; you seem to have more of your original memories that should be lost because of your imperfect imprint. I wonder, did you make another deal with another Ruler?¡± I ask.

    A small smile flickers on her face, but she doesn¡¯t answer and examines the frozen heart Myrra is showing her. Myrra does it respectfully, and her eyes quickly perk up when she catches my gaze.

    Lissandra prods it a few times before sighing, ¡°Deplorable, but that was to be expected. Little kitten, we will use it to give you the status of an attendee. It will be more annoying, but I will make my own heart.¡±

    Myrra nods, ¡°Yes, Lady Lissandra,¡± and her aurora glass flickers around the frozen heart, as if packing it before she puts it into the bag on her side.

    ¡°As for you, little pup. I will let you live, I will declare you Champion candidate if I feel you deserve it, and I will even train you,¡± Lissandra continues.

    ¡°Why?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°I won¡¯t answer that question for now. But there are five rules for the following two weeks, so listen carefully.¡±

    She lifts one finger.

    ¡°If you use your concentration skill to affect your emotions during the following two weeks, I will kill you.¡±

    Second finger.

    ¡°If you use the mana you used for this dagger,¡± she taps on it, ¡°I will kill you.¡±

    Third finger.

    ¡°If you fail to reach level 250, I will kill you."

    Fourth finger

    "If you fail to get three skills to level 50, I will kill you."

    Fifth finger.

    "If you fail to reach Adept of your subclass, I will kill you.¡±

    She already seems to know a lot about me and my status. Too much to my liking, but I guess there are things that come with being thousands of years old and being the most powerful being of her planet for a similar length of time.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot,¡± I mention.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Like, a lot, a lot.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just kill me?¡±

    ¡°I can do it if you have given up.¡± Because of the way she says it, I¡¯m sure she isn¡¯t joking.

    ¡°What will you do if I insult you a bit? Call you things. Be a bit honest about my feelings and what I think of your expectations?¡± I ask. I¡¯m sure she knows how much I dislike it.

    Lissandra stays quiet, but her eyes give a simple answer.

    I have to hold myself back from saying anything too harsh, and it¡¯s surprisingly difficult. Lately, I have been relying on [Focus] a lot to deal with this kind of stuff, so this feeling is weird as I already stopped using it for my emotions. Something I¡¯m sure she already noticed. I''m able to keep quiet for now, but I¡¯m sure more trouble will come later.

    Level 250 is doable; I''m missing only 13 levels. Adept of Pride could be tricky, but maybe doable. It¡¯s been a long time since I got my subclass, but I do not know the requirements. Black mana is a big hit to my power level, but it seems the cockroach has something in her mind.

    The situation reminds me of the time she threw me into the dark tunnels full of flame imps, imps poisoning me and serpents. All for my training and because she was dissatisfied with my, in her opinion, slow growth. Maybe this is something similar? Such a lovely old lady indeed.

    The worst will be getting 3 skills to level 50.

    Active skills:

    Focus - Lvl 49

    Perception - Lvl 46

    Redistribution - Lvl 48

    Resonance - Lvl 45

    Mana Domain - Lvl 40

    Tether - Lvl 36

    Infusion - Lvl 29

    Mana Crown - Lvl 24

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 47

    This will be dangerous. The bottleneck from level 49 to 50 seems to be really big, looking at how long my [Focus] is stuck at 49.

    Lissandra, probably getting the reaction she wanted, takes a step closer, and the thing I expected since the start happens.

    She hits the side of my head, hand open, with her palm. This powerful attack is¡­

    Yes, she bitch-slaps me.

    I''m sent to the ground even though I kept strengthening my body a lot ever since I saw her.

    It annoys me that she used the perfect amount of force to make it sting and not hurt me further than that. It doesn¡¯t even feel like an attack, more like punishing a kid for doing something stupid she doesn¡¯t want me to repeat. This is most likely for the end of the third floor. Or maybe she just likes to slap people. Perhaps it is to show dominance or something. Damned cockroach.

    Seemingly in a better mood, Lissandra turns around and heads somewhere between the trees. I''m left behind with Myrra and the corpse of the murderer from Easy difficulty.

    ¡°Myrra, let''s run away from her.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s useless, feral one.¡± Myrra¡¯s tail moves in an annoyed manner. She is even whispering.

    ¡°Did you already try? What happened?¡±

    ¡°Long time no see. How are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Why are you avoiding my question, Myrra?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you again, feral one. That mana stone you left behind was an extremely cheeky way to try to help me. But it worked, so I have to thank you for that.¡±

    I decide to give up on getting an answer to my question and instead look at the tail that so often betrays Myrra¡¯s emotions. It now sways from side to side. She seems to be in a really good mood.

    ¡°You are her disciple now?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say a disciple. Maybe a candidate to become her disciple would be more accurate? Lady Lissandra is very picky when it comes to these kinds of things.¡±

    ¡°Of course she is. Old people are like that. How much do you know?¡±

    ¡°Parts of it. The process is gradual for me, unlike Ms. Lissandra. If I get a status, I should be able to finally learn more. About this place, me, her, and about you, feral one. Who would have thought you and your group are even more interesting than I thought.¡±

    As the conversation goes, I continue to observe myself. So far, not using [Focus] doesn¡¯t seem to change that much.

    I was worried about being unable to use it for emotions, but maybe it won¡¯t be that bad after all.

 Chapter 386 - Outburst

    For now, I decide to not make any attempts at running away from this crazy woman. At least I should be able to get something useful out of the experience.

    This version of the 5th floor seems to be a continuation of my instance, so unfortunately I can''t loot the Veil Ignition Station again. But there should be others, so maybe I can raid a few along the way. Of course, I¡¯ll have to keep working hard on fulfilling Lissandra¡¯s demands.

    I don''t think I¡¯m going to have much chance to sleep over the next two weeks, my first goal should be to get myself to level 250 and earn some body strengthening. Hopefully, it will help me endure that.

    ¡°Myrra, why do you guys have that arm with you,¡± I ask, gesturing at the slim, and pale arm that once belonged to a woman.

    ¡°Lady Lissandra brought it with her. She said it belonged to someone who used to share her title.¡±

    Oh? Did it come from the Absolute Saint of the third floor?

    I take a few steps closer and squat in front of the arm, which pokes from the bag. Surely it is better than the piece of Champion¡¯s body I left with Lily, right? Even though she was long dead, it did come from the body of an Absolute.

    ¡°Feral one, I would advise against taking it. Very strongly advise,¡± Myrra says seriously.

    ¡°It feels weird. What did she do to it?¡±

    ¡°We found Thalen''s original body and...¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Myrra blinks slowly a few times and stares at me.

    "What? I can''t remember every random guy''s name."

    "Thalen, the guild master of The Luminous Order? You and I fought Isola and him in the Old Capital, feral one. Lady Lissandra forced him to use his skill and took over. She did it so easily too. She used him to make changes to the arm and create a few single-use emblems. Thalen died in the process. The pressure melted his brain."

    ¡°Eh. It¡¯s not like anyone¡¯s going to miss the guy.¡± I say, poking the arm, which retains a degree of softness and warmth.

    It radiates a similar aura to the Saint''s body almost as if it were still alive, ready to wake at any moment.

    Looking at the arm, I whisper, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see that you made it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Myrra asks, and her ears perk up.

    I¡¯m fairly certain that she heard me the first time, so I ignore her question and stand without disturbing the arm.

    ¡°So she didn''t declare you a Champion candidate?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°She didn''t. Unlike the matriarch, she doesn¡¯t think I¡¯ve earned it yet.¡±

    ¡°Can she even do that? She isn¡¯t an Absolute anymore. What even is her current level?¡±

    ¡°You can ask her, feral one. Please let me know what you learn.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you should ask. I¡¯m sure Lady Lissandra loves her little kitten enough to answer.¡±

    ¡°Maybe she likes her little pup more. Why don¡¯t you bark for me? Woof woof, my little feral pup.¡±

    ¡°Nya.¡±

    Myrra freezes and blushes, ¡°Do not¡­¡±

    ¡°Nya nya nya.¡±

    ¡°Feral one, do you need another beating? How could you have grown even more annoying in the time since we last saw each other?¡±

    ¡°Nya?¡±

    ¡°You little shit¡­¡±

    ¡°Grab our things. We¡¯re moving out.¡± Lissandra says, appearing out of nowhere. It¡¯s like she¡¯s taunting me for my poor perception. I didn¡¯t sense her at all. I didn¡¯t sense her heart, my black dagger, the heat of her body, or the kinetic energy from her movement.

    She just appears out of nowhere.

    Myrra reacts quickly and pulls the items from the ground, bundling them away in a number of small bags. Some of them contain food, others contain water, and a few others contain a series of miscellaneous items. Oh, and the human arm and the heart of the man Myrra just killed, of course.

    ¡°This way. You¡¯re up first, little pup. Kill any monster that gets in our way. For the next hour, you may only use five percent of your body¡¯s mana. Any mana you recover will not be added to this allotment. No primordial energies either,¡± she says.

    I look at her for a while and blink.

    Lissandra doesn¡¯t volunteer any more information, so I take the indicated position, knowing all too well that she will be watching.

    I sense my heart beating. A feeling I identify as hesitation and uncertainty? It¡¯s not something I¡¯m used to feeling.

    Quickly, I reduce the reach of my [Perception] to conserve mana. I also stop strengthening my body, which becomes much weaker right away. I feel almost naked without mana feeding my Reinforcement Construct.

    The feeling I get from the forest around me changes immediately. The same can be said about the sensation of danger radiating from the two beings behind me.

    I know Myrra won¡¯t attack me without a very good reason, and Lissandra doesn¡¯t currently have one. Yet my paranoid mind can¡¯t help but expect betrayal, leaving me in a state of concern. Even my diminished reach is leaving me fumbling.

    The first monsters to appear are a small pack.

    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 201]

    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 212]

    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 206]

    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 202]

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    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 199]

    They are humanoid, but they seem to be made of black wood, covered in bark. They seem to lack any kind of sensory organs. Each one is at least two heads taller than me, and each step they take is accompanied by the creaking of branches as their limbs sway in the powerful wind.

    I let the first two approach, and as they swing their limbs, I boost my body and jump to the side.

    Root like spikes pierce the ground, expanding outward from the creatures.

    I sidestep the attack only to watch as two more of the Stalkers enter a tree nearby only to exit another right behind me, before launching a coordinated assault on me with the help of the first two.

    This time, I let a bit of my mana seep out and cover the knife edge of my hand, along my pinkie, down to my wrist. I oscillate that little bit of my mana and slash against one of the limbs.

    My attack doesn¡¯t cause any damage. Instead, I feel a sharp pain in my hand and boost my body to escape the encirclement, repeating the exercise two more times to avoid the normal trees they manipulate in an attempt to grab me.

    The accompanying sense of frustration almost makes me flood my body with mana, but then I see Lissandra standing calmly and watching me.

    I force myself to push these feelings to the back of my mind and run towards the Ebonwood Stalker that¡¯s been using the spikes the most, only to be forced to boost my body to reach him before the others catch me. Once again, oscillating mana coats my hand. This time, I strike at the intersection between the neck and the torso.

    Spikes erupt from the monster¡¯s body, too many for me to dodge, so I shift my body, allowing two of the spikes to pierce the skin just over my collarbone and another to take a chunk out of my forearm.

    I force my healing passive into dormancy given Its use of primordial energy.

    Then I slash three times into the monster¡¯s neck, separating the head from its body.

    [You have defeated Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 202]

    As I stagger back to avoid the other monsters, I notice something spreading through my body. Foreign particles seeping in through the wounds I just received.

    Dodging to the side, I examine them, and then, seeing no other option, I raise my mana a bit and push them out of my body in one concentrated effort at two places, using two percent of my mana and leaving me three to work with.

    Four monsters remain, and I still have over 50 minutes until I get to swap out.

    I attack right away, using just a bit of my mana for detection and mostly relying on my senses. I jump from side to side and then extend oscillation around my palm and cut through the tree.

    It falls down, taking the Ebonwood Stalker that just attempted to use it to flank me.

    [You have defeated Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 212]

    Using [Focus] for [Resonance], I clash against the rest of the monsters.

    They are strong and durable enough that they would probably cause more trouble for anyone without the necessary cutting force. [Resonance] is just that strong, and I can keep up with any attacks I can sense.

    When the last one dies, I stop and, for the first time in a long time, I feel breathless. My heart thumps wildly, as even now I stop mana from strengthening my body too much.

    [Lvl 237 > Lvl 238]

    Our eyes meet, she points in a direction, saying ¡°That way.¡±

    With just over one percent left out of my five percent allotment, I head off.

    It¡¯s all weird. Especially the emotions I usually block or weaken with [Focus]. Using a mere fraction of the mana I¡¯m used to throwing around without any thought. I¡¯m sure I even sense a bit of fear. It¡¯s one of the few emotions I let through if only to increase my enjoyment of a given fight, but this time it feels more real. More raw.

    We reach a small clearing, finding a single monster awaiting our approach.

    [Rootfiend - lvl 210]

    Another humanoid figure. As tall as me, with long spindly limbs. The moment the monster spots me, it attacks, lashing out in a single smooth motion, mana coating the length of its arms in a field of wildly vibrating energy.

    I boost my body just in time, holding my arms in a defensive stance, covering my neck with forearms coated in an oscillating mana.

    Almost by reflex, I¡¯m about to place an anchor on it but stop myself because of the mana cost. Instead, as the monster jumps back, I grab its arm, resonating my mana against it to stop it from damaging me.

    As I take hold of its limb I take the opportunity to pull the beast off balance, the monster hisses in response, baring its teeth in a show of aggression. Revealing rows upon rows of shark-like teeth. In exchange, I open my mouth, launching the orb I¡¯ve been hiding from the monster¡¯s detection, lodging it in the monster¡¯s mouth.

    I manipulate it, changing its shape, causing it to elongate into a spike and piercing the monster¡¯s brain, watching as it sways and falls. But not before it can slash my body a few times, too quick to dodge. Leaving gashes across my waist, and my blood seeping through my clothes.

    [You have defeated Rootfiend - lvl 210]

    One percent of my allotted mana remains. My mind feels weirdly blank, and even my heart, despite its wild thumping, begins to pound out a strong rhythmic beat.

    ¡°That way.¡± I hear Lissandra say behind me.

    It irks me in just the wrong way, and for a moment a strong temptation overtakes me.

    Just a single order and my mana will move the way I want. I can use all of it. I just need to turn around and face that annoying woman. There is no need to kill her, just show her that I¡¯m not here to be toyed with. At this moment I don¡¯t care if she is trying to teach me something.

    Just a¡­I freeze the moment I turn around.

    Lissandra towers there. At that moment, I can¡¯t even see Myrra cringing nearby. It¡¯s as if Lissandra is the only being in existence in this place. Her presence overwhelms everything around her.

    There is no mana flowing around us. Lissandra doesn¡¯t even take a battle stance. She just returns my gaze. Something about it tells me she knows exactly what¡¯s going through my mind. She even welcomes it.

    If I attack her right now, she might kill me.

    My lips shift, and a big smile forms on my face. The biggest one I¡¯ve shown in a long time.

    Lissandra seems to be taken aback for the faintest moment, but even though her expression doesn¡¯t change, a dangerous light begins to dance in her eyes.

    My mana flows into my body, and a crown forms over my head. I take a step towards her, extending my domain over the area. I do not use black mana, nor do I use [Focus] for my emotions. Instead, I manipulate my trait, activating it, and within my domain, I place anchors. Then I use [Redistribution] and reach out and grab Lissandra.

    Lissandra reaches and taps on the black dagger on her waist. A single clear ringing sound, and I see the dagger absorb a bit of my mana. Less than the five percent I used against the monsters. Only then does she lower her body and use the skills Hadwin used to have.

    [Strengthening] activates, and she moves even quicker than Tacita, each of her steps tearing the ground apart.

    [Disruption] dances around her skin, changing frequency with a speed I can¡¯t even imagine, forcing me to deactivate my eyes when I try to examine it.

    I stack barriers around me. I strengthen my body and shoot projectiles towards her.

    She ignores it all. None of that mana damages her. Every piece of it bursts into particles when it touches her.

    I kick out at her, and she increases her speed even further for an instant, slipping under my leg, and lashes out at me with a kick of her own. Under her kick, my knee bends and shatters. I send mana there to support myself, but then she touches me and all of my mana starts running out of control.

    I empty my Vortex Core, all of my thermal and highly concentrated kinetic energy bursting into the area around me, flames burning everything in their path, and kinetic energy tearing through the area.

    She connects to one of my anchors and activates it, and I feel myself teleported through it, along with an uninvited hitchhiker. Lissandra and I appearing in a place far away from the explosion.

    For a fleeting moment, our eyes meet. Then her arm becomes a blur, striking the side of my head, and I black out.

 Chapter 387 - You are free to try it anytime

    When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is the Veil weaving its way through the sky. Feeling a presence near me, I turn my head to the side, and Lissandra sits there on the fallen trunk of a tree.

    Myrra is nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°I sent her to level up,¡± Lissandra says.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Sending thermal energy through my body, my passive activates, and it starts healing my wounds.

    Lissandra lets it happen, and waits for me to recover a bit before speaking, ¡°You are free to challenge me anytime.¡±

    With my interest piqued, I listen as she speaks. Even after all this, I can¡¯t help but feel a lot of admiration for her. She¡¯s the only being to inspire me in quite this way. The strongest being I¡¯ve met through the floors, not counting the Ruler of Greed and the Ruler of Envy.

    ¡°I never backed down from a challenge, little pup. I have defeated more than a dozen Absolutes. I have beaten every Champion who had an eye towards taking my title, everyone who thought they were ready to challenge me. Just through my own power, I have brought my planet victory in every Pairing we¡¯ve experienced.¡± A long silence follows her words.

    Lissandra takes a moment before continuing, ¡°Before these two weeks end, you will know more, and I won¡¯t kill you if you follow my rules. So come, challenge me, little pup. Test yourself and see what breaks sooner, you or your pride.¡±

    ¡°I would ask why, but I won¡¯t get an answer, will I?¡±

    ¡°I don''t feel like it, but if you use that head of yours, you might figure it out.¡±

    ¡°What did you do to my black mana dagger?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m using it as an external, temporary mana heart. As you have realized, I do not have a mana heart, so I have to rely on external mana. To that end, I modified the dagger you left behind.¡±

    ¡°What is that black mana?¡±

    ¡°I might tell you if you survive.¡±

    ¡°You used Hadwin¡¯s skills.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why would you need my status then? You can take over Hadwin¡¯s?¡±

    "I told the Ruler of Envy I couldn¡¯t. He just happened to be gullible enough to believe me. He used one of the tutorial¡¯s functions to bring that other man here so that I could transfer his status to our little kitten. In exchange, he wanted me to kill you."

    It seems like old Liss is making plans of her own. I would like to ask more, but she seems to be at her limit. All-powerful Absolute cockroaches aren¡¯t going to be accustomed to answering questions for one so lowly as me, so I better stop here. Instead, I go through the list of my skills and the ones I have the best chance of pushing to level 50 in the next two weeks.

    My best choices are [Focus] which is at 49 and [Mana Manipulation] which is at 47, but something tells me that I should have a fairly high chance to make it work. And that leaves me with [Redistribution], my next best option, sitting at 48. Either that or [Resonance] at 45.

    [Perception] might be an option as well sitting at 46, but I don¡¯t think I would be able to level it in the time we have. It¡¯s not a skill that I can level up that quickly.

    I also start right away. Lissandra doesn¡¯t seem to want to mess with my training much further, even though I¡¯m sure she is watching. Still, for now, I push her presence to the back of my mind.

    I start working on the closest approximation I can make to the mana shaping exercise she was playing with back on the 2nd floor. A ball of mana constantly growing and shrinking. That alone wouldn¡¯t be that great, so obviously I added some challenges I figure she must have thought of herself. I increase the density of mana, I spin it, and I increase the speed.

    It only takes a few minutes of this before I hear Lissandra stand up and walk towards me. I look up, and she looks at me and then at the mana orb, I¡¯ve been using to practice.

    She flicks her hand and sends it flying far away whereupon it expands between the trees and bursts open.

    Making sure I watch, she then gestures at me, and I send a chunk of my mana her way. She absorbs the mana into the black dagger and pulls it free. And with that mana, she creates a small mana orb and then another. Then more, in quick succession, dozens, then hundreds, come into existence.

    Without looking away, she collapses them down, without seeming to try, until they¡¯re only as big as the eye of a needle. Like a swarm, these tiny orbs move in formation, taking on the shape of an orb of their own.

    They¡¯re so small the newly created orb seems like a single orb rather than the thousands of tiny orbs forming it. The sheer control required to do something like that leaves me speechless.

    Fascinated, I reach out a finger and touch the surface which ripples like water, thousands of tiny orbs reacting to my touch and reforming into a glass like surface.

    Lissandra then moves her hand, and with seemingly less effort than breathing, each of the orbs burst open and in the blink of an eye form into a single orb. But it¡¯s not that simple. Sending my senses toward it, I see another orb inside of that.

    Then another.

    And more.

    Each orb is smaller than the one before it, with an insanely thin layer of air separating it from the others. The number of orbs feel like they go on infinitely.

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    With another movement of her hand, all the orbs disappear and instead, two smaller orbs form inside the third one. These two orbs inside start spinning around each other.

    Gradually, the speed of their spin increases to a terrifying degree. A vortex is created between them, trying to pull in the mana comprising the orb that contains them. Yet the larger orb resists without strain, without so much as letting a sound escape despite the impossible speeds involved.

    Then the orbs disappear, dissolving into particles of mana that Lissandra waves her hand and sends away.

    ¡°Little pup, it pains me to watch your clumsy attempts at shaping mana. The exercises I just showed you are something everyone capable of breathing should be able to do.¡±

    Here it comes. This is something I really haven¡¯t missed very much.

    ¡°The other issue is your weak body. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed the results of your Active Tempering, I¡¯ll grant that you¡¯ve had somewhat passable success for someone so clumsy. For now, though, you are forbidden to use it. It¡¯s obvious in the way you fight that you rely on your mana and primordial energies too much, so before you leave, I will give you a way to train your body.¡±

    ¡°Are you really that bored?¡± I ask.

    ¡°If you live as long as I have, you will learn how rare it is to experience something new. I told you multiple times that the rank of Champion is the highest you will ever climb, little pup. I still stand behind that assessment. Yet you keep refusing to accept that. You have the determination, more than enough of it, the only thing you lack is talent. So now I want to see how far you make it.¡±

    ¡°Lucky me.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. In my long life, I¡¯ve only ever had one disciple, and the number of people I honored with my guidance could be counted on the fingers of my hands.¡±

    ¡°You mean Ruby. Was she really that talented?¡±

    ¡°I believed she was capable of reaching my level. If that¡¯s not talent, I don¡¯t know what is.¡±

    Having finished talking, Lissandra takes a step closer and pulls a bit more mana from the black dagger.

    ¡°Lower your defenses,¡± she orders.

    I do it without much hesitation.

    Lissandra taps my chest with her finger just over my heart, and from that point of contact expands an incredibly intricate web of inscriptions, some pathways connecting to my heart and supplying them with power.

    ¡°A long time ago, even before my Keiron was born, I saw one fresh Champion do it. I have never tried it before, but it seems fairly simple to use and modify for what I want.¡±

    The inscriptions look anything but fairly simple. The intricacy is easily comparable to the inscriptions of the damaged arcane item in my possession. In some ways, they are even more impossible to follow. But of course, for the monster in front of me, even something like this may as well be the height of banality.

    ¡°I think that man called them Burden Enhancement Inscriptions. The young ones back then always did like coming up with fancy names for everything.¡±

    Even as she speaks, she continues to inscribe, not even for a second does her concentration slip.

    ¡°Little pup, I won¡¯t ask you if you agree nor will I ask what level I should set these to. We both know your answer. That stubbornness of yours is one of the reasons why I find you so interesting.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear from someone who keeps threatening to kill me.¡±

    ¡°I knew people like you. You are the type who does the best when they find themselves at their worst. But don¡¯t think, even for a moment, that I didn¡¯t mean what I said back then. If you fail, I will kill you.¡±

    ¡°It would be nice if you declared me an Absolute candidate if I succeed.¡±

    ¡°If you succeed, you will prove you are capable enough to be declared a Champion candidate, at least by my standards. That''s it.¡± She finishes and takes her hand away, leaving the delicate inscriptions behind.

    ¡°What are the advantages of being a Champion or Champion candidate? Are there any actual advantages?¡± I ask.

    ¡°The system doesn¡¯t like to waste resources on the weak. If you prove yourself talented enough to become a candidate, your body will start changing in preparation for you to become a Champion. It¡¯s different for everyone, so you will have to find out on your own.¡±

    ¡°You mean like a body upgrade, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡±

    I shut up immediately. This is probably as much as I¡¯m going to get from her. In fact, I might have pushed too far and asked too many questions. Old people have no patience at all.

    She takes the last remainder of my mana from the black dagger and sends it towards me, activating the inscriptions, and I fall to the ground.

    It¡¯s like there¡¯s an immense pressure pushing me down. Like I¡¯m being forced to labor under increased gravity. The only difference is that there¡¯s no external source to apply it. All of it is caused by the inscriptions, my mana, and my body. I can¡¯t even twitch my finger, and it¡¯s difficult to breathe.

    ¡°I have noticed that you possess kinetic energy, little pup. So I have to wonder, why do you keep using mana to strengthen your body? Kinetic energy is extremely rare, not to mention one of the best ways to achieve your goal. I knew knights who would kill for it, yet you¡¯re wasting it.¡±

    Unable to answer, I just lay there. No matter what I try, I can¡¯t move at all. The only reasonable way seems to be to get rid of these inscriptions preventing me from using mana to strengthen my body. They also make this bullshit happen. But something tells me Lissandra wouldn¡¯t appreciate it.

    ¡°You might try to say that using mana is more efficient than transforming it into kinetic energy with your heart. Maybe you might try to say it doesn¡¯t matter given the amount of mana you have, and maybe you could get the same result either way. You are wrong.¡±

    She takes a few steps back and sits on a stone. With one eye, I can see her pulling the pale white arm from the bag, and she starts painting on it with mana conductive paint. The lines she draws are extremely smooth and thin.

    From there, she glances at me and declares, ¡°You won¡¯t be sleeping for the next two weeks. Every morning, you will spend five hours in the state you currently find yourself in. When you show improvement, I will make changes and increase the pressure.¡±

    I would love to say a few choice words, but I can¡¯t even squirm as much as a worm, so I reach into my Vortex Core and let kinetic energy seep through my body.

    ¡°After these five hours, you will spend five more hours hunting and leveling. Then I will let you rest for one hour. After that, you will spend ten hours working on any mana shaping exercises I decide to teach you.¡±

    The inscriptions she made do not hinder kinetic energy at all, but even though I have some experience with it, it¡¯s not enough. Not even when I use a crazy amount of it am I able to lift as much as a finger.

    ¡°The remaining three hours will be randomly allocated by me throughout the day. I might have you do maximal bursts of your mana or primordial energies. I might rouse up the entirety of your mana and have you bring it back under control.¡±

    She stops drawing on the arm.

    "After these two weeks, you will probably hate me enough to want to kill me."

    She makes sure I¡¯m looking at her. ¡°You are free to try it anytime.¡±

 Chapter 388 - This is impossible

    Five hours later the pressure disappears as if it were on a timer, and I¡¯m finally able to move. The whole time I was struggling against the inscriptions I couldn¡¯t even twitch my fingers. I could only blink and gasp for each shallow breath.

    For one beautiful moment, I imagine myself punching her and think of just throwing all my mana against her.

    Lissandra doesn¡¯t even look in my direction, even after 5 hours, still drawing on the Saint¡¯s arm.

    That¡¯s also when Myrra returns, with a limp in one leg. Most likely a broken bone. Something that should heal fairly quickly for someone like her. The wound must have been much worse a few minutes ago.

    ¡°Shitty day?¡± I ask her.

    Myrra nods, ¡°I¡¯m glad you haven¡¯t gotten yourself killed yet.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re best friends now. She wouldn¡¯t hurt me for anything.¡±

    For a short moment, her canines peek through her smile, ¡°I can see that.¡±

    Lissandra joins the conversation, ¡°We¡¯re changing location. Little pup, 10 percent of your mana, this direction.¡±

    We head out right away, and once again, it¡¯s up to me to deal with the monsters under Lissandra¡¯s watchful eyes.

    <hr>

    I cheat a bit. I let the monsters wound me when it allows me to save mana or to land a blow here or there.

    It doesn¡¯t matter if they damage me. I just need to endure their assault for 5 hours. After that, I can heal my body with my passive. So I think it¡¯s quite a good idea.

    I¡¯m not allowed to use Flamebearer either. Myrra carries it for me instead.

    As I fight my way through the monsters, I think about what possible goal could be served by this. Of course, the first is to level. The other might be to improve my efficiency.

    Lissandra already pointed out that I tend to rely on my big mana reserves, and someone like her is clearly going to have issues with that. You could even say we come from different schools. Whereas I tend to solve problems by throwing large amounts of mana at them, she tends to do so with lesser quantities of high quality mana. But I can deal with it for now, even though it annoys me. I don¡¯t mind all that much, she has a reason for each of her lessons, and it¡¯s going well so far.

    Of course, I¡¯m pretty sure the difficulty will increase. Just as the Veil becomes more and more visible in the sky, Lissandra will step up her training. Her reason for doing it all is still a bit of a mystery. I don¡¯t believe for a moment that she¡¯s doing all this out of boredom, or the goodness of her heart.

    I step to the side, just enough to avoid a nearly invisible attack slicing its way through the trees behind me, and before it can come into contact with the two women, Myrra uses her Aurora glass to divert its path.

    Infusing my dagger with thermal energy, I stab the monster and jump back, watching as the yellow energy seeps into the monster¡¯s body, causing the beast to start screeching.

    In an effort to save mana, I spin an orb around my body and sling it through the creature''s eye.

    The wolf-like monster lies twitching on the ground, its shark-like maw gaping for a moment before finally dying. A notification rings, and I check my reserves.

    I¡¯ve already expended 80 percent of the mana allotted to me, leaving me with two percent of my max, and I still have three hours to go.

    For a long moment, I stand there.

    ¡°Continue.¡± She says a single word from behind me.

    A wave of anger washes over my body, and I find myself surprised by how difficult it is for me to suppress. I always considered myself logical and, on Earth, I was quite good at controlling my emotions. But what was easy back then now requires a bit more effort.

    I have to wonder if my reliance on [Focus] weakened that part of me.

    Instead of complaining, I head deeper into the forest.

    <hr>

    An hour passes. Two hours remain, and with it, another 10 percent of my allotted mana.

    <hr>

    Another hour passes, and the mana is nearly gone. Just a small amount remains, and with it, one more hour. That amount of mana isn¡¯t even enough for me to strengthen my body for ten seconds or to create a dozen mana orbs.

    ¡°This is impossible,¡± I say, coming to a halt.

    Lissandra doesn¡¯t answer, and it irks me. I turn around, and seeing her expression only serves to annoy me more. I know it¡¯s all because I can¡¯t use [Focus], I¡¯ve grown too accustomed to relying on the skill after the past year.

    Yet I still can¡¯t stop myself, ¡°You deliberately sent me in the direction we would find the most monsters. You allowed me too little mana, you want me to fail.¡±

    ¡°I calculated an amount of mana that should have been enough for a beginner like you,¡± she says.

    I finally manage to control myself and shut my mouth before saying anything else stupid. Somehow, my lack of control angers me even more than that silver-haired woman.

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    She takes a step towards me and says, ¡°Send me your remaining mana.¡±

    ¡°I know what you want. Your efficiency is better, of course, you can¡­¡±

    ¡°Mana. Now.¡±

    I do as she says, and that tiny bit of mana gets absorbed by the black dagger making it her own.

    Of course, this monster will be able to endure it for one hour longer. Her handling of mana is just that much better. I do not need to be shown that. What I do not expect is what she does show us.

    For the following five hours, she obliterates every monster in her way. She does it in a way that doesn¡¯t require her to use her body. She creates an impossibly thin thread of mana which she uses to cut through high-level monsters and anything else in her way.

    Without absorbing any other mana. That tiny bit, barely enough for me to create a few mana orbs, lasts her for the next five hours.

    And then, when it¡¯s nearly gone, she stops, the remaining amount creating two tiny orbs, floating over her palm. The orbs start spinning in intersecting circles. Gradually, increasing in speed until it seems like two circles hang in the air over her palm, nearly touching but failing to collide.

    Just watching it sends a shiver down my back.

    Lissandra then lets them clash against each other, controlling the shockwave to concentrate it, using it to bore a hole through a nearby boulder and a dozen trees behind it.

    ¡°You have wasted one hour of your leveling, one hour of your rest, and three hours of mana shaping. For the next seven hours, you will try to recreate what I just did.¡±

    She then enters the forest, leaving me and Myrra behind.

    ¡°Why do you keep antagonizing her, feral one?¡± Myrra asks moving closer.

    ¡°Both of us are the types who hate being pushed around, so it¡¯s obvious we will clash.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you just like it when people are mean to you.¡±

    ¡°Totally.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not joking, feral one. You seem more comfortable when people treat you with disdain. It¡¯s like you don¡¯t know how to deal with kindness.¡±

    Maybe something to think about. I shrug in response and create two small orbs over the palm of my hand, spinning them around each other.

    ¡°Did she also make you do this?¡± I ask.

    ¡°For a bit. Then said she would probably have done better a few days after being born and compared me to a level ten animal some lady from her court used to have. So I got different kinds of exercises.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like her.¡±

    Myrra then sits on the ground near me. With her back resting against the tree, she puts her feet on my knee, the one that¡¯s not broken and healing.

    In exchange, I reach out and pull on her tail, which gets me a surprised gasp and a soft kick.

    Returning my attention to the two orbs, I increase the speed of their spin.

    What Lissandra did was move both of the orbs at exactly the same speed, even a millisecond of error would cause them to clash as their trajectories met.

    The other thing is I can¡¯t figure out how the hell she makes them spin so quickly. Maybe I could do it with kinetic energy and a little bit of cheating. But moving two mana orbs just with her [Mana Manipulation]?

    As I set myself to work, I find it much more difficult than I had expected.

    Maintaining their shape, adjusting their trajectory, adding enough speed, and synchronizing their speed. When Lissandra did it, the orbs moved too quickly to observe, so I wonder, did she change their shape to pierce through the air more easily? Did she do something else?

    How did she cause the shockwave? Was it the force of the orbs¡¯ collision, directed by a hastily constructed barrier? Or maybe she changed the shape of the orbs before the end to direct the shockwave the way she wanted.

    Perhaps she did something else that looked like a shockwave. Was it something to do with the frequency of the mana? Did she need to reach a certain speed to reach that result?

    The two orbs spin over the surface of my palm, I keep shifting their trajectory bit by bit, I change their shape as well. I also reduce the mana they contain after a bit of testing. There seems to be a reason for her sparing use of mana, well, other than her low reserves.

    I sense Myrra shifting and Lissandra coming back, but all of it happened somewhere in the back of my mind. This place is safe with them around, so I allow myself to dive deeper into practice.

    When someone taps on my shoulder, I get annoyed. I just started, so who¡­

    ¡°The time dedicated to mana shaping has passed,¡± Lissandra says.

    I make the two orbs over the palm of my hand disappear, and she doesn¡¯t say anything. Surprisingly, she doesn¡¯t compare me to a toddler or some random animal.

    ¡°Give me twenty percent of your mana,¡± she says.

    I do so, and when she takes it from the black dagger and reaches toward me, I lower my defenses. Once again, she covers my skin in inscriptions, though this time it¡¯s just my arm with a few connections to my mana heart. These inscriptions are something I could get rid of if I really wanted to, the same as before.

    "We''ve been discovered, and too many monsters are coming our way. This time, you''ll take the lead and concentrate on using the most powerful attack you can in a single burst without collecting mana beforehand."

    ¡°Any skill?¡±

    ¡°Yes, just take as much mana as you can handle at once and in a single burst, focused through your skill and channel it through your arm without damaging it.¡±

    Interesting. So it¡¯s like trying for your personal best in the gym? A single repetition of the exercise with as much weight as possible?

    ¡°Where are we heading?¡± I ask.

    ¡°North.¡±

    I don¡¯t even bother asking for more.

    According to the natives, the north is where they placed the bulk of the Veil Ignition Stations. That, as well as bigger bunkers and the most powerful Skyhold Islands. And the ruined continent where the body of Absolute Tassian lies. The man who made Nevan¡¯s emblems.

    Last time I was here, that healer Irvin, the soylent guy, spoke of the Absolute Tassian with a great deal of respect. He told me how the man was capable of fighting off the forces of the Veil and the enemy even after they lured him into a trap. So I have to wonder if Lissandra¡¯s interest lies in one of these places, or if she¡¯s after something else?

    Much like the previous floors, I left the 5th floor without bothering to explore much, so being here once again makes it interesting, especially with so many things to find.

    After packing our stuff, we head off in a direction indicated by Lissandra, and I start collecting as much mana as I think I can handle. The requirement that I use my arm to direct it is going to hold me back a little but it makes for an interesting exercise.

    The question is how much mana will I be able to channel through the arm without damaging it? I¡¯m supposed to be improving my control after all, with an eye towards moving higher amounts of mana through my body at once.

    I hate to accept it, but so far it seems like Lissandra¡¯s totally seen through me. All the things she¡¯s requiring from me are tailored to target my weaknesses.

    When the first monster jumps in our way and I send a burst of mana through my arm, activating [Resonance], I even reduce the amount of mana to what I think I can handle just to be sure.

    The monster dies as the oscillating mana tears it apart. There¡¯s no thought of efficiency, just me using as much mana as possible. Trees splinter, the ground cracks, and everything in the path of the attack is vaporized. A chunk of the forest is obliterated along with the monster.

    Looking at my mangled, bleeding arm, I also realize that I¡¯ve severely underestimated how much more difficult Lissandra made it with these inscriptions.

    Inscriptions that I now realize aim to weaken my already low constitution even more.

 Chapter 389 - Dumb of you

    ¡°Again,¡± Lissandra says simply.

    As before, I collect mana and concentrate, sending another burst through my arm. Taking more damage in the process, shredding the limb. This time, I feel my mind waver. Having to concentrate and expel so much mana is difficult.

    Usually, when I do these kinds of things, I keep my body strengthened, lately even with black mana. My eyes help as well. Often, I don¡¯t even need to think about the backlash, letting my passive take care of any injuries I might sustain.

    With a weakened body, the inscriptions making it even more difficult, it¡¯s on another level.

    ¡°Little pup, want me to tell you what you did wrong?¡±

    I''m already collecting mana for another burst and nod.

    ¡°You were and are too impatient. One of the worst things that happened to you was getting access to that black mana of yours. The problem isn¡¯t your ability to use it, the problem is that you cheated. You exploited the healing aura of that place and discovered all the things it could do.¡±

    Another burst of mana I send through damages my hand even further, but I watch as the tears heal under the influence of my passive.

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 47 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 48]

    ¡°That was stupid of you, very much so. Instead of honing your basics, you went ahead with your foolish plan to exploit your black mana. You even made sacrifices to do so, and I can see how much work you¡¯ve put into it along with all the ways you¡¯ve modified your growth to facilitate its use.¡±

    The fourth burst takes a bit of mana from my Mana Reservoir. The grove of trees that once stood in front of me is now non-existent, reduced to a clearing devoid of any greenery, and huge chunks of the ground turned to dust.

    ¡°If you continue down that path, you will reach the rank of Champion, little pup. Just the sheer power of that mana will grant you this. You will even gain a degree of mastery over it, and there won¡¯t be a single mana user who doesn¡¯t fear you.¡±

    I pause to give my body an opportunity to heal, especially my throbbing skull, which feels as if someone had decided to drill into it with a red-hot metal rod.

    ¡°But?¡± I ask.

    ¡°But that¡¯s all you would ever be, little pup. Compared to the other Champions, you would never rise beyond the middle of the pack. Extremely dangerous to some but weak against others. Perhaps some of the weaker Absolutes, those barely deserving the title, those dependent on mana, might even think to avoid fighting you, but that will leave you an easy target for the others. Why have you stopped? Again.¡±

    With a groan, I reach for more mana drawing it from my Reservoir. This time I even manage to damage bits of my body other than my arm as I move it. I put my mind into it, I grasp that mana, I mold it, I control it. I¡¯m currently channeling more mana than is available to most of Hell difficulty.

    It roars through my arm, tearing through my circuits, before exploding in a burst of oscillating mana, damaging the area even further.

    I feel tired. It reminds me of a gym workout, like maxing out several times in a row, injuring myself in the process.

    ¡°You said your goal was to become an Absolute, with an eye towards pushing beyond even that. The probability of that is not something I will address again. But to even have a chance, you have to become a powerful Champion. The kind even Absolutes will think twice about messing with. Challenging you needs to be costly enough that the best case scenario is just not worth it.¡±

    She doesn¡¯t order it, but I collect my mana again. It¡¯s so difficult; I don¡¯t remember the last time I had so much trouble managing it. The inscriptions she made are straight-up evil, requiring an insane amount of control and concentration to work around.

    It¡¯s fun.

    ¡°Honestly, watching you fumble is annoying, so I will do everything in my power to beat these bad habits out of you,¡± she says.

    ¡°Lovely.¡± I reach to grab more of my mana.

    ¡°Stop,¡± she orders.

    Something in me wants to do it anyway, but knowing her likely reaction, I just sigh and stop.

    ¡°Heal yourself. Your output and control are decent enough that you wouldn¡¯t be considered a mana cripple, but your body is a disgrace. I understand your decision. I can¡¯t say it isn¡¯t stupid, but I understand.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s worked for me so far.¡±

    ¡°As you said, so far. But having to constantly strengthen your body and divert your focus to hold it together robs you of resources you could be using to improve your skills. In the end that makes your investment into mana useless. Honestly¡­¡±

    Here we go again.

    ¡°...the court ladies had pets that were smarter than you.¡±

    ¡°Of course they were.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll be giving you something else. Something one of Keiron''s disciples came up with. She called it a Restrictive Training Emblem. Out of all our Champions, she had one of the most powerful bodies and one of the highest mana stats. It¡¯s a shame she was such a musclehead.¡±

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    This sounds interesting. Training is fun, but eventually the time for variety training ends. Lissandra then activates the inscriptions she made before, and I fall to the ground on my belly, unable to move at all, forced to rely on boosting myself with kinetic energy.

    Myrra stays nearby, working on her training while Lissandra goes wherever she goes when she leaves.

    Unable to move, I can only act with all the patience and grace I can muster while enduring Myrra''s teasing.

    As she pinches my butt and tickles me under the nose with her tail, I promise revenge in my mind.

    She then, for the remaining five hours, uses my back as a pillow under her while she gets her training in.

    <hr>

    The five hours of leveling ensue, and this time I''m also forced to deal with monsters. Lissandra tells me to use mana and mana projectiles, and up to 20% of my total mana for the next five hours.

    We meet many more monsters this time, hundreds of veilshriekers and a Veil Guardian.

    Each time a veil monster dies and sends a signal towards the Veil, Lissandra stops it. When I ask her what she thinks of the Veil, she tells me it¡¯s decent.

    That instantly raises my assessment of it. Lissandra generally seems to think that most Absolutes barely deserve the title, relegating them to clueless beginners, even that small admission may as well be high praise.

    I level up once in the process, and [Resonance] gains a level as well.

    So far, my body¡¯s handling it well, and the lack of sleep and intense training aren¡¯t bothering me much. Even so, I''m sure it will get worse, much worse. My body might be strengthened, but I still require sleep, food, and water. I''m sure it¡¯s something Lissandra means to use for the purpose of pushing my body and mind to the limit.

    To a degree, I welcome it and soak up everything she teaches me like a sponge. I''m already thinking of ways to implement all of this in the future. The inscriptions she made, any bits of knowledge she shares, and her training methods.

    I thought I might hate having someone teach me like this, and to be honest if it was anyone else, I would probably protest much more.

    Lissandra isn¡¯t used to people rejecting her, and she never shows hesitation. Even when things do not go her way, she has an unshakable faith that she will find a way to turn things around.

    She¡¯s quiet most of the time, focused on doing her own thing, and when she interacts with Myrra and me, it feels like we¡¯re turtles she¡¯s pulled from the road to keep cars from hitting them. Compared to her long life, ours is barely a blink, and I still remember the decisiveness of her actions on the 2nd Floor. Killing everyone she knew without hesitation and then turning her body into a construct, just out of pure spite for the system and her refusal to be used.

    But even then, she planned ahead, in an act of revenge and self preservation.

    Simply, she irritates me, but I clearly admire her and believe that she¡¯s someone I could learn from. However, I tried to avoid it for a long time in favor of exploring on my own.

    ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Ask.¡±

    Catching a breath after the fight and eating a piece of dried meat, I think of it seriously.

    ¡°Are you a member of your planet¡¯s 1st Generation?¡±

    ¡°No, I was born years later, in the middle of our 1st Pairing. We were losing, and like everyone else, I¡¯ve had to fight ever since I could hold a weapon and use mana.¡±

    ¡°Are there differences between the 1st Generation and their descendants?¡±

    ¡°Obviously. The 1st Generation goes through the tutorial. They have access to the system shop and have more control over their growth. They have tokens, they have more options to customize their growth. They¡¯re not even comparable to those who didn''t.¡±

    Even saying that she stands here. Not a member of the 1st Generation, but she was the Absolute of her planet for millennia. Honestly, it feels like a waste. Just how powerful would she be now if she was also of that generation?

    She continues, likely knowing my next question, ¡°The 1st Generation becomes protectors and teachers. The first ones to awaken, future Champions, and among them, an Absolute as well. They gain all this power earlier than anyone else to lead their planet through the changes that come with its awakening.¡±

    I had expected the system to censor some of these words, but this amount of knowledge seems to be allowed to me at the moment. Lissandra¡¯s basically confirmed our suspicions on the matter.

    With that, I decide to stop asking questions for now, before she gets annoyed. There is still plenty of time left, surely enough to get more information out of her.

    I think she had a plan when she said she wouldn¡¯t kill me and that requires me to become stronger, and for her to maintain a somewhat neutral relationship with me. She knows my personality and knows that if she does, I won¡¯t be as willing to reject her as long as the request is somewhat reasonable. Why else would she be so forthcoming?

    I don¡¯t mind though; honestly, it seems like a win-win situation with little to lose for either side and plenty to gain. What interests me is what she wants from me. She¡¯s probably getting help from at least one other Ruler, so how much can I help her?

    There is also the option that she really is that bored, perhaps she actually took a bit of a liking to me and decided to teach me. As she said, she is very old and has often implied that beings like her tend to seek new experiences, and I seem to have caught her interest.

    Well, I have no complaints. Cowardly Savant can screw off with Tristan; I¡¯m getting free lessons from an Absolute.

    <hr>

    In the last hour of my power leveling for the day, we move much faster. Lissandra allows more mana, and we run at a speed that obscures the environment around us in a blur of motion.

    Even then, she requires me to use projectiles. It¡¯s difficult to do, I have to account for my speed as well as that of the monsters straining to match it. I fail a lot, and my projectiles are way off, but towards the end, I start to improve.

    We eventually come to a mountain, and even at this distance, I can recognize the giant iron door covering the side of that mountain.

    The road that leads there seems to have been damaged by shelling, riddled with craters and strewn with slag, and debris. Though it¡¯s still wide enough to admit a number of passenger airplanes side by side.

    As we begin our approach I start to realize just how huge everything actually is. The path, the door, and the mountain. Yet it all seems to have been abandoned, left unattended for years on end. Leaving what once must have been solid roads to be overgrown with all manner of greenery, from shrubs to trees.

    ¡°There¡¯s a Champion inside. She¡¯s hurt and very weak.¡± Lissandra states, refusing to elaborate as she guides us on our way.

    Even though her level is currently likely even lower than mine, she proceeds without worry.

 Chapter 390 - The Workshop

    So far, I have seen multiple places survivors had holed up in. The first was the obsolete bunker where Nina and others lived AKA the Sanctuary. Another one was the Fallen Bastion, the Skyhold Bastion with its running defenses and city-like structure.

    Then there were the bunkers in the Valley. One of them was abandoned, higher tier than the Sanctuary, but empty just the same. Lastly, The Veil Ignition Station. A Top-notch laboratory with a number of facilities and a core of such high quality that it still held an immense amount of mana even after 100 years.

    The place we find ourselves now is hard to compare to any of them. It doesn''t look like a bunker, it¡¯s makeshift at best. I''m also fairly sure it''s not a Veil Ignition Station, given the bare bones accommodations.

    ¡°It used to be a mine and a workshop,¡± Lissandra says.

    ¡°It''s massive, what could they have been making¡­ ah, Skyhold Bastions?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The people of this world seemed to be obsessed with them, this was probably one of the assembly lines for the larger portions.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t find any monsters,¡± Myrra notes.

    ¡°Even though they seem to be wounded, this place is still being guarded by a Champion, little kitten.¡±

    ¡°So what are we doing here?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I want to speak to her.¡±

    I don''t even bother mentioning that that might be a bad idea. Not because everyone is trigger-happy. It has more to do with my fear that this cockroach-like ex-Absolute might just try to deal with that person the same way she does with Myrra and me. That does beg an interesting question though. Who would win?

    Another thing comes to mind now that I''m thinking about it. It¡¯s currently my one hour rest period. Did she time our arrival here on purpose?

    What a demon, I¡¯m sure Vega would like her.

    We stop near the giant iron door that likely served as an entrance for the larger parts of the Skyhold Bastions and wait for a response.

    Even I have noticed a web similar to Sophie''s and to the Veil all over the place. Not moving covertly, Lissandra even triggered some parts on purpose. Something akin to sending a message. The reaction doesn''t take long, two men exit a much smaller entrance nearby which opens with an eerie silence.

    [Frost Reaper - lvl ??]

    [Solar Ascendant - lvl ??]

    Just a glance betrays that they come from the generation before the war. An additional piece of information for me. Somewhere between levels 200 and 300, your aging slows on the order of centuries.

    It¡¯s not like they could pass for twenty, but they could easily pass for someone in their forties. The most likely cause I can think of is a combination of stat investment and body upgrades, especially the one at level 250.

    The more I learn, the more of a mess I expect to find when we return to Earth. The consequences of someone being able to live for hundreds of years won¡¯t go over well with some people. It will create a clear division, separating us from normal humans.

    One of the men, a slim individual with a friendly face, bows quickly. In exchange, Lissandra makes an elegant gesture, acknowledging the greeting.

    ¡°Lady Niall told us about you. Please allow me to offer you a greeting, lady¡­?¡±

    ¡°Lissandra.¡±

    He nods, ¡°I greet you, Lady Lissandra. I extend an invitation to the Workshop on behalf of Lady Niall. You will be safe as long as you show no aggression. This, we promise.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Lead the way and please extend my greeting to Lady Niall along with my interest in having a conversation with her.¡±

    I almost don¡¯t recognize Lissandra right now. She is extremely graceful, authority seeping from her words, without seeming arrogant. There¡¯s just enough command in her bearing to make her seem regal. She slips into her role as easily as into a comfortable pair of shoes.

    When she introduces Myrra and I, I feel like a country bumpkin.

    Well, it''s not like it matters what two random guys think of me, so I don¡¯t even bother trying to imitate Lissandra.

    What interests me more is the place they call The Workshop. The moment we enter the door they lock it behind us, and an intricate set of inscriptions washes over the surface. The surrounding stone follows suit, totally sealing us away from the outside world.

    We are in a tunnel that¡¯s at least as wide as the path outside. And making it even more impressive is the fact that they had to carve this out of the mountain at some point. Even so, the walls are extremely smooth, and the lights are evenly spaced throughout. The shining points of light lead us deeper into the mountain, illustrating the monstrous size of the place.

    There are a series of gardens, framed by a sort of railing along the center of the path, giving the passage a needed splash of color.

    The tunnel is full of greenery and it boggles the mind to see how much dirt they must have brought in here to sustain the sheer number of plants in here, with everything from fruit trees and vegetable patches to decorative flowers and shrubs.

    There are people scattered about the place, in various stages of work. Either resting under trees or taking care of the plants. Most of them are under level 50, and they readily greet the two men escorting us with a great deal of respect.

    The quiet hum of the air filters is ever-present. The same mana that powers the lights powers it as well. The deeper we go, the more people we see. There are some facilities full of animals, and huge pieces of what should be another Skyhold Bastion lying all over the place.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    And Myrra, like me, looks around with open interest, her twitching tail giving her away. Though she¡¯s been getting the most looks from those we pass, her being something of a curiosity herself, even the two men leading us can¡¯t seem to help to take a glance here and there.

    Myrra towers over both of them, not to mention Lissandra and I. Her pure white hair and cat ears don¡¯t help much, and neither does her fluffy tail.

    When we enter the giant cave full of buildings and towers, I¡¯m not even surprised. This place contains more people than the Bastion did. Much more. Tens of thousands easily.

    We enter another tunnel, and there we are led to what seems to be an isolated apartment structure. There are multiple rooms housing a small group of people.

    This place even has windows on one side, and as we approach I begin to hear and eventually see a waterfall, tucked away inside another huge cavern, the water crashing upon the stone below and continuing on to form a large underground river, crisscrossed with dams and bridges, before snaking along its bed to somewhere else.

    ¡°Lady Lissandra, when you are prepared, please leave the room, and we shall escort you to Lady Niall. Your companions may remain here in the meantime.¡±

    After that, they exit the room.

    ¡°Is this all being powered by a single person?¡± I ask Lissandra.

    ¡°So you have noticed. Not fully, but most of the mana seems to belong to the person I came here to meet.¡±

    ¡°They called her Niall, I¡¯ve heard of her. Apparently, she was one of the Champions who was too late to realize what had happened to the Veil, she helped kill the people responsible. She also was powering at least one of the Veil Ignition Stations with her mana for weeks before the advent of the Veil.¡±

    ¡°That much makes sense with her Potent Mana.¡±

    ¡°The same attribute upgrade as you? Before you said you hadn¡¯t reached the 3rd stage yet, so do you think she¡¯s going to be like you?¡±

    Lissandra doesn¡¯t even bother answering the question, likely dismissing it as stupid.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off to meet her. Little pup, you will continue working on the mana shaping exercise I showed you the last time. Little kitten, you will work on your mana circulation.¡± She exits the room.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t eat any suspicious meat,¡± I tell Myrra who¡¯s already making a beeline for the kitchen.

    I turn my attention to a pair of mana orbs I form in the palm of my hand. For now, I may as well ignore my curiosity and work on my training. I¡¯m on quite the time limit here. Not satisfied with just training, I attempt to make it as difficult as possible by changing the frequency and density of my mana.

    ¡°Are you not worried, feral one?¡± Myrra asks, jumping into an armchair nearby. Even while talking, I sense her working on the mana circulation techniques Lissandra showed her.

    I keep part of my mind on the exercise and turn to her, ¡°About the Champion?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I never got a real look at what a Champion can do, so it¡¯s hard for me to judge the danger. Plus, she¡¯s apparently wounded. But you have been with Lissandra for weeks already, are you still worried?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried Lady Lissandra might¡­¡±

    At that exact moment, the lights flicker and I could swear I feel the place shake. The tremors gradually stop, but in their place, I feel an immense wave of mana wash over us. The lights flicker again, and somewhere in the distance, I can hear alarms ringing.

    Just in case, I keep my eyes on the door, and my mana at the ready. I have anchors placed all across the room, going so far as to place a few behind the window, near the waterfall. Myrra activated her Aurora Glass as well, the tiny pieces of glass-like material sparking in the light as it hangs in the air.

    One more burst of mana flows through our surroundings before rippling out into the distance, covering an area I find hard to imagine. Then the mana disappears and the lights stop flickering.

    There are no guards rushing in and gradually the alarms stop.

    A minute later, the doors open and Lissandra enters the apartment, closing them behind her.

    ¡°We will be staying here for three days, after that we will head north,¡± she says.

    I try to examine her but there are no wounds to be seen, no damage to her clothes. She looks like she just came back from a short walk.

    ¡°How was Champion Niall?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Her mana heart is damaged and can¡¯t be restored by her own body. She¡¯s failed to find any healer capable of working on a mana heart belonging to someone at her level. She has three years at most before she loses control and kills everyone around her in one of these seizures. That, or the thing lodged inside it, will kill her.¡±

    ¡°You said you intend to make your own heart, are you thinking of helping her?¡±

    ¡°It could be possible with the arm of the Absolute in my possession, but I already have a different idea for that and there is no reason to waste it on a fake who allowed herself to end so pathetically.¡±

    The contempt she displays now is genuine. She has no mercy for someone so powerful who¡¯s allowed herself to fall into such a state.

    Seeing how far this fake Absolute went, through all her mad schemes, it is evident she has nothing but contempt for Champion Niall¡¯s apparent surrender.

    ¡°I will teach her a method of containing these outbursts that should buy her a few more years. In exchange, she will give me the information I want and give you a lesson, little pup. It¡¯s for something I can¡¯t do currently.¡±

    ¡°Lesson from a Champion? I guess I¡¯ll be owing you quite a lot, that is if you don¡¯t kill me at the end of these two weeks.¡±

    ¡°You might be having fun now, little pup, but I give you a ten percent chance of succeeding.¡±

    Her words remind me of the situation I''m currently in. Without [Focus], the hint of fear that washes over me feels more real. Ever since I stopped using it to suppress my emotions it¡¯s like everything changed. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m watching things happen from a distance, instead, it¡¯s like all my emotions have come flooding back.

    But that much is fine. There is no way I will let a small bump in the path stop me. Part of me even welcomes it.

    ¡°Sounds good, but why don¡¯t we add a little extra to the rules?¡± I challenge her.

    Lissandra turns to me and I can see Myrra gesturing wildly for me to stop. That silly lynthari knows me too well. But I let the emotions take over.

    ¡°Let¡¯s raise the stakes and say I need to get 4 skills to level 50 for you to spare me.¡±

    Just for a short moment, a hint of surprise flashes behind Lissandra''s eyes. She observes me, and seeing I mean it, she gives me that small, almost imperceptible smile.

    ¡°Little pup, think very carefully about what you are saying right now.¡±

    She underestimates me, and it irritates me.

    ¡°Five skills,¡± I declare.

    My emotions are wildly swirling inside of me. To be honest, it''s annoying how accustomed I''ve grown to dampening them.

    Yeah, it won¡¯t be that bad being unable to use [Focus] for my emotions, it will be much worse than I expected. But I think, in the end, I will like it more.

    If I don''t get killed before that.

 Chapter 391 - ????

    Did I just commit suicide by adding two skills to the mix? Well, poor future Nathaniel indeed. Poor guy.

    Rest in peace.

    Fuck.

    I activate my [Mana Crown] and extend [Mana Domain] around me and through my body. Then I use [Focus] to better split my attention between the skills.

    Myrra is currently working on her lessons with Lissandra, that damned woman. Doesn''t that cockroach have training of her own to do? Why does it always look like she has so much free time?

    I resolve to stop wasting energy on my petty complaints and shift my focus to concentrating on my training.

    Two orbs are floating in the palm of my hand. It goes better now with my crown activated, I¡¯m using it as a crutch to help with my training. The five skills that have the highest chance to get there are [Focus], [Redistribution], [Mana Manipulation], [Perception], and [Resonance].

    I would love to replace the last two with [Mana Crown] and [Mana Domain], but both of these skills are as difficult to level as [Tether] is.

    For the following ten hours set aside for mana shaping, I continue to just split the two orbs over the palm of my hand while a few of my skills run in the background.

    Nothing else.

    As the hours pass, I do not find it boring. Annoying, yes. Frustrating, totally yes. But it''s not boring.

    Every time I think I''m done improving the process, I come up with another idea. A slight change to the shape of the orb. I find that by tweaking the density of the orb I can pull on it with more force, denser mana being easier to move.

    I guess it also shows how much effort I¡¯ve put into making black mana usable, setting normal mana aside, as even Lissandra pointed out. That damned past Nathaniel is always causing more trouble for future Nathaniel and me with his ridiculous bullshit.

    Once I¡¯ve finished, I check the notifications.

    [Mana Crown - lvl 24 > Mana Crown - lvl 25]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 25 > Mana Crown - lvl 26]

    [Perception - lvl 46 > Perception - lvl 47]

    Okay, this is bad. Why the heck did my crown level instead of [Mana Manipulation]?

    ¡°I need to fight monsters. The stronger, the better,¡± I tell Lissandra.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Well, I could fight the woman in front of me instead. She won''t kill me, so she might even work better than the monsters.

    I stand up, my crown still active brimming with mana, and my skills start activating as well.

    Lissandra watches calmly. ¡°How much do you really want to rely on life-and-death situations to force yourself over the line?¡±

    Her words hit hard and that causes me to hesitate.

    She continues with the same calmness, ¡°If you only rely on fights to push you through and treat training as an afterthought, you will never grasp the skills properly. Then, one day you will get into a fight, expecting yourself to break through, but there will be nothing. And you will die.¡±

    Frustrated, I still release a huge chunk of my mana at her.

    She pulls a bit of mana from the dagger, using it to disrupt the field of mana around her canceling out any effect it may have had.

    ¡°I won¡¯t lie, combat has its place. When all your senses are heightened and the rush of battle is all consuming, it can allow for some unique opportunities, but you shouldn¡¯t rely on that alone.¡±

    Taking a few steps, she stops in front of me. Before I react, she presses the tip of the black dagger into my chest, barely piercing my skin. Like a vampire, the black dagger I made so long ago starts pulling the mana from my body.

    It''s been heavily modified of course, and it feels more solid than simple mana that I could disrupt. Lissandra sure made some big changes when she turned it into her external mana heart.

    ¡°Why did you decide not to kill me?¡± I ask her directly.

    It''s probably not the best time to be asking. But I need to know why she didn''t kill me when I first appeared.

    Why did she break ranks with the ruler of Envy when she was clearly ready to take me out?

    This time she answers, ¡°Because you are trying, little pup. I¡¯ve seen too many candidates and disciples grow complacent as their hunger for growth faded away.¡±

    The dagger absorbs half of my body''s mana, and only then does Lissandra stop, taking a step back.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just because you don''t know anything about the world. Maybe it¡¯s just your inexperience and lack of information pushing you along. But seeing you try so hard and show such passion allowed me to recognize something. I, as well, have grown complacent and that''s how you found me on the second floor.¡±

    I put my hand over the small wound she left on my chest, blood flowing around my fingers as it starts to heal.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°Now that I look back on it, I despise how pathetic that version of me was. Where was that hunger that allowed me to survive the war and become a Champion? Where was the greed that made me one of the youngest Absolutes ever? Where was that pride that allowed me to reach the top and the wrath I turned on everyone who dared to defy me?¡±

    Her words quiet down, a memory flashing behind her eyes.

    ¡°All of it eroded. Dampened. A fake without a spark. I was a shadow of myself, fit only to be manipulated like a toy, even before I was trapped in the tutorial. But then you appeared. Throwing away the powerful item I gave you, sacrificing it to witness the last moments of my old self. A brilliant flame of determination she discovered once more before the end.¡±

    I find myself grasping for a response, but nothing feels right. So I listen, as she puts her true feelings on display.

    ¡°I only truly realized when I saw you again a few days ago. Even though you were clumsy, I could see the signs of the path you¡¯re trying to carve. Your passion shining through. And so I remembered that it was thanks to you that I was able to regain what I had lost. And for that, I will face the Ruler, I will break the deal I made and I will change my plans. As my thanks, I''m even willing to end you and I will without hesitation if it comes to it. Should you fail the same way I did, I will kill you. For ruining that beautiful image.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Is that enough of an answer for you, little pup?¡±

    ¡°More than enough.¡±

    ¡°Great. Now for the next three hours, you will continue your assault on me. You will use the same pathetic attack you attempted just a few moments ago. If you fail to improve, I will destroy that damaged ax.¡±

    ¡°And if I succeed?¡±

    ¡°I won''t destroy it.¡±

    <hr>

    Almost three hours later, I''m being left in the room with Myrra as Lissandra heads out. I¡¯m barely starting to catch my breath, curled up in the corner of the room. My head is spinning, and even now my hands are shaking. Every sound and even the soft light seemingly make it worse.

    Well, at least the ax is safe. That shitty weapon better prove itself useful in the future.

    Squeezing my hands into fists, I wait for ten more minutes and then, as Lissandra said, the inscriptions all over my body activate. The Burden Enhancement Inscriptions.

    Just on time as the three hours passed and five hours of training of kinetic energy started.

    My body crumples to the floor, and more than ever before, I find myself wanting to remove these inscriptions. It would be simple enough; she didn''t make them permanent on purpose, and I examined them extensively.

    Instead, I reach for the kinetic energy stored in my core and let it flow into my body.

    Five hours pass, and by the end, I''m able to twitch my pinkie.

    I don''t remember the last time I was so happy.

    <hr>

    Without even a moment to rest, I find myself being led out of the Workshop by a man whose class is Solar Ascendant. I figure his class has to be somewhere around level 300 where two question marks become three. Probably one of Champion Niall¡¯s disciples, along with the other man.

    My head is still spinning, but at least Lissandra didn''t put any limit on me, and in the next five hours, I''m allowed to hunt as much as I want.

    When the doors open, the man gestures for me to leave.

    ¡°I will be back here in five hours, good luck on your hunt.¡±

    The door closes, and I''m left alone in the shadow of the giant metal door.

    I have no weapons, all I¡¯ve brought are the clothes on my back, which I will have to replace once again because of all the damage they sustain.

    I place a series of anchors, using them to leapfrog out of the dead zone surrounding the bunker. Then I boost myself high up and use a nice chunk of my mana to activate [Perception].

    When I detect the first one, I head there. Now without the inscriptions Lissandra made, I let kinetic energy flow through my body instead of mana, strengthening it.

    Vega always has preferred doing things this way; though I would rather use mana instead. Both for the efficiency and the fact that I''m more used to it.

    I do have to be more careful though, a burst of kinetic energy can easily surpass the damage from a similar burst of mana.

    The first monsters I face are old friends.

    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 230]

    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 212]

    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 216]

    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 222]

    [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 199]

    They do seem to be fairly common in the area.

    Now that I¡¯m not having my mana throttled or trying to test my efficiency, I try to move kinetic energy through my body the same way I do with [Infusion] and armor. I find it clumsy, but the sheer amount I have stored in my Vortex Core does render the monster¡¯s attacks useless.

    Their spikes stop the moment they touch my skin, their kinetic energy being absorbed. The same goes for their other attacks. I redirect that energy and use it in my own attack.

    The amount of mana I use is limited, rather I force myself to fight with kinetic energy. The fight takes much longer than it should but the goal was only ever experimentation.

    In the end, I flood my body with kinetic energy and tear them apart. I still remember my fight against that group from before.

    [Lvl 239 > Lvl 240]

    Then, using [Perception], I head deeper into the forest. My Mana Wavelength Iris is put on hold as the trait is the main reason I haven''t used [Perception] much lately.

    <hr>

    Five hours later I return to the iron door feeling much better. I think I might have grasped strengthening my body with kinetic energy just a little bit better. I already have a few cheeky plans for the next time Lissandra activates my new inscriptions.

    As on cue, the door opens and instead of the Solar Ascendant, I find myself faced with a young woman who smiles at me the moment our eyes meet. It''s a bright, cheeky smile without any hint of ill will.

    The woman looks a few years older than me. Her blonde hair falls over her shoulders flowing down her form like a waterfall. Her eyes though, are surprisingly normal, their common brown color, providing a pleasant contrast to her hair.

    Her clothes are simple. Clean and sturdy without being pompous, consisting of a pair of black pants, and a white shirt with long sleeves. She wears no jewelry other than a necklace with a single beautiful mana stone that gleams like somebody trapped a galaxy in its facets.

    ¡°May I have a bit of your time? That bitc¡­ ehm, pardon me, your companion, master, whatever she is, has already been informed. I¡¯ve agreed to help with your training.¡±

    [Mana Juggernaut - lvl ????]

    That''s a lot of question marks.

    I take a step back allowing Champion Niall to exit the Workshop.

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve got a moment,¡± I answer and the door closes, leaving us outside.

 Chapter 392 - Surprisingly human

    Champion Niall looks surprisingly healthy. However, Lissandra did say that she still has a few years until one of her seizures kills everyone around her in a flood of mana. That is the end result of having a damaged mana heart.

    Yet she shows no signs of suffering from such an affliction. Her steps are energetic, her voice is strong, and her mind is sharp.

    I don¡¯t probe her with my senses very much, I still don¡¯t know how much that would insult her. She¡¯s still a Champion despite her injuries.

    What I want to know is how much it¡¯s affected her. Are her injuries enough to leave her hamstrung or are the effects more subtle? My theory is that her wounds force her to manually control her mana. It seems like that should be trivial for someone at her level, but I don''t really have a frame of reference. It won''t be that simple, I''m sure.

    Another thing is that my theory about levels is almost confirmed. 450-600 is likely where Champions are made.

    As for Absolutes, I didn''t see any question marks over Lissandra on the second floor, so I guess it''s impossible to see anything. The question is if there are another 150 levels between Absolutes and Champions or if Absolutes start somewhere between the levels of 600-750.

    ¡°She called you little pup, is that some sort of sexual play you guys have?¡± Niall asks out of nowhere.

    What?

    She giggles at the look on my face, ¡°That bitc¡­ that woman, she looks like the type.¡±

    ¡°I might get killed if I react to this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re no fun,¡± Niall sighs. ¡°But I can''t blame you. Even I have trouble when it comes to getting a read on her. I keep feeling like I should be able to splat her against the wall, but something about her makes me think that I would regret the attempt. The last time I felt that way was before Tassian became our Absolute. That little shit was scary even as a Champion. Did you know I used to push him around when he was a kid? Who knew that little jerk would grow into such a powerhouse.¡±

    Niall seems to be the talkative sort, spewing information about anything that comes to mind.

    ¡°I met someone called Nevan not long ago.¡± I say, interrupting her tirade and hoping she recognizes the name.

    Fortunately, she takes the bait, latching on to the new subject, ¡°Oh, the Alloysmith. So you found Veil Ignition Station no. 4. Did he survive?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know him very long; he died because of mana radiation.¡±

    Her eyes focus on me for a moment before she continues down the path leaving me to follow.

    ¡°It''s good you are not lying. I kind of liked the guy and if you were the one who killed him, I would get mad.¡± Just for a faint moment, I can sense her mana and it¡¯s an unsettling experience.

    It''s not quite ¡°end of the world¡± scary, but even as wounded as she is I have no doubt that she could do some major damage.

    ¡°You¡¯ve reached the second stage of mana Potency, right?¡± I ask.

    That makes her pause just for a moment, ¡°You cheeky little thing. Do you even know how rude it is to ask something like that?¡±

    ¡°I do not.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t that scary bitc¡­ your companion teach you anything?¡±

    I look around just to be sure and lower my voice, ¡°Her definition of teaching is throwing me into a tunnel full of monsters, miles below the surface.¡±

    ¡°You know you don''t have to whisper. Even though I can''t see through her, I''m quite sure I''m stronger than her. Probably. Maybe. Who knows. For real, I fucking miss Tassian, he was always the smart one.¡±

    ¡°How come he¡­¡± I shut my mouth.

    The air around us changes, heavy with her mana, which does feel extremely threatening.

    Niall smiles when I stop mid-question. And the mana about to tear me apart slowly flows back into her body.

    How come he got tricked and the Veil got overtaken by a trapped divine beast? That''s what I wanted to ask.

    As if nothing happened, Champion Niall takes another step and I follow her. My heart is beating wildly in my chest.

    ¡°I have promised to give you a short lesson.¡± She pauses. ¡°Maybe I shouldn''t call it a lesson. That woman asked me to stop just before it kills you. She said minor wounds are fine.¡±

    ¡°Is there any value in that?¡± I ask.

    ¡°You, my sweet, careless young man with pretty eyes, are the type who learns best while experiencing things on your own skin. Your companion said that it''s best to beat the knowledge and experience into you. And that¡¯s extremely fascinating on its own because you are clearly a mana user. I knew lots of people who learned that way, but most of them were brawlers. Fucking psychopaths.¡±

    ¡°Isn''t that only logical though? You get a better feel for the skills and their nuances if you experience them directly.¡±

    ¡°Damn, you really are one of them. They said the same things, and giggled every time someone found a new way to mangle their bodies,¡± she sighs.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    I decide to ignore this kind of insult. This youthful Champion is surprisingly chatty and¡­ human? Is that the right word to use?

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± She asks, taking notice of my gaze.

    Her question doesn''t feel like a threat so I answer, ¡°You are a Champion so I expected you to be more¡­ well, different.¡±

    ¡°Ah, well I¡¯m the first Champion you¡¯ve had the chance to interact with, is that it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She pauses for a moment, stops walking, and stands silent for a moment, surrounded by the trees. As the light falls on her, she reflects.

    ¡°I think I would be different if you had met me about 150 years back. Back then I probably wouldn''t have given you the time of day, but losing a war and being forced to cower like a rat in the tunnels changes a person a bit.¡±

    I stay quiet, not wanting to set her off. Niall notices that.

    ¡°I take that back. I think I may have. I can see that fire in your eyes. Even now it feels like you are looking down on me. Not directly, but as if everything I am, and all my powers are nothing more than a step on the path to something greater. Has anyone ever told you that for all your looks you have an extremely punchable face?¡±

    ¡°I hear that a lot.¡±

    Her mana seeps into the air, just a little bit and I can hear her heart beating. The rhythm is uneven, broken. Then I realize that her heart has been destroyed. Dozens of pieces held together by the force of her will and a myriad of inscriptions, and perhaps something I can''t quite detect.

    Even now she has to focus to keep everything together at all times.

    Why doesn''t she come up with a different way? Lissandra is fine without a mana heart. Why can¡¯t she fix it? She¡¯s a Champion, her knowledge should be immense. Why doesn''t she get a transplant? Why is she not looking for a healer or a means of fixing it?

    Why¡­

    ¡°I know what you are thinking. To say it simply, why can¡¯t that bitch fix her own damn heart?¡±

    She expects an answer, a reaction. And the barest slip could bring my death. Even so, I reach for my mana as well, letting it seep into my body. My heart thumps wildly as I face her like a candle against a forest fire.

    ¡°Something like that,¡± I say.

    In response to the movement of my mana, which she must have sensed, her own rises to meet me. Despite being wounded, she still has the mana of a Champion.

    ¡°Let me show you then.¡±

    Her mana surrounds me, creating a dense sphere, within which her mana takes on an almost tangible quality. Within that area, I can feel the beating of her mana heart. Broken, and no less powerful.

    With each beat it sends more mana through the sphere, limited to avoid killing me And I can sense the ever-changing frequency and rhythm of her heartbeat. Through her demonstration, I begin to feel just how difficult it is to keep in one piece.

    Then there is something else, a piece of something I can''t identify. A piece of some metal, a tiny mana stone, or a projectile of a powerful weapon. From which seeps an endless and horrifying strain of mana, a clear attempt to kill the person it¡¯s lodged inside. The only thing keeping it contained is the heart around it.

    ¡°You used your heart to trap that thing and stop it from killing you.¡±

    ¡°At least you aren''t stupid.¡± Her mana disappears as if it was never here. ¡°I don''t know what kind of bullshit they used but the thing is clearly meant to be effective, even against someone at the level of an Absolute. The moment I try to move it out of my heart I will die before I even realize what¡¯s happening. Fucking great, isn''t it?¡±

    ¡°Won''t it lose its power? It''s probably been more than a century.¡±

    ¡°It''s already weaker than it was. At this point, it''s about who can last longer, and in another ten to a hundred years it should weaken enough for me to remove it. The question is if I can hold on that long. That creepy woman told me she could show me new ways to fight it. Would you believe that? A bitch with a level even lower than yours called me stupid for being unable to remove it and compared me to some goddamn pet some court lady had.¡±

    I can totally imagine that.

    ¡°Is this the place?¡± I ask as Niall stops walking.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Niall says, lifting her hand as her mana floods into the air. Then it presses down on me from the sky like the hand of god.

    The trees, a small hill, and any flowers and boulders in the area. All of it crumples under the mana pushing it into the ground. The sound of trees snapping and boulders shattering fills the air. Niall pushes even further and her mana starts to oscillate until an area the size of a street is cleared of everything that filled it. A perfect circle of empty space, the compressed soil gleaming like polished stone.

    She doesn''t stop there and her mana oscillates again, carving into the surface, creating a circle with more inscriptions inside.

    ¡°This is something we used to do for our warriors. A rite of passage you might call it. I''m sure it''s something other planets have as well. We did it for those we thought might have to face a Champion or Absolute.¡±

    Not even for a moment do I look away from her work, and even though I feel the annoying jittering of nerves, I can¡¯t help but be fascinated by the process. The way this woman moves her mana is so different from Lissandra, yet she¡¯s clearly powerful and skilled in her own right.

    ¡°Did it help them to face Champions or Absolutes?¡±

    ¡°Not really, and if it was up to me, I would have probably replaced it with something more modern. But the traditionalists loved it. You know the types: ''When I was a young lad, we did this and that.'' It''s not horrible, even if it is terribly barbaric.¡±

    ¡°What''s the point?¡±

    ¡°To ensure that you don''t piss your pants the moment you enter an Absolute''s domain, specifically by having you experience something distantly similar. But the one I''m making has been modified, by that woman¡¯s request. At first, I didn''t understand what she wanted me to do and she had to simplify it.¡± There Niall pauses and shakes her head before she continues, ¡°You chose mana Amplification as your upgrade, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, 1st stage, Vast Mana currently.¡±

    ¡°Your companion and I are Mana Potency. Both have advantages and disadvantages. One of the biggest disadvantages for Amplifiers is that their mana tends to be lower quality if that¡¯s how you want to think about it. That means it''s easier for your enemy to seize control or disrupt your attacks, even without the skills. I sense you did something that makes it difficult for people to grasp mana inside your body but it doesn''t affect the mana outside of it.¡±

    Great, another thing I need to fix. Though I had plans for that anyway, of course, the cockroach had to take notice right away. Well, I better make sure not to let these opportunities go to waste. It''s like she is offering them to me on a golden platter.

    ¡°That makes a lot of sense. So is there a common way to fix it?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Not really. Most of the time Amplifiers brute force a resolution with high level skills or some other bullshit. But you do have a few interesting skills that could help you, at least according to that woman, so I¡¯m going to let you experience it for yourself. The rest will be up to you.¡±

 Not a Chapter. Announcement â€“ Book 2 Live on Amazon!

    It''s here again. Book 2 is live on Amazon, and my F5 key will soon fall off! The ebook is 200k words long, which is 50k words longer than Book 1 and around 730 Amazon pages.

    Unfortunately, the audiobook isn''t ready yet, but it should be available in a few weeks, once again narrated by the amazing Henry Kramer.

    As before, I''m here to beg. Yup. I don''t shout that much or annoy you with Patreon plugs too often, just to make you more likely to react nicely to this kind of post. Yup.

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    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    So, if you feel especially nice, you can check it out and rate/review it here. There are no big changes to the story, but the book went through professional editing with some smaller changes.

    Amazon: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0D365Q3HW</a>

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    Anyway, as always, thank you very much. Book 1 did AMAZING; for a while, we were the 94th best-selling/most-read book on all of Amazon. Like, what the actual fuck?

    Thank you all so much for being part of this!

 Chapter 393 - Dome

    Niall continues her lecture as she completes the circle, ¡°Someone with a Potency upgrade is always going to have an easier time hardening their mana against external influence. You Amplifiers have to work harder for it. Looking at the modifications she told me to make, you seem to have some skill, or trait, allowing you to change the frequency of your mana. So this experience on its own should be of some benefit to your growth.¡±

    I can already sense more work ahead of me. Each of these techniques alone is going to take years to grasp properly, and I can''t focus on them currently because of the death sentence waiting for me if I do.

    Damn, Lissandra and her insistence that I raise five skills to level 50. She¡¯s straight up crazy; three alone was too much.

    ¡°Let me guess, as long as I¡¯m in the dome, my external mana will grow more difficult to manipulate as time passes,¡± I say.

    ¡°It will, obviously. But past a certain level or when you find yourself faced with certain opponents, it''s just something you¡¯re going to have to deal with. There are classes, skills, and traits that will cause you a great deal of pain otherwise. Your first instinct might be to engage in melee at that point, but that''s where they¡¯re going to want you. And I''m sure you already know a few people you wouldn¡¯t have a chance against in that scenario.¡±

    Upon hearing her words, Tacita comes to mind. If I wasn''t able to use my external mana, it could end up being¡­ interesting.

    ¡°Can you declare me a Champion candidate?¡± I ask.

    That makes Niall falter, and just for the shortest moment, her mana wavers before she continues.

    ¡°Fuck, you are shameless. Are you always like that?¡±

    ¡°You seem to prefer the direct approach, so I may as well take the opportunity.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but damn. A few decades ago, I would have splattered you against a wall for even asking. As for declaring you a candidate, no. In the future, assuming someone doesn¡¯t just kill you for being a pain in the ass, you will learn just how rude these questions are. Then you will finally appreciate the beautiful Champion Niall, who once had the pleasure of being courted by hundreds of the finest young men.¡±

    ¡°Well, I appreciate that even now,¡± I say, and I mean it. I don''t expect any of the Champions I meet in the future to be anything like her.

    It''s better now, but at times I still find myself wanting to dampen my emotions with [Focus], but that¡¯s not on the table right now. Of course, I blame Cockroachsandra.

    For now, I decide to silence myself. It¡¯s been much the same with most of the powerful people I¡¯ve met. They don''t tend to mind honest answers; they far prefer it over lying, fake behavior, or ass-kissing. But in the end, they are used to being in control, so asking too many questions or trying to lead the conversation will cause them to push back. It could come in the form of a slap, a burst of mana, or finding oneself splattered against the wall.

    I''m quite proud of myself for this observation. For an extrovert class tutorial attendee like Tess or Gareth, it might be simple, but I, as with many things, tend to learn through suffering.

    Niall pauses in her work and turns to me, ¡°I can still see that mischievous light in your eyes, and your mouth¡¯s hanging open like a fish. I won''t answer, but I''m curious, what questions would you ask if I were to allow it? Be honest; I promise not to punish you no matter what questions you mention.¡±

    I observe her for a moment, and she honestly seems to mean it, so I decide to take her up on the invitation.

    ¡°What level are you? How old are you? How long did it take you to become a Champion? What did you gain by becoming a Champion? What does being a Champion candidate entail? What traits do you have? How did you split your stats? What effect does the second stage of your attribute have? How high level is an Absolute? Why can¡¯t there be more than one Absolute? How do you become an Absolute? Being Absolute seems to be special, so what does it have to do with managing the planet? What does it mean for a planet to awaken? Are you from the 1st Generation? What happened during your 1st Pairing and what does it mean to win or lose a Pairing? Who referees the pairings? What happens to the losers of a Pairing? Why do planets have to fight if they''re Pairing? Do they really have to fight? What have you learned about the Veil? Who caused your wound? At what levels do you get body strengthening? At what levels do you get primary class upgrades? What is your subclass? How do subclasses work? What are the differences between subclasses¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough, enough, enough.¡±

    I shut my mouth immediately.

    ¡°I know I said I would let it slide, but I really feel like¡­¡± she gestures, a swing with her arm. ¡°Well, anyway, I''m done here. It''s fairly simple; I¡¯m going to activate the dome, and it will stay up for five hours. I made it so it constantly disrupts the mana inside just like that woman wanted. It''s not efficient, it¡¯s more like we¡¯re abusing the abundance of mana in our surroundings, so it should be easier for you to endure it.¡±

    Well, now it makes sense that Lissandra couldn''t do it. It uses too much mana on purpose, likely to mimic huge areas of effect, maybe even domains.

    ¡°There are three things the dome will do. First, it disrupts mana like many domains. Second, it imitates the kind of pressure a weak Champion could generate. It''s not concentrated pressure, and I weakened it a bit, but it should be enough to cause you some serious trouble. Lastly, and that''s what that woman wanted, the longer you stay in there, the worse the disruption and pressure will become. Five hours should be your limit after which it might be fatal.¡±

    It looks like Niall misunderstood Lissandra. It''s clear as day that this is a challenge for me, to stay there as long as possible. The goal isn¡¯t to escape within the next five hours like Niall seems to think.

    ¡°How do I get out?¡±

    ¡°You only need to touch the wall of the barrier, and it will disappear.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s going to be easier to do at the start, before any pressure has a chance to build and it¡¯s going to become harder the longer I stay in?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the higher the pressure, the harder it is to reach the wall of the barrier. At some point, it becomes quite deadly. Kind of fucked up, but you can guess whose idea it was.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in five hours.¡± She waves, and then the dome activates.

    The dome covers an area the size of a city block.

    Before I have a chance to wonder why the domain had to be so big, something pushes at me from all around. Creating a feeling of constant danger. My mana senses are gone, every bit of mana pours from my body, torn apart and reduced to the tiniest of particles. It even begins to affect the mana clinging to my skin, and weaving through my hair, leaving me with what I have inside my body.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    The pressure then starts increasing, along with the disrupting effects and the constant feeling of danger that¡¯s begun to twist at my insides.

    As a test, I channel mana into my surroundings, only for it to be destroyed all over again.

    I walk for a bit and stop in the exact middle of the dome. For now, I wait, observing the effects as my senses are distorted by the dome.

    I try to create a dagger while using [Resonance] to test different frequencies. The result looks terrible, and it''s hard to maintain.

    Niall said the field was meant to mimic the pressure generated by one of the weaker Champions. However, what she probably meant was the pressure of their unrestrained mana combined with some sort of domain.

    She probably expected me to react worse, but so far, it hasn¡¯t been all that bad. It may have only been a moment, but it wasn¡¯t long ago that I felt the pressure of Lissandra¡¯s Avatar. And I still remember the 2nd floor quite vividly, even though it was almost a year ago.

    So this is nothing. I have any number of ways of fighting its influence.

    <hr>

    One hour passes.

    The pressure increases, gradually approaching the levels Niall warned me about.

    I find it fascinating that they use something like this to train the warriors and mages before sending them off to face Champions and Absolutes. Just so they don¡¯t panic when the time comes.

    <hr>

    Two hours pass, and I¡¯m sitting in the middle of the dome. Everything beyond the blue walls of mana is blurry, and the ground I¡¯m sitting on is unnaturally smooth. Polished by Niall''s mana to create a workable surface for her inscriptions. I examine them for a while, remembering some of the more interesting twists.

    When I try to locate the power source, I fail to do so. For the next thirty minutes, I attempt to find it but to no avail. Even my eyes do not help.

    [Resonance] levels up once as I struggle to keep the dagger from breaking down. At this point, it''s just a short blade more reminiscent of a nail than any knife.

    Another unrelated thought comes to my mind. Back then, I thought black mana was the second stage of the Potency mana upgrade. But as I¡¯ve come to see Lissandra¡¯s Avatar and sense Niall¡¯s mana, I think I may have been wrong, perhaps my black mana is something else entirely.

    <hr>

    Three hours pass, and my dagger flickers and finally disappears. At a high cost to my mana and concentration, I attempt to activate it again.

    I repeat it over and over again.

    A tiny bit of mana forms in the palm of my closed hand, which I open only to watch the resulting construct disintegrate.

    But I refuse to stop.

    Again.

    And again.

    [Resonance - lvl 47 > Resonance - lvl 48]

    Then, a few minutes later, it becomes impossible, and I feel that pressure amplifying around my body without reaching inside. Yet.

    <hr>

    Six hours pass.

    [Mana Domain - lvl 40 > Mana Domain - lvl 41]

    [Mana Domain - lvl 41 > Mana Domain - lvl 42]

    [Infusion - lvl 29 > Infusion - lvl 30]

    [Perception - lvl 47 > Perception - lvl 48]

    <hr>

    Seven hours pass

    [Mana Domain - lvl 42 > Mana Domain - lvl 43]

    <hr>

    Eight hours pass.

    My domain is gone, and I''m unable to activate it at all, I can¡¯t even push it a hair¡¯s breadth from my skin. Not even with help from [Resonance]. The pressure at this point is strong enough that I''m sure if Niall hadn¡¯t prevented it from being able to pass inside my body, it would be causing me quite a bit of trouble.

    I haven¡¯t got a single wound to speak of, but I''m sure if I stay just a bit longer, something bad will happen.

    I stand up and take a step, immediately falling to my knees. When I push myself up, it happens again.

    Amusingly enough, I catch myself being annoyed by my inability to find a cause. Is it another effect of the dome? Any problem with the simulated domain? The strength of the mana disrupting effect? What? How? Why?

    Finding myself unable to rise to my feet, I start crawling. Questions and frustrations flashing through my mind. It''s funny.

    It takes me five minutes of crawling before I''m halfway to the dome''s wall and the pressure increases. The disrupting effect starts seeping through my skin, ignoring my Mantle.

    Of course, it makes sense that someone at the level of Champion would be able to do that, but it once again reminds me that there are still a lot of people more powerful than me.

    It¡¯s only been a year since I started, so that¡¯s no real surprise. I still have a long way to go.

    But I will get there.

    <hr>

    Thirty minutes of crawling later, I finally touch the wall, and in a blink, the dome disappears. The sounds of nature around come rushing in, and I feel a soft wind on my skin. The pressure is gone, and I finally grab control of the mana raging inside my body.

    I¡¯m covered in dozens of wounds, small and large. Disrupting my control over the mana inside my body proved to be quite an effective attack. I have to constantly use Mana Cycling to keep it under control because of my stat imbalance. Having it run wild reminded me of the good ol¡¯ days.

    Catching my breath, I lay on my back and send thermal energy from my core through my body.

    I reach my hand towards the sky, and a drop of blood falls from a torn finger, landing on my cheek as I watch the wound close.

    I hear a voice say, ¡°You are one crazy motherfucker, aren¡¯t you?¡± and recognize it as Niall, watching from her perch nearby.

    ¡°I dozed off in there; the pressure was too weak.¡±

    ¡°Cheeky little shit.¡± She snorts, sitting down on the grass next to me.

    ¡°Did anyone tell you your language is kind of¡­¡±

    ¡°Many times. They tried to beat it out of me when I was younger. But it¡¯s hard to do, and I still blame the five older brothers I grew up with.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a good excuse. Can you give me ten minutes? I should heal enough to walk by then.¡±

    ¡°Take half an hour.¡±

 Chapter 394 - Cooked

    In the end, I healed enough to not have to be carried in a princess carry, something Niall hinted at with a smirk. After opening the door and passing me onto the Solar Ascendant guy, Niall leaves somewhere.

    Passing through the tunnel full of greenery, we walk slowly. The man probably sees my still far-from-perfect state and walks slower.

    I notice that he is smiling for some reason and is nice to me. Should I tell him I''m not into men?

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I saw Lady Niall smiling that way,¡± he breaks the silence finally. ¡°In the past few years, she was always in a gloomy mood, even though she tried to hide it, constantly worried about something.¡±

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s not easy to defend that many people.¡±

    ¡°It is not. But I think it was her other problem she was worried about. Lady Niall holds no secrets from us, so I know your companion helped her. But she also seemed to have fun with you out there. So I want to thank you for that. She deserves it as she suffers a lot because of us all.¡±

    On our way back, we even stop to eat some food from something reminiscent of a food stall that is there for all the people working on the fields covering a huge part of the tunnel.

    Against my will, I learn that he and that Reaper something class guy look at Niall like a daughter, used to be bodyguards in the noble house of Niall¡¯s father. Just from the way he talks about her, it is nearly as if he sees her as a child. Someone most likely over 200 years old and a Champion.

    As much as I complain about this kind of info dump, I come to think it wasn¡¯t that bad, as I learned a bit about how others might see Champions and about the world from before the war.

    Soon after, I enter the apartments again.

    Lissandra, who has nothing better to do as always, looks at me. ¡°The inscriptions I made are all messed up and need to be redone, give me a bit of your mana.¡±

    I do so, and five minutes later, I¡¯m on the floor again, fighting against the pressure on me using only kinetic energy.

    <hr>

    After five hours pass, I¡¯m punished for my success. Being able to move my pinkie finger seems to be enough of a reason, and Lissandra increases the difficulty. The next time it will be even more difficult; I¡¯m sure of that.

    Currently, both me and Myrra exit the Workshop for 5 hours of hunting and then 1 hour of rest before more training.

    ¡°You sure I shouldn¡¯t carry you? You still seem to have some internal wounds. Silly feral one. You''re supposed to train to not get hurt, not hurt yourself to train. So typical of you.¡±

    ¡°I blame my environment and the people around me affecting me the wrong way.¡±

    She nods seriously, her tail twitching and showing her amusement, ¡°That seems to be the case.¡±

    ¡°Actually, am I not a victim here? I should report it to someone. Physical and psychological abuse or something.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, feral one, it¡¯s quite serious what''s happening to you.¡±

    I jump away from her, and she does the same. Where we stood, the earth bulges and dozens of spikes pierce the ground. Through them mana flows, strengthening them.

    The spikes explode, and hundreds of small projectiles from stone crash against the barrier I make and the similar one made of Aurora glass Myrra creates.

    More than the attack, I watch Myrra¡¯s defense. Even now, I¡¯m quite fascinated by Aurora glass. The crystalline material with reflective facets that go through multiple colors according to Myrra¡¯s use of the skill, element, or whatever it is.

    It¡¯s something she gets from a combination of her fire and ice attacks, I think.

    Aurora glass seeps into the air, dozens of tiny reflective particles she uses similarly to my anchor and teleports through, disappearing to hunt the monster who attacked us, leaving me behind to deal with the other one.

    [Veil Guardian - lvl ??]

    Tall, pale, and with voidsteel blades instead of forearms and hands. As many times before, the monster screeches with a voice full of hate, and I cut off the signal it sends to the Veil.

    Blue veins going through its skin increase in number, and the gravity field envelops the area, crushing the trees and boulders under the pressure.

    The monster charges at me.

    I use [Resonance], and the effect of gravity disappears. It¡¯s so easy to do it now, and I try to mimic what Lissandra did when I attacked her before with her [Disruption].

    Instead of using a lot of my mana, I reach only for a few percent and create a single projectile.

    As the Veil Guardian reaches me, I send kinetic energy through my body and dodge a few times, avoiding the swings of the voidsteel blade.

    Kinetic energy is different to use; unlike using mana, even the movements look different. It¡¯s not as smooth; instead, it is a burst of speed added to movements.

    I elongate the projectile over my shoulders, creating something akin to a spike as long as my forearm that I start to spin around its axis.

    The voidsteel blade cleaves deep gashes into the ground and cuts through the boulder behind me. A few trees fall down as an invisible slash leaves them cut smoothly.

    Dodging under the last swing, I boost my body, take a step closer to the monster, and hit its chest with an open palm, adding kinetic energy to the strike.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    The force of the attack makes the monster stumble back, and I shoot the projectile I was creating, accurately piercing through the Veil Guardian''s head.

    [You have defeated Veil Guardian - lvl 273]

    My instinct screams at me to use more mana, to move more, but I push these habits down. Not with my skill but on my own.

    I check, and there is barely any dent in my mana reserves; it¡¯s already nearly filled back.

    Cutting the voidseel blades off the dead body I sell them to the system shop. Then, using only kinetic energy to strengthen my body, I rush towards where I sense more monsters.

    <hr>

    Five hours later I check my notifications, and there is only one.

    [Lvl 240 > Lvl 241]

    ¡°Myrra, am I cooked?¡±

    ¡°Feral one, as far as I can see, you are not cooked? I don¡¯t even know what using ¡®cooked¡¯ in this context means.¡± She reacts a bit confused.

    ¡°Based.¡±

    ¡°Based on what?¡±

    Even though it was only one level up, I am in a good mood, so I decide to mess with her a bit more. All with the use of knowledge from the twins and the confusing gibberish they used all the time together with Brainiac.

    ¡°Would you say I¡¯m the goat?¡±

    ¡°Did you get hit somewhere? You clearly aren¡¯t a goat.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t say it before, but nice drip, I like your clothes, they are lit.¡±

    ¡°You are indeed even more annoying than before. Wanna have a fight? No cheeky stuff, just body strengthening, I will beat it out of you.¡±

    ¡°Mood. But anyway, let¡¯s get some bussin¡¯ food.¡±

    ¡°You little shit...¡±

    Her reaction makes me even happier and I dodge the kick she throws at me. The next time I meet the twins, I will have to ask if I used these words correctly. They are still confusing as fuck.

    Walking through the entrance tunnel after being let in by Niall¡¯s Frozen Reaper guy, I allow myself to relax just a bit. Around 50 minutes remain before another round of training, so I decide to examine the place a bit.

    ¡°And by the way, it¡¯s your rest time, so why do you keep that orb near you and train shaping? A little bit of rest is fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on a time limit here; as you might have noticed, our companion requires me to level up 5 skills.¡±

    ¡°It was you¡­¡±

    ¡°Would you believe that? Five skills to level 50.¡±

    ¡°But it was¡­¡±

    ¡°So yeah, I have to train a bit more.¡±

    Myrra sighs and looks at a man who''s been staring at her; that makes him turn away quickly and rush behind the trees.

    ¡°If you need help, feral one, I¡¯m here. I owe you a lot, and if it comes to it, I will fight with you against Lady Lissandra if you fail.¡±

    It¡¯s as if she declared she is willing to die with me and for some reason, I can¡¯t find the right words to react to it. Such a surprising declaration out of nowhere catches me off guard.

    She notices it and smiles with her fangs showing. Her tail shows she is even more amused than before, and her ears perk up.

    ¡°Am I also cooked now, feral one?¡± Myrra asks with a bright smile.

    ¡°We have to do something about your habit of picking up weird words, the same with ¡®nya¡¯ before.¡± I decide to ignore it for now and push by her, heading deeper into the workshop.

    ¡°Did I use it incorrectly? Should I call myself goat instead?¡± She quickly catches up to me and walks by my side.

    ¡°Please stop, I¡¯m sorry for teasing you before.¡± Seeing the lynthari I once considered majestic using these words ruins my image of their entire race even more.

    ¡°Based.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°We are going to get some bussin¡¯ food? Do you think they have restaurants here? That would be cooked!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not even how you use¡­ whatever, why are you so quick to catch these things up?¡±

    ¡°Feral one, I might not be at the level of Lady Lissandra, but my talent is quite good. Out of all the lynthari, I was considered the most talented in millennia.¡±

    Even though she is still smiling, it makes me remember that her entire world is gone. She might not consider herself fake or doesn¡¯t consider it at all, but it doesn¡¯t change that fact.

    Unlike me, who will most likely return to Earth, she has nothing left. Just that crazy woman by her side who pulls her around.

    The way she always tried to stay by my side ever since we met again now makes sense. We weren¡¯t best friends or anything like that, but I¡¯m someone she knows, and we probably did have a better relationship than she currently has with Lissandra.

    Not having time to grieve, having to fight to survive, unable to hear a lot of things because of the censor preventing it, the risk of dying at any moment.

    ¡°Maybe your talent is at the level of pets the court ladies from Lissandra¡¯s planet used to have,¡± I tell her.

    I start noticing just a bit of clinginess from her. The way she talks quickly and stays nearby. As if an animal looking for someone to share warmth with.

    Even though she tries hard to not let it show. ¡°Maybe in a few months. So far, none of us are a match for them, feral one! But one day!¡±

    Walking and joking, we pass through the tunnels and a few caves.

    All of these places are huge. The walls from which they got massive crystals for Skyhold Islands. The giant tools they used to create parts of them.

    One of the rooms has a pillar in the middle that looks like it could move up and down, imitating hits of a hammer. Just that pillar is as big as buildings, and there are more things like that.

    It¡¯s all fascinating even when they are sitting there and collecting dust. Some even used as meeting spots for kids that run around and play. The inscriptions look fine, so it all could probably work with a lot of effort, but they are not powered, mana too precious to waste like that.

    ¡°It¡¯s like a city,¡± Myrra says. ¡°Thousands of people. Gardens, fields, waterfalls. Seeing it used this way is nice, but sad at the same time. Do you know what I mean?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It used to be a busy place, full of people working on yet another part of a Skyhold Bastion. Hammering sounds, rails used, materials mined.¡±

    It all feels a bit post-apocalyptic. As if a once prosperous city was left behind and taken over by nature, the trees piercing through the roads and growing in the middle of the streets. That kind of feeling.

    All radiates this feeling of nostalgia and the tools created by generations of people, most of whom are already dead. It¡¯s something proven even by most of the tools left behind being taken apart, to serve in a better way.

    <hr>

    In the end, we don¡¯t find any stalls offering food and just walk around, and the hour of rest passes like that.

    When it¡¯s about to end, we turn around and return to our apartment where Lissandra sits, working on the arm of the Saint. It might be me, but the arm seems to be a bit smaller than before.

    Lissandra glances up from the arm at the orb that still floats near my shoulder and I train with constantly.

    It¡¯s to the point the entire time while walking with Myrra I also had to keep up my healing passive from the strain and effort I put into that shaping exercise.

    ¡°Continue what you are doing but with no healing for the next 10 hours,¡± she says simply and continues to work on the arm.

 Chapter 395 - I will give it my all

    Sset - You didn''t join at the scheduled time yesterday.

    Noname - I was in the middle of training. Will tell you all when we meet again.

    Sset - Sure, as for us, we already located the Black Tower. It will take us a few days to get there.

    Noname - Planning to go in already?

    Sset - We¡¯ll see. We need a bit more information. The twins have been fine so far, but they still have to endure a lot of bullshit. If possible, I will get them out.

    Grumpy - Hello Noname, are you doing ok?

    Noname - Yes, it''s going pretty well so far.

    Grumpy - Good! I examined that finger bone you left with me a bit more and got a few ideas. We can try them out when you get back.

    Noname - Sure. I have to go now.

    Sset - See you tomorrow at the scheduled time.

    Grumpy - Later!

    I turn off the Beyond Community and check my quests, just in case. Though I still have one side quest:

    Side quest: Reach level 250

    Reward: body upgrade

    As for the floor quest, it¡¯s the one for the 6th floor. There is no further mention of my training or my two week timer.

    It really seems as if the Ruler of Envy used the function of summoning a disciple here, combined it with the running instance of my 5th floor, and twisted it. And that seems to have caused some kind of backlash, so it looks like the Rulers can¡¯t mess with the tutorial as much as they might like.

    I wonder how the Ruler of Greed feels about that.

    The murderer from Easy difficulty, likely desperate to escape his imprisonment and our plans to permanently kill him, accepted the first suspicious invitation, only to have his status taken.

    All of that begs the question, is the tutorial the creation of a single Ruler, a collaboration, or is it a product of the system with some wiggle room for the Rulers to exploit? Can they mess with the system itself? That seems unlikely; in that case, they would probably be able to mess with the tutorial more. They still seem to be bound by some rules.

    Somebody comes to a stop in front of me and I pause, shelving my thoughts and looking up. Lissandra stands there.

    ¡°You will speak with the Champion. She said she will only share the information I need after dinner¡­ with you.¡±

    ¡°Uh, what?¡±

    ¡°She took a liking to you, little pup, and she wants to mess with me like some common child. So just go, we will be leaving soon afterward. We¡¯ve wasted enough time here.¡±

    There are no more words from her as she returns to her seat in the corner, continuing to work on the arm, which I note is significantly smaller than before.

    ¡°Are you being courted by the Champion, little pup? Be careful what you drink; she might be trying to take advantage of you.¡± How quick she is to tease me.

    For some reason, I don¡¯t find that funny. Niall is extremely powerful, and it would be a simple matter for her to do whatever she wants, no one here could stop her. This palace could easily be a lawless hellhole if someone as powerful as she wanted it that way.

    ¡°She¡¯s just trying to spite Lissandra. You can imagine how she deals with her.¡±

    ¡°Whatever makes you feel safer, feral one. Well, it doesn¡¯t have to be so bad. She¡¯s quite the beauty, as far as human women go, I think. You might even get some gifts from¡­¡±

    I shoot a mana orb at Myrra, who returns fire with shards of her Aurora glass. I block with a small barrier and sigh. Not wanting to push things further, I head outside.

    ¡°At least dress yourself up¡­¡± I hear Myrra shout from behind me.

    The Frozen Reaper guy greets me as I leave the apartment. Unlike the other one, he doesn¡¯t seem to smile much and leads me quietly through the tunnels after greeting me.

    It takes 5 minutes, but we enter one of the big caves which opens out into a beautiful green patch of forest and a pretty clearing. Crystals as tall as me poke up from the ground, shining with soft blue and yellow lights emanating from their cores. Niall sits on a blanket, spread over the grass, nomming on snacks.

    ¡°Is this a date?¡± I ask as I plop down.

    ¡°Ha! You might be somewhat handsome, but I¡¯m sorry to announce you are far from my type.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    ¡°That woman is extremely tiring. I¡¯m trying to be nice, but even I have my limits, you know.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easy for you to deal with her?¡± I can¡¯t imagine Lissandra being strong enough to face the Champion directly, even in her weakened state. From what Niall showed me before, I guess she could use a third of her full strength? Maybe a bit more if she decided to risk the backlash. She has been severely weakened, but she¡¯s still powerful enough to deal with almost anything that gets thrown her way.

    Lissandra could probably deal with her through some fuckery, but it wouldn¡¯t be clean.

    Niall lays on her back and looks at the ceiling, which, I find, is full of crystals as well. ¡°Probably yes, but that woman is sneaky. If I failed to kill her in one hit, she would pull some bullshit, and a drawn out fight would probably cost the lives of the people around us or attract attention from the Veil.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± I say, grabbing a snack from a convenient plate and moving it closer to Niall.

    She smirks, opens her mouth, and I throw it in.

    ¡°I could get used to that. I heard about some noblewomen who had a bunch of bare-chested pretty men to feed them grapes. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Will you answer a few of my questions if I do?¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t. And stop asking so much. You have question after question. You probably have centuries to live, so enjoy the process of learning and growing stronger. It will be lonely and boring once you get to the top.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have that luxury, but I won¡¯t bother you.¡±

    ¡°Good. Anyway, your subclass is Pride, right? Yet you wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to do what I requested?¡±

    I throw another piece of fruit into her mouth before answering, ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s a low price to pay.¡±

    ¡°Weirdest fucking pride I ever met.¡±

    "Thanks." Multiple questions come to my mind, but I hold them in, laying back on the blanket instead.

    It¡¯s nice and cozy here, and after days of no sleep and nearly nonstop training, I allow myself to relax just for a tiny bit.

    ¡°You seem to be in a better mood than you were,¡± I tell Niall.

    ¡°The method your companion gave me is amazing. I don¡¯t remember the last time I saw something like that. She might be better than Tassian was with his emblems. It¡¯s kinda scary.¡±

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    ¡°So it¡¯s going to help with your heart?¡±

    I feel a mana wave wash over us as Niall checks if anyone is around.

    Only then does she continue, ¡°If it had continued like this, I would have been dead in 5 years maybe, but with this method, I can get that thing out of my heart in a year or two and then heal fully. I can be a proper Champion once again.¡±

    ¡°It was that bad?¡±

    ¡°One hundred years, that¡¯s how long I¡¯ve been fighting it. It tires you out and changes you as a person. Dozens, hundreds of failed attempts, feeling powerless. All the self-doubt¡­ But now there is hope, and I will give it my all. Just like you, little psychopath.¡±

    I turn my head to the side. Niall is looking at the ceiling with a smile on her lips. It¡¯s the most real smile she¡¯s ever shown me. As if a flame that was about to die off regained its former brilliance. It¡¯s pretty.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°You seem like the type who can keep his mouth shut, but if you tell anyone else, I will pull your head off your neck.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a reasonable thing to do to such a shameless traitor,¡± I note.

    ¡°I know, right?¡± she smiles, ¡°Now take this mana stone. It contains the formation she wanted, and tell that creepy woman thank you from me.¡±

    I take the mana stone. It¡¯s small, and when I try to inspect it, I find it to be encrypted. Rude.

    ¡°I will pass it along and wish you good luck with your heart.¡±

    ¡°Luck won¡¯t have anything to do with it. I¡¯m a Champion, am I not? It¡¯s time to remind myself of that.¡±

    <hr>

    Back in the room, I pass the stone to Lissandra and head to the couch. Soon my kinetic energy training will start, and I would rather be immobilized there than on the cold floor. I''m almost glad for that, as my social batteries are getting dangerously empty. I might need to close myself in a dark room for a few days and turn off my notifications.

    ¡°It¡¯s all here,¡± Lissandra says. The monster obviously decrypted the stone within seconds.

    Well, Niall didn¡¯t seem like the type to break a promise. Most of all, she seemed honestly happy while trying to hide it.

    ¡°Give me your mana, little pup.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I sigh and start sending it towards her.

    Then I pause. Something¡¯s not right.

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°All of it, the mana from your reservoir as well.¡±

    I stop and cut off the stream, my mana seeping back into my body.

    It becomes quiet.

    Lissandra stands there in the middle of the room. Wearing her casual clothes, a black dagger on her waist, but something feels off.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°So I can kill that Champion. Our little kitten doesn¡¯t have enough for me to do it cleanly.¡±

    She takes a step towards me and reaches her hand.

    ¡°No,¡± I say.

    Lissandra tilts her head, ¡°Have you forgotten what she is, little pup? Just a fake. The shadow of a Champion that ceased to live millennia ago.¡±

    ¡°I know. She is fake just like you.¡±

    She doesn''t let it show, but I know it hit her. It must have.

    ¡°Not even close to being like me. Why are you reacting like this, I wonder.¡±

    That makes me think for a moment before I answer, ¡°If you asked me a few months ago, I would have probably done it without hesitation.¡±

    ¡°So what changed?¡±

    ¡°One of the reasons I want to become strong is so that I can do whatever I want. To stop being forced into things. To stop making compromises I don¡¯t like.¡±

    ¡°Such a childish reason and something impossible for you. You will never be that powerful.¡±

    ¡°Then I will die trying to reach that level.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Because that¡¯s how I want to live. Any wrong done to me, I will repay tenfold. Any wrong done to those I care about, I will repay a hundredfold. And if I don¡¯t feel like it, I won¡¯t kill. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s because I¡¯m in a good mood, I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s because I slept well, or if it¡¯s just because they showed me the slightest bit of goodwill.¡±

    Congratulations, you have fulfilled the requirements to level up your subclass!

    [Initiate of Pride] > [Adept of Pride]

    You have started to build your own pride, a pride unique to you with its own effects and bonuses.

    You will now also have an easier time detecting those with the same subclass and be able to determine the stage of their subclass.

    The effects of the previous stage are now strengthened.

    You may choose one skill that will be affected by your Pride the most!

    I push these notifications away and face Lissandra.

    The silver-haired woman smiles softly, ¡°Congratulations on reaching the second stage of your subclass,¡± she says.

    Without any movement from her, the inscriptions for my Burden Enhancement flare into full effect, and I freeze on the spot.

    Immediately I rush to gather my mana and deactivate the inscriptions, but Lissandra is already standing in front of me. The black dagger pierces my skin, the tip of it just barely touching my heart. A disruptive effect floods my body, putting an end to all my efforts like it''s nothing.

    Instead, I flood my body with kinetic energy, and the fingers on my right hand flex as I force myself to move.

    ¡°Impressive, little pup. You really do have a tiny bit of talent for kinetic energy, I must admit.¡± The mana she absorbed turns to her, and she quickly makes some changes to the inscriptions, and I find myself unable to move at all.

    "I understand your Pride better now. It has the potential to make you very powerful, no, it requires you to be very powerful. It will support you, and make you even stronger, but if you fall, it will crumble with you. The moment you give up, it will make your downfall truly terrible. It fits you well."

    The black dagger continues to absorb my body¡¯s mana, which is already thirty percent gone.

    ¡°If you do anything, little kitten, it will end badly for you. I¡¯m not going to hurt him.¡± Lissandra says that single sentence and Myrra stops mid-step.

    Seventy percent of my body¡¯s mana is gone, and Lissandra returns my gaze easily.

    "If I had you decide between Myrra and that Champion, I''m sure you would pick Myrra without any hesitation, little pup. It''s just that you are that greedy, and that might be a reason why..." The rest of her words get censored.

    Lissandra seems amused, noticing it as well.

    Ninety percent.

    And all of my mana is gone.

    ¡°I would like the contents of your reservoir, but this should be enough.¡± She says pulling the dagger free, but the inscriptions remain, and with them my inability to move.

    No matter how much I try, or how much kinetic energy I use. Giving me a last glance, Lissandra exits the room.

    A minute passes, and my finger twitches again.

    Two minutes pass, and more fingers move.

    Three minutes, and I twitch my leg.

    A single powerful pulse of mana washes through the entire workshop.

    Just one, and then there is nothing.

    The lights flicker, and the air filtration starts shutting down. At the same time, alarms start sounding, and screams of surprised people reach me pouring in from outside.

    Both of my legs move, and I stand only to immediately fall, my face buried in the cold floor. My kinetic energy is nearly gone, and slowly being replaced by my strained mana regeneration.

    The door opens again, and Lissandra enters the room. Her right arm is hanging uselessly at her side, broken, and twisted, blood dripping from it. A deep wound mars her face, and one of her eyes is injured. Nothing else. Though she does carry a small bag, containing a few spare items and the remains of a certain heart.

    ¡°We are leaving. You will be going first.¡± Lissandra moves her hand and the inscriptions on me lose their effect, making me stumble.

    Forcing myself to calm down, I look at her.

    Breathe in. Breathe out. Control your emotions.

    It''s too late to do anything now.

    I take a step toward Lissandra and then pass by her, opening the door.

    Fire fills the hallway heading toward me, and I reach into my reservoir, absorbing the power of these flames until they weaken, revealing a man with an expression of wrath on his face. He doesn''t bother to control himself as the invisible heat fills the tunnel. There are no flames, yet the air flickers and the walls glow red hot, melting like butter.

    I activate the tiny anchor I left in the hallway the moment we came here, which is behind him. The anchor explodes with kinetic energy, gouging at his back and causing him to stumble. Seizing his moment of distraction, I absorb all of the heat and then release it at once in a thin, laser-like stream.

    He lifts his hands in front of his head and even manages to block the attack for a moment, dispersing it across his palms, but it''s too concentrated, and it pierces through his hands and head.

    [You have defeated Solar Ascendant - lvl 266]

    [Lvl 241 > Lvl 242]

    Then, as people flee in confusion to the ringing of the alarms and the functions of the Workshop slowly die, we exit the compound and head north.

 Chapter 396 - Cinder

    A day passes, and during that time no one says a word. The training didn¡¯t stop even then.

    I was forced to move under weaker Burden Enhancement Inscriptions. I fought the monsters attacking us on the way, the ever-strengthening Veil in the sky spewing more and more monsters.

    Veil Guardians are the norm at this point, I even welcome them as I take the opportunity to sell the voidsteel blades.

    There is no rest for me, and rather than the usual three hours of variety training, I find myself devoting that time to fighting. I manage to raise my level once more in the process, slowly approaching my goal of reaching 250.

    Lately, I¡¯ve been finding myself incorporating mana shaping into my fights as well.

    It¡¯s quite a lot. Only a few days have passed since I began the 14 days with my "master", but I¡¯m already starting to notice signs of exhaustion from the lack of sleep and the abundance of overtraining. I don¡¯t mind much, it helps take my mind off the slew of useless thoughts and gives me time to regain control over my emotions.

    It¡¯s also when I decide to limit my use of [Focus] when it comes to regulating my emotions even after meeting Lissandra¡äs conditions. My overuse of the skill was probably preventing my subclass from leveling. Looking at it now, it¡¯s so obvious.

    Myrra gives me space to clear my mind, which I appreciate, and when we finally stop for a break, Lissandra steps in front of me.

    ¡°I had expected you to attack me at least a few times, little pup. You know I promised not to kill you unless you failed to follow my rules.¡±

    ¡°Well, you were wrong.¡±

    She lowers her face, catching my gaze.

    I return it.

    Slow breath in. Breath out.

    Good.

    Now continue to calmly circulate your mana.

    Good.

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re biding your time until you have a better chance, little pup, you are¡­¡±

    I open my mouth, just as I had so long ago with her descendant, an orb erupting forth and heading right for her eye.

    Lissandra tilts her head in an amazing show of her lightning-quick reflexes, and the orb grazes her cheek. Behind her, the orb explodes, releasing a burst of kinetic energy and pushes her towards me.

    I boost my movement with a lot of kinetic energy, and a blade of mana forms in my hand, while my other hand reaches towards the black dagger at her waist.

    Then the world turns upside down. I feel a blow to my shoulder and in my belly and find myself lying on my back.

    An impulse to jump back and attack again is sent through my body, but I force it away and stay down.

    Lissandra looks down at me, and I watch as she reaches her hand up, touching the wound on her cheek, a bit of blood staining the tips of her fingers.

    ¡°Little pup, your movements are terrible. Stand up and repeat after me.¡±

    I do as I¡¯m told, and she reactivates the inscriptions for Burden Enhancement. Not at their full power, but still enough to make it difficult for me to move. Then, she slowly starts moving her body, slim muscles rippling as she takes a stance and then slowly moves her hand in a punch.

    Her body twists, feet burrowing into the ground as she does so.

    The movement is short and thrown at a normal speed, it would be quick. It¡¯s the kind of movement that sacrifices a bit of power to land a few quick blows. And it¡¯s probably been adapted to synergize with a variety of skills. Moving kinetic energy through my body, I mimic that movement.

    Even before I finish the movement, I stop and start over again.

    Lissandra steps closer, ¡°Widen your feet a bit more. Send more of your kinetic energy to your feet and circulate it through your entire body from there.¡±

    Over and over again, I repeat the simple movement.

    ¡°The last part is the most important. A short punch during which you release all the buildup.¡±

    And more.

    ¡°Again. Don¡¯t think about trying to use it in combat. It¡¯s an exercise meant to show you some of the ways you could move your body. We don¡¯t have enough time for me to teach you proper martial arts.¡±

    At some point, she increases the power of the inscriptions, and my movement slows even more and I¡¯m forced to fight them with more kinetic energy just to move.

    The sweat plasters my shirt to my skin and drips from my nose.

    I catch myself gasping for air, and my mind focuses on completing the next movement and sending the next burst of kinetic energy through my body to help me move.

    By the time we stop, it¡¯s dark outside.

    Lissandra releases the inscriptions and wanders off into the forest, where soon after and far in the distance, a huge piece of the nearby mountain disappears, and the stones start floating in the air. Mana envelops the area, and I recognize it right away. It¡¯s the Veil Weaver, a monster with extremely potent telekinesis.

    The Cockroach is probably somewhere around my level, I would say. The moment she used Hadwin¡¯s arm to regenerate herself, she had to start over, leveling up and all that stuff. Of course, she has the advantage of a shitload of knowledge, and at this point, I¡¯m not sure if I want to know what level her skills are.

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    Actually, I would love to know that.

    That¡¯s also why I don¡¯t think a Veil Weaver will be enough to end her.

    Keeping part of my mind on the fight ruining the landscape all around us, I wonder if I should take the opportunity to assign the bonus from my subclass to a skill.

    This is like the passive skill combination token all over again, I hesitate. I can¡¯t help but think that I might get more out of my training if I wait. I already have way too many things I need to work on, and experimenting with the effects of Pride would add more to the pile.

    One of the problems is obviously the system and its habit of drip feeding me information as I progress through the floors.

    As of now, I¡¯ve pretty well confirmed that Initiate of Pride was helping me control my mana and that the effect has grown stronger.

    I have a theory that it might even be making it easier for me to gain skills like [Mana Crown] and [Mana Domain]. In addition, it might have influenced my primary class offers.

    Or maybe it didn¡¯t. The relationship between subclass and primary class is still unknown. My primary class offers more direct boosts like stats, passives, and active skills - so far, the only way we¡¯ve found to gain active skills other than learning them is through a primary class. Subclasses, on the other hand, are more indirect. It seems to work more like a passive with a broader scope of influence.

    Looking at the new stuff it unlocked and my new ability to sense other devotees of Pride, I find myself wondering if reaching this new stage is going to open further avenues for improvement in the future. What happens when I reach Master of Pride? Will I have influence over others with the Pride subclass? Are Blights and Radiances separated into groups according to their subclasses, do they create some sort of bond between users?

    More to think about and drag out of Lissandra. Even thinking about her right now sets my blood boiling though. Yet it¡¯s all useless. It¡¯s too late for Niall, and me throwing yet another tantrum won¡¯t help.

    It¡¯s so easy to forget that natives are just fakes, but at the same time, I might like it more that way. It makes all these floors feel more real, and that might be the point.

    Soon after, Lissandra returns. The wounds she had as we left the Workshop are long gone, and in the fight with the Veil Weaver, she didn¡¯t get any new ones if I remember correctly though Hadwin had a low grade healing skill so that doesn¡¯t mean much.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving right away. The Veil will notice that one of its stronger monsters has gone missing.¡±

    She seems to know quite a bit about the matter, perhaps she learned a few things from Niall or maybe she made her own observations. Either way, Myrra and I quickly follow after exchanging a quick glance. Our training continues nonetheless, and that leaves the two of us killing most of the monsters.

    <hr>

    Three days later, my level went up by three. [Mana Manipulation] reached 49, and Crown leveled up once as well.

    I only have eight days, and a few hours, to fulfill Lissandra¡¯s requirements.

    In the past day, we¡¯ve flown under the radar, avoiding any Veil monsters to keep from revealing our location, though the countryside we find ourselves passing through is entirely devoid of them.

    We pass huge cities, empty and destroyed, and smaller rural villages, located next to massive craters.

    We see an absolutely massive forest burned to ash, leaving naught but a rocky plain behind.

    Crushed mountains.

    Rivers that drain into craters the size of cities.

    The destruction is all encompassing, and we pass through a number of places filled with mana radiation. Places where Champions must have clashed, even hundreds of years later, signs of their skills and powers remain, like scars upon the land.

    We also pass by an ancient battleground where an Absolute once fought, something Lissandra points out with keen interest.

    There, inside one of the lakes, lies the skeleton of a monster. Something I fail to identify, there¡¯s only half a skull and a few rib-like bones pointing toward the sky.

    The remains alone are at least as tall as the tallest skyscrapers back on Earth. The bones are blindingly white, yet no flesh or connective tissue remains. There is no way something like that could decay after a mere 100 years. The flesh of powerful monsters is capable of lasting so much longer. No, it looks like something ate that monster, either during the fight or after, and only left the bones behind.

    The water in that lake is eerily still and impossibly clear, seemingly transparent. There are no monsters either.

    We avoid that place as much as we can, making a huge half-circle around it. Lissandra orders us not to touch any water from that area.

    A day later, we reach our destination, passing over a hill crowned with trees covered in poisonous bark, which proves harmful even to us, despite our high levels.

    ¡°I never want to see that forest again,¡± Myrra hisses.

    ¡°Nice jinx.¡±

    ¡°Screw off, feral one.¡±

    Looking down the hill, we see a huge cleared area, devoid of trees and stone. And the ground itself has been polished to an extremely smooth surface, almost looking more like metal than dirt.

    There is a single pyramid, and resting against its side are the skeletal remains of a snake.

    The problem, as far as my brain is concerned, is that the pyramid is huge, extremely huge, and so are the skeletal remains. It¡¯s difficult for me to even grasp the sheer size of these things.

    ¡°This is one of the Veil Ignition Stations. It functioned as a converter, converting the power of a dormant volcano into mana. There was a Champion who made it possible using his trait and skill. He is long since dead, but the station still has a bevy of impressive defense mechanisms.¡±

    Lissandra takes a step and heads down the hill towards the city.

    ¡°There are people here,¡± I note.

    ¡°Yes, the defenses are set to attack any Veil creature that gets close, so people chose to settle in this place, turning this device into their city.¡±

    Device. The word alone almost makes me laugh. That thing is way too big to be a simple device.

    ¡°From the information I got from that broken Champion, the city is a lawless place, full of gangs fighting for territory and resources. Even now, they probably have groups devoted to breaking into the more important parts of the station.¡±

    That piques my interest, and my inner loot goblin awakens. I¡¯m quite good with inscriptions, am I not? I should be able to get into some of the more fancy places. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to find some more interesting stuff to sell. A Veil Ignition Station reselling arc 2.0 might be on the menu.

    ¡°And what are you looking for here?¡± I ask.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see when we get there, little pup. And control your mana more, that orb over your shoulder is a disgrace considering the amount of time you¡¯ve spent on it.¡±

    I do as I¡¯m told, and our steps continue, resounding in strangely distorted echoes as we cross the metallic surface, which radiates just the slightest bit of heat.

    As we get closer, the pyramid and the skeleton start to look even bigger, and I have to tilt my head high up to see the top of it.

    With no one to welcome us, we pause for a moment when we find ourselves standing in front of the pyramid.

    ¡°Veil Ignition Station no. 2, also called Cinder,¡± Lissandra says, and we head in.

 Chapter 397 - Clash with the locals

    The Veil Ignition Station known as Cinder, is a pyramid made of metal. Up close the surface isn¡¯t quite as smooth as it looked from a distance, its sheer size serving to smooth out any inconsistencies in its form.

    The exterior is covered in a combination of silver and gray metals, with orange-ish veins of a different material tracing its way through the surface.

    The external surface is covered in huge doors, leading to a vast multitude of terraces. Each accounting for an area spanning several city blocks, and higher up the surface, I begin to see a number of stone and wood clinging to the metal exterior, as various humanoid figures bustle about.

    ¡°This is where I leave you for now; you two go on together. I will rejoin you later.¡± With that, Lissandra strides off, entering the pyramid through a long tunnel leading to what appears to be an elevator shaft.

    ¡°Want to go up from the outside?¡± I ask Myrra.

    "I don''t mind," she answers, and with that, we start scaling the pyramid.

    Despite her apparent lack of enthusiasm, I can still see her tail swaying from side to side. Myrra is a curious creature, and she¡¯s never been able to hide it.

    And, it''s not like I''m not curious myself. The only thing that could be an issue is the relative strength of the natives. Myrra and I both have inscriptions restraining our bodies, and they¡¯re always active at some level. It''s not terrible, but it''s powerful enough that it¡¯s forcing me to use kinetic energy just to be able to walk.

    Plus, Lissandra decided that I was finding things a bit too easy, and added a disrupting effect to interfere with my mana, not unlike the imps from the tunnels she left me in. Most of my focus and attention is being taken up by the process of walking without my mana ruining my body.

    I might make it seem easy going, but to be honest, it¡¯s taking a lot out of me just trying to keep it up. Even more so than it did before, I catch myself wanting to sleep or just to take a rest for a bit.

    It''s a lot. And Myrra isn''t so different.

    She must have guessed what I''m thinking about because she jokes, ¡°If we get our asses kicked by some level 100 guy, I¡¯m leaving you and running away.¡±

    ¡°I don''t know, sometimes I feel like a level 50 would be enough to kick my ass.¡± I use just a bit of kinetic energy and boost myself up onto one of the terraces, which I find to be individual segments of the pyramid.

    ¡°That''s pathetic, feral one. Not even I feel that way. To get me, they would need to be level 51 at least.¡±

    ¡°The way you move your mana is pathetic. I¡¯ve never seen such a poor form. I swear¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I swear I knew noble ladies whose pets had better control over their mana than you,¡± Myrra finishes, clearly annoyed by the comparison. Her canines drawing free of her lips.

    We jump a few more times, slowly moving toward a group of people, and I continue to examine the pyramid as we go.

    As I do, I come to find my first impressions vindicated, the metal surface is nearly perfect. Even after who knows how many years, It hasn¡¯t taken any significant damage, though there are scratches here and there. However, we are on the opposite side of the structure from the skeletal remains of that giant snake. I''m sure that part is damaged.

    Another interesting thing is that as the day turns into night, the pyramid is getting warmer while the surrounding area is getting colder. Not uncomfortably so; but enough to create a cozy pocket of warmth that is slowly rising in temperature.

    It seems like the pyramid is absorbing heat from the surrounding area and it doesn''t seem like it¡¯ll be done for a while yet. I''m curious to see how high it¡¯ll go.

    Before we can reach the platform and the humans on it, a few of them start heading our way, with weapons drawn and skills at the ready. The men and women approaching us are dressed in mismatched armor, not to mention their weird mix of weapons and wild eyed expressions. Each one is around level 100.

    What surprises me most though is the way they go about trying to estimate my power. It¡¯s not something I¡¯ve seen in a long time. It''s terrible like I¡¯m being repeatedly slapped with wet spaghetti.

    ¡°We will need you to pay a toll to enter,¡± the woman with the highest level speaks first, stepping forward and gesturing, ¡°The ax and the blade should do.¡±

    She seems to be indicating my Flamebearer and voidsteel blade, which I¡¯ve continued to carry despite the fact that I rarely have a use for them.

    ¡°Just kill them. I bet they have some nicer stuff as well.¡± One of the others smirks, already holding his weapon.

    ¡°Maybe we shouldn''t; they must be somewhat strong if they¡¯ve managed to make it all the way here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up, Veril. Anyone could do that. There aren¡¯t many monsters in the area, and just look at them, they look like they¡¯re about to fall apart. Look at them, they¡¯re bleeding.¡±

    The bleeding in question is a side effect of our active inscriptions and the occasional lapse in control. Though I''m not really willing to explain that. I¡¯d rather listen to their conversation. After all, I¡¯ve found myself in quite an interesting situation. Like low-grade thugs stopping the protagonist from reaching a certain area.

    It''s a fun experience until one of them decides to attack us from behind, using the others as a distraction. The way he moves makes it clear he¡¯s going in for the kill, his blade lashing out for Myrra''s neck.

    Before he even reaches her, he staggers, the dagger tumbling from his hands, a deep cut violating the integrity of his neck, as Myrra¡¯s Aurora glass shimmers in the air.

    Three more jump at me, one seizing control of my shadow in an attempt to bind me, as another¡¯s skill struggles to disrupt my mana, leaving the third man to rush me as armor made of mana begins sprouting from his body.

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    Each of them stops mid-attack and I place three anchors. Three bursts of kinetic energy erupt next to them, and their headless bodies fall to the ground.

    Somebody screams, and projectiles crash into Myrra''s barrier of Aurora glass before I retaliate by launching a projectile at the attacker and receive a notification confirming the kill.

    Myrra boosts herself towards two more of the attackers, throwing one off the pyramid and far into the distance, as he flails his arms before crashing into the ground and lying still. Either dead or acting. The second attacker dies as Myrra caves his chest in with a single punch, probably destroying his heart.

    The last one tries to escape so I teleport through an anchor I placed on him grabbing his arm, and pulling him towards me, dislocating it. He¡¯s the one who noted that we might be a little bit strong.

    He keeps screaming, either out of fear, desperation, or pain. If it''s the pain, I''ll be disappointed; his wounds are barely worth mentioning.

    For a moment, I glance up at the hundred or so people looking down at us. They¡¯ve clearly separated themselves into distinct groups, probably gangs. Some are laughing, some are pale in the face. I also notice a few of them rushing up the pyramid, eager to spread the news.

    ¡°If you don''t put a stop to all this screaming and whining, you will die.¡±

    It takes him a moment, but he does manage to shut himself up, clenching his teeth, as I notice the tears in his eyes. He is fairly young, barely twenty years old, and most of his items are barely in the realm of uncommon grade.

    [Shadow Whisperer - lvl 78]

    Myrra steps closer as well, towering over the young man whose heart begins to beat even faster.

    ¡°What are we asking him?¡± Myrra turns to me.

    ¡°Good question. What does Lissandra want here?¡±

    ¡°Something stashed away in the pyramid? The remains of a Champion? More information? Not like she will tell us.¡±

    ¡°That''s true.¡± I shake the young man, ¡°Who¡¯re the highest level people around? Who runs the place?¡±

    ¡°Champion Zey and his five disciples! They live at the top!¡± he manages to get out, and I notice that he¡¯s started to sway. It''s just a dislocated arm! Why¡¯s he being such a wuss about it?

    ¡°Someone pretending to be a Champion?¡± I ask Myrra.

    ¡°For sure.¡±

    ¡°He is not! He beat the Arch Serpent and saved us all those years ago! It''s him who controls all and gives us warmth so we can survive the night. It''s him who defends us against all the monst¡­¡±

    With a sigh, I let him go and push him to the ground with a weak burst of kinetic energy, sending him to the ground, where he smartly stays lying without any movement.

    Is he a possum or something?

    Then I use another burst to jump to the next platform, repeating the action twice more, Myrra following behind.

    So someone¡¯s probably found a way to control a few of the minor functions of the Veil Ignition Station, it¡¯s probably someone from before the war. Champion Zey, he seems to be calling himself, taking advantage of the title to cling to power. Almost like a cult leader.

    It''s a different style of governance from the Sanctuary, the Workshop, or even the Bastion, but it¡¯s not really surprising.

    Of course, there is the slim chance he turns out to be a real Champion, but I have a feeling Lissandra would have told us if that were the case.

    We finally reach a platform with buildings, I give them a glance. They¡¯re all wood and stone construction with some weird glue-like material to serve as the mortar. All of these buildings sharply contrast with the smooth metal of the pyramid.

    It makes for a rickety, ratted out mess, as we saw from the lower platforms. People walk around in old, tattered clothes. There are shops and craftsmen in some of the buildings, but none of them seem any better constructed for it.

    I guess the higher on the pyramid, the more powerful the people and the nicer the buildings we can expect to see.

    ¡°Fuck, these inscriptions are going to kill me, feral one,¡± Myrra complains, approaching me.

    ¡°They¡¯re fine.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you look like you¡¯re going to pass out? Look, your mana¡¯s leaking and you¡¯re bleeding all over the place!¡±

    ¡°Isn''t this much normal while training?¡±

    I do not get an answer, and her expression takes on a mix of amusement, pity, worry, and frustration. Her fluffy tail all but confirms it as it flits about in a confused manner.

    That''s when an item falls between me and Myrra. I sense it heading our way, but I¡¯m curious to see what it¡¯ll do.

    It turns out to be an orb the size of my fist, and it turns out to contain a decent amount of heat, not to mention that the container seems interesting on its own. The orb¡¯s been made from a thin glass-like material engraved with simple inscriptions. I wanna say that its rarity sits somewhere around uncommon? Maybe a step away from rare, but no higher than that.

    The surface starts to crack as I kneel down and poke it.

    The cracks grow wider, and one of the inscriptions starts to shine just a touch brighter, serving to release the concentrated heat in a single burst.

    To be honest, the whole setup is clumsy, nearly to the point I''m surprised that it seems to be working.

    More heat passes through the crack, and it expands, the inscriptions bursting into full activity as I grab the orb, leaning in close to examine it further.

    All of the heat contained inside is released at once, rushing to melt my face off along with a small area around me. It¡¯s a bit amateurish by my standards, the blast isn''t all that concentrated, and its simple release mechanism only serves to weaken the effect.

    I absorb the heat of the explosion and start spinning it around my head before absorbing it into my body, using it to fuel my passive and heal some of the wounds caused by my lapses in control.

    Lissandra''s inscriptions are truly evil. I¡¯ll just have to learn how to make and improve on them, maybe.

    Looking up, I catch a glimpse of Myrra, who¡¯s already reached our attacker while avoiding another orb. At this point, she merely breaks his neck and throws him into the distance.

    It must be nice to have such high natural physical stats.

    ¡°Want to catch some and gather information?¡± she asks as she nimbly lands next to me.

    Even though she complains about the inscriptions nonstop, she also seems to be doing well. However, she doesn¡¯t really have much choice now that Lissandra¡¯s decided to teach her. I''m sure that cockroach wouldn''t have bothered if Myrra wasn''t talented.

    ¡°Let''s just climb higher. If they attack, we kill them. If not, we leave them be. There doesn¡¯t seem to be much to learn here, we should probably head higher before trying to ask again. Catching that fake Champion and his ¡°disciples¡± are optional.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan, feral one. Let us head higher then. I¡¯m eager to find out what¡¯s inside and at the top.¡±

 Chapter 398 - Heading inside

    About a third of the way up the pyramid I signal Myrra to stop. Then, while keeping my mana in check, I send my senses out, probing the area around the Veil Ignition Station.

    I find my suspicions confirmed, the temperature out there is dropping rapidly. And not just the weather; no, the pyramid is absorbing heat at a scary rate, pulling in energy from a huge area. All that heat is being absorbed by the metal and sent somewhere inside, part of it radiating from the surface.

    The drop in temperature is so huge I¡¯m sure I would die out there without the use of my thermal energy, not just because of my stats either. I don¡¯t even think Myrra would have much of a chance. Especially seeing how effectively and hungrily the station devours any heat in the area.

    Myrra notices it as well. She herself has a taste for fire and ice based attacks, so I¡¯m sure she can sense that much.

    ¡°So that means the Ignition Station is at least partially functional,¡± she notes.

    "Seems like it."

    What really surprises me though is that we see a group of about 100 people at the bottom of the pyramid putting on something like a space suit with a number of mana stones connected to them. I can¡¯t exactly puzzle out what purpose they¡¯re meant to serve from up here, but my best guess is that they serve as insulation against the extreme elements outside.

    These weirdos are planning to head out.

    Most of them are carrying a number of big baskets, while others are left to pull even bigger ones, connected to ropes.

    Myrra and I take a break to watch them work. After a few minutes of preparation, they head out into the darkened field before the pyramid. They walk quickly, and when they get far enough out, they take out tools and start scraping frost from the metallic surface surrounding the pyramid.

    They then proceed to throw the resulting clumps of frost into the baskets behind them, and once one place is cleared, they move on.

    That begs the question though, is this where they get their water?

    As I look around, I keep finding more and more groups like that, spread all around the pyramid, each crew containing at least a hundred people who work quickly to harvest the ice.

    Once in a while, one of them starts panicking, touching the suit he is wearing. It seems like it must have taken some sort of damage. Maybe a broken mana stone, damaged suit, anything.

    At which point it only takes a few seconds for that man or woman to die, their bodies ignored by the others. Left behind to be collected the next day, if only to recover a suit that could still be repaired or the items the person in question happened to have on them.

    ¡°They don¡¯t drink the water from the area, and there isn¡¯t any source in the pyramid, so this is probably the best method they have,¡± Lissandra says, appearing out of nowhere, also looking down at these groups of people.

    ¡°Don¡¯t they have people with skills that could help with that?¡± Myrra asks. It¡¯s a naive question.

    ¡°People like that tend to be grabbed by the ruling factions and used as a means of control,¡± I explain.

    ¡°Such childish games,¡± Lissandra chuffs, probing Myrra and me with her senses before nodding in an affirmative manner. ¡°We¡¯re splitting up again. Pup, you¡¯re heading into the pyramid. Kitten, you¡¯re going to the top. Do whatever you want, and we¡¯ll meet here in 24 hours.¡±

    For a moment, it almost looks like I¡¯m getting some time off. Time I would, of course, use to train. But Lissandra doesn¡¯t disappoint as she turns to me and grabs the bits of mana my body is leaking.

    She forms a small orb out of that mana and makes it float over my shoulder, ¡°Keep that orb from breaking down for the next 24 hours. If you use too much mana, it will burst. If you use too little, it will disappear. The amount required to maintain it will change over time.¡±

    Of course, it will. I don¡¯t respond, already turning my attention to the orb. Right away, the orb almost bursts, and then while I lower my mana, it almost disappears as the requirements change.

    A few seconds later, they change again, and then a minute later it happens again. There is no rhythm or consistency; the changes seem to come at random. Sometimes it happens after half a second, sometimes it takes a full minute. Even then, the constant and unique changes make the experience far from simple.

    What an evil thing. How do I make one?

    At least Lissandra did have just enough common sense to weaken the inscriptions on my body, just a bit, the added disruptions to my mana easing off a bit. Of course, they¡¯re not entirely silent either. The amount has been perfectly calculated to leave me just capable enough to do anything else.

    Myrra also gets a similar task, and then both women disappear on their way, leaving me on my own as I try to grasp the orb and stop it from bursting open. It takes ten minutes before I¡¯m used to it to the point I can use kinetic energy to force my body to move.

    For a moment, I almost feel like just sitting down and laughing. I need to use kinetic energy to move, I need to take care of the orb, and I need to take care of my mana which is constantly being disrupted.

    What amuses me is that I¡¯m not even that angry. I¡¯m caught up in the sheer humor and absurdity of my situation while I can barely walk like a drunkard.

    I could probably use my domain or crown to make it easier, but that would ruin the point of training. So I continue with some more normal methods.

    It¡¯s in this state, that I walk through the platform, terrace, whatever it¡¯s called, and head towards the skeletal remains of the snake. It takes me a while, and as I make my way over, I¡¯m already growing used to it.

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    Of course, five men stop me just as I get to some of the more broken parts of the pyramid and the huge bones.

    They stare at me, I stare at them. No one says anything until a man with a level of around 200 smirks, his eyes shining a bit, most likely a trait.

    All five of them attack me at once, their similar lightning based attacks working together, as they link through the man with the highest level.

    Not knowing what would happen to the orb Lissandra left to me if I used [Tether], I use [Resonance], and the attack dissolves into nothing just as it¡¯s about to reach me.

    I boost my body closer to them with an external application of kinetic energy, and the air resonates, letting out a high pitch as I get within effective reach.

    Two men die immediately, their heads exploding as a result of their terrible defenses.

    The third one shoots a lightning burst at me which I block with a barrier. I immediately reform it into a spike that pierces through his heart, destroying his shield as it takes form.

    The fourth one starts running, my mana projectile piercing his knee before lashing its way through the back of his neck.

    The leader charges me with lightning surrounding his body, short bursts of lightning shooting towards me in quick succession.

    Just for a moment, my eyes activate, and then I disrupt his armor, and he staggers, surprised. Even so, he lifts his arms to protect his head, and the armor starts to reform. But not in time.

    A spear made of mana pierces his chest, and the wound starts healing thanks to some kind of regeneration skill he seems to have, so I change the spear¡¯s shape, tearing his chest apart from the inside.

    When he falls down dead, I take some time to calm my mana and the orb that changes frequencies multiple times in three seconds. Then, moving my body with kinetic energy, I kneel down in front of the man and send my senses towards his eyes, examining his traits.

    Like me, he does have some inscriptions, but most of them are too detailed to get any useful information They work a bit differently in the body than they do in weapons.

    I noticed a long time ago that traits just tend to be that way. And I¡¯m sure the system¡¯s doing everything it can to make it much more difficult to obtain traits. It would also be possible for me to emulate Min-Jae and my minion in this matter, but even then, the traits were far weaker than the original.

    It would be nice if I could steal traits in a similar way sometime in the future, but if it was that simple, everyone would be doing it. There must be some sort of trick up the system¡¯s sleeve.

    So, taking my time, I pull out one of the eyes and check the connections and nerves, and at some point, I cleanly cut it in half, examining it visually from the inside.

    There are a thing or two I notice but nothing too interesting. The trait also seems to be much weaker than my eyes, so in the end, I just give up and let go.

    I clean my hands on the man¡¯s clothes and stand up, quickly checking their pockets for goodies. And of course, I take a few small mana stones, along with some pieces of metal and bone that I failed to identify, before continuing on my way towards the skeletal remains.

    <hr>

    I find more on the other side of the pyramid than the skeletal remains of a huge monster though it wasn¡¯t really all that visible from afar there is still some flesh remaining. And I do find it interesting that the bones suck in the heat from the pyramid seem to be allowing that energy to flow through them.

    After ten minutes of watching people work, I come to the conclusion that that¡¯s part of what allows all these people to carve out the flesh and scrape the bones for materials, shaving them into some kind of bony dust.

    It seems like they also waited for the night. I know I didn¡¯t see them during the day. They wait for the pyramid to absorb heat, some of that heat is absorbed by the bones and warms them up, boiling hot in some places. Which, in exchange, allows them to scrape the bones of a very high-level being and separate out some tiny pieces of its flesh.

    It probably represents the work of generations among these people.

    So fascinating. Generations of people over hundreds of years. Thousands of people eating the flesh of the same monster. Trying to come up with ways to use the bones and the other parts. Coming up with ways to get more out of it.

    It¡¯s something I would never see if I was on Earth. Something I would never even think of. Yet here it is, thousands of people crawling over that humongous corpse just to dine on the scraps.

    I could sit and watch this for hours, but I have to remind myself what I¡¯m here for.

    Before entering the pyramid through the hole in the side, I take out my voidsteel blade and use [Resonance] to make it even sharper. Then I carve out a few pieces of bone, which I stash neatly away.

    Lily can check it out for me later. Our project to make my bones stronger and improve my mana conductivity seems to be going well.

    Now that I think about it, it might be weird for me to keep giving her pieces of bones, not to mention the human remains, she is a teenage girl after all, but I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t mind.

    A few people shout at me and others even throw some attacks my way, but I ignore them mostly, only blocking the ones with a chance of connecting. Then I slide through a hole in the wall and into the pyramid.

    The hallway I find myself in is extremely smooth, and there are no inscriptions anywhere to be seen. There aren¡¯t even any lights. More than a hallway, it looks like a vent to channel heat through. I even have to lower my head a bit as I enter.

    In front of me, I create a single thermal orb that lets out soft yellow light.

    Once again, I pause to concentrate on the mana orb which is in the process of changing its parameters multiple times, each worse than the last.

    Once it calms down, I continue on, feeling the warmth from the walls now even more than before. Soon enough, I might find myself being forced to fight against that heat; it¡¯s getting a lot warmer really fast.

    It takes me five minutes to find a way through, but I do eventually find the entrance to a much bigger one, and I increase the size of the orb.

    The light falls upon the smooth surfaces of the tunnel. It¡¯s hot here and very quiet. My only light comes from the orb, the pyramid has, thus far, proved itself devoid of any other sources of light. As always when I find myself in a place like this, I feel my excitement spike, the experience further enhanced by the fact I¡¯m alone.

    It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve truly had an opportunity like this. I¡¯ve had my Minion, Duplicaniel, and the tournament, with its abundance of people to get in my way. And after that, I wound up with Lissandra and Myrra. I think I¡¯ve been handling things well, and if need be, I¡¯m perfectly capable of dealing with it.

    But now, I''m on my own, exploring this place that once served as a channel for the traits and skills of a Champion. I find myself feeling quite pleased with the situation.

    Yes, I think pleased is just the word for it.

    As I head deeper into the pyramid, I ignore the fact that not one of the natives tried to follow me in.

 Chapter 399 - Heat

    One hour into my explorations and I¡¯m starting to find that the deeper I go the hotter things become. At this point, I¡¯ve begun to notice inscriptions buried within the huge plates of metal this place has been made of. They run through the entire structure of the pyramid, absorbing the heat from outside and sending it further inside.

    So of course, I use my thermal energy to track where it¡¯s heading.

    Sometimes I have to backtrack when I reach the end of a tunnel, but so far things are going well and my steps continue to echo as I walk through the metal channels.

    I really wanna know what kind of metal this place is made of. I take the opportunity to touch the walls with my damaged arcane ax just to see what happens.

    Nothing too amazing, as it turns out, though when I use the ax, I find it easier to absorb the heat. Maybe the composition is similar, maybe it''s an effect of the ax or maybe it¡¯s a similar alloy.

    I eventually find tunnels meant for humans to pass through, rather than continuing through the heat pumps.

    Not knowing how to get there, I focus on the thinnest part of the wall and channel a significant amount of my mana, combined with absorbed thermal energy, into a laser-like stream. This concentrated beam cuts a small hole for me, though it depletes a good chunk of my mana.

    The new tunnels I enter aren''t much different from the ones I just left. They are just a bit colder and sometimes there are working lights and more inscriptions. And so my journey continues.

    I¡¯m using a bit of kinetic energy to power my body just so I can move, and my [Focus], not to regulate my emotions but to deal with my disrupted mana and that evil orb over my shoulder.

    I think I have already grasped how the orb works, so I should be able to mimic it in the future and create it on my own. Maybe I can even create a few for increased difficulty. Just the thought of that sends shivers down my back and I once again remind myself that I''m the most normal one. The others in group 4 are worse.

    Within five hours I start getting bored of the never-changing walls and twisted tunnels and having to retrace my steps, so I''m happy when I finally find a room.

    The door is obstructed by a dozen or so corpses each one wearing some sort of suit not unlike the ones the natives were using to scrape frost outside. However, these seem tailored to deal with the heat.

    I can see that from the inscriptions placed on the multitude of mana stones each suit contains. There¡¯s even some kind of weird dust coating the surface of the suit, which I recognize as the powder being painstakingly scraped from the bones of the dead serpent.

    Each of these people is totally dried up, their skin shriveled, and burned. It''s difficult to even describe properly. They must have been here for quite some time.

    What seems interesting is that the heat here isn''t that terrible. I don¡¯t even need all that much thermal energy to deal with it. Plus, my physical stats couldn''t be much higher than theirs, heck they¡¯re probably lower in some cases assuming they were close to 200.

    Does that mean that the heat is going to increase at some point, is that what killed them? I note that down for further observation and decide to keep an eye on it. Then I examine the door they tried to open, some tools have been left lying on the ground. Most of them have been scorched if not straight-up melted so not anything useful for me to loot, so I turn to examine the door instead.

    The surface is smooth like the walls, only differentiated by the slightly darker color of the circular door, inscriptions have been carved into its center, and I can sense the way they continue under the surface.

    Well, this is certainly going to be fun.

    I continue to juggle Lissandra¡¯s training while turning part of my mind to the lock itself.

    In the end, it takes me two hours to figure out how the locking mechanism works. However, after that, it only takes me five minutes to unlock it with a combination of thermal energy and [Resonance].

    [Resonance - lvl 48 > Resonance - lvl 49]

    The circular door moves backward, sliding away from me before slowly rolling to the side, and admitting me to the room. There, I find even more corpses, men and women in the same suits as the ones outside. All of them are close to the door, and some of them have clearly damaged their hands.

    Did they get trapped inside? Were the people outside trying to get them out or were they trying to escape the heat?

    Some of the corpses inside are also clearly damaged, parts of their suits have been burned, often leaving the bodies missing limbs.

    But soon enough the ones responsible reveal themselves.

    [Ashen Phantom - lvl 150]

    [Ashen Phantom - lvl 101]

    [Ashen Phantom - lvl 123]

    They¡¯re an ashen shade of gray and built like goblins, though the Ashen Phantoms seem to be sneakier.

    I can sense that as heat concentrates in one place, they tend to appear there, using it much like a [Tether]. The moment they appear the heat in the room drops, all of it channeled through the monsters who start burning hotter before wordlessly charging me.

    Curious, I shoot a mana projectile at one of them, only to have it blocked by a blast of heat. Then, while protecting the evil mana orb, I use [Redistribution] to try to absorb heat from them.

    It works surprisingly well, there¡¯s almost no resistance as I steal all the heat they just absorbed and once I decide to push more even the heat they did have slips away.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Before they even reach me, they are cold, their ashen skin growing sickly, as their movements slow.

    As a test, I throw a gout of yellow flames at them, but the monsters just absorb them, becoming lively again and forcing me to jump back a few times to dodge their attacks. Then instead I concentrate my flames more and a golden aura envelops them.

    [You have defeated Ashen Phantoms - lvl 123]

    [You have defeated Ashen Phantoms - lvl 150]

    [You have defeated Ashen Phantoms - lvl 101]

    They die right away. Surprisingly easy.

    When I move closer to their bodies, they are already turning to ash that keeps burning with small golden flames of my primordial energy.

    Am I really that hard a counter for them? I would have expected them to handle the heat better, but this? There was barely any resistance.

    I kick one of the bones and it dissolves into a small pool of ash. Then I use a blast of kinetic energy to destroy all that remains. Everything with Phantom in their name shall be destroyed.

    Instead of bothering with them longer, I examine the room and unfortunately, it seems to be empty, already looted who knows how long ago.

    Done there, I leave it and head deeper into the pyramid, following the heat.

    <hr>

    Over the next two hours, I find multiple groups of natives, all of them dressed in the same weird suits. Sometimes they¡¯re near a set of rooms, other times I find them in the middle of a hallway. All of them are very dead and none have anything valuable enough to loot.

    After that, I don''t find any more. Either they avoid these parts of the pyramid or they aren¡¯t able to go that deep.

    At this point, I''m forced to use [Redistribution] and thermal energy to deal with the heat. Even so, I can feel my clothes sticking to my body as sweat drips from my brow. It¡¯s at this point that I activate [Mana Crown] to help me handle the training while I feed it bits of my mana.

    After activating it, it becomes much more manageable to do all these things at once and the heat becomes bearable as I stop holding myself back.

    I''m attacked a few dozen times as I continue on my way. All assaults launched by Ashen Phantoms who just appear from points of heat they¡¯ve focused into a small point. I can¡¯t really complain much given that it doesn¡¯t take much to kill them.

    The deeper I go, the higher level they are, and they''re already pushing level 200.

    I had expected to be much deeper by now but all these twists and dead ends do a good job of wasting my time. Even the inscriptions and the way they funnel heat seems to have been designed to trick me.

    <hr>

    Two hours later, and I experience what probably killed the first group I met.

    Immense heat fills the tunnel out of nowhere. Rushing from somewhere near the center of the pyramid rolling like a wave through the hallway. It crashes into me, burning the ends of my hair and singeing my skin in the process. The air becomes dry and the tunnels brighten, the heat causing them to shimmer like the northern lights.

    I''m forced to stop and concentrate on dealing with the sudden assault, both [Redistribution] and my thermal energy working double time. My body becomes so filled with heat that I heal at the same speed I''m getting burned.

    When I try to counter it with barriers made of mana or my domain, I find the result so ineffective that I decide to continue with thermal energy.

    That''s also when the monster attacks.

    [Heatseeker - lvl ??]

    At least level 290 from my estimation.

    It''s barely as tall as me, but it is much longer. Of all of the animals I¡¯ve seen it reminds me most of a centipede, though its face is more humanoid. It moves through the heat, skittering along with a series of quick, twitchy movements.

    And when it notices me, it pauses for a second before its movements speed up and it starts absorbing the heat that currently fills the tunnel. Huge concentrations of the captured energy dancing across the monster''s flayed form.

    The Heatseeker charges me, its humanoid mouth opening and launching gouts of flame at me.

    Freed from the burden of the formerly blistering heat of the hallway, I grab a chunk of thermal energy from my Vortex Core and concentrate it even further.

    My golden flames meet those of the monster.

    It''s not even a fight. My flames pierce through, enveloping the monster and setting it ablaze in a wreath of golden flames that spreads across its body in the blink of an eye. The humanoid face of the centipede-like monster twists in pain, its flesh burning and twitching and spasming until it finally expires.

    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 291]

    The heat then starts filling the hallways once again, forcing me to fight its influence once more and it only takes another minute before it recedes once more.

    As it slowly weakens and the temperature returns to previous levels, I almost feel cold despite the actual temperature.

    After examining the corpse, I ignore the heat hallways I wanted to head to. Leaving them in favor of the tunnels the heat wave and Heatseeker came from.

    Why are the monsters here so weak against thermal energy?

    <hr>

    At some point, I find more and more burns on my body as my concentration begins to fail. Even so, I continue.

    All the water I had on me has already evaporated and I eat what food I have on me.

    At times I catch myself wanting to just sleep, but I push these silly thoughts away.

    It would be easy to return, but I just don''t feel like it.

    <hr>

    Hours later, and I finally find another door. It¡¯s circular as well but the inscriptions cover the entire surface. The heat here is higher than it¡¯s been anywhere else. Rivaling the heat wave from before.

    The 24 hours Lissandra gave us to explore the pyramid and meet her passed a few hours ago.

    Ah well, sucks to be her.

    I reach into my body and remove the inscriptions she placed on me. With the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions gone, I can move without having to use kinetic energy and my mana feels so tame, it''s crazy.

    Then I look at the orb over my shoulder. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve managed to keep that evil thing alive for so long.

    I send a burst of mana through it and in a deep moment of satisfaction, watch it burst open.

    The heat around me becomes barely a nuisance as I give it that much more attention.

    I turn to the inscriptions on the door and start working on them.

    Let''s see what this place is hiding.

 Chapter 400 - Living quarters

    While I work on the door, the heatwave hits three more times, forcing me to focus on defending myself until it passes. And once it''s gone, the ¡°code¡± changes and I have to start over again.

    With each attempt I make, I am getting quicker at it, so it''s only a matter of time before I unlock it before the next heatwave.

    What''s nice is that during the heatwave, more Heatseekers start appearing, and the centipede-like creatures with human faces continue to fall to my concentrated thermal energy. I even fight some of them without it to better gauge their strength, and I find that it''s entirely possible to defeat them without thermal energy.

    My voidsteel blade actually cuts through them quite easily even without support from my skills. The only disadvantage is that it''s getting just a tiny bit damaged. It would probably require me to kill hundreds of Heatseekers to destroy it, but the damage is there. Not like it doesn¡¯t make sense; these monsters are all close to 300, but none of them have broken that particular threshold.

    I level up once during that time, and my crown gains a level as well.

    The crown is currently active, and filling with my mana. There is also an orb made of thermal energy filling as well.

    I thought of just either filling the crown or the orb, but in the end, I decided to split my resources between the two of them. I always liked to be versatile.

    When I finally unlock the door, it slides back and rolls to the side like the one before. After I pass through, it closes behind me, and I watch it happen. I don¡¯t even create an anchor outside.

    Being on my own has a bad influence on me. Maybe present Nathaniel messed up in his own way.

    I will rely on you, future Nathaniel, to deal with the consequences. It''s all for our Pride, and I appreciate your service.

    Noname - Seems like I won¡¯t be using Community that much. I need to focus on other things.

    Reliable Tess reacts quickly; she, like most of us, has been constantly checking the chat, for seconds at a time.

    Sset - Got it. Good luck.

    Noname - Luck doesn¡¯t have anything to do with it.

    I turn off the Community and then stop and stretch. My body feels so light and warm. I even notice that I¡¯ve been subconsciously using bits of kinetic energy to add power to my movements. However messed up Lissandra might be, her training methods do work.

    Fulfilling my expectations, a few Ashborn Phantoms attack, only for me to kill them one after the other. Dozens of them throw themselves at me while the heat in the room I just entered gradually increases.

    Soon enough, another heatwave hits, and with it, three more Heatseekers, each one bigger than the last and each one has three question marks but they¡¯re probably no higher than level 299.

    Thermal energy flows from my Vortex Core, and through my arm, as I use [Infusion] to fill my ax, the damaged blade of the weapon glowing with my golden flames. Kinetic energy flows through my body, giving me a comfortable feeling mana strengthening never did.

    The first Heatseeker attacks me while the other two start absorbing the heat from the room, channeling it into the flames they use to attack me. And despite their strength, they can¡¯t seem to damage the metal the pyramid is made of.

    So far only my thermal energy seems to be capable of that.

    I miss my first few shots at the Heatseekers, the monsters are quick and twitchy, but I use the golden orb over my shoulder, and fire a laser thin stream of thermal energy easily cutting into the monster.

    Newly slowed, the monster fails to avoid me, and a single swing of my ax sends thermal energy coursing through the monster, burning it even surrounded by this crazy heat.

    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]

    I hold Flamebearer in front of me, absorbing the monsters¡¯ flames, and though they dance around me they fail to reach my body.

    The sound of them passing through the air reminds me of a plane starting, and once I¡¯ve gathered enough energy, I stop absorbing and swing, adding a bit of my own thermal energy into the mix.

    A huge wave of flames explodes from me filling the room, bits of golden flames dancing within the monsters¡¯ yellow, and devouring the Heatseekers, reducing them to ash in the process.

    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]

    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]

    [Infusion - lvl 30 > Infusion - lvl 31]

    With the monsters gone, the heatwave disappears as well, the room cooling off, as the residual heat is absorbed by metallic walls.

    The light dims again, plunging the room into a nearly pitch black darkness. The only source of light is my thermal orb and the walls, though it¡¯s not much. Even though it¡¯s made of metal it looks like a flame has somehow been trapped inside it, letting out the faintest orange glow.

    I take a moment to examine what I thought was a room, but in the end, I identify it as another tunnel that was blocked off by the door.

    It is mildly disappointing, but I don¡¯t mind it that much, opting to head deeper inside.

    <hr>

    After two days of wandering around and killing any monsters I see, I¡¯ve gained another level. Bringing me up to level 248.

    My skills leveled up a bit as well, leaving me with this:

    Active skills:

    Focus - Lvl 49

    Perception - Lvl 48

    Redistribution - Lvl 48

    Resonance - Lvl 49

    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 43

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    Tether - Lvl 36

    Infusion - Lvl 32

    Mana Crown - Lvl 28

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 49

    Oh, and I strengthened my domain with Pride, using the point I was given when I reached Adept in my subclass.

    After thinking about it for the past few days, I just decided to go with the option that makes the most sense instead of just going with my most commonly used skills. From my point of view, it just seems like my domain is the most fitting place to invest it.

    I¡¯ve started testing things out, and my domain has been strengthened significantly. Not so much its size, but its quality has definitely improved. It¡¯s gotten a lot easier to make my mana do what I want within its bounds, but that¡¯s not what I was aiming for. My theory is that it will be much more difficult for anyone to take control of my mana or disrupt it with my domain activated. It just feels like my Pride won¡¯t allow it.

    Of course, it¡¯s still going to be possible for monsters like Lissandra and others much stronger than me, but as with a lot of things I do, I had the future in mind when I did it.

    I¡¯ve also decided to avoid letting it blind me and impede my growth as the black mana did.

    Even so, I still think it could maybe have been better to use with my other skills.

    [Mana Manipulation]? To give it an effect like my domain without having to activate it. Maybe applying it to [Mana Crown] would have improved my control or offered something better. And I think about it[Redistribution] also sounds like it could work nicely with Pride.

    I¡¯ll probably be having these thoughts for a long time, but I still think I¡¯ve chosen well. Even if it might not be the best option currently, it will influence my future options for my primary class and passives. The system always says rewards are offered according to my performance, so it knows how I use my skills and chooses rewards accordingly. I could spend an endless amount of time theorizing, so I may as well put a pin in it. I have something more interesting to deal with now.

    I have found the loot.

    The owner of the pyramid didn¡¯t even try all that hard to hide it. Just a few traps, one of which cut off my left arm and removed my feet below the ankle.

    Another trap with spikes that I couldn¡¯t detect piercing through my side.

    Another one that tried to fry my brain with some kind of mental attack. Though, I still regret destroying it to stop the attack, rendering it impossible to examine.

    And a few more lost limbs and a day or something later, I have reached a truly beautiful place.

    Living quarters.

    As with everything in this goddamn pyramid, it is huge. Like a skyscraper plopped down in the middle of the pyramid, It seems out of place, surrounded by all this metal, but this place is shielded, and the heat is much lower there.

    There are no elevators and only stairs, but I quickly locate the core. A pillar made of white crystal somewhere in the middle of the living quarters. Well, not just living quarters. There are workshops here as well, from what I saw as I was passing by.

    So I reach the core, and using my [Resonance], [Infusion], [Mana Manipulation], even [Mana Domain], and my Mana Wavelength Iris, I easily activate it.

    It takes an hour, and I blame it more on my lack of sleep rather than the amazing defenses or difficulty of the task.

    Connecting to my crown, I redirect a part of my mana to the core, and it floods it with shiny light blue particles of mana. The lights dance inside nicely, and then it takes two more hours for me to take over the controls and light up the place.

    One after another, the lights in the walls start glowing and after days in the dimly lit tunnels, it feels nearly alien. Cozy, but alien nonetheless.

    I glance at my left arm which is still missing a hand. It will regrow soon, but it¡¯s annoying because I can¡¯t use a mana prosthesis properly; the hand keeps growing and interfering with it. Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s anything new to me.

    I take a huge chunk of my mana and use [Perception] and [Focus] to get as much out of it as possible. I send a pulse through the living quarters like a sonar wave, trying to locate anything interesting.

    [Perception - lvl 48 > Perception - lvl 49]

    Huh.

    I did have to get a few of my skills to level 50, didn¡¯t I? The cockroach threatened to kill me if I didn¡¯t.

    Instead of bothering with more useless stuff, I create an orb over my shoulder. It¡¯s an imitation of that evil orb Lissandra made for me before. Mine¡¯s still not perfect, but it¡¯s good enough to train.

    Since I don¡¯t have to deal with the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions, disrupting mana and heat, I create another evil orb and head to the lowest part of the place while training. I have sensed some nice stuff down there.

    On my way there, I stop in front of a room with expensive-looking doors. They¡¯re made out of some weird wood and delicately inscribed. In fact, some of these inscriptions are only there to make them look nicer.

    With a blast of kinetic energy, I turn them into mere scraps of wood. Their defenses were inert, my mana in the core supporting the most important functions of this place.

    I enter a room that seems to be really luxurious. One of the huge windows even offers a view of what probably used to be a huge garden. Now it''s dried up, and the trees have been reduced to giant hunks of dry wood.

    There are layers of dust everywhere, but it''s still been well preserved. There isn''t much humidity in the pyramid, so I guess it makes sense.

    First, I reach a small stand where drinking glasses sit under a few faucets. I send a bit more mana to the core through my [Tether] I left there and then reactivate the inscriptions directly, bypassing the broken mana stone.

    A hissing sound pours from the pipes for the next thirty seconds, before being replaced by a quiet bubbling. A stream of dirty water shoots from the pipes, and it takes another thirty seconds for it to clear up and correct the flow. I use it to wash off one of the glasses and then fill it. Without much hesitation, I drink the entire glass in one go.

    Disgusting.

    I fill another one and drink it as well. Then a few more. The longer the water flows, the better it tastes. That, or it''s already killing my taste buds. Both options are fine with me.

    I stop the water and then head to another room, which is entirely made out of white polished stone, with hundreds of holes in the ceiling.

    The clothes I''m wearing end up on the ground, and for a moment, I look at them. Then I burn them in the golden flame of my thermal energy until nothing remains.

    The room turns out to be a shower, as I had expected. At first, dirty, disgusting water pours down, again as was expected. It takes a minute of me standing under it before the water flows properly or clearly.

    There doesn''t seem to be any soap or Old Spice shower gel, so I just stand there for a few minutes until I feel cleaner. All the dirt and sweat I¡¯ve collected ever since the start of this little adventure with the little kitten and cockroach are washed away. The experience leaves me feeling much lighter.

    After that, I spend a good ten minutes choosing new clothes in the small room I find nearby. There are dozens of articles, and most of them are in a good state. Only clothes made of certain materials seem to have been ravaged by the passage of time.

    Using the mirror I wipe clean with one of the shirts while inspecting my reflection.

    Black shirt with rolled-up sleeves. I really like the material. The pants are light brown and feel nice as well. The shoes do not fit me at all, so I go barefoot. I¡¯ve gotten used to the experience since the tutorial started. Some shoes just can''t handle too much explosive movement, so it makes sense.

    Maybe I could open a shoe shop for superhumans when I get back to Earth. I bet a lot of people will need them.

    In the end, I also use [Resonance] to trim my hair and ¡°shave¡± the stubble from my face.

    I loot the place as well, taking interesting mana stones from appliances and a few stones from the walls. I fill a few bottles I found with water and pick up some replacement clothes as well.

    Only then do I head to the bottom of this place.

    If I''m right, it''s where the armory is.

 Chapter 401 - I will come to see you

    The door into the armory is extremely thick, and the door leads to an unassuming hallway that opens into a wide room.

    Of course, I was smart enough not to power up this section, so the only defense I need to worry about is the door.

    While I think of it, I add another evil mana orb so I don¡¯t become lazy, and when I feel blood dripping from my nose, I send thermal energy through my body to deal with it.

    Unsure how to deal with the door, I take thermal energy from my core and concentrate it into a thin laser stream which I focus on the metal surface of the door. Gradually, I increase the quality of that stream as it begins to glow with a brilliant golden light, biting into the metal as the heat spreads through the surface. In an effort to speed the process along I absorb any stray heat and reincorporate it into the main stream, tightening the beam¡¯s focus as I go.

    It takes a good minute until I feel it break through and lance into the room as the resistance of the materials gives way, so I start moving it to the side.

    After a minute, I pause, an interesting thought taking hold of my mind.

    Is my laser cutting through the items inside?

    Shouldn¡¯t I have thought of that sooner?

    Could I create another evil orb?

    Liss is going to be pissed off, isn¡¯t she?

    Whatever. I just raise myself into the air and start shooting at an angle, directing my line of fire toward the ground.

    After a few seconds, I stop again and sigh. The thin stream of thermal energy disappears, and I send my mana through the thin cut I made and place an anchor inside, which I use to teleport inside before recreating my evil orbs. The crown and my thermal orb, nicely filled, now teleport with me even at the higher cost of mana.

    The armory lights up in the golden light of my orb, revealing rows of weapons hanging on the walls. Surprisingly, there aren''t that many of them here, only about ten or so.

    When I send my senses further, I notice a few dozen more on the other side of the armory, though they tend to be on the lower end of quality. Rare at best, both weapons and armor. The ones surrounding me now are all epic grades.

    First, I examine the one that seems to be damaged. A shield with a smooth line carved into it. Around which the metal of the shield seems to have been melted. Almost as if someone...

    Oh.

    Unlucky.

    Frostguard Shield (mid Epic, damaged) - A shield imbued with the essence of eternal ice. When activated, it can project a barrier of freezing cold air that slows down incoming attacks and chills enemies upon contact. This shield can also create a field of icy terrain centered around the user.

    Hehe, it¡¯s a shame it wasn¡¯t activated.

    Damn it.

    What catches my interest is the reference to the essence of eternal ice. I think I remember an item that had been imbued with the essence of eternal wind. I wonder if it¡¯s something I should know about. Maybe I¡¯ll find out sometime in the future.

    One after another, I examine these ten items. Three of them are of upper epic rarity, three of mid rarity, one of which is a mysteriously damaged shield, and four of low epic rarity. One after another, I also sell nine of them for close to 7 thousand shards. None of these items are attractive enough for me to even try learning anything from.

    Once again I¡¯ve found myself in a place I probably shouldn¡¯t have reached. The system is really sloppy at times.

    I spend the next thirty minutes going through the remaining items and examining their effects, searching for new ideas in the variety of weapons I¡¯ve claimed.

    For example, in between the epic items I sold, there was:

    Basilisk Fang Whip (mid Epic) - A whip crafted from the fang of a basilisk, imbued with its petrifying venom. Strikes from the Basilisk Fang Whip can temporarily turn flesh to stone, immobilizing enemies. It can also be used to create stone barriers by striking the ground.

    The item sounded cool. Not that it really fits my fighting style, but it was nice to learn that beings like the Basilisk exist, doubly so given that their venom can apparently turn you into stone.

    Then there was another thing that caught my eye:

    Void Lantern (upper Epic) - A lantern that contains a fragment of the void, emitting a light that can pierce through illusions and invisibility. The Void Lantern also has the ability to nullify weaker spells cast within its light, making it a powerful tool against magic users.

    I had thought about keeping it, but in the end, I decided against it. I have my eyes and I have [Perception] and I wouldn¡¯t want to rely on an item for this. And I have [Resonance] if I need to disrupt the mana in an area.

    Of course, I activated it a few times just to look over the effect, but in the end, I felt that it would be incompatible with my skills if not weaker overall. But now I know there is void primordial energy, and seeing this lantern, that energy might be a good means of disrupting and against magic users.

    That¡¯s why I go through descriptions of any item I see, even rare and uncommon. Because I¡¯m a curious person and you never know what might be useful to have. It¡¯s just something I like to do.

    But in the end, I sell all of the common and uncommon items I¡¯ve found, which nets me another a bit over 4 thousand shards.

    Maybe I really shouldn¡¯t be able to reach this place. It can¡¯t be that easy to make shards, right?

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    By the time I leave, my total sits at 153,488

    I do have one item that I didn''t sell though.

    Astral Projection Amulet (upper Epic) - This amulet allows the wearer to project their senses out of their body, exploring the world as an ethereal entity. The projected form is invisible and intangible, perfect for reconnaissance.

    <hr>

    I jump from room to room and visit a few workshops along the way, and as I do, I sell anything that¡¯s not nailed down.

    Some clothes for 1 shard? Sold.

    A few mana stones for 5 shards? Sold.

    The entire building? Impossible to sell, unfortunately.

    My minion would be proud.

    When I''m done, I examine a few workshops and pocket a few mana stones inscribed with information and experimental data. Something to play with when I have a bit more time and energy.

    Lastly, I lock myself in the safest-looking place. Something akin to a panic room with thick walls made of laminated plates of various materials. Surprisingly, there is still some food available which seems like it was made to last. It¡¯s a bit weird tasting, as one might expect of the calorie-dense bars that I still eat regardless, and drinking plenty of water to wash them down. I even store some for later.

    Then, once I¡¯ve locked myself inside, I pull out the amulet and activate it.

    My mind separates from my body as It slips into some kind of invisible ghost-like form. The world loses some of its color, and I can feel the ways my senses are restricted now. I can only see and hear. Even so, it¡¯s amazing, and I look at the body of the man resting against the wall with crumbs of food soiling his shirt.

    Damn, that poor guy might need some sleep.

    I move closer and try to slap him, but my hand passes through, so instead, I fly through the walls. It¡¯s an unnerving feeling, but I¡¯ll just have to get used to it.

    Firstly, I start moving in a direction, seeking the exact center of the pyramid. A place whose location I found in the core of the living quarters.

    My movement is quick, and no heat or monster will stop me, as I fly directly through the walls.

    When I reach it, it¡¯s a huge room supported by dozens of pillars. Even though there are so many of them, they seem dwarfed by the space between them. Most of the floor is covered in molten metal, continuing to bubble and shine like an exposed lava bed.

    There is no center to it. No special location. The entire place seems more like the core of a planet, its pillars and walls covered in metal that constantly melts and reforms, creating simple inscriptions.

    All of the heat is directed and absorbed here. To the center of a monolith, erected in the caldera of a long dead volcano whose heat was once harnessed in the form of mana by a Champion.

    And there is something else.

    A being swimming in the molten metal and sending ripples through as it passes by.

    I can''t sense more in this state, but I already have a suspicion about what awaits me beyond that being. Somewhere deep below the surface.

    Sending the projection away, I head straight towards the top of the pyramid, moving at the highest speed possible.

    Let''s see what cockroach is getting up to. She is surprisingly quiet lately. Part of me expected her to pull me out of the pyramid by my ear.

    As I exit the pyramid, the projection becomes weaker, and the quality of the image begins to suffer, but not much later, I locate the top.

    The tip of the pyramid is hollow, like a building unto itself. There are even trees planted in the dirt that probably had to be brought here and meticulously watered. Flying in, I find luxurious rooms with vibrant carpets on the floors, paintings on the walls, and a lot of gold. It¡¯s so unfitting, it¡¯s crazy.

    I also find the man who declared himself a Champion, Zey I believe his name was. Near him lie five more bodies, probably his disciples. All of them are fairly well dead.

    A bit further, I find Lissandra and Myrra. Both of them are sitting in a small room that seems to be exactly in the middle of the hollow tip of the Veil Ignition Station known as Cinder.

    On a small stand is the head of a man. It doesn¡¯t seem to be from any of the natives killed outside. The head¡¯s eyes are wide open, both orange in color, while his hair is red and curly.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Champion with whom they built this station. They built it here, right over the biggest active volcano they could find. I don¡¯t know the Champion¡äs name, but he used to be second in rank after their Absolute.¡±

    ¡°Lady Lissandra?¡± Myrra asks, confused.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you, little kitten. The head was what I was after here, a lot of it can be used. I have no need for his body, so play with whatever remains of it. Well, if you can.¡±

    Lissandra then turns around, looking directly into my eyes, ¡°You made your decision, and I will respect it but after I deal with things up here, I will come to see you.¡±

    The meaning of that message comes through loud and clear.

    After that, the connection cuts off abruptly, and I find myself back in my body with a throbbing headache.

    There is a long crack across the entire surface of the amulet, and its description has been appended with a new word, ¡°damaged.¡±

    Do you really want to sell the following item for 390 shards?

    Astral Projection Amulet (upper epic, damaged)

    Yes/No

    I confirm and then stand up. Once I¡¯ve gotten the door open again I exit the panic room and start heading for the core, not having to deal with all the heat I subconsciously try to create a fourth evil orb, and finally, a notification rings out.

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 49 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 50]

    Disappointingly, there is no additional notification. No change. No boost, unlock, or addition to the skill. It just levels up. A system giving notice of a threshold crossed.

    For me, it feels weird for such a breakthrough to happen without the life and death struggle of combat. But in the end, it¡¯s one of the many things Lissandra has said that I agree with, even though it seems more boring.

    When I reach the core, I take all of the mana out of it, the lights dying off one after another until the place is dark. The only light coming from my thermal orb as I continue to feed it energy. I use [Tether] and place an anchor that should last me a week at least.

    Then I grab the ax, the voidsteel blade, and a bag with a bit of food and water, and leave the rest here.

    I reach the tunnel serving as an exit from the living quarters and unlock it after resting for a moment.

    Passing by and closing the door, the living quarters disappear from my view, and the harsh heat of the pyramid attacks me once again. Accompanied by the presence of a group of monsters sneaking ever closer.

    I recall the layout in my memory and then head towards the center of the pyramid. The place with molten metal pool and being just under the surface.

    There are preparations I need to make to welcome someone very hard to kill.

 Chapter 402 - Follow through

    As I stop to endure another heatwave and wait for more Heatseekers to pop out, I stop to think.

    The heatwaves have been occurring at regular intervals. Three times in the span of 5 minutes, a five-minute pause, another heatwave, a thirty-minute pause, another heatwave, 15 minutes, heatwave, 10 minutes, heatwave, one minute, heatwave, thirty minutes again, and then another 3 heatwaves in the span of 5 minutes.

    That¡¯s all I¡¯ve grasped so far and I''m currently in the process of confirming and getting more exact timing with the help of the countdown timer in my status. And I¡¯m already planning to use it to my advantage.

    Finally, the Heatseekers appear bringing more heat with them. This time there are five of them.

    I let a bit of thermal energy flood through the Flamebearer and take a step towards them.

    I wonder how I should deal with them this time.

    <hr>

    A day passes and my level goes up once.

    Other than Heatseekers, weaker monsters are abundant here. These ones move in bigger groups, but nothing I can¡¯t handle.

    [Redistribution] has reached level 49 thanks to my constant use of thermal energy. Overall, it''s not bad.

    However, I am being presented with a problem, in that the closer I get to the center of the pyramid the slower I seem to be healing.

    My passive uses heat and thermal energy to heal my body. However, something seems to be getting in the way. It¡¯s even managed to bypass my mantle without me noticing and no matter how hard I try I fail to identify the source. I think it¡¯s probably connected to the Champion who died here.

    At this point, I''m sure that man, whose head Lissandra stole, once possessed primordial thermal energy.

    Lissandra said it before but his body, well, what remains of it should be down there. I have a few theories but I won¡¯t be able to confirm them until I get there.

    Overall the slowing of my heat-based healing only adds to the difficulty and once again leaves me frustrated with my inability to learn any other form of healing.

    As a result, I have only 1 evil orb over my shoulders and find myself forced to act with more caution. It¡¯s also taking a lot more effort to deal with the heat which is rising with every moment. It''s frustrating.

    The current tired me prefers to take a minor blow if it provides an opportunity to deal more damage. It''s tiring to be constantly avoiding them, and to be honest my mind isn''t as fresh as it could be.

    Still, I force myself to be a bit more careful and see results in the form of fewer and smaller wounds. Well, they could be lethal if It weren¡¯t for my boosted stats but it''ll probably be fine.

    I pause again as the next heatwave hits. Right away I check the time and make a mental note.

    Heatseekers like to come exactly 11 seconds after the heatwave starts. Lately, there tends to be at least five of them. Three of them will engage immediately while the other two will hold back for several seconds. Usually, one of them attacks from the ceiling, and two will strike from the walls.

    In preparation, I place a few anchors in places I expect them to be and prepare five thermal orbs. Precisely calculating the amount of energy in each one.

    The three Heatseekers appear right on time. This time two on the ceiling and one on the side wall.

    Cheeky things, maybe they felt fancy and decided to change their strategy a bit.

    I send two orbs through the anchor at the ceiling and one to the wall. The orbs explode in golden flames the moment the monsters reach them.

    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]

    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]

    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]

    Then seven seconds later three more appear instead of the usual two.

    Two of them die falling victim to the orbs I send through my anchors.

    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]

    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]

    The third one stops on the spot. Turning his humanoid head towards my anchor and the monster hesitates.

    Tired of waiting for a reaction I boost my body with kinetic energy and throw Flamebearer at him, the weapon is filled with thermal energy and lodges itself deep into the wall, melting the metal around it under the heat of my golden flames.

    The Heatseeker, having nimbly avoided my attack, rushes me, its dozens of legs turning into a blur and the heat around him rising in turn.

    I look towards the ax and then at the monster. I step a bit to the right. Then changing my mind I step just a tiny bit to the left.

    As the Heatseeker opens its mouth I activate the anchor I left on the ax and use [Tether] to pull it towards me.

    The ax dislodges from the wall and flies in a straight line, piercing through the monster as I use a burst of kinetic energy to keep its body from falling on me.

    [Tether - lvl 36 > Tether - lvl 37]

    [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]

    For a very short moment, I''m happy with the result but then the handle of the returning ax bangs into my shoulder, causing me to stagger before I can catch it, leaving the weapon to clatter to the ground.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Five out of ten points for the cool factor, I judge as I retrieve it from the ground. But my poor man¡¯s telekinesis isn''t that bad.

    <hr>

    I sit down and take a sip of water from a bottle I brought with me. Those bottles are ones I¡¯m constantly reminding myself to protect from heat. It''s really nice to be able to drink something cool. And to that end, I use [Redistribution].

    Still, the water tastes terrible and yet manages to be the best water I ever drank at the same time.

    While sitting there I think about why I''m not using black mana or [Focus] for my emotions. I¡¯ve already decided to fight Lissandra so is there a need for that?

    I know I had a good reason not to stay and continue her lessons, but recently, it''s been getting hard to remember.

    Partially I don''t even care about the reason anymore. I just know I made the decision after thinking things over and now I¡¯m just following through.

    It could be said that I trust past Nathaniel.

    I yawn and blink a few times, rubbing my eyes. Damn, I really want to sleep.

    Another heatwave comes and I take note of the timing. It seems like I was wrong about the timing, it¡¯s even more chaotic than I expected. But there is a rhythm and I will use it to my advantage. That along with my crown and the thermal orb next to me. After days of channeling these things are scarily full of their respective energies.

    The funny thing is that the crown is still light blue in color, meaning it''s nowhere close to its limit. Yet the amount is easily more than my body and Mana Reservoir combined. The skill might be scarier than I thought.

    <hr>

    The passage of time is hard to estimate currently. Well, it shouldn''t be, I just need to check the timer, but I''m too lazy to bother.

    It''s annoying to calculate the passage of time by checking the countdown to our forced return to Earth.

    After a long time, I begin to think. It says forced return. Does that mean it''s possible to return earlier? Or does that imply that someone might try to stay beyond the 5 years and the system has a failsafe in place to send them back regardless?

    I mean, it wouldn''t be so bad, climbing the floors of the tutorial for the rest of eternity.

    It''s a shitty place, yes, and sometimes the difficulty is truly hellish, other times it feels too easy. It might be part of the strategy behind the tutorial¡¯s design, to lure us into a sense of security and then bombard us with bullshit.

    Anyway, I think a few days have passed but I''m too lazy to calculate it. I just know I still have enough time. And I trust myself.

    I know I won''t fail.

    <hr>

    Another break and I sit down to think once again. It lets my legs rest and makes it easier to deal with my growing collection of wounds that continue to heal slowly. There is a lot of heat so why isn¡¯t my passive overcoming the debuff?

    What does the cockroach need the Champion''s head for? The man did have orange eyes so maybe she¡¯s after some kind of trait. Could she steal his trait with just his head? Does she want to dig some kind of information out of it? Could she learn his skills?

    I bet I would have found out if I had stayed with her but I¡¯ve already made my decision, I just have to follow¡­ I pause.

    Didn''t I already go over that?

    Well, who cares? Past Nathaniel made the decision and I will follow through.

    I stand up and add another evil orb to the one floating over my shoulders.

    Huh. Since when were there two of them?

    Whatever, I add the third one there and head to the hallway leading to the center of the pyramid.

    <hr>

    As I work on the last set of inscriptions the heatwave hits me and I take note of it.

    With it, my theory is confirmed and the timing of heatwaves is deciphered. Another one will come in thirty minutes and this time seven Heatseekers should appear.

    Without pausing my work I place anchors and attack, fully intending to kill all the monsters the moment they appear. I miss a few times and some of their attacks land dangerously close, but I continue with my strategy until they are dead. After the fight, I feel a new wound somewhere on my body but ignore it. What is one more added to the mix at this point?

    My level doesn''t change but at this point, I''m sure I''m getting close.

    Then I check the timer.

    One day and a bit remain until I return back to the 6th floor, my two weeks here coming to their conclusion. The past few days have turned into a blur as I fight, train, and intentionally move slower to reach the center so I can level up.

    The cockroach is weirdly fair at times so she will wait until the last hour to go after me so I still have plenty of time. It¡¯s all been planned out and I just need one more level and four skills to level 50.

    For a moment I pause my work on the inscriptions and check the doors. Only now do I notice how huge they are, tall as a multi-floor building and about as wide. The metal they are made of is slightly different and they flaunt a number of decorative ornaments.

    Things like these are one thing I¡¯ve started to ignore lately, they don¡¯t tend to matter much, but nevertheless, they are pleasing. I bet I would appreciate it a bit more after some sleep.

    With a sigh, I reach for my bottles and stop.

    Where is my left arm?

    Checking closer I notice a clean, healed cut close to my shoulder.

    The Voidsteel blade on my waist is nearly gone, just a piece as long as a dagger remains. All the water and food are gone too. Only Flamebearer remains, reliable as always, by my side, undamaged.

    I have plenty of shards, should I buy an arcane weapon instead of saving for a passive?

    Shaking my head I make an arm of mana to replace my missing one. I concentrate, improving on my design, most of the changes coming about as a result of my examinations of Miwa''s arm back in the tournament and other bits of information I managed to acquire.

    I even assign part of my [Focus] to keep it up.

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 50 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 51]

    [Focus - lvl 49 > Focus - lvl 50]

    The arm then flickers and with some annoyance, I check to see what¡¯s taking so much of my mental capacity.

    I identify the source right away, four evil mana orbs floating above me. Each one changing its frequency in an unpredictable manner, forcing my mind to work in overdrive. They also seem to constantly change the amount of mana required to maintain them which only adds to the strain.

    What kind of dumbass decided to keep so many of these things running.

    Shaking my head I deactivate all of them and for a short moment, I feel like losing consciousness as a wave of relief hits me. It''s as if an immense pressure has been lifted from me, the constant annoying buzz in the back of my mind gone.

    The arm made of mana instantly solidifies, turning dark blue with streaks of light blue, moving just like my normal arm would. I lift my mana arm to compare it to the right one and stop in surprise.

    A second passes as I just stare at my arms.

    The right arm is also made out of dark blue mana, this one severed just over the elbow.

    I giggle, my laugh sounding weird even to me as it slips from my parched throat.

    Not wasting my time on useless stuff I then turn back to the door and continue with my work.

 Chapter 403 - Savi

    The doors open and heat washes over me even harder than before. The hallway outside the room starts to melt as its walls absorb the heat from outside. The walls on the other side of the door seem to be made from a material different from what I¡¯ve encountered until now.

    Detecting the doors starting to close I slip inside and look at the view in front of me.

    It''s a massive room. I don''t even know if it can truly be called a room. Some time ago, back on Earth, I saw a documentary about the Tokyo flood tunnels. Giant structures that served to redirect water to keep it from flooding the surface. This place is similar, though it¡¯s bigger and taller. Instead of water, I find a lava-like layer of molten metal. The space I find myself in stretches over a huge distance leaving the ceiling to be supported by a number of massive pillars.

    A quick pulse of detection is all I need to confirm that all the heat being absorbed from the surface is being pulled through the pyramid and absorbed by this massive pool of metal. Perhaps by design, maybe it¡¯s being caused by the entity swimming around inside of it, or it may be something else entirely that lies deeper within.

    I know that the being inside the pool has detected me already, yet it''s not attacking for now. It seems to be wary of me. Well, more likely it''s wary of the thermal orb I have with me.

    I wonder if it ate the body of the Champion. Is it something that came into existence as a result of the Mana Radiation from the champion¡¯s corpse? Is it some creation of the Champion''s skills? It could honestly be either.

    But now, standing here, looking through the lens of my [Perception], I confirm that the body of the Champion is still there. Lying at the bottom of the pool of molten metal. The heart continues to pull in the heat, using the pyramid to do so. It even beats with long pauses in between. These pauses are perfectly in sync with the heatwaves that push their way through the pyramid and the appearances of Heatseekers.

    I give the shy guy in the pool of molten metal an opportunity to attack but it doesn''t take the bait. Annoyed, I create three tricolored orbs and fire them off, targeting what I think is the being¡¯s location. The molten metal explodes into the air sending ripples through the surface and pushing me back with the shockwave, almost making me fall even as I activate my defenses.

    Even then no counterattack seems forthcoming.

    Annoyed, I boost myself into the air with kinetic energy and repeat a few more times until I land on a ledge projecting out from what I think is the central pillar. It¡¯s thicker than the others and much more densely inscribed. Up close I even notice that there¡¯s much less heat moving around it, and some of the molten metal seems to have solidified at its base.

    I land on the surface of that solidified metal and tear out a few huge chunks which I send through my [Tether] to the anchor I left in the living quarters near the core. Being done, I boost myself up and land on the ridge in front of the doors on the pillar''s side. They are extremely smooth, almost feeling painted on. My mana doesn''t even seem to do anything and even my senses can''t feel much.

    While thinking, I throw another tricolored orb to where I think the being is. Then I take a bit of thermal energy from my orb and send it to the door. The lines light up and it looks like they are melting the surface and it spreads through the entirety of the door until they melt away entirely.

    I go inside and the door starts reforming behind me and only now do I see how thick the wall of metal is, at least as thick as I''m tall.

    Infusing my mana arm with thermal energy, I tear off a chunk of the metal and send it through the anchor as well. Then I do it a few more times until the hole closes. Only then I turn to the room I found myself in.

    Of course, the room is nearly dark, lit only by a few lines that seem to be powered by the bit of thermal energy I used before to light up the place.

    The control panels near me don''t react to my mana and there don¡¯t seem to be any other doors. It''s just a circular room that encloses a space in the shape of the pillar it sets within.

    Knowing now what the problem is, I let thermal energy seep out of me causing the panels and devices to start lighting up. Even the ceiling changes, the lights taking on the appearance of swirling lava.

    I don''t think thermal energy powers it all, that would be weird. It''s more like thermal energy serves as the key. That or the room has some means of converting it into mana and using the result as fuel.

    Anyway, is there anything I could sell?

    I grab one of the chairs and try to send it through the anchor only to find myself unable to do so.

    Cheeky place seems to have engaged some form of shielding after it closed itself off. Hell, my thermal energy may have reactivated the defenses. For some reason, I find the idea funny.

    I release more of my thermal energy and more devices light up, some of them even projecting a map of the pyramid and an uninteresting series of letters and numbers.

    So where do I find the last will stating: "If you¡¯re reading this I''m long since dead."?

    It takes a few minutes but I do manage to find a switch and when I activate it the walls of the room become transparent, allowing me to see the pillars and pool of molten metal outside.

    More than that, it allows me to see the monster coiled around the pillar as one of its huge eyes tries to stare inside.

    [Volcanic Hydra - lvl ???]

    My laser-like stream of thermal energy hits the now transparent wall and starts melting through, right over the monster''s eye.

    The monster doesn''t react in any way and my attack continues to melt through the wall very slowly. It would take minutes for it to pierce through. Annoyed, I throw a tricolored orb against the uselessly thick wall and cancel my thermal attack.

    As I watch the tricolored orb turn bright white, I come to think that that might not have been such a great idea.

    My eyes activate for a moment and I quickly move my mana, tearing the orb apart before it fully destabilizes. There is still a small shockwave, but most of the devices survive it just fine.

    That also makes me realize that the monster can''t see me; the room only allows for a one way view. Most likely even cloaking what''s happening inside.

    Watching the hydra for a bit longer I only become angrier.

    Cowardly little thing. Did it wait until I went inside to crawl from its pool? What, Is its subclass Patience? Should I go to sleep?

    At this point, I may as well temporarily nickname the monster ''Savant,'' lovingly shortening it to ''Savi.''

    Savi has three heads, each one exactly the same. They grow from a single lizard-like body with long nimble-looking limbs and a similarly lithe tail. Savi''s body is entirely covered in dark gray scales and his heads keep snapping and biting at the pillar.

    After a while, Savi becomes uncomfortable; the pillar seems to be absorbing even his heat so he disappears back into the pool of molten metal.

    Turning away and back to the devices, I examine what I can, but most of it¡¯s been encrypted. The ones I can''t gain access to, I try to pull the mana stones from but the moment I do so, the mana stone crumbles into tiny particles. Maybe it¡¯s some kind of mechanism to defend against spies or something.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    I¡¯m In the middle of examining a file when Savi starts attacking. Waves of molten metal crash into the pillar, hot enough to cause damage, and parts of the pillar start slowly melting.

    I let it continue for a few minutes while learning more and more.

    The Champion here was truly the second strongest person on this planet, right after Absolute Tassian. His name was Laten, bearer of the Ignition Wavelength Eyes and a skill called [Thermal Convergence]. Some of the records even theorize that if he had been given a few hundred years he could have become even stronger than Tassian, even with Tassian''s head start.

    All the notes I''m reading seem to have been left behind by the people who helped build the pyramid. People who were essentially mana scientists, some of whom were Champion candidates, and disciples. All were people who worked with Laten, examined his body, traits, and skills to find the best ways to apply them.

    They did it here, right over the biggest active volcano on the planet. A volcano they estimated could throw out enough ash to bring about a new ice age. Yet, these beautiful maniacs used it to help power the Veil. This ignition Station does a huge chunk of the work even when compared to the other stations.

    Of course, a lot of these people were from the Enchanters¡¯ Guild, they were the people who attempted to enslave the young divine beast. But damn if Laten isn¡¯t a fascinating if dumb man. Why did he allow his skills and traits to be noted here? Not like I intend to complain though, it''s fun reading.

    Another attack shakes the pillar and with an annoyed sigh I release a huge amount of thermal energy and this place takes it all in, using it to fix the outer surface which has begun to take damage. The metal of the pillar quickly melts under my thermal energy and restores itself to a perfect state.

    Savi stops attacking, most likely shocked or scared. Maybe he wants to forfeit now, coward.

    I turn back to the mana stone I was examining. A lot of the information on it has been redacted. Some by Enchanter Guild and some by the system, likely containing knowledge I shouldn¡¯t have yet. Letting go I check the timer and decide it''s enough. I need to deal with Savi before Lissliss comes so I open the door to break the shielding and send a few more things to the living quarters. A mana stone, a piece of a device, and a chunk of a wall.

    For some reason, a memory of watching shows about hoarders filling their houses with trash flashes through my mind. Could never be me, the things I collect will surely find a use later.

    Done with it, I exit the pillar, the heat hitting me right away. This time Savi¡¯s waiting for me outside, his three heads lowered and air reverberating under the sound of his hissing and a threatening amount of mana surrounding him.

    Savi is scared of me. Of my thermal energy. Thermal energy so similar to Laten''s, even if it is so much weaker than the Champion¡¯s.

    He is scared because Savi is probably all that remains of the giant snake that attacked the pyramid. Something like the slivers of intent.

    A monster from the planet that paired with this one, one that was once just below Champion rank.

    Savi failed, probably because the head of the Champion served to maintain the defenses and killed Savi when he attacked the pyramid.

    The nearly dead powerful monster, its intent, its egg, perhaps even a piece of his flesh, whatever it was found its way here, mutating and trying to regain its power within the radiation of Laten''s dead body and his still beating heart. The body and heart of a Champion too strong and hot for Savi to take over.

    So close to pulling it off, yet still unable to take over. All while feeding on the Heatseekers over hundreds of years and leveling up.

    That''s the theory I go with after my many observations and what I found in the records.

    Looking at the way Savi moves through the molten metal, collecting more and more heat, I don''t think he wants to tell me anything new. He seems to agree as he starts hurling rivers of flame from all 3 heads.

    I quickly create a shield and infuse it with golden thermal energy, the orange flames of the hydra rolling off the surface impotently. Savi hisses, just that single clash telling him more than enough.

    Decisively one of the heads moves quickly and bites into the neck of the next. With one strong pull, it tears the head off and along with the second one, they devour it.

    I should probably use the opportunity to attack but at this point, I''m too fascinated. So I watch as the two remaining heads fight each other before one of them devours the other.

    Bones tear through the back of the monster and pierce through the air, forming a shape reminiscent of wings. The blood still drips from the white bones when mana flows through them.

    Then the monster roars, sending ripples through the pool of molten metal, and the inscriptions on the pillars light up in response.

    My body is pushed against the pillar, my crown and thermal orb threatening to destabilize. I activate [Mana Domain] to bring them both back under my control, the blueish light of it clashing with the dark orange color of the heat radiating from the volcanic hydra.

    The pool of molten metal ripples and from its surface emerges dozens of spear-like spikes the length of my body, all aimed directly at me.

    [Redistribution] activates, and I absorb all the heat, causing the attacks to visibly lose power and speed until the metal spikes sit frozen, pointing at me as they pierce the surface. A few coming to a stop just an arm''s reach away.

    These spikes made out of metal fall back into the pool where they melt once more. I boost my body with kinetic energy and fly off to the side, avoiding another wave of spikes piercing through the surface of the huge pool.

    They follow me as I fly, some crashing into the pillars I¡¯m using to avoid them. The amount of heat they contain is impressive and even with my defenses, I can still feel it scorching my skin.

    Savi looks dried up now and much thinner, his ribs beginning to show. Yet the bony wings are bigger than before. The thinner he is the quicker the attacks are and the more heat they carry.

    Over time bigger and bigger sections of the pool begin to fall under his control.

    Sometimes I absorb the heat of entire wave-like attacks, which creates waves of metal, seemingly frozen in time.

    The spikes coming my way continue to fly even as I absorb the heat, piercing into my shields or causing injury.

    Then there are Savi¡¯s attacks; even though he¡¯s found himself looking at his deathbed, the hydra continues to move quite nimbly, swimming through the lava and snapping at me with apparent vigor.

    I form a suit of armor around my body, increasing its size until we find ourselves the same size. It''s so much easier now, my mastery over kinetic energy is much better, allowing me to move the huge armor with less resistance.

    So we clash, my mana corroding and melting every time it touches the pool and Savi seizing the advantage. His attacks have even changed now, accounting for my ability to absorb the heat.

    As the fight goes on he becomes stronger and stronger and at the same time, he comes closer to his death. His body is just skin and bones, and his bone wings are beginning to crack and for the first time, he starts taking damage from the lava.

    However, the Volcanic Hydra continues. I know I should save as much of my mana as I can to use against Lissandra but at this point, there are no such thoughts dwelling in my mind. I just fight, one side trying to kill the other.

    [Redistribution - lvl 49 > Redistribution - lvl 50]

    And then when the time finally comes and Volcanic Hydra slows down, I redirect my attacks, barely avoiding its head. The monster is missing three of its legs, its tail is broken from one of my attacks, one of its eyes has been destroyed and its bone wings are nearly gone.

    Even then it still has that determined gaze in its eyes as he stares me down in challenge as I float over him. The hydra doesn''t try to escape and in the end, we both know he gave it his all. One last hurrah from a monster trapped for over a hundred years, unable to break through its limitations and regain its previous power.

    ¡°You gave it your all, didn''t you?¡± I say, sure he can understand.

    The Volcanic Hydra doesn''t say anything but its eye seems to confirm the sentiment.

    ¡°I''m no Champion yet but I hope you had fun fighting one last time.¡±

    The monster''s neck straightens up and its eye stares at me full of expectation.

    I let golden thermal energy flow through my arm of mana and for the first time during our fight, I use it to attack. The golden flames devour the monster and I let its bones sink back into lava without stopping to take any of them.

    [You have defeated Volcanic Hydra - lvl 329]

    [Lvl 249 > Lvl 250]

    Level 250 status reached. This marks a significant leap in human potential.

    Your body will undergo a crucial upgrade, designed to enhance your cellular regeneration, bone density, and muscle efficiency.

    This upgrade will enable your body and mind to endure the strain of higher leveled skills and support more powerful traits and passives.

    Note: Following the upgrade, your body''s requirements for air will diminish.

    Well done!

 Chapter 404 - Shall we start?

    Well, the body upgrade goes more or less as expected. Nothing extra, but it does entail some nice additions. Much like the previous upgrade, the changes seem to be taking some time to apply, so it¡¯ll probably take a few days at least.

    As a test, I let my mana flood my body, but once again, I immediately start taking damage. There might be a tiny difference in the degree of damage, but that''s it. I''m curious if the fully applied upgrade will change that, at least a bit.

    In the end, it seems like I still have way too much mana for my body to handle.

    Good.

    At least I won''t have to breathe as much.

    Rereading the description, I also don''t think my improved cellular regeneration will be enough to replace my healing skill. The system just isn¡¯t going to give out powerful regeneration to everyone over 250. Though It might be for those with high or upgraded constitutions.

    I also start to wonder what would happen to my body if I didn''t get body upgrades? Going by the notifications, it seems like it wouldn''t be able to handle active skills, traits, and passives. It could be interesting to observe and compare the difference between a body upgrade and a high constitution.

    The timer continues to tick down so I locate the body of the Champion. It''s easier now without the Volcanic Hydra messing with my senses. Unfortunately, the body seems to be very deep below the surface of molten metal. Deep enough to be surprising. I expected it to be just a few lengths of my body, instead, it''s deep enough to hold a small skyscraper.

    Feeling that I know I won''t be able to reach it. My senses barely pass through and placing an anchor is impossible.

    The amount of heat is also too much for me to absorb.

    My shields would be unable to endure that amount of molten metal and heat.

    Hell, I''m sure even our resident cockroach would have trouble reaching it with her current capabilities.

    It also explains why there isn''t that much Mana Radiation. Most of the residual energy generated by the body is being used to send heat through the pyramid, create these annoying monsters, and keep a pool of molten lava the size of a small city liquid.

    Should I jump in? I mean, I''m sure I would be able to move around for a while just with my chest and head. I can recreate the rest with mana and slowly regenerate it later.

    Or maybe I could go in with nothing but my heart, spine, and brain?

    Maybe I could just send my brain and leave my heart behind connected through [Tether] to feed me mana. It could be possible to create a smaller barrier around my brain.

    Hmm, maybe not that, the molten metal would cut off the connection to my heart. Also, it would be unfortunate if the cockroach found me like that.

    What about the main pillar with the rooms, I could try cutting it loose and using it as a submarine to get there? Or maybe create a capsule out of the metal for me to dive in? That probably wouldn''t work, my thermal energy will only work against me there and whatever the body below is generating should be more than enough to destroy me.

    Fish the body out? Am I even capable of creating a thread powerful enough to get there? Not even mentioning how easily it¡¯s going to melt as it gets closer to the body.

    Even the Volcanic Hydra wasn''t swimming that deep, keeping itself just below the surface.

    I shake my head and then scratch my cheek. At least I try to, both of my mana arms are disrupted as I forget to concentrate on them. It leaves me standing there without arms which I can¡¯t help but find funny for some reason.

    Annoyed, I shoot a tricolored orb in the direction of the Champion¡¯s body and then head to the solid metal around the control pillar. There I sit and nearly fall, losing my balance due to my lack of arms. Even so, I do not recreate them. I don¡¯t need them right now and may as well use my [Focus] for other stuff.

    First, I reach into my crown, and the amount of mana in it makes me both happy and terrified.

    Slowly I reach for the threads I¡¯ve been forming around the crown. My own web heavily based on the Mindblender¡¯s. It''s not as good or delicate but it doesn''t need to be. Thread after thread I uncoil it, making a few last-minute changes.

    These threads start covering the area around me. Starting with the pillar next to me, than moving to the ceiling, the adjacent pillars, and the walls of the room. More and more I continue as the invisible, intangible threads fill almost the entire room.

    I use [Infusion] and [Mana Domain] to fill them up. Adding my Pride to the skill makes the threads more ¡°mine¡±, less susceptible to external influences. It''s almost like expanding my [Mana Domain], but it¡¯s also more than that.

    Gradually, I redirect a bit of mana from my crown, creating a dozen pockets of mana all over the room. Each one contains enough mana to compress into a tricolored bomb or a few.

    I create multiple layers of the web, each with a different frequency. I even make a few smaller webs with less mana running through them. These webs, I keep disconnected from the main one. I fail a few times, and it costs a lot of mana. I just don¡¯t have as much experience with it as I would like. But I still continue, using everything I have learned.

    [Mana Crown - lvl 30 > Mana Crown - lvl 31]

    [Infusion - lvl 32 > Infusion - lvl 33]

    My creation, my web then stays there, anchored, with the help of [Tether], to the surroundings and myself. And it''s huge.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    I also place a few mana stones and melt mana conductive metal into the inscribed pillars.

    And once I¡¯m done, I let the crown disappear from its place over my head. I can activate it later when the time comes. Instead, I focus on converting my mana transforms into thermal energy which I use to fill the orb. At this point, it''s about as big as my fist and could be bigger if I didn''t compress it.

    It''s fun to watch as it melts anything it comes close to. Even the pillar just an arm''s reach away is being scorched, a thin layer melting off the surface.

    For some reason, it becomes difficult to stand up and for a moment I rest against the pillar.

    Damned body upgrade, could do something for once. Sure, making sure my skills and traits don¡¯t kill me is great and all but a bit more healing would be nice. I get that the system is cheap and doesn''t want to give out regeneration but this cellular something bullshit isn¡¯t going to regrow my arm. Best case my stamina comes back a bit faster, and wounds close faster.

    I summon the status window and flip it the bird only to realize I have no arms. Huh, why are they not regenerating?

    Oh, it''s because my healing is based on thermal energy and the body of that chump is messing with its ability to function. An annoying guy, indeed. Shouldn''t dead bodies float to the surface or something like that? If I can''t take the heart I at least want to examine it.

    I shoot another tricolored orb toward where I think his body is and step away from the pillar, boosting myself up onto the ridge. There I concentrate my thermal energy, opening the hole into the pillar.

    It becomes comfortably cold as the hole behind me regenerates and instead of creating an arm and hand with mana I just create a single tentacle to touch the control panels. Maybe I''m getting lazy.

    Using detection systems I locate all the heat signatures inside and outside of the pyramid. There are thousands of them, displayed as tiny dots on the surface.

    At the top, I find two of them in particular, and as the time ticks down I continue to watch them. As I¡¯m waiting, I get bored and recreate a few evil orbs, part of my mind continuing my training.

    A question pops into my head.

    Why didn''t I at least take a few hours to sleep? It would have helped me a lot and I wouldn''t have lost much in the way of preparations.

    It was because of that Pride of mine, right? Because of the cockroach¡¯s rules. For the same reason, I haven''t used [Focus] for my emotions and nor did I use it to create black mana.

    Well well well, if it isn¡¯t time to face the consequences of my actions.

    Even so, I wouldn''t change anything. Though maybe I¡¯d have tried to loot a bit more and get more shards.

    While I¡¯m wasting my energy on these useless thoughts I train and explore the options the control pillar gives me. The longer I do it, the more I learn about the functions and how I could use them in combination with the timing of heatwaves being generated by the Champion''s body.

    Five hours remain until my two-week stay here ends when one of the dots starts moving, leaving the other behind.

    In one hour, that dot moves through a distance multiple times greater than I was able to. There are no stops, no fighting monsters. It just rushes straight here.

    Four hours remain when I begin manipulating the pyramid through the control panel. I start closing the doors, opening them, controlling vents. I do it all with the heatwaves in mind, redirecting them through openings and closing doors to hit the red dot as much as possible.

    Heatwave after heatwave washes over the dot, slowing it down and forcing it to waste mana.

    At some point, the dot disappears from the detection array and I just open and close the doors where I expect it to go, knowing the heatwave will hit it fifteen seconds later.

    Lastly, I close some doors further away and activate some of the barely working devices with the intention of increasing the temperature in this place. Then I take a bit of my mana back from the control panels and pop the evil orbs.

    My heart beats wildly in my chest and after a long moment, my mind feels as sharp as can be.

    Three hours and ten minutes remain when I exit the pillar.

    My [Mana Crown] forms over my head, and [Perception] checks the web one last time, making last-minute changes. A pathway added or removed. A twist changed, mana redirected.

    I move my thermal orb to the stump of my right arm and then I create a golden arm prosthesis out of its energy. My flesh burns to the point where it touches the golden thermal energy, emitting too much heat for me to redirect.

    Taking a few steps I grab Flamebearer from its place with the blade half submerged in molten metal, finding it untouched by the heat.

    I swing the ax to clean the blade, molten metal shooting free in its wake. Then my thermal energy moves through the ax which starts shining with golden light.

    Parts of the ax sizzle, the metal at Its surface melting slightly as the metal starts to glow, the air around it beginning to shimmer from the heat.

    Active skills:

    Focus - Lvl 50

    Perception - Lvl 49

    Redistribution - Lvl 50

    Resonance - Lvl 49

    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 43

    Tether - Lvl 37

    Infusion - Lvl 33

    Mana Crown - Lvl 31

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 51

    Two more skills, that''s all I need and I still have a few hours.

    If I fail I will die.

    If I die it will be my fault.

    If I survive I¡¯ll only have myself to thank.

    That''s how it should be. That''s how I want it to be from now until the end.

    The doors I used to enter this place open, and a single figure steps through them, striding confidently in my direction. Her silver hair moves in the scorching hot air, contrasting starkly with the surrounding colors; it even seems to be glowing in this place.

    She enters and the doors close behind her without her giving them a second look. On her waist, there are two daggers. One made out of black mana, and another made out of flesh, skin, and bones. Embedded in that fleshy dagger is a single orange eye.

    So that''s what she did with the Saint¡¯s arm and the other Ignition Wavelength Eye.

    Lissandra Hawthorne, Absolute of Eladore, a fake, a shadow of her original self, is just as relaxed as ever. With a single glance, she examines the room and its contents, taking note of the ax, and my preparations.

    Then she takes a step forward and stands on the pool of molten metal, around her feet a faint amount of blue mana glows. Each of her steps sends a ripple through the otherwise calm surface and she comes to a stop a few steps away from me.

    ¡°Shall we start, little pup?¡±

    Three hours and two minutes remain when a heatwave generated by the body of the Champion fills the room and I attack.

 Chapter 405 - Candidate

    The ax in my hand radiates thermal energy as I swing it, adding to the heatwave that fills the room. The heat doesn''t bother me anymore, but it surrounds Lissandra, who has to radiate a field of mana to surround her body. She¡¯s likely being limited by the amount she got from Myrra before coming here.

    The mana around her isn''t anything impressive from a quantitative standpoint, yet it interacts with the heat of the room in such a way that it drastically reduces its effect on Lissandra.

    It reminds me of a tiny flame refusing to be extinguished by the tornado.

    When she swings her arm, the heat in front of her disappears as if it were being blown away by an immense pressure wave, and I block the invisible cut with the ax. Even then, I find myself being thrown into the air, nearly colliding with one of the pillars.

    I activate one of my webs, and it reaches down and surrounds her. Multiple tricolored orbs explode all at once while the rest of the web disappears, consumed to send a powerful disrupting wave of mana at her.

    Lissandra even now refuses to use her daggers, and the orbs stop mid-explosion. I can see the shape of their mana expanding but it¡¯s almost like they¡¯ve been suspended in time.

    Surrounded by the explosions, she takes a few more steps, her eyes still on me. Clearly challenging me.

    More heat crashes into her, a stream of concentrated thermal energy shooting from the ax in my hand.

    She dodges to the left, breaking into a run as my attack tracks her movements, sending more ripples through the pool of molten metal and gouging the pillars with their heat.

    Her path takes her past one of the stones I planted, causing it to activate and send multiple frequencies of disruptive mana her way all at once.

    One of my anchors launches a spike of kinetic energy at her, another web, made out of extremely dense threads meant to entrap her, shrinks and coils around her.

    Lissandra ignores the jamming field; it doesn¡¯t even seem to bother her. She tanks the kinetic energy with her forearm, and something she does makes my threads disappear as if they had been dispersed by the wind.

    The tricolored orbs I shoot her way freeze in the air, and when she stomps, another wave ripples out from her, blowing away another thermal attack. None of it really seems to be causing her any trouble, but I just continue to press the attack.

    I never expected to get her with any of these attacks; I¡¯m just trying to make her waste as much mana as possible. Even now she is missing some because of the encounters she had on her way here, and now she has to use some more.

    No matter how efficient she is, at some point, quantity will win out over quality. And while she faces me, I watch her, I read her movements, and I perceive her techniques.

    I make changes to my web, I switch frequencies. I modify my anchors. The way I''m using thermal energy changes, and even my offensive use of kinetic energy begins to adapt. All to find a way to deal with her.

    [Perception - lvl 49 > Perception - lvl 50]

    Finally, that annoying skill levels up, and I activate my Mana Wavelength Iris, the powerful trait taking over and working in tandem with my crown and domain.

    Immediately, I release half of the thermal energy remaining in my arm and ax, causing it to swirl through the surroundings, melting the pillars and causing them to fall.

    A wall of golden energy surrounds the woman while tricolored javelins shoot toward her from every part of my web. Others are filled with wildly disruptive mana, some are just dense mana launched through the air at immense speed. All of these attacks bombard her, and for the first time, she touches the black dagger.

    At that moment, the main web activates and disrupts my own mana, dispersing it into shiny particles before she can absorb any to use against me.

    The attacks that seemed ready to tear her apart disappear at the cost of a huge backlash to me, and instead, the wall of golden flames shrinks, surrounding her.

    Lissandra lowers her body, and her eyes land on me. I don''t even have time to blink, and she¡¯s there, leaving the flames left behind her.

    With a wave of my hand, I pull the flames towards me, and kinetic energy fills my body, absorbing some of the energy of her attack and staggering me anyway.

    Her fist lands on my face, she kicks me in the side, and I release a blast of heat only for it to be blown away by her mana. The golden flames surround us, pressing on the faint glow of mana around her.

    Lissandra still looks perfectly fine. There isn¡¯t a single wound on her body, even her clothes are mostly intact.

    When I shoot a thermal orb at her, she dodges easily, and the last remains of my web and domain press in on us while she punches me in an attempt to break through my kinetic armor.

    It¡¯s efficiency vs quantity. And I win that matchup. The sheer amount of mana and thermal energy I¡¯ve collected is too much for that little amount she took from Myrra.

    Finally, Lissandra uses her black dagger and stabs it into my side. And for the first time, a look of surprise appears on her face, if only momentarily.

    I try to catch her hand, but she is quicker, and after breaking my nose and a few ribs, she jumps back to avoid wildly resonating kinetic and thermal energy attacks.

    There is no mana in my body for her to absorb, and neither is there any in my Mana Reservoir. It''s all somewhere else.

    I check the timer, and just in time, another heatwave fills the room. The remains of my web also disappear, reduced to a cloud of fine light blue particles, too fine for the imperfect dagger to absorb.

    Lissandra can''t kill me. Not because it''s impossible for her, but because of the promise she made not to kill me unless I failed the tasks she gave me. And I don''t think she¡¯s willing to break that promise, not with me. She wants to defeat me cleanly and decisively, that''s why my head isn''t rolling into a pool of molten metal at the moment.

    Of course, part of it is that this is just how the two of us communicate. Neither of us is really good at anything else.

    More and more heat surrounds us both, the golden whips of flame following her, the laser-like streams piercing through the air. There is no mana for her to absorb, and everything I generate immediately becomes more primordial energies.

    But she reaches her breaking point and stops, "That much should be enough."

    The Mana that¡¯s been softly radiating from her body up till now is gone, and then I feel my body lifting into the air, with Lissandra below me.

    Another punch throws me to the side, and a third one leaves me staggering backward.

    The fourth one tears off the arm made out of thermal energy and throws it far away whereupon it explodes into flames that I try to pull to my side, but she hits me a fifth time to break my concentration. This time, I can barely stay conscious.

    Even so, I did what I wanted, and there is her black dagger held in a hand made of mana.

    Lissandra tilts her head, and a tiny orb of thermal energy misses her, masking the black dagger behind it as they fly through the air, boosted by most of my remaining kinetic energy. The monster reacts in time and tries to grab it, but [Redistribution] activates for a tenth of a second, pushing on it with all my effort, causing her to miss the timing.

    She turns her head, watches the trajectory, and dashes to grab the dagger while I attack with everything I have.

    The thermal orb hits the main pillar, opening the door into it partially, and the black dagger flies through the entrance. The thermal orb in question was just large enough to open the entrance by the slightest margin, allowing it to close before Lissandra can reach it.

    But there was something else in there.

    A mana orb hidden in the pillar. An orb containing an amount of mana equal to the contents of my entire reservoir and body placed next to an anchor through which mana seeps back into my body.

    [Mana Domain] extends further, and the crown over my head grows while my mana surrounds me like a beautiful suit of armor enhanced by my subclass. I use [Focus] to mind my skills, and all of my mana floods into [Resonance], powering it.

    The high pitch of screaming man fills the air, as bits of mana surrounding Lissandra are torn apart by the sheer amount of mana I¡¯m using.

    She keeps changing the frequencies and even appears in front of me, striking at my armor infused with kinetic energy. The monster of a woman damages me even then, her hits cracking the armor and forcing me to repair it.

    Her, no, Hadwin''s, [Disruption], and [Strengthening] active and powered by the last bits of mana she got from Myrra.

    My mana depletes more and more as she endures it all.

    While defending against the heat.

    While keeping herself standing above the pool of molten metal.

    While using someone else¡¯s mana.

    While having been awake for even longer than me.

    While not even being that serious about this fight.

    While lacking a mana heart.

    Slowly, she starts backing off, just a split second of hesitation as she checks her reserves. There is no way she is used to having so little mana after thousands of years of being an Absolute. There is no way it''s easy for her.

    But it''s not enough for me.

    More mana pushes on her as I release it without any mind to my wounds, my body breaking within my armor under the force of my own actions and her attacks.

    It''s far from enough.

    I add kinetic energy to the mix and force her back a few steps, leaving a wound on her skin for the first time.

    Does she want to play my teacher? To mess with me and do the things she has until now?

    I pull heat from the molten metal and increase the heat around her, forcing her to expend a touch of effort there as well. I don''t bother making mana arms and focus instead on making the armor around my chest and head stronger.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    If she wants to be like that, she can. But she needs to prove it.

    Prove to me that she is truly that much stronger than me.

    Prove that even in such a pitiful state, she can kill me.

    Prove that all my tricks and all my days of preparations are meaningless faced with her.

    Only then will I accept it.

    And Lissandra does just that.

    Instead of being pushed back more, a smile slowly blooms on her face.

    Her palm hits my chest and my heart beats. She risks it all and, with the last bits of her mana, she pierces through my armor and defenses. We stand and push against each other. If she loses against me here, it will be her who dies, and she knows that for a fact. She also knows that inside my body, my control is even better thanks to my passives, traits, and constructs.

    But she doesn''t lose. She connects to my heart and makes it generate mana for her instead of me. All of my skills deactivate, the armor is gone, and I stagger back.

    It¡¯s over so quickly.

    With mana coating her hand, she holds it to my neck, still smiling.

    ¡°Still far from satisfactory, but it''s enough for a Champion candidate.¡±

    Congratulations, you have been declared a Champion candidate by a person judged by the system to be capable of such a declaration!

    I have lost, but out of all the losses I have suffered up until now, this feels the least upsetting.

    <hr>

    Some time later Lissandra and I find ourselves sitting near the core of my Living Quarters where I¡¯ve transported us with my anchor. After a bit of rest and sharing a bit of my mana with her through the black dagger, the mood feels awkward while we eat old rations and drink water.

    ¡°You do know you would have died if I hadn¡¯t used the dagger to heal you?¡± she mentions.

    ¡°It would have been fine.¡± I wave it off with mana arms I still use while my body now regenerates with my passive. ¡°What did you even do to that Saint¡¯s arm?¡±

    Lissandra pulls the dagger made out of bones, flesh, and the orange eye of a Champion. It¡¯s creepy, very much so. Somehow it reminds me of that time on the 3rd floor when she was a fleshy brooch.

    Such a cockroach queen.

    ¡°Did you just call me a cockroach queen?¡±

    Huh? Can she read my mind?

    ¡°You just said it out loud, you do realize that, right?¡±

    I really need to sleep.

    ¡°Yes, you do. As for the dagger, the arm of the Saint will be used as a base so that the healing function can prevent my body from rejecting it, while the eye will ignite and start the heart I intend to make for myself out of Niall¡¯s. She had a Potency upgrade as well so it¡¯s fitting.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± I say while taking another sip of water.

    All around us are the various chunks of metal, and items I¡¯ve saved, along with a bunch of other stuff I collected. There is really a lot of stuff. I use the opportunity to pack them down while I watch the timer.

    Not much time remains.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want the Champion¡¯s heart down in the pool of molten metal?¡± I ask.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t fit me. Do you want it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t think I can get to it.¡±

    ¡°Neither can I, but in a few months, I should be able to do it easily. You reminded me of something nice today so I¡¯ll grab it for you. If you grow well, it will be yours the next time we meet.¡±

    ¡°Months?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯ll take at least that long to reach the palace where the Absolute lies and for me to prepare the heart to my standards. I also need to fully gain status for myself and a little kitten.¡±

    I don¡¯t even want to imagine how difficult it must be if it¡¯s going to take so long for the cockroach queen.

    ¡°You said it again,¡± Lissandra says, sighing. ¡°You didn¡¯t get one of your skills to level 50.¡±

    ¡°You are right,¡± I respond.

    Moving a bit closer to her, I offer her my mana hand and she puts her hand into it without hesitation.

    Concentrating, I close my eyes and try to remember the feeling of what she did to me. It takes me a few attempts, but in the end, I mimic it just the tiniest bit, and a similar effect makes its way through her arm.

    The cockroach is too rude to let it pass so it doesn¡¯t affect her much and it¡¯s nowhere powerful enough to disrupt her control over my mana. But it¡¯s good enough as a starting point.

    [Resonance - lvl 49 > Resonance - lvl 50]

    ¡°I guess you can¡¯t kill me now,¡± I quip.

    ¡°I guess not.¡±

    Something bounces off my chest, and as I catch it, I see a pouch containing a few mana stones.

    ¡°One of them contains a Restrictive Training Emblem. Break it and it will appear on your body. The second one contains more information on the mana shaping exercises I taught you. Just those three. The last one details a few improvements on Mana Cycling.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she says simply.

    And just like that, the time passes. There is no more training. No more fighting or conversation. We eat together, food and water placed on a square piece of clean cloth.

    The timer ticks down and my two weeks under her tutelage are finished.

    During this time, not even once did I call her my master, and not once did she call me her disciple. I¡¯m sure she understands why.

    ¡°Say hello to Myrra from me,¡± I say as I stand up.

    The entrance to the sixth floor appears next to me and looking at Lissandra, I guess she can see it. She can see it but not pass. But even that is something that will change.

    ¡°I will, little pup, and I will see you during that event in one year.¡±

    The second tournament will for sure be interesting.

    I look at her one more time. Her clothes are still scorched in places and torn where I damaged her. And even sitting, as she is, on the floor, she seems so dignified and confident.

    ¡°Cockroach,¡± I mutter quickly and grabbing my stuff, pass through the door.

    Even then, a mana projectile burrows into my shoulder, but it was well worth it.

    I''m still not done with her. The next time, I will kick her ass for everything she has done.

    <hr>

    POV Myrra

    As she said she would, Lady Lissandra returns without Nathaniel. It might be because I already have traveled with her for quite some time, but as far as I can tell she seems to be in a better mood than she was before.

    ¡°Did it go well?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°It exceeded expectations. And you? What do you think of your Ignition Wavelength Eye?¡±

    I hesitate, looking at the eyeball in my hand, the eye of a Champion. A being I heard of only in legends. Being declared a Champion candidate by the matriarch so long ago doesn¡¯t change anything about the awe I have towards a being that has reached that level of power.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet¡­¡±

    ¡°Keep trying then.¡±

    ¡°I will, Lady Lissandra.¡±

    She sits on the chair nearby, her eyes somewhat absent.

    Led by curiosity, I finally ask, ¡°Why did you treat him that way during these two weeks?¡±

    When she doesn¡¯t respond, I think she might not answer, but in the end, her expression changes just a tiny bit. But before I can decipher it, it''s back to normal.

    And she doesn¡¯t answer my question.

    ¡°You know what¡¯s funny, little kitten? He didn¡¯t accept me as his master, not fully. That crazy Pride of his wouldn¡¯t let him.¡±

    Even saying that she doesn¡¯t seem to be disappointed.

    ¡°I¡¯m a fake. My body isn¡¯t mine, most of my memories aren¡¯t mine: Even my original was a fake. It¡¯s so dumb it¡¯s almost laughable. But that stupid man doesn¡¯t care. He would treat me just the same as my original self.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like him,¡± I agree.

    ¡°Yes, and there is something even funnier in the way he thinks. My original was an Absolute, aiming for a higher rank. But, little kitten, me being here can mean only one thing. My original has failed. Otherwise, there is no way I would be here. And he, that man, doesn¡¯t want to accept such a failure as a master. He¡¯s challenging me to prove to him that I can do better than her.¡±

    After that, she doesn¡¯t say anything else. She just sits there and slowly, orbs appear around her. Each of them is as big as my fingernail.

    At first, there are dozens of them, then a hundred.

    These orbs float around her, each one having its own unpredictable frequency and ever-changing mana requirements to keep them from bursting or disappearing. I know these things well. Just a few are terrible to deal with.

    Lady Lissandra seems to be more motivated than ever before as she trains.

    For a moment, I think of that man and smile. Things never fail to be interesting with him around. It was a short time we spent together here, but I know it''s not the last time. No, between him and Lady Lissandra, I''m sure our paths will cross again.

    I will see you soon, Nathaniel.

    <hr>

    POV The First Disciple of Nathaniel Gwyn, minion Vega

    ¡°Stop hiding!¡± I shout.

    The presence that¡¯s been following me for days still refuses to show itself. It doesn¡¯t have a heart so it must be weak, but it¡¯s good at hiding. Surely it¡¯s a coward.

    Maybe it¡¯s one of those invisible monsters my master hates so much. Or maybe it¡¯s part of Bambi¡¯s curse.

    Even so, it doesn¡¯t attack so I continue through the forest. I need to find some monsters to fight. Gray lizards have started running away from me on sight recently, That¡¯s a shame because they were really tasty. I wish I could eat them with master.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I hear a voice say.

    My barrier surrounds me and I curse at myself. I didn¡¯t sense anything. Master would be angry with me.

    There, to the side, sits a woman on a boulder. She is young and has long red hair. Her eyes are yellow and they¡¯re covered in a weird pattern. There is no heart beating in her chest.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a projection, little minion, I do not have a heart,¡± she says with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m not your minion,¡± I answer while collecting kinetic energy to use in the coming fight.

    ¡°I apologize, he always called you that and I wanted to try it. It sounded fun.¡± She continues to smile as she speaks.

    ¡°You know master?¡±

    ¡°Not personally, but I like to watch him sometimes. He is a very entertaining person.¡±

    ¡°Creep. What do you want from me?¡±

    I blink and she stands in front of me and then squats, her eyes at a similar height to mine. She smells nice.

    But how can she have a smell as a projection? What is a projection even?

    ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you, don¡¯t worry. But there is a very envious guy around who might try to. So I want to make sure you are safe from him and I will watch from a distance. If he tries to do anything, I will beat him up.¡±

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like watching from a distance.¡± What a silly human. Indeed, the master is the most reasonable person I have met so far.

    ¡°I got bored,¡± her teeth show in a smile.

    ¡°So you want to protect me against a bad guy. Why?¡± Master always said to ask many questions. It¡¯s better to look dumb while asking a lot of them than not to ask and pretend to know.

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated, but I promised the man whose eye you have, little half demon. That and I¡¯m greedy too.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem greedy.¡±

    Her smile scares me even though it¡¯s so pretty.

    She moves her face closer and I can see the pattern in her yellow eyes, ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong. You could even say that I¡¯m the greediest person that ever existed.¡±

    Her finger pokes my cheek, and I can feel it. Then I blink, and she is gone. I can''t find her no matter how hard I try.

    In the end, there is nothing I can do now, so I push it away. I can deal with it later.

    I send my senses through the area and continue to search for monsters to fight. I need to become stronger.

    All this trouble smells like Bambi¡¯s curse.

 Chapter 406 - Unique

    I appear on the 6th floor with my arms still missing and a few other unhealed wounds. Though they¡¯re slowly being taken care of with the help of my passive.

    I find myself in the exact place I left from, leaving me separated from the other members of group 4 including our silly healer. It will probably take a few days to get back to them.

    Too tired to deal with anything at the moment, I send my domain as deep under the surface as possible, and find the hidey hole we made for our items. Inside is some arcane alloy, assorted materials, a few interesting mana stones, water, clothes, food, and more. Mostly my things, as the rest of the group took theirs.

    I place an anchor and teleport there and light my way with a single orb, which I make to last for a day or two.

    Before going to sleep, I check my stats for the first time in a long while. And they are beautiful.

    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn

    Title: Champion Candidate

    Difficulty: Hell

    Floor: 6 - Astral Prison

    Time left until forced return: 3y 343d 23h 06m 11s

    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3

    Lvl 250

    Strength: 121

    Dexterity: 115

    Constitution: 272

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1054 + 1054

    Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)

    Sub-class: [Adept of Pride]

    Active skills:

    Focus - Lvl 50

    Perception - Lvl 50

    Redistribution - Lvl 50

    Resonance - Lvl 50

    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 43

    Tether - Lvl 37

    Infusion - Lvl 33

    Mana Crown - Lvl 31

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 51

    Constructs:

    Reinforcement (Construct)

    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)

    Mana Regulator (Construct)

    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)

    Vortex Core (Construct)

    Passive skills:

    Mana Reservoir (upper epic)

    Arcane Resilience (mid epic)

    Phoenix Embrace (mid epic)

    Mana Overload Absorption (low epic)

    Cognitive Fortress (mid epic)

    Tokens:

    Beyond difficulty entrance token

    Passive skill combination token (upper epic)

    Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)

    Shards: 156,638

    I can now use my passive skill combination token. I can now check the stuff Lissandra left with me. I can now do Beyond''s 3rd trial. But first, I need to sleep.

    Using my [Tether], I let fresh air into the hidey hole. I wouldn''t want to suffocate in here.

    I set up defenses and traps, I strengthen the walls with mana and give it enough to hold out against all but the strongest of attacks. I also make orbs designed to burst and injure intruders in case someone tries to get in.

    That should be enough to wake me up and trip up anyone who tries to disturb my sleep. Then I create another thermal orb which I position over my chest, allowing the heat to power my passive.

    I fall asleep even before I fully close my eyes.

    <hr>

    When I wake up, I open my eyes very slowly and let out a long yawn. Then I close my eyes again, grabbing one of the blankets nearby with a hastily constructed mana tentacle and pulling it over myself.

    It feels almost too nice and cozy.

    Well, until a scary thought enters my mind.

    Did I have so much trouble and have to go so far to get my skills to level 50 because I didn''t have the proper body upgrade? Did my body and mind fight the process because of the pressure the skills would put on me?

    There is no way, right? But it''s the cockroach we''re talking about; she¡¯s more than capable of setting such messed-up rules just to push me that much further.

    And another thing.

    Lissandra didn''t explain what black mana is. Did she "forget" on purpose because I called her a cockroach or something? She wouldn''t be that petty, right? She was an Absolute; there must be some dignity in her, right?

    Knowing her, she probably wouldn''t have told me much anyway. I also decided not to use black mana for a while, maybe until I get my skills to level 60. It¡¯s already been proven that I need to work on my basics and grow without sacrificing everything in pursuit of black mana. It could be said that, at least for now, my black mana has been sealed away. Perhaps I should wrap some bandages around my left arm and seal it there.

    Anyway, it all ended up fine. Training arc Nathaniel did pretty well, the scary jerk.

    Checking the timer again, I find that nearly 24 hours have passed. Once again I yawn again and stretch, finally opening my eyes.

    A few more thermal orbs float into the place and light it up while I eat some of the food reserves and start actively using thermal energy to heal my body.

    Two evil orbs pop into existence over my shoulders, and I finally decide to use the token I wanted for a long time. I¡¯ve just been waiting for the title of Champion candidate which even now shows in my status. I was hoping that the title, the sheer ¡°achievement¡± of it, would improve the final offerings.

    Passive Skill Combination Token (Upper Epic) - Allows you to combine two passive skills up to upper epic rarity. The resulting combination will be a unique skill that cannot be obtained otherwise. Passive Skill Combination Tokens cannot be bought or sold in the system shop.

    ¡°I want to sell Mana Overload Absorption.¡±

    Do you really want to sell the following item for 4220 shards?

    Mana Overload Absorption (low epic)

    Yes/No

    I confirm, then I spend 32,465 to buy an upper epic passive skill I''ve been eyeing for a while and I think it will be nice to use in a skill combination.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Passive Skill: Adaptive Defense (Upper Epic) - The user¡¯s defensive capabilities automatically adjust to counter the nature of incoming attacks, providing optimal resistance whether the threat is physical, magical, or elemental.

    ¡°I want to combine Adaptive Defense and Mana Reservoir,¡± I say.

    A feeling of a request for confirmation hits me, and when I do so, they disappear from my list of passives.

    You have used your Passive skill combination token (Upper Epic) to combine Adaptive Defense (Upper Epic) and Mana Reservoir (Upper Epic).

    Analyzing passive skills used in the combination.

    Analyzing user performance up until now.

    Several options have been devised.

    Adjusting for Champion candidate status.

    Creating a passive skill for the user.

    Congratulations, you have obtained a Unique Epic passive skill!

    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic)

    The user''s body passively channels mana from the reservoir into their kinetic responses, creating a feedback loop that adapts to physical impacts and nearby bursts of kinetic energy. When the user is struck or near a powerful energy source, their body can absorb the kinetic energy and store it as mana.

    Okay, let''s breathe it out. And stop trying to use [Focus] for your emotions. You haven''t done it for over two weeks and you¡¯ve already decided to use it very sparingly. Things seem to be working better that way.

    Calmed down? Good, now read the description at least five times.

    I do just that after checking my ex-Mana Reservoir, but the original effect doesn''t seem to have been changed. It still can store three times my body¡¯s capacity for mana, but there is also something else like it¡¯s changed a bit.

    There is one sentence in the new description that I really, really like. When the user is struck or near a powerful energy source, their body can absorb the kinetic energy and store it as mana.

    There is, of course, something I don''t like. I can absorb kinetic energy on my own and store it as kinetic energy. I can use it for defenses, I can even counterattack. I¡¯ve even started actively training with it, and I''m getting a lot better. Just having some passive takeover for me, potentially with less efficiency, is just annoying, and I really don''t like the implications.

    However, there is that one thing that makes my frustrations disappear.

    The ability to turn kinetic energy into mana.

    I mean, the heck? Should I have that? Isn''t it illegal? Isn''t it too good?

    Of course, I need to get hit for the passive to activate, and the efficiency might be poor. I could find myself wasting a lot of mana to turn kinetic energy into mana to the point where it may not be worth it.

    I still wouldn''t care though.

    For the first time, I¡¯ve found a way to turn one of my primordial energies into mana.

    So far, I¡¯ve only been able to take my own mana, run it through my Thermokinetic Mana Heart, and convert it into one of my primordial energies with a little help from [Redistribution].

    This is huge. I mean, really, really huge. Wasn''t Laten the Champion supposed to have been so strong because he could convert thermal energy into the mana they used to run the ignition station?

    Of course, I have no expectation that my thing is anywhere near as good, but I know for sure that if I¡¯m getting it now, there is a huge chance that it¡¯s going to influence my future class options, traits, and passives. I may even get something better In the future. I''m only level 250 anyway, so it''s obvious it wouldn''t be Champion-level.

    But I also have to wonder if attaining the title of Champion candidate really helps all that much? Did having 5 skills at level 50 allow the system to improve what I got? Maybe my subclass affected it. Maybe the cockroach knew that and... well, whatever. Good stuff.

    If the efficiency is any good I can probably overload my heart a bit, in much the same fashion that almost killed me on the third floor. That way maybe I could force my passive to work constantly and gain another source of mana.

    Wouldn''t that be perfect? There would be no damage, I could go more wild with that construct and would still get the bonus.

    For that, I will need to do some testing with efficiency. But first, I check the rest of the notifications from my declaration of Championship.

    Congratulations, you have been declared Champion candidate by a person judged by the system to be capable of such a declaration!

    You may now challenge beings with a similar rank to yours, beings such as Candidates, Disciples, Vessels, and more.

    The both sides can set wagers.

    The terms of any challenge shall be agreed upon by both parties, and there will be heavy penalties for breaking them.

    All wagers shall be overseen by the system itself.

    So I can engage in duels with other Candidates?

    I wonder if I can bet my stats and passives? It¡¯s an interesting thought in any case.

    But I can also see it being abused. Let''s say some dying Champion wants to pass on some skill or other to a son or daughter who was a Candidate. Would, in such a case, the Champion be able to throw a challenge after wagering his status to pass it along?

    It''s a very interesting thought and something I should consider more.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I¡¯m back on the sixth floor.

    Knight (Hell, group 4) - wow, so you didn''t die in the end.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - weren¡¯t you trying to become my minion? Be nicer.

    Knight (Hell, group 4) - I gave up.

    FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - food!

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - hello bud! I hope you¡¯re eating well.

    FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - food! Food!

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I¡¯ll speak with them when we regroup.

    Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - Hey! I bet you need healing.

    I check my partially missing hands and some of the slower healing wounds. It doesn¡¯t seem all that bad, my passive is helping a lot now that it¡¯s actually working. Though I still remember Lissandra stabbing me with that dagger made of Saint''s arm and the champion¡¯s eye.

    Being the cockroach that she is, she didn''t heal me much, though she said it saved my life, something I strongly disagree with. Such wounds are barely worth mentioning.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - no healing needed. Sset, are you here?

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - yes. Are you at the spot we were when you left?

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - yes, exact same spot.

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - that''s perfect. Can you destroy a small fort for me? The highest level there should be close to 300.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - Tell me where to go.

    <hr>

    After finishing my conversation with Tess and others, I check the timer. I have two days to reach the place.

    The plan is simple. Tess and the others will attack the Black Tower where Dennis and Aaron are still being held. They will deal with the leader there. A combination of Tess, Lily, and Sophie should be able to do so quite easily. Their next step will be to deal with everyone else trying to get in their way.

    I know it''s not that simple, and Tess, Maya, and Sophie probably prepared some cool, complicated plan to pull it off.

    Meanwhile, my job will be to take out a place called the Bone Fortress. It¡¯s exactly what it sounds like, a fortress built around the rib cage of some giant, long-dead monster.

    The Bone Fortress and Black Tower tend to cooperate a lot, so Tess is worried they might send help through a portal or something. That''s where I come in, to mess these guys up before they do.

    I will fly there as it''s in the opposite direction of the Black Tower. While flying, I will practice a bit and get used to some of my new skills. And I will open up some of the ¡°gifts¡± Lissandra gave me. Then, when I reach it, I will attack when Tess gives the signal. During my attack, I will test the new passive, the difference in handling my mana, and how much I¡¯ve grown. I certainly hope they have a strong guy or two.

    When it''s all done and the twins are free and group 4 is safe, I will go and do Beyond''s 3rd trial. I can sacrifice a day or two before going. That should also be enough time for my body to finish healing.

    My crown is already active and being filled with mana. It should be able to collect a decent amount before I reach the Bone Fortress.

 Chapter 407 - Bone Fortress

    I don''t really have all that many items on me, I left most of them back in the hidey hole deep underground, I¡¯ve only kept the most valuable ones on my person. For example, the stones I was given by Lissandra. As I fly I study the improvements she made to Mana Cycling. At the same time, I also do the mana exercises she showed me, focusing on the evil orb that I''m currently maintaining.

    I thought of triggering the mana stone that would give me a Restrictive Training Emblem but knowing the cockroach queen it would immediately activate and nearly kill me. She wouldn''t be so lax as to include an easy way to control it or change the difficulty. So I decide to use it after Beyond¡¯s 3rd trial.

    Going by my conversations with Lissandra, I have a strong suspicion that Beyond is an actual place I go to before returning to Hell difficulty. It¡¯s an extremely dangerous place, but it¡¯s also very rewarding, despite the fact that just being there takes a lot out of you. Well, I¡¯ll see very soon.

    Anyway, my flight passes quite nicely and I find the Bone Fortress right where Tess told me it would be.

    I come upon dozens of buildings coiling around what seems to be the rib cage of some giant monster.

    It''s still night and the cold tears through me and in the sky offers the most beautiful starry view I ever saw, particularly with the purple nebula covering a huge part of the sky. Holding to the same pattern as before, the monsters don''t seem to come out during the night so I don''t even meet any on my way to the fortress.

    As I close in on their fortifications I detect something that reminds me of a mana web enclosing their perimeter. A veritable mesh of weird threads all laced together and marks left hanging in the air. The bulk of it seems to be sensor arrays set to trigger a host of nasty traps. Many of them are sensitive to mana, some are tailored to detect heat or movement, and some seem to work in more peculiar ways.

    My Mana Wavelength Irises activate and with a bit of help from [Resonance], I pass through the defenses and land on the ground. I have to repeat these steps multiple times, finding it interesting to see how others set their defenses.

    In the end, they¡¯ll turn out to be nothing too special, just a first line of defense, not really meant to stop people from entering, just a measure for detecting large groups and significant spikes of mana. Of course, as I move closer I sense more of them, some are hidden deep underground, and others are embedded in the boulders along the way.

    Several are connected to a set of rib bones that seem to be covered in thousands of inscriptions, seemingly serving as a jerry rigged core. The bones are just that conductive.

    Thanks to my efforts, I manage to enter the place fairly easily without anyone seeming to care. At first, it confuses me a bit but soon I notice groups of people and individuals going in and out at all times.

    There isn''t a huge number of people here, a few hundred at most. Plenty of them are level 200 and higher and I notice a few with level over 250 too.

    ¡°Who are you and where are you from, human?¡± one man says, interrupting my musings with his hand on my arm, and the tips of his fingers burying themselves into my body in a clear attempt to hurt me.

    I look down at the stunningly short man and notice something strange about his legs, they¡¯re scaled.

    [Skybreaker - lvl ??]

    So around 270? And some races I haven¡¯t met till now. Did he sense me entering and took an interest?

    I move and he moves as well, desperately trying to react to my movement. Even so, I''m faster, and with my body boosted by kinetic energy, I grab his arm and twist it, dislocating it. I let his punch hit my chest and watch with interest, as the resulting kinetic energy is absorbed and turned into mana in some extremely complicated fashion before flowing into my reservoir.

    The efficiency is much better than I expected. Though it didn''t absorb the full force of the blow and some percentage of the force still dealt damage, but it¡¯s still fascinating to watch. Other than giving me free mana, it seems to be really good passive protection against blunt physical attacks. Though I don¡¯t know how well it would fare against an edged weapon with a smaller point of impact.

    My attacker rouses his mana and I pull him closer, still holding his arm. Unable to resist, he staggers towards me and my left hand hits his chin, sending a burst of kinetic energy through his skull and he staggers back.

    Neither of us is using much mana in an effort to avoid affecting our surroundings.

    I let him hit me several times, observing my unique epic passive in action.

    It is fabulous, it is beautiful and I think I''m in love. It¡¯s amazing passive defense and it also allows me to gain more mana. If I can make my body stronger to endure physical damage I could manage to continue fighting entirely without mana, the passive restoring my reserves as I absorb blows.

    So I will try to mimic Potency with black mana, mimic Regeneration with this passive, and have Amplification as my attribute upgrade.

    The system is indeed fair and beautiful.

    With another punch, I send the man staggering back with a bloodied face. Yet even so, he smiles.

    ¡°You¡¯re not bad, for a human,¡± he says, bearing his teeth.

    The atmosphere around him changes and I see him getting ready to kill. There is no hesitation on his face.

    Everyone in this place is a murderer or something worse, this moon serving as a dumping ground for them. There is also an effect covering the entire moon making it impossible for anything other than monsters to be born here. It''s something I learned from the others.

    So there is no real reason to be hesitant.

    The man doesn''t say anything else and attacks, his body radiating some field that seems to have oscillating effects. Anything that touches it gets destroyed. The stone under his feet starts crumbling, a wall of the building begins to crumble. Even some of the mana I left in the air crumbles and gets destroyed.

    My [Resonance] supported by my eyes sees through it and when he reaches me his field has no effect, my skill countering it easily, much to his surprise.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    His head gets separated from his body by a quickly forming long dagger.

    [You have defeated Skybreaker - lvl 273]

    When I look around there are a few people watching the fight but no one seems to mind. Many of them just laugh and a small group even seem to exchange currency, seems like there were bets on the result of the fight.

    ¡°Mister, mister, are you going to take the body? If you don''t want to deal with it I can take it. I¡¯ll pay one small pouch of bone dust, there are even a few small pieces in it!¡± An older man chirps, rapidly approaching with long arms and legs. He¡¯s very thin and his long hair is messy. His eyes are nervously ticking from side to side.

    I remember the people grinding the bones of the giant serpent that were resting against the pyramid and to hear him tell it it might be the same here.

    ¡°Sure, why not.¡± I say, reaching out with my hand, and as the man shows his crooked smile and starts giving me the pouch I add, ¡°If the bone dust is fake I will find you. I¡¯ve already marked you.¡±

    That makes him stop and I can sense his heart beating widely.

    When I move my hand to grab the pouch he quickly pulls it back and giggles, ¡°My bad, mister! I was about to give you the wrong one!¡±

    The pouch he gives me this time is smaller and he watches as I take it. There is a dagger coated with poison strapped to his body and I see his hand twitching towards it.

    Before he grabs it his eyes meet mine and I return his gaze.

    Very slowly he lets his arms fall along his body. Instead, he turns to the corpse and goes through the pockets.

    ¡°Here, mister.¡± He gives me all of the things he finds in them and grabs the legs of the body, quickly pulling it away.

    I take a look at the items I received but most of them aren''t even worth mentioning. Only the bone dust seems somewhat interesting and I add it to my bag with the increasing number of curious things I can live without.

    There is also a bag with very valuable items such as the alloy from Nevan, mana stones from Lissandra, and some interesting pieces of metal. I also have Flamebearer strapped to my back. I thought of taking a voidsteel blade with me as I still have a few of them I didn''t sell, but I decided against it and left them in the hidey hole for future experiments along with some of the other metals.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I''m at the place

    Soph (Hell, group 4) - Sset is busy. You¡¯re early. We¡¯re due to start in around 18 hours.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I will locate the portal in the meantime and examine the place.

    Soph (Hell, group 4) - good idea. But they might have a backup they can activate if the original one fails so please hold off on destroying it until we attack.

    NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - fuck I can''t wait to deal with these shits.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - make sure to take as much revenge as you can. If they escape try to mark them for us to hunt later.

    Soph (Hell, group 4) - as if they could ever escape Sset, she could snipe them from miles away. I will also try to find the Black Tower¡¯s portal and we destroy it in sync with you Noname. Not one of the fuckers will be escaping.

    Izzy (Hell, group 4) - language!

    I ignore the rest of the conversation and turn off the Community. A small group of people has gathered before me, this time they¡¯re all human. All three of them.

    Their levels are lower than mine, but I sense five more signatures nearby. Most of them feel ready for a fight.

    I don''t know why but it feels weirdly comfortable. So far no one has shown me even a hint of goodwill and everyone I¡¯ve met has been dead set on robbing, killing, or scamming me. For some twisted reason, I can¡¯t help but enjoy that.

    I continue wordlessly on my way, without any concern for the trio blocking that direction. My mana rouses itself within my body along with the energies stored in my core.

    They just curse, jumping out of my way. Even so, none of them attack me, they even hold their mana secure inside of their bodies, as the ones trying to hide follow suit.

    Somehow I can¡¯t help but feel a bit disappointed but I continue to delve deeper into the Bone Fortress. At the same time, I carefully send my senses into the area. I can''t really attack the place before I find the teleporting array. I don''t think I could quickly get rid of everyone without at least a few of them sensing me preparing to attack.

    If I were to try they would probably use the array and move to the Black Tower which would only cause trouble for the rest of my group.

    Sure, there are ways to deal with it. I could just use the array to follow them to the Black Tower but there¡¯s also a chance they would destroy it to keep me from doing so. It''s not much trouble so I can wait the 18 hours Sophie requested.

    And it''s interesting most of the people here don''t seem to mind my active [Mana Crown]. I get a few looks but it''s probably being thought of as a bluff, they probably don''t sense the amount of mana I¡¯ve already stored inside.

    There is also another reason I have it active though. I¡¯m hoping to fish out someone who knows what it is so I can ask questions and learn more about it. That would be nice.

    As I reach one of the taller rib bones, the one with the least buildings around I stop for a moment. A presence that¡¯s followed me ever since I entered the fortress is still there, following me while staying out of sight.

    The bone is white and the surface is extremely smooth, either it¡¯s always been like this, or every bone has been scraped of imperfections on the surface to be turned into that bone dust. I poke it a few times and send my senses inside, finding, to my surprise, that the bone is even more mana conductive than I expected.

    Estimating the level of the being it belonged to is difficult but I would say something akin to the remains of the snake resting on the pyramid.

    Creating a dagger out of my mana I make it very dense and as sharp as possible. The dagger ends up noticeably heavy and not far off from being turned into a tricolored bomb. Even so, I can¡¯t even slightly damage the bone. The dagger''s tip just grinds against the surface and there isn''t even a scratch left behind.

    That might be why it seems to be used as currency here. I wonder what they use it for.

    I activate my eyes and [Resonance] for a moment and create the sharpest edge I can on my dagger.

    It takes a decent chunk of my mana and even some kinetic energy but bit by bit I cut into the bone and after a few minutes cut off a piece as long as my finger. Quickly storing it away I rouse my mana again and reach to cut out more.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± the voice from behind me sounds, my creepy stalker.

    [Ember Knight - lvl ??]

    The man is short, barely reaching my chest. Interestingly though his legs aren''t human-like; they resemble those of a lizard, slim, nimble, and covered in black scales. Otherwise, he seems fairly normal.

    When I do not answer he continues, ¡°I have been watching you ever since you came and have a few questions. Where are you from? Who sent you? What is your name, and position? Who are you looking for and how the hell did you manage to remove such a big piece of bone so quickly? Answer."

    Like the others before him, he¡¯s posturing rather aggressively. It''s not that he¡¯s underestimating me, instead, like the men before, he just feels wild, ready to attack even an enemy stronger than himself.

    Even so, I push my annoyance with the man away. Just for a few more hours or until I find the array. I''m searching for it even now.

    ¡°I''m from Ruminous Border. My name is Elydor,¡± I introduce myself.

 Chapter 408 - Should it be so easy?

    ¡°Good, so Elydor, are you going to come with me or do I have to make you?¡± he asks threateningly.

    He even releases a burst of heat into the air around him. Not unlike Isabella''s blue flames, though his have a hint of white at the center.

    It''s not bad at all. Laughable after what I just went through, but not bad. He even seems to have a trait or two supporting those flames.

    Curious to see where it takes me, I answer, ¡°I¡¯ll come along peacefully.¡±

    ¡°Good, give me the bone you took first,¡± he says with a greedy look in his eyes as he reaches his hand towards me.

    Should I deal with him right now?

    ¡°What are you waiting for? Want to attack me?¡± he smirks. ¡°Do it and we¡¯ll see how you will deal with my flames and defensive enchantments. Now give me that bone and the pouch with the dust. The ax too.¡± His smile grows bigger with each word and I can see how much he hopes I snap and try to attack him.

    ¡°Sure, here,¡± I say as I place an anchor on each of the items as I hand them over.

    I observe him but the man with lizard legs doesn''t even notice my anchors as he greedily takes it all. I watch as he swings Flamebearer and sends his blue flames through, extremely happy with the weapon.

    ¡°You know what? I¡¯ve got an idea. Uros won''t mind if I¡¯m a bit slow in bringing you so why don''t you carve out a few more pieces of that bone, Elydor from Ruminous Border?¡± he snorts.

    ¡°Why not?¡± I shrug and get to it while he watches me.

    We then spend an hour doing just that.

    After a while, I find a better way to do it and my dagger cuts through much smoother. I don''t even use my eyes so he can''t see them now.

    The more time passes, the more his bearing changes from arrogant at the start to wary and arrogant at the end. The weirdo even seems to feel a sense of danger but enjoys the experience nonetheless.

    As he takes a few pieces of bone from me, I see his eye flicker to the crown over my head. There¡¯s a lot of mana collecting under his skin, as his skills prepare for instant activation.

    ¡°I could get a few more,¡± I offer.

    ¡°How do you still have mana, do you even¡­ forget about it. No word about this to Uros or I will fuck you up. And go first. I will point you where to go. If you try anything, I will kill you.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± I say and ask a question as I start walking where he pointed. ¡°So what are these bones and what do you use them for?¡±

    ¡°Obviously they came from a powerful monster. You''re asking very suspicious questions.¡±

    ¡°I''m new here and we didn''t hear about this place, so I know barely anything. You¡¯re using it as currency though?¡±

    On our way, I take notice of a few more people of this man''s race. It seems like the only people around are them and the humans. The atmosphere feels cutthroat even though there seems to be some sort of organization, some acting as guards while others bustle about on their way out of the fortress on some errand or other.

    Often there are smaller fights where blood is drawn, and going by the reactions of the people around us, they seem to be a common thing.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have a lot of questions for you,¡± he laughs cruelly. ¡°These bones are from powerful monsters so of course they have many uses. For enchanting, for inscriptions, mana conductive paint, some junkies love to mix them with mana and snort them.¡±

    ¡°Seems like fun.¡±

    ¡°Sure, if you want to mess up your brain.¡±

    ¡°Got it, so who¡¯s Uros? The boss around here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, when you meet him, don''t ask questions and stay quiet. He¡¯ll probably beat you up a bit but if you play your cards well, he¡¯ll at least spare your life so you can continue to carve out bone pieces for us.¡±

    ¡°You don''t have enough people of your own?¡±

    That gets a laugh out of him, ¡°Most of the peeps can barely get bone dust out of them even with the items. For others, it would take weeks to get what you got in hours. You must be a crafter, right? We had a guy like you a while back, and he was also able to get a lot of bone quickly. For you it''s a shame you had to get caught by me, but it''s good for me. You¡¯re going to make me fucking rich.¡±

    I don''t even bother answering and scan further out instead.

    My senses have improved a lot, and it''s easier to detect mana without being noticed. Even my anchors confirm that given the way, this lizard-legged man didn''t notice them even while holding the items. But the system always likes to increase the difficulty, so I¡¯d rather not get too cocky.

    He kicks me from behind, ¡°Faster. You have long legs, so why are you so slow?¡±

    Does he really think so much of these defenses? Is he just provoking me to see my reaction? Is he dumb?

    My mind is then taken by something else. A dozen or so guards in front of the nicest-looking building around, its foundations resting against the bone with the largest inscriptions painted on the surface. It seems to be connected to most of the defenses he mentioned, and I wonder if the array is somewhere nearby.

    I should let them bring me inside, and I might be able to detect the array when I get closer.

    ¡°Ren, give him a suppression mark. No, give him two, just in case, and make sure they¡¯re well-placed. Then add a suppression bracelet,¡± the lizard-legged man barks at one of the guards, a woman of the same race.

    ¡°Are you sure? He doesn''t seem that strong.¡±

    ¡°Just fucking do it. This human creeps me out; he¡¯s barely changed his expression ever since I met him.¡±

    ¡°Aren''t all humans like that?¡± Ren asks, and followed by two men by her side, she reaches me.

    ¡°This one¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Ren nods and then turns to me. ¡°Your arms, human, and don''t fight it or it will hurt a lot.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I say, presenting my arms, and she takes some device from her pocket. A round piece of bone as big as my palm. Its entire surface is covered with dense inscriptions. It seems to be made from the bones surrounding us.

    As she puts it in the palm of my hand, I testingly create an anchor on its surface, and she doesn''t even seem to notice that.

    Right after, the item activates and sends a scorching pain through my body. It feels similar to the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions Lissandra created for me. But where I could use kinetic energy to move in her inscription, now I can''t do much.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Every time I want to use a bit of my mana, it feels like I have to fight against waves crashing onto my body.

    As annoying as the feeling is, I find it interesting as well. Maybe it could be used for training.

    ¡°Damn it, it took nearly all of my mana just to activate the mark and it''s still not enough. Who the hell did you bring us, Evvran?¡± Ren staggers back a bit, seeming lightheaded.

    In reaction to her statement, the others touch their weapons, and I guess only my calm behavior stops them from attacking.

    ¡°You¡¯re useless, Ren,¡± Evvran hisses, and still holding my Flamebearer, he kicks up my leg. ¡°This man is spineless. A coward, but a useful coward. Most likely some pampered weirdo with one or two useful skills. Lirim, Otek, you two go and use suppression marks and give them to me.¡±

    They do just as they are told, and soon a second and third waves wash over me. Even Lirim and Otek seem to have problems with their mana, barely able to place their marks. Evvran then takes the three round pieces of bone and puts them into his pocket and examines me.

    Satisfied with the result, he puts bracelets on my wrists that add to the suppressing effect placed on me.

    Everyone seems to be a bit more relieved after that, and we head inside the building.

    The stone of the halls within is roughly hewn. But interestingly enough, the walls are painted with lines reminiscent of inscriptions. The lines are white, likely mixed with bone dust from the monster¡¯s bones.

    Their usage fascinates me. Are they doing it because it makes paint more effective, or is it cheaper than using ground mana stones? Are there different materials you could use?

    ¡°He keeps looking around, do you think he is a spy?¡± one of the men asks.

    ¡°If he is, then he really sucks at it. Evvran noticed him almost instantly,¡± with a laugh, another one answers.

    ¡°But he has to be decent, right? He even has a crown.¡±

    ¡°It might be fake or one of the common ones. Hey, you jerk, what is your crown called?¡±

    ¡°[Water Crown],¡± I try. It¡¯s blue, so it should be able to trick them.

    To my surprise, it seems to shock some of them, and Evvran puts a hand on my shoulder. ¡°You said [Water Crown]?!¡± the greed in his eyes seems to be even bigger than before with bone pieces.

    Is water maybe very valuable here?

    ¡°I lied, it''s a [Mana Crown],¡± I say instead.

    That gets me a round of laughter, and someone kicks at my legs from behind, copying Evvran.

    ¡°Fucking funny. Next time, pick something more reasonable. Phe! Some random guy with a crown for one of the attributes, sure.¡± Evvran continues to laugh. ¡°But don''t worry, we¡¯ll get our answers out of you.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure, Evvran? He seems too calm for my taste.¡± Ren says, seeming wary. ¡°It took a lot of effort to use the suppression bone on him. We should kill him while we can.¡±

    ¡°Even if he is dangerous, it''s too late now, isn''t it? Even the boss can''t handle three suppression bones, and we also gave him two bracelets.¡±

    Ren seems to be the smartest out of the bunch, so she tries again, ¡°There are people who could do that, Evvran. Don''t forget¡­.¡±

    ¡°None of them would let me do this,¡± Evvran smirks and kicks me again. ¡°And they are too important to visit rural places like ours.¡±

    As if to confirm his statement, he kicks me again.

    That''s when we exit the hallway and enter the room, one side of which is entirely made out of bone. In the middle of that room, there is also an array, its design similar to the ones on the 4th floor. Looking at the inscriptions, I would say it''s a two-way array, similar to those I¡¯ve already seen. And from what Tess said, it probably leads to the Black Tower.

    Curious, I watch as Ren and Evvran split from the group and go talk to the man who has lizard-like legs as well and is of a similar height to the others. They wildly gesture something, and Evvran shows him a pouch with bone dust and the few pieces of bone I got. I notice that Evvran only shows part of what I cut off, the rest hidden in his pockets. I find it very amusing.

    Ren, on the other side, is probably trying to warn him as she gestures to me while handing the man three suppression bones and seeming to explain.

    The leader then takes Flamebearer from Evvran, greedy excitement creeping across his face, though in a much more controlled manner than his underling.

    When they are done talking and he moves closer to me, his expression is more careful.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asks a simple question.

    [Blaze Templar - lvl ??]

    This one feels closer to level 300 than Evvran.

    ¡°My name is Elydor, and I''m a Champion candidate from Ruminous Border,¡± I say, deciding to try a different approach.

    As I say these words, there is that weird feeling that''s hard to describe. As if the system reacts to my declaration.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Evvran and others shout as they react, their mana firing up and weapons sliding out of their holsters.

    ¡°I see, it''s nice to meet you, Elydor. So, what the hell are you looking for here, and where are you from?¡± Uros says. I can see that he is nervous, but he is trying to act calm in front of his men.

    I guess showing weakness could end badly for him in a place like this, but the mood is still very tense.

    Instead of answering, I ask, ¡°Why do you trust my claim of being a Champion candidate?¡±

    For a moment, he looks confused but then laughs, a relieved laugh coming from a few others as well.

    ¡°You must be a very new candidate. Did your master not teach you anything? Your body also smells weak,¡± he sniffs. ¡°Are you maybe an enchanter?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    ¡°Well then, Elydor. If you weren''t one, you wouldn''t be able to introduce yourself as a Candidate.¡± Even as he says this, I can feel multiple inscriptions activating all over the place - the defenses they were talking about. All of the guards are also rousing their mana.

    ¡°I met a guy calling himself a Champion when he wasn¡¯t,¡± I mention.

    That gets another laugh out of some of them. As if reacting to something dumb I said.

    ¡°He is so clueless it''s almost cute,¡± Evvran smirks, but as he tries to act tough, I can hear his voice shake, just a little bit

    ¡°To put it simply, there is a huge difference between a declaration as you just did and spreading rumors. But enough of your questions. You will tell me what you are doing in my fortress.¡± his voice gradually becomes louder, and with it, the feeling of pressure on me increases.

    ¡°Sure, but one more question. Should it be so easy to take these things off?¡± I ask showing him my hands, as the bracelets fall from my wrists.

    Instantly, screams erupt, and something holds me in place - the Fortress''s defenses, activated by the people in the room.

    Blue flames with a white core surround me, Evvran pressing the attack first, the flames blazing around him with impressive heat. Someone like Isabella would probably have trouble dealing with them.

    The suppression bones in the leader''s hands crack one after another, each one crumbling into dust, and with each one destroyed, his face becomes paler and his red flames surround him defensively.

    My mana floods my body and then radiates out of it, encompassing the entire room. A few of the weaker guards start vomiting, and the stronger ones move erratically, the attacks tearing chunks out of the ground as they land all around me and tumble off the barrier I create.

    I use [Redistribution] and grab a hold of Evvran.

    My items and Flamebearer fly from his body, as I use [Tether] and my anchors left on the items to pull them.

    Unable to move at all, Evvran watches me with a horrified expression. His only defense the flames encompassing his body.

    Thermal energy seeps out of me, golden flames meeting his blue and white ones. They barely clash, and my flames envelop them, pressure them, and dissipate them.  My flames then surround him, and while he stands there, they start burning him.

    I watch as they melt his skin and flesh, and bite into bones while his flames keep firing up, trying to fight back only to be extinguished by my own.

    In the end, he is unable to do anything, and the golden flames devour him entirely.

    The annoying feeling I had is now gone, and I turn to the others in the room, my mana flashing in the air as it clashes with the attacks.

 Chapter 409 - Start of the 3rd Trial

    POV Black Tower

    Something moves on the edge of our detection web and I quickly send a signal to the headquarters and reposition to another balcony with stronger defenses. Mieru¡¯s already waiting.

    ¡°What did you see?¡± he asks me quickly.

    ¡°I don''t know yet, but I asked the headquarters to check it.¡±

    After a while, a signal comes back with a declaration of danger level 5, the lowest one. It seems they think it might be a monster.

    ¡°Did you get scared of a tiny little monster? Did you¡­¡± Mieru doesn''t finish his words and disappears from my sight.

    I turn to the right and find his body, head pierced through with a javelin and pinned deep into the reinforced wall.

    Something like this shouldn''t¡­

    Whistling noises pierce the air along with something like a crack of lightning and then the world turns black.

    <hr>

    POV Black Tower

    The signal indicates a danger level 2, just a few seconds after it was declared level 5. Very serious, most likely another group attacking us.

    ¡°What the hell!¡± someone shouts pointing with a finger.

    I follow the direction of his gaze and there, suspended high in the air, are a multitude of huge stones. Each of them is as big as a building but they look as if they weigh nothing.

    Then they start falling at an ever-increasing speed.

    ¡°Barriers!¡±

    ¡°Someone shoot them!¡±

    ¡°Activate defenses!¡±

    Multiple orders are given at once, but it''s all for naught, because the sheer inertia and weight of the stones breaks through our hastily constructed defenses, breaking through multiple walls and buildings.

    Afterward, a rain of blue flames drops from the sky.

    The only thing they burn is people, causing no damage at all to anything else.

    ¡°Where are the guards? Why are barriers not in place? Why¡­¡±

    From the rubble, steps a single woman. Her expression is unnervingly calm even as she strides through the destruction and mayhem.

    Beautiful blue armor envelops her body as a sword of radiant blue mana materializes in her hand. A few javelins hover just above her shoulders, while a small shield, also made of mana, rests in her other hand.

    A few guys work together in well practiced formation and a disrupting wave crashes against her to no avail. She just shakes it off.

    With the same expression on her face, the armor turns darker blue and she disappears from my sight, the floor cracking under her feet.

    The world around me spins and I watch as my headless body falls to the ground while the woman moves on to someone else.

    <hr>

    POV Black Tower

    ¡°What¡¯s happening here? Where are the barriers? Why¡­¡± I freeze and look around.

    The control room is completely trashed, barely anything remains in one piece. It''s almost like something exploded in here and the bodies of the assholes that were supposed to be defending it have been scattered about in unceremonious heaps. Standing in the middle of the room is a single creature.

    It¡¯s small, barely reaching my knees, and is it wearing clothes?

    I manipulate my mana, and spikes made from the densest earth I can muster pierce the ground. Behind me, I hear others rushing in, just as surprised as I am.

    Purple mana surrounds the creature and it turns to us.

    An astounding amount of mana radiates from it and moves to a single point where it compresses into an orb which quickly turns white. The last thing I hear is someone calling me an asshole.

    <hr>

    POV Black Tower

    ¡°I would start running if I were you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah dickhead, run away.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, both of you!¡± I scream at the twins. Unlike our other prisoners, they can¡¯t seem to stop giggling while this chaos ensues.

    ¡°Oriel, what¡¯s happening?¡± asks one of the good-for-nothings I¡¯m working with.

    ¡°Fuck if I know, we¡¯re under attack. Danger level 1.¡±

    ¡°Is it really that fucking bad?¡±

    ¡°Of course it is, you dumb fuck, now shut¡­¡±

    The doors open and I redirect my weapon, but the newcomer is Kelen, who¡¯s supposed to be keeping guard just outside.

    ¡°What are you doing here? Any further orders?¡± I ask her.

    She shakes her head and glances over at the annoying twins. She even smiles for a moment and takes a few steps towards me.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± I ask, letting mana seep into my body.

    As she puts her hand on me I look down at her.

    Why are her eyes a different color than usual?

    Before I can react, gray mana flashes out of her, and then, nothing.

    <hr>

    POV Black Tower

    The wave of mana encompasses the entire building with a speed that surprises even me and it starts interfering with our defenses.

    Out of the windows, I see flashes of lightning, and any one of our men who tries to escape finds themselves pinned by lightning-fast javelins. They move at such speed they break through any defense. They even come from so far and yet no one seems capable of detecting them.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    The control room for the defensive array is destroyed, I''m getting no signal from guards on the walls. Everything is a fucking mess.

    ¡°Defend the entrance, I will activate the array and we¡¯ll escape. Plaid, go and take the emergency rations and as much as you can from the treasury.¡±

    I turn away and start working on the array leading to Bone Fortress. Those scaly midgets will surely make me eat it, but it''s better than the other option.

    While I¡¯m working on that I notice that something seems to be wrong with the array. It still works and we can move to Bone Fortress but teleportation from the Bone Fortress to here seems to have been disabled on their end.

    Weird.

    ¡°Why are you not fucking moving¡­¡± I ask, turning back to the room realizing that I can¡¯t hear them working on the evacuation. Even the treasury and emergency rations are still locked.

    As if frozen in time, all of them stand with their eyes wide open. All ten of my strongest men.

    Then, one after another, they start killing themselves.

    One grabs a dagger and stabs it into his eye. Another one detonates a fire orb in his own face. Another starts tearing chunks out of his neck with his bare hands, blood flowing from the wounds like a waterfall.

    Plaid seems to be trying to fight it but even he fails in this task and I watch as he grabs his head and starts twisting until he breaks his own neck.

    Then I feel the pressure reach toward me. I find myself unable to move, and at the same time, lightning pierces through one of the walls - something that shouldn¡¯t be possible.

    My skill activates, and dozens of my invisible mana arms move, slowing the lightning down and defending me against another attack from behind.

    I protect my mind and, with a lot of effort, push that presence away. What is a mind mage even doing here? I thought they were all locked in their own goddamn city in the central region.

    Ignoring the items or rations I jump through the active array and destroy it so they can¡¯t follow behind.

    Appearing in the Bone Fortress I stop in shock.

    Most of the room is melted and destroyed, there I find the remains of the scaly midgets I once knew, and all of them are very dead.

    My senses extend throughout the entire fortress, but only a few seem to be alive. Buildings all over the fortress have been destroyed, cut cleanly to pieces, and evaporated, and just these few presences remain, hiding in the city. And the kicker is that all of this seems to have been done with extreme cold-blooded efficiency.

    By the man in the room with me. A man standing with his back turned to me next to the rib bone that makes up an entire wall of the room.

    At his feet is a pile of bone shards. The amount of which would have taken the entire fortress weeks, maybe months to produce. An immense amount of wealth.

    And that man ignores me and continues to cut with a dagger made out of mana.

    ¡°Just a moment and I¡¯ll get to you.¡±

    Too shocked to react I continue building up my defenses.

    He has some sort of crown and I can''t identify which, but it doesn¡¯t matter. In one versus one combat against someone within my reach, I don''t think I will lose.

    ¡°Thanks for waiting,¡± he says, finally turning around.

    His eyes, one brown and the other gray, reflect a calm expression, barely showing any emotion.

    So, is he a concentration skill user as well?

    ¡°You know, it was rude of you to destroy the array right after you used it. I get that you did it to keep them from following, but it''s annoying nonetheless.¡±

    My attack crashes against his barrier and then another and another one. He blocks all of them while keeping that same calm expression on his face.

    His mana moves and crashes into my own barrier, immediately followed by the most powerful attempts to disrupt it I¡¯ve ever felt in my life. I barely manage to endure and face it with my own counterattack, contesting his attempts until they nullify each other.

    A dozen projectiles shoot away from his body and I weave the air around me, making them miss and crash right behind me.

    I reach for the amulet and break it, as an immense amount of mana I had stored floods the area around my body. I create a hundred invisible arms of mana and reach through the air. Some of them tear chunks from the ground and throw them at him, others attack him directly. The arms are impossible to see with the naked eye and I know how terrifying they are.

    I aim for the neck, some of the arms turning sharp and thrusting for the jugular, and others go to grab his limbs. They cannot be seen, they cannot be sensed and they cannot be disrupted.

    Golden circles appear in the man¡¯s eyes and in an instant, multiple layers of dark blue barriers surround him, creating a spherical defense.

    I create disrupting orbs and fire them off as well; they splash against the barrier and stick to it, slowly corroding it. It¡¯s only a question of time as I get to him and my arms also pummel against the barrier.

    ¡°That¡¯s surprising, I can¡¯t even see or sense your attack. What¡¯s the name of that skill?¡± he asks.

    Ignoring him, I push further and break another amulet, more mana surrounding me and powering my arms.

    Good, in terms of mana, I should win. Just a bit longer and¡­

    The air shakes and reverberates. The barrier around him crumbles as if under immense pressure and the crown over his head disappears as well, causing even more mana to radiate from him.

    He lifts his hand and a small orb hovers over it, the amount of mana it contains sending a shiver down my spine. That mana is being quickly compressed with astonishing speed and control. The orb turns pitch black and even from where I am, I feel my mana being pulled away. I find myself unable to move at all, held by some skill of his.

    My mana arms disappear at shocking speed, the mana they contain sucked into the orb as it hungrily devours everything in its reach. There is no stopping it.

    The barrier on my skin cracks and gets sucked in as well, the remaining amulets on my person breaking as the mana is torn free and absorbed.

    With a final surge of effort, I use what remains, trying to disrupt the orb, but it¡¯s futile. The orb absorbs everything, leaving me utterly depleted. My vision blurs, the edges darkening as the last of my mana leaves me, mere scraps remaining inside my body.

    He doesn¡¯t even look at me, instead observing the black orb he made.

    I feel a thud in my chest and looking down, half my body is missing. Falling to the ground, my eyes stay on the ceiling until it blacks out.

    <hr>

    Nathaniel¡¯s POV

    After dealing with the dude, I watch the array, but no one comes through, which confirms my suspicion that he blocked it before he came here.

    He couldn¡¯t have been the leader of the Black Tower, could he? He was terribly weak and other than an invisible attack that would have made a nice party trick and the corrosive orbs he stuck to my barriers, he didn¡¯t show much.

    I open the community.

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - you got him? The leader escaped and he destroyed the array.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I got the guy, no problems here. Your side?

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - everything here is fine. NotAaron and NotDennis are safe, Knight and Grumpy are mopping up the rest. I had Soph check the array, but she doesn¡¯t think she could fix it.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - that¡¯s fine then. Say hello to the others, I¡¯ll be doing the 3rd trial as planned.

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - will do. Take care.

    I close the Community and turn my attention to the black orb. I still don¡¯t plan to use it for a while, even though I¡¯ve come to realize that I was relying on that black mana too much. Even so, I wanted to test it before the 3rd trial to know what to expect in case I¡¯m forced to use it.

    And it exceeded expectations. I used a lot of mana to do it, even by my standards, but it was easier to create and control than before.

    It also dealt with that weak guy¡¯s mana in seconds, with no trouble at all, pulling it from a greater distance than before and even from the skin.

    Lissandra said that if I relied on black mana then any mana user would be at a huge disadvantage compared to me, and it is getting more and more confirmed.

    When I glance at the corpse of the man, I can¡¯t help but feel disappointed.

    Wouldn''t Tess, Sophie, or Lily be capable of winning a 1v1 fight against someone of his level if they leveled up a bit more?

    Was he just that weak, or are they just strong?

    I move over to him and search his body.

    Finding a few epic items on him, I quickly sell them to the shop and then find a pocket very deep under the ground. There, I store all of my items with the exception of Flamebearer, some supplies, my epic water storage vial, and a few less valuable things.

    Waiting for a while, I let my mana fully replenish and then I use the token.

    The world around me spins until the surroundings change leaving me in a jungle-like area. The trees surrounding me towering high into the sky, their trunks as thick as buildings. The gravity around me increases, pressing me against the ground and the air is hot and humid, my body sweating immediately.

    I catch flashes of flying monsters through the branches as their screeches echo from everywhere around me.

    Welcome to the last trial, after which you will be able to enter Beyond.

    I check the quest and reward.

    Beyond¡¯s third trial quest: Hunt the king of the forest

    Quest Rewards: Beyond Three-Day Stay Token

 Chapter 410 - Dangerous beauty

    Once again, the system¡¯s latest message only brings more questions to mind. The rewards for completing a Beyond trial have always been very generous, so being able to enter Beyond for 3 days as a reward strikes me as odd. What kind of place is Beyond?

    I let kinetic energy flood my body and boost my movements as I leap from branch to branch, climbing the tallest tree I can find, rising higher and higher until I reach the top.

    The jungle stretches on seemingly forever, and there¡¯s nothing but forest as far as I can see. No mountains, lakes, or seas. Just one big never-ending forest. And high in the sky rests an orange sun that seems almost bigger than the one we have on Earth.

    I won¡¯t lie; the view is kind of alien, but it has a raw, dangerous beauty all its own.

    Moving a bit lower, I rest against the trunk and think, watching the back and forth sway of a leaf as big as I am tall.

    The King of the Forest is probably some big baddie here. I would be very surprised if it¡¯s lower than level 300. Hell, it might be as strong as the Gaiathra.

    The gravity pressing down on me provides its own complications as well, but I¡¯m getting used to strengthening my body with kinetic energy, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I even feel like I¡¯m being lazy because I¡¯m not working on any of the mana shaping exercises Lissandra showed me, but first I need to assess the danger. I can play around later.

    As if on cue, I feel mana move nearby and the trunk of the tree below me explodes and the skyscraper sized behemoth begins to fall with a deafening crack.

    I move and the trunk explodes where I was resting, splitting the falling tree in two.

    Another attack crashes against my barrier and throws me to the side as I absorb my inertia and send another pulse of mana into the surroundings, trying to detect the attacker.

    Once again, an attack lands nearby and a second tree explodes and begins to fall down.

    The screeches of the monsters from further away become louder and more presences start moving in.

    My crown activates and the next barrier I create easily absorbs the attack as I boost my body heading back the way I came.

    The attacker decides to change its attack pattern and launches a multitude of smaller assaults my way, each one moving at insane speeds. One of which even manages to pierce my barrier before grazing my arm.

    Each strike is composed of extremely compressed air, and the smaller ones are sharper with a limited area of impact, while the larger ones have an impact zone the size of a small building.

    I place multiple anchors and teleport, avoiding the attacks while I trace their origin.

    As I do another monster jumps out of the foliage below me, Its yawning maw wide enough to swallow a car as it tries to snap me up.

    In response I send out a burst of kinetic energy sending the huge monster flying and crashing into the tree, leaving it scrambling to get its four legs beneath it as the beast howls in preparation to rush me again.

    It¡¯s then that I realize the creature may as well just be an oversized hairless wolf.

    [Pale Howler - lvl ??]

    I ignore it, leaving the beast to fade into the distance behind me along with the massive trees crashing down around us as I finally reach the primary attacker.

    [Galeprowler - lvl ???]

    Seeing me so close, the monster quickly moves. Its elongated and noble feathered form racing down the tree and coiling around its way down a branch before leaping through the air to land on another.

    It moves with an unearthly grace as it rushes about on its eight legs and its feathered, snake-like head watches me intently.

    This time I bombard it with attacks and my mana javelins, boosted with kinetic energy, tear chunks out of passing trees as I boost my body to follow it. A few of my attacks even manage to land, red blood staining the beast¡¯s white feathers.

    I dodge to the side as a burst of compressed air tears into the Pale Howler behind me, who¡¯s somehow managed to keep pace, and next destroys the trunk of an adjacent tree.

    An anchor I place explodes into golden flames and the Galeprowler coils into a ball, allowing itself to be pushed away by the immense burst of wind it creates before uncoiling to land on another tree and continuing to flee.

    I teleport through multiple anchors and just when I¡¯m about to grasp it with [Redistribution], I stop. A barrier surrounds my body and I pump it with as much mana as I can as I find myself unable to teleport.

    Right after I find myself bombarded by dozens of attacks, cracking my barrier and almost breaking it as I¡¯m forced to support it more and more with increasingly compressed mana.

    When it finally gives, I boost my body with as much kinetic energy as I can handle, moving behind a tree that immediately explodes almost in its entirety, as it¡¯s peppered with attacks meant for me.

    My eyes activate and I disrupt another wave of attacks.

    [Galeprowler - lvl ???]

    [Galeprowler - lvl ???]

    [Galeprowler - lvl ???]

    [Galeprowler - lvl ???]

    ¡­

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    A dozen monsters crawl from their hiding places and out onto the trunks surrounding me, as the one I had been following up to this point almost seems to be staring at me with an annoyingly smug look on its face.

    [Focus] activates and [Mana Domain] strengthened with Pride surrounds me, expanding further under the influence of my crown. The world loses some of its color and the noise fades into the distance, my only concern being the monsters surrounding me.

    I can run away, I know that.

    A suit of armor surrounds my body and I boost myself with kinetic energy, flying right into the middle of the group. A disruptive wave ripples out from me and [Redistribution] activates slowing the monster currently trying to flee.

    I land on its back and Flamebearer roars with golden flames as I bury it into the monster¡¯s flesh, setting it ablaze.

    [You have defeated Galeprowler - lvl 311]

    [Lvl 250 > Lvl 251]

    I jump away, its body explodes into a cloud of bloody feathers and gore under the weight of my attack.

    The monsters try to mess with my [Tether] but with the help of my eyes, I still manage to place a few and reach the next monster despite needing to tank another blast of compressed air. The bark of the tree under me explodes, shattering the huge branch and sending it crashing to the forest floor below.

    I hold myself in the air, sending a blast of kinetic energy after the feathered serpent, and tearing through another blast of compressed air while gouging a huge hole in the monster''s side. Then the other monsters hit me with a barrage of attacks, sending me crashing into yet another tree. But I endure, using [Infusion] to bolster my armor as I do.

    I follow the freshly lamed monster and skewer it with a javelin as long as I am tall, pinning it to the tree while the javelin explodes, tearing the monster in half with a blast of kinetic energy.

    [You have defeated Galeprowler - lvl 309]

    The remaining monsters pick up speed as their attacks grow more and more dangerous. They¡¯re clearly beginning to improvise and change their strategy to deal with me.

    Long slashing cuts, more effort into disrupting my anchors. They even try creating a few projections to confuse me. They go into overdrive and move faster, resorting to engaging me in melee, venom dripping from their fangs and corroding my barriers as it spreads through the air leaving me blind in one eye.

    Even so, I take them on, one after another, until only one remains standing resolute in the aftermath of our battle.

    The monster that first attacked me, and lured me here to die.

    It doesn¡¯t try to run away anymore, staying with its pack until the end, with a determined look in its eyes even as it dies, pierced by my javelins as I pin it against the tree.

    [You have defeated Galeprowler - lvl 314]

    After thoroughly checking my surroundings I let out a deep sigh and rest against the tree.

    My wildly beating heart begins to slow and I find that I¡¯ve burned through a sizable chunk of my mana, proof of my struggle. That and my freshly healing wounds, especially my newly blinded eye. It heals slower than usual, likely an aftereffect of the venom they used.

    I take a step and then stagger and fall to my knees.

    Confused, I look around and examine my body once again. It doesn¡¯t seem¡­ The world around me spins but I force myself to stop collapsing, radiating as much mana as I can as whips of it tear the area apart.

    My senses latch onto something touching me and track it, leading me upwards, into the air.

    Releasing a blast of kinetic energy, I boost my body away and crash into another tree and the place I once stood explodes as the flying monster dives at me from high above.

    [Mesmerwing- lvl ???]

    I feel my body sway once more, about to lose consciousness, as the bird two times my size flies at me again.

    Golden flames surround me but a sweep of its wings disrupts them for a moment. The Mesmerwing reaches me, claws extended, coated in sickly looking yellow mana.

    A thin cone of kinetic energy reverberates through the air, gouging a hole in the monster''s chest, and tossing it aside.

    It tries to stun me again with its weird mental attack, but having finally found the right frequency, I disrupt the attempt. As I do so I place an anchor, allowing me to reach the monster as it tries to take off.

    Another suit of armor surrounds my body, doubling my size as I latch onto the monster''s leg with no concern for the talons trying to tear me to shreds.

    Boosting my mana mech with kinetic energy, I pull the monster back and swing, smashing it against the side of the tree, bark, and wood exploding into the air.

    Then I send a burst of thermal energy through my arm enveloping the avian beast in my golden flames as I hold it in place. The creature screeches in agony and tries to escape, breaking one of its wings in the process a constant stream of mental attacks tries to pierce my defenses but I hold steady and swing it again, crushing the monster once more against the tree.

    When its struggles finally ebb to a weak flailing I put the beast down by stomping on its head.

    [You have defeated Mesmerwing - lvl 315]

    More presences appear on my radar, all monsters of similar strength to the ones I just killed.

    This place is different from any other I¡¯ve visited before. The gravity here is much stronger, the air feels different, the flora is huge and the monsters are all high enough level to be considered Calamities on any of the prior floors.

    I boost my body and move by jumping instead of flying as flying requires more kinetic energy than normal just to fight against gravity. Monitoring the monsters around me I continue to think.

    How do The Living Tree, The First One, and the Fallen Hero of the 4th floor compare to the monsters I just killed? They¡¯re all about the same level, but in some ways, the Calamities from the 4th floor just feel stronger. Is it a difference in skill? What is the quality of their traits, passives, and actives compared to ¡°normal¡± monsters around that level?

    Perhaps the system is skewing the levels of the monsters we meet. After all, they could always be much stronger in reality.

    I let another Pale Howler reach me, the monster in question still reminding me of a hairless wolf, as it pounces on me, activating my passive. The kinetic energy from its attack being absorbed and converted into mana which floods into my reservoir, already perfectly tailored to my needs.

    Dodging to the side, I avoid one attack and let the other land while observing the effects. The passive is highly situational and it could even be said that it''s mostly useless at the moment. Sure, the insane defense against physical attacks is good but it¡¯s not really my thing.

    I¡¯m someone who likes to live dangerously. I think Tess called it being dumb. However, I don¡¯t mind my weird passive at all, no, in fact, I love the newest addition to my arsenal.

    It might take a while but I will do as Champion Laten did with thermal energy and the heat of a volcano, I will learn to actively turn my primordial energies into mana. And if I can do one I should be able to do the other, turning my mana into my primordial energies anytime I want without being limited by my heart.

    Kinetic energy reverberates through the air around me, turning the Pale Howler into a pincushion, and tearing chunks from its flesh as the last attack pierces its head.

    [You have defeated Pale Howler - lvl 301]

    The system didn¡¯t give me any limit to finish the Trial quest. So, let¡¯s see how long I can stay here and turn it into my own private leveling area.

 Chapter 411 - 3rd Trial

    I¡¯m constantly being attacked by powerful monsters, and the king of the forest is lurking about somewhere - threatening to be even more dangerous an opponent than the others. Some of their attacks come as a surprise to me even now, and that¡¯s not even counting the monsters attacking from the ground.

    Even so, for me, it may as well be a mere formality.

    I know the system has probably adapted the trial to my talents as it has with the others, but after all the training I did with Lissandra and the corresponding increase in my strength, I don''t think I will fail.

    Sure, the system is enough of an asshole to try and pull a fast one. There might even be some Rulers trying to mess with me here and there, but I still think my trial will be somewhat fair. The system won''t give me anything too absurd for my 3rd trial - something around the level of an ¡°average¡± Beyonder.

    Probably.

    A few wounds here and there are to be expected, but with my new passive I barely get any from physical attacks; instead, they literally make me stronger by replenishing my mana.

    Mana-based attacks can be handled with by disrupting their structure, and that¡¯s before I start teleporting and creating barriers, I can fly, and I can move quickly by flooding my body with kinetic energy.

    It could be said I''m a goddamn sneaky little jerk who¡¯s very hard to kill.

    I¡¯ve also discovered that the kinetic energy I absorb can¡¯t turn into mana and overfill my reservoir. If my reservoir is full, it just absorbs the damage and produces no mana.

    So I solve the issue by saving the mana in my body and relying on my reservoir, and by sending a constant stream of mana into my crown to keep my reservoir depleted by anywhere from 20-30%.

    In an attempt to deal with some of the more annoying monsters, I also try setting the forest on fire. Inspired by my Avatar from the third event of the tournament, I put in a lot of effort trying to burn the surrounding trees and vegetation. I even try setting them in different places with bombs, flames, and by simply radiating as much heat as I can.

    In the end, I do manage to start a few small fires, but the extreme humidity quickly douses them once I stop feeding them mana.

    Currently, I''m surrounded by a massive suit of armor, allowing me to face the huge monster before me. It''s made out of earth covered in vegetation. Its figure is similar to a human''s, but there are no details, no fingers, no eyes, or other visible sensory organs.

    [Vine Golem - lvl ??]

    I¡¯m trying to expand my passive¡¯s effects to include the massive mana mech and use the absorbed strikes to generate more mana. If I can pull it off I should be able to keep the armor active almost indefinitely in combat. Of course, that would necessitate taking a constant stream of blows.

    So as I face the golem, I don¡¯t bother to dodge any of its attacks and keep trying even though it doesn¡¯t seem to be working. The passives just refuse to expand into the realm of more active skills. It seems like the only real control I have over them is my ability to deactivate them, while any other effects are restricted by the ¡°settings¡± of the passive in question.

    Disappointed, I destroy the golem and take a quick look around.

    Jungle and forest as far as the eye can see, and standing here on the ground makes me feel so small, even surrounded by massive armor. As I deactivate it and land on the ground, I feel even smaller. It leaves me in awe. Struck by the overwhelming sensation of being surrounded by the scenery of such an alien place.

    I take a deep breath in and then out. And another one.

    The trees creak as they sway in the wind, monsters scream somewhere in the distance, and I feel presences all around me. The flowers and plants around me tend to be colorful and taller than me, and a lot of them are poisonous.

    Some of the trees have a bark that secretes a white liquid that is extremely sticky, enough so to trap monsters from time to time. Some of the leaves currently swaying in the wind are very tough, a lot of attacks can¡¯t so much as pierce them. Others, upon taking damage, bleed an extremely potent mana-corrosive liquid.

    I etch the scene into my memory alongside many of the others I¡¯ve witnessed since this started.

    Then I head towards the next group of monsters.

    The system didn''t say how much time I have to hunt the king of the forest. So let''s try to sneak in a few extra levels.

    <hr>

    A day passes, and the crown already has a nice amount of mana in it. The passive is working amazingly well, though at the cost of taking a bit of damage. The bones will grow together, right, so why should I worry?

    I also learn more about the body upgrade I just went through, which almost seems to be complete.

    My bones are tougher than they were, it¡¯s not quite the same as getting free points in Constitution, but I would say the base is better.

    That also means the moment someone with a high Constitution gets this body upgrade their body will probably get a significant boost.

    The cellular regeneration part straight up means increased regeneration. It''s not up to the level of average healing skill, but my wounds will continue to regenerate even if I don¡¯t use my passive to do it.

    I wonder if it would be able to regrow my limbs. Probably not, but I could try cutting off a finger just to see.

    The muscle efficiency turns out to be the weirdest part, but I would say my mind-to-muscle connection is better while all effects of strengthening my body improve.

    Overall, this upgrade straight up seems to be a massive improvement for anyone who relies on high level physical stats. Tacita comes to mind.

    Still, there is a thing for me as well; when using my skills to a higher level, it''s easier, especially the ones over level 50 or very close to it.

    I also manage to confirm that by lacking the proper body upgrade and having a level under 250 I made it much harder to get my skills to level 50. It seems I leveled them up way too quickly, and that they probably shouldn¡¯t be quite so high level.

    But that''s a good thing.

    [You have defeated Mesmerwing - lvl 306]

    [Lvl 251 > Lvl 252]

    It seems like my attack from earlier - with the compressed javelin, really hit that damned bird flying high in the air. Likely wounding it enough to kill it outright or to get it killed by something else.

    This place can be quite unforgiving.

    <hr>

    Two more days pass, and I think I''ve located the king of the forest.

    I know of an area that no monster will enter; they just straight up refuse. There is no other information confirming it, but I think I''m on the right track.

    So I just turn around and head in the opposite direction.

    A few times I even allow myself to fall from great heights to see if I can get any mana out of it. I do, but the amount isn¡¯t really worth it, unfortunately.

    Other than that, most of my mana gets funneled into a thermal orb that hovers over my shoulder.

    Out of boredom, I¡¯ve even created a few evil orbs to train with.

    I can easily go a week or two without sleep, make preparations, and raise my level in the process. It''s similar to the strain I just went through, and I find it quite funny. I think if I had come here before training with Lissandra I would have been a lot more tense and cautious, but getting here stronger has its advantages.

    So I wonder.

    How much thermal energy do I need to store in my orb to be able to set the forest ablaze?

    <hr>

    A week has passed since I started the third trial.

    My access to the Community has been cut off ever since the start, but I have leveled up twice. Some skills leveled as well, most notably [Mana Crown] by two levels.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    I am also getting used to my unique passive, and it works really well, but it¡¯s better for melee combat and fighting huge monsters.

    A few times, I got into powerful storms, trying to absorb kinetic energy from the wind to store in the form of mana. It did work but not as well as I had hoped.

    As I¡¯m fighting the monsters, I continue to use Mana Cycling to keep my mana under control. At this point, that technique runs in the back of my mind nearly nonstop, a part of my mind constantly maintaining the flow.

    I think it¡¯s one of the main reasons my control over my mana keeps increasing and a big part of why my body hasn¡¯t been torn apart by my stat imbalance. I still remember what it was like before Lissandra taught me how. And now she¡¯s made improvements to it. These improvements make it more difficult to use, but at the same time, they were desperately needed, lately I¡¯ve been feeling that the original version has stopped being enough.

    The king of the forest is hunting me now as well. It''s a funny twist to my situation and my quest.

    I figure that the monster is either doing it it because the system¡¯s had enough of me using the 3rd trial as my private leveling grounds, or because the monster can sense my thermal orb and the terrifying amount of energy it contains.

    Somehow, it makes sense that the king of the forest would try to stop me from setting it ablaze.

    I can use that.

    Well, just a day or two, and we will see.

    <hr>

    Two days later, I think I''m ready.

    I¡¯ve placed a number of anchors over as wide an area as I can manage. The limitation is in the [Tether], I can¡¯t use the skill over too great a distance. The sites I placed anchors on are the driest I found in this goddamn excessively humid place. I swear most of what I breathe is water rather than air.

    I also created as big a sprawling web as I could, the threads having been tuned for the delivery of thermal energy, nothing else.

    The king of the forest is somewhere far behind me, I used plenty of kinetic energy to put distance between us.

    [Focus] activates, and my mind splits into multiple parts, each managing a different task. Then I start using [Infusion] and [Redistribution] to send thermal energy through the web and through my anchors.

    The distance is so great that I can¡¯t even see some of the explosions, but I know they¡¯re going off.

    Five of my anchors receive a huge amount of golden thermal energy, and the flames explode into the skies, the heat drying out the air and setting the huge trees on fire.

    And more.

    The orb near me starts to deplete its stores at great speed as I channel all that thermal energy through my web in an attempt to dry out the area and through my anchors to keep feeding the fires.

    I also take the wind into consideration and time it so that it blows the fire in the direction of most monsters.

    And just like that, I deplete all of my thermal energy, leaving me waiting.

    Then the notifications come.

    [You have defeated Thornbeast - lvl 306]

    [You have defeated Dreadroot - lvl 301]

    [You have defeated Thornbeast - lvl 301]

    [You have defeated Mosslurker - lvl 303]

    [You have defeated Dreadroot - lvl 304]

    ¡­

    It looks like there is any number of slow plantlike monsters that happen to be highly flammable. Just not as many as I would have liked.

    Someone¡ªthe king¡ªis fighting against the fires.

    Taking a step towards the beast I¡¯ve been running from, I form a javelin over my shoulder and extend it to twice my height. Then I start making it as dense as possible, the projectile gaining weight. My domain expands into the area, and the pressure that was about to disrupt my projectile clashes against my domain reinforced by my subclass.

    The king is coming.

    I let kinetic energy flood into the javelin to give it more piercing force and store a huge chunk of power for the launch.

    And the forest keeps burning despite all attempts to stop it.

    [You have defeated Shadowvine - lvl 303]

    [You have defeated Mireprowler - lvl 303]

    [You have defeated Mireprowler - lvl 302]

    ¡­

    [Lvl 254 > Lvl 255]

    [Lvl 255 > Lvl 256]

    It took me days to level up once or twice and now I''m leveling up in a matter of minutes. Not bad at all.

    I boost my body away, and a stream of water as thin as my finger cleanly cuts through the tree I was standing on and several others as the beam follows me.

    The trees, as tall as skyscrapers, start falling, and I absorb their kinetic energy, slowing their falls until they seem almost suspended in the air.

    A lot of my mana disappears at that point, only to be replaced by the absorbed kinetic energy which flows through my body and into my projectile.

    The king of the forest moves closer. It¡¯s not that big¡ªreally, an unassuming monster with three orbs of water trailing behind it. It seems distracted by the fires, trying to put them out even from this distance.

    I can sense how much effort it takes for the monster. It¡¯s an immense feat to weaken multiple massive fires over such a vast distance and without any preparation.

    Good, that should make it more difficult for the monster to face me, now that I¡¯ve managed to divide its attention.

    [Flood Tyrant - lvl ???]

    The creature has a streamlined, eel-like body covered in dark, wet scales and a sleek appearance with four nimble-looking legs.

    All three orbs fire at me at once, thin streams of water cutting through my barriers with ease, and I just manage to block one of the streams with Flamebearer, as the force makes the weapon vibrate in my hands.

    When another two streams reach me as well, I fight against the pressure trying to stop me and teleport to one of my anchors, my javelin moving with me.

    I keep dodging and avoiding its strikes as the notifications from the burning forest sound off, but after a few minutes, they slow down. The presences of the many monsters rushing closer.

    [Lvl 256 > Lvl 257]

    What a weak king, calling for help before we¡¯ve even gotten started.

    But the fight should be over before they can even get through what¡¯s left of the fire.

    The Flood Tyrant¡¯s three orbs of water fuse together and launch a stream of water at speeds too high to track, boring a hole as thick as a pencil in a damaged section of my ax.

    Another attack pierces me, streaming through the new hole in my ax and destroying my shoulder in the process.

    The monster shoots again, this time aiming for my heart, but the stream hits the undamaged part of the axe, and the immense energy contained within the attack throws me back.

    I return fire with a concentrated stream of thermal energy, lightly scorching the monster without truly damaging it. Instead of taking the brunt of the damage, the monster turns into water and quickly seeps into the ground.

    My senses shoot into the area to detect the monster, but another attack of concentrated water burrows into my chest and tries to move diagonally to cut me apart.

    I teleport before it happens and immediately after another attack cuts into my leg, trying to repeat the strategy. I burst into action, blocking the attack with my ax, and teleporting away as I lift the ax once more.

    As expected, the monster is tracking my anchors, and another attack crashes against my ax, following up with another and cleaving through the dense barriers I put in its way.

    I create as many anchors as I can, keeping my mind sharp and eyes peeled, looking for any trace of the monster. It¡¯s created multiple presences all over the forest, but only one of them is the real body.

    I receive more and more wounds, the creature¡¯s attacks moving at impossible speeds, and hitting too hard for me to deflect them with anything other than the ax.

    The forest and the giant trees around us fall apart, sliced by three streams of compressed water as if they are nothing.

    My heart is beating wildly, the forest loses all color and sound, and everything is only black and white as I slide into my skill. Mana alone retaining its beautiful vibrant hues.

    I fail to detect the original and am punished with another hole in my foot.

    My use of the anchor is too slow, and I lose a finger¡ªthankfully, only a finger.

    The ax in my hand moves too slowly, and a jet of water carves a deep wound in my side, nearly cutting me in half.

    Nothing I do can stop these attacks; they slice through my fires, my mana, and my body.

    But I detect the original.

    I block the first attack with my ax.

    I tilt my head to avoid the second stream and then duck under it when it swings back. The trees behind me fall down as they are cut cleanly in two, and I absorb a bit more kinetic energy, adding to my reserves.

    Before it can launch a third strike, I''ve readied my aim and release my javelin, boosting it with my heavily inflated pool of kinetic energy in a single powerful push.

    The javelin disappears with a loud boom, piercing through everything in its way.

    I don¡¯t even see the path of its flight, and neither does the Flood Tyrant. The only visible result is a fist-sized perfectly round hole bored through the length of the monster¡¯s body and a similar hole behind it, who knows how deep.

    A powerful disrupting wave erupts from my body, directed at the monster and preventing it from turning into water like it did before. Looking through my enhanced eyes.

    I match its wavelength perfectly, nullifying the monster''s attempts at escape.

    Even so, the monster tries to move, as the flesh around the wound bubbles up and begins to regenerate. In response, I use [Tether] activating the anchor I left on the javelin and pulling it back.

    It flies back to me from a much deeper point in the ground than I expected, but it dislodges itself nonetheless, burrowing its way through the body of the monster. As it does, I release the stored kinetic energy, causing it to explode.

    The explosion cuts through the forest, the threads that made the javelin untangling and rapidly slicing through the surrounding trees, while the highly compressed kinetic energy tears through everything in its path as the shockwave expands through the area.

    [You have defeated Flood Tyrant - lvl 339]

    Congratulations, you have successfully completed Beyond¡¯s 3rd Trial and may now enter Beyond.

    You can now buy Beyond Stay Tokens from the system shop. They will also be included as rewards for certain floor and side quests. You may also earn Beyond Stay tokens within Beyond itself.

    After entering Beyond, you will receive more information and be assigned a handler.

    Well done!

 Chapter 412 - Handler

    Okay, I''m getting more and more curious about what¡¯s waiting for me in Beyond.

    Before I can think about turning around and resuming my leveling, the scenery begins to fade, the system recognizing the King of the Forest¡¯s death and returning me to the sixth floor.

    Obviously, the system wasn¡¯t going to let me get away with it forever.

    Stepping out into the bleak wastes of the Astral Prison, I sense some weaker monsters nearby and release a bit of my mana, which scares them off. Their level is low anyway and I want some time to think. But before that, I send a message.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - 3rd trial completed.

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - congratulations. I''m curious to hear more when we meet.

    Savant (Hell, Alone) - took you a while.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - I took just the right amount of time. I''m surprised you didn''t forfeit your third trial.

    Savant (Hell, Alone) - how many limbs did you lose this time?

    Tacita (Hell, Luce) - ?????

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - welcome to the 6th floor

    Tacita (Hell, Luce) - |???)¨s

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - we have no idea when she got here before you ask.

    NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - hell, she could have been here before us. She could have been trolling us during the tournament.

    NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - are you dumb? There was no restriction during the duels.

    NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - are YOU dumb? There was no text showing the floor during the duels.

    Tacita (Hell, Luce) - (? _ ?)

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - has everything been ok so far?

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - we took over the place we attacked and started pumping the surviving natives for information. The system will censor most of the things I would like to write here so I will tell you more in person. But I can tell you this right now. This floor won''t be short.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - got it. I will continue dealing with my own stuff.

    Closing the Community, I reach the place where I hid my items. Standing there, I look over all of them and think about what I should take with me.

    The most valuable things are the mana stones containing the mana shaping exercises, improvements on Mana Cycling, and the Restrictive Training Emblem that I got from Lissandra.

    Then there are these items:

    Arcanite Alloy (Low Arcane) - Arcanite Alloy is a meticulously engineered blend of a dozen metals, each chosen for its unique resonance with arcane energies. This alloy was designed to amplify magical powers. Despite the complexity of its creation, items forged from Arcanite Alloy will be durable and capable of channeling immense magical forces.

    Flamebearer (Low Arcane, Damaged) - Flamebearer held dominion over fire, with a mere swing capable of igniting the horizon. This ax¡¯s blaze once burned with immense fury. Despite the damage and its weakened flames, moments of intense heat surge through its blade, offering a glimpse into its fiery past.

    Then there are any number of mana stones filled with information I¡¯ve collected from the floors, a big pile of metals I collected for experimenting. Pieces of bones from the bone fortress, pieces of bone from the snake that attacked the Veil ignition station no. 2, also known as the Cinder.

    Lily still has a finger bone from one of the Champions from the 5th floor. A few voidsteel blades, an epic water bottle, a decent supply of clothes, food, water, and more. It''s a pretty big pile now that I look at it.

    In the end, I take some time to wash myself and put on clean clothes. I wear a black shirt, rolling up the sleeves, and gray pants. I also put on shoes. Then I take all the things Lissandra gave me, I take Flamebearer and Arcanite Alloy as well, and a few of the smaller pieces of bones.

    Waiting for my body to fully heal and my mana to fully replenish, I sit and open the system shop and look for new additions.

    Beyond One-Day Stay Token - 9,999 shards

    Beyond Three-Day Stay Token - 29,999 shards

    Beyond Seven-Day Stay Token - 69,999 shards

    ¡­

    Firstly, what the actual hell is with the pricing? Is the system shop really trying to pull some cheap marketing pricing strategy? Second, what the actual hell is with the prices?

    Just the seven-day stay is worth almost as much as the cheapest arcane item. Actually, wouldn''t a 10-day stay token cost the same as the weakest arcane item? If I used all of my shards, it would give me just 13 days there, and I don''t think there are many people with half as many shards as I do.

    ¡°I want to sell Beyond Three-Day Stay Token,¡± I try.

    Do you really want to sell the following item for 1 shard?

    Beyond Three-Day Stay Token

    Yes/No

    Yeah, seems about right.

    ¡°No,¡± I say, and the window disappears.

    Anyway, it''s time to go, so I jump to my feet, sending an experimental burst of mana through my body as if I were stretching with my mana, and warming up in the process.

    As I have so many times before, I watch as the wounds decorating my body heal. It''s a slow process that I still can¡¯t help but find fascinating: the bones healing, muscles reconnecting, tendons reaching out from their severed ends.

    It takes a few more hours, even with as much compressed thermal energy as I''m using. The entire time, I''m stuck impatiently waiting, my body urging me to move, and my mind already thinking of Beyond.

    Then when it''s done, with the ax on my back and mana ready to be activated, I use the token.

    The world around me twists and changes until I find myself standing in a different place.

    ¡°Welcome to Beyond,¡± a soft voice murmurs from somewhere nearby.

    It seems to be around midnight, and I find myself standing on a plane of polished and perfectly smooth black stone that seems to stretch on forever. There is nothing as far as I can see. No hills, no trees, no mountains, no clouds. Just straight and perfectly polished black stone flooring. The sky glimmers and sparkles with a vast array of beautiful stars and nebulas. Easily making for the most amazing view of the night sky I¡¯ve ever seen in my life, even counting the pictures I once saw on Earth.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Turning to the side, I find the woman who greeted me. She¡¯s currently seated behind an old wooden desk, heavily laden with stacks upon stacks of paperwork, mana stones, and a number of items I fail to identify.

    There is no text over her head.

    She is a bit older than me, her hair is black with a bit of red mixed into it, and her eyes projecting a feeling of calm and curiosity, are brown in color.

    ¡°I''m your handler.¡± She says, introducing herself as she looks me over with her head tilted to the side.

    She then looks back to one of the papers in her hand and starts reading, ¡°Nathaniel Gwyn, 22 years old from Earth, 5th round of the tutorial. Completed all three trials and entered Beyond just one year and some weeks into the tutorial. You¡¯ve had a really good time, and you aren''t even the 1st one from Earth to come here. Your planet seems to be a nice addition to the system.¡±

    She leans back in her chair, her eyes moving on the paper, ¡°You already have a few really good skills, and a unique epic passive and an abundance of shards for someone of your level,¡± her eyes expand in surprise at that. ¡°Pride, Wavelength eye, winner of your 1st tournament. Good, it''s nice that I got you.¡±

    ¡°Why is it nice?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Oh, your handler gets a small percentage of all the shards you make in the dungeons and through any Beyond quests you receive and a few other benefits.¡±

    Great, so now I have this woman taking a cut as well.

    ¡°Would be good if you explained a bit more,¡± I note.

    Finally, she looks up from the paper and snorts, ¡°Don''t be impatient. You have potential, but you¡¯re still just a small fry here. And you should already know that the system limits what I can share with you. The system is just that way and its rules reach even to Beyond.¡±

    As she stands up, she walks around the table and looks me up and down, her eyes coming to rest on my face.

    ¡°First, hide your Mana Wavelength Iris, second, hide one of your primordial energies. Just having one is rare enough so don''t walk around showing two until you are stronger. I mean, it could be fine to show it all, but as you are now, there is no point in bringing that much attention to yourself. Third, I accessed some of your records and checked a few things, I recommend that you not use what you call black mana.¡±

    ¡°Would be nice if you could tell me its real name.¡±

    ¡°Ten thousand shards.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I will tell you for ten thousand shards.¡±

    ¡°Is it really such valuable information?¡±

    ¡°Not really, I just test to see how many shards I could make off you.¡± She seems to be serious.

    Looking at her, I answer, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Five thousand shards.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Cheapskate, you have plenty of shards,¡± my handler sighs and then returns to her seat at the desk. She¡¯s entirely clad in gray in a blend of formal and casual wear. ¡°Anyway, there are a few things I can tell you and some you need to discover on your own, so listen carefully but consider it on your own too. This advice is not something set in stone, and every handler has their own, so here is mine.¡±

    She makes sure I listen and continues, ¡°Beyond is on the edge between the real world and the tutorials. It was created a long time ago with the cooperation of multiple Rulers over a very special place called the First Dungeon. Got everything so far?¡±

    ¡°I do, please continue.¡±

    ¡°You are from the 5th round, and your 1st tournament just ended, meaning your Earth¡äs tutorial''s rounds should be in the process of synchronization to prepare for the second tournament. The point is that after the synchronization you will be able to accept Beyond quests. You will learn more about them later.¡±

    ¡°How long will pass on Earth compared to the five in the tutorial?¡± I ask.

    She seems to be thinking for a while or checking something and answers, "Five years, but it''s not that simple."

    ¡°Got it. Another question, how many other people like me are you acting as a handler for?¡±

    ¡°Good question,¡± my handler smiles. ¡°Average for each handler would be a few dozen. To become a handler, you must have at least that much potential. Either by virtue of your own skills or by being able to use an item created by the Ruler of Diligence.¡±

    That sounds interesting. Are handlers all Absolutes or Champions? As I open my mouth to ask, I see her looking at me, and hold my tongue instead. Something in her eyes makes me think better of asking.

    ¡°Once we¡¯re done here you will appear on the surface of Beyond. Leave as quickly as possible and find an entrance to the First Dungeon. If you¡¯re unlucky with your spawn location, you will die. The surface is dangerous even to someone on the verge of becoming a Champion, and it''s recommended that you only go there in large groups. Got it?¡± she asks seriously.

    ¡°Yes. Any hints as to where I can find such an entrance?¡±

    ¡°Can''t say.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°After you enter the First Dungeon, you will find yourself on the Entrance floor. You only have three days, so just look around for now, maybe do some trading, and collect some information. Check the rankings as well. Try to avoid guilds and do not join any groups or expeditions. Do not enter the dungeon at any cost, and do not go to the surface. Take it slow, and after you get back to your floor, do some side quests to earn more Stay tokens. I would recommend at least a week''s stay so that you can start exploring what Beyond has to offer. Got it?¡± she asks again.

    ¡°Yes. How much more can I ask?¡±

    ¡°Not much, I told you most of the allowed information. The rest would be censored. The system wants you to discover it on your own. Where is the adventure and fun of exploration in having all information spoon fed you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your name? That shouldn¡¯t be censored, right?¡±

    The woman lifts her eyebrow and looks somewhat amused. She then moves and sits back behind the table.

    ¡°I might tell you in the future. Also, I know you Pride guys tend to do things your own way but consider the advice I gave you.¡± She pauses and seems to be listening to something. ¡°Well, our time seems to be gone, so good luck. I will see you the next time you enter Beyond.¡±

    Before that feeling pulls me away, I think of grabbing some paper or mana stones from the table but decide against it. Doing so could end very badly for me.

    Appearing on what I guess is the surface of Beyond, I rouse the mana under my skin and redirect most of it to my defenses. My crown activates, and I slip into [Focus] to help me with skills and concentration.

    I do not take the warnings she gave me lightly; she didn''t seem prone to lies or exaggerations.

    The place I¡¯ve appeared is eerily quiet, and there is no wind at all. It''s early morning, looking at it, but I can''t find any sun in the sky. Yet there is light, and the blue of the sky is mixed with the orange colors of dawn.

    The first difference is a huge increase in gravity pulling on me. Then another one is the constant pressure of something trying to take my mana. Only gradually do I realize it''s the planet doing it, trying to pull my mana and send it somewhere below.

    I then send my senses into the area around me and almost immediately feel something touch them. Some being senses my use of mana from what feels like miles away and immediately detect me, tracking my exact location.

    Without any hesitation, I release all the kinetic energy I can and start running, then flying away from the presence.

    I do not use my mana sense anymore; instead, I concentrate on keeping as much of my mana as I can inside my body while kinetic energy propels me forward.

    As I run, I hear a sound reminiscent of a series of small, consistent explosions.

    Just from that short touch of mana as it detected my senses, I know I have no chance at all.

    Even so, I''m getting ready for the worst option, mana collecting inside my body, as I prepare to activate all my trump cards.

    A constant wave of detection is being projected over the area, but the being seems to have trouble finding me now that I''ve stopped using my mana externally. It¡¯s still a mile or two away, a distant explosion erupting from its location as I run and fly, searching for an entrance to the dungeon.

    And the presence keeps coming closer, and closer from the sound of it. At this rate, it¡¯ll find me in a few short moments.

    Ready for anything, I boost myself high into the air and send my senses as far as I can, immediately feeling that pressure on me again. The rest of my kinetic energy pushes my body towards a cave in the distance, which radiates a constant stream of mana.

    Already beginning to drain the kinetic energy in my core with my constant use, I start creating more with my heart as I use mana to boost my body and fire projectiles into the space behind me.

    The view around me disappears in a blur of motion, and the explosions behind me slow down. There are fewer of them now, but they¡¯re stronger, and the air reverberates even at this range.

    As the cave comes into view, I rush inside, crashing into the walls and scrambling to rush further inside as I fail to slow down in time.

    Another explosion thunders in my ears, and I feel something hit me.

    The world spins, and a rush of different sounds fills my ears.

    There are cobblestones under my body, and I find myself surrounded by a group of surprised people and buildings. All located inside of a huge cave.

    I look down, and both of my legs are gone, ragged wounds covering what remains of my knees, pieces of bone and torn flesh exposing themselves to open air as I bleed profusely.

    Generating thermal energy inside my body, I let my passive close the wound and replace my missing limbs with prosthetics made of mana.

    Ignoring the looks I''m getting, I check my body and items and head somewhere more quiet.

 Chapter 413 - Four Rankings

    The Entrance floor of the Beyond dungeon is massive, and crowded with people. So far I¡¯ve seen humans, lynthari, demons, and more of those smaller humanoids with scaly legs; I don''t know what to call their race.

    And many more. The different races seem to come in all shapes and sizes, some are men and women with wings growing from their backs, another one with hair that keeps glowing and floating around their head, I even catch a glimpse of a man twice as tall as me, and too many others to count. Sitting on the ground with my back against the wall of a nearby building well out of the way, I observe each of them as they move about.

    None of them have text over their head. All of them are just as real as me, as real as Group 4, as real as Vega. Each one a person who managed to complete their Beyond trials to make it here.

    It makes sense. Our round has seven people in Beyond. Earth should have at least five rounds, and if each round has around, let''s say, an average of five people. That means there should be 25 from Earth alone, probably twice that if we have ten rounds. Even if some of them die, it means a decent number should manage to enter Beyond.

    Now multiply that by the hundreds, maybe thousands of tutorials running at the same time, and you should get an idea of the number of people here. Well, probably not exactly here; from what I''ve seen, this entrance floor is huge but it¡¯s probably not the only one. I would expect there to be a few more at least.

    It''s all so overwhelming and fascinating that I have to force myself to tone down my excitement.

    Beyond, according to my handler, lies in between the real world and the tutorials. So what exactly does that mean? I want to know. I also want to know about Beyond quests. I want to know about the First Dungeon that Beyond is built on and the whole 1st floor I should enter for now.

    Guilds, rankings, trading, quests, a small possibility of meeting some Beyonder from Earth. Hell, I might be able to meet our round''s first Beyonder or even Victoria, I''m sure she would have found her way here.

    Another big question is, are all of these people part of the tutorial, or is it possible to enter from the outside world as well?

    ¡°Hey,¡± my thoughts grind to a halt as a friendly-looking man stops in front of me.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I reply.

    Everyone here is a Beyonder. The same as me, Tacita, or Savant. None of these people can be underestimated.

    ¡°You are probably new here, so if you want, I can point you to a place where they can restore your legs,¡± he offers.

    ¡°That would be nice,¡± I say, pretending to accept on the off chance he has some decent information.

    He nods quickly and points in one direction, ¡°If you go that way you¡¯ll find a branch of Serene Circle. For the right price, they can heal you.¡±

    ¡°Is it possible to trade shards?¡±

    The man laughs, ¡°Yes, but only within Beyond, and the system always takes a 20% cut, so they generally prefer that you just buy items for them. Prices in the system shop are 10% higher here in Beyond, but it¡¯s a bit better than trading. I have to go, good luck, man.¡± He waves, cutting off further comments as he leaves.

    I watch as he joins a small group of other people, and they disappear together around the corner.

    So the system takes 20% when you trade shards, and prices are 10% higher in the system shop.

    There¡¯s so much potential for abuse and every opportunity for someone very rich to make someone much stronger extremely quickly. Shards can be used for better passives, items, and information.

    But the more I think about it, the less worried I become. In the end, it¡¯s all about the user, and active skills are the most important.

    I then make an experimental attempt to open the Community interface, but it seems to be impossible here, the same goes for the Beyond Community. Checking the other notifications, there are no quests or other information.

    So I decide to check the Rankings as my handler recommended and find myself confronted with a number of categories.

    Guild Rankings

    Exploration Leaders

    Individual Rankings

    Crafting Rankings

    The first one seems obvious, and I open it and check the first few guilds.

    Guild Rankings

    1. Bloodline

    2. Frontier

    3. Primordial Knights

    4. Crimson Forge

    5. Astral Brotherhood

    ...

    The list goes on, showing hundreds of guilds, but these five seem to be the top ranked. There is no information regarding how the rankings are calculated.

    Then I open another list.

    Exploration Leaders

    1. Adrian (6th Floor)

    2. Voss (5th Floor)

    3. Nyssa Volare (5th Floor)

    4. Orion (5th Floor)

    5. Zenith (5th Floor)

    ...

    Looking at them, I guess the floor shows the First Dungeon''s floor and not the tutorial¡¯s. And there sure seems to be a big difference between 1st and 2nd place.

    Is it possible to enter Beyond after the tutorial? Are these rankings limited to those set during the five years of the tutorial? There¡¯s so much I need to ask. I¡¯ll need to find someone to question. Hell, I can probably offer an item or two.

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    Onto another ranking then.

    Individual Rankings

    1. Adrian (Ivory Tower)

    2. Lyraen (The Silent Veil)

    3. Solae M¡¯Karn (Bloodline)

    4. Zarith K¡¯Traal (The Darkmoon Collective)

    5. Nyssa Volare (Primordial Knights)

    ¡­

    This list also continues on listing hundreds of individuals up to one thousand. This raises still more questions: Are all the people listed in the rankings currently active in Beyond, or are they historical rankings updated over millennia or greater scales?

    The more questions I have, the more shards I''m willing to pay. I really need to grab someone on the weaker end of things and try to bully them into answering.

    And lastly, there are

    Crafting Rankings

    1. Eldrin (Crimson Forge)

    2. Isolde (Crimson Forge)

    3. Silverweave (Crimson Forge)

    4. Vaelith (Frontier)

    5. Orin (Stormrider Company)

    ¡­

    Well, here it seems like Crimson Forge is kind of obliterating the rankings.

    After closing the windows, I glance at my still recovering legs and send a bit more mana into my mana replacements, and stand up. It''s a bit more difficult to keep my balance without any feeling in my feet, but it¡¯s nothing I haven''t dealt with before.

    Walking on the cobblestone, I look around, examining people around me.

    So far, no one tried to use mana to examine me, so I do the same. It was considered rude on the floors I¡¯ve already visited, so it''s probably the same here.

    Most people seem to gather in groups, moving in the direction of what I assume is an entrance to the dungeon or a path to the surface. Each of these groups is bigger, often over 20 people, sometimes even 50.

    There are also smaller groups of less than 10 people, but they seem very strong. It''s hard to estimate just by looking, but they¡¯re surely in their 300s, likely years into their tutorial.

    I wonder how many of these weapons are arcane, how many of these people have arcane passives, and what level are their skills. It frustrates me to not know, I have so many questions. Was Savant right when he said that arcane was the limit of rarity in the tutorial? Could I fight some of the 3rd, 4th, or 5th year Beyonders? How many shards do they have?

    As I stand there, I notice someone from the crowd move closer, a man dressed in simple clothes and a big bag on his back.

    ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re new here,¡± he says with a smile that immediately betrays him as an extrovert class.

    ¡°Did my looking around give me away?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yeah, I passed by three times and here you are, standing in the same place, looking around while trying not to stand out.¡± He smiles, ¡°My name''s Duncan, I''m one of the locals.¡±

    ¡°Locals?¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course, you don''t know. To say it simply, the earlier generations of tutorial attendees came to Beyond. Some of them had kids and they¡­ Well, they left them here. So a few of the Rulers twisted the rules a bit and since then there have been locals. Would you like to know more?¡±

    It''s all interesting stuff so I nod. Maybe I¡¯ve really found myself a truly informed guy.

    I nod in answer.

    ¡°One epic item and I¡¯ll be glad to answer your questions for an hour or two. Not all of them of course, that would cost a lot more, but some basic information should be fine. Things that everyone should know.¡±

    I''m not even surprised.

    ¡°No, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Got it! I have to go but this one is free, beware the guilds. They generally like to make a push to reel in newbies with terrible contracts so don''t sign anything yet. See you around.¡±

    And with that, Duncan leaves.

    For now, I will follow the advice my handler gave me, at least until my legs regrow. With the amount of concentrated thermal energy I¡¯m feeding my passive and my body upgrade, it should only take a day or two.

    In that time, I should be able to glean a bit more information for free, so there should be no need to waste 4 thousand shards or more.

    As I walk through the crowd, everyone else seems capable, that''s the word I would use. They often have an abundance of nice equipment and I even recognize a few voidsteel blades, the Housekeeper¡¯s rapier, some of the items from the 3rd Floor, equipment from the 2nd floor though it¡¯s higher quality than anything I was able to get.

    Plenty of these people have stuff I do not recognize. Maybe even from the 6th, 7th, and higher floors of Hell difficulty.

    It makes me feel like a rookie again, someone who just found themselves somewhere new, and I have to wonder if, in a few years, some new Beyonder will look at me the same way I look at these people.

    Rather than demoralizing me, it fuels my competitive spirit. There are multiple rankings I can get onto. The surface and the dungeon to explore and all the information I can collect about the system, other planets, and any number of other things.

    And there is hope the difficulty here is higher. Other than the "bosses" of the floors, I don¡¯t really have much to worry about in Hell difficulty - well, maybe only if I decide to make things harder on purpose. Of course, I¡¯m certain the higher floors of the tutorial will be much more difficult and dangerous.

    As I walk into an area that reminds me of a town square surrounding a central fountain, I glance at the ceiling of the cave. There are dozens of crystal-like stones, radiating a light reminiscent of sunlight. There are probably inscriptions on them, but I do not send my senses towards them. Forcing myself not to use them feels like I¡¯ve lost half my sight.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re a Pride subclass, right? I recognize your clothes, they are 5th floor style, right?¡± A woman comes closer to me.

    She is surprisingly friendly.

    As an answer, I nod but she doesn''t seem to be bothered.

    ¡°I''m Pride as well, I reached Adept not long ago so I could sense¡­¡±

    She blabbers away and I listen with one ear, waiting for a catch.

    ¡°So, me and a few of my friends have this guild. We just started, but our guild master has huge plans. He is on the 8th floor of Hell difficulty you know. 8th already, just three years into the tutorial!¡±

    ¡°He must be really strong,¡± I say.

    ¡°Yes, he is and¡­¡±

    ¡°Listen, by any chance, do you know more about rankings and would you answer some of my questions?¡± I ask, trying to get some answers before she tries to scam me into anything.

    With a sigh, her expression goes from cheery to neutral and she turns to leave.

    ¡°Fucking smartass rookies,¡± I hear her mumble under her breath before she disappears into the crowd.

    Shrugging my shoulders, I continue to walk around, looking for answers. I locate a few buildings with guards in front of them, smithies, places for enchanters, and even a few inns. There are gardens, there is trading and a great number of exchanges.

    Everyone seems to be energetic and rushed, and remembering the prices of Stay Tokens, it all makes sense.

    In the end, I get invited to two more guilds. Someone offers to buy my ax. Another person tries to sell me a damaged epic item they say will have the performance of arcane when fixed.

    A bunch of people as confused as me try to invite me on an expedition into the dungeons. I refuse and watch them leave.

    And no one answers my questions. Most people just ignore me. It''s something I''m really not used to, it''s like they¡¯ve pushed me aside as if I weren¡¯t worth their time.

    So when a few hours pass and I see Duncan passing by, I stop him. I don''t even have to say anything as he smiles brightly at me, fixing his huge bag on his back.

    Then he asks for the payment first, his price for answering my questions increasing from 1 epic item to 1 epic item and 1 rare item.

 Chapter 414 - Duncan

    Duncan puts away the items I bought according to his requirements and turns back to me.

    We sit opposite each other with a table in between us. It''s a small but cozy-looking restaurant owned by one of the locals. The prices are ridiculously high, so I just order the cheapest drink and take some food from my bag, and nom on it while we wait for Duncan''s order.

    ¡°Damn, I haven''t eaten in over a day,¡± he says in between bites of some mystery meat. Turning to me, he asks, ¡°What''s your name?¡±

    ¡°Can you pick a name to register in rankings here?¡± I ask instead.

    ¡°Nope, the system will use the name you picked for the Community.¡±

    ¡°In that case, it''s Noname. By the way, why are there aliases for the Community? Is there a reason to hide your real name?¡±

    ¡°You don''t have to if you don''t want to, but some people prefer to hide it, and the system gives you the option. Your world is already changing, and it will change more after the tutorial, so there¡¯s not really much point.¡± Duncan shrugs and takes another bite.

    As he chews I continue asking questions, ¡°You said the world will change, tell me more.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say much because of the system¡¯s censorship. You know about the First Generation?¡± He watches my reaction and continues before I answer, ¡°Good, you seem to have heard about it, and the system didn''t censor it, so I can tell you a bit more than normal.¡±

    He talks with a full mouth and even calls the waiter to order more.

    Turning back to me, he explains, ¡°There are 10 rounds of the tutorial. Each round gets 2 thousand people in Easy, 1 thousand in Normal, 500 in Hard, and 250 in Hell, and 10 of those can enter Beyond. You guys will be the First Generation of your planet with access to the system. While you¡¯re gone, your world is awakening, and there will be changes. The changes are very individual, and I don''t know anything about your planet. When you return and the first person of the First Generation steps back onto the surface of your planet, the system will slowly awaken for the others. I don''t think I can say more than that.¡±

    ¡°Got it. About Beyond¡­¡±

    He lifts his finger, ¡°This kind of information is even more restricted and expensive, and your handler probably told you most of what I can.¡±

    ¡°I was curious about rankings, guilds, trading, dungeon, surface, and similar stuff.¡±

    ¡°Huh, your handler didn''t tell you? Who did you get? What do they look like?¡±

    ¡°Humanoid, woman. Pale skin, black hair with bits of red mixed in. Pale brown eyes. Gray clothes.¡±

    ¡°I haven''t heard of her. But it''s not like I know every handler there is. I could answer these questions, so what would you like to know first?¡±

    ¡°Guilds.¡±

    ¡°Got it! Guild rankings are one of the live rankings. Before you ask, there are rankings that change over time and some that are static. For example, guild rankings update once a year according to the performance of guilds. Currently, first place is held by Bloodline, they¡¯re one of the oldest guilds, at least a few hundred years old? Some say they¡¯re older than that. They have rules they follow and always find a powerful Beyonder to lead it for the duration of the tutorial, and before they leave, they find a good replacement. Things have been that way for a long time.¡±

    I lean closer, carefully listening to Duncan¡¯s words, and when he finishes the sentence, I ask, ¡°Is there any sense in joining one of the guilds or keeping them up for so long?¡±

    ¡°There are some advantages to being in a guild. Even more, if they¡¯re one of the higher ranked groups. From what I know, they¡¯re used to cultivate relationships that endure beyond the tutorial. If you want, I can go deeper into this, but I will ask for another epic item.¡±

    ¡°That should be enough for now,¡± I say, quickly refusing his offer. What is this guy? Third stage Greed sub class, Master of Greed?

    Actually, could he be?

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Duncan asks, confused.

    ¡°Nothing, so what about other guilds in the top 5?¡±

    ¡°Primordial Knights some say they¡¯re even older than Bloodline. You need to have primordial energy to join. Lately, they¡¯ve been hit with a rough patch, and they¡¯ve gradually lost their 1st place spot over the past hundred years or so. They¡¯ll probably drop out of the top 5 the next time the rank resets. Where Primordial Knights look for people with primordial energies, Bloodline cares more about powerful traits. I would like to point out how rare it is for a guild to stay at the top of the rankings for so long. Just imagine how many hundreds of guild leaders must have put forth a massive amount of effort to keep them there. Bloodline and Primordial Knights are the only two I know out of the top ten. Frontier is a group of rising stars focused on exploring the dungeons and surface. Crimson Forge got three amazing crafters recently, Eldrin, Isolde, and Silverweave, so they jumped a lot. No one knows where they came from. The last one in the top 5 is Astral Brotherhood, and their guild master has been using Beyond to create alliances to reel in powerful people. He is very rich too.¡±

    I make sure to remember most of the things he said.

    My unreliable handler can stay right where I found her. Explore on your own and enjoy the adventure, she said. Where the hell is the adventure in paying for information?

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°I want to ask more about some guilds, is that within my budget?¡±

    ¡°You are surprisingly polite for a rookie, they tend to be cockier after clearing the 3rd trial,¡± Duncan smiles. ¡°But sorry, I¡¯ve already said a lot, and I don''t want to go into details. Let''s just say you can learn more at the guild branches, and they hold tests and scouting events to find new members. Any guild within the top 10 would be great to join for the bonuses, but I personally don''t know much about them and they are extremely picky so there is a low chance to get in. Anything between the top ten and the top fifty could also be a good choice, but some can be very¡­ well¡­ predatory.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Well, that shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem.

    The question is if I want to make my own guild or join an already existing one. Would a guild try to restrict my freedom? If so, would the bonuses be worth it? What are these bonuses?

    ¡°What do you need to create a guild?¡±

    ¡°I think it''s currently 10 thousand shards for a few people, and the price goes up the more members you want to have in your guild. There are also restrictions on who can be a guild master, but I don''t know. Listen, Noname, I need to deliver another item. Would you mind if I go? We can meet back here in two hours and continue. I still owe you some answers.¡±

    At this I look him over, he doesn''t seem like a scammer. Though, if he is, I will find him.

    ¡°Works for me, two hours?¡±

    Duncan seems a bit surprised at first but then smiles brightly, ¡°Thanks. I won¡¯t take long!¡±

    He then takes the rest of the food with him and after checking over his items, rushes away.

    I remain seated, watching the other Beyonders move around and wonder, is there anyone here keeping order? I expected it to be more cutthroat, but so far I haven''t seen any fighting, which could imply strict consequences. Maybe I''m just overthinking it.

    I also decide that the next time I see my handler I¡¯m going to steal some of the stuff on that table. She gave me just a few small pieces of advice and I don''t even know how useful they are. Don''t go to the surface, don''t go into the dungeon, don''t join any guilds.

    Sure, Mom.

    Even though I''m nowhere near the top of the pack here, I don''t think I''m the weakest either, and my curiosity is already killing me.

    Just a short expedition should be fine. I can even try to find one that starts just before my Stay token wears off so that I get sent back to the 6th floor in the middle of it.

    A familiar sight catches my attention, and I glance to the left. There, surrounded by a group of people, is a man with a crown floating above his head. The crown glows yellow, its edges flickering like tongues of flame, lazily licking the air.

    More than ever before, I want to send my senses to it, to examine it, and to learn more about it. Maybe I could go to the guy and ask, if he refuses and decides to be a huge dick about it, I can beat him up and ask again. There is no need to hurt him too much, just a surface wound or something.

    Maybe I could even provoke him into attack... I pause my train of thought and force myself to remain seated. I guess this is why Tess had so much more success dealing with Miwa in my stead.

    Patience, I need a bit more patience, I just have to channel my inner Savant. Not too much, though, I wouldn''t want to start forfeiting.

    I''m still new here and don''t know the rules. People here can''t be underestimated, and if I end up getting killed by some weakling''s more powerful older brother, it would be truly shameful.

    So, I watch as the man with the crown leaves.

    Another person catches my interest as he does, a beautiful woman with blonde hair hanging just over her shoulders. She¡¯s dressed in simple armor and has a sleek bow with a string made of mana. Her eyes are dark green.

    What catches most of my interest is neither of these things. It is the mantle she¡¯s wearing if you could call it that. The mantle is made out of mana or something close to it and moves like it''s alive or caught in an unpredictable gust of wind. The mantle is pale blue with a gradient, darker at the top. It also looks like tiny purple stars shine inside of it. Some are bigger, others smaller, and some are of darker purple while others are of lighter color.

    Out of everyone I saw here, I''m sure she is the strongest by far. It feels odd that I would even see her here, and the people around her seem to be of much the same opinion. It''s as if a noble knight decided to visit a rural village too small for visitors.

    But that mantle of hers, is it like a crown? Is there an entire "equipment" class of skill? Are there skills like a fire sword? At this point, I wouldn''t be surprised, and I would even welcome it. I will always prefer my own power over equipment that could be taken away, and my [Mana Crown] and [Regalia] confirm this sentiment.

    She must have sensed my gaze, as her eyes turn to me as I meet her stare.

    As quickly as she finds my gaze, she looks away. I''m immediately discounted as anything resembling a threat and I¡¯m apparently too boring for her to stay any longer.

    Just that single interaction irks me to a surprising degree, and with some amusement, I observe my own feelings. I¡¯ve found that I can enjoy the process now that I¡¯m not using [Focus] to push my feelings away.

    How bold of me, present Nathaniel is angry he isn''t the top dog in the room, and that also means he isn''t safe - he¡¯s at the mercy of more powerful people. Yet, he wants to activate his trait, release his mana and skills, and he wants to fight these people.

    There will be time for that, no worries. We¡¯ll see what we can do about the rankings over the next few years.

    <hr>

    An hour later, Duncan returns totally breathless, sweat beading on his face.

    "Sorry, Noname! I tried to return as fast as I could. You know how it is, a man has to make his living and I need to save up for something. I hope you weren¡¯t waiting for too long."

    "It''s fine."

    He is here half an hour earlier than he said he would be, and in that time, I haven''t been annoyed by waiting not even once. Just watching passersby made it fun. Observing people here, their equipment, bearings, and the size of their groups, I¡¯ve learned from the experience as well.

    And Duncan, bless him, orders a drink and drinks it all down in one gulp, clearly tired from his hasty return. It almost makes me feel bad for the tiny anchor I left on him so I could track him if he tried to scam me.

    "I still have a lot of questions, but the most important one is: Do you know about any expeditions into the dungeon in the next 2-3 days?" I ask after he finishes his drink.

    There¡¯s no way I¡¯m wasting a 3-day Stay token to sit around collecting information.

 Chapter 415 - Melee fighter Noname

    Duncan, having given me all the information I need, points me in the direction of a popular recruitment center for expeditions.

    Such places tend to be more popular with the smaller guilds, as the larger ones generally have no shortage of their own members. They also have ways to communicate with each other in case they need help from a member of a more specialized guild, for example, a healer.

    The information I got from Duncan is a lot to process, and I¡¯m still sorting it out in my mind. He told me a lot about everything from the rankings to guilds, trading, Beyonders, and Beyond itself. All in one big info dump. It was certainly costly but it was well worth it.

    I check my timer, only a few hours have passed, but figure I may as well not waste time heading for the place Duncan mentioned.

    As I pass between buildings, I watch the people around me. This time, it¡¯s a demon that catches my interest. He looks almost human, though his eyes are red, and he has horns growing from his forehead curling backward until the tips point at the back of his head. They¡¯re jet black and probably as long as my forearm.

    What I find curious is that the demons I saw in the crowd before had different types of horns. Some demons have shorter ones, some have one horn longer than the other. Even the bends and lengths differ without any obvious connection to their relative strength.

    And the demon I see right now doesn¡¯t care. He bears that confident, crazed expression on his face, and lines trace his body like tattoos pulsing in time to his heart as red light flows through them. These lines pulse in sync with his heart.

    The demon¡¯s movements are nimble, each step measured, like those of a predator. He wears no armor, but there is a hilt hanging from his hip. Though nothing extends from it.

    His senses don¡¯t touch me, otherwise, he could probably have felt my heart. Demons seem to be good at that even with all my attempts at camouflage.

    According to Duncan, this is one of the smaller outposts on the Entrance floor. There are dozens of outposts, and it¡¯s possible to travel between them. It¡¯s just that doing so tends to be expensive given the fees charged by the guild charged with keeping up the arrays.

    Obviously.

    Some of the biggest outposts have headquarters for the top guilds, granting one the chance to meet with some of the oldest and most powerful locals around, and sometimes, very rarely, you can even run into the handlers that seem to be the one of top dogs in the Beyond.

    Following Duncan¡¯s instructions, I reach the building he recommended as a starting point. It¡¯s a white building, on the smaller side, made out of stone. It isn¡¯t guarded, and the big doors in front are wide open. Entering, I see a group of people seemingly in the same boat as me. Newbies, just entering Beyond.

    It¡¯s funny when I think about it. Each of us represents the top 100 members of the first generation of our planet, yet here we are - no better than common newbs.

    There¡¯s a hungry look in their eyes, though some of them seem nervous. Nobody came here to stay at the bottom.

    I find a spot in the corner and sit there. In an attempt to avoid wasting time, I devote more of my attention to focusing on my improved method of Mana Cycling to better hide my mana and keep it from seeping into the area.

    Gradually, each of the people around me enters one of the small rooms, only to exit the building upon their return. When it¡¯s my turn, I follow instructions given to me by one of the locals and enter a room.

    It¡¯s a simple room, with a red carpet spread out on the ground and two seats placed opposite each other and separated by a small table. A window offers a view of a small garden at the back of the building.

    A woman who¡¯s clearly been waiting patiently gestures for me to take a seat, and when I do, she launches into a well rehearsed explanation.

    ¡°As you know, you will be able to visit and explore Beyond until the end of your tutorial. Your handler will be there to help, but as always, the results will depend on you and your decisions. There are a lot of dangers and opportunities to match.¡±

    At this point, I decide to keep quiet and listen to her before asking anything.

    She seems to take notice, humming in satisfaction, ¡°One thing I can tell you though is that the surface is usually much more dangerous than the 1st and 2nd floors of the First Dungeon, so take that into consideration.¡±

    I nod to acknowledge her, and she continues, ¡°Beyond explorers are separated into five ranks, D, C, B, A, and S, with S being the highest. These rankings only serve a purpose here in Beyond and will have no effect on your stats. They serve to ease guild recruitment and the formation of expeditionary parties, and some groups will only accept people of a specific rank. You will be given an identification emblem that will contain information about your Beyond rank. It was created by one of the Rulers, and will update as you improve, your rank will be calculated based solely on your performance in Beyond.¡±

    ¡°Sounds clear so far.¡±

    ¡°Good. You can hide your emblem or display it at will. With a bit of practice, you may learn how to share select information about your status through your emblem. Lying is not possible with this method, so I¡¯m sure you can imagine how that might be useful. That¡¯s all for the most part. Any questions?¡±

    ¡°How many people have S rank emblems, and what year of tutorial is usually what rank?¡±

    ¡°Typical,¡± she smiles, ¡°most attendees ask about the S rank. For now, don¡¯t let it bother you. There are usually only around ten S ranks at a time. It¡¯s not a limited ranking, but that¡¯s the average. They are the most talented of all attendees, each of them is almost certain to become an Absolute or a very powerful Champion in the future. And it¡¯s with that that I would like to remind you that these ranks are only relevant in Beyond and aren¡¯t a clear indication of a person¡¯s talent. Plenty of A ranks go on to become Absolutes or Champions. So I can¡¯t really answer your other question.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense. Then what is the average level of attendees before they leave the tutorial and Beyond? Any Champions?¡±

    ¡°This will be the last one I answer. And no, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of anyone becoming a Champion within the tutorial. It is a rank not to be taken lightly and not something one can reach within a mere 5 years. Now, show me the back of your hand.¡± She demands, reaching into her pocket to retrieve a small item that resembles a stamp.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    I offer her my pale left hand, and she stamps the back of it, leaving a black circle on my skin.

    The circle quickly starts to fade, but I send a bit of my mana into it, which brings it back into stark relief, and a simple but beautifully illuminated letter D appears in the middle of the circle.

    ¡°Obsidian Black for D rank, Ivory White for C rank, Royal Blue for B rank, Shimmering Silver for A rank, and Radiant Gold for S rank. There will be a surcharge of a thousand shards for the identification emblem.¡±

    That sounds cool, but what was that last sentence?

    The woman gives a quick gesture, and a notification pops up.

    Request to transfer -1000 shards. Confirm?

    Yes/No

    Yo, what the fuck.

    I hesitate, my eyes flicking between the window and the woman in front of me. Should I run? Is this place full of scammers? Would they try to hunt me for a measly thousand shards?

    ¡°Is there any problem? If you don¡¯t have enough shards, I will have to ask you to wait so I can remove the identification emblem.¡±

    Damn it.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I answer and confirm the trade, ¡°but can you answer any more questions?¡±

    The woman leans back in her chair, ¡°I don¡¯t mind answering some within the limit allowed by the system. What would you like to know?¡±

    ¡°Before I ask my questions, will you charge me for the answers?¡±

    She tilts her head in a confused manner, ¡°Obviously, I will.¡±

    Maybe my handler wasn¡¯t that bad after all. Maybe she was right too and I probably should be more adventurous and make more of an effort to learn the answers on my own.

    With as polite a goodbye as I can muster, I quickly leave the place behind.

    <hr>

    A few minutes later, I''m in a massive room at the very heart of the outpost. There are hundreds of people rushing in and out, and I can already feel the energy being drained from my body just by sheer proximity to such a large crowd.

    Most of the people here seem to be fairly new to Beyond, going by the number of active identification emblems I see, their obsidian black lines standing out on their owner¡¯s hands.

    I follow their example and move from bulletin board to bulletin board.

    There are boards for the 2nd and 3rd floors of Beyond, though they don¡¯t have many requests posted on them. The most occupied is the board for the 1st floor of the First Dungeon, with hundreds of fliers covering every inch of the surface.

    Before checking it, I move around, taking notice of the other boards, loaded with requests for crafting, training, and information. There are jobs listed for almost any task with contacts listed on the relevant fliers. Some direct people to inns, others ask to meet at specific times and places to discuss details.

    I also notice that every once in a while, a flier will burn and disappear.

    Perhaps the listings time out and disappear to avoid cluttering the boards.

    It¡¯s kinda interesting and cool. It makes me think of the inscriptions I could use to duplicate the effect, and I come to the realization that I should be able to do it.

    Another thing I find fascinating is that some of the listings are seeking people from specific planets. Aetherion, Grimhold, Orynthia, Pyronix, Eldros¡­ and many more. Likely attempts to find people in other rounds that they can¡¯t communicate with through their Community tab.

    I spend the next 30 minutes going through all the papers, searching for something similar for Earth, but in the end, find nothing. Either no one from Earth has had the idea yet or no one is in this outpost. It¡¯s highly possible that others have appeared somewhere else.

    In the end, I just pick a flier posted by a group seeking additional members for an expedition to the 1st floor of the dungeon in 2 days. Out of all the offers I went through, this one seems to fit best with my timing.

    The only problem is they need a melee attacker capable of resisting disruption and reaching and disposing of ranged attackers.

    Well, it¡¯s not too big of a problem, and I shift Flamebearer on my back. Having this weapon should give me something of an advantage, you can tell just by looking that it¡¯s a high rarity piece of equipment, even in its damaged state.

    Then I change some settings and shift my focus to better manage my kinetic energy which I allow to radiate from my body in a small area around me while keeping my thermal energy safely tucked away in my core.

    None of these people can be trusted, so I¡¯ll lie low for now, though I¡¯ll need to balance that with being enough of an asset to find a group. Skilled, but not too much. I got plenty of warnings before.

    Until I become stronger and more confident in my place here, I¡¯m Noname, a melee fighter with a damaged arcane ax. No shards in the bank and one of 5 well-known primordial energies, kinetic energy. And an asshole for a handler.

    And like that, I arrive an hour later, approaching the group I picked out for myself, at the place and time of their choosing. There are a few more people looking to join the group, and they take some and send others on their way.

    The core of that group seems to be a party of 7 people and an additional 13 to be chosen from the mass of hopefuls before me.

    When it¡¯s my turn, they ask a few simple questions by a woman who seems to be their second in command, wearing the armor of the Fallen Hero from the 4th floor.

    ¡°Do you have experience with the 1st floor?¡±

    ¡°No experience. This is my second time in Beyond, and I spent my first token on a 3-day Stay to collect information and learn about the place.¡±

    The woman nods, ¡°Smart. Plenty of rookies are overconfident and die on their first expedition. How much time do you have currently left?¡±

    ¡°Two days and 14 hours.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s not a lot but it should be long enough for us to reach a safe zone where we won¡¯t need you anymore. Abilities?¡±

    ¡°Primordial kinetic energy and a lot of experience with close-range combat, and this is a damaged arcane ax from the 5th floor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what caught my interest. Flamebearer is extremely rare, barely anyone has managed to get a hold of it. You must have some skill or luck. Okay, go and talk to that man over there; he¡¯ll have more questions for you.¡± She decisively points at a scrawny man who holds a number of items and talks to other people and calls, ¡°Next! Hurry up!¡±

    I quickly leave and start heading towards him.

    Well, that was simple. Simpler than I thought and quicker than it should be.

    Someone¡¯s in too much of a hurry.

    This expedition smells, it stinks to high heaven, and everyone here seems to know it. The new recruits, the core seven, both. The newcomers are already making smaller groups and other deals. If it comes to it, I¡¯m sure the newbies are going to be ready to fight the core group.

    Yet no one seems to be backing out, and as dumb as it is, it also makes sense. You won¡¯t get into Beyond without being daring and confident in your abilities.

    And then, while I wait for the scrawny man to deal with a woman with small wings on her back and color changing hair, I think about the name of Beyond¡¯s 1st floor dungeon.

    The floor attendees call The Corpseyard.

 Chapter 416 - Eugan, Shayna, Roculus, and Rat

    I still don''t know how to clear the first floor - the information regarding that is apparently a valued commodity, despite being the kind of thing one could easily learn on their own.

    However, I don¡¯t really need to worry about that at the moment. My only goal right now is to experience the floor, just to see how it compares to Hell difficulty. I¡¯m also eager to see the other attendees in action. These people should be at least as strong as Tess, Savant, Lily, Tacita, and Gareth. There is a lot I could learn from them too.

    I fully intend to compare myself to them as well. How do I stack up? Against those who¡¯ve been here a while and those on the higher floors of Hell? That''s why I¡¯m keeping such close tabs on the other 4 members of my unit. Our entire 20-man group is being led by a single man after being split into 4 smaller units, with a squad leader for each.

    Each of these squad leaders is a member of the core 7 who arranged our little expedition.

    So to make things easier, we find ourselves seated around a table in a nearby inn, owned by one of the locals. The leader of our small group is a woman called Eugan. Then there are Shayna, Roculus, and Rat.

    Eugan is on the quieter side and has a sort of confident aura around her. She is a mage and seems to have a decent pool of Mana. She specializes in barriers and wide-range attacks. Out of all of us here, she has the most experience.

    Of course, she doesn''t share her level, subclass, or the floor she¡¯s on. The identification emblem could be used that way, but without trust or a good reason, no one will do that.

    The next member of our group is Shayna, and she isn''t human. Her hair and eyes change color in sync with each other, and I''m currently in the process of discerning what color is for what emotion. However I suspect that she can hide and manipulate it to her advantage, so I''m trying to be careful about making assumptions.

    There are small wings on her back too, and her race seems to match the description of Lily¡¯s disciple, whose name I¡¯ve already forgotten.

    Shayna can use a mental variation of a stun attack, and even that gets her a few surprised looks when she reveals it. Mental abilities seem to be rare in much the same way as healers.

    I wonder how these people would look at Sophie.

    Other than that, the winged woman is good at single-target disruption and doesn''t volunteer anything further.

    Roculus is a close-range fighter. He wears no armor and relies on his natural durability and regeneration. I even suspect that he might be putting less than 10% of his stats into mana.

    That makes me wonder how much it would show. Would he still be able to use skills? Are there skills that only need mana for the activation process, drawing on the body¡¯s reserves of energy to maintain their effects? There must be something to it, seeing how far the man had gotten.

    His preferred weapon is a combination of dagger and mace, both weapons upper epic if I had to guess. Dagger, some kind of poison effect? I couldn''t examine them much after he started giving me annoyed looks. Asshole.

    Anyway, the last one is Rat. Just Rat. He is an older man who hasn''t said a word other than to introduce himself, and apparently, he¡¯s going to be our scout. He isn''t human either; both of his arms are too long, and his skin color is grayish. I bet his figure cuts an intimidating image in a dark alley.

    Rat can create¡­ well, rats out of some weird substance he produces. They¡¯re extremely quick, and he can use them to scout.

    I suspect he can do much more, but much like everyone else here, he doesn''t reveal much.

    And lastly, there is me, Noname. A kinetic energy bearer, which does get me a few curious looks, but nothing more. Primordial energies seem to be rare, but not on the same level as a healer or a mind mage. It should garner just enough attention to make me interesting without inviting more pointed questions.

    How¡¯s that for a secret identity arc? Future Nathaniel is going to have a blast with the setup I''m making here. Screw that weirdo too.

    So yeah, kinetic energy, a decent weapon as a cover should I need to use a bit of fire here and there, and a reliance on kinetic energy to strengthen my body. And just to seal the deal I pretend to have most of my points invested in my physical stats instead of revealing the degree to which I use kinetic energy for strengthening.

    And that''s all, I have no more information to offer this squad of mine.

    No one seems to want to talk much, though Eugan tries to learn a bit more about our abilities and create a more cooperative atmosphere.

    ¡°Shayna, I really must insist that you only use your mental attacks on weaker opponents. It''s not worth using on anything on the stronger end of the scale. If we do end up in a situation like that, just go for single-target disruption,¡± Eugan pleads, gesturing impatiently at the stubborn woman.

    Shayna smiles and her eyes and hair change color to orange, then white and blue. ¡°I''m sure I know more about my abilities than you.¡±

    She¡¯s totally playing with us by changing the color of her eyes and hair. She¡¯d have to be crazy for her mood to swing so quickly.

    Of course, it could be a bit of both.

    ¡°You know what we¡¯re up against, and trust me, mental attacks are nearly useless until you¡¯re way over-leveled. So tell me, can you control them or make them attack each other?¡±

    ¡°As if I would have such a disgusting ability.¡±

    ¡°They seem rather useful, I would like a few myself,¡± Roculus says, smiling brightly as he sips on his third glass of some weird alcohol he¡¯s bought. Though I suppose It could just be poison. It sure smells bad enough.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°I don''t know how it is for you humans, but I despise abilities like that.¡± Shayna answers.

    ¡°Did someone give you a bit of?¡± Roculus asks, seeming curious.

    ¡°On the second floor, one of us had a skill that caught the interest of the mind mage emperor. We had to kill them after we got to the third floor, and he took a few of us with him when he died,¡± Her hair and eyes change color again, flashing red before staying that way. This time I don''t think she is pretending.

    ¡°To your friends, may they rest in peace,¡± Roculus toasts, lifting his glass and knocking back the rest of his drink.

    Shayna smiles wryly in response and her hair settles, shifting to a pale yellow.

    ¡°And you, Roculus, have you had any trouble?¡± she asks.

    ¡°A bit, but such is life,¡± he smirks, a hint of cruelty revealing itself in his expression.

    I wonder if he was the cause.

    ¡°Are any of you Champion candidates? Eugan? Roculus? Rat? What about you, Noname you said?¡± Shayna asks, looking around.

    ¡°You can become a Candidate in the tutorial?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Maaaan,¡± Roculus laughs loudly.

    Shayna frowns, ¡°If you¡¯re talented enough and recognized by a Champion. You¡¯ve heard of Champions, right?¡± she teases.

    ¡°Who didn''t, but I would have thought you¡¯d need a real Champion, not someone from the tutorial, to make the declaration,¡± I say, laying back and taking a sip of my drink while returning their gaze.

    ¡°Apparently, you don''t. It''s rare, but you can be declared one. Hey Eugan, you¡¯ve been here the longest, how many of the attendees in Beyond are Candidates as well?¡± Shayna asks, her eyes and hair turning pink.

    Roculus and Rat also turn towards our leader.

    She seems to think for a bit before answering, ¡°Here in the starting outposts I would say 5-10%, the further you get the bigger that percentage is.¡±

    ¡°I heard you need level 400 to become a Champion,¡± I lie.

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Shayna shouts, erupting in a fit of giggles and shaking her head, ¡°It''s probably closer to 450 or 500. You¡¯re not very well informed.¡±

    I shrug, ¡°My group leader usually takes care of those things, I just fight. He also said you get a Primary class upgrade at level 250.¡±

    This time Roculus joins with an even louder laugh, ¡°He¡¯s bullshitting you, man, listen, and this is for free. Body upgrade at 250 and I heard from an older Beyonder that you get a Primary class upgrade at 300.¡±

    I nod and make a thankful gesture, ¡°Yeah, my leader could be lying. Not like I like him very much anyway. His name is Savant so if you meet him here in Beyond avoid him. He¡¯s a notorious coward too and tends to run away when things get even slightly dangerous.¡±

    Satisfied with the conversation thus far, I take another sip.

    Indeed, the best way to make people talk is to say something stupid and watch as they jump at the opportunity to correct you.

    ¡°So should we take that to mean you¡¯re all brawn and no brain, Noname?¡± Eugan asks, nodding at my ax, ¡°Flamebearer, kinetic energy, some kind of regeneration trait or passive more likely than not, looking at how nicely your legs are coming in, and what seems like a decent mastery of mana.¡±

    Hmm, maybe I did show too much?

    ¡°I find internal manipulation of abilities easiest, so strengthening it is. Are we sharing our abilities now? Can I ask you to tell us more about yours, Eugan?¡± I reply, staring her down.

    Roculus, Shayna, and even Rat turn to her, curious, at which point the woman smiles and lifts her hands in a placating gesture.

    ¡°I just got curious. Of course, you don''t have to answer if you don''t want to.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± I nod and let them get into the conversation again. The same as me, Rat sits there and observes the others. And unlike me, he hasn¡¯t said a single word, he¡¯s just sitting there watching, unblinking, and sniffing at the air.

    What a creepy guy.

    <hr>

    An hour later and everyone goes their own way, our next meeting being scheduled a few hours before the expedition itself. And as I leave they also give me a pamphlet with some useful information.

    The location of the entrance to the 1st floor of the dungeon, our meeting time, and a list of recommended supplies.

    Interestingly, one of those recommendations is an item to preserve food and water against the influence of the floor itself. The items in question apparently come in a range of forms, a bag, assorted packing materials, and more besides.

    Apparently, the floor has an aura that makes food spoil faster while fouling any poorly stored water, rendering both toxic, even for superhumans like us.

    Of course, these protective items have to be bought.

    I also get a contract, a piece of paper with a stamp that glows in a pale blue color to check before signing.

    Contracts, apparently, can be written on nearly any material, while stamps can be bought from a specialized institution for the purpose of confirming said contract.

    Once applied, the stamp ensures that the contract is recognized by Beyond''s system. That means if one side decides to violate the contract, there will be consequences. And it seems like there¡¯s a group of Enforcers for the sole purpose of doling out said consequences.

    There are also different tiers of stamps and the highest one ensures that the contract is upheld by the System itself or its Handlers, who are the top dogs here. Most of the Handlers themselves are located in outposts deep within the dungeon.

    Each new piece of information makes my cold heart beat with excitement.

    My handler mentioned something about adventure and fun, and I agree with her. When I think about it, I realize, this place isn''t really all that different from the floors, but there is one huge difference.

    Everyone here is real.

    It''s a new kind of fun for me, and it helps that I can actually enjoy it without walling off my emotions. But I also prepare in the back of my mind. As far as I can tell currently, we newcomers might well find ourselves as pawns to be sacrificed in an effort to preserve the core group.

    Eugan did strike me as the type, and I did notice her putting some sort of mark on each of us with an item when she thought we weren¡¯t looking.

    So far, I haven¡¯t removed it, opting instead to examine it. It seems to have three functions: something like a locator, a single use pulse of disruption directed at me, and a single use pulse of mana into my surroundings. Probably a means of drawing attention to me while they run.

    It doesn¡¯t contain much mana, so each function is restricted to a single use and only one of them can be activated without reapplying. It''s amusing, but I¡¯m disappointed that the others didn''t seem to notice.

    Or maybe they did and decided to stay quiet.

    Well, in the end, even if they are real, it doesn''t matter. I will treat them the same way they treat me, and if they decide to betray me or use me, I might add some extra.

 Chapter 417 - Important. Consequential.

    I take full advantage of my remaining time hereby pestering every crafter I meet for as much free information as I can get.

    My D-rank Obsidian Black identification emblem may not be worthy of note, but having a damaged arcane ax helps. Some of the crafters definitely seem to be intrigued by it.

    I also have the mana stones with Lissandra¡¯s three mana exercises, her improvements on mana cycling, and a Restrictive Training Emblem. I''m sure they are worth a lot.

    Like, a lot a lot.

    So they stay as hidden as possible. Otherwise, I''m sure I would find an ¡°accident¡± coming my way. The same goes for the arcane-grade alloy Nevan left me with.

    That''s why I¡¯m only using the ax, and even that seems to be pushing the bounds of whatever unspoken rules guide this place, at some point I just become a newbie with some cool stuff worth enough to justify the consequences.

    These unspoken rules seem to be the only reason this place isn¡¯t completely lawless. However, I fully expect this to change from outpost to outpost, especially in the dungeon. There, you can find better facilities and stuff, but it''s also more dangerous, and the guilds made most of the rules.

    Of course, if you were to kill an attendee, you¡¯d risk angering their handler. Handlers often saw their ¡°person¡± as an investment. A talent they intended to grow. There was apparently a whole field of politics around the relationships between handlers, the forming of contracts, the trading of talent, and more besides. It''s like we¡¯re football stars and our handlers are playing the role of managers while the guilds act as their personal football teams.

    Some of the higher-ranked attendees even get contracts from guilds and receive monthly or yearly salaries. The higher ranking guilds can even double the duration of your stay tokens. And if one did well they could even gain access to their facilities, contacts, and information.

    There is so much, and I¡¯m only scratching the surface.

    Clearing my mind, I turn my attention back to the man who¡¯s examining my Flamebearer.

    ¡°I can''t fix it.¡± He says, shaking his head.

    ¡°Yeah, I expected that.¡±

    ¡°Listen here, you brat, it''s not¡­¡±

    I quickly interrupt him, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, I didn''t mean it that way. It''s just that I know how difficult it is to work with these items, and after months of trying, I didn''t expect it to be as simple as finding someone on the entrance floor to help.¡±

    His eyes squint, but in the end, he accepts my explanation.

    Damn, dealing with people sure is difficult. Tess, please help.

    ¡°Got it, so what do you want?¡±

    ¡°I got curious if it would be possible to change its shape. I would prefer a sword or maybe a javelin over the current one.¡±

    That makes him laugh, and he returns the ax, the fires of his smithy burning behind him.

    ¡°What you want would be more work than just fixing the weapon. You would need to redo everything while adapting it to the new shape. In the end, you would only recycle the material the ax is made of, and everything else would be new.¡±

    I tilt my head in surprise, ¡°What if I melted the weapon just enough to change its shape while removing the damaged parts and repositioning the working ones?¡±

    ¡°Do you even realize how crazy something like that would be? With an arcane weapon? You could end up dropping the rarity, you could ruin the inscriptions, you could screw up the weapon¡¯s balance. Not to mention the level of heat you would need to melt a weapon of this grade while retaining enough raw power to work the inscriptions and the skills to do so.¡±

    ¡°So it would be possible?¡±

    ¡°Did you hear anything I just said?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    He sighs but thinks of it, ¡°You would need someone with a fragment of eternal fire, primordial thermal energy of high level, or a high-tier fire skill, over level 60 most likely. Then someone who could work on the weapon in all that heat or a way to isolate it. It would take a lot of mana just to keep the inscriptions from melting much less to be able to work with them; an inscriber would be able to tell you more.¡±

    ¡°If you succeeded in all that, could you repair the weapon and revert it to its arcane status?¡±

    ¡°Probably? It could end up a weaker arcane than it was before. It''s currently low tier but it¡¯s pushing mid arcane - without damage, of course. Decreasing its size and reforging it could leave it on the weaker end of low arcane or drop it as far as strong upper epic.¡±

    I hand him the ax as he gestures to request another look, and ask, ¡°How about adding some additional inscriptions or some other metals to improve on it or add another function?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm,¡± he murmurs, flicking the blade with his fingernail and seems to think for a moment. ¡°That could work, but it would increase the difficulty even further. I''m sure there are people capable of doing so, deep in the dungeon, but they would want so much money it would be easier just to buy a new weapon.¡±

    This blacksmith in front of me is one of the locals, probably one of the best in the outpost. It''s amusing to watch the excitement blossom in his eyes whenever he gets the opportunity to talk about his thoughts on the subject.

    ¡°Weapons don''t matter much. It''s not like you get the opportunity to work on an arcane item all that often, and the things you could learn would help a lot more than the item itself,¡± I say.

    And I mean it. Even as I am now, I can buy the cheapest arcane items, and if I were to wait a bit longer and save my funds until I had around 150 thousand, I could buy an arcane weapon of low grade that could probably be comparable to Flamebearer. A bit longer, and somewhere around 200k, you can buy low arcane weapons that would be equal to or stronger than Flamebearer when it wasn''t damaged.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    The prices are just crazy like that.

    Even so, I think of this damaged arcane ax as an opportunity for me to learn and improve. It''s a fun side project I could work on and maybe, sometime in the future, I¡¯ll be able to use the alloy left to me, and in combination with Flamebearer, create something of a mid arcane rarity. And sell it. If it were my own work, I would get 50% of its system shop value instead of getting the 10-20% I do for the items I find on the floors.

    And that would mean a lot of cool stuff for me. Mid arcane weapons in the system move around 300-500 thousand shards, with upper arcane being from 500 thousand up to a million shards.

    However, in the end, I still strongly prefer to buy passives, and my current goal is to grow my shards again to buy one. I could even try to make some shards here in Beyond.

    There is no system-managed shop for me to sell through as I did during the tournament, but there are shops I could sell to, and interestingly, there are auction houses. There¡¯s a whole economy at work down here.

    The smith nods at that and breaks into a smile, ¡°Maybe I judged you too harshly, young man. I''m willing to pay 25 thousand shards for that damaged arcane weapon.¡±

    ¡°No, thank you.¡±

    ¡°What is a few thousand shards among people like us? 26 thousand.¡±

    ¡°I have to go now,¡± I say, quickly leaving and ignoring the pleas of the man behind me, as I turn my mind to other things.

    I still have a few more hours, and my legs have regrown, so that''s good. At this point, I don''t bother looking for shoes and instead find myself a dark alley where I can sit for a moment. Lifting my sleeves, I start painting on my skin with mana conductive paint I bought. It might be a good idea to go fully prepared like that. I also have a small mana orb inside my body that I''ve been feeding with my mana for the past day.

    It is not as good as the crown, but it''s the second-best option without bringing undue attention to me. Besides, I¡¯ve begun to find a kind of beauty in the way others seem to underestimate me without giving me a second look.

    I prepare my mind. I know I will probably be forced to kill or use those who plan to betray me. This time they won''t be fakes, shadows of people, destined to die when the floor ends. No, they will be real people. Attendees from their own tutorials with their own hopes and goals for the future.

    Even so, it doesn''t matter. I have goals and hopes of my own, and mine are more important than theirs, for me at least. My sister, my mother on Earth left to endure 5 years of Earth''s awakening and who knows what kind of changes brought about by the system.

    Then there is also that group of mine.

    I want to live, I want to master my abilities, I want to explore what the system has to offer. I want to see how high I can climb before my pride crumbles and my body breaks.

    So as much as I''m trying to change bit by bit, I won''t hesitate if anyone tries to abuse me.

    Out of curiosity and because I don''t have much time left, I seek out the anchor I left on Duncan.

    Locals, the descendants of people who got into Beyond. The most talented members of their tutorials - rounds of people chosen from millions, billions of people on the planet. Do their efforts leave a mark on their descendants? Are the locals more talented than normal people?

    So far, from most of what I''ve seen, they don''t seem all that strong, at least not here. But I know you can hire them for expeditions to the dungeons. As guild attendants mainly, but sometimes they will help you.

    I don''t think it''s that simple though, and they probably come at a high price. But unlike those of us from the tutorial, the locals could spend tens, hundreds of years in Beyond. The amount of information they¡¯ve collected in all that time cannot be overestimated, and neither can their value.

    That''s what makes me so curious about them.

    Duncan is a year or two younger than me, at least that¡¯s how he looks and feels, and upon reaching his anchor, I hide my presence as much as possible.

    It''s in the poorer-looking part of the outpost, even though it''s still nice.

    I train, shaping the mana inside my body, as I watch the timer tick down and observe the locals and attendees rushing about on their business. This time, I''m trying to count each of the different races I see while waiting to see if Duncan will leave the house he just entered.

    When I count over 20 races, I stop.

    There seem to be a lot of humans and other races with weird eyes, oddly colored skin, or any number of other small changes. Then there are the lynthari who have a pretty decent representation. There aren¡¯t many demons, though each one feels more dangerous than the average attendee. Each has red eyes and horns.

    The time we arranged for our meeting is growing close, and I glance at my feet and I wiggle my toes. Some time ago, I joked that I had probably lost enough limbs for Lily to build a Nathaniel or two. The thought of that is still as amusing as it is scary.

    The flesh is weak, embrace the sanctity of blessed mana, Is that how it goes?

    I lift my fingers and touch my lips, noticing the corner of my mouth twitch into the barest hint of a smile.

    I¡¯ve been having a lot of fun lately, haven¡¯t I? As dangerous and dirty as this all feels sometimes, it also feels so beautifully real. Important. Consequential. I make mistakes, and I have to deal with them.

    I do not regret making these mistakes. Because every time I correct one, there is that clear feeling of progression.

    It''s hard to properly explain. At least it is for me. But that''s what makes it fun, the slow process of discovery.

    The door of the house finally opens, and Duncan steps out, still chewing his food. His huge bag rests on his back, and he smiles brightly, turning back to the people inside the room.

    There is a boy and a girl, both children about the same age as Isabella and Vega. Each wearing a clean set of hand-me-down clothes. There is a clear resemblance in the cast of their faces which all but confirms their status as siblings.

    The way they look up to him reminds me of something.

    Duncan says something, and with a serious nod, the kids close the door, and Duncan checks to make sure it''s locked. Only then does he rush away.

    I observe that house for a while and then, with a sigh, place an anchor inside, the house bare of protections against it.

    Inside, the house is clean but mostly empty. Sending my senses through it, I avoid the children who are upstairs and seek out the kitchen.

    The fridge-like appliance is broken, and there is just enough food for a few days. The water tank is running low as well and getting close to kicking the bucket, as is the stove whose mana stone might explode soon if not handled carefully. It''s so simple to fix, it''s not even a bother.

    Quickly, within a few seconds, I find each non-working appliance and fix it, putting all of the food I have on me in the fridge and refilling the water tank with water from my vial.

    I know how expensive the food and water are here in Beyond, and Duncan, even though he¡¯s earning some shards, seems to need them for something else. After all, I can''t sense the items I bought for him anywhere in the entire house.

    Everyone has their problems, I guess, and he said as much, and it''s not like I need food or water. I¡¯ll be leaving Beyond soon, and I can last a day or two without it. It would just be too annoying to carry it all with me.

    Teleporting away, I make my way to our meeting spot.

 Chapter 418 - So thatâ€™s how it is

    Eugan leads Shayna, Roculus, Rat and I to the side. Most of the expedition has already arrived, we¡¯ve gathered in a small clearing speckled with trees near the edge of the outpost. A short distance from the path leading to the entrance of the first floor.

    ¡°Have you checked your contracts?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Yes, I have a question." Roculus says. "What the fuck does ¡®Loot will be split according to performance¡¯ mean?"

    ¡°It means what it says. When everything¡¯s said and done, we¡¯ll sit down and split everything. If you¡¯re worried about the core group taking everything, it shouldn¡¯t be possible, given that there are twice as many newcomers. That¡¯s why the language is so open.¡±

    ¡°What if some jackass thinks he did better than he actually did?¡±

    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll put it to a vote. If that doesn¡¯t work, we can elect a mediator. Someone we will all trust. Worst case, we sell it all and split the shards evenly.¡±

    Roculus still doesn¡¯t seem to be satisfied, but he stays quiet.

    ¡°The other contracts I¡¯ve seen usually had more details, this one¡¯s kinda vague,¡± Shayna mentions. ¡°It just says that we split the rewards, we¡¯re not allowed to attack each other, and that the main objective is to reach the first safe zone on the 1st floor as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a simple contract. But plenty of expeditions make do without contracts at all, so this is just a bit of insurance on our part.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡±

    Rat and I remain silent, and I can¡¯t help but think. This smells.

    Well, at least I have plenty of mana stored away and a few surprises I could use.

    I read over the contract a few times myself, but our only true assurance is the section prohibiting direct attack. With this level of contract, only an enforcer could even try to impose sanctions. But that would mean nothing if no one survived to report the breach of contact.

    That piece clearly helps the core 7, who know and trust each other. If even one of them survived, they would try to inform the enforcers, which would probably lead to an investigation. If that¡¯s even how it works.

    As far as I can tell such a thing would be almost beneath the attention of the higher-ups and handlers. The system doesn¡¯t hold hands, so it¡¯s unlikely that anyone else would do anything either. They would probably just laugh. My handler would be among the first, I bet. I need to find out if I can get a new handler. The current one seems to be the type to throw people into the lake, just to see if they drown or learn to swim.

    I observe as Shayna signs her contract, and then do the same. My identification emblem activates for a moment, and I put my thumbprint on the paper when the circle appears.

    Then, in accordance with the conditions of the contract, enforcement doesn¡¯t begin until all twenty people sign it. There is no change or effect on me, but I take it as my introduction to contracts. Such a low-level contract won¡¯t do much and could be easily abused, but the higher-level ones will certainly be more interesting.

    Everyone gets ready, and finally, the leader of our small expedition steps up. And engraved on his right arm is a Ivory White C rank emblem, on prominent display.

    ¡°As we said before, our goal is to reach the safe zone as quickly as possible. My group has been there before, so listen to the instructions of your sub-leader, it will be their job to help you with anything outside the scope of the information we¡¯ve already given you. We will be staggering our departure to avoid bringing undue attention to the group as a whole. Should anything happen, your subleader will contact me through our communication channel, and we will decide our next step from there.¡±

    He is looking around. The armor he is wearing looks old, and battered, but it still reeks of quality. Considering the fact that he¡¯s held on to it even in that state, it''s probably very good. His weapon is a simple-looking spear made out of a single piece of crystal, with blue mana swirling inside, likely fed by his own reserves.

    It looks like it may be as much a mana battery as a weapon.

    ¡°Noname,¡± Eugan interrupts my observation.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask back.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be relying on you to keep enemies away so Shaya and I can do our stuff.¡±

    ¡°Not Roculus?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine, but he looks like the type to run after his opponents. You seem more reasonable.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    The leader continues with his small speech, making sure everyone sees his rank, so instead of listening, I turn to Eugan. The woman is quietly listening and seems to be talking to someone I can¡¯t hear. Probably through the communication channel for the core group.

    It reminds me of Sophie and the twins, and I know how useful it can be.

    Just for fun, I try to read the conversation from her lips but give up just as quickly and wait in silence.

    Finally, the big group splits into four, and we start heading for the entrance. As we discussed, the groups enter 5 minutes apart, with our group going last.

    When our turn comes, I stop in front of the entrance to the first dungeon.

    It¡¯s two pillars carved into the stone, with a simple door made of wood between them.

    There is a pathway leading to the door, made out of worn cobblestone with bits of grass growing through the cracks. There are also lights on the walls, providing just enough illumination to cast a myriad of creepy shadows.

    As we approach, the door opens on its own with a loud creak and admits us to the first floor.

    As we step through we find ourselves in a sickly-looking area, full of fallen trees, dried-up grass, water so stagnant that it may as well just be poison, and a few old buildings made of crumbling stone bricks.

    There are craters and other signs of damage everywhere we look. Mountains stripped of material, sprawling fields pocked with craters, and the drooping edges of melted buildings, with their stone facades crumbling to dust.

    And just to cap everything off, I look up to find myself staring at a ceiling. A great overhanging rock face, not unlike the walls of the cave, exactly the same as the entrance. The first dungeon floors aren¡¯t their instances like the floors of Hell difficulty.

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    No, here you go underground. Deeper and deeper with each floor in an effort to reach whatever awaits us at the bottom. Whatever brought the first dungeon into existence for the Rulers to build Beyond over it.

    I follow the others, and we pass through the entrance. When I look back, it¡¯s gone, leaving us adrift in this place.

    Welcome to the 1st floor of the First Dungeon!

    You may exit the 1st floor in designated safe zones spread across the floor. After reaching a safe zone, you will be able to use the array to teleport there from the Entrance Floor.

    1st floor quest: ???

    Rewards:

    7-day Stay Token

    ???

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Eugan says decisively and starts running, leaving the rest of us to follow. ¡°Rat, start scouting, please.¡±

    The creepy gray man does as requested and a dozen rats made out of an unidentified black substance pour into the area, scouting every nook and cranny.

    We¡¯re barely a minute into the dungeon when Rat decides to speak for the first time, ¡°Two presences to our right. Not very strong.¡±

    His voice is raspy and quiet. And going by Shayna¡¯s expression, I can only assume it¡¯s unusual to encounter enemies so quickly after entering.

    ¡°We shouldn''t be meeting any so soon. Roculus, block them for a moment! I need to connect with the main group!¡± Eugan shouts, confirming the abnormality of the situation, and I can sense her communicating with the others.

    Without skipping a beat, Roculus heads towards the approaching enemies, jumping over a deep crater to cut off any attackers trying to reach our backline.

    I move to the front as well, holding back a bit as we planned. And just a few seconds later, the presences appear before us.

    Two men in matching armor. One wielding a sword, and the other a staff. Neither says anything.

    Well, they can¡¯t. They¡¯re dead.

    Their skin¡¯s a pale shade of white and has shriveled with age, while their eyes, though clouded with decay, still shine with a strange form of intelligence. Their movements are twitchy and unnerving while still being decisive. They just don''t feel like living beings.

    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl ??]

    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl ??]

    This floor got its nickname Graveyard for a simple reason. If the locals or attendees die here, they will be forever condemned to attack future expeditions, respawning in an endless cycle of undeath.

    ¡°Description doesn¡¯t fit any known named ones,¡± Eugan hisses, while I notice her communicating with someone else through their link. She is also doing something with the marks she left on us.

    Roculus attacks the corpses, mace and dagger in hand. He moves quite a bit quicker than I would expect, propelling himself forward with small explosions of mana from his feet.

    The corpse with the staff lights it up, sending a stream of lightning streaming after Roculus and tracking his movements, while he avoids it nonetheless. The other corpse charges the man, sword in hand and coated in resonating mana. The warrior and Roculus clash, and when the mage tries to join, a combined attack from Eugan and Shayna collides with him. A barrage of projectiles and a disrupting wave from Shayna.

    Attention now turned to us, the mage disappears, flames blazing into existence at our backline, allowing him to step forth from the conflagration.

    I let kinetic energy burst through my body, and the earth cracks under my feet as I reach the mage before he can even attack.

    He quickly turns his attention to me, his blazing staff swinging around to meet my ax.

    Flamebearer starts devouring his flames, as I jump back with a burst of kinetic energy, the warrior striking the place I once stood.

    Roculus crashes into the wall of an old stone building, having been thrown by the warrior just before it attacked me. It happens too easily, and Roculus should be able to hold on a bit longer.

    So that¡¯s how it is.

    I dodge the warrior¡¯s next swing and block a burst of flames with my ax, the flames burning the side of my arm when I refuse to absorb them fully, the ax moving to block another sword strike. Boosting myself a few more times, I dodge another attack. Mana covering the sword changes its length and oscillates. As I dodge, the monster follows its strike with a kick which connects with my chest.

    It¡¯s at this point that the fire mage lifts his staff, waves of heat pouring into the area, scorching the air and igniting the dried wood of his weapon.

    There are fewer of us facing the corpses than there were a moment ago.

    Roculus and Eugan are both gone, having used some sort of teleportation, Rat is running somewhere into the distance, and Shayna stands confused, frantically looking around.

    I see her gaze tick between the corpses and me, as she curses, quickly coming to a decision. A wave of her mental attack disrupts the fire mage''s skill.

    The warrior charges her immediately, and Shayna flies into the air, her small wings creating an odd effect that supports her weight. Even so, the warrior bends his knees and jumps, shooting up like a bullet.

    With a sigh, I strengthen my body and throw the ax at the mage, boosting it with kinetic energy. The ax hits him in the chest, sending him flying in a burst of flames.

    There is no notification about the kill.

    I activate the anchor I left on Shayna and others just in case and teleport in front of her, right into the attacking warrior.

    Quickly creating a sword made of mana, I coat it in [Resonance], our blades meeting as my sword cuts through his.

    A high-pitched sound and a blast of kinetic energy sends the corpse crashing into the ground, his limbs breaking and bending as he collides with the unforgiving stone.

    I send another weaker burst at Shayna, moving her away, and a blaze of fire attacks crashes through the space she occupied.

    She reacts quickly, forming a barrier around herself, her attention turning to the fire mage.

    I lift my hand, and using [Tether], Flamebearer flies back into my hand, pulled by the anchor I placed on it as I boost myself downwards, following the warrior and cleaving into his forearm.

    His body is already healed, the broken limbs fixed. Most likely a skill he possessed when he was alive. All the mana he was releasing up until now is gone, glowing white tattoos blooming across his shriveled skin, and his dead eyes beginning to glow white.

    The first attack crashes into my chest, most of it absorbed and turned into mana, but even then it¡¯s enough to send me staggering. Another one aims to kick my legs out from under me, adding more mana to my reservoir as I stumble. The third one collides with my face, repeating the process.

    Blunt attacks of this level won¡¯t work against me, I guess, and he comes to the same conclusion.

    As quick and strong as he is, he extends three fingers of his hand into something resembling a blade and tries to stab me. Smart.

    A blast of kinetic energy sends him staggering before he can reach me, and then I strengthen my body with it and thrust at him with my sword, extending the blade of mana and easily piercing into his chest, its path eased by the resonating mana coating the surface.

    With a kick, he breaks my blade to my sheer surprise, and grabbing a piece of it, he tries to jam it into my eyes. Just in time, I make it disappear, dispersing it into a field of particles. His fist hits my head instead.

    He then grabs my hand and tries to pull me into a stranglehold and take advantage of his strength, but I send a disrupting wave through his body, giving it a big thump. It''s much more difficult than I expected though, given that the people here tend to have good defenses against disruption. But I push through with an overwhelming flood of mana, and by activating my eyes for the slightest of moments.

    The tattoos deactivate, and before he can do anything else, I pull him closer, and crack the side of his head with a swing of my elbow, sending him to the ground.

    He tries to stand up and reactivate his mana, but another disrupting wave hits him. A javelin with a flat head pins him to the ground until I step on his head, splattering it, as the corpse finally stops moving.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 278]

 Chapter 419 - Lurkers

    Using my anchor once again, I teleport back over to Shayna, who¡¯s standing, rooted in place and breathless, feet planted on the ground. She cradles her scorched limb, as her barriers flicker around her.

    She¡¯s completely focused on warding off her opponent''s flames, precisely timing waves of disruptive mana towards that end. The flames explode lighting up the space around them and turning the battlefield into a scorched hellscape.

    I stop myself from helping and watch as the reanimated corpse of an attendee pulls all these flames towards him, compressing them into an orb as big as my fingernail, making it float over the staff.

    Shayna curses, but she doesn¡¯t give up. Her hair and eyes taking on a pure white sheen.

    Just for the shortest moment, the fire mage blanks out, just before he launches his attack, and Shayna pushes through her limits, subjecting the orb to a massive wave of disruption. Though on second thought it may be something a bit different. The orb destabilizes, and the mage, upon recovering his senses, tries to pull it back under his control, as the heat starts to burn his skin and the trees around him begin to crumble into heaps of ash.

    The hand holding the staff burns, melting until only the bones remain, clinging to the staff in their tenacity, and finally, the orb expands more, clearly about to explode, as the mage casts it aside.

    It¡¯s at that point that the flaming orb explodes, etching a glass crater the size of a house into the hill nearby, the edges glowing red with the heat.

    Before the mage can repeat his attack, Shayna launches a projectile that buries itself in his head. Even I have trouble sensing this new attack. It''s extremely fast, quiet, and even manages to pierce through the barrier and heat around the fire mage.

    Finally, Shayna falls to her knees, turning her head to me, ¡°Fuck, you could have helped.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to see how you would fight,¡± I reply.

    Boosting my body, I reach the corpse and quickly go through the pockets, not finding anything useful. So I just grab the staff.

    Emberflame Staff (Upper Epic): Crafted from volcanic glass, the staff ignites producing a fierce conflagration. By channeling mana through this staff, one may unleash a barrage of flames to devastate the battlefield. The Emberflame Staff also enhances fire abilities, making them more potent and all consuming.

    Not bad.

    Blowing off the corpse of the fire mage, I move back to Shayna.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be mine?¡± she asks, her hair and eyes turning black with bits of white.

    ¡°Think of it as payment for saving your life,¡± I say.

    ¡°Fucking hell, just take it. We¡¯re dead anyway. We¡¯re never going to reach the safe zone by ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think they did it?¡± I ask, wanting to hear her opinion despite my own theories.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Roculus was part of the core group, he was just pretending to be one of us. They¡¯ve probably planted more people like him in the other groups.¡±

    ¡°And Rat?¡±

    ¡°He just ran away, and we should too before more lurkers come. It¡¯s probably too late already.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, continue.¡±

    ¡°We should¡­¡±

    ¡°I said continue.¡±

    She looks up at me, and a bit more white appears in her hair.

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious, they were either after our items or using us as bait to lure away lurkers. The more lurkers you kill, the more others are attracted to you. I¡¯m surprised they didn¡¯t leave any marks behind. There are frequencies of mana that attract lurkers.¡±

    ¡°Oh, they did. Eugan left a mark on each of us. I just removed yours and blocked mine. I think she activated Rat¡¯s, so he might be in trouble.¡±

    I still have a mark on me and I have fun watching Eugan¡¯s constant attempts to activate it. So they did it to avoid killing lurkers while forcing us to kill them instead¡­ which draws more lurkers to us?

    While Shayna watches with a blank expression, I coat the tip of my finger with resonating mana and cut into my belly, pulling out the mana orb I¡¯ve been feeding all this time. As the wound starts slowly closing, I look at the orb and the amount of mana contained within.

    It should be enough.

    ¡°Give me a moment,¡± I tell her.

    I use another of my anchors, this time the one I left on Roculus. The man is not good with detection, so he¡¯ll be a safer choice than Eugan.

    Teleporting through, I appear next to the two of them, both of them turned to me with weapons already in their hands.

    Of course, they noticed the activation.

    The orb in my hand starts shining with blindingly white light as I throw it to the ground, before pushing through Eugan¡¯s attempts at disrupting my escape and teleport back to Shayna.

    Even where we stand, I feel a strong pulse of mana rippling out from my exploding orb.

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    Before Shayna can finish her question, I teleport again, returning to the scene of my attack and finding little more than rubble in the place of the buildings that once populated the area, the shockwave throwing them all over the place. The heat is still in the air.

    Roculus is a bit further away, crawling along and leaving a trail of blood behind him. Both of his legs are gone, and one of his arms is missing as well. Even so, they are regenerating fairly quickly, as is the missing half of his face.

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    He spots me, emotion flickering in his eyes, ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­ I¡­¡±

    I lift my finger, and he stops talking. Then I send a probing wave of mana into the area and fail to find Eugan.

    Did she run away? Teleportation again?

    Looking around, I find and pick up the weapons Roculus had, a mace and a dagger.

    Serpent¡¯s Fang (Upper Epic): Forged from the fangs of an ancient serpent, this dagger¡¯s blade is perpetually coated with a venom that induces severe hallucinations. The Serpent¡¯s Fang also allows the wielder to launch the dagger at distant foes, releasing a toxic mist upon impact with the potential to affect multiple enemies.

    The mace seems to be heavily damaged. Did he use it to block the attack?

    Impact Mace (Upper Epic, Damaged): Designed for delivering punishing strikes with precision. The Impact Mace features a balanced design that allows for swift, powerful swings. Each hit generates a localized shockwave.

    ¡°You cheap fucker, attacking like that,¡± Roculus hisses.

    Turning around, I see him standing, his limbs regrown and body healed. Even so, it must have taken a toll on him, especially after blocking my previous attack. I''m still surprised he was able to survive it; the power contained in that orb would have even given Gareth trouble. The ruins left behind after the explosion confirm that.

    Still, Roculus charges me, muscles bulging through his skin as a skin tight barrier forms around his body.

    The anchor I left on him while he was regenerating activates as I send a big part of my stored kinetic energy through, and both of his legs explode again as he falls to the ground.

    With a hateful expression, he stands up, not hesitating to run on the ragged remains of his shattered limbs.

    I modify my attack a bit and blast him away with kinetic energy, the area around us being cleared from debris and some flames dying off.

    Then I track Eugan¡¯s position through the mark she left on me as she struggles to activate it, and when I focus my senses in that direction, I feel fighting going on there as well, most likely lurkers that found the group. The waves of mana radiating from the area seeming to confirm it.

    With great interest I watch as the mark on Roculus activates, the same one Eugan put on me. It vibrates with a frequency of mana that I find unusual to grasp and spreads into the surrounding area.

    Roculus seems to sense it as well as he stops, his face turning pale white.

    Multiple presences approach from the area where Eugan and her group were fighting, seeking the source of the strange frequency.

    Couldn''t she put it on the ground or an item? Does it need to be applied to a living being to work?

    ¡°N-no,¡± Roculus whispers.

    Waving to him, I activate my anchor and teleport away. I immediately cleanse the remaining mana in the area and turn to Shayna.

    ¡°How much if I help you to survive?¡± I ask.

    She quickly grasps it, and it takes only a moment, ¡°15 thousand shards.¡±

    ¡°Twenty.¡±

    A few more seconds of her gaze.

    ¡°Fine,¡± she says, finally giving in.

    Maybe I should ask for more, but even though she has been in Beyond longer than me, I don¡¯t think she would have much more.

    Incoming transfer of 20,000 shards. Confirm?

    Yes/No

    I confirm.

    Shards: 148,648

    ¡°Let¡¯s go this way,¡± I say, choosing a direction.

    Rat is to our right, Roculus and the group to our left, so it¡¯s probably better to avoid them both.

    With both of them grabbing the attention of lurkers, it might even work better than with the group before. The question is, for how long.

    Seeing Shayna moving slowly, I walk over and pull her into my arms before continuing down the chosen path, using kinetic energy to boost our speed along the way. At the same time, I create a field around us to camouflage our position. I also keep an eye on Shayna. It would be unfortunate if she tried to attack me and I died just like that.

    Lurkers may be the true danger of the 1st floor, but they probably aren¡¯t the original danger. I know that much from the information I¡¯ve managed to collect.

    The first floor is special. If you die here, your body will be revived and controlled by something that¡¯s constantly seeking out attendees to kill.

    If you die as a lurker, it will usually take around 1 year for you to respawn, along with your items.

    From one point of view, it could be abused as a constant farm of equipment. But someone powerful enough to do so probably wouldn¡¯t have a need for these kinds of items. Beginner attendees usually have upper epic items at most, very rarely do they even have a damaged arcane.

    The danger here is also huge. The problem is the so-called named ones. Lurkers of powerful attendees who died here through some form of fuckery. Either murdered by their guild or party, perhaps even through a mistake on their part. People who reached the deeper floors of the dungeon but decided to return to the 1st floor for some reason.

    There are a few dozen named ones on the first floor who keep respawning even if they get killed, most of them receiving nicknames like Rookie Killer, Whitey, Specter, Sly Fox, and that¡¯s only the beginning.

    My problem at the moment is all the lurkers moving around, each one representing a person capable of clearing Beyond¡¯s trials. And the fact that their corpses retain most of their abilities.

    Then there is also our group who never so much as hesitated to kill. Everything they did reeks of desperation, and that makes me wonder what their real objective is.

    Sure, I nearly killed Roculus, but that was largely through trickery. If we fought one versus one, it would be a much more difficult fight. And if I had to fight Eugan as well, it would have been even worse. Sure, I¡¯m still certain I would probably be able to win or run away, but it¡¯s risky.

    Even then, I don¡¯t put them on the level of Savant, Tacita, Lily, or Tess. So far, I¡¯m sure each of them has more potential.

    Good. Go Earth go.

    [You have defeated Blood Ravager - lvl 279]

    It''s surprising Roculus was able to hold on for so long. The presences moving towards him were powerful. He was quite strong after all.

    Well, rest in peace, Roculus. It¡¯s a shame I couldn¡¯t get any shards off you.

    <hr>

    A bit later and much further we find Rat, or what remains of him at least. Only half his head is intact, its dead eye staring at the stone ceiling of this place.

    Just like that.

    Killed by who knows what, deep underground in a place so infinitely distant from his home.

    One of the chosen from his entire population. Someone talented enough to become the top of their First Generation. Nothing but a chunk of skull and flesh with nothing to show for it. No amazing last stand for the world to witness, no great goals. Condemned to a fate of being used and hunted down as he did everything in his power to survive.

    There¡¯s a strange feeling of melancholy to it.

    Pushing it to the back of my mind, I boost my body with even more kinetic energy and continue to run with Shayna in my arms. I modify our course and rely on the woman in my arms who apparently memorized our map better than I.

    And as I do so I check my timer, finding that I still have more than 20 hours remaining on my Stay Token.

 Chapter 420 - We donâ€™t want to go there

    The first floor thus far has failed to present any greater danger than the lurkers.

    Sure, the gravity here is much stronger than it was on any of the floors in Hell difficulty, requiring the constant expenditure of kinetic energy from me. Higher physical stats could probably deal with it easily enough, but that would mean less mana.

    We can''t have that.

    I¡¯ve also noticed a sensation that I recognize from the surface, there is also a pull on my mana, trying to drain it away and send it into the ground below me. So far, my Mantle¡¯s dealt with that quite easily, though it still makes any external use of mana more difficult. It isn¡¯t all bad either, if only because it keeps me focused and drives me to improve.

    Shayna and I are currently holed up in what appears to be an old cathedral, hiding our mana signatures, and working to maintain the barrier around us.

    Three lurkers detected us a while back and immediately started heading our way.

    Shayna said the more lurkers we kill, the more the others can sense us. It¡¯s odd too because I can¡¯t figure out how it works, meaning it¡¯s likely directly set by the system, leaving me with no way to deal with it. The second option is that the lurkers and everything about them are just the side effects of the settings on this floor.

    It makes me curious and excited to explore the options it presents me with. With a good group, this place could become an amazing spot for farming items. Every one of the lurkers is a Beyonder, meaning they have items fitting their status and with a bit of luck, some of them may even be damaged arcane.

    Could I go out on my own and do it?

    Not currently; I¡¯m just not strong enough. Well, maybe it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not strong, but that the lurkers are powerful in their own right, and the more you kill, the easier you are to find, and more hunt you, which adds an element of difficulty to the process.

    Both the warrior and mage from before were powerful. Not as much as me, but as the winner of our round¡¯s tournament, I should be above average. But with Tess and Lily, we would bulldoze through groups with more than three members.

    That is also where the problem lies - bigger groups. The deeper we delve and the closer we get to the safe zone, the more lurkers... well... lurk around.

    Currently, it¡¯s limited to groups of 2-5 members, but according to Shayna, there are groups of 10, and as much as I hate having to accept that, it would be too much even for me. I¡¯m not even sure I could handle a group of 5.

    I always look at it from the angle of whether or not I would be able to defeat specific Beyonders. Gareth? Tess? Savant? Lily? For sure. Tacita? Probably yes, but I have a lot of respect for her as my archenemy, plus, after her loss against Savant, there is no way she doesn¡¯t go full training arc and power up like crazy.

    So, could I defeat Lily and Tess attacking me at once? Probably. Savant and Tess? There, I¡¯m not so sure.

    Even though our Beyonders seem to be above average, a group of 3 of them would probably be enough for the fight to become dangerous. The difference between success and failure would be my chances of pulling off some sneaky attack.

    That¡¯s why my crown is active, why I¡¯m not trying to hide my abilities, and why Shayna¡¯s not asking about it.

    ¡°In a few more minutes I¡¯m going to send out a probe,¡± she whispers.

    ¡°Let¡¯s give it five minutes to be sure,¡± I reply.

    She nods. This time her hair is blue, and her eyes are as well. And there¡¯s a bit of white mixed in. Meanwhile, I can sense her heart beating wildly through my use of kinetic energy.

    Is this a normal reaction? Sure, we are close to a group of 3 lurkers, and killing them would make the process of survival more difficult given our position hours away from the safe zone.

    Yet, even though I feel the same kind of fear, it¡¯s not as bad as hers. It makes me feel lightheaded, and my arms and legs are cold, sweat runs down my back. With some curiosity, I lift my hand and look at it.

    It¡¯s trembling, and my fingers are twitching. As I close it into a fist, I take note of the chill and take a deep breath.

    My mind feels so sharp, and my body is tensed for the attack, ready to respond to the slightest of movements. I even catch myself subconsciously running mana through my body.

    I love it. I love the feeling of tension and fear washing over my mind.

    ¡°Careful with your mana,¡± Shayna whispers.

    I check it, and she turns out to be right; there¡¯s a bit of leakage, my excitement is getting the better of me. I quickly pull it back under my control and force it into my body and check the barrier around it.

    As I make these changes, I turn up the power on [Resonance], disrupting any excess mana that leaves our bodies. The skill disperses it into tiny particles that should be more difficult to notice in any scans for mana.

    I¡¯m also using thermal energy and [Redistribution] in an attempt to hide the heat of our bodies.

    Shayna is lowering the presence of our minds and maintaining a field that nullifies the sound of our movements, and heartbeats.

    There are so many ways to detect someone. Heat, mana, movement, sound, emotions, sheer presence; there are even monsters that can feel the weight of your gaze.

    Hell, at higher levels, you start being able to hear people breathing, through walls and across great distances. Sometimes the mere presence of one¡¯s mind can give them away.

    As much power as lurkers lose when they die, they do come fairly close to the genuine articles. I would say they operate at anywhere from 90-95% power, at least from what I heard. They¡¯re generally pretty good with their abilities too. So that¡¯s why we are hiding, I don¡¯t even find the prospect insulting. I just know that sooner or later I will come back here, and on that day, explosions will thunder through the floor, and dozens of lurkers will die, condemned to respawn in a year.

    ¡°Sending probe,¡± Shayna announces.

    She then uses her mental skill, trait, or whatever it is. I can¡¯t sense much about it given that that¡¯s not where my talent lies, but she waits tensely nonetheless.

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    We wait a few more seconds, and she breathes out, a small smile appearing on her face.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± is the only word she says.

    Immediately I extend my domain and place an anchor, grabbing her hand, and she lets me as I teleport us both away.

    Appearing high in the air, I watch as the building we were hiding in gets bombarded by attacks, crumbling the stone into dust.

    I form a dense barrier around us and infuse kinetic energy throughout the surface, just in time for a dozen metal projectiles to crash into it, the kinetic energy and [Redistribution] absorbing most of the impact.

    Someone tries to put a mark on us, and Shayna disrupts it while sending a counterattack in its wake.

    Boosting us with kinetic energy, I fly at full speed, constantly adding to it.

    Shayna uses the weird field created by her wings, and it becomes easier.

    Much further away, I land, and a mana javelin appears over my shoulder. I start adding more and more mana to it until it grows much denser and heavier, and then I start channeling kinetic energy. Shayna does some preparation of her own.

    ¡°Stun one of them. Just a second should be enough,¡± I say, staring off in the direction we came from.

    ¡°One of them is protecting their minds; I won¡¯t be able to.¡±

    ¡°Which one?¡±

    ¡°Lynthari woman; the human in the blue shirt is using [Metal Manipulation] and a feylith man is using some kind of wide range bombardment skill.¡±

    The feylith man turns out to be the same race as Shayna, meaning they¡¯re called feyliths. Nice find.

    ¡°I will disrupt the lynthari¡¯s mana for a moment; try to stun her then,¡± I respond.

    As I speak I create another javelin, thinner this time, and infuse it with the disrupting effect of [Resonance]. I do not save my mana, more interested in making sure it has the intended effect. Then I add some more.

    [Infusion - lvl 33 > Infusion - lvl 34]

    It¡¯s manageable despite being more difficult to keep both of them at once, mainly because of how much I¡¯m packing into them.

    They don¡¯t give me any more time, two figures reach us, a feylith and a human with a blue shirt.

    The blue shirt has pieces of metal following him - an iron door, an anvil, an old sword, and more besides. These pieces are bending and changing their shape as if they were made out of clay. He quickly launches these projectiles at us, adding to my workload, as I use [Redistribution] to absorb their kinetic energy, adding it to the mass waiting to launch my compressed javelin.

    The feylith flies into the air, shining orbs of blinding light forming around him. Meanwhile, the lynthari is hiding.

    Shayna grabs my arm and points.

    Extending my domain, I place an anchor and teleport, repeating the process two more times until they succeed in disrupting my anchor; before flying the remaining distance.

    ¡°She¡¯s in the house with the red roof.¡±

    A mental attack crashes against us, only to be blocked by Shayna, as I launch the disrupting javelin. It pierces into the house, and a strong wave of disrupting mana floods the area. It can be felt even up here though it¡¯s much weaker.

    Shayna reaches down, and the lynthari, caught in the process of her escape, freezes in place, and I release my other javelin. It disappears with a loud boom, leaving no trail behind and no explosion as it hits. It just burrows deep into the ground, piercing through everything in its way.

    The lynthari happens to be one of these things, the sheer impact nearly evaporating the entirety of her chest.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 269]

    I grab Shayna¡¯s arm and boost us to the side, dodging a barrage of metal projectiles and the slower feylith bombardier, bringing me into reach of the blue-shirt human.

    ¡°We should run; killing more will only attract others,¡± I hear.

    Why worry so much? Such useless thoughts. I¡¯ll just kill them all. I haven¡¯t even gotten warmed up yet. Bombardment? I¡¯ll show you a bombardment. And that human with [Metal Manipulation]? Let¡¯s see how well he deals with my [Mana Manipulation].

    As much as this has strained my mind, it¡¯s far from enough. I will¡­

    Then I feel a presence. The single beat of a heart far, far away. Followed by another, and I feel the presence reaching for me, seeking my strongly beating heart and the kinetic energy within.

    Then the presence disappears.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± I agree, blocking another barrage of projectiles before shooting off a few of my own to keep the flying feylith busy before flying in the opposite direction.

    ¡°Wrong direction, you should¡­¡±

    ¡°Trust me, we don¡¯t want to go there.¡±

    The presence appears again with another powerful heartbeat, this time much closer.

    I change direction and head for the traitorous group that brought us out on this expedition, and I give it everything I¡¯ve got, not caring about leaving tracks in our way.

    ¡°What are you doing, we should¡­¡± Shayna keeps talking, but I ignore her.

    She doesn¡¯t seem to be feeling that presence at the moment, but soon she will, and then she¡¯ll understand.

    Once we¡¯re far enough away from the duo, I land on the ground and stop using kinetic energy, going so far as to stop my heart from generating it. Instead, I change it to thermal and manually bolster my Mantle. Not skipping a beat, I boost my body this time with mana, and though I haven¡¯t done so in weeks I quickly get back into the rhythm.

    Shayna runs by my side as quickly as, and probably even faster than me, passing under the trees, across a huge broken bridge and a destroyed city that must have been glorious once, left as a stone-cold reminder of older times.

    ¡°Are there any powerful named ones with kinetic energy?¡± I ask as we run. I don¡¯t know how far away the presence is anymore, and it¡¯s probably having a more difficult time tracking me right now.

    ¡°Two or three, but none that should be so close to this area; they tend to be a lot further in.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°Metal Bitch, Owl, and Whitey, those are the three I know of.¡±

    ¡°Which ones do we want to avoid?¡±

    ¡°Fucking all of them. Any one of them could kill us both and another 10 like us with ease.¡±

    ¡°Which one do we really, really want to avoid?¡±

    ¡°Is it," she pauses, the gears in her head spinning, "¡­ fuck. Please don¡¯t tell me...¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°Damn it¡­,¡± she jumps nimbly over a crater and onto the roof of a nearby house which cracks under the force of her feet as she runs.

    I increase my speed as well, sensing she is using her abilities to find the group as well. She might not be as good as Rat, but she¡¯s probably decent over small distances.

    ¡°If it¡¯s a male demon with long white hair, then we need to start hoping we, by some miracle, meet a freakishly powerful C rank or rogue B rank who¡¯s decided to visit this goddamned place.¡±

    I have nothing to say in response to her blatant jinx and check the timer instead.

    18 hours remaining.

 Chapter 421 - That place

    "Calm your heart and do not move," I whisper to Shayna, both of us are in a hole deep underground where I teleported us.

    "It''s not that easy."

    No matter how hard she tries, I can sense it, and if I sense it, there is a chance that presence will sense it as well.

    "Shayna, you either calm that heart down, or I will give you back your shards and send you back to the surface."

    I haven''t seen that presence so far, but I felt it. Even from a big distance, it sensed my kinetic energy and was even able to touch on it. A feeling as if it would be able to take over.

    It must be one of the named ones and probably a powerful one.

    With clenched teeth, the feylith woman forces her body under her control using some skill, and her heartbeat slows. It''s to the point where it beats only once every few seconds, matching the rhythm of my own.

    And so we are hiding. Not moving to not send vibrations through the place, not talking, and with our mana suppressed. Slowly like that, we also breathe all the air trapped here, and soon there won''t be any. I wonder, could we suffocate? How long can I hold my breath now after body upgrades?

    Time passes like that, neither of us moving or talking.

    Only hours later do we leave, reappearing on the surface where I take a deep breath, my heart starting to beat in its normal calm rhythm.

    Nice, another asshole to be added to my "to beat later" list. Well, only if we survive until the end of my stay token. I have a feeling that presence is not that far away.

    We don''t exchange any words and start running towards where the traitorous group is. The idea is simple. If that presence finds us, we will use the group to slow it down while we run.

    <hr>

    POV Shayna

    Noname is terrifying.

    It''s not just his skill that is obvious, an amazing versatility of his abilities even though with clear weak spots.

    No, it''s his bearing.

    I have met plenty of people with concentration-type skills, and even though Noname might have one, I know he is not using it.

    No, even deep underground, hiding from the enemy that could end us anytime, he forced himself to become calm. That much is fine, I can do that even without a concentration type skill. The worst part was that a side of him seemed to hope for us to be found out.

    And now, running by my side, his face bears a simple neutral expression as his eyes tick all over the place. Not like he was looking for danger to avoid it, but like he is the hunter.

    He is very careful as well and doesn''t trust me at all. His guard is up and strong. But I think I have seen it. An opportunity and a bit of his real self.

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    A group of five lurkers pops out on the edge of our detection, and this time it''s Shayna who finds them through her mental abilities.

    I''m more than sure she isn''t at the level of Sophie, but her ability seems to be similar to Isabella''s [Empathy], just sensing minds and being able to stun them. She might be able to sense emotions just a little bit but I''m not sure of that.

    Well, there could be more, and she is just hiding it, so I keep my guard up in case she tries some bullshit.

    Thankfully, it seems there is no lurker in that group able to sense her gentle mind probing, so we avoid them quite easily as they pass by. We don''t even see them, the group of five being a few stadium lengths away from us. A thought comes to me, at a higher level, you might be able to sense people on the other side of the country or even continent. I don''t know why and for what but I want to know how to do that.

    While we wait, I look around the cathedral-like building where we are.

    As with every building on this floor, it''s very old and made mostly of stone. Even in the state it is in now, it''s still very grand. It''s easy to imagine how beautiful the cities and buildings used to be.

    Did locals build them long ago? Is it some setting of the system? Beyond is a combination of the real world and tutorial, so I wouldn''t say it''s part of the tutorial and instead something more real?

    Taking a few steps, I touch the stone wall, and it still feels smooth and powerful. There is that sad melancholy to it. A feeling akin to a dying world. It''s sad but also a beautiful feeling.

    Am I weird?

    Maybe, but I can''t be weirder than past Nathaniel or the future one.

    I was always fascinated by this kind of stuff. As much as I prefer to spend time alone, it''s fun to think of all the people passing by and using this place in times long ago.

    There is a scratch on the wall. I like to think it was maybe caused by some young, careless man who was shouted at by the administrator of this place. Both of them used to be main characters in their own stories, going about their lives in a similar way to how I am now.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "Are you really that calm, or are you using a concentration skill?" Shayna asks me out of nowhere in a whisper. The question sounds like it''s something she thought of for a while.

    "I don''t use it for emotions anymore," I decide to answer honestly.

    Looking at her, I also wonder why I helped her back then and why there are two of us. Sure, she helps, but it''s not something I usually do. At least I''m sure she is not manipulating my emotions; it''s something I''m very careful about and constantly check.

    The most likely reason seems to be that moment when Roculus and Eugan disappeared, Rat ran, and she decided to stay and attack one of the lurkers. Just that short moment made me have a better opinion of her and turned into all of this.

    It could be just pragmatic thinking from her side, it could be her real personality, it could be a shortsighted dumb decision or pure desperation on her part.

    Even so, here we are.

    "What are you thinking of?" she whispers again.

    "Emotions are dumb," I declare.

    "Fucking tell me about it," she laughs shortly and points at her hair, which constantly changes color along with her eyes.

    "Do you regret coming to Beyond?" I ask her.

    She answers right away without hesitation, "No, not even once." At that moment, her eyes are light blue, and so is her hair. She has a nice expression on her face too.

    "I see."

    "And you?" Shayna asks.

    "No regrets here so far, just a few complaints."

    "Only a few?" another smile, and then her attention moves somewhere else only for her to turn back to me again. "They are out of my range, we can go."

    <hr>

    POV Eugan

    "So?" Misk turns to me.

    "We can''t be that far away, it should be near here."

    "Eugan, if you fail to lead us to the place, this is all for nothing. You realize that?" Misk looms over me. His armor, which permanently looks damaged, is covered in blood that seems to seep into cracks in it and sticks to the surface even though it should fall down.

    Out of all the damaged arcane items, I saw, that armor sure is the creepiest.

    "I told you already, we saw that place while running away, and plenty of us died. I remember it only in flashes!"

    "I know, Eugan, you have told me already. But try harder." Saying that he turns to the man on his left. "Waul, how are¡­ our new friends?"

    Waul has no emotion on his face, and I don''t think I¡¯ve ever seen him showing any. It''s a clear sign of the concentration-type skill he has constantly running.

    "We have two more we can use to take attention off us if we activate the marks. I also think Somir is going to die, he got wounded really bad at the start when Eugan and Roculus screwed up their job." Even his voice bears no emotion and is flat.

    "It''s okay, Waul," Misk says calmly. "We couldn''t have known there would be that many so soon. Roculus paid for that, and we didn''t have to kill any lurker."

    "Understood," Waul nods. "Should I prepare the sacrifice? We will get to the zone where more lurkers move around soon."

    Misk nods, "Eugan, help him, and just in case, place one more mark. We don''t want the situation from before to repeat, and while you do so, please try harder to remember."

    There is no "or" in his words, but the look I get from him is obvious.

    We must find that place.

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    "What is this place?" Shayna says what I have on my mind.

    Even from as far as we are, I can sense lingering bits of mana in the air. It doesn''t even feel new, just remains of a fight that happened days, weeks, hell, maybe even months ago.

    From the top of the hill where we are standing and looking down, I can say that it''s the most damaged area I''ve seen so far.

    A crack in the ground spanning over a large distance, extremely smooth-edged holes the size of houses made all over. Signs of a skill that left a smooth surface over a big patch of the area, reminding of polished stone.

    There are also spikes piercing through the ground, all of them made of the same material they are piercing through, but at the same time, they are much tougher as if compressed. And much more. A clear sign of a fight that happened here and the usage of powerful skills.

    I risk it and send my senses into the area, but nothing comes back. At least for now, no lurker is moving around. Shayna also confirmed it just a few seconds before we walked here.

    "We should avoid it," the scaredy-cat of a feylith says.

    I ignore her and what she says after that, and instead continue to scan the area. There is something I have sensed down there. Something familiar.

    "How far do you think we are from the group?" I ask, interrupting Shayna''s monologue.

    "At this point, I have no idea. We tried to follow their direction and even found their steps, but this isn''t even in the direction of the safe zone, so I have no idea where they are heading."

    "We might have found that place," I note and, jumping from the hill, head down towards the battlefield.

    On our way here, we found a few more members of the group, all of them very dead and with signs of that frequency that seems to attract lurkers.

    Following them gave us a bit of an advantage, as the large group seems to attract more lurkers, even though we killed some. They are now only throwing sacrifices. It all smells of desperation and hurry.

    They are not heading towards the safe zone where they would be able to find a portal out of the 1st floor to the entrance floor.

    So what would make a group of 12-15 people hurry so much? What would make them try to get 5-8 more members to be used as sacrifices so they can delve deep into the area where plenty of lurkers are?

    Walking through the battlefield, I touch the smooth edges of the house-sized holes, the impressively tough spikes, and I squat and tap with the tip of my finger the smooth area left behind by another attack.

    There, a bit further, a first corpse lies. From the looks of it, it''s a Beyonder killed by a lurker, as the corpse of a lynthari isn''t shriveled nor has that deadly pale color. And a bit further, another one, a corpse of a demon with half of his chest missing, dead eyes staring towards the ceiling. Another lynthari with limbs torn off. A demon with his chest exploded from a powerful attack. A feylith with wings pulled off and head as well, missing somewhere.

    Two dozen corpses as far as I can see and probably even more out of my sight.

    It doesn''t even look like they died fighting each other. It more feels as if they were killed one by one by a single powerful opponent. An expedition of Beyonders meeting a very powerful lurker.

    The reason why I think it''s by a lurker is simple.

    They still have all of their equipment.

    The reason why I think it''s by a very powerful lurker is also very simple.

    Some of these people have damaged arcane items that are still here.

 Chapter 422 - A lot of items

    Is this the place our precious group of traitors have been trying to reach? Hurrying, desperate to find it. Scared to let someone else find it first or the corpses turn into lurkers, which would probably render the area impossible to scavenge? They might be dead, but going by their equipment, they must have been powerful, a group like Eugan''s would have never been able to take them.

    Hell, that they might not even know how long the corpses have been lying there since they must have spotted them and been unable to retrieve the equipment. These corpses in front of me could probably turn into lurkers at any moment. The lurkers respawn after a year anyway.

    Moving from corpse to corpse, I use my senses and quickly collect the items. There is a pile of upper epic ones, armor, some orbs, and more. There are even plenty of materials and mana stones with ciphered information.

    There are also some interesting clothes in the bags, with threads spun from a range of different materials, allowing them to fit normally while retaining the durability of upper rare armor. Not to mention the variety of metals stowed with them.

    And these are just the items they had on them while traveling. They¡¯re not going to be on par with my arcane alloy, but they¡¯re not far off either. I do wonder if they had anything more valuable stashed away somewhere, maybe something they left with their guild?

    Of course, the most valuable are the three items. Likely the things Eugan and her group were after. Items they were willing to kill for. Three damaged arcane items.

    Bloodthirst (Arcane, Damaged) - Bloodthirst once thrived on the essence of life, growing stronger with each battle. Its hunger for blood has lessened, but it still sporadically draws strength from fresh wounds, offering glimpses of its once insatiable power.

    Echo Gauntlet (Arcane, Damaged) - The Echo Gauntlet was once capable of replicating any spell or ability it encountered, up to a certain level. Though its power has waned, it can mimic nearby magical effects with unpredictable precision.

    Golem Heart (Arcane, Damaged) - The Golem Heart could animate stone and metal, bringing golems to life. Now, its core is cracked, but it sporadically imbues nearby objects with a flicker of life, allowing them to move and respond to commands for short periods of time, echoing its once grand animating power.

    Bloodthirst is an interesting one, if only because of its description. It grows stronger with each battle and has a thirst for blood? What does that even mean, what are the effects? As it is now, it is a claymore with a heavily chipped blade and damaged inscriptions. Its blade is made out of a white metal with an eerie blood-red shine to it.

    The Echo gauntlet, already on my right hand, looks more like a glove and covers everything up to a point slightly above my wrist. It''s made out of smooth and supple light brown leather, and the inside is covered with myriad threads of material woven into inscriptions. The back of the glove is covered with a few damaged strips of black metal etched with inscriptions of their own, protecting the back of the hand.

    The effect sounds way too powerful, so I''m already curious about its limitations. I expect the effect to be limited by level, amount of uses, or excessive mana costs.

    It''s interesting anyway.

    The Golem Heart on the other hand is a piece of clay-like material that seems a lot tougher than it should be while hiding secrets all its own. It''s light brown and smooth. However, it seems to be missing a small piece as well.

    These items are amazing, even now I could sell the whole lot of them for a nice sum of shards, despite any reduction in payout from the damage.

    Flamebearer alone has given me an idea just how powerful arcane weapons, even damaged ones, can be.

    So now I have these three, a staff from the mage lurker we met at the start, a dagger and mace from Roculus, and a pile of upper epic weapons.

    It''s quite a lot and they come from a group that was probably pushing elite status. The higher end epic items alone would have been a nice addition for any group. Not to mention the materials. There¡¯s so much at this point that I¡¯m starting to wonder if there are storage items available. Soon I won''t be able to carry it all.

    Surprisingly, Shayna isn''t trying anything. Despite my apparent distraction and relentless hoarding of items, she doesn''t attack. There isn''t a single attempt from her, nor is she acting strange. Sure, there is a hint of greed in her eyes, but that''s it, she doesn''t ask for weapons or offer any complaints.

    "Do you think there might be a good reason for the lurkers to be avoiding this area? Even accounting for the ones the group lured away, we should have more on our trail given the ones we killed. This is too unnerving," Shayna says while looking around.

    "Isn''t it obvious?¡± I ask. ¡°We¡¯ve probably entered the territory of a powerful named lurker. More likely than not the guy who did this," I clarify, gesturing at the corpses.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    As we speak, I keep an eye on the area, scanning our surroundings and Shayna with my mana. Watching for any signal she might try to send the group. Roculus was one of them, so why the hell wouldn''t she be? Sure, it would be weird for her to stay with me, but who the hell knows how these people think.

    "So why aren''t you taking any of the items?" I ask, taking a more direct approach.

    "Because we¡¯re probably going to die anyway. Just take them if you want, I don''t want to die carrying all those bags on my back." Despite her words, she seems calm. Determined even.

    There is some truth to her words but I don¡¯t plan on dying.

    "So what kind of item do you want? You should take something." It pains me, but I offer nonetheless. Without her, I would have been in a lot more trouble. I''m not stubborn enough to deny her that.

    Out of nowhere Shayna smiles, almost shyly, "I already took one when you weren''t looking. I found a ring on one of the corpses," she admits.

    Okay, give me back my feelings and take back what you just said.

    "Show me," I challenge, and she does so right away.

    Phantom Ring (Arcane, Damaged) - This Phantom Ring once provided unparalleled stealth and silent movement. It now intermittently bestows the wearer with heightened stealth, making them nearly undetectable for short periods of time.

    Such a cursed object, it even has phantom in its name. It should be destroyed.

    Checking the timer, I confirm that I have less than an hour until my Stay Token wears off. Hopefully, when it does, I find myself back on the 6th floor. It wouldn''t make much sense for the system to keep me here. I hope... It would also mean I wouldn''t have to reach the safe zone, unlike Shayna.

    Looking at Shayna, I sigh. I must be getting soft.

    "Use the ring and run away."

    My answer seems to surprise her, her eyes and hair changing color and taking on a pink hue, "It clearly didn''t help its previous owner."

    "Just slow down your heartbeat as much as possible, and if you think there¡¯s someone tracking you, stop and don''t move. You should be fine otherwise. I don''t even think I would be able to detect you if you were using a damaged arcane item to hide. And I''m quite good at detection."

    For a moment, she just stares at me, blinking slowly and hesitating, "Are you sure? You seem to have a plan, but..."

    "Go before I take that ring."

    That brings a thankful smile to her face, her hair color changing to bright yellow. "I guess you have a plan. Okay then, I¡¯ll see you, Noname. You know my name, so look for me the next time you come to Beyond. Good luck," she says briefly.

    Everyone is on their own here, their life has to take priority, so she doesn''t hesitate much. It''s completely reasonable, and the short time we¡¯ve survived here together can''t be valued over your own life. It''s as simple as that.

    I watch as she jumps over a few craters and stops at the top of one of the hills, waving back to me for the last time before putting the ring on. She slowly disappears from my sight, her smile the last thing I see.

    Then I''m left alone and spend a short time examining the corpses, looking for anything useful. I go through their pockets, and clothes, and find a few more further away. They all seem to have been destroyed in the same way - an explosion of raw force from a very powerful body. It even seems like some of them got stuck in place, unable to move under the force that eventually tore them apart.

    Well, it seems to be about time, I need to start getting ready.

    I turn around, take a step, my arm moves swiftly, and I reach into the air to grab an invisible wrist. Oscillating mana coats my free hand, and I slash the air in front of me.

    Shayna slowly appears, materializing from the air, her severed arm falling to the ground with the ring on her finger as blood sprays from her shoulder.

    I¡¯ve got her other arm now, held by the wrist, in her hand is a dagger made of that transparent, difficult-to-sense mana of hers. Pointed at my eye in an attempt to penetrate my brain.

    She tries to attack me again, but I bury my hand into her leg and tear off a chunk of flesh, disrupting her concentration with the pain. I add an extra punch to her chest for good measure, breaking a few ribs in the process.

    Even in this state, her disruption crashes into me along with a barrage of projectiles created from her mana.

    I block it off easily and then fire off a disruption of my own, causing her to lose control of her skills.

    Shayna then stands there, missing an arm and bleeding from her leg.

    "I thought you had finally let your guard down around me," she says simply.

    Finally, let your guard down, she says. There are no excuses, no lame explanations. She just breathes heavily, staring into my eyes with a determined gaze, constantly trying to retake control of her mana.

    In the end, these arcane items really seem to be worth that much to some people. Enough to risk their lives for, enough to cloud their thinking. Just the hint of opportunity I''d given her was enough.

    If she asked, I would have split the items with her evenly. I feel like that would have been fair after what we¡¯d been through. I would have never betrayed her over a few measly items. But she had a different opinion; she wanted it all, even if it meant killing me. As of this moment, all the good feelings she had fostered in me are gone.

    I let thermal energy coat my hand and touch the stump where I severed her arm, causing the wound to sizzle, her flesh burning as the heat cauterizes the wound and stops the bleeding. Then I do the same for her leg where I tore a piece off. The air fills with the disgusting smell of burned flesh, and sweat beads on her forehead, as her hair starts turning gray. I think it''s the first time she¡¯s showing real emotion instead of those she wanted to show.

    ¡°Noname, listen, I¡­¡± she starts, but before she can finish, I coat my finger in oscillating mana and stab it into her side.

    Then I send thermal energy through.

    When she opens her mouth to scream, I use [Redistribution] to hold her movement, and only her eyes show the pain.

 Chapter 423 - Named lurker

    Shayna died.

    At some point, she tried to use a store of mana she had secreted away in her body. She used it to create a projectile, the same one she used to kill that fire mage lurker. Extremely durable, and nearly invisible. It¡¯s clearly a better version of Brainiac¡¯s skill.

    It¡¯s nothing short of crazy that she was able to create it without me sensing it under active interrogation. I gained some valuable information about Beyond, the guilds, and the 1st floor, but I wasn''t able to ask as much as I wanted or get any more shards out of her.

    Shayna acted quickly and decisively. She wasn''t in Beyond for nothing.

    That projectile of hers tore a hole through her chest, she must have been using the beating of her heart and the mana it generated to mask her work. The projectile pierced through the side of my neck, carving into one of the big veins. It was headed for my brain, but I still managed to tilt my head back and to the side, avoiding a mortal wound.

    Almost by reflex, I killed her, a hand coated in oscillating mana cleaving into the center of her skull, as the notification rang.

    Then I forced thermal energy to the injured area while manipulating my mana in an effort to seal off the vein and staunch the flow of blood.

    So now I''m standing here, a bloodied neck and clothes. Hand on my neck as I watch her projectile explode high in the air, erupting into a wide-range burst of mana. One last spiteful gift, a flare to everyone and everything in the area.

    Thirty minutes remain, and I only have two options. Either run away or try to make my stand here and try to hold out for the next thirty minutes. There¡¯s a high probability I get ejected from Beyond after that. It''s not quite a sure thing, but I''m willing to bet on it.

    Now that I don¡¯t need to hide, I send my senses as far as I can, searching for the enemy.

    There are a few options for who I might meet. If I''m unlucky, it will be the named lurker, and in that case, I might die. If I am lucky though, it will be a group of Beyonders followed by lurkers, leading to a bloody melee.

    I still keep my heart beating slowly and avoid using any kinetic energy; instead, I hold the Emberflame Staff I got from the first lurker we met. Thermal energy trickles out of my core and flows through the weapon, gathering into a golden orb just over the tip of the weapon. I stab the staff into the ground and adjust the arcane glove on my right hand, ready to activate it.

    I have the damaged arcane ring Shayna took in my pocket; A last ditch option for when everything goes to shit. Sure, I could use it right away, but I can¡¯t say I''m thinking too logically right now.

    In my other pocket, I have the Golem Heart, which should be something I can use as a distraction should I need to run away. In the worst case, I can sacrifice the item to slow my enemies. The problem is I don''t know how to use it yet, and relying on it to slow down enemies could hurt more than it helps, given that it would mean expending a lot of effort trying to activate it rather than focusing on the skills I already have.

    Lastly, the dagger I took from Roculus is charged and ready to be thrown, at which point it should release a poisonous mist upon impact.

    Flamebearer is on my back, it can be used as a shield, and the Bloodthirst claymore has been planted in the ground next to the Emberflame Staff.

    The other items are tied together and stowed in my bag, stashed away in a hole I found deep underground, and placed there through an anchor. They can stay here or be teleported to me should I feel the need to use them.

    And so I wait, the minutes passing slowly and presences gradually appearing at the edge of my radar. Multiple waves of detection-type skills wash over me, and I take note of a number of fights. As the expedition members move to engage a few lurkers that must have gotten too close.

    The smaller groups of lurkers quickly disappear, steamrolled by the 12-member group of Beyonders who, upon finding their target, do not hesitate in their rush to secure the site.

    Once in a while, my eyes glance at the corpse of the feylith on the ground, and each time they do, the pain flares up in my neck. My wound has mostly healed, but the reminder remains.

    When the first attack lands at my feet, I stop holding my heart back; instead, I start generating as much kinetic energy as it can handle. At the same time, that presence senses it far away and starts rushing here. The feeling alone makes me think it fully intends to crush anyone who would dare use the same energy as it.

    Pulling the staff into my left hand and the claymore into my right, I lift the blade of the claymore and intercept an arrow aimed at me, absorbing the inertia of its movement. However, the power contained within still pushes me back, and mana seeps out of the ground attempting to disrupt my hold on my mana.

    Rather than letting it, I counter with a skill of my own and block another attack, and shield my mind against the influence of hostile mental abilities.

    Spikes shoot up from the ground, so I stomp, releasing a blast of kinetic energy, cracking the ground around me and disarming the attack.

    Flaming blue projectiles shoot past me, sailing by on either side, before reversing course and targeting my back as I reposition and let Flamebearer absorb the blow while blocking an arrow with a new frequency of disruption.

    The presence keeps coming closer, and soon the group will be able to feel it as well.

    Multiple attacks connect high in the air, and bolts of lightning lance out at me, followed by primordial energy I haven¡¯t had the opportunity to face yet. The lightning crashes against a hastily constructed barrier, and my Mana Wavelength Iris activates as well as I fight off their attacks.

    Mana seeps out of me in waves, compressing and strengthening my defenses until that primordial energy hits my barrier. The disruption it causes is so very different from any I''ve felt until now, and part of my barrier disappears as if it had been eaten by the attack.

    Void primordial energy, if I had to guess, with a dark purple hue and bits of white sparkling through at the corners.

    For the first time, I reposition, boosting my body with the kinetic energy I¡¯ve collected so far.

    Then I sense Eugan''s mana gathering for some wide-range attack.

    Locating her position, I boost myself into the air, and creating an arm out of mana, I grab Roculus'' dagger and boost it with kinetic energy, flinging it at the group where it collides with their barrier, spreading a toxic mist into the air.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    One of my orbs shoots ahead, and as it collides with the barrier, it sends a powerful disrupting wave into the area. Then I focus on the compressed orb of thermal energy, and all of it shoots ahead in a finger-thin stream of golden flame.

    It pierces through their first barrier and another more hastily created version. It rushes forth at a speed they couldn¡¯t have anticipated and causes the staff in my hands to crack as I abuse it, forcing it into overdrive without any care for the item itself.

    The golden stream hits, landing in the middle of Eugan''s chest, and I swing my left arm, bringing the flames with it, slicing through her along the vertical plane and splitting her head in half.

    [You have defeated Manaflow Shaper - lvl 268]

    I move the stream towards the leader of the group, but he just lifts an armored glove from his damaged suit of rusty armor and meets the flame with ease. Before I can move it again, he reaches towards Eugan''s body, and her blood floats into the air, seeping into him.

    Listening to my instincts, I lift Bloodthirst and cover my face and body in the blade¡¯s winds, as I stack a multitude of barriers in front of me.

    It''s all for nothing.

    I find myself thrown into the air once again, with my left arm severed from my body and still holding the staff, and I watch it fly through the air in my peripheral vision, moments before it gets evaporated by a barrage of attacks, and the newly-destroyed staff falls to the ground.

    Slamming into the hills nearby, I let out a groan and teleport towards one of my anchors just as the attacks reach me.

    Before I can even check my wounds, a trap lying in wait explodes, sending me crashing through a number of buildings nearby, adding to the wounds I¡¯ve already accrued.

    Seizing on the opportunity, a man reaches me, swinging a hammer imbued with mana and hitting my right arm as I lift it to guard my head.

    My unique passive absorbs the impact, and a noticeable amount of mana seeps into my reservoir. I use the surprise and boost my body with kinetic energy as I swing the claymore in my hand.

    I don¡¯t get the opportunity to finish my attack though. I end up having to absorb my own inertia, stopping mid-swing and boosting my body once again to deflect the three arrows that rush after me in quick succession, only to ping off my blade.

    Each with its own unique disrupting effect.

    I succeed in shaking off the fields, but the force of the attack launches me into the air anyway, and mid-air, I boost myself with kinetic energy, avoiding a burst of flames.

    A lightning attack crashes against Flamebearer on my back, void energy disrupts one of my barriers, and the leader''s blood projectiles pierce my body again, leaving more wounds in their wake.

    I take a step and stumble, noticing a piece of my leg missing.

    My mana flares up, a mana prosthesis quickly replaces it, while I dash to the side.

    Multiple attacks surround me, heading towards my body, and after a long while, my mind and eyes feel like they¡¯re burning as I disrupt the attacks.

    [Resonance - lvl 50 > Resonance - lvl 51]

    The reward for that is a sword to the belly and a blow from a hammer that sends me rolling again, with a big part of the impact absorbed by my unique passive.

    I use another of my anchors, and as another trap explodes in front of me, I cover my body with mana, enduring it all, and quickly replacing the damaged parts with mana from my reserves.

    More mana seeps out of my body and reservoir, creating armor around me that becomes denser and slightly bigger. For the first time, I activate my domain, instantly feeling a range of attempts to destroy it and fight against it, several people joining forces to that end. Their rapid reaction makes me note in the back of my mind that negating domains appears to be a regular aspect of the fight.

    I grab the claymore with a new left arm made of mana, and using the glove, I touch the blood on my clothes. Then I activate the damaged arcane glove, and projectiles made of my blood, not unlike the leader''s, shoot through the air, targeting the archer.

    They pierce through barriers, armor, and anything else in their way. A shower of bloody projectiles tearing the archer apart.

    [You have defeated Nullshot Ranger - lvl 261]

    Bitch.

    Then they tear my domain apart, with the three much weaker domains attacking me all at once.

    My armor cracks under their attacks. Disruptive waves hit my body, making the armor flicker, and more bloody projectiles manage to pierce me.

    It''s difficult to even stand now, thermal energy working on overdrive, in an effort to power my poor epic healing passive.

    The leader appears in front of me. I can''t even see his movement, and I''m sent flying, more bloody projectiles piercing my body as I scramble to protect my vitals.

    And then they finally feel it, that presence with its terrifying mastery over kinetic energy finally coming into their range with incredible speed.

    A spear made of blood forms in the leader''s hand, and it pierces through my armor, and the arm I place in its way, before continuing halfway into my chest.

    I hate to accept it, but it''s obvious.

    I''m not strong enough yet.

    I release all of the kinetic energy I had stored, but the leader endures it all, though I do break the spear in his hand. Reforming the mana around me, I shape it and compress it into a javelin which I shoot at him. The javelin turns bright white, and I teleport away.

    Only to find another trap waiting for me as I proceed to be thrown against the wall, even though I block most of the explosion with an orb that I manage to surround the disk with, taking inspiration from Gareth. The orb just bursts open and part of the explosion burns my side.

    Then there are no further attacks. In the distance, I can see the leader standing where my javelin hit him. There is no damage on his body, but he is looking between me and the new fight. The rest of the group faces the powerful enemy. There are no other lurkers nearby, just the one.

    A tall male demon with long white hair and short black horns. Even though he¡¯s dead, reduced to a lurker, his face is beautiful, his pale red eyes retaining that hint of craziness all demons seem to possess.

    I''m not using any senses, all of my kinetic energy is gone, I¡¯ve even emptied my core. My heart is beating as slowly as I can make it. Even then, I can see the demon¡¯s mastery of kinetic energy for what it is.

    His movements are incredibly quick and twitchy, with bursts of kinetic energy propelling him forward and allowing him to move at incredible speeds.

    He has no weapons, and he¡¯s tearing the group apart one after another with nothing but his own two arms. There seems to be a sadistic kind of entertainment to it all, and anyone who tries to run away freezes on the spot, as the kinetic energy of their movement is absorbed.

    Debris freezes in the air, weapons stop moving, severed limbs and spurting blood, everything floats in place as if the scene had been frozen in time, and the demon alone moves through it all, allowing his targets to move only as he attacks them.

    The remaining half of the group faces him like that, while more people are already running away, each in a different direction.

    It takes just a single glance, but the leader starts running as well, and I do the same, putting the damaged arcane ring on my finger.

    I don¡¯t even try to retrieve the equipment I left underground. Instead, I sit quietly on the ground. Gradually, I feel the ring hiding me and my heartbeat slows, I have the thermokinetic construct turned off. I don¡¯t even move my fingers, as I focus on slowing my breathing and trying to limit my production of kinetic energy.

    Closing my eyes to avoid blinking, I sit there and wait.

 Chapter 424 - Need some healing?

    I don''t see anything, nor do I send my senses into the area. I just sit on the ground, still down an arm and a leg, as blood seeps from my many wounds.

    I¡¯m not even using thermal energy to power my passive, the only thing I can do is listen to the sounds of the battle nearby and feel the vibrations in the air. The white-haired demon tears through the group, but the point comes where all the sounds and screams stop, while the air fills with the heavy scent of blood.

    Something explodes nearby, Whitey most likely leaving to hunt the fleeing members, their movements giving them away. It''s a sort of detection that tends to be difficult to trick, even more than using mana. He can just sense your movements, down to the beating of your heart.

    He passes through the area around me multiple times, and I refuse to move even as he gets further and further away. Just a trickle of my mana seeping into the ring to power its effects. The least amount possible; I''m trying to hide as much as I can, focusing my entire being on said task.

    It gains me a few notifications as the skills level up, but I won¡¯t let them distract me. I don''t even check the timer to see the amount of time remaining. Even my thoughts feel sluggish from the state I''m trying to force myself into. My own heart beats very, very slowly, and I feel cold in my remaining limbs as it fails to supply enough blood.

    The passage of time is hard to estimate, but after what feels like forever, I hear steps approaching me, the slow, confident steps of someone who¡¯s found their prey.

    It seems like the group¡¯s been wiped out already.

    I can''t stop my heart fully, no matter how much I try. I''m sure Lily could pull it off, but that¡¯s not where my talents lie.

    And even that little is enough for it to detect me, and the presence stops right in front of me. Proving all my efforts useless, as my own heart reveals my location, even in its heavily suppressed state.

    I use [Tether], teleporting to my final anchor, one that I placed further away than the others. My mana starts radiating from my body, the entirety of my reservoir and body mana seeping out gradually as I use it to stack layer after layer of barriers.

    The timer shows 10 seconds left till my stay token expires.

    I direct my thermal energy outwards, using the flames to infuse my barriers rather than trying to heal.

    I don¡¯t want to do it but given no other option, I create an orb of black mana and allow it to seep into my body and mind, strengthening both for the first time in a while. It''s easier than I remember, and I find myself reminded of the addictive power it holds.

    Another black orb forms nearby ready to be used.

    Eight seconds remain, and a building explodes nearby. Another the size of a small apartment complex is thrown into the air, before being reduced to a cloud of debris hanging in the air as if frozen in time. The demon moves through it all, his long white hair trailing through the air behind him while his red eyes remain glued on me.

    Seven seconds remain, and he stands in front of me.

    I use the arcane glove, blood projectiles erupting forth from my body in an even more powerful copy of the skill the leader used before.

    They seem laughable, failing to so much as pierce the demon¡¯s skin.

    Six seconds remain, and he breaks all of my barriers with a single strike, the whole stack crumbling under the sheer physical force he brings to bear. No mana, no skills, just a powerful body and kinetic energy.

    Five seconds remain, and my flames are blown away, with a single wave of his arm. It looks so slim, and even so, his simple application of kinetic energy extinguishes my flames like a child blowing out his birthday candles.

    I try to move, but I freeze on the spot. My heart stops, my lungs stop, not a single hair on my skin moves, and it becomes so eerily quiet.

    The demon surrounded by all this debris frozen in time takes a step towards me.

    Using my mind, I launch the orb of black mana at him, the orb elongating and speeding towards his head.

    He tries and fails to freeze it in the air much the same way he has with everything else, and the projectile embeds itself in his arm as he raises it to protect his head.

    Four seconds remain, and I extend my domain as far as possible and place another anchor, teleporting away.

    Four seconds remain, and he is in front of me once again.

    The mana impaling his arm is already gone, thrown somewhere far away and he grabs my arm and pulls it, tearing it from my shoulder.

    At least it¡¯s just the mana prosthesis.

    I teleport again.

    Three seconds remain, and my heart still hasn''t beaten nor have I been able to move since he found me, that¡¯s just how big the area his skill covers when he decides to stop everything around him from moving. Everything other than black mana and the mana I use to power my skills.

    Three projectiles made of black mana shoot at him, and this time he dodges each one with an air of extreme ease, but it does slow him down, at least a little. I teleport again, and before I can do so again, a stone crashes into my body, breaking the bones in my back, and sending my body crashing into the wall of a building.

    Unable to move or even groan in pain, I teleport.

    Two seconds remain when he reaches me again.

    I strengthen my body with as much black mana as possible, my mind straining despite its reinforced state. My unique passive activates, [Redistribution] activates as well, and I even manage to lift the damaged arcane claymore to block it. Just for that split second, I move my body against the hold, using all the power I have at my disposal.

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    The punch breaks my arm, and shoulder as my sword gets pushed aside, slamming into my body and causing even more damage. The amount of mana that flows into my reservoir as the kinetic energy is transformed into mana exceeds anything I''ve felt so far.

    It''s not enough though, it''s so far from being enough to face him.

    One second remains when I use [Tether] for the last time.

    I once again find myself unable to move as he changes his approach to my immobilization. I watch as Whitey moves towards me. He bulldozes through buildings, trees, and anything else in his way. Every time he does so, the debris rockets into the air before being stopped in place.

    His steps don¡¯t even seem to touch the ground, they seem so smooth, almost as if he¡¯s running on air. None of his kinetic energy seems wasted, damaging only what he wants to damage.

    The way he uses kinetic energy is beautiful.

    You have no time left on your Stay Token. You will now be removed from Beyond.

    You have failed to reach the 1st floor safe zone, the next time you enter Beyond, you will appear on the Entrance Floor.

    Before Whitey reaches me, the area around me changes, and I find myself returning to the familiar cold air of the 6th floor, the beautiful stars and nebulas swirling in the sky.

    I can move again, but as the black mana strengthening my body wears off, the pain intensifies. So many wounds mark my body that I just continue to lie there, keeping myself conscious and feeding thermal energy to my passive, just to get that little bit of healing.

    As far as I can sense, there is only one presence nearby. She isn''t even trying to hide, and upon detecting me, it takes her a scant few minutes to reach my location. She drops from her run into a slow walk when she spots me lying on the ground and slowly approaches me.

    Lily squats by my side with her knees pulled to her chest and looks at me, curiosity burning in her eyes, ¡°Bad day?¡±

    ¡°It could be worse.¡±

    ¡°I see. Need some healing?¡±

    ¡°Not really, just a few flesh wounds, nothing worth mentioning.¡±

    ¡°That''s true, you¡¯re missing an arm and a leg, you¡¯ve broken most of your ribs, you have three holes piercing completely through your chest, and missing a chunk of your other leg, one of your ears is also gone, taking a decent chunk of the skin on your face with it. Plus a bit of internal bleeding, and a strained brain. Did I miss anything?¡±

    ¡°A broken fingernail.¡±

    ¡°That''s true, I¡¯ll add one broken nail to the tally,¡± Lily says, nodding seriously.

    ¡°My passive will take care of that.¡±

    ¡°Your passive sucks, Nat.¡±

    ¡°It does well for being only epic grade.¡±

    ¡°I could heal better on the 1st floor.¡±

    ¡°Show off. So what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Just hunting. Tess said this would probably be the place you entered Beyond and that you would probably end up here when you returned, so I¡¯ve been hunting in the area from time to time,¡± she says, reaching out and poking my body with her finger, and through that, I feel her warm mana flood my body.

    I let it happen, and I soak in the feeling as she starts healing me, starting with my internal injuries and the more serious wounds.

    ¡°Any trouble?¡± I ask.

    Lily shakes her head, ¡°Everything¡¯s been going well, Tess and Sophie decided to take over the remnants of Black Tower, and Tess has kind of become the new leader. She¡¯s already started threatening the other groups around us. Sophie¡¯s basically vice captain, and sometimes she takes over so Tess can go out to level.¡±

    ¡°Sounds boring.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re all fairly strong, so Tess only ever needs to spend a few hours at a time to manage things. Most of the time, we level and train. We¡¯ve even started using the information they¡¯ve collected to locate powerful monsters and good hunting spots.¡±

    ¡°Still boring,¡± I say, continuing to lie on the ground and observe my wounds as they heal and my limbs regrow.

    It still annoys me that I can¡¯t replicate it, even after all this time.

    ¡°How was Beyond?¡± Lily asks.

    ¡°Different than I expected but not in a bad way. It''s just another challenge, and I think you, Tess, and I should be able to find each other.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll need to tell me everything. It shouldn¡¯t take long, and I¡¯ll be able to do my 3rd trial within the next few months.¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    At that, Lily smiles and pokes me again, flooding me with another wave of her healing mana.

    The atmosphere between us is so much different from what I had with Shayna. With Lily, I notice myself dropping my guard, and there is a realization that if she really wanted, she could kill me with ease. I wouldn''t even know it had happened, just a short burst of that gray mana in place of her healing. It would be enough to destroy my chest and my heart with it.

    ¡°I got four damaged arcane items,¡± I note and watch her reaction.

    Lily giggles, ¡°Maya¡¯s going to be all over you when she finds out, and if you mention it in the Community, Tess is going to be hoping for a javelin.¡±

    She then looks at the claymore on the ground and reads the description, and I show her the ring, glove, and piece of clay.

    None of them seems to catch her interest, and she returns them to me. Instead, she pulls a finger bone from her pocket, the one that came from the Champion on the 5th floor. Nevan''s father, who was easily one of the most durable people in that world.

    ¡°I think I came up with a way to make my bones stronger. I¡¯m testing it now, and if I succeed, I should be able to do the same with yours. Of course, it hurts terribly, and blocking pain receptors is difficult, but you can do it! The stone we got from Savant and Champion Tristan''s disciple Hella certainly helps. Oh, and I might have come up with a way to put a mark on you. It could store some of my healing mana, and help you out when activated. It might take a few months to make it work, though, and I¡¯ll definitely need your help with that. Oh, and¡­¡± Lily continues to babble on excitedly like she does every time she gets a chance to talk about her experiments, and I listen to her.

    With another piece of my mind, I check on the notifications I got from that last fight:

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 51 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 52]

    [Focus - lvl 50 > Focus - lvl 51]

    Not as many as I would like, but at least I got a hold of some items to experiment with. Together with Flamebearer, that makes 5 damaged arcane items. It''s a scary amount, enough to convince a group of more experienced attendees to risk their lives. Even a single damaged arcane item makes you significantly more interesting to the right people.

    However, I can¡¯t bring myself to care too much. Sure, my inner loot goblin would like to have more of them. Arcane, epic, all the items. Mostly so I can use them to improve my abilities. Flamebearer, for example, even now, is a font of inspiration, helping me improve my use of thermal energy.

    I just don''t want to become reliant on items, so no matter how happy I am when I find one, it can''t compare to learning something new.

    Pushing these thoughts away, I continue to listen to Lily, who has already started talking about the prospect of growing wings and an extra set of arms.

 Chapter 425 - An Offer

    As we pass through the area, I take a moment to think and begin to suspect that Lily wasn''t so much hunting here as she was lurking around in the hope that she would meet me upon my return.

    When I come out and ask, she doesn''t even lie, stating, without a hint of shame, that she expected me to return half dead. And, to my slight annoyance, I can¡¯t refute her logic.

    I find it refreshing, especially after experiencing the community in Beyond, where everyone seemed like they were willing to betray their comrades just for an opportunity to betray somebody else harder. Even though I know she probably still has a crush on me, she¡¯s not pushing quite as hard as before. Now Lily just feels like a naive young girl looking for any excuse to be around the person she likes.

    I¡¯ve already rejected her though, so I won¡¯t mention it again. I''m sure she will get over it soon enough. Or hell, maybe she¡¯ll stop being like that and, like a normal person, like me, push those emotions to the side. Maybe her subclass really is Lust.

    My mood has improved since I returned, part of it is the trust I¡¯ve found myself having in this girl and the rest of Group 4. It''s a surprisingly warm feeling.

    Then there is also all the loot and other items I have stowed away in various holes in the ground, set in place before leaving for the Beyond. Mana stones, weapons, materials, weird leathers, shards of bone from powerful monsters, alloys, mana stones dense with information, and more.

    According to Tess, this floor¡¯s going to take a while, so I probably have at least a few months to experiment properly. Heck, I still have a mana stone with that Restrictive Training Emblem from LissLiss.

    Three mana shaping exercises.

    Arcane items to examine.

    Materials to work on smelting.

    Quests to complete in the name of earning Beyond Stay Tokens.

    Any number of things to learn about this floor.

    An idea for my first own technique and so much more.

    The grind never stops, indeed, and I wouldn''t want it any other way. No matter how powerful I am now, I''m still just a speck of nothing in the eyes of the right people. The other rounds of Earth''s tutorial, the other attendees in Beyond, and that¡¯s not even getting into everything waiting to happen after we finish the tutorial.

    Champion rank, Absolute rank, Ruler rank, maybe something beyond that? That reminds me, I need to find another Champion candidate and see if I can¡¯t test out that challenge thing.

    ¡°Lily, even after a year in the tutorial, we know shit all.¡±

    She slows down her run to match mine and tilts her head, ¡°We know a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Nah, we know nothing.¡±

    ¡°Why do you sound happy about that?¡±

    ¡°Because I am. Group of five monsters, off to the right, the ones that pop from the ground.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± Lily shouts as she changes direction and charges the monsters. Before we regroup with the others, we can try to score a few levels.

    Stopping in place, I watch as she sets our stuff on the ground and charges them. Not even using her skills, just the pure strength of her body, she starts annihilating the monsters. It might be me, but it looks like she¡¯s using less mana than before. It seems to stem from her duel with Tess back in the tournament.

    At the time her impatience and inexperience led to her being almost toyed with as she was forced to waste her terribly low mana reserves.

    Now though, faced with these leech-like monsters piercing through the ground, she falls back on the tactic of boosting her body with short bursts of mana instead of relying on [Sacrifice].

    Taking the time to truly grasp her strengths will make her more efficient, and ensure that she doesn¡¯t have to waste [Sacrifice] on every little thing. There¡¯s probably more to it though, I''m sure Tess and others cooperate with suggestions for their training regimens.

    ¡°Is Sophie still refusing to go to Beyond?¡± I ask as Lily returns.

    She moves a lock of her hair from her face and looks at me, ¡°Izzy keeps telling her to go, and I think Sophie will do it soon. She is probably just waiting for you to tell her what¡¯s waiting for her after the Trials. Learning that it''s just another place she can go with Stay Tokens and that she can return to Izzy might finally make her go.¡±

    ¡°I think she would do well there.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, her skill is scary. But it¡¯s going to take her months to get through her Beyond trials when she goes with that time limit. Have you thought of trying to meet up with Savant, Gareth, or Tacita?¡±

    I hesitate for a moment before responding to her question. Should I try to contact the others in an attempt to meet up in Beyond when they get there? Should I try to find people from Earth other than Victoria? They would probably be more trustworthy than the others, as most of the attendees seem inclined to stick with others from their planet.

    It makes sense that in such a new environment, their petty resentments for each other get pushed away. In Beyond, it''s us versus them, the place just seems too dangerous to explore on your own.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see, later,¡± I answer, deciding to push the decision onto future Nathaniel.

    <hr>

    It takes another day to reach the rest of Group 4. At this point, Lily''s initial excuse of hunting nearby is thoroughly destroyed. So she just stays quiet, and I decide to ignore it in exchange for her help carrying my stuff.

    We meet the others at the small outpost that apparently once belonged to Black Tower, a smaller one, but it¡¯s apparently better than the main base which took too much damage for quick repair. It makes me wonder how exactly they got the twins out and how much damage they caused. Even though they have pathetic mana reserves, Group 4 can be scary at times.

    Well, not Biscuit, he is perfect as he is. He¡¯s also the first one to welcome me, our future animal Archmage and overlord of Earth and best doggo of the 6th floor floats towards me. Something has changed, and it seems like he can¡¯t wait to show me.

    Of course, I noticed right away. Biscuit''s movement speed while floating has increased by around 6%. It¡¯s still much slower than his walking speed and it¡¯s barely noticeable, but I can certainly tell!

    ¡°You are moving much faster now, Biscuit,¡± I note.

    My suspicion is quickly confirmed by the excited wagging of his short tail.

    (Food!)

    ¡°Yes, you are!¡±

    His tail wiggles even faster at my praise, and I let him float in front of my face and boop my nose with his front right paw. I mirror his action, booping his nose in return, which our future overlord graciously allows.

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    ¡°Stupid Tentaniel!¡± Izzy shouts, rushing closer as she pulls me into a hug, while her skill attempts to connect to my feelings only for me to block it.

    It''s scary enough that she can sense them on the surface, even a little bit. Maybe there is some sort of social norm regarding the use of such skills, similar to social norms on when it''s fine to teleport away from a conversation. Something tells me we may as well be behaving like brutes when it comes to our skills and the way we use them in certain situations.

    ¡°You are not allowed to call me that,¡± I chastise, flicking her in the head.

    ¡°Stupidthaniel?¡±

    ¡°Also no.¡±

    ¡°Tent Cr¡­¡±

    I flick her in the head again before she can finish.

    Meanwhile, Noodle, who I can always count on to be present somewhere, coiled around her arm, looks at me and nods. I return the gesture and send a whiff of my mana his way, which he gratefully noms on. I also notice him looking over the items we brought here, especially the pouches of bones I took from Bone Fortress, though he seems even more interested in the pieces I got from the remains of the monster that was resting against Veil Ignition Station No. 2.

    Interesting, maybe I need to spend a bit more time with Noodle. His ability to eat mana always fascinated me.

    ¡°Listen, can I keep that claymore?¡± The one saying that is, of course, Maya. She¡¯s already taken up a spot next to Lily, who carried the damaged arcane weapon on the way here.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You have that ax already, you don''t need a claymore. You don''t even like using long swords, you prefer short swords, javelins, and nuking the area.¡±

    ¡°I plan to examine it to see if it can do something cool. I might try to smelt it and the ax to create an undamaged arcane weapon if it fits.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s such a waste,¡± Maya moans, shaking her head. ¡°Still, welcome back. Tess, Sophie, and the twins are dealing with some shit. There is a small group trying to mess with the web Sophie¡¯s set up. Kim is hunting somewhere outside.¡±

    ¡°That''s fine, we can talk later,¡± I say, sending my senses through the area.

    There are a few people who notice my wave, but I mostly ignore them after failing to find anyone decently powerful.

    What I do find is our new underlings, taken from the survivors of the Black Tower raid, and Tess and the others in the process of dealing with them. As always, I''m thankful for the extrovert gang taking care of business.

    ¡°Want to know what Black Tower¡¯s new name is?¡± Maya asks with a smile as she lets go of the claymore.

    ¡°No, I don''t,¡± I reply, already having a strong suspicion.

    ¡°Tell him anyway!¡± Izzy crows in challenge, as she dodges under my attempt to flick her nose.

    With a smile broadening on her face, Maya continues, ¡°Welcome to the group known as Angry Kittens.¡±

    I knew it.

    <hr>

    Hours later I''m sitting in one of the rooms in the main building, I find myself a spot close to the window. The view is absolute shit, and I''m not sitting in a comfy armchair, rather I find myself in some abominable variation made out of cold stone.

    Of course, the nebulas in the starry sky are nice, I have to give the 6th floor at least that much, but otherwise, there isn''t much to look at. It could work better if the window was bigger and the view wasn''t so swamped by the small outpost below.

    And there, wandering through the backdrop of the outpost, are a few dozen of the surviving members of Black Tower going about their tasks.

    So far, it seems like a person¡¯s strength is the most important consideration here, and killing most of the previous regime proved our strength. Sophie''s ability probably helped quite a bit as well.

    Sure, from what I¡¯ve heard, the old Black Tower members still fight from time to time or just leave, but most of them have decided to stay. The concept of strength in numbers thrives even here, and camping outside on your own doesn''t seem to be a good option.

    ¡°I would rather ditch them and do our own thing,¡± I tell Tess once again.

    This time, even Sophie breaks down in a sigh, making a wild gesture at Tess. It¡¯s just the three of us in the room at the moment, planning our next steps.

    Tess, more patient than Sophie, just nods, ¡°I know what you mean, but I want to learn more about the central region, the monsters in the area, and the other groups. So far, it seems like escaping is going to be a task in and of itself, and collecting more information can only make it much faster. You want to get to the next floor as fast as possible, right?¡±

    ¡°Don''t treat me like a child, waving the next floor in front of me just to get me to cooperate. Sure, it''s working, but don''t do it.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Nat,¡± Tess says, smiling. ¡°Don''t worry, it might seem like a lot, but we spend most of our time training and hunting. Between me and Sophie, this barely takes any time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better be if you want to survive in Beyond,¡± I repeat.

    I have already told her and others all I could about Beyond, and after that, everyone else other than Sophie and Tess left the room. To give us, the adults, the opportunity to talk, apparently.

    ¡°Just give me a bit more time and I¡¯ll be ready to join you there and don''t worry, I¡¯ll try to set something up with Gareth and the others from Beyond. From the looks of it, we could have a big advantage if we went as a group.¡±

    ¡°Others I met there thought the same.¡±

    ¡°That''s true, but we are different, are we not?¡±

    ¡°We are,¡± I agree.

    Earth''s Beyonders seem to be above average so far.

    Tess has her crown over her head, actively storing lightning. Apparently, she is keeping it up almost constantly to fill it up, and it''s still not full yet. It''s an example I¡¯ve already chosen to follow with my own crown as it floats over my head.

    Taking a few steps, Tess puts her hand on Sophie''s shoulder, who seems to be caught deep in thought, before asking ¡°What do you think?¡±.

    ¡°I need a day or two to decide if I want to start my Beyond trials.¡±

    ¡°Have you already fulfilled all the requirements?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did some time ago. I¡¯ll speak with Izzy, so later, Tess, Nathaniel.¡± Sophie states, waving as she leaves the room, leaving the two of us by ourselves.

    ¡°So what''s the plan? Do you want to continue on your own or wait for, at least, Lily and I?¡± Tess asks after Sophie leaves.

    I return Tess'' gaze, ¡°I think I¡¯ll go back before you and Lily enter. I¡¯ll be more careful and only go for a few days, we¡¯ll see if I can make some money with my crafting and get some more information. I might try to look for the others from Earth. Maybe even look into changing my handler. That way when I enter Beyond for the third time I¡¯ll be able to save some time, and we can form a party if you make it there by then.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a nice compromise. One more thing though. There is something I wanted to tell you about the twins¡­¡± she continues to talk and I listen.

    <hr>

    Some time later the twins and I go out to hunt, just the three of us. Some of the monsters tend to be strong so I enjoy the fight, but I don''t forget to watch the twins fight and slowly confirm Tess¡¯ concerns.

    So when we finally take a break I address them without dancing around the issue, "Tess wants you two to switch difficulty to Hard if you don''t manage to get any stronger than you are now."

    "I knew it," Aaron sighs, and Dennis just nods solemnly.

    "So why are you telling us?" Dennis asks.

    "Oh, I¡¯m not finished," I say, lifting a finger. "You two are weaker than even Isabella. Even Min-Jae could take you on. Maya would wipe the floor with you. You would barely be a challenge for Sophie and Biscuit already kicked your ass during the tournament."

    They stare at me, blinking.

    "Together you might manage to pull some fuckery given the way your skills make you stronger as a pair, but that''s it. Currently, you¡¯re the weakest link in group 4."

    I can see they don¡¯t want to hear it, but I think it needs to be said.

    "But?" Aaron asks.

    "But you two have a skill called [Connection] and I''m sure I could make use of it to improve one of my skills, maybe evolve it or make improvements. It¡¯s also probably much stronger than your use of it would imply."

    "Great. Just great."

    "Of course, I don¡¯t expect you to teach me for free, so this is my offer. We¡¯re going to work as a group for another 2 weeks and do our stuff. After that, we¡¯re going to split into two groups. Mine will be Biscuit, Lily, and the two of you," I say.

    I¡¯ve been thinking and I think it¡¯s going to be worth it. I believe I can make my [Resonance] stronger by observing [Connection]. During that time we can also work on body modifications with Lily. It''s a good plan if I do say so myself.

    "I will help you train and teach you how to handle your skills. I will also teach you Coordinates so you can improve your [Mana Manipulation] and get some shards. Of course, don''t expect it to be easy. I might even throw in some extra tasks, just to make things more difficult for you."

    They seem to be getting worried but I can tell they¡¯re interested. They must have noticed it themselves. All the ways they¡¯re lacking compared to the rest of the group. Maybe, on some level, they¡¯ve been hoping for this.

    "There will be some rules of course, but the main one is this: If, over the course of these next few months you fail to meet my expectations, you will use the difficulty change token when I ask."

 Chapter 426 - A lot to do

    I leave Dennis and Aaron so they can decide. We still have 2 weeks until we need to know, so they have time to think about it. It¡¯s not an easy decision, so it will probably take a while.

    (Yo, we accept,) Dennis says through group 4¡¯s connection.

    (We know the training will be hellish, and we¡¯ll trash-talk you behind your back as a result, but we don¡¯t want to be left behind,) Aaron adds.

    (We have some pride of our own as well and we¡¯d be lying if we said we didn¡¯t appreciate the opportunity. We also know Tess probably had something to do with it, but still, thank you.)

    (Yeah, thanks. We¡¯ll show you we aren¡¯t as weak as you think.)

    (Do you think he called us weak on purpose to fire us up? Comparing us to Izzy like that?)

    (Maybe, we¡­)

    (Okay then, no taking back. If you fail, you will switch to Hard Difficulty even if I have to force you.) I say, speaking through the link before disconnecting from the conversation.

    Weirdos, at least take some time to think about it. But, they are in Hell difficulty, so I probably could have expected that. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re actually weak.

    Sitting in my room, like a true leech, I let extroverts deal with stuff outside and finally get around to crushing the mana stone containing the Restrictive Training Emblem. The one the Cockroach made for me. Back then, she said it was invented by some new Champion with powerful mana so that she could train her body while continuing to invest in her mana stat.

    A kindred spirit. A genius. I would love to speak with her as a fellow mana enjoyer and shake her hand.

    The moment I break the stone I received from Cockroach-Sandra a web of inscriptions begins seeping into my body and covering my skin, almost in its entirety. It¡¯s extremely dense and delicate. At some points, it may as well be microscopic, difficult to even observe, even with my eye trait activated.

    It serves as a good reminder that I will always have a long way to go as if I needed one.

    Then comes the part I¡¯ve been waiting for.

    Immediately after the web covers my body, an emblem etches itself in the skin of my chest reminding me of a tattoo, positioned right over my heart, a dense web of circuits that serve to create some sort of circular and pleasing if functional design.

    Upon taking a closer look I find an option that should allow me to strengthen and tune its effects. And of course, the results speak for themselves, resulting in an instant backlash that sends spasms through my muscles. Very painful ones.

    I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t use it in Beyond.

    A decent chunk of my mana gets pulled away, tying up nearly half of my generated mana, seeping into the emblem now covering my heart and flowing into the web behind it, and dispersing throughout my body. The effect is immediate, the immense pressure applying itself evenly across my body. Unlike the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions that rendered me incapable of moving without the use of kinetic energy, this one does multiple things.

    It makes my body feel heavier while putting a lot of strain on it. It¡¯s almost like Active Tempering on a lower level and left running at all times. The strain forcing my body to adapt, as it takes damage and recovers, making me stronger in the process.

    The extremely delicate and microscopic web of inscriptions connected to the emblem forces my body to fight me, applying constant pressure with my own mana. There is even a ¡°switch¡± that I can use to decide how much mana I want to feed the Emblem.

    As I examine it more, I think about the difference between inscriptions and emblems. As far as I can tell, emblems seem to be more permanent when applied to the body, while inscriptions have always felt like temporary measures. The emblem just seems connected to me on a deeper level.

    Maybe I¡¯m wrong. The emblem might be a higher level of inscriptions, or inscriptions work better for items while emblems work best with the body.

    I still remember the Emblems Nevan had, the ones that allowed him to create his amazing flames - a gift from his Absolute. I totally want to dabble in the process sometime in the future, and I think that my constructs might be the first step toward an emblem. Or maybe they¡¯re all just constructs, emblems, and inscriptions. I don¡¯t know, and the system won¡¯t tell me. And who cares anyway.

    I wait for a bit, but there are no notifications miraculously offering information.

    Well, fine, I¡¯ll just have to learn on my own.

    For now, I let it set at a 50% rate of mana consumption, even though I notice my body starting to hurt as if I¡¯ve just finished a long workout. And I¡¯m only a few minutes in. How crazy is that, but I bet it¡¯s effective so I take note of my current stats to compare them later.

    Lvl 258

    Strength: 123

    Dexterity: 116

    Constitution: 274

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1078 + 1078

    I lovingly examine the emblem currently torturing me. The Champion who made it was truly a kindred spirit.

    Next, I have three mana exercises. They are as follows:

    Evil orb - an orb with ever changing frequency and mana requirements to keep it from popping or disappearing. I already have three floating at my side.

    The next is the infinity orb, an orb with another orb inside and another inside of that and another, and so on, continuing for as far as you can. Each one, growing progressively smaller. The exercise promotes control and delicate manipulations, the goal being to see how small an object one can create while maintaining the proper shapes. The third one is the Spinning Orbs. I¡¯ve given each their own fancy name. I can''t be bothered to remember their original names.

    The last exercise involves making two spinning orbs with separate, intersecting orbits. The goal is to make them both spin as quickly as possible without crashing. At some point, even the slightest mistake will cause them to collide, and I can¡¯t find any reason not to add more orbs as I go, all with their own orbits, connecting at one point, though that would increase the difficulty by a lot.

    For a moment, I stop looking over the mana shaping exercises and close my eyes.

    Holy hell, that emblem is evil. I feel like I can barely breathe, and it¡¯s been a long time since I felt my muscles burn like this. Even lifting my arm is getting pretty tough, and the Restrictive Training Emblem, or RTE for short, isn¡¯t even working to its fullest.

    Just out of curiosity, I change the setting, and it takes another chunk out of my mana regen.

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    Yup, totally evil.

    Just that short test tore some muscles.

    I kind of like it. Of course, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m a masochist, but it uses plenty of mana that I don¡¯t have to cycle now and spends it inside of my body. It¡¯s almost like some sort of limiter, a weight I can cast off to reveal my true power. Or something like that. Maybe I¡¯m just a tiny bit childish when it comes to that sort of thing.

    After a long while, I decide to check my quests.

    Floor Quest:

    Escape the Astral Prison

    Rewards:

    ???

    Epic grade passive skill

    5000 Shards

    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes

    Send a single item to your disciple (up to rare rarity)

    Increased daily Community limit

    I already know from my conversation with Tess that escaping this place won¡¯t be a simple matter. The moon we find ourselves on has some sort of protection against just that, the kind of stuff that prevents people with spatial skills from teleporting out of here. Even flying too high is discouraged on account of a range of defenses that are rumored to be capable of killing level 400s with ease.

    Building an array to try to connect it to somewhere outside doesn¡¯t work either.

    We don¡¯t know much more than that, to be honest. Apparently, we¡¯re in one of the more rural areas of this prison, which fits with the system¡¯s tendencies, with the floors gradually increasing in difficulty. Central regions tend to have more and stronger people with a better knowledge base.

    So far, it¡¯s been interesting to see so many people from different planets, and there are more arriving all the time. Almost as if there were scheduled dropoff times.

    There¡¯s also been talk of a coalition, powerful monsters, and the remains of some kind of ancient civilization. What interests me more is the regions no one dares to enter, chock full of powerful sleeping monsters. I even hear the word Calamity from time to time.

    As much as I complain about dealing with other people, Tess was able to collect quite the hoard of information, and she¡¯s planning to scout out the central region sometime in the next two weeks, force a few more answers from some of the other groups, and then we¡¯ll go our separate ways. And I don¡¯t mind doing it.

    Coming back to side quests, I find some new ones as well.

    Side quest: Get all skills over level 40

    Reward: Beyond 1 day stay token

    Side quest: Get all skills over level 50

    Reward: Trait strengthening token (1st stage)

    Side quest: Reach level 275

    Reward: Beyond 1 day stay token

    Side quest: Defeat 1000 monsters over level 200

    Reward: Beyond 1 day stay token

    They go on and on too. I almost ran out of side quests before, but now there are dozens. Some offer food and water, others offer epic passives and items. A number of them offer beyond stay tokens too, but only for a day at a time.

    None of the quests happen to be anything simple either, except, perhaps killing 1000 monsters over level 200. Kaboom, am I right?

    It just seems like access to Beyond is purposefully limited, at least currently, almost as if the system¡¯s forcing us to keep climbing the floors here in Hell difficulty.

    Is there more the system wants to show us?

    While examining the effect my new RTE has been having on me, I stand up and nearly fall, barely managing to catch myself. The inscriptions before didn¡¯t allow me to move at all. It¡¯s like they turned off my body and kinetic energy was the only thing that would make it move.

    This emblem feels like I¡¯ve been covered in weights. Weights that have the sole purpose of damaging my body with a single objective: force it to adapt to the strain and grow stronger in the process.

    Curious, I use kinetic energy to support my movement, but the moment I do, the emblem stops working.

    Well, that¡¯s straight-up evil. Nice one, Cockroach-Sandra.

    I stop using kinetic energy and let part of my mind focus on the inscriptions Lissandra used back then. I can mimic them and use them to train my kinetic energy, switching between that and my new RTE.

    Plus Lissandra¡¯s mana shaping exercises. Then throw in the stuff Miwa left to help me work on damaged arcane items. Plus the body modifications I¡¯ve been planning with Lily. Plus my plans to improve my current constructs. Plus my efforts to level my other skills, and using the twins'' skills to improve my own. Plus¡­ more, just more.

    But first, I want to see Noodle, and so I start heading for the place I sense his presence, I grab a few of the bone shards I¡¯ve acquired. One from the Bone Fortress here on the 6th floor and the other one from the snake skeleton next to the pyramid.

    <hr>

    I find myself in a smaller room, facing Izzy who has her arms crossed against her chest, ¡°I won¡¯t let you feed Noodle weird stuff!¡±

    Noodle is next to her, looking between her, me, and Biscuit, who is currently sitting on my lap, with curiosity in his eyes.

    Sophie ignores all of us, focusing instead on some weird mana construct floating in front of her as she practices. I notice myself starting to examine it, but I force myself to stop and turn back to Izzy.

    ¡°Look, he kept staring at me and drooling over it. I¡¯m just curious. Also, why the hell is he still the same size?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Noodle can¡¯t drool! And he¡¯s stayed this size because I asked him to; he¡¯s just cuter that way.¡±

    In answer, I lift a piece of bone from the 5th floor and wave it.

    Noodle follows the bone from side to side as if hypnotized.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t prove anything,¡± Izzy nods seriously.

    I move it up and down, and Noodle continues to track it perfectly. He keeps it up too, even as I start zig-zagging.

    At this point, I start to wonder if I can make the pearl-white snake dizzy, so I start moving faster, spinning the fragment in circles.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I get it,¡± Izzy sighs.

    It might just be me, but Noodle seems to perk up at that, turning to her, ignoring the fragment of bone for the first time since I brought it here. He slithers closer, lovingly coiling around her arm and licking her cheek.

    What a tricky little creature. Snakes use their tongues to smell as far as I know. They do not, however, lick. It must be something he picked up from Biscuit.

    Indeed, our future overlord is great to affect others so profoundly.

    I reach down and pet Biscuit who looks up to me and yawns slightly. Using that opportunity, I put a finger into his open mouth, and when he closes it, he bites my finger gently.

    His expression is confused, as always when I do it, but he then pulls away and licks my hand before laying back down on my leg, his intelligent eyes focused on the duo in front of us.

 Chapter 427 - Knight

    ¡°So what can Noodle do? You spend the most time with him,¡± I ask Izzy.

    Meanwhile, said white snake is coiled around the shard of bone I gave him from Veil Ignition Station no. 2. He straight-up ignores the second one from the Bone Fortress. So far, he hasn¡¯t eaten or absorbed it. He just keeps flicking his tongue towards it and touching it with his scaly body. He is emitting a small amount of mana though, and I observe the process, even activating my trait to do so.

    Izzy watches as well. ¡°Noodle can eat mana from the air. He can also perfectly store and digest until he can¡¯t be felt at all.¡±

    That seems somewhat similar to Biscuit¡¯s primordial energy and a tiny bit to my black mana. The difference is that Biscuit seems to be able to¡­ well, who the hell knows. He just does a bunch of weird stuff that scares some people a lot.

    My black mana is an extremely dense form of mana that tries to absorb and dominate any mana in reach. Meanwhile, Noodle actively eats it, and then it¡­ it disappears or gets used for something.

    ¡°Can Noodle grow bigger or make use of that mana?¡± I ask.

    ¡°He¡­¡± Izzy hesitates as if there is something she is hiding. Her eyes glance at me, Biscuit, and Noodle. ¡°He can grow bigger if he wants to. And I think he needs a lot of time to slowly digest that mana and use it to become stronger. He can absorb a lot, but then it takes even longer.¡±

    So he pretty much has his own reservoir where he can store absorbed mana, changing and transforming it into something he can use.

    From my own testing, I know that using mana you¡¯ve taken from someone else is extremely difficult. Each person has a slightly different kind of mana. Part of that can be mitigated by changing the frequencies, but it¡¯s not quite as simple as that. It¡¯s very difficult, and the results of using someone else¡¯s mana can turn out catastrophic. Of course, that¡¯s assuming you aren¡¯t a monster like Lissandra.

    That¡¯s one of the reasons I want to improve my [Resonance] and master my eyes more. My skill set and [Mana Manipulation] should help me pull it off. Maybe not now, but sometime in the future. I have a very situational and extremely powerful build in mind.

    A set of skills I believe should mess up anyone trying to use mana in the presence of my Pride enhanced domain.

    Oh boy, this is going to be scary in a year or two.

    ¡°Noodle also seems to be registered as Isabella¡¯s pet or something,¡± Sophie adds, lifting her head from the construct she is working on. ¡°His growth is being influenced by Isabella¡¯s, and we think some of his abilities might transfer over to her at some point. Noodle can even resist her flames now, they don¡¯t even damage him anymore, and he seems to have a knack for reading people, not unlike Izzy.¡±

    At that point, the three of us turn to the snake, who continues to ignore us. I¡¯m absolutely sure he heard and probably understood what we were talking about.

    Yet he pretends not to hear and continues to snuggle up to the bone.

    ¡°This one¡¯s for free, but you¡¯ll have to work for the others,¡± I tell the snake, before grabbing Biscuit and standing with him in my arms.

    Noodle looks at me and then moves his head just a tiny bit, in a tiny imitation of a nod.

    There are still some things I want to examine about his skill, and a few pieces of bone aren¡¯t exactly a high price to pay.

    Lily¡¯s already got a few for the purpose of researching new ways to modify our bodies.

    <hr>

    Later that day, I meet with Maya, as she returns from her hunt with Tess and Lily. She is holding Bloodthirst. I¡¯ve decided to let her borrow the weapon and examine its effects while I work on other stuff. She agreed readily, unable to contain her excitement at getting to try out a new weapon.

    ¡°So?¡± I ask. ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°Well, we almost died. A strong three question mark monster popped up out of nowhere and nearly ate Tess. It even resisted Lily¡¯s [Disintegration] a few times through sheer size.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Were there supposed to be monsters that strong here?¡±

    ¡°Yup, they¡¯re all over the place, mostly sleeping or hibernating or something like that. You generally find them marked on maps as places to avoid, but we started checking them out. The one we met escaped, but Tess left a mark on it, declared it her prey or something, so we¡¯re going after it again tomorrow.¡±

    It almost makes me want to grab that map and go out on my own, but I push those thoughts away. I have to stick to the plan.

    Maya seems to notice that and smiles, lifting the sword with its white, red tinged, blade. ¡°As for the claymore, it¡¯s very sharp and it gets even sharper when you cut anything that could be counted among the living. I think the moment it ¡®tastes¡¯ the blood of a target, it becomes more dangerous against that target. And there might be some kind of weird debuff at work too?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I ask, taking the claymore from her, and examining it.

    Bloodthirst (Arcane, Damaged) - Bloodthirst once thrived on the essence of life, growing stronger with each battle. Its hunger for blood has lessened, but it still draws sporadic strength from fresh wounds, offering glimpses of its once insatiable power.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s also absorbing some of the blood, but I haven¡¯t noticed much of a difference. Maybe it needs to absorb more to reach its full potential."

    The blade, despite its sharpness, has been clearly damaged in multiple places, a piece of the hilt is missing and broken as well. It looks like the weapon was chipped away piece by piece by some powerful force. Maybe it was damaged by contact with another weapon or skill. Hell, maybe it was a full fledged arcane item before Whitey destroyed it.

    Thinking of it, there isn¡¯t anything of much use for me to learn from studying it at the moment. At least not anything more useful than my current projects.

    ¡°You can keep it for another week or two if you want,¡± I offer it back to Maya, who takes it without any hesitation.

    I pause for a moment and give her a look. She¡¯s dark-skinned and probably the oldest person here, not that I¡¯m going to say that out loud. She was 28 or something, I think. A professional trainer in her past¡­ I pause with a feeling of amusement. In her past life is what I was about to think. It¡¯s only been a year and already I¡¯m thinking of our time before this as a past life.

    ¡°You are not going to sell these items for a better passive?¡± she asks, after a moment.

    ¡°I was thinking about it, but¡­ they are damaged, and I didn¡¯t make them. Arcane items start at 100,000 shards, so assuming I found one undamaged on the floor I would get anywhere between 10-20k shards. If I were to make one, it would jump to 50k. So a damaged arcane item like this would probably fetch anywhere from 5-10k shards. It does make for a nice chunk of change, but it would still leave me a ways off from what I¡¯d need. For now, I¡¯m just going to examine them, maybe use their materials to make something else later.¡±

    ¡°Anything for me?¡± she jokes, spinning the claymore in her hand.

    ¡°You go by Knight in the Community, right? We also share some of the same skills, so I may as well throw you a bone." I say, trying to act pompous, "How about you become my knight, call me ''Lord'', and handle the occasional annoyance on my behalf? I¡¯ll throw in some perks if you like, I could even get you an item or two.¡± I joke, riding my good mood over my recent progress.

    Surprisingly, Maya seems to take it seriously and appears to think it over.

    In the end, she answers with a smile that seems to imply that she¡¯s only half joking, ¡°Sounds better than being a minion. So as your knight, I would be responsible for killing your enemies, leading your forces, and collecting taxes, right? I could do that.¡±

    My knight... It sounds weird, but it makes a certain kind of sense that things might slide in that direction with the way events have progressed. With everything we¡¯ve seen across all these floors, it¡¯ll only be a matter of time before things like that start happening on Earth. Maya, despite deciding not to enter Beyond, is strong even compared to the other Hell difficulty attendees we met in the tournament. She doesn¡¯t lack much of the skill she¡¯d need to enter Beyond.

    However, the seriousness of her declaration surprises me even now.

    Not wanting to deal with it now, I don¡¯t reject her, but push it into the future, ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound too unreasonable.¡±

    ¡°Got it, my Lord,¡± she says courteously before bowing gracefully. Then, with a wave of her hand and a cheeky smile that breaks the immersion, she leaves, heading for the area she uses for her sparring matches with Lily.

    <hr>

    I boost myself to the top of the tower our group has taken for our new headquarters, I stare down at the fort stretched out below me. It¡¯s the former secondary base of the Black Tower after their HQ was mostly destroyed, but it¡¯s still somewhat impressive.

    I watch mana moving in the air as it powers the web stretching across the area containing our base and its surroundings. It¡¯s an improvement on a system the former owners already had in place, courtesy of Sophie. She is getting quite good at it too, she¡¯s visibly improving as I watch the changes.

    As for the prisoners, there are a few dozen of them, mostly using this place as a safe haven against the monsters. There is power in numbers, as they say. They are mostly brutes, not unlike those I¡¯ve already met. It¡¯s not even like all of them are powerful. In this place and other ¡°rural¡± areas, they tend to be weaker than our group.

    It seems like the closer one gets to the ¡°central¡± area, the better the prospects are, with the prisoners there even managing to create something like normal cities if you want to call it that. Or maybe they truly are.

    This moon seems to have been used as a prison for hundreds of years, maybe even longer. With the way people at higher levels tend to live for centuries, some of them have more than enough time to set something up for themselves.

    There are rumors about multiple Champion candidates; there are even rumors that most people think of as more of a legend, whispers that an Absolute candidate may have been thrown in here, wounded, and left to die, betrayed by the people of his planet.

    Information tends to be very sparse and hard to come by, most of these people are fully occupied with their survival, deprived of the luxury of caring about things like this. There have already been a few attempts to kill our members when they went out to hunt. One group tried to kidnap Sophie, another tried to force Min-Jae into betraying us, and more.

    All of these people were dealt with quickly, cleanly, and with prejudice, showing the others that we are not to be messed with, because that¡¯s the only thing people in this place seem to understand.

    Joining me at the top of the tower is Izzy. She¡¯s come alone this time and doesn¡¯t bother trying to connect to my emotions, sitting next to me instead and joining me in admiring the view.

    I still remember the way she was when we appeared on the 3rd floor when she was still under Sophie¡¯s [Geas]. The current Izzy seems more mature. She¡¯s still only 11 years old, a young girl who''s been forced to spend the next 4 years here in this tutorial. Forced to kill to survive, forced to make hard decisions. She might be childish at times, but sometimes she feels like the most mature of all of us. So I have to wonder if she¡¯s not allowing herself to be childish from time to time as a method of coping with everything she¡¯s been forced to go through.

    ¡°Sophie decided to go to Beyond,¡± she says, looking at me with her green eyes. ¡°She¡¯s strong, so she will do well, but she can be dumb sometimes, so will you help her? For me?¡±

    In response, I poke her side, ¡°We¡¯re in the same group, so I will. Why so serious?¡±

    ¡°You can be hard to read sometimes, so I want to be sure.¡±

    With a sigh, I allow her to connect to my emotions, and she does so very gently. Lately, she seems to be getting nervous whenever she finds herself unable to sense the emotions of those around her as if she had grown overdependent. I wonder if it''s anything like my overreliance on [Focus].

    ¡°You aren¡¯t using that skill to block your emotions anymore,¡± she states, sounding happy to say it.

    ¡°It had to happen somehow,¡± I shrug.

    ¡°Maybe you aren¡¯t as dumb as I thought,¡± she declares.

    At that, I decide to stay quiet, and Isabella giggles quietly, sensing my emotions.

 Chapter 428 - Another one

    I watch as the twins and Min-Jae fight the golem I made with one of my new damaged arcane items.

    Golem Heart (Arcane, Damaged) - The Golem Heart could once animate stone and metal, bringing golems to life. Now, its core is cracked, but it may sporadically imbue nearby objects with a flicker of life, making them move or respond for short durations, echoing its once grand animating power.

    I made it entirely out of hardened dirt, and it wasn¡¯t even that difficult to make. It¡¯s just difficult to control, and the orders the golem can process are very restrictive. I suspect that with a bit more practice, I should be able to improve my control and maybe even get it to change its shape.

    But for now, the moment I send mana into it, it moves the earth in front of me, causing it to bulge and lift up, creating a simple humanoid shape. Very simple, as if a child had made it out of clay. On the other hand, it is twice my height and could kill said kid easily. It could easily take down anyone from Normal difficulty, and it would take dozens of people from Hard difficulty to reliably bring the golem down.

    So we put it through its paces while Min-Jae and the twins fight the result, sweating, rolling on the ground, and screaming at me. Something rude, I¡¯m sure, but I filter it out.

    Maya is nearby, sitting on the ground with Bloodthirst in her hand as she proceeds to clean and oil the weapon.

    The golem is a rusty shade of light brown. It moves fairly quickly for its size, but the only advantage it has is its durability. It¡¯s way too slow to catch up to any of the three boys, and the only reason they¡¯re taking damage is because we¡¯ve decided to test out the golem¡¯s damage output, and that they let it happen.

    Holding the heart in my hand, I send my mana through its circuits, trying to parse the delicate inscriptions within. Activating some switch, the golem falters and falls to the ground.

    I get a few weird looks, but I quickly alter my approach, and the golem slowly stands up again, packing more dirt around the heart, taking more of my mana as the dirt compresses.

    The resulting golem winds up even slower than before.

    Another attempt a bit later, and the golem loses half of its material, moving faster, until I mess something up, breaking its leg in the process and watching it fall.

    Then I start to think I¡¯ve come up with a new idea to change its shape, but instead, the golem stands up without its left arm.

    For some reason, that makes Maya laugh - a lot.

    For a moment I want to take my weapon back, though I settle for sending the golem after her instead, in all its clunky glory.

    She jumps to her feet, excitement in her eyes, as blue armor surrounds her. Then, powering it with a few of her mana batteries and supplementing it with her own mana, the armor grows bigger and bigger until it matches the golem¡¯s size.

    Left arm or no, the brown stone figure attacks Maya in her oversized mana armor engaging her in a punching match, neither side bothering to avoid the incoming blows.

    I start getting into it, and it feels fun, so I start funneling more mana into the heart, making the golem tougher and stronger but unfortunately not faster, which Maya uses to her advantage.

    The cheating fox of a woman is even using Bloodthirst, the otherwise sizable claymore now looking almost like a dagger in the hand of the blue armor.

    As much as I¡¯m focused on the golem, I also take a moment to observe Maya, and I find myself surprised by what I see. I knew she was quite talented, especially with the skills she got. The mecha-like suit of armor always was her idea and I shamelessly ripped it off. However, she seems to have invested a few more points into mana now. She still has high physical stats, especially dexterity, but mana has clearly been getting a bit more love.

    [Armament] still works much the same as it did before, and I think my [Regalia] was stronger while I had it, but she¡¯s clearly put a few more levels into it, and when she uses it in combination with her [Boost], it truly begins to show some real potential, incorporating spikes in the speed, strength, and durability of the construct. And she hasn¡¯t skimped out on the mana batteries either, filling them to the brim with her mana.

    However many times she destroys the golem¡¯s legs, I restore them, and the golem keeps coming back.

    With amusement, I watch as her reserves dwindle, and she decides to bow out in the name of conserving her mana batteries for something more useful.

    More mana wins again.

    As I direct the golem to fight Min-Jae, who alternates between slowing it down with his skill and bombarding it from afar, Maya comes closer.

    ¡°In a real fight, I would go after you as the controller,¡± she states, sulking like a true loser, not seeing the value of the best stat.

    ¡°Sure.¡± I nod.

    ¡°Also can you please recreate that orb for me? It burst again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called the evil orb.¡±

    ¡°... sure.¡±

    I do as she asks and create another one of the constructs with its ever-changing demands.

    It truly is an evil orb. Yup.

    Much like Lissandra did for me, I hand the slightly modified orb to Maya, who immediately shuts up, devoting all of her focus to the exercise. She doesn¡¯t even bother to move aside, even that little distraction would be too much.

    Then, with great satisfaction, I watch as the orb bursts open, as Maya uses too much mana.

    Without another word, I create another one and three more for myself which I display over my head.

    Maya glances at them and then at me, her eyes seeming to tell me that she knows exactly what I¡¯m doing. She then quickly turns all attention to her orb.

    It dissipates this time.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    So I create another one.

    After 30 seconds, it bursts open.

    Another one.

    She fails to follow the frequency, and it disappears.

    Another one.

    It bursts open.

    Another one.

    Fail.

    Another one.

    Burst open.

    Another one.

    Too slow to adapt to the frequency.

    I add one more, bringing the total number of evil orbs floating over my head to four as I continue to keep the golem somewhat under my control. This is fun.

    At this point, Maya looks like she wants to stab that claymore through my chest.

    Is this what people mean when they talk about having friends? This isn¡¯t bad at all. I could get used to it. I¡­

    ¡°Nat¡­¡± Tess shouts from somewhere behind me.

    Maya immediately rushes to her to complain while pointing her finger at me.

    Has she no dignity in her body? So weak.

    ¡°I¡¯m helping,¡± I note, nodding over at Tess.

    ¡°I saw you helping. Mind creating one for me?¡± Her voice clearly implies a challenge.

    ¡°Very well,¡± I say, creating another orb before sending it over to her. I maintain its frequencies until Tess takes over, and then I stop.

    As expected, Tess does even better than Maya. She manages to keep up with the orb for a bit before it bursts open as well.

    Instead of surprise or disappointment, her gray eyes shine with interest, and I create another one.

    And another.

    Then another.

    After each one bursts open, Tess seems to improve, if only slightly. I¡¯m honestly tempted to create the original version I learned from Cockroach-Sandra for her instead of the simpler version of the orb I created for group 4.

    Even though this orb is easier to work with, much easier, than the original non-adapted version by Liss, it annoys me that Tess is improving so quickly.

    It¡¯s not envy talking or my pride, but I know I¡¯m better at it than her. All my skills, traits, passives, and talents, which have served to bring me this far. All my experience and hard work. Even so, a genius like Tess displaying the full breadth of her talent reminds me that I can never stop pushing ahead. If I do, people like her and the cowardly Savant will take over. And we can¡¯t have that.

    ¡°Help me with this one,¡± the blonde says, nudging Maya, who quickly reaches for the orb and starts helping as well.

    The work seems to grow much easier, split between two people.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat something,¡± Tess tells Maya, who silently grabs the claymore and follows behind Tess, both of them working on the orb. I even get a short wave as they leave.

    Then, once again, I send mana through the golem heart, the humanoid figure made of stones and dirt reforming.

    ¡°Try ranged attacks now,¡± I shout to the boys, as we get back to testing.

    <hr>

    The 6th floor monsters usually appear during the day and rarely do anything during the night. They only ever leave their hidey holes when it''s scorching hot outside, attacking anything that moves when they do, sometimes even moving in groups.

    We have difficulties finding drinkable water and food. Plenty of monsters cannot be eaten either because they taste too disgusting or turn out to be poisonous.

    Sure, I bet you could eat an insectoid monster if you had to. Your body should be able to digest it all after all the changes it went through.

    But would you want to?

    So, the lack of water and food seems to be a major feature of this floor, and buying them in the system shop turns out to be no more possible than it was on the third floor.

    That''s the system we know. Ah, good old times when I flipped the system window every few hours. I do it even now and then turn to Min-Jae, who looks at me with surprise in his eyes.

    ¡°So you will be getting bulli¡­ trained by Tess?¡± I ask him.

    ¡°Yes, she said it might be better to separate me and the twins.¡±

    ¡°Have you been acting like a bully again?¡±

    ¡°I have not.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Instead of shouting back at me, he seems to deflate, ¡°Look, Nat, I know my behavior in the tournament was pathetic. I¡¯ve already been shit on by everyone in the group over that. I¡­ it just felt¡­¡±

    ¡°Three monsters at eleven o¡¯clock,¡± I announce, interrupting him.

    With a practiced motion he moves his hand, sending five pieces of compressed metal flying through the air as they hurtle towards the monsters.

    They whistle as they pierce the air. Each one the size of a human head, making for an ugly amalgamation of metals squeezed into a lumpy round mass. There is rust covering them in places, and their shapes resemble crumpled paper more than they do true orbs or anything else. But they are effective.

    The five chunks of metal slam into the monsters at a speed too fast to dodge.

    The monsters in question remind me of bugs with their wide heads, mandibles, and four long legs.

    Green blood splashes into the air, but the monsters don¡¯t make so much of a sound as they come rushing towards us.

    [Venomclaw - lvl 202]

    [Venomclaw - lvl 203]

    [Venomclaw - lvl 201]

    Min-Jae moves his hand, and the chunks of metal come flying back, but the monsters are faster.

    They move very quickly on their long legs, each movement replete with an uncanny twitching, as their hard skeletons clatter against the rocky ground. Mana seeps out of them, reaching towards us as it rises up in a poisonous aura, like a cheap imitation of a domain.

    Venomclaws like to move in groups, each one having its own knock-off domain with poisonous mana in it. And they like to combine them to put more pressure on their opponents.

    When there are only a few of them, it isn''t a problem. But when you have dozens of them combining their efforts¡­ Well, it could end up interesting.

    But much as I had expected, Min-Jae moves the orbs he had made out of mana-conductive metal. These do a better job of accepting the effects of his gravity skill and are easier to manipulate for it. And much, much quicker. A barrage of two hundred or so orbs shoots ahead; more than orbs, they look like bullets. In this moment he¡¯s like a minigun spitting out projectiles at immense speed.

    They pierce through the monsters and then fly back, piercing them again and again until the Venomclaws fall down with their bodies heavily perforated.

    Before stowing his orbs, Min-Jae spins them around in a quick orbit to remove any remaining blood and pieces of the monsters'' bodies and then returns them to his backpack.

    Each of these orbs is about half the size of a golf ball, we had them made for him on the 4th floor. And they¡¯re heavy enough that he shouldn''t be able to move them at all, though he can always alter their weight, so it''s not a problem.

    ¡°We should leave; there will be more of them once they smell the blood of the others.¡±

    ¡°Nah, we¡¯re staying.¡±

    Min-Jae looks at me only once and gulps.

    The day¡¯s just getting started, I wonder how many of these things we can lure here for Min-Jae to kill before they go to sleep for the night.

 Chapter 429 - What do you think it is?

    I''ve been on the 6th floor for a few days already, and even since the start, I have my [Mana Crown] activated and fill it with mana whenever I''m not using my mana to train with RTE or something else. After a few days, it¡¯s nicely filled, not even mentioning my reservoir, my core with kinetic and thermal energy, and my own body containing its mana.

    A few creepy horse-sized insects with their knock-off domain cannot compare, right?

    ¡°Try saving your mana a bit and be more accurate; plenty more will come,¡± I throw toward Min-Jae, who keeps shooting his hundreds of orbs at the monsters.

    ¡°I¡¯m already trying to!¡±

    ¡°But you are missing a lot.¡±

    ¡°There are too many orbs,¡± he gestures wildly.

    ¡°So use fewer of them.¡±

    ¡°But in that case, I won¡¯t deal enough damage to kill them...¡± he says and sends another barrage, this time towards five venomclaws heading at us.

    ¡°How come? Just aim for their vitals.¡±

    His orbs whistle through the air, and he uses them only as it''s probably the most mana-effective and deadly attack he can use currently. Under the barrage, the heads of the monsters explode, but that makes Min-Jae push more with his [Telekinesis] as the heads are more durable.

    ¡°I¡¯m aiming at their heads already.¡±

    ¡°Did you try any other parts? What did you guys even do here on the floor? Did you not dissect at least a few of them to find their weak spots?¡±

    Just for a moment, he stops looking at the monsters and looks at me instead.

    What.

    Then he turns back, another barrage sent at them, this time until they die.

    In addition to these five, close to two dozen venomclaws now lie all around. Probably a nice amount to get more of them here.

    The area in front of us is rocky, as is the rest of the 6th floor, a never-ending stretch of gray country with a few spiky mountains in between. Instead of nebulas in the sky and bright stars, now during the day, there is something akin to a dust cloud covering it entirely. That cloud must be really high in the sky.

    Maybe a storm? Maybe set by the system? Who knows. That dust is letting through a very orange light that colors everything into that hue. The temperature is also much higher now.

    Something tells me if I were here as a human from before the tutorial, I would die quite quickly just because of the environment.

    ¡°Nat.¡±

    I thought of it multiple times, but am I considered human? And if I go further, will I stop being one? Someone smarter might have asked What is to be human?

    ¡°Nat!¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    ¡°There are thirty of them now.¡±

    I answer even without looking at the monsters, ¡°Thirty-two. Just go all out, and if they get too close, I will kill them. Don¡¯t worry about their pathetic knock-off domain. Oh, and make sure you don¡¯t waste all of your mana. That would be disappointing.¡±

    Min-Jae mumbles something, and I sit on the ground to let my legs rest. Actually, my entire body hurts like hell because of the emblem. But so far, I refuse to look at my stats to check the improvement. Something tells me this kind of stuff works best over weeks and months, and seeing just two or three stats up will piss me off.

    Sitting down, I look at the boy in front of me.

    Min-Jae used to be much scrawnier, but he is now packing a bit more muscle. He still likes to rock that messy haircut and likes to wear nice clothes - as much as the situation offers - and even now, he sports an outfit he got from the 4th floor. Somehow it even survived the 5th floor, the tournament, and the 6th floor so far.

    His movements also feel a bit more dangerous? I don¡¯t know a better way to say it. I know he practices with the others and also physically like everyone else here. He is also using his [Telekinesis] and some trait to be able to move his body better, levitate, and stuff.

    Everyone here prefers to be at least a bit versatile, so basics of melee combat are a must, and some way to strengthen the body as well.

    His [Gravity Well] messes up with the orbs and the five chunks of metal. Dust and smaller stones around him float into the air under the effect of his concentration, and even his yellow left eye activates.

    All of the projectiles shoot ahead at a much higher speed than before, bulldozing through the monsters in front of him with ease. Plenty of them fall dead immediately.

    The projectiles move back, taking a few more, and then fly high into the air, where they continue to rain down.

    Watching this, I think single-use projectiles would be best for him. With thousands of them, he would be quite dangerous against bigger groups of certain enemies. Right now, he has to grab the orbs and pull them back, extracting them from the corpses of the monsters, from deep underground where they get stuck, and sometimes over quite big distances.

    Something like that must be much more mana-intensive than just shooting them and forgetting about them. But he has to recycle for now. I¡¯m also sure Tess already knows about that weakness, as she is similar, so they might come up with something interesting.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    As the monsters get closer, Min-Jae expands his [Gravity Well], and the monsters slow down. Smartly, he doesn¡¯t affect big areas with his skill, just smaller spots, enough to take the monster off balance, break its leg, or make it fall entirely. Just to get enough time to get his orbs or throw a chunk of stone at them.

    And the entire time, I have my [Mana Domain] to face the pressure from the monsters. At this number, the pressure is noticeable, but even their combined effort cannot push through my domain, strengthened by my Pride. Not even close to it.

    Know your place, trash.

    Satisfied, I observe my domain, and then Min-Jae, who plops onto the ground next to me, breathing heavily after dealing with all the monsters. I check his mana reserves, and there is still a decent amount remaining.

    ¡°Not bad,¡± I say.

    As always, when getting a compliment, he perks up and nods, straightening his posture.

    Damn, he is 16 years old already, so why is he so happy about simple compliments? People are weird.

    ¡°Your domain is amazing, Nat. I want my own in the future.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡± I sit up and look at him. ¡°Lately, I have been experimenting with it a lot. Really a lot. You remember that cowardly guy?¡±

    ¡°Uh? Do you... do you mean Savant?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so he had a domain with that weird poisoning,¡± I shoot off excitedly. ¡°I tried to duplicate it by just pumping more mana into my domain, but it isn¡¯t that easy. So I tried to compress my mana before feeding it into my domain, and it also didn¡¯t work that well. Sure, some weaker monsters here on the 6th floor die just from that, but that is quite useless against stronger ones. Using [Infusion] on my domain also works nicely. Kinetic energy to slow people in a bigger field, maybe Whitey was using something similar. Or I can fill it with thermal and cook anything inside of my domain, but that¡¯s quite wasteful when it comes to thermal energy, and I have better ways of killing with it. I also like using the domain on my body, you know, declaring my body my domain. In combination with using my pride effect on my domain, it works really well. It might be even better than my Mantle, even though it uses quite a bit of my mana. You know, making my body my domain - for some reason, it sounds super useful. I bet there will be some assholes trying to disrupt my mana, so this could give them quite a surprise, even if they are much stronger than me. I also found that after using Pride on the domain, its quality feels higher, almost as if the skill semi-evolved or became just a bit higher tier, and¡­ oh, give me a moment.¡±

    I stand up, and fifty or so venomclaws are heading this way. They are not that far from each other, their crappy domains combining and shooting toward us as they try to pressure us, poison us with that aura.

    This time I feel it a bit, and with a huff, I feed more mana to my skill until their attack just slides by.

    The area around us, outside of the perfect circle of my domain, starts to sizzle a bit, bits of the ground melting as greenish mana corrodes and poisons the place. I observe it just for a moment, and having nothing to learn, I create a single javelin, compress it, and shoot ahead where it stabs into the ground in the middle of the group.

    It contains a decent chunk of my mana, so as it explodes, I do a little test. Instead of a barrier, I use my domain to try to fight against the effect of the explosion.

    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 103]

    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 112]

    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 108]

    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 105]

    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 106]

    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 104]

    ¡­

    [Lvl 258 > Lvl 259]

    More mana!

    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 107]

    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 107]

    [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 101]

    ¡­

    My domain blocks the effects that are just raw mana, and it does so quite easily. It just doesn¡¯t allow itself to be overpowered by some remains of a random attack.

    The heat, shockwave, and pressure are another thing, and they pierce through. At the last moment, I create a dome-shaped barrier around us.

    As Min-Jae takes a step back, his own barrier surrounding him, I take a step closer to my barrier. Did he really think I would let it hit us? Maybe I waited ¡®till the last possible moment, but he is too much. Tsk.

    As for my barrier, it¡¯s pale blue, and ripples are sent through as the effects of my explosion crash against it.

    It cannot even be compared to my early barriers which used to be very rigid. This one is slightly flexible and absorbs some of the attack by allowing itself to be pushed at places. Ripples like stones thrown into calm water are sent through.

    It¡¯s pretty.

    When all of the monsters are dead, I notice more of them collecting much further and turn to Min-Jae, ¡°This time use just two orbs.¡±

    I think I will always love observing people trying to improve and overcome their weaknesses. I find that during such observations, I tend to come up with a lot of good ideas to apply to my own growth.

    So, I like to nudge others, just pointing out their weaknesses and throwing ideas at them. In reaction to that, they often come up with solutions I did not think of on my own.

    <hr>

    POV Beyond, 1st floor

    ¡°What do you think it is?¡± a short man with a shaved head squats and pokes a small black orb on the ground.

    The woman next to him shrugs her shoulders, ¡°I have a suspicion, but I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±

    Both of them are dressed similarly. Simple uniform-like clothes that are a combination of white and pale blue. It doesn¡¯t seem too formal, just like clothes members of the same group would wear to show their belonging.

    ¡°Is it a secret I can¡¯t be told?¡± the man asks and this time sends a bit of his mana toward the black orb. As he does so, the orb absorbs it even as he tries to stop it from happening. It does seem to fascinate him.

    ¡°More like I don¡¯t want to come to premature conclusions. Take it and hurry up. Whitey must be nearby.¡±

    ¡°I could probably take Whitey on. I have long since wanted to test myself against him,¡± the man grumbles but still takes the orb. For a while, he holds it, an expression of deep concentration on his face.

    ¡°Fuck, this thing is scary,¡± he curses in the end. ¡°Even with void energy and my defenses, I cannot fully stop it from taking my mana.¡±

    ¡°I see, in such a case we will skip the vice guild master and go straight to Nyssa. She will want to know. Can you hold on until then?¡±

    ¡°For a while, yes. I managed to slow it down, and it will take a while to empty my mana reserves, but I¡¯m not sure if we can get it through the arrays and you probably don''t want others to see it. Nyssa might have to come to us instead.¡±

    ¡°We will decide what to do closer to the safe zone, Whitey is coming closer already. Damn, if he wasn¡¯t a lurker, I would say he feels pissed off.¡±

    After that, they leave, both moving at incredible speed. The few lurkers that get in their way die nearly instantly under their attacks.

 Chapter 430 - Mana Desert

    Dealing with the venomclaws has gained me another level and a few for Min-Jae, who I had to carry back, thrown over my shoulder.

    Even though all of my stat investment is in the best stat, my body is quite powerful, so I barely feel his weight. I wonder how much I could bench or deadlift right now. Maybe I should test it one day just for fun. A ton? Half a ton? Probably more?

    During the tournament, I noticed a number of people from Hard difficulty having trouble getting used to their bodies. They kept hurting the much weaker residents of Easy Difficulty by mistake, for example, by nudging them with an elbow. There were quite a few broken limbs and the like. Some kept constantly destroying things like doors and cars, while some of the people from Easy had to get used to taking a beating.

    Most of the things we find on the floors are made from tougher materials, or there happened to be ways to make them stronger. Alloys, trees that tend to be tougher when they grow in a world where ambient mana exists.

    It could be said the worlds we visited probably went through hundreds of years of having mana, so it''s different.

    Meanwhile, Earth''s stuff is just weak.

    Another difference is control. I barely noticed anyone from Hell Difficulty having trouble. Maybe a bit here or there because of the surprising situation. Otherwise, people from Hell Difficulty tended to have much better control over their strength. They did not bend spoons like some of the other attendees did, and they didn¡¯t usually tend to hurt those weaker than themselves.

    It''s a difference in talent and maybe in us as well. It¡¯s probably just one more reason we ended where we did, our bodies and minds quickly adapting to our new abilities and increased stats. I can¡¯t help but find the idea fascinating and worthy of study.

    That''s why it''s fun when I lift Min-Jae and proceed to carry him like a little kitten. Some might say an Angry Kitten because of our group name...

    He finally regains consciousness when I throw him onto the couch, which is a stone slab with a few furs and pieces of cloth covering it.

    ¡°Fuck...¡± he mutters, his very first word after awakening.

    ¡°It was fine,¡± I deflect with a wave of my hand.

    ¡°Did you kill all of them after I passed out? There were thousands.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s such a dumb question. And no, I left a few alive to track with my anchors. I¡¯ll check on them later, just in case they have some hidey hole with more of them.¡±

    He slowly sits up, taking care with every movement, as if he were getting over a hangover. A common side effect of mana depletion and overuse.

    Before he can speak, I ask, ¡°Tell me, has Tess mentioned anything about a difficulty change to you?¡±

    He freezes at that but shakes his head, ¡°She just told me she was going to take a more active role in my training because she thinks she can get more out of me. But I heard about your deal with Dennis and Aaron. Would you really make them change difficulties?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°Just like that?¡±

    ¡°Would you prefer them dying here if we were to be separated again?¡± I ask curiously.

    ¡°What? No. Hell no! I like both of them. I just thought there would be a different way. You, Tess, and Lily are all very strong. We could¡­¡±

    ¡°Probably. Any of the three of us could help a few people survive but then would come the next floor, maybe the system will split us up again, just like it did this time. What do you think would happen to them if they were left here alone?¡±

    ¡°I know. I just don¡¯t like it.¡±

    I¡¯ve noticed the way some people, especially those from the lower difficulties, tend to romanticize the tutorial and the system. It''s not necessarily bad to have fun with it and everyone has to find their own way through it, but they still shouldn¡¯t underestimate the system and the sheer level of fuckery that can take place on any of the floors. And they should definitely throw out the rose tinted glasses.

    We still have several years left, so they¡¯ll see when the other tournaments come around.

    And it¡¯s on that note that I give Min-Jae my response, ¡°Then you need to get stronger so you can do whatever you want. This isn¡¯t Earth, you have the option.¡±

    Silence ensues for a while as I begin my training with the orbs according to my schedule, and he watches me.

    After half an hour, he asks the question I¡¯m sure he¡¯s been pondering for a while, ¡°Aren''t you worried about your sister?¡±

    It''s one of the dumbest things he¡¯s ever said, I¡¯d bet. Me? Worry about Vic? That¡¯s a joke.

    ¡°You saw her fighting Lily,¡± I tell him instead.

    ¡°I did, but anything can happen.¡±

    ¡°Yup, but it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    In my mind, I realize my trust in that fact has probably been highly influenced by the way I grew up, looking up to her for such a long time. It''s probably illogical and childish. Like Min-Jae said, anything can happen, even to the most powerful of people. Lissandra and Whitey come to mind as examples. They were both very powerful, and yet they both failed: Lissandra, by not becoming the Ruler, and Whitey, by dying on the 1st floor, even though he probably reached deeper parts of the Beyond dungeon.

    But Vic is different.

    ¡°You said you have siblings; what difficulty do you think they¡¯d get?¡± I ask.

    The boy hesitates for a moment, ¡°If you asked me before, I would have said Hard difficulty, but I don¡¯t know now. I would never have expected to end up in Hell.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Your parents would probably be disappointed in them if they failed to get into Hell difficulty and progress to Beyond. Just imagine if they wound up in Easy,¡± I prod.

    The joke doesn¡¯t seem to land though, and he just nods with a weak smile. The room becomes awkwardly quiet.

    Tess, help.

    <hr>

    The other day, I let Tess¡¯s lightning hit me. It''s not enough to cause any serious damage, it¡¯s just enough to make the experiment work. I feed the glove on my right hand with mana and let myself be led by the item as before in the fight against Whitey.

    Yup, it was definitely a fight.

    I fought. I didn¡¯t get steamrolled.

    The glove activates, and I return fire with a similar bolt of lightning.

    ¡°So what do you think?¡± I ask.

    ¡°It''s not Primordial lightning for sure. It''s weaker too; we still need to test it a few more times, just to see how much weaker it is. And though I feel like it¡¯s trying to mimic Primordial lightning it can¡¯t quite pull it off. Did it have the same problem with Isabella¡¯s flames?¡±

    ¡°No, it copied them just fine. They were weaker of course, but her flames aren¡¯t Primordial energy either. I just don''t think it can replicate Primordial energies and does the next closest thing instead.¡±

    ¡°That leads us back to the twin questions of what these primordial energies even are and how they happen to be different from similar abilities.¡±

    ¡°Please let me know when the system tells you.¡±

    ¡°Will do, Nat. So do you think you can make the counterattack stronger than the attack that you¡¯re trying to copy?¡±

    I check the description once again.

    Echo Gauntlet (Arcane, Damaged) - The Echo Gauntlet could once replicate any spell or ability it encountered, up to a certain level. Though its power has waned, it can still mimic nearby magical effects with unpredictable precision.

    ¡°I think in its current state it can at most equal the power I¡¯m trying to replicate, maybe not even that given the extent of the damage.¡±

    ¡°Any progress on fixing it?¡±

    ¡°No chance. I never worked with the materials involved. I think I can fix or reforge Flamebearer, and I suspect that given enough blood, Bloodthirst can fix itself. But that might require a lot. As for the ring, I don¡¯t think I can do it. I¡¯m not even interested in such cursed abilities.¡±

    ¡°And the golem heart?¡±

    ¡°That thing is weird. I had Sophie test it, and she does so much better with it. She already asked me if she could buy it on credit; she also liked the ring.¡±

    ¡°Imagine Sophie, with her [Manipulation], moving around invisible and attacking out of nowhere.¡±

    ¡°I fucking know, right?! Scary stuff.¡±

    ¡°Please, find some javelins next time you decide to risk your life, Nat.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to look for some. Any preferences for color?¡±

    ¡°Not really, but it should be conducive for lightning and something durable would be nice. Maybe something made from very pure endurium? If you can, try to find a set. Singles aren¡¯t it.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Pink. Low durability and lightning resistance.¡±

    I let the small lightning bolt she sends my way crash into my forearm and then replicate the ability using my glove.

    ¡°So what''s the plan for the current items?¡± she asks.

    "I¡¯ll keep Flamebearer and Bloodthirst to either fix or resmelt them into new items. I intend to sell the golem heart to Sophie or exchange it for her assistance in the future. I want to experiment with the glove for a bit before I decide. As for the ring, I¡¯m not sure yet. Either I sell it or pass it on to someone in our group in exchange for something.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a good plan, but Maya will be sad. She quite likes the claymore.¡±

    I shrug, ¡°I¡¯ve sparred with her. She¡¯s much more dangerous when she uses her mana weapons and alters their shapes converting them into a wide variety of weapons. Maybe there¡¯s some kind of conductive metal that she could use to allow for complex changes in shape. Or maybe she can get a skill to help her with that.¡±

    ¡°I agree with you on that one. Still, you can¡¯t blame the girl for liking nice weapons. If you¡¯re ever out on a treasure hunt again, please add some shape-changing weapons to your list along with a pair of javelins for me. Low arcane would be nice, but I won¡¯t complain about mid arcane.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± I let a bit of silence build up, Tess doesn¡¯t seem to mind, letting it slide for the moment.

    Out of everyone here, she still knows me the best.

    ¡°Are you worried about what¡¯s coming when we split into two groups?¡± She asks after a while.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I was worried. I just know that there are any number of things that could go wrong.¡±

    ¡°Mind explaining?¡±

    ¡°Usually, you¡¯re the one dealing with them, and sometimes it¡¯s Izzy acting like a knockoff psychiatrist. Dennis, Aaron, and Lily all clearly look up to me and they probably think of me as the leader of our group.¡±

    ¡°And you don¡¯t like that? You don''t like the responsibility. Preferring to act like an eminence in the shadows, right?¡±

    ¡°Totally.¡±

    ¡°I think you have a bad tendency to overthink some things, Nat. You always were a pessimist.¡±

    ¡°For a good reason.¡±

    ¡°Yes, for good reason,¡± Tess agrees. ¡°The idea of you spending the next few months as the leader of a small group sounds scary, to be honest.¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°But I think it¡¯ll work out just fine,¡± she says, smiling.

    ¡°Well, I still have two weeks before I need to worry about it. So what¡¯s the next plan?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving in three days and taking everything we can use with us, after getting all the information we can. As we move towards the central region, we intend to awaken a few powerful hibernating monsters for the purpose of gaining some experience, while doing most of our movement in the day to take out some of the weaker ones.¡±

    ¡°What about after that?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a place called The Last Rest, the last ¡®safe¡¯ place before we enter the Mana Desert.¡±

    ¡°Huh, what¡¯s with the name? Does that mean that there¡¯s a desert filled with ambient mana?¡±

    ¡°Quite the opposite. It''s a plain that stretches for days, where you can''t regenerate your mana due to some strange phenomenon caused by an unknown force. The most common theory is that there was a clash between Absolutes before this place was turned into a Prison, or an experiment went awry, or some powerful group was trying to escape this place when something went very wrong, and that¡¯s without mentioning the powerful monster that¡¯s supposedly keeping people away.¡±

    My imagination starts going wild right away.

    ¡°I knew it would catch your interest,¡± Tess smiles. ¡°So yes, fill your crown. We¡¯ve already started filling all the mana batteries we have so we can explore for a bit. A week from now, a caravan is supposed to pass through there, made up of people trying to reach the central region. So be on the lookout for a bunch of dangerous and treacherous people.¡±

 Chapter 431 - Deathtrap

    A week passes. A quite nice week full of training and ideas.

    We also got to fight a few monsters with levels over 300, often ending in a group effort.

    Of course, I took some of them on my own to not become too rusty, including an earthworm that kept burrowing underground.

    Letting it swallow me while in my mana armor and burning it from the inside proved to be a good strategy.

    I''m normal here.

    Or that huge bug with its extremely durable shell that I couldn''t pierce without using too much mana.

    Letting it swallow me while in my mana armor and burning it from the inside proved to be a good strategy.

    A great strategy even. Greatest strategy of all time.

    I''m normal here.

    Group 4 also got to show off against similar monsters, often trying new formations when attempting to fight strategically. Sometimes they just went after monsters 1v1, with someone else jumping in when it seemed dangerous.

    Putting people into life-and-death danger is something I think is a must, and Tess agrees.

    We could fight weaker monsters and level easily. We could do it in groups. But sooner or later, humans tend to become confident, used to it, forgetting where we are. Reminding them is a good thing.

    Even if you get hurt and bleed. Even if Lily has to literally put your guts back into your belly or regrow your limbs. Even if Izzy then nicely sits next to you and pats your back while you sit there in shock. Even if Biscuit lets you pet him to calm your shaking arm.

    Tess doesn¡¯t want anyone to die. She hates the thought of it the most out of the entire group. If someone said Group 4 is her group, I wouldn''t argue. Tess did more than anyone else to keep all these people together, and the strain it puts on her is something everyone can see.

    So how can you then go to her and complain? How can you sit down, cry, and refuse to fight when you see her doing the same things?

    Over and over again, Tess pushes herself to the limit. She bleeds, she suffers but she clenches her teeth and pushes through and grows, her talent tied together with strong determination.

    She expects a lot, but she offers more, and when she declares she is willing to die for this group, everyone trusts her.

    People like Tess will be worshipped on Earth. Millions will look up to her and others. I¡¯m sure of that.

    The tall blonde with a crown of lightning floating over her head, forcing her will onto the world. Discovering the road she wants to take and then having enough confidence to think it¡¯s the correct one.

    <hr>

    We stop at the palace called the Last Rest. It¡¯s an outpost without any walls, just a few dozen simple stone buildings made without a single brick. All the surfaces are smooth, the buildings likely made with a skill or with the help of a skill. That place is overseen by a man called Ottis.

    Ottis is someone from the central region who stays in the Last Rest to organize caravans heading there. It¡¯s something he takes very seriously.

    There is a rumor he tortured a few guides for over 10 years, keeping them alive just to cause them more pain until they went crazy. He did that because these guides led a caravan the wrong way, causing the death of all the people in it. All in order to get the items and other things from the bodies.

    Why Ottis did it is still a bit of a mystery. Like everyone else here, he is a criminal thrown onto this moon.

    That also makes an interesting point. Why are these people ending up here instead of being killed? There is no way this is simpler than a swift death.

    Rules? Traditions? Something we don¡¯t know yet? It¡¯s something I¡¯m sure we will discover later as we progress through this floor.

    Passing through the place, we aren¡¯t bothered too much, something I think is caused by the crowns over my head and Tess¡¯s. Some people notice them; the skills must be rare enough to not make us look like just some random guys.

    Of course, a few assholes try to put marks on us or do some other bullshit, but it¡¯s something either I or Sophie detect quickly, attacking back.

    Where I just reach that person and break a few bones, Sophie lashes back with something that feels like the result of our defenses instead of a mind attack. But she makes sure it is painful.

    It¡¯s fascinating to see so many people moving around, and plenty of them of different races. From some point of view, it reminds me of the Entrance Floor of Beyond. Just with weaker people.

    Hmm, maybe weaker wouldn¡¯t be the correct word. Some of these people probably have higher levels than plenty of people I met in Beyond. The difference is the quality.

    Even so, we don¡¯t meet anyone over 300; the highest levels feel around 280.

    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised with such a setup and system if there are more powerful people in the central region. Even so, most of them here are at around level 200. I think level 200 is somewhere around the average the attendee should be after reaching the 6th floor. Some a bit lower, some with a bit higher level.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    My level of 260 is a rarity, but it¡¯s something I can thank my skillset for. Large-scale powerful explosions. As my minion would say, Kaboom.

    There are advantages to it, as shown by my level, but disadvantages as well. I still do not have a single-target, very powerful attack. Lily and her [Disintegration] is something I can¡¯t compare to. I also think Tess, with her potent mana and primordial lightning, could cause more damage to a single target if she tried.

    It¡¯s fine by me. I can cause large-scale damage; I just need to compress it more. Even more than the tricolored orb, compressed thermal energy, or kinetic energy. I think it¡¯s difficult for Tess and Lily to ¡°uncompress¡± their single-target damage and turn it into large-scale.

    Future Nathaniel will appreciate all the work I put into all of that. Avoiding falling into the trap of quick returns and focusing on future growth instead. It got beaten into me by Lissandra as well, the reason why I decided to not use black mana as long as I can. All out of worry that if I did, I would only end up as a very powerful Champion or a weak Absolute, unable to go higher.

    I detect another touch in our group. This one feels more disgusting. An attempt to put marks that would mess with our mana, causing backlash or something more sinister.

    The target of that is Isabella, Biscuit, and the twins.

    (I got it,) I send to Sophie.

    Placing an anchor, I reach the man and woman on top of the roof of a smaller house near the street.

    I stop them from moving with [Redistribution] and constantly disrupt their mana, making them stay there, halfway to standing up as they felt my presence. They weren¡¯t even given enough time to react fully, resulting in strange, halfway expression on their faces.

    The reason why this is happening is quite simple. All these people are to join the caravan and are already attempting to weaken groups that will go there. It likely serves as improving the safety of their group, or more likely to make us weaker and hope we die so they can take our equipment.

    Even though there are guides who won¡¯t do that for fear of being tortured, there is nothing like that for people passing through. No one would complain if most of the groups die, just keeping enough to stave off the dangers of the Mana Desert is enough.

    ¡°I think it was quite a dick move to focus on our youngest,¡± I mention to the two unmoving people. ¡°Did she seem like an easy target? Did you think her dying would cause distress to some of us and make it easier for you? Maybe you liked the items you saw on us and didn¡¯t think much.¡±

    I take Bloodthirst off my back and stab it into the belly of the man who even now doesn¡¯t move.

    As always, the blade absorbs the blood of its target, none of it seeping from the wound.

    The woman¡¯s eyes tick from side to side, the only part of her body I¡¯m not blocking. They try to gesture something to me, they plead, they glance at the man and then away.

    ¡°You should have thought of that before touching them.¡±

    Pulling Bloodthirst from the now-dead man, I slash it towards the woman.

    <hr>

    Sophie and I monitor people around us and our group while Tess and Lily head toward the guides who organize the caravan. Other than little fights here and there and some backstabbing, there isn¡¯t much annoying stuff happening.

    All of it is overseen by the presence I can feel even now. Just like everyone else, as that presence lets itself be known. The Guardian of Last Rest, Ottis, does so, and to be honest, he feels strong. I mean really strong.

    My suspicion is he¡¯s over level 300, but not seeing him around, I can¡¯t confirm. That would mean he got his Primary class upgrade/change, and who knows what else.

    (I don¡¯t like it,) Sophie mentions, and even now she keeps strengthening the web around our group.

    Together with me and the twins, we make sure to keep up the link between our group members. There, I find out that if I were a bit better, I should be able to do very, very interesting things through that connection.

    For example, if set properly, I should be able to use [Tether] and teleport Group 4 around in a similar way Gareth did with his group. That and some more interesting things. But that¡¯s what I plan to work out when we split, so I push it to the back to not distract me.

    (Luck favors the brave or something like that?) I send to Sophie.

    (Or they are not asking for any payment for joining the caravan because we will go to the central region to become slaves or something worse. A few hundred dumb dickheads crawling over each other just to get there.)

    (For someone who already passed through the 1st Beyond trial, I would expect you to be more daring.)

    (I know, I know, just this smells so bad.)

    (Now you are making me feel d¨¦j¨¤ vu.) I shake my head. (Just continue with the plan and save your mana as much as you can. Your mindblender stuff will be good against people if they decide to do some crap. Even in Beyond, not many of them had good defenses against it.)

    I then listen as she talks about being worried about Isabella, as the true siscon she is. But I ignore it so far and continue to look towards where the Mana Desert is.

    A never-ending stretch of dunes. The sand is white and not orange, brown, or yellow.

    It isn¡¯t simple sand either. There isn¡¯t any other place like this on the moon from what we¡¯ve heard. Those dunes are made of something entirely different from simple sand.

    Ground bones of giant Champion or Absolute rank monsters. Remains of giant cities turned into tiny white particles. Mountains destroyed and turned into this after millennia. Something left behind by one of the Rulers. Remains of a powerful attack by the Absolute.

    No one knows.

    And there, a clear line between where the Mana Desert starts and where the Last Rest is. An impossibly straight line as if someone drew it in the air and made it be. Not a single speck of that white sand crosses beyond that line, and the grayish stone surface of the barren world contrasts with it.

    There¡¯s also a giant vehicle for lack of a better word. It¡¯s a combination of a giant ship and a train.

    It¡¯s entirely made of thick metal. There are scratches, there are holes, there is a lot of rust, and some parts are missing. The metal plates are interwoven with inscriptions, offering it more defenses.

    And it floats, currently just slightly in the air, all of it reminding me of the Skyhold Bastions from the 5th floor. Just more rough and insane-looking.

    I think it has some fancy name, but everyone here, even the guides, calls it simply Deathtrap.

    There is also a new side quest:

    Side quest: Reach the Central Region

    Reward:

    5000 shards

    Food and water supplies

    The system really wants us to go there.

 Chapter 432 - White dunes

    Deathtrap is old, rusty, smells, and lets out constant annoying noises, and I can feel the heat from it as we approach. Even so, I can''t take my eyes off it.

    It''s beautiful.

    A giant transportation vehicle floating just a bit in the air, with an intricate set of crystals at its bottom and rough inscriptions.

    Deathtrap is also tilted slightly to the side, and the damage is obvious. You can feel the history of that thing.

    The defenses it has are mainly the metal plates that frame it. A defense against monsters that live there, defenses against sand itself that is extremely sharp and pierces through the bodies of even high-level people and mana barriers.

    So the seemingly only somewhat safe way to cross the Mana Desert is in this beautiful rusty thing that seems like it''s about to fall apart.

    There are barely any windows, just thin visors on the sides, and then there is an upper deck with some railings. At the top of it, there are things needed to fly this thing, some weird pillar, and even more inscriptions protecting the deck. Otherwise, all of the living quarters are inside that iron thing.

    How crazy it is that I''m about to enter it and head to the godforsaken place where mana can''t regenerate. Moments like this always make me thankful for the abilities I got and awaken that sense like I''m heading on an adventure.

    It''s something I thought of more after I met with my assholish wannabe handler.

    I believe ''adventure'' is the correct word.

    So as we head onto the platform and then inside, I enjoy those feelings.

    A few hundred people head in as well, all moving in groups big and small. Unlike in Beyond, there aren''t that many races. Mostly human, the tiny ones with scaly legs, and the ones with bluish skin and four arms.

    We find ourselves a big room near the top of the Deathtrap. It requires just a bit of fighting against a few other groups that try to push us away. Neither side uses too much mana or damages the place, but the clash is short and violent.

    The insides of the transport are even hotter than the outside. Its thick metal walls absorb the heat and radiate it inside. It combines with a thick smell of something like hot oil, rust, and old house. That and a constant hum of what I guess are engines or devices keeping us afloat.

    There seem to be ways they tried to mitigate it: a cooling system, dampening, and some other stuff. But it''s all either damaged or pieces of it are gone.

    I let Isabella take care of the heat for now and observe as she absorbs that heat into her blue flame orb that floats near her.

    That part of her ability is similar to mine, just in her case she can do it with "natural" heat, and if she wants to do it with skills, it requires much more effort and mana than when I do it. But for natural sources, she might be even more mana-efficient than me.

    It might be her connection with Noodle causing it, her trait Burning Blood, maybe her skill is good at that? Maybe her other trait? Or maybe I''m only better at manipulating flames and heat that came into existence from mana, unlike her natural source?

    I could ask her, and I think she would tell me, but I find it interesting to think about it instead of having the answer handed to me.

    Tess and Lily come back to our "room," opening the rusty door and then closing it, letting Sophie reactivate the defenses we put there.

    The room is circular without any furniture, just our baggage thrown before the wall and some hides that used to sit on the floor. On the side of the room, there are metal plates, one of them with a three-finger-thick gap I use instead of my usual windows for a view.

    I sit in a simple chair made of mana. To amuse myself, I even made the design exactly like a monobloc plastic chair. The only difference is that mine is made of transparent pale blue mana. The amount I''m using is as little as possible to save it.

    Tess seems to be taken aback for a moment and keeps glancing between me and my monobloc mana chair. She then shakes her head and looks away.

    (We will head out soon, apparently. As they said before, there is no payment, and when I tried to dig in, it looks like it''s all organized by powerful groups from the central region. Ottis might be from one of them,) Tess says through our link.

    It''s the best way to avoid curious listeners.

    (I would ask why they do that, but they most likely wouldn''t tell you,) Sophie mentions.

    (No mention, but no matter what it is, it''s survivable. The system wouldn''t give us a quest just for us to die there. Plus, we are stronger than average Hell attendees, with a few of us in Beyond, so that''s something to consider.)

    (Maybe they will send us to the mines. Maybe they will use us for target practice. Or maybe they pick stronger people out of the ones coming for their groups,) Dennis tries to guess.

    (Maybe they are nice and will offer us a big house near the sea,) Aaron nods.

    (Food!)

    (And food, of course,) Aaron adds.

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    (Whatever it is, don''t forget that everyone we meet got thrown here for a reason. There are people who murdered entire cities of "civilians," there are ones who were experimenting on people, some traitors during their Pairing,) Tess interjects. (But a good part of them are ones who gained powers quickly and abused them, killing dozens of weaker humans in their wake.)

    It''s easy to imagine what Tess says. Just imagine a level 50 Hell difficulty person entering a city with normal civilians on Earth. If such a person decided to do so, the damage would be immense.

    (Are you sure they are all criminals? Not people the powers that be wanted to get rid of? A competition to some rich dude or someone pissing off a noble?) I ask.

    (We did check what we could with Izzy and Sophie, and it doesn''t seem to be the case. As far as we could find, from all the attempts to kill us, a brutal majority of the people are just that, criminals. There might be some system they have in place to not get innocent people inside. Sure, some people here could be tens or hundreds of years old and could change, regret their past actions. But none of us should hesitate when it comes to it.)

    (That much is obvious. I will go out to check out the place,) I say as I stand up.

    I do so slowly as my body hurts and burns because RTE is active. I continue using the emblem for training, even now that I can''t regenerate my mana. I simply draw the necessary mana from my crown, where a vast reserve is stored, and reduce the training time to an hour or two per day.

    Even I wouldn''t be so foolish as to spend all my mana on training while heading into this Mana Desert. Yup.

    Activating my emblem, I could swear I feel the inscriptions burning through my body like a red-hot wire.

    A truly evil thing.

    "I will join!" Lily jumps on her feet nimbly. "You walk like a grandpa, so you might need some healing."

    "Don''t you have anything else to do?" I answer out loud, "Maybe growing wings or bigger muscles."

    "The only thing she is growing bigger is her ass," Aaron shamelessly adds with a wide smirk.

    That seems to shock even his brother, but quickly Dennis starts laughing out loud. Gradually he laughs even louder and louder.

    So brave, yet so foolish.

    Min-Jae, smarter because of previous experience, laughs quietly and only after making sure Lily doesn''t see him.

    Lily, changing aggro to the twins, turns to them with a dark expression, and I use the opportunity to escape on my own.

    The hallway of Deathtrap is as hot as the rest of the rooms, and without Izzy here, I start absorbing some of that heat on my own to keep the air around me cool.

    I catch one interesting inscription and follow it along the wall where it coils over the doors into rooms where other passengers are.

    That inscription seems to be part of sets that spread power from the core through the Deathtrap and power the other inscriptions. So I examine it a bit more, I still have something to learn about moving mana for inscriptions in massive creations like that.

    At some point, I''m in front of one of the doors and then it opens energetically, nearly slamming against my head. I barely grab it with my hand.

    Annoyed because of the interruption, I kick it, adding kinetic energy into the mix and slamming it against whoever opened it.

    Someone screams in pain, and I hear a body crash against the wall inside of the room as I return to what I was doing.

    The door, held by my [Redistribution], tries to open, but I keep it at bay until I''m done and disrupt the mana that tries to perceive what''s happening.

    I let it feel a part of my mana pool that I release just for a moment, and all the attempts stop.

    Kudos to Lissandra. If it wasn''t for her, I would probably be using [Focus] and dealing with it more peacefully.

    Or maybe not. I was always a bit of an asshole. Just the right amount.

    Continuing my walk, I head upstairs, walking onto a set of rusty stairs made of metal that creak under me, bits of dust falling off.

    Even more than on the outside, there are holes all over the place, damages as well. The vibrations can be felt gradually increasing as the engines "heat up¡± and we are slowly lifting.

    By the time I reach the deck, we are floating higher in the air. Not too high, probably just a few stories high. Just the process of that is somewhat impressive, considering what we stand on.

    I really want to examine the core and power source, control room, and other interesting rooms of this place, but through sheer will, I hold myself back.

    Proud of my progress, I look around. Even though we are not that high in the air, the view is quite nice.

    On one side, rocky plains full of hills with the Last Rest nearby.

    On the other side, white sand dunes stretching on forever, the air shimmering over them because of the heat.

    I might risk a bit, but I need some samples of that sand, even though like 20 times the guides told us to never do that or we will all die.

    Lastly, I still feel that presence from the Last Rest. The man who makes sure things run smoothly and people reach the central region. I''m sure that man has sensed me examining him multiple times, yet he humors me, perhaps out of some sort of cold amusement.

    Maybe I should really send a few tricolored orbs through the anchor I left in the Last Rest.

    Reaching the railing, I rest against it and watch people moving all around. There are a few groups present at all times. A schedule was decided, and Group 4 is part of it as well.

    At all times, there are multiple groups defending the Deathtrap in case of an attack. To not use all the mana, a frequent change of guard is set.

    When we finally start moving, the inscriptions on the metal plates covering Deathtrap activate. A strange, very specialized field surrounds us. It just seems to be tailored for the Mana Desert and its white sand and useless for anything else.

    Then, the moment we pass that line separating the desert from the plains, my mana stops regenerating.

    It happens immediately as if someone turned off the switch. My heart keeps beating, and it even feels like nothing changed. The only difference is that the mana is gone.

    I examine it, trying to identify the part of the process where it gets cut off. The moment it leaves my heart? The moment it enters the rest of the body? Maybe it is still here but I can''t use it? Is something taking it away? Is it some kind of specialized disruption?

    I try and try, but I fail to locate the source. Even so, I delegate part of my mind through [Focus] to continue inspecting while I lean against the railing, studying the white dunes.

 Chapter 433 - Man overboard

    Everyone on the flying ship/train thing seems to have mana batteries on them. Some just have a few of lower quality, others have dozens of them woven into their clothes.

    Most of them don¡¯t like me looking at them, counting the mana stones, but mostly just a glance at my crown is enough to convince them to leave me alone. I don¡¯t think they know it¡¯s a [Mana Crown], but crowns seem to be rare enough for them to avoid messing with me. Especially now that they can¡¯t regenerate their mana the moment they spend it.

    I¡¯ve been saving my mana as well, even though I have plenty. My crown, my reservoir, and my body. I would be very surprised if there is anyone on the flying ship/train thing with more mana than me. Plus, after my training with Liss, I¡¯m constantly working to improve my efficiency. It still pisses me off that I haven¡¯t made any progress during these two weeks, so I¡¯ve been training constantly to make up for it.

    It is a shame how much rarer it¡¯s gotten for me to use all of my mana, but at the same time, it could be said that increased efficiency means more mana? And more mana is good. So I may as well start taking efficiency more seriously.

    Just a few hours ago, my efforts gained me a level of [Mana Manipulation], and the crown not long after.

    When I feel a presence moving closer to me, I let it approach, revealing itself to be a man around my age with a blank expression, long brown wavy hair, and blue eyes.

    He has two short swords strapped to his waist, and his movements are nimble and well practiced. In particular, the way he leads each step with the tips of his toes before resting on the entire foot.

    Unlike most of the others, he has a single mana battery of high quality. A big blue mana stone embedded in the middle of his black chainmail shirt. His movements displaying a complete disregard for the weight.

    ¡°[Mana Crown]?¡± he asks, coming to a rest against the railing, looking out over the Mana Desert we fly over.

    ¡°[Notyourfuckingproblem Crown],¡± I correct.

    ¡°I see,¡± he answers.

    Unwilling to leave first, especially since I got here first, I continue to look at the desert as well while continuing my attempts to trace the thing that dares to mess with my mana.

    So far, my Mantle construct doesn¡¯t seem to be affecting the process at all, and neither does using my [Mana Domain] and concentrating it in my body. The effect creating the Mana Desert is either that powerful or that tricky.

    ¡°If things go to shit, would your group be willing to work with mine? I¡¯ve already been going around to ask a few of the more powerful groups. There¡¯s already four others working with us, and yours would be fifth and last.¡±

    ¡°Because of my [Notyourfuckingproblem Crown]?¡±

    ¡°That and your friend¡¯s [Lightning Crown].¡±

    I examine him again. He seems like he¡¯s on the stronger side, taking the rest of the passengers into consideration.

    (Tess, some guy wants us to join their secret 5 group super secret alliance. To stick together if things go to shit,) I send through the link.

    (Is he strong?)

    I glance at the man again.

    [Dawnslayer - lvl 265]

    (I like his class name. It¡¯s Dawnslayer, and he is level 265, decent equipment as well. A few upper epic pieces.)

    (I think I saw him already. You can agree for now and tell him to meet me on the deck in around 30 minutes.)

    (Will do.)

    ¡°Sure, our group leader will be here in thirty minutes so you guys can talk. The blonde with the crown.¡±

    He looks at me, his blank expression unmoving, and tilts his head to the side a bit as if something surprised him.

    ¡°I will do that,¡± he says.

    After that, I let him be and leave. Once on the stairs, I slow down and reduce the effects of my Restrictive Training Emblem just a little bit and rest against the wall for a moment.

    Damn, that thing is evil.

    Still, I refuse to look at my stats for fear of disappointment, and after a while, I head back down and allow myself to lower my guard a bit as I enter our room.

    My monobloc mana chair¡­ no, my manabloc chair is still there, with Biscuit laying on it.

    (Food!)

    ¡°I didn¡¯t find any.¡±

    (Gone?)

    ¡°Something like that.¡±

    (Sustenance?)

    ¡°Probably a week.¡±

    The next message doesn¡¯t come, Biscuit looking too shocked to say anything. Reaching my manabloc chair, I lift him, sit down, and put him on my lap. As he turns around, I meet his eyes, and they are wide open.

    ¡°It will be fine,¡± I say, petting him and ruffling the top of his head, even giving him some scratches until he calms down slightly.

    ¡°You promised me, so don¡¯t eat people, okay?¡±

    (Food!) he complains, how could I even allow myself to entertain such a dumb idea.

    ¡°Just making sure,¡± I say, pulling him closer and leaning back.

    ¡°We should be able to talk out loud now. Sophie improved her web, and I don¡¯t think anyone will be able to listen in, but can you check just in case?¡± Tess asks me.

    I do that, and it seems like it should work the way she said. The web was made to detect eavesdropping and block the sound from passing through.

    After making a few quick changes here and there, I nod at Tess, and even she seems satisfied with that.

    ¡°Are you not ashamed, leaving all the annoying stuff to Tess all the time?¡± Maya turns to me.

    ¡°Would you like me to deal with these people instead?¡±

    That makes Maya pause, and after a moment of thinking, she seems to change her stance. Even so, to my satisfaction, she doesn¡¯t say anything, and on some level, she must know how I feel, and that seems to annoy her.

    ¡°Evil orb?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Evil orb,¡± Maya sighs.

    I create an orb I modified especially for her. The idea is to help her improve [Armament] with the goal of making her mana creations stronger.

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    I had plenty of fun working on it, and I believe this will help me with crafting and, surprisingly, to increase the efficiency with which I use my mana.

    ¡°You two as well,¡± I say, turning to the twins and sending one orb to each of them.

    Theirs are slightly different, more focused on pure [Mana Manipulation]. No changing frequencies, just an ever changing hunger for mana.

    They grab them already knowing the drill.

    ¡°Here Nat goes again, making us play with his balls,¡± Dennis sighs.

    ¡°Two of them even,¡± Aaron replies, nodding seriously.

    ¡°Sophie, do you remember when they said that¡­¡±

    ¡°I fucking remember that, Nat, you don¡¯t have to bring me into¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, they said a bit more, but I understand if you don¡¯t want to hear.¡±

    That makes Sophie pause, and she glances at the twins whose orbs shrink¡­ ehm¡­ disappear. Heh.

    Their expressions have gone a bit pale, and I sense them trying to open a private link to talk with me through [Connection], but I resist the effort.

    In the end, Sophie just shakes her head and turns to Tess, ¡°Want me to go with you to talk to the guy?¡±

    The blonde, already on her feet, nods, ¡°Why not. Nat, please don¡¯t bully the boys.¡±

    ¡°Want to hear what they said about you? It¡¯s¡­¡± I lift my hand and block the bolt of lightning she sends my way, and then another one.

    She adds a dozen more, each small as a pinkie, flying my way in quick succession, even forcing me to use kinetic energy to boost my movement. Even so, it¡¯s just playful prodding at this point. It¡¯s probably about as dangerous as a pistol round, but playful nonetheless.

    As Sophie and Tess head towards the door, Biscuit jumps from my lap and wobbles quickly after them.

    (Food!) he shouts as he joins the group.

    ¡°Please make sure he doesn¡¯t eat people. They¡¯re dirty,¡± I call to Tess.

    (Asshole!) Biscuit shouts, turning to me before following them out as they leave.

    The door closes, and the defenses reactivate, leaving me in the room with our two youngest and Maya.

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of young people in the tutorial, don¡¯t you think?¡± I ask Maya while creating orbs for her and the twins, the first ones I made having already disappeared.

    ¡°Young people are quicker to adapt, that could be the reason,¡± she shrugs furrowing her brow and focusing on her orb.

    Knowing how annoying it is when someone interrupts your training, I leave her be and turn to my experiments. My never-ending pursuit of mastering mana and as of late increased efficiency.

    Not needing to move or walk, I increase the setting on my Restrictive Training Emblem and feel my muscles burn. A constant painful reminder in the back of my mind. No pain, no gain, right? Some people would kill me knowing that I can train my muscles just by sitting, but sooner or later, I will need Lily and her modifications.

    I¡¯ve started to delve deeper into the circuits of the Restrictive Training Emblem, and the thing is more interesting than I thought. There are multiple parts to it. Some focus more on dexterity, others on strength, and some focus on constitution.

    Currently, if I¡¯m correct, it seems like the main objective is my strength, followed by dexterity and constitution.

    Following this path, history will repeat itself, my constitution rapidly growing less capable of handling my other stats. It¡¯s already gotten used to mana, and there are multiple ways I help it along, but strength and dexterity are different things.

    Body modification seems like the way to go. That and modifying the emblem a bit, but I¡¯m still a long way off from being able to do that.

    Part of me wonders if Sandra the Cockroach did this on purpose.

    Hah.

    Who am I kidding? Of course, she did.

    The emblem is exactly as evil as I thought.

    <hr>

    POV Dennis Dalton

    Nathaniel just sits there. Menacingly.

    For some reason, even that sitting seems to cause him trouble, and once in a while, tears appear on his skin, blood flowing through the cracks. At some point, one of his fingers twitches and then bends with an audible crack.

    That makes him open his eyes and glance at the wound for barely a second before closing them again.

    Whatever he¡¯s doing, I don¡¯t want it. I also don¡¯t want four of these orbs floating over my head like they do his. Just one of them is scary enough.

    Then a few hours later, he stands up, clearly moving with extreme difficulty. He calls it a Burden Enhancement Inscription and says it¡¯s for his kinetic energy training. Over and over again, he repeats a simple set of movements and mumbles things like, ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right,¡± ¡°She did it differently,¡± and then proceeds to curse someone called Sandra.

    (Who the fuck is Sandra?) I can hear Aaron.

    (I don¡¯t want to know. Do you think he will make us do that too?)

    (Most likely. You heard the way Kim spoke about Nat¡¯s training.)

    (Fuck.)

    (Yea, fuck...)

    A few hours later, our group is at the deck meeting up with a few of the other groups. According to the schedule, it¡¯s our shift on defense, but up until now, no one¡¯s bothered to attack the creepy ship we find ourselves on.

    Bored, suicidal, or straight-up dumb, two smaller groups, ten people combined, start trying to antagonize our group.

    At first, they, sure of their numbers, make fun of Nat, who falls down a few times as a result of the training he¡¯s doing even now. His expression is even more empty than usual as he focuses on his training, and he seems straight-up unaware or weak. Even so, he glances at the group, completely unbothered and choosing to return to his training instead.

    Kim is the first one to push for a fight with these people, to defend Nat, but he is stopped by Tess.

    Our Korean friend just doesn¡¯t seem to understand why Nat just lets it pass. He never does, but he should know by now. Izzy and Tess already told us, plenty of times. Nat tends to be laid back and patient, especially when harm is done to him. He seems to be more at ease when people treat him like that as if he were used to it. Of course, there is a line you pass, and when you do, you¡¯re done, but that line is usually very broad.

    That all changes very quickly when Nat stops being the target of these attacks.

    The group harassing us, made up of three different races, notices Kim itching for a fight. They start mocking him, even activating some of their skills and drawing weapons. Do we really seem like such easy targets, or is the system deliberately making the natives antagonize us for the sake of the tutorial?

    Tess sighs, knowing what is to come, and holds back, gesturing for us to do the same.

    Galvanized by our reaction, which they interpret as fear, they shove Nat away and start poking at Kim, who holds back, following his orders from Tess.

    Nat opens his eyes and watches, his gaze cold and deeply curious. Often so unfriendly, but with surprising moments of kindness.

    Unlike us, Nat has a lot of mana, so Tess lets him deal with it.

    A severed arm flies into the air, and the ex-owner looks down at his shoulder and then at Nat, who already stands at his side. Before the man can even scream, another punch sends him flying across the deck. Nat moves again, in a way that can only be called creepy - with rapid bursts of incredible speed, each one ending in a powerful, fluid attack.

    (W-wasn¡¯t he mostly a ranged, bombardment fighter?) Aaron shouts in my head.

    Nat moves from person to person, his movements unpredictable. Sometimes he stops mid-attack as if he¡¯s completely unbothered by the inertia of his movements, so even I can¡¯t predict where he will move.

    One after another, he beats the other group in a span of a few seconds, without using a single external skill. Just his body and who knows what else. Not a whiff of mana can be felt from him, and he acts with extreme efficiency.

    The guy we rarely see engaged in melees is now tearing through a group of 10 people with levels over 200 as if it were nothing.

    Finally, he grabs the man who appears to be the leader by the neck and throws him over the railing. The rest of the members scattered across the deck, bones broken, limbs missing, holes punched through their bodies, but still alive. Their only casualty, their leader crashing into the white sands below. No one calls for the ship to stop, no one tries to help him. And Nathaniel stands there, watching with the same curiosity as he watches events go by.

    The man starts screaming and running, trying to catch up to the ship. Bursts of mana erupt under his feet, as he tries to climb a set of his barriers.

    But it¡¯s all useless. Each step causes the white sand to fly into the air and pierce through the barriers with ease, and just as easily, it does the same to his legs. It peels away his skin like some kind of nightmare sandpaper, tearing away his flesh, and bones as he runs.

    Just a few moments later, the only thing left below his knees are scraps of flesh and bone as the man falls to the sand, his blood seeping out around him.

    We¡¯re a lot farther away now, and Nat moves to the back of the ship to watch longer, golden circles enclosing his pupils.

    The wind outside blows into the white sand which even now moves across the tall dunes, and its waves crash against the dying body. Each pass takes more and more of him until there is barely anything left, and then, even that disappears.

 Chapter 434 - Guides

    A day passes, and we¡¯re still flying. The rusty thing we are trapped in has not fallen.

    There were some incidents where guides had to rush towards somewhere in the center of the Deathtrap as we started losing altitude.

    It looks like it''s fixed now as we fly at the height from before.

    I wonder what would have happened if we had crashed. Just how long would the power source last maintaining the inscriptions on the metal plates and the field around the deck? How long would it take for the white sand to grind us to nothing without it?

    As pretty as the sand looks now, we also know how deadly it is.

    <hr>

    A day goes by, and as we make our way deeper into the Mana Desert, the attacks start.

    Huge swarms of insects. Scarab-like monsters, each one as big as a human head. There are dozens of them, each around level 150.

    As far as I notice, they never touch the ground, and their chitin armor seems to have no trouble handling the white sand for some reason.

    They attempt to land on the side of the Deathtrap and bite through the armor or otherwise damage it, but so far they¡¯ve failed to do so. All the groups currently on deck start a barrage of attacks, and they even call in a few support groups.

    Most of the scarab-like monsters die even before fully approaching us, their bodies ground to dust as they fall to the white sands after being hit by our attacks.

    But what''s surprising is that there are monsters down in the sand, their heads and tails poking out as they shoot projectiles laced with acid and poison, literally launching pieces of their bodies at us. For some reason, these monsters aren¡¯t affected by the white sand.

    The mood had been starting to get better but this has thoroughly soured it, and it shows in the eyes of everyone aboard.

    <hr>

    It''s our turn on the deck, along with a few of the other groups.

    I approach a tall man with four arms and bluish skin. His clothes have clearly been tailored for his anatomy, and each of his arms is covered in a dense set of white paintings, some of them having been traced out with mana-conductive paint.

    "I wanted to ask, what does your race call themselves?¡± I say as I approach.

    At first, he seemed to have his guard up, but hearing my question, he smiles, glancing towards his group, who chuckle as well.

    ¡°Crazed human, who walks like a drunk and throws people overboard, why should I answer?¡±

    I throw him a small pouch which he catches, glancing at me, as he uses his senses to examine it. Only then does he open the pouch to find the mana batteries inside.

    ¡°Crazed human, my race is called thylarin.¡±

    ¡°And the little ones with scaly legs?¡±

    ¡°They are called vyssari.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Anything else?¡±

    ¡°I will need more¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push it.¡±

    His eyes meet mine, and I can see him thinking about it. His group even moves to get ready behind his back. For a long moment, I return his gaze and wait. I don¡¯t even bother to move kinetic energy or mana, knowing I can activate it quickly enough to deal with them.

    ¡°I was joking, joking with you, human,¡± he smiles in the end, waving his four arms defensively. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you much about thylarin, as one of them, I won¡¯t share information that could give me a disadvantage. But I can say that vyssari are said to be a result of experimentation by a Ruler that has long since been forgotten and replaced. They have a talent for elemental magic and don¡¯t tend to be very smart if I have to say so myself.¡±

    To that, the group behind him, most of them thylarin, laugh. This group doesn¡¯t seem to be very smart either.

    ¡°Got it. One last thing.¡±

    ¡°What is it, crazed human?¡±

    ¡°A few hours ago, two of your group members left an item near our room. It was well hidden and contained a mix of sleeping and poisonous gas. I got curious so I tested it a bit. It hurt a lot, even for someone like me.¡±

    The mood immediately turns quiet, and silence encompasses the deck.

    ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t know, human. I¡­¡±

    After I lift my finger, he shuts his mouth, and I observe him.

    (Is he lying?) I ask through the link.

    (He is not.) Izzy confirms.

    ¡°I trust you,¡± I tell the thylarin man, ¡°but I also believe you can imagine how unhappy I am.¡±

    ¡°Yes, human, yes¡­ here, take your mana batteries back. It will never happen again, I swear.¡±

    I take the pouch and gesture, ¡°You can throw in that pouch on your waist as well. Not the one with stones, but the one with the mana-conductive paint and ground mana stones.¡±

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    ¡°Sure sure, here, take it all.¡± he babbles, hurrying to hand them over.

    I do just that and nod, ¡°Good. Now throw this and this thylarin overboard. They¡¯re the ones who planted the bomb.¡±

    The tall thylarin stares at me for a moment, and I gradually start releasing my mana. Bit by bit, I loosen my hold over my Mana Cycling, and it starts seeping out. It feels comfortable as my mana surrounds me, but I can see their reactions as I do.

    At first, he seems calm, but when I fail to stop and my mana continues to increase without any attempts on my part to hide it, his demeanor changes.

    He quickly shouts something, and the other members of his group jump on the two thylarin I pointed out.

    There is a little bit of fighting, and mana explodes into the air, but the two are quickly subdued by the others before they can cause any real damage or engage any of their more powerful attacks.

    Both of them are thrown overboard, and I watch as they land in the sand below, their bodies instantly pierced through by the white sand washing over them. Even falling from this height doesn¡¯t seem to have harmed them, but the sand did. They try to crawl on top of each other, even as their bodies get ground to dust by the sand caught in the wind.

    They seem to be more durable than the other man, given that they survive a bit longer, but they have no chance at all. Even as they struggle in vain to jump high into the air, their landings inevitably cause the sand to explode beneath them and cause more damage.

    And just like before, their bodies disintegrate into the dunes.

    <hr>

    As the time passes a small group ends up picking a fight with Maya, Izzy, and Sophie, who delved into another part of the Deathtrap, seeking out a place Izzy wanted to explore, having grown bored with shuttling herself between our room and the deck.

    The attacking group was dealt with in short order.

    Tensions are high and there¡¯s not much to be done, as Izzy confirms later. Our group isn¡¯t the only one getting into fights like this.

    The deeper into the Mana Desert we delve, the stronger the monsters are, and the less mana remains after their shifts at the deck for defense. Some groups try to refuse to take these shifts or choose not to fight and waste their mana, but they quickly find themselves threatened by the others.

    In these situations, the guides speak to the more powerful groups and make threats of their own, and the smaller groups are quickly dealt with and forced to cooperate.

    There is another smaller group who still refuses to cooperate no matter what, most of their members were unlucky and had to rebuff monster attacks twice in a row while they were on shifts. Their mana reserves have noticeably dwindled.

    The other groups can see that, and that group is bullied like sheep surrounded by wolves, cornered deep in the ship as their possessions are slowly taken away, knowing they cannot dare to waste mana.

    So that group refuses to go to the deck.

    They are thrown overboard, without mercy, down to a man.

    One of their members is capable of levitating and slowly flies after us, screaming in desperation as the rest of his group gets ground down by the white sand. Even as he flies, small particles of sand pierce his body. A single speck every few seconds, sometimes more.

    It takes minutes, but gradually he stops and falls into the sand, the damage accumulating until he can no longer maintain his flight. The grains having burrowed through his head, brain, and heart as if they were never there, and that damage accumulated.

    (What do you think?) I ask Sophie, who is standing next to me, watching this go down over the railing of the deck.

    (I think you may be right. It really felt just like you said. But I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s going to help. Even you wouldn¡¯t be so crazy.)

    (Anything can happen. Just think about it and tell the others.)

    (Other than you and me, there¡¯s no one even close to being able to do that. It would take them months, probably years to pull it off. Even you would probably fail.)

    I just shrug my shoulders, and as she leaves, I stay and stare deep into the never-ending desert. It¡¯s night again, the nebulas hanging in the sky as the cold air fights the heat rising from the white sands below.

    The monsters here in the desert attack both day and night, unlike the ones outside. And I can sense another group coming. They¡¯re stronger than the ones we encountered before.

    I give them one more look and leave the deck, letting the scheduled group deal with them.

    <hr>

    The hours stretch into another day. The monsters are getting closer and closer to level 200 and we even see a few stronger than that, and 4 more days remain. This time even our group got to fight during our time on deck.

    I make the others hang back and save their mana, as I take on the monsters with the other groups on deck. I even do well enough that no one dared to say a thing about the rest of group 4 hanging back to watch.

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 53 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 54]

    [Mana Crown - lvl 35 > Mana Crown - lvl 36]

    It¡¯s almost laughable how much mana there is still stored in my crown. Even with all this fighting, my training, and using it for the emblem, there is so much remaining.

    The monsters die, killed by mana arrows as long as my finger. Each of the arrows having been boosted by a bit of kinetic energy and infused with a little extra to increase the piercing and impact damage as it hits the monsters.

    <hr>

    A few hours later, one of the guides dies.

    There were 7 guides when we started, now we¡¯re down to 6. Each one is over level 200, wearing thick robes even in this heat, their faces covered by simple white masks.

    I watch with interest as panic ensues, as people push and shove to stand over the guide¡¯s corpse. There is no mana hanging around the body, there are no wounds. The only damage we find is his broken mask, revealing the face of a human with a terrified expression even in death. The corpse is unusually pale. Extremely pale, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just from the lack of sun.

    Izzy shares the emotions of the crowd with me, and I let them flow through.

    Fear, a hint of panic, distrust, anger, opportunity, hunger. It¡¯s overwhelming, so I cut it off, and so does the 11-year-old girl.

    There is no mana anywhere near the body that I could examine. No matter how much I try, I can¡¯t detect anything.

    I glance at the guides who are speaking to each other in frantic whispers. Three of them clustered together, examining the scene, while the remaining three focus on controlling the Deathtrap, and that seems to be the bare minimum. They cover most of their body, and I can¡¯t see their faces, so it¡¯s hard to guess what they¡¯re feeling, and Izzy says they¡¯re protected well enough that she can¡¯t either. But they still seem a bit panicked.

    There shouldn¡¯t be anyone on this ship willing to risk their own lives by killing them. It¡¯s strange.

    The proximity of that many people and all the shouting gets the better of me, and I use my anchor, reappearing in our room.

    I get back to my training and wait for the others to return, which happens a few minutes later.

    Tess confirms that I don¡¯t have to do anything at the moment, so I continue and let them talk it out.

    <hr>

    Some hours down the line, another guide dies, along with the group of three men assigned to his protection after the first guide died.

    We still have almost four days until we reach our destination.

 Chapter 435 - Fucked-up situation

    (We need at least three guides to stay afloat. With that number, they won¡¯t be able to change shifts or, for that matter, get much sleep or rest, but it¡¯s something they can manage,) Tess says.

    (Wouldn¡¯t one or two be enough?) Sophie asks.

    Tess shakes her head and continues to talk through the link, (I spoke with them and some of the others, and they said it¡¯s impossible to manage over any significant period of time. The protective enchantments seem to be special. They also refuse to let us help control the ship. I think they might have something like your [Geas] on them that won¡¯t allow them to share the knowledge involved. Some of the groups said they heard rumors of guides exploding when they tried.)

    (Aren¡¯t they getting a little too cocky? We can just have Nat take over the controls after they die. Vega said he and ¡°uncle¡± managed to pilot a Skyhold Bastion,) Lily joins in.

    (I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple,) Sophie disagrees. (The alloy that makes up the metal plates, the defensive field, and the inscriptions all seem to be something the people of the central region want to keep to themselves, even at the cost of all the lives aboard.)

    (Like Sophie said,) I confirm.

    So far, I haven¡¯t gotten anything from the metal plates I¡¯ve been examining, nor have I deciphered the field. Not even with my Irises and senses. Well, maybe "nothing" isn¡¯t the right word for it. "Nothing useful" would be more accurate.

    I can now guess how it all works and see parts of it, but whoever made all this is operating on a higher level than me. So there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.

    Tess stands up and gestures to Sophie and the twins, who rise as well, (For now, we¡¯ll set up a secondary web for the others to communicate, for everyone who will be protecting the guides. The guides refuse to join, and there is nothing we can do about that, but at least their bodyguards should. Nat has already placed anchors on some of the bodyguards so we can rush in if anything happens.)

    Group 4 looks up to Tess, who seems to have taken control of the situation. I take notice of the way some of them seem to be relieved at the thought of being told what to do and not being responsible for the result.

    (Starting now, we try to stay together as much as possible. If we ever split, then we limit ourselves to two groups, one with me and the other with Nat.)

    (Can¡¯t Sophie control the guides?) Maya asks.

    (I can¡¯t. I tried, but they are protected. I could probably break through, but I don¡¯t know how much damage it would cause. You know... they could go boom,) the mind manipulator shrugs.

    (The same goes for my anchors; I can¡¯t place any on the guides. Someone from the central region did some interesting stuff to them,) I note.

    (Food!)

    I shake my head, (I don¡¯t think so.)

    (What did he say?) Maya asks curiously.

    (He said someone is killing the guides because they¡¯ve been hoarding all the best food for themselves,) I explain.

    (Oh¡­)

    (Food! Food!)

    (I told you already, that¡¯s not it.)

    (Anyway,) Tess says, jumping back into the conversation, (we have a plan, so let¡¯s stick to it.)

    <hr>

    Another day passes, and everything goes well. There is no trouble, not a single attempt on the life of a guide. There are stronger monsters attacking, and I¡¯m forced to use a bit more mana to create bigger projectiles to take out the flying scarab-like monsters.

    I kill one of them and make sure that his corpse falls to the deck so I can examine it, and Sophie joins in as I start cutting it apart while using my eyes.

    The Dawnslayer stands nearby, his group having been scheduled alongside us.

    ¡°What?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯ve killed plenty, more than the other two groups combined, so you guys can pick up the slack for a moment while I examine it.¡±

    He doesn¡¯t voice any complaints and returns to his group instead.

    (What do you think?) I ask Sophie as we drop into a squat over the corpse of the scarab.

    She sighs, (I think you¡¯re right. It also explains why they use poison and physical attacks instead of skills and the like.)

    (Yes, and all the monsters who attacked us were the same.)

    (You¡¯re crazy if you try this.)

    (You could join me,) I note.

    She stares at me, blinking slowly, (Are you an exhibitionist?)

    (Huh, that¡¯s what¡¯s bothering you? What is there to be so shy about?)

    (Whatever, I knew you were crazy, but don¡¯t count me in. And focus on the guides.)

    (Wanna bet another one of them dies soon?)

    (Why do you sound so eerily happy about it?)

    (Things have been going way too smoothly, and the system is an asshole. This might even be another setup to weed out attendees. As for being happy, I don¡¯t know. I just know something will go wrong, so instead of being worried, I may as well enjoy the ride.)

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    (Someone could die. You, me, it could be anyone from our group if that happens.)

    (No one will. I¡¯m here.)

    (You and your hubristic pride. Hasn¡¯t anyone ever told you that pride goeth before the fall?)

    (Funny you say that. I have been told that my pride will make me stronger, but once I fail, it will destroy me. Even as far back as the 2nd floor, I was told, and I paraphrase here, that I will either go big or screw up so badly that gods will shit thunder and fart storms.)

    Now that I think about it, it was Ruby who told me that only for her master to repeat the sentiment a few weeks ago.

    Sophie pokes the scarab again, and I notice her smiling, (That sounds very much like something that would happen to you. Also, gods, any idea why natives on the 2nd floor had anything to say about gods?)

    (The 2nd floor was special, and the natives were more ¡°modified¡± than the ones we met on the other floors, I think. It¡¯s possible they replaced the word ¡°Rulers¡± with ¡°gods¡± for some reason. Or maybe most people even think of them as gods outside of the tutorial. Maybe the natives weren¡¯t as restricted as we thought, perhaps the 2nd floor was one of the oldest, maybe the Rulers were called gods back then.)

    (You¡¯re always thinking about this, aren¡¯t you?)

    I take a moment to think about it, and then I grab the scarab and throw it off the deck. Watching as the corpse falls down to the sand I turn back to Sophie, who is still seated on the ground. Around us, the monsters¡¯ attacks have begun to weaken.

    (There were times when I couldn¡¯t ask questions when I couldn¡¯t go where I wanted and do what I wanted. I couldn¡¯t be curious back then. Do you think I¡¯m compensating for it now?)

    (I don¡¯t know.)

    (I see. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore, it¡¯s all in the past.)

    <hr>

    As expected, a few hours later, another guide dies. We get no message through the secondary web the twins and Sophie set up. My anchors also disappear before the attack happens.

    The five people guarding the guide are dead as well. The same terrified expressions, pale skin, and not a single speck of mana on their bodies.

    Four guides remain, and we still have three days until we reach our destination.

    The panic among the other passengers is readily apparent at this point and this time we allocate 50 guards to each guide. This time our group goes on shift as well, and we ditch the secondary web.

    <hr>

    Every group is allowed a bit of rest once in a while from guarding the guides to sleep and eat. When we get back to our shift, we get to follow one of the guides as they control the ship. It¡¯s something I¡¯m excited for.

    But the mood in our room is different now than it was before, and now everyone sits in a manabloc chair of my creation. I even added a circular manabloc table seated in the middle of the room.

    Honestly, I kind of did it on purpose. Maybe this wasteful use of mana will calm the others, showing them my lack of fear and my confidence in our ability to get through this situation.

    Surprisingly, it doesn¡¯t seem to work all that well. I don¡¯t know why.

    Tess opens the conversation, (We have a few options. The most ruthless and simplest tactic would probably be to kill everyone aboard, given that the killer is almost certainly one of the passengers. It could also force their hand.)

    (Simplest¡­) Maya laughs wryly.

    (Yes. Nat, could you do it quickly, without damaging the ship?) Tess asks as multiple eyes turn to me.

    (I think so? If I got a bit of help from Sophie to mask my behavior and a bit of healing from Lily, I wouldn¡¯t even have to use much mana.)

    (That¡¯s not what I meant!) Maya slams her hand against the chair I made. (There are close to 300 passengers on the ship. You know I would do it too if I had to. But just going and slaughtering so many people, so many of them so much weaker than us, just feels wrong¡­ so wrong.)

    As she speaks her voice becomes weaker and weaker.

    (I know, Maya,) Tess says, smiling gently and taking a moment to squeeze Maya¡¯s hand. (But before we think of the others, we have to think of our group first. As this situation has shown, we aren¡¯t strong or skilled enough to do it the way we would like to.)

    (They are fakes,) Sophie adds.

    (I fucking know that,) Maya sighs, leaning back in her chair.

    Izzy glances rapidly between Maya, Sophie, and Tess, the stress clear on her face. And Noodle coils his way up to her face and rubs his head against her cheek in response.

    I let go of Biscuit, who proceeds to approach Izzy and nudge her shin until she lifts him into her lap.

    (What if, while we¡¯re looking for the murderer, it turns out to be one of the guides?) Min-Jae asks, finally joining in the conversation. (Some people here have nice items, so maybe a guide decided to risk it, kill the other guides. Have the ship fail while everyone dies. All you¡¯d have to do is survive somehow and run away with the items. Nat alone has plenty of good ones, they might decide it was worth the risk of punishment by that man from the Last Rest.)

    Huh, maybe Min-Jae does have a good head on his shoulders.

    He continues, (Or maybe a powerful monster managed to sneak onto the ship. I think either one would be more plausible than one of the passengers doing it. Though that still doesn¡¯t rule out one of the passengers.)

    Dennis looks at me, (Nat, you¡¯re the highest level out of all of us. Are there any passengers here stronger than you?)

    (Nope.)

    (So you can see everyone¡¯s levels?)

    (Nope, there are a few who show to me as two question marks.)

    Dennis looks at his brother, probably intending to exchange some rude message, but he doesn¡¯t go through with it in the end. He knows I would sense it.

    Amused, I answer, (There are a few that are more than 20 levels higher than me, so they show as question marks, but none of them are stronger than me.)

    (How do you¡­) Dennis pauses mid-sentence as Aaron shoves his rib with his elbow.

    (There are three. Two thylarin and one vyssari.) I see confusion in their expressions, and continue, (Thylarin are tall, and blue, with four arms. Vyssari are the shorties with elemental skills and scaly legs.)

    (Oh¡­)

    (The thylarin are a Manashroud Shaper and a Manabreaker. The vyssari is an Ashenfoot Shaman.)

    This information starts another round of conversation, and I watch with interest, as they theorize about what each class should be capable of, and what the potential is for said class to cause any degree of significant damage.

    Some shade gets thrown my way for not sharing this information sooner, a criticism for which I have no answer.

    The danger might be real, to me and to my group, but I already have my own ideas on how to deal with the current situation. I even have plans in place just in case all the guides die and we find ourselves having to control the ship. I know if I needed to I could do it. I could even power the ship on my own for a while with the amount of mana I have.

    It might not look like it, but I take the task of keeping the members of group 4 alive very seriously. I also know group 4 isn¡¯t going to be easy to kill. Split into two groups, there is no way for someone to kill them before I rush to their aid. They even have a good chance of taking out the killer before I can join them. If the enemy was truly all that powerful, there wouldn¡¯t have been any need to be so covert.

    So the question remains, do I enjoy the mystery and watch things unfold while trying to solve the problem on my own? Or do I just¡­ who am I kidding, of course I do.

    I enjoy this fucked-up situation way more than I should.

 Chapter 436 - Storm approaching

    I observe the guide¡¯s movements while he works. There are twenty of us inside the room and thirty more outside. The entirety of group 4 is also present, along with one of three passengers ranked at 2 question marks.

    [Ashenfoot Shaman - lvl ??]

    Today it¡¯s the vyssari, and like the rest of his brethren, he¡¯s a short scale legged humanoid. Otherwise, there doesn''t seem to be anything special about him. I could probably probe for more information, but he might take offense, or see it as a challenge almost like a slap to the face or drawing a weapon. But he isn''t all that important right now, so I let Sophie keep an eye on him and occasionally check in on him.

    I continue to work on moving my mana. Currently, I''m working on transferring all the mana from my reservoir into the crown, and when I¡¯m done with that, I¡¯ll do the same with my body¡¯s reserves.

    [Mana Crown - lvl 36 > Mana Crown - lvl 37]

    [Infusion - lvl 34 > Infusion - lvl 35]

    And on that note, I¡¯m working on a new kind of training, I got the idea a while back and I still don''t know much, so it''s slow going, but my intentions are clear in my mind.

    It will work, I''m sure.

    You could easily say that I shouldn¡¯t be wasting mana like that in this situation, or that I should keep my attention on the surroundings. I am though, part of my mind is constantly focused on checking the area. And as for the training¡­ it''s more of a variation on something I¡¯m already used to. Mana Cycling has started to feel like the kind of thing I can just keep running in the background, almost without thought. After all, I¡¯ve been doing it constantly for almost a year and nearly nonstop. Sooner or later my body will get used to it, and at that point, it should be as simple as breathing. At least that¡¯s what I¡¯m hoping. Who knows how mana affects our bodies? It could easily happen.

    Bringing myself back to reality, I take a moment to look over at the guide.

    This one wears the same thick robe as the others, with a deep cowl to cover his head, and a white mask covering his face. There are only 4 of them remaining now, so he seems fairly busy, moving from control panel to control panel while remaining in constant communication with the others.

    From what I''ve seen, he seems to be in the process of controlling the defensive plates and fields that surround the deck. Another one takes care of the movement, and the third one handles the distribution of power. And yet it seems like any of the three stations could be used to control any of these functions, and that even if the guide in front of me were to die right now, it would still take a few minutes before anything got out of control.

    Sophie seems to take some joy in our current application of mana, and out of our whole group, her skill at [Manipulation] is second only to me. I might even be able to convince her to put more stats into mana. I have a feeling that even some of the others are starting to open up to the idea after seeing my success.

    Surely.

    "You¡¯re watching me. Why?" says a voice next to me. Originating from a presence I felt approach before they ever made a sound. It¡¯s the vyssari with two question marks over his head, meaning he is between 281 - 299 in level. If he was over 300, he would have three question marks instead.

    "I''m bored," I answer.

    "Maybe I''m bored as well, maybe I¡¯ll be inspired to gouge out those eyes of yours."

    "Sure. Why don''t you try?"

    "Your [Mana Crown] doesn''t scare me."

    "It''s [Notyourfuckingproblem Crown], and how exactly did you recognize it? Aren''t they supposed to be rare?"

    "You have one of the 4 attribute crowns and know nothing about it?"

    "The people around me are jerks who like to withhold information," I shrug.

    "Human, I don''t know if I should laugh or go through with gouging your eyes out."

    "I will give you a pair of mana batteries and some upper rare items if you¡¯d be willing to answer a question or two."

    "Screw off."

    And on that note, my fact finding mission ends. The more time passes, the more I find myself appreciating Tess and the others for being so willing to deal with people and collect information. Some time ago, I even dared to be a bit disappointed that they didn''t find out much about the 6th floor when I was gone. But now?

    What legends. Absolute gigachads, or at least I think that''s how the twins would say it?

    Damn, if the twins and Min-Jae ever get to spend some time with Myrra, they will ruin her.

    <hr>

    A few hours later, our group ends up on the deck, having been sent to deal with the most recent swarm of monsters. And once again, it''s me sniping them down while the rest of group 4 acts like a horde of slackers.

    It¡¯s beginning to cause noticeable levels of discomfort in the groups tasked with defending alongside us. So far, they haven''t seen anyone from group 4 attack, just me. To their apparent surprise, I fail to show any sign of stopping, and my attacks are just as powerful as before and have in fact gotten stronger at a similar rate to the monsters.

    [You have defeated Glasswing Moth - lvl 235]

    These ones are quick and nimble but prefer to move alone, preferring to attack from below. The best way to deal with them seems to be creating a small orb infused with a bit of thermal energy and launching it at the wings.

    After crashing, with bits of mana from the orb still lingering on them, the white sand takes care of the rest.

    [You have defeated Dune Wasp - lvl 245]

    [You have defeated Dune Wasp - lvl 235]

    [You have defeated Dune Wasp - lvl 226]

    ¡­

    These ones are smaller and much quicker, but at the same time, they¡¯re much more vulnerable.

    For them, the best approach tends to be attaching an anchor to an orb and launching it into the group before releasing a burst resonating mana as the orb enters their range. A second burst of oscillating mana takes care of the rest, lacerating and lingering on the monsters as they fall to the sands below.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    The last type of monsters we encounter rarely show up and they tend to have extremely powerful bodies.

    They¡¯re the size of a small car, and have the capacity to cause a lot of damage. But thankfully they¡¯re slow compared to the others.

    It actually turns out to be pretty simple, and I keep learning new things about the white sand and the Mana Desert, so dealing with the monsters is barely an inconvenience for me.

    Of course, it''s not the kind of information I¡¯d freely share; though the rest of group 4 already knows since we confirmed it with Sophie.

    I''m almost sure the guides have to know as well. Though I don''t have proof just yet; it''s just the feel, and I would be very surprised if they didn''t.

    So my orb slams into the Boneclad Scarab and moves just the way I programmed it to. The dark blue orb collides with the beast as tendrils extend from the compact form, surrounding the scarab with threads of mana that quickly shrink around it, sealing its wings shut.

    It certainly has a pretty decent amount of mana in it, so of course it works exactly as I intended, and just like the monsters before, the scarab falls to its doom in the white sand. And just like all the times before, the white sand grinds the monster to nothing.

    [You have defeated Boneclad Scarab - lvl 291]

    Hunting them like this is boring.

    The monsters also seem to realize this weakness, at least the ones who seem to have been tracking us for the last few days have. Their heads poke from under the white sand as they launch compressed acid and poison at us.

    These attacks often hit the metal plating of the flying train/ship and sizzle on the surface, melting away a thin layer of the thick plate beneath.

    It''s definitely the kind of attack the Deathtrap has survived dozens of times over, and the inscriptions have been carved deep into the metal, alleviating any fear that they might be destroyed by mere surface damage.

    I enjoy sniping these monsters the most. I just shoot a few orbs in their direction and let the sand take care of the rest.

    Even so, there are so many more to take their place. It''s not something I got from my senses, as they are unreliable outside of the field of Deathtrap. No, I just need to look out over the desert, and I can see it for myself.

    The desert monsters really don''t like us.

    They don''t like our mana.

    <hr>

    Another day passes, and no guides die, surprisingly. Everything is going smoothly for once, and that makes the passengers even more pissed off.

    A constant stream of noise rises up from the engines. The ship has taken on a tilt and shudders through the air as it moves, its constant vibration rattling throughout. The heat persists inside the ship, even through the cold nights, as the metal plates release all the heat they¡¯ve collected during the day. I¡¯m starved for sleep, now that I¡¯m practically forced to guard our guides and the deck at all times, except for the odd moment here or there to rest and eat.

    (So, have you made any progress?) Sophie asks as we guard on top of the deck.

    (I don''t think I can do anything about our clothes and equipment. It''s much more difficult than working on my body.)

    (Do you think the white sand would be able to destroy damaged arcane items?)

    (Given enough mana, probably. What about you, any progress on replicating the Deathtrap¡äs inscriptions or the field around the deck?)

    (No progress, but I¡¯ve got some ideas. You?)

    (None, the material and the inscriptions must be working together in a way I just can''t replicate yet.)

    (Yet?)

    (Yes, yet. But I don''t think I will be able to do it in a few days. Given a few months though, probably, even without the alloy that makes up the plates.)

    ¡°Storm,¡± Tess says calmly out of nowhere.

    She doesn''t even bother using our link, speaking out loud while pointing in the relevant direction.

    I look and see nothing, no matter how I strain my eyes, and it''s way too far to feel anything with my senses. But it''s no surprise Tess might see something with her [Farsight].

    ¡°Are you sure? Really sure?¡± asks the man in the bejeweled black chainmail from before. The one with whom we made our unreliable 5 way pact.

    ¡°Absolutely sure,¡± Tess answers.

    ¡°If it''s a white dust storm, we might be royally fucked. Will you come with me? We need to talk to the guides in case they haven¡¯t noticed.¡± Despite his cursing, he manages to speak with a calm expression.

    ¡°Sure. Nat, will you be ok staying here with Kim?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. Let''s go.¡± She takes the lead and followed by the rest of group 4 and a few of the other members of the man¡äs group, they head down the ship.

    ¡°Min-Jae, can you keep talking with the twins, Constantly? And let me know immediately if it cuts off?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    This time no attacks seem imminent, but a large number of monsters are assembling rather close to the ship. As if greater numbers would change anything. Min-Jae even seems to enjoy sniping them, and he¡¯s actually doing a good job - using tiny orbs that drain as little mana as possible.

    For now, I clear my mind and prepare to use my skills. A few slow breaths in and out to calm my heart, as I wait for the inevitable fuck-up.

    ¡°Nat!¡± Min-Jae barely finishes saying my name, and I move.

    I try to teleport to the anchor I left on Izzy, but it''s gone. Immediately I switch the target, trying to pull myself to the anchor closest to where they should be.

    Mid teleport something feels wrong, very wrong. The space around me twists in a way that it shouldn''t, and I find myself unable to do anything about it as I spin and the unstable attempt at teleportation damages my body. When it finally stops, I find myself outside of the ship. My feet touching the white sand.

    [Focus - lvl 51 > Focus - lvl 52]

    The world around me loses most of its color, and everything goes quiet as a range of scenarios filter their way through my mind in a fraction of a second.

    Even that seems to be too much, and because of the amount of mana in my body, the white sand grinds at me, piercing my body.

    It gets pulled towards me.

    There is no resistance from my body at all as my feet grind to nothing and the floating grains pierce through my chest, neck, and hands, drilling holes as fine as sand through every part of me.

    I use my anchor again, sharpening my focus. I bend it to my will, despite the resistance. I grab the remains of it and force it back together and teleport away from the sand at the cost of even more wounds.

    Then I take damage from the teleport. My body twists and cracks, there are tears. I feel like I''m about to fall apart under the pressure I strain to endure. Even so, I refuse to use the black mana.

    I do not fail, and I teleport through the ring of skill notifications as they ping in the back of my mind.

    Back on the ship, I reform my missing feet with mana prostheses, disregarding the rest of the damage.

    I feel a smile crawl onto my face as I once again use my anchor, the same one that sent me into the white dunes.

    Despite the damage to my body and the pain ringing through my head, I refuse to fail, breaking through successfully even as interference tries to shunt me from the ship.

    Appearing on the other side, I boost my body with kinetic energy and move quickly through the hallways and rooms until I reach the others.

    The barrier tries to stop me from getting in, and someone launches a mental attack on me.

    Activating my eyes and checking the barrier''s fluctuations, I resonate mana across my skin, pass through the barrier, and shake off the mental attack.

    In the same control room as before, two guides stand along with a powerful monster with three question marks over its head. A few groups are with them, led by the two thylarin with two question marks over their heads.

    All of these stand arrayed against group 4, who are fighting back, corpses piling up at their feet.

    Good, I like mysteries, but I much prefer it when things are simple like that.

 Chapter 437 - On the sand

    A burst of mana surges from me and crashes into the barrier. For a moment, they collide like a tidal wave crashing into a jetty. My mana constantly shifts frequency, and in the end, it overwhelms the barrier.

    The barrier bursts like a bubble, and tiny particles of blue mana fall from the air around us.

    Sensing the broken barrier, the fight stops for a brief moment, and all eyes turn to me.

    Blood drips from my body due to the wounds and damage caused by the interrupted teleportation and white sand, while golden flames flicker around, fueling my passive and healing me.

    Even the monster, from which I can''t sense any mana at all, stops, its piercing eyes turning away from Maya to me. Some sort of mental attack crashes against me but with a burst of mana, I shake it off.

    [Sandwraith Marauder - lvl ???]

    The monster even seems as if it repels mana. Not with the help of a skill or trait, but just because of the composition of its body.

    The Marauder is humanoid and very thin, white plates cover its body like armor covered in spikes. It¡¯s currently facing Maya, while the twins provide support nearby. Sophie is helping them too and I can sense the way she¡¯s defending the group against some weird attack. Tess is fighting against two thylarin with two question marks, and Lily faces the rest of the people with the help of the rest of Group 4.

    ¡°You should be dead,¡± one of the thylarin calls with surprise.

    "We made sure of that," the other one adds.

    ¡°If you think you can help the remaining two guides control the ship, deal with these two guides, maybe leave one for Sophie. We will take care of the rest,¡± Tess says calmly, interrupting them. Then rather than using her javelins, she surrounds her body with red and white lightning.

    She crashes into the thylarin, and the fight starts anew.

    I dodge a rapid stream of attacks thrown my way and blow the head off one of the random guys trying to block my path. The monster tries to charge me, but Maya grabs its arm and pulls it back, followed by the use of [Boost] to strengthen her armor against the monster¡¯s coming attack.

    The monster tries to use its strange mental attack again, but Sophie counters it, protecting the group.

    Blue flames burn through the terrain, scorching our enemies around us while group 4 remains untouched by the heat.

    It looks enjoyable, and I want to join the fight, but it seems like Tess did something to force these people out. Would it really be fair for me to interrupt their fun just like that? I know how annoying it is when someone does that to me.

    Well, just for once, I''ll let them be.

    My mana activates around me and deflects multiple attacks heading my way, some of them really nasty. A burst of flames infused with disrupting mana burns through the body barrier of the nearest melee chump, and I boost my body toward the guides.

    Seeing that I ignore the monster and am about to reach them, the two guides quickly reconsider the situation and disappear, their figures passing through the wall as if it wasn¡¯t there.

    The remaining people panic, and the two thylarin with question marks over their heads start searching for an escape route. The monster, on the other hand, now free of the guides'' control, either as a direct result of Sophie¡¯s actions or because the guides decided to let it go when they escaped, begins attacking anyone in its path.

    I let the others deal with it and send my senses through the ship like a wave, before placing a few anchors and teleporting until I catch up to the guides.

    The defenses of the ship, which seem to have dissipated for the most part, still seem to work in the place I find myself, and a rough set of vibrations starts shaking their way through my wounded body as if they were trying to tear me apart.

    I strengthen my body and shake off the strangely awkward attempts at disruption thrown my way. And it¡¯s then, after teleporting one last time, that I reach them.

    The guide, sensing my anchor behind him, waits for me to appear and tries to stab me, but I just move to the side with a short burst of kinetic energy.

    Swinging my arm, coated in oscillating mana, I pierce through his defenses, and his head flies away from his body, and a notification rings.

    The second guide tries to pass through the wall again, but I disrupt his mana, and instead of passing through, he crashes into it.

    ¡°No, no, no, listen, if you kill me here¡­¡± I burrow my knee into his nether region and then smash the side of his head.

    Then I do it again, put some mana threads around him, and kick his crotch once again.

    Sending his location to Sophie, I then cut off his legs just in case and burn the wound closed so he doesn''t bleed out.

    At that moment, the Deathtrap shakes, and I can feel it start to drop out of the sky. An explosion sounds somewhere nearby, and a burst of powerful mana washes over the ship. An immense amount is released at once, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the ship from what I can sense.

    Teleporting a few more times, I reach the location of the tear, before quickly being joined by the two remaining guides as they pass through the wall. Each of us stopping to stare at the giant hole in the wall of the ship, and the Mana Desert looming outside. There are tiny particles of white sand already crashing into the field covering the hole, the same as on the deck.

    The guides are still wearing their signature white masks, so I can¡¯t see their expressions, but I would say they seem scared.

    ¡°Backup source won''t be able to handle it for longer than a few hours¡­¡±

    ¡°...wall, we need to move the plates to defend it¡­¡±

    ¡°...Just two of us¡­¡±

    ¡°Should we run? But how?¡±

    ¡°...don¡¯t know what happened.¡±

    There is a conversation going on quickly between them, their movements taking on an increasing sense of panic.

    ¡°The two guides I just took care of were the ones killing the other guides. They even brought a monster onto the ship and were cooperating with some of the passengers. Why?¡±

    That makes them stop, and they turn to me.

    ¡°What makes you think I would know?! He and I are the rookies! The two you just killed were among the longest-serving guides around so why the fuck would they care one whit about us!.. But if you stop interrupting us, we will decide what to do to keep us all alive. We need to¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help, just tell me where the backup core is and I will give it some mana,¡± I say gesturing at my crown.

    ¡°[Mana Crown]?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°Do you even realize how much mana you would need to¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my problem. Plus, we saw a storm heading this way; it¡¯s still far away in this direction,¡± I say, pointing in the direction of the threat.

    That seems to scare them even more than the broken core.

    ¡°Take him to the backup core; I will check the sensors to confirm.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to need to change direction as quickly as possible. If it¡¯s the big one, it will¡­¡±

    ¡°I fucking know! Now go.¡± With that, the guide enters the wall and disappears.

    This time I observe the process, and it seems like he is using some minuscule inscriptions left on the metal of the wall, in concert with a skill or item to do it.

    I gesture to the second guide to wait a moment and teleport, going through the pockets of the guides I neutralized to take a few items and mana stones. Though I don¡¯t find anything too interesting. That done, I follow the man to a well isolated and thoroughly hidden room. Given a bit of effort, I¡¯m sure would probably have found it myself.

    ¡°You can go,¡± I say, gesturing dismissively, and he leaves without comment.

    I enter and find a small room with a single pillar in the corner and a control panel directly attached to the crystal.

    And yet, despite the amazing design of the ship, the equipment looks old, damaged, and somehow even the goddamned crystal manages to look rusty.

    And to top it all off it only seems to be 20% full, and it¡¯s depleting rapidly.

    I spend a few minutes figuring out the rate of depletion, and when the ship starts shaking and lifting itself higher into the air, that rate increases. And then it speeds up even more as I sense the field around the ship change.

    There is a control system to join in, and it only takes me a few minutes to realize that the hole in the side of the ship is eating through a lot of mana to block out the white sand. Without those metal plates, it¡¯s going to be much hungrier than usual.

    I think we still have somewhere around 2 days before we reach the central region. At this point, it¡¯s a very rough estimate. Who knows what they did to sabotage us.

    The crystal seems to be able to last for a day at most, probably even less.

    Well, time to get to it.

    I activate my skills and traits and start modifying the crystal.

    <hr>

    Lily and Biscuit find me ten minutes later.

    I get healed against my will and almost fall as my mana feet get replaced by new ones. As the wounds close, only then do I realize how much damage I actually took and register the presence of a small pool of blood at my feet.

    ¡°So?¡± I ask to take my mind away from it.

    ¡°A few got hurt, but nothing I couldn¡¯t fix,¡± Lily says. ¡°We killed the monster, but it deleted the web, so Sophie is rebuilding it and needs a meeting with you to add you in. I already let them know you are fine.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    ¡°A few more groups joined the attack, and we had to kill them, but it was doable. Tess also caught two of the 4-armed men. Sophie is trying to get into their minds, but it¡¯s difficult. She¡¯s just learned that there seems to be something very special in the direction we were heading.¡±

    (Food!)

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not it, Biscuit. Lily, the guide is on his way, so don¡¯t be surprised, and don¡¯t kill him.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±

    And right at that moment, the guide appears with a lovely new message, ¡°We are fucked.¡±

    Just like me, he quickly checks the remaining mana reserves, and his shoulders immediately drop, as if all the hope were leaving his body.

    ¡°Mind explaining?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re way off course; they must have messed with the navigation. It¡¯s going to take at least a week to reach the central region. But that doesn¡¯t matter because we can¡¯t change our direction - they¡¯ve locked it. The storm is one of the biggest I¡¯ve ever seen, and we¡¯re heading straight into it. We have enough mana for one more day, but not enough to outlast that.¡±

    He crumples to the ground, sliding down the wall, and finally removes his mask, throwing it away and revealing the unshaven, tired face of an otherwise normal-looking man.

    Looking at my preparations and the designs I¡¯ve painted on the pillar in mana conductive paint and the inscriptions I¡¯ve scratched on the surface, he sighs, ¡°It could work, but even if you do have enough mana, we are screwed.¡±

    ¡°Can you pass it along to the others? Sophie might be able to get some information.¡±

    Lily nods energetically, ¡°I¡¯m doing it already.¡±

    ¡°How long until the storm hits?¡± I ask, turning to the guide.

    ¡°Two to six hours; it¡¯s hard to estimate, with how unpredictable they tend to be.¡±

    ¡°Is it so dangerous because it has the potential to overwhelm the field and defenses in metal plates?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes, plus the wind there is very powerful, it will¡­¡±

    ¡°Nat, the two blue men escaped. They... they are out in the desert?!¡± Lily has her eyes wide open as she processes the information she¡¯s getting over the new link.

    ¡°Deck?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she nods, and I put my hand on her shoulder and Biscuit, teleporting us to the top.

    This time there are no interruptions to my teleport, and here I find the rest of group 4. All of them are glaring down at the two thylarin walking through the white sand.

    There is no damage caused to their bodies.

    ¡°They had some kind of weird teleportation skill that let them get to the deck before they jumped down,¡± Sophie notes.

    ¡°Why are you not killing them?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°We need them,¡± Tess answers for her. ¡°The guide you kept, Sophie couldn¡¯t get any info out of him. Even as she pierced through his defenses, something the people from the central region put on him killed him.¡±

    ¡°So, you want me to get them? That¡¯s so cruel of you; I might die, you know?¡± I say as I observe the fleeing thylarin.

    They aren¡¯t using any skills or mana, and just with the power of their bodies, they¡¯re trying to run away. Right towards the storm, in the same direction as the ship.

    It would be very simple to kill them, and they seem to realize it, but just that small chance of escape is probably better than if they had stayed on the ship.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m asking you to do. Can you get them?¡± Tess says without hesitation.

    ¡°Yeah, I can get them,¡± I say, nodding as I do.

    Then I hand Maya all my weapons and equipment, which she accepts with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

    After that, I unbutton my shirt and pull it over my head before handing it to her.

    ¡°Yooo,¡± Maya mumbles, and the other members mutter their reactions.

    Some shamelessly stare; some seem to be a bit embarrassed.

    I¡¯ve been getting ready for this for the past few days. My constructs, my unique passive, and all my other passives have been turned off for a while. All of my mana is also stored in the crown.

    Currently, there is almost no mana in my body at all. I went through a lot of effort, going through multiple rounds of testing, and checks with Sophie just to be sure of it.

    The only things inside my body are thermal and kinetic energy along with whatever tiny bits of mana I couldn¡¯t get rid of.

    Then I get to my pants, pull them down, and take a quick glance at Group 4, before turning around to remove my underwear and the rest of my clothes.

    The only problem is my clothes and gear. I just found myself unable to get rid of all the mana clinging to them. There was always some remaining. And just that little bit would have been enough to doom me. As I¡¯ve learned, the white sand only really becomes dangerous when it absorbs or detects mana or whatever it does. Then it grinds you into nothing, no matter your defenses.

    That¡¯s why the monsters in this desert have no mana at all. That¡¯s why splashing a monster with even the slightest bit of mana lets the white sand finish it off.

    ¡°What do you think, Sophie?¡± I ask her without turning back to group 4. My back is still facing them.

    ¡°WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT DO I THINK!? WHAT DO I THINK OF WHAT!?¡­ oh¡­ your mana.¡± She says, suddenly quiet. ¡°I can¡¯t feel any mana from you, none at all, just what¡¯s in the crown.¡±

    Even though my natural barrier is weaker from the lack of mana, it still seems to be working. One more thing to look into in the future. Still, I had to lower it so Sophie could scan me.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    After that, I give the last order to the crown to float there. It consumes quite a bit of mana as it goes against its usual behavior, but it needs to be done.

    I expunge mana from my body one more time and then jump over the railing. Right into the white sand below the ship.

 Chapter 438 - SDAT

    POV Kim Min-Jae

    ¡°That idiot! We still need more testing!¡± Sophie shouts, and together we rush to the railing to watch what happens next.

    I''ve seen it before, the other passengers ground to nothing by the same white sand. I still remember the screams and the image of their flesh being torn apart. But that doesn¡¯t happen to Nat.

    Before hitting the sand, he slows down and gently lands on it. He then stands there, butt naked, and watches as the wind blows a large cloud of white sand towards him, washing over the surface of the dunes like waves.

    I could swear I saw him smile for a moment there.

    Lily screams and covers her eyes as the sand smashes against Nat¡¯s body, and I just can¡¯t look away even though he could be dead the next second. A part of me can¡¯t even imagine him dying. Not him. Not like this.

    And just like that, he still stands there when the wave of sand is gone. There are wounds on his body, blood flowing down his skin. More than a failure, they seem like a small mistake and lack of efficiency in his efforts.

    Nat spits bits of sand from his mouth and then charges towards the two blue figures. He moves in that weird twitchy movement of his and uses boosts of kinetic energy to get him over larger distances, quickly catching up to the two thylarin.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Nat cares about your testing,¡± I note.

    ¡°You might not realize it, Kim, but a single fucking mistake would have killed him there. If his body contained even the smallest whiff of the mana you spend to keep one of your orbs floating in the air, that sand would have killed him.¡±

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t fail like that,¡± I shake my head. I just can¡¯t imagine it.

    ¡°But why¡¯d he ditch his clothes?¡± Aaron asks.

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t come up with a way to reliably expunge mana from external materials. It''s easier to rely on your own body.¡±

    ¡°Is it just me, or does Nat have a nice ass?¡± Maya interrupts her words causing people to stare, and Tess giggles, breaking her stern mask.

    ¡°I can¡¯t judge that as a man, but Lily might be able to answer,¡± Dennis blurts, ever eager to seize the opportunity. "She might send Izzy for the smartphone so she can snag a few pics."

    ¡°Shhh, she¡¯s too busy staring,¡± Aaron adds.

    ¡°I¡¯m not! I... just shut up, both of you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Lily! I even saw Sophie and Tess sneaking a peek.¡± Maya chuckles, throwing her arm around the petite girl''s shoulders.

    Sometimes Maya manages to read the mood just well enough to lighten the tension, and I¡¯m not even sure if she¡¯s doing it on purpose or if that¡¯s just how she is.

    Everyone¡¯s anxious. Even I can see that. Just a single mistake will mean Nat¡¯s death. But at this point, it almost feels like it¡¯s the only way we can expect him to behave.

    That worries me a bit.

    What would happen if Nat fails to live up to our high expectations? What would I do if the man I admire most fails and breaks?

    I then watch as Nat reaches the two four armed thylarin. They seem to be as shocked by his apparent nudity as the fact that he followed them and survived.

    Nat moves in a short burst of immense speed, white sand exploding under his feet, and the three of them rapidly settle into a melee combat.

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    I expected it to be an easy fight, but they turned out to be stronger than I expected. The two of them work well together, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to do so without a lot of experience.

    So why the hell are you so good at melee combat? You can teleport, mess with my anchors, and have decent control over your mana, so don¡¯t go learning melee tactics like some brute. Not to mention that the extra arms might just be slightly unfair.

    I dodge another punch and boost my body to the side. I can¡¯t even absorb anymore right now, that would require mana. And it''s a good thing I turned off my unique passive too. With the way I¡¯m getting pummeled right now, it would generate enough mana that the sand would kill all three of us.

    Even so, I don¡¯t need any of this. I¡¯m already getting used to the way they fight.

    One of them is more defense oriented, using his upper arms to defend and the lower set to grapple. The second one likes to go all out on the attack, often combining the lower left and upper right arms to strike while making feints with the others.

    I plan a bit ahead, and, in exchange for a few wounds, I maneuver them into position and grab the arm of the more aggressive thylarin, then just as I move my other arm to strike¡­ the world blacks out for a moment, and I feel my head being thrown back. I lift my arms to catch myself, but even so, I still get thrown to the ground.

    ¡°So naive, human. Did you really think it would be that easy?¡± one of the thylarin taunts, smiling as he stretches all four of his arms.

    ¡°Maybe he thought we wouldn¡¯t notice his clumsy attempts to corner us,¡± the other one boasts, taking a step to the side.

    Well, it seems like my pure melee combat isn¡¯t where I would like it to be. Honestly, it does make a little bit of sense, given that I only have a few years of experience from Earth, especially in comparison to these two, who are both most likely over 50 years old, maybe even 100. Still, the way they¡¯re treating me irks me.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Do they think this is all? Do they think I¡¯m giving this all I have?

    Staring at them, I reactivate my unique passive, and then, while they watch, I lift my arm and close my hand into a fist. I send kinetic energy to my hand to make the impact stronger and slam my fist into my chest - in a single powerful strike.

    The kinetic energy transforms into mana, and just a trickle of that enters my reservoir.

    Even that is enough, and the sand immediately starts attacking me, even as I quickly mold it into an orb and shoot it at the feet of the two thylarin. The white sand grinds down the flesh around my ankles, my shin bones start poking through, and one of my calves is nearly gone. The individual grains of sand boring tiny holes, almost like tunnels through my legs and chest.

    And to think even the tiny amount of mana I held, just for a moment, was enough to cause so much damage.

    I let thermal energy seep into my body from my vortex core, slowly closing my wounds as I take a step toward my disabled opponents.

    Both of the thylarin are groaning in pain - and missing huge chunks from their legs, along with their arms, and sizable portions of their chests, all eaten away by the sand¡¯s reaction to such a small amount of mana. But they are alive. Both of them clearly tried to run as far and quickly as possible before collapsing into twin heaps in the sand, unable to move any further as they continue their struggle to crawl away from me.

    ¡°C-crazy! You are fucking crazy!¡± one of them shouts, holding his bleeding neck, as his crimson red blood stains the white sand.

    ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t think it would be that easy,¡± I repeat, feeding him his own words before kicking him in the head. And doing the same to his partner even though he¡¯s already been knocked unconscious.

    They both turn out to be too heavy for me to carry, so I use kinetic energy a bit more to remove a few more of their limbs before grabbing them and boosting myself back to the Deathtrap.

    Getting back on the deck, I throw them on the ground and then turn to my crown. On my way, I pick up my underwear and put it on, being careful of my wounds so as not to cover them in blood.

    My crown floats back to its place over my head, and I check the amount of mana it used to maintain itself without bursting open or disappearing. It¡¯s a bit more than I had expected, but I guess it makes sense. It is just not meant to function away from my body. Still, it contains quite a bit of mana.

    As I take some of that mana and reabsorb it, I almost feel like smiling. Welcome back, my precious.

    Lily comes closer, and I notice her staring at my chest and belly.

    I look down and notice a few wounds here and there, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, it isn¡¯t anything serious. Save your mana.¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡± She stutters, quickly lifting her head, her big eyes staring up at me through her bangs.

    ¡°My legs are fine too. I¡¯ll heal them on my own. Just make sure these two don¡¯t die, but don¡¯t restore their limbs for now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh, sure!¡± She says, before rushing over to the two thylarin, one of whom has already awakened and begun talking to Tess.

    After putting on my pants and shirt, I head to Sophie. ¡°How much mana do you have left?¡±

    ¡°Should be more than enough to get some information out of them. Though the guides are being troublesome,¡± she answers simply.

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll just let you guys take care of the rest here. I¡¯ll go check on our guides,¡± I say and, resort to using stairs like some schmuck instead of teleporting. I don¡¯t train anymore; and I¡¯ve even turned off most of my passives, at least the ones that require mana.

    I leave just in time as more groups start making their way up to the top deck.

    Back in the backup core room, I find the guide, still there, sitting in a different position, with the vyssari who wanted to gouge my eyes out.

    ¡°Any good news?¡± I ask the guide.

    ¡°Heryd here can help you with the core. He has some experience with¡­¡±

    ¡°I see. There¡¯s no need for that. Anything else?¡±

    The guide looks between me and the scaly legged shorty and then back at me, ¡°I still can¡¯t stop the SDAT and¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s an SDAT?¡± I ask, interrupting him.

    ¡°Are you¡­ SDAT means Sand-Defensive Air Transport.¡±

    ¡°Got it, please continue.¡±

    ¡°I still have no idea where we¡¯re heading but we should find out soon. Though there shouldn¡¯t be anything in the Mana Desert so I don''t know how much help it will be or why we¡¯re heading there. There is no sense in trying to run away even if we could change course; the storm will catch up anyway.¡±

    ¡°What if we bury ourselves in the sand?¡± the short vyssari asks, turning away from the core.

    ¡°That would either force us to keep the field running to ward it off or to turn off the field. In that case, any sand that got into the SDAT would be the end of us. And we don¡¯t have enough mana to hold the field against that much sand.¡±

    ¡°Any rest stops around here?¡± the vyssari continues.

    ¡°None, there is nothing here as far as we know. Not a single place free of sand.¡±

    I listen to the rest of the conversation with one ear and turn back to the mana pillar. Just in case, I check the inscriptions and preparations I made, and it seems like no one¡¯s messed with them. So I continue to work on them, I even manage to connect a few more of its functions and even though it still feels half-baked, it¡¯s better than nothing.

    When the conversation between the guide and the vyssari starts to drag on too long, I interrupt them. ¡°You,¡± I shout, pointing at the guide, ¡°shouldn¡¯t you be controlling the ship?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an SDAT, not a ship. It should be fine to leave it for a while. Our course is already set, and Kallus is taking care of the defenses. With how little mana we have, we don¡¯t even have to focus on controlling how it¡¯s being used.¡±

    ¡°Good, go back to the deck. Find the tall blonde, she can tell you what to do. They might already have more information on what happened.¡±

    I watch him hesitate for a moment, but he does stand up eventually and head towards the deck without another word. As he said before, he was just a rookie following orders.

    As I work, I can feel Heryd¡¯s eyes on me, the vyssari, who was supposed to be helping me is one of the only three passengers with a level higher than mine. Much like the two thylarin I just brought back.

    ¡°You can fly; you could run away,¡± he says out of nowhere.

    As I turn to him, I can see how carefully he¡¯s observing me.

    ¡°Sure,¡± I respond, returning to my work, placing an anchor inside the core which I use to feed it power from my crown.

    There is no way I would just put my mana inside to let just anyone use. No, I¡¯d rather just feed the ship more as needed. While doing so, I also think about his question.

    Could I really just fly away if I felt like it?

    I think I could. Sure, there could be some specks of sand that high up, and if I had any mana inside my body, I would take significant damage, but I think I could push through. The trip that took this rusty old thing days would take me hours if I used enough kinetic energy.

    It would be simple, but back when I was considering my options for survival, it never once crossed my mind. And I can think of two reasons for that.

    The first is that I¡¯m so confident in my ability to survive, even this, that the thought of running away never entered my mind.

    The second is that I didn¡¯t want to leave this silly group of mine. Angry Kittens, group 4, Biscuit and Co., whatever the name of the day turns out to be.

    I¡¯ve always liked watching others, and now here I am examining myself and taking stock of my feelings, asking questions. And the one that eventually sticks at the front of my mind is: Would I be willing to risk my life for them, and could I walk away if I truly had to?

    The swirl of emotions I feel even asking that question absolutely fascinates me.

 Chapter 439 - Thylarin brothers

    The guides don¡¯t seem to tell me how to control Deathtrap or operate the control panel. Even getting access is difficult, and just looking into it, I have to go around, wasting time and mana.

    It''s clear that they have a vested interest in restricting access to the controls, and all our guides seem to bear some kind of mark that makes it easier for them to control the flying train/ship while barring them from taking specific actions. Otherwise, they go kaboom.

    At first, I think it must be the work of someone like Sophie, and yet the guide¡¯s marks feel more limited in scope. Sophie, on the other hand, should be able to do more given some time.

    Even so, while guides no. 1 and no. 2 take care of our defenses and mana usage while paying special attention to the engines, fields, navigation, stabilizers, and auxiliary functions, I try to learn as much as possible about the controls. I''ve done more difficult things, this shouldn¡¯t be a problem and I¡¯ve been studying the wide variety of blueprints recorded on the many mana stones I¡¯ve taken from the previous floors every night before bed.

    It won¡¯t be long before the guides can screw off. I¡¯m sure if I split my mind with [Focus] I should have no problem controlling this rusty thing on my own. I can just use [Infusion] to get myself in, I can use [Resonance] at the right times and then use my eyes and [Mana Manipulation]. Easy as that.

    Even so, I may as well let them handle it for a while and teleport back into our room, where the rest of group 4 is waiting, along with some of the leaders of the more powerful groups aboard.

    Tess, Sophie, and Izzy seem to be busy talking to the blue guys so I head towards the corpse of the marauder. Lily stands there as well, poking and probing at it.

    ¡°Was it strong?¡± I ask, my voice taking on a hushed tone. I don''t want to bring attention to myself.

    ¡°It cut me in half, here,¡± she gestures horizontally from one side of her waist to the other. A part of her shirt is missing, allowing a section of her belly to peek through.

    Even as she talks about being cut in half, Lily continues to smile, ¡°It didn¡¯t even use mana so its stats must be great and its natural weapons must be very strong to deal that much damage to me. You know, I¡¯ve already altered my bones a bit and it still cut through.¡± She states, shaking her head at the thought.

    Yeah, more typical Group 4 behavior.

    ¡°What about the mental attacks?¡± I ask.

    ¡°We don''t know. Twins think it might have been some sort of hypnosis that didn¡¯t rely on mana, Sophie theorizes it was a gas we couldn''t see or smell. Kim thinks it¡¯s something like primordial energy given that they don''t seem to affect the sand. Though there might be other stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°Do you think one of the guides was keeping it as a pet?¡± I ask, giving the body a prod as well. It feels like glass to the touch but it¡¯s still slightly warm and very tough.

    ¡°Izzy thinks so,¡± Lily nods. ¡°We also got some information from the groups that were colluding with them and each one has a different story. Some were promised positions of power in the central region, others were told stories of great items, while others were told we¡¯d be looking for a way to leave the moon.¡±

    ¡°So they were just pawns to be thrown away as needed and our blue friends are the only ones left who might know something.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°They know something but they¡¯ve been refusing to talk. They want to strike a deal,¡± Sophie says, joining us with a sigh. She seems tired. ¡°I couldn''t get much from them, they have good mental defenses and they set traps, if I push any harder they will die.¡±

    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t have any mana,¡± I note.

    ¡°No. They shouldn¡¯t. And yet they do. I''m almost certain they didn''t have any when you brought them back so maybe they have a passive that¡¯s let them in some way recover the little bit of mana they needed to set their mental traps. Maybe it''s just a trait that makes them resistant to mental attacks, one that might not need mana to operate.¡±

    ¡°That sucks. We¡¯re going to hit the storm in a few hours and the guides can''t change the trajectory. Even if they could, it''s too late.¡± I poke the marauder¡¯s corpse one more time and stand up.

    ¡°Yes, they passed me the information. Did you see the new side quest?¡±

    Huh?

    I open my notifications in surprise and sure enough, there¡¯s a new quest.

    Side quest: Survive

    Reward:

    ???

    Beyond 3-day stay token

    Objective: survive. Oh, how I missed this kind of quest.

    <hr>

    After that, the room becomes too rowdy as some of the leaders start screaming at the two blue guys who simply laugh in their faces. The Dawnslayer however, is quiet, just going by his expression and behavior it wouldn¡¯t take a genius to guess that he has some kind of concentration skill.

    I watch as Tess kicks a few of the guys out and zaps a few more rendering the room more or less silent.

    She doesn''t even seem to be all that angry, it¡¯s more like she¡¯d gotten stuck dealing with a particularly annoying set of kids, issued spankings, and left them sobbing quietly in the corner.

    I leave the room and walk through the hallway as it begins to fill with people jockeying to get even a bit closer, wanting to be the first to receive any new information. Some start asking me right away. I ignore it all and walk through and lash out when some especially annoying vyssari jumps in my way, trying to threaten me into revealing anything I might know, I kick him away, sending him crashing into a rusty wall, while one of his friends gets blasted away with a weak burst of kinetic energy.

    I feel a bit awkward, with how short these guys are, almost like kids. Kids with beards and raspy voices.

    Meanwhile, Deathtrap flies on, listing off to one side. It¡¯s noisier than before, now that it has such a massive hole in the wall. As I pass by I see one of the guides, directing groups of emergency conscripts to carry huge metal plates and stack them into a series of makeshift constructions being built around the hole.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    The guide doesn¡¯t have his mask either and is profusely sweating and cursing every time they do something wrong. He seems to be trying to connect the plates and integrate them into the web of inscriptions running through the ship so they can power them while saving that bit of extra mana. I know he doesn''t have much time, he can only leave the control room for so long at a time.

    I find myself wondering if we shouldn''t have someone strong protecting him. Sure it might seem like we got all the perpetrators but what if one happened to be hanging back?

    In the end, I decide to ignore my concerns and leave a message though group 4¡¯s new group link. I''m sure Tess is already dealing with it. Worst case I can seize control of the ship myself.

    Upon reaching the backup core I meet the vyssari there, the Ashenfoot Shaman to be specific. He¡¯s moving around, poking at the control panels and examining my modifications to the core and the anchor I left there. I give everything a quick check, finding that he doesn''t seem to have made any changes, though he seems to be annoyed when he senses me looking things over.

    ¡°You formed this part wrong,¡± he snaps, pointing out a set of inscriptions.

    ¡°On purpose. It uses less mana that way.¡±

    ¡°But you completely disregarded the inscription matrix designed to amplify mana concentration. You¡¯re also missing a failsafe sequence or an emergency dispel layer.¡±

    ¡°I don''t know what that is.¡±

    ¡°You what?¡±

    ¡°I don''t care about fancy things like that, but if you have them written down somewhere you can give them to me. It¡¯s the least you can do for all the work I''m doing to keep this thing floating.¡±

    ¡°Crazy human, you¡¯re going to blow something up one day.¡±

    ¡°For the most part that''s the goal,¡± I shrug, waving a dismissive hand.

    While he watches I move on to working on making smaller changes. Nothing fancy like the failsafe or the supporting whatever, he mentioned. Just backups, increasing the stability of my anchor and making it more resistant to interference.

    I¡¯m still not happy about the way those blue boys managed to mess with my anchor before.

    <hr>

    Two hours later it''s Tess visiting me down here. She glances at the vyssari sitting quietly in the corner, watching me work, and immediately proceeds to ignore him.

    ¡°We made a deal with the guys you captured. Lily restored their bodies and I gave them my word that we wouldn¡¯t kill them if they didn¡¯t give me a good reason. Can I rely on you to help me keep my word?¡±

    ¡°Yup, no problem there.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Nat. They want you to be there when they start talking.¡±

    ¡°I just got to the fun part. Did you know this rusty thing used to be able to do loops? There¡¯s a ¡®switch¡¯ just for that.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Tess seems to share my confusion.

    ¡°No idea but it''s interesting that it could do it. It also used to have weapons but they¡¯re long gone now. And if I''m correct there¡¯s a button to make it drop all its plating.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn''t that make us nearly defenseless against the sand? If I remember correctly these plates are what¡¯s generating the field.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! I also started helping with controls and I''m in charge of proper mana redistribution. I remember laughing at them, but this ship is terribly optimized, there¡¯s barely any automation and I think it was made that way on purpose.¡±

    ¡°I hate to interrupt you, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Got it, got it.¡± Having finished speaking to Tess, I turn to the vyssari and remind him, ¡°Don''t break anything.¡±

    He dismisses me with a weird gesture I don¡¯t recognize. Maybe it¡¯s their race¡¯s version of the middle finger?

    Once again, the ship¡¯s hallways are full of people from three different races, but this time they just let us pass. The crowns over our heads have turned out to be rather memorable making it easy for the others to identify us. And in that fashion, we reach the door to our room, our defenses untouched nearby while a few groups under the control of the man in black chainmail stand there waiting. Sophie, sensing our presence, lifts the defenses for a moment and we enter unimpeded.

    Much like before everyone from group 4 is there, along with a few group leaders I haven¡¯t bothered to remember and the blue guys I captured.

    [Manabreaker - lvl ??]

    [Manashroud Shaper - lvl ??]

    Not gonna lie, I liked their class names before and I still do. They certainly seem to be a bit more civilized than the rest of the heretics.

    Now that all their limbs have been restored they stand there surrounded by others, and yet they don''t seem worried, hell they¡¯re even smiling.

    On the other hand, Lily has much shorter hair now, and while I can''t see it at the moment, I think she also sacrificed a body part for more mana. She probably used [Sacrifice] to keep her mana topped up, just in case she needs it.

    ¡°I''m Dravos and this is my brother Drekar, what''s your name, crazy human?¡± One of the blue ones says, introducing himself; they look nearly identical to each other.

    ¡°Does it matter? Just tell me what you want.¡±

    ¡°I thought we¡¯d show some respect to each other. As fellows who walk the path of mana.¡±

    ¡°Sure. So how did you mess with my anchor?¡±

    Someone from the people around us mumbles, ¡°We do not have time to¡­¡± but gets interrupted by Biscuit who woofs at him in a warning. That makes the man shut up immediately and his expression as he looks at Biscuit seems to be full of fear.

    Dravos lifts one hand and flicks his fingers, bringing my attention back to him, ¡°Your anchor functions on a fixed resonance within your mana spectrum, directly linked to your signature. A slight adjustment¡ªmodifying the mana field around it to disrupt that resonance¡ªis all it takes.¡±

    Another hand gestures to his brother, Drekar, who nods. ¡°We calibrated the surrounding mana flow to dampen the anchor¡¯s resonance. Not enough to shatter it¡ªyou¡¯d detect that¡ªbut just enough to destabilize the connection. A minor phase alignment shift, and¡­ well, we had a pleasant surprise waiting for you.¡±

    Dravos grins, his eyes glinting with amusement. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s much harder when you''re dealing with someone as skilled as you, crazy human. But we couldn¡¯t resist the challenge.¡±

    ¡°So you just disrupted it slightly without breaking it.¡±

    ¡°Crazy human, it''s not that simple.¡±

    ¡°But that''s what you did, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Got it. So what did you want to say?¡±

    The two brothers look at each other, just as confident as before.

    ¡°We want to live, obviously,¡± Dravos says.

    Drekar nods and says, ¡°Dying in this shithole wasn¡¯t part of the plan, and your group seems to be the one in charge.¡±

    ¡°So we have an offer for you.¡± Smoothly following his brother¡¯s words, Dravos joins in.

    ¡°Just say it,¡± I demand, challenging them.

    ¡°So impatient.¡±

    ¡°We were like that once, brother.¡±

    ¡°Not as much as him.¡±

    ¡°No, not as much, but we can understand.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we can,¡± Dravos turns back to me with a big smile, ¡°This place is called Mana Desert. Do you know what its purpose is?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I answer honestly. I have ideas, but nothing I can be sure of.

    His brother spreads all four of his arms wide and announces theatrically, ¡°There are five unique Containment Arenas, also known as Containment Cells, within the Astral Prison. Each one is distinct, designed specifically to restrain a powerful being.¡±

    Dravos continues, ¡°The Mana Desert is also one of these places¡ªa solitary confinement cell¡ªand we¡¯re currently approaching the Champion it holds.¡±

 Chapter 440 - Arrival at the destination

    Looking at the two before me, I take a step and grab one of my manabloc chairs. Lately, I have been testing longer-lasting mana constructs with quite a bit of success. The chair¡¯s still holding strong even a few days later.

    There are a few small pieces missing though, mostly on the legs. Almost as if something had taken a few snake mouth-sized bites out of it.

    I plop into the chair, cross my legs, and look over at the thylarin duo. What should I do with them? I promised to hold Tess to her promise but I could probably beat them up a bit. The way they¡¯re acting is pissing me off.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the prisoner?¡± Tess asks instead, and I decide to just lean back and listen.

    Meanwhile, I connect to the anchor I left in the core and send bits of my mana into it. I was able to connect the anchor with some controls, but it''s an extremely weak connection even after the hours I¡¯ve spent on it. Just enough for me to take care of some of the less important functions.

    ¡°It''s a thylarin Champion. We were Candidates to become his disciples, so he should recognize us.¡±

    ¡°You have to realize that it will be better to keep us alive,¡± his brother joins in.

    They have very similar voices, even their bearing is similar. I can also sense they have a bit of mana. It somehow replenished slightly during the time they were here.

    There¡¯s no way they should be able to ignore whatever¡¯s keeping us from regenerating mana here. If they speak the truth and this whole area is a trap for the Champion, what chance would these two, or I, have to ignore it?

    ¡°I think you overestimate yourselves and the Champion. He¡¯s probably been left here without any mana or a method to restore it and leave for a reason,¡± Tess snaps, refusing to let the matter go.

    ¡°That much is true, but we intend to leave this moon, and people like our Champion might be our only choice. Surely such a person would be thankful if...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s he here for?¡± Tess interrupts him without a blink.

    ¡°He¡¯s here just because he got a bit too carried away with experimentation.¡± Dravos waves it off.

    ¡°Seeking knowledge should never be grounds for punishment. But why do you care, lightning human? You¡¯re here for a reason just like the rest of us, the same goes for your group and the crazed human over there.¡± Drekar says, pointing at me.

    ¡°I did nothing wrong,¡± I say defending myself.

    ¡°Sure, none of us did, crazy human, we were all just unlucky. So let¡¯s cut to the chase, what do you say lightning human? The Champion¡¯s prison is hidden but we know the way.¡± Drekar says, pointing at the center of the storm

    ¡°If we enter now we should be able to outlast that storm but we need to get there before it reaches us.¡±

    That part he says louder, his intentions clear. He just wants to make sure as many passengers hear it as possible, to put more pressure on us.

    Well, that¡¯s kind of pointless. I would rather throw all the passengers one after another into that white sand than let them decide my fate.

    ¡°So what was the plan? In a nutshell.¡± I ask.

    ¡°We befriended a guide.¡±

    ¡°The one you killed, crazy human, he was a nice guy we met in Last Rest.¡±

    ¡°He also had that interesting monster from the Mana Desert for a pet. A cute, if deadly thing.¡±

    ¡°You could say it all came together. Him and us meeting¡­¡±

    They continue to talk, one filling for the other while they maintain their bearing. The duo certainly seems a bit twisted in the head.

    ¡°The guide, like us, was always intrigued by the secrets of the Mana Desert and rumors about the trapped Champion. You could say he was obsessed with it.¡±

    ¡°He was a bit crazy, but he was still a fine guy, he even paid for the drinks once, do you remember brother?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he did. So we found the coordinates. A message in a bottle cast out into the world by our Champion.¡±

    ¡°He was always a smart guy. A terrifying guy.¡±

    ¡°He was indeed. Truly the finest of Champions. He¡¯s been trapped there for a hundred years, enough time to start corroding the locks of his prison. Our guide friend¡¯s pet was proof.¡± Dravos says, gesturing at the corpse of the monster, ¡°Each monster from the area seems to have coordinates hidden in their bodies.¡±

    "A message in a bottle."

    ¡°What a monster, that guy.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, brother. What a monster.¡±

    ¡°If he could break free of his solitary confinement, would it really be so hard for him to get out of this Prison given enough time?¡±

    ¡°To have the knowledge he possesses. To taste the possibility of becoming his disciples, even the possibility of being declared Champion Candidates. Oh, crazed human, I have to believe you, of all people would understand.¡±

    And I do, maybe more than they expect. But I stay quiet, gesturing for the talkative brothers to continue.

    ¡°Brother, I think he understands, even if he doesn''t say anything. Maybe we made a mistake, we could have befriended the crazy human as well. It would have made things easier.¡±

    ¡°It''s too late now, but let us continue. We killed the guides as they began to notice the changes we made to the navigation systems. They weren''t willing to cooperate. They were weak and lazy.¡±

    ¡°Some people from the central region are also like that. Too accustomed to their comfy prison after the years they¡¯ve spent here, unwilling to escape their cage.¡±

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    ¡°Pathetic.¡±

    ¡°Yes, pathetic.¡±

    ¡°So the SDAT is heading for the prison cell. We didn¡¯t expect the storm, but such is fate. Nothing is ever perfect.¡±

    That''s when Tess interrupts again, ¡°You seemed fully capable of going there on your own, why did you point the SDAT there?¡±

    Dravos smiles, ¡°We needed the extra mana reserves, lightning human. The mana batteries that people would bring, the mana in their bodies. Something for the Champion to use, as I¡¯m sure you can imagine.¡±

    ¡°And fodder against the monsters, traps, and defenses we might encounter.¡±

    ¡°We also know some interesting inscriptions that could help, though they would require¡­ sacrifices.¡± He says, unbothered by the people who would have been their sacrifices.

    ¡°Well, I think that''s pretty much enough.¡± I use a bit of mana to create a barrier around them making it opaque and soundproof.

    I turn to Tess and begin to speak, ¡°So¡­¡±

    ¡°You want to go see the Champion,¡± she responds, grabbing one of the manabloc chairs to sit in.

    ¡°It''s not like we can change where we are heading. Do we even want to with the storm approaching?¡±

    ¡°Okay, so how about we skip visiting the guy who could kill us all like it were nothing. Wait out the storm and then head to the central region?¡± I can almost hear the frustration in Sophie¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Not enough mana.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure, Nat, is there really no way for us to generate enough mana to return after the storm?¡± Tess¡¯s eyes pierce through me.

    ¡°Okay, there might be a small chance,¡± I acknowledge.

    I won''t say it in front of others, but I think I could abuse my unique passive to get enough mana for us to reach the central region. We could also try modifying the flying ship/train, by putting all people on deck and turning off defenses everywhere else. Or even getting rid of other passengers and focusing on defending the vital areas of the ship.

    ¡°Famir, can you take the others out and share the information we just got? I want to talk to my group,¡± Tess shouts, turning to the guy with the concentration skill and black chainmail.

    ¡°Ten minutes and then we bring others in to discuss options?¡± he asks.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He leaves with a nod, and with a great deal of complaining, the room clears out, leaving only group 4 inside and the two thylarin confined in my barrier.

    ¡°How much mana do you have?¡±

    ¡°I was storing it over two weeks so quite a bit, but I''m already using bits of it to feed Deathtrap. I¡¯m doing it even as we speak. The wind¡¯s already started hitting us, and it¡¯s sending more sand into the air and that means it¡¯s crashes into the field. If it gets very much worse, it should be enough for a few days at most.¡±

    ¡°And your passive?¡±

    ¡°You know how it works, right? I told you already. Are you really so eager to beat me up?¡±

    ¡°It said something about external force, right?¡±

    Just in case, I read the description again.

    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic) - The user''s body passively channels mana from the reservoir into their kinetic responses, creating a feedback loop that adapts to physical impacts or nearby bursts of kinetic energy. When struck or near a powerful source of it, their body can absorb the kinetic energy and store it as mana.

    ¡°It says that, but I haven¡¯t gotten it to work yet. If it activates during the thunderstorm, it could end up badly for all of us without the field of Deathtrap.¡±

    ¡°Well, worst case scenario, we just have to beat you up for a few days.¡± Maya smiles.

    Tsk. I knew she was still holding a grudge for the way I treated her back on the 1st floor. I bet she would love to ¡°help out¡± with my passive that way.

    ¡°With the amount of mana we need, you would need to beat me for weeks. Sorry to disappoint.¡±

    Though, that might not be all that disappointing for them.

    ¡°Could that prisoner really help? If we shared our mana with him?¡± Min-Jae asks, looking at me as he turns away from his examinations of my barrier.

    Sophie responds with a question of her own, ¡°Are we sure we want to be left at his mercy?¡±

    I can see that Tess, like everyone else, finds herself deep in thought. She¡¯s playing with her hair, coiling it around her finger before letting go and then doing it again. She¡¯s always been like that, right down to her absent-minded expression when she gets caught up in thinking about a problem.

    In the end, she stands up, having made her decision, ¡°We don''t have many options. We will survive the storm first. We can''t avoid it so we may as well let Deathtrap land at the place we expect to find the Champion. Then we can see if we can¡¯t gain a bit more information and think things over before we decide to make contact.¡±

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll head back over to the backup core.¡± Leaving the rest to them, I reclaim the mana from the barrier and leave the room.

    <hr>

    Thirty minutes pass as I get deeper into the control systems of Deathtrap, the guide helping me as much as he can without going kaboom. All while the horizon grows darker, as sand continues to pummel the sides of the ship. White grains of sand bouncing off the protective fields and metal plates.

    Any other time, it would look pretty, but I know just how deadly they can be.

    We evacuate parts of the ship and I redirect the reserves into the places we¡¯ve gathered the passengers with the help of the guide who takes more direct control of the mana, while I feed the engines fighting to reach our destination before the storm hits us.

    The other guide in charge of defenses barely has any time, constantly locked in his own control room, struggling to keep the field active.

    As the edge of the storm hits us and starts shaking the ship, it¡¯s all I can do to keep the defenses and engines supplied. I even send some of my mana through in addition to the reserves in the core. The guide in charge of defenses sets them to their maximum, muttering that we won''t be able to survive if the storm hits us at full force. He¡¯s speaking through the communication systems in the control panels. A worse version of Sophie¡¯s constructs.

    As the ship tilts even more, the rust starts falling off its metal walls. The tilt is noticeable now and the creaking sounds like someone squeezing an empty can.

    Then the guide in control of our defenses dies.

    His last scream having been picked up by the control panel¡¯s connections, his guards likely meeting the same fate.

    A thought about what must have caused his death immediately comes to mind, and I can''t help but chuckle. This surprises the vyssari who is still in the room with me, along with a few of his men - the same number of guards as the recently-dead guide.

    Deathtrap then nosedives, people, and furniture flying all over the place. The contraption¡¯s creaking increases and the storm raging outside sounds more intense and the sky has gone dark, but at the same time, a light shines through, reflected by trillions of grains of white sand.

    Like a waterfall, sand washes over Deathtrap, and then even that little light disappears, only to be replaced with pure darkness.

    Darkness and quiet.

    The sound of the storm disappears as if it had never existed and then Deathtrap hits the ground, its metal plates screeching against the rock of the surface until it crashes again slamming into something we can¡¯t see and coming to a full stop. Then the engines turn off, the vibrations and sound that were so ever-present wane away, to be replaced with silence while Deathtrap creaks deafeningly and tilts over, collapsing onto its side with a loud thump that shakes through the frame.

    All movement stops.

    We have arrived at our destination.

 Chapter 441 - Thats what I want

    I send some mana into the defenses to maintain the field, and climb through the hallway on the crashed Deathtrap up to the deck of the tilted ship.

    (Stay inside,) I tell everyone through the link with the rest of Group 4.

    Eventually, I reach them, still inside the ship, though they¡¯ve positioned themselves further back, watching the others stare into the darkness.

    Someone uses an item, and it flies through the door and lights up the area, throwing moving shadows on what appears to be a rocky wall. A cave leading down, into a vast, deep tunnel. A few more skills or items follow, illuminating the place further and further with powerful lights in all shades, from yellow, to white, blue, and red.

    The old and rusty ship has crashed against the rocky surface of the cave, and its stalled engines leave the place eerily quiet with the sound of the storm totally blocked off by the walls around us. I want to examine the entrance we must have passed through to get here, but I can''t see it from where I am.

    Dravos also watches the other passengers, and I notice the broad smile that takes over his expression when some of them start exiting the ship.

    There doesn''t seem to be any white sand, and some probably don¡¯t even know the truth of its nature. I can understand their sense of security and curiosity, but there is a reason I¡¯ve kept the defenses running.

    As somewhere around two dozen people exit, reaching the rocky ground below they die.

    The small amount of white sand that landed on Deathtrap, that we¡¯ve managed to bring with us reacts to their mana. The tiny white grains move and swirl as they step on them. Just the smallest hint of white dust on the wind. Something you could even miss in the low light.

    As the screams fill the pitch-black darkness of this place, Dravos smiles even wider and turns to me, ¡°Isn''t it amusing to watch, crazy human? These people who¡¯ve been hiding and cowering inside of the SDAT until now, crawling out in a spurt of bravery and curiosity. Feeling safe, newly confident with the change in the environment and the quiet of this place.¡±

    His brother is the same, and both of them, I¡¯m sure, they¡¯ve reached the 2nd stage of their subclass: Adept of Pride, much like me. It¡¯s something I can feel, the same way they can feel my Pride. The second stage allows us to recognize our fellows.

    I''ve already met a few people like that, having spoken to them in passing or walking among people I¡¯ve seen back in Last Rest. Yet, this duo in front of me seem to stand above the rest. They have the same confidence in their abilities that I often find in myself.

    The next person to reach our group is the last surviving guide called Kallus, the one who took care of navigation. He seems tired, dead on his feet, and whereas before, when his eyes kept flitting all over the place, anticipating danger, now it seems like he¡¯s given up.

    There is someone else we need to worry about too, the one who killed the second guide, forcing us to seek help from the Champion. Knowing that we¡¯d need three guides to properly control the Deathtrap and that we would have to wait for the storm to disappear before attempting to leave without making contact.

    The mystery continues. Do Dravos and Drekar know who it is? Is the person responsible for cooperating with them even though they tried to run away before and leave them behind? Or maybe they just don¡¯t know, and they have their reasons. It¡¯d have to be someone who can avoid my detection and Sophie¡¯s web. Someone with the capacity to kill the people we had protecting the guide with little to no effort.

    I already have my suspicions about who may be behind it all, but for now, I¡¯ve decided to let it be. To see where this takes us.

    ¡°How did the other guide die?¡± I ask Kallus.

    Sitting on the ground, his back resting on what used to be the floor, he looks at me, ¡°Different from before. They probably used a blunt weapon or unarmed strikes, every person was killed with one strike.¡±

    ¡°Stay near me,¡± I tell him, and he just nods.

    Even though it''s probably not needed, I share the information through the link and head towards the hatch that once led to the deck. Now that Deathtrap lies on its side, it is almost like a normal door. The field still stretches a bit further, and we have plenty of space to maneuver before we find ourselves in danger.

    Down below, I can see the bodies of the poor naive fools who decided to leave. I then take another step and make myself float, pushing myself through the air on waves of kinetic energy, proceeding in short, tightly controlled, bursts to make the experience as smooth as possible.

    Scanning the area for white sand, I pass through the field and look around, sending my senses outward like a wave crashing against the walls.

    A massively long tunnel winds its way deeper into the ground, leading ever downwards. And I can''t sense its end even with the extended reach of my enhanced senses.

    The people of the system really seem to like building massive structures, isn¡¯t there supposed to be a phobia for that? Megalophobia I think it was?

    Creating a few thermal orbs and making them as bright as possible, I place them around the ship and the tunnel, the resulting light¡¯s golden hue doing its part to illuminate the place. As expected, I find walls, roughly hewn from the stone around us. There are no smooth edges, no inscriptions, no sign that any part could have been the work of a skill. And then there¡¯s the fact that there¡¯s no white sand, other than what we managed to bring with us, in small piles sliding from the deck to land on the rocky surface below.

    It isn''t even touching the ship, nor is it anywhere close especially with the angle. It really only accounts for a few small grains. It seems like it should be fairly easy to avoid if we use a different place to exit and check for more sand first. The hole left by the main core¡¯s explosion immediately comes to mind. It¡¯s patched up, but it should be possible to open it back up.

    With that checked, I turn off the backup core from my current location, and the mana being supplied to the field dries up, leaving the field to flicker and dissipate, to the sound of a few screams from within the ship.

    I share my thoughts with Tess through the link, and she likely passes it along. To Dravos, Drekar, to the black chainmail Dawnslayer guy Famir, and to the remaining guide Kallus. I then spend a bit longer flying around the ship, watching carefully for more of the white sand, and when I''m done, I return.

    Just in time to see the tired guide in the same spot, face buried in his hands.

    Next to him stands Biscuit, repeatedly shouting at him, (Food! Food!)

    Landing, I reach down and gently smack Biscuit on his back, ¡°I told you already, that¡¯s not it.¡±

    Biscuit looks at me and then at the guide before gracefully wobbling away, probably on a quest to bully someone else for snacks.

    I rejoin the others in one of the bigger rooms, where most of the people have holed up, we still have almost two hundred passengers waiting for a solution. Seeing that many of them, most of them rush to talk over each other, I decide to leave, only to be caught short by Min-Jae. I slow down matching my pace to his until we¡¯re walking side by side.

    ¡°Everyone has their food, most people have enough to last a week or two. Water is the bigger problem, most only have enough for a week and they¡¯re already starting to fight over the reserves in the Deathtrap,¡± he starts explaining.

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    I gesture to him, and we take a seat with an open view of the giant tunnel lit by the many orbs I¡¯ve created, though they look so tiny in comparison despite releasing so much light.

    ¡°Most people are fairly subdued, and everyone¡¯s fairly reluctant to use their mana, so even if they fight, it¡¯ll probably be hand to hand. I think part of it¡¯s that they¡¯re scared of you,¡± Min-Jae says, smiling, the statement seems to make him happy, ¡°No one knows how much mana you have stored away, and someone¡¯s been spreading a rumor that you¡¯ve been storing it for months before heading here.¡±

    ¡°Months¡­¡± I repeat. Just how much mana would I be able to store in that much time?

    With it comes an intriguing thought. What if I stored away my mana for years? Maybe even decades? Even as I am now, I should be able to live over 100 years easily with a body and capabilities fairly similar to what I have now. So would my crown be able to store years'' worth of mana? I¡¯m inclined to say yes.

    ¡°Show me your eye,¡± I ask, interrupting his train of thought when he continues to talk about what happened and the plans.

    Somewhat awkwardly, he moves a bit closer and turns his head to the side so I can see his newly yellow eye.

    I think it¡¯s Gravity Wavelength Iris or something like that. Seeing it now from up close reminds me how disappointed I was when we opened that damned black chest after weeks of trying, and the eye only reacted to him.

    Carefully, I reach out and touch the skin just under the corner of that eye and send my senses towards it, which he allows to happen. It¡¯s something I have done a few times already. As much out of a fear that the eye would reject him as my curiosity.

    There are some things I learned from the mana stone Savant gave Lily, things about body modification, transplants, and the like. It represents a wealth of information that Lily and I are still working to understand, and even Sophie¡¯s begun to show a degree of interest as of late. All three of us have a skillset that would benefit from the information.

    ¡°Is the eye going to start bleeding and pop up out of my head?¡± Min-Jae asks with a bright smile, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s going to activate and siphon away my mana until I die.¡±

    ¡°The twins?¡±

    ¡°The twins,¡± he confirms. ¡°We joke like that from time to time, but sometimes I really find myself thinking about it, you know? It¡¯s a powerful eye, and I¡¯m still getting used to it though I feel myself growing into it.¡±

    ¡°You should be thankful, it¡¯s like a free half trait.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± he nods seriously. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to rely on it too much. I need to work on my basics before relying on easy power.¡±

    At that, I take a moment to study him.

    Yeah, Min-Jae might actually be smarter than me sometimes. The amount of restraint it had to take for him to avoid using that power and take the boring route... I needed Lissandra to beat that into me, and he grasped it so effortlessly.

    For some reason, I find myself wanting to tease him a little, but then I remember that there are places he¡¯s lacking as well. His envious nature, constantly putting himself down, and his occasional fits of over dependency.

    I point down at the ground, ¡°Try grabbing a few grains of sand and lift them, use your eye.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he agrees and moves to comply, and I watch him move his mana to activate the skill and the eye.

    I move one of the orbs a bit closer so he has more light.

    The moment his skill touches the grains of sand, they start moving erratically, as they do any time mana touches them. They become charged and deadly.

    I gesture for him to stop, and he does so. In my mind, I count down the time until the sand becomes inert and stops looking for mana while also trying to estimate the amount of mana Min-Jae used. With a bit more testing, I should be able to estimate it much better.

    ¡°Still no primordial gravitational energy?¡± I ask as I watch the sand.

    He shakes his head, ¡°Still nothing.¡±

    I nod in acknowledgment, and when the grains of sand stop moving, I lift into the air and lower myself closer. Then I blast a bigger pile of sand with kinetic energy, which makes it fly into the air before returning to the ground.

    And once again we confirm that the sand doesn¡¯t react to primordial energies.

    I find a few tiny, separated pieces and send a whiff of my mana towards them, causing them to immediately charge and fly towards me. I send a blast of kinetic energy at them, but this time they ignore it and pass through as if I hadn¡¯t done much of anything.

    Three small grains circle around me a few times, piercing my leg, and belly, burrowing tiny tunnels clean through my flesh and bone no matter how I try to defend against them.

    Body strengthening using mana? Nope. Kinetic strengthening? Nope. Disrupting mana? Nope. Resonating mana? Nope.

    Having had enough of tiny grains burrowing through me, I fly away from them much faster than they can follow, nearly a few lengths of Deathtrap before they start swirling in a confused fashion. It takes them longer to lose their charge and land this time. It would seem that they can charge themselves with mana from my body when they pierce the skin.

    I activate my passive to heal myself as I fly back only to meet the others where I left Min-Jae.

    Some of the passengers are milling around, ready to leave Deathtrap. Far away from the white sand, and I see some of the larger groups, already heading deeper into the tunnel.

    Group 4 is there with the remaining guide, two thylarin, a few of the other groups we¡¯ve teamed up with, and Heryd, the vyssari who ¡°guarded¡± me with his group while I was working in the room with the backup core.

    ¡°Tess is dealing with some last-minute stuff, but she¡¯ll be back soon. We¡¯ve decided to join up with some of the smaller groups. That way there¡¯s no need to take care of a bunch of assholes who just want to hide behind us,¡± Sophie informs me, while I nod and pull my manabloc chair over to have a seat.

    It¡¯s the same one I created a few days ago, still holding strong, with a few more snake-mouth-sized bite marks on the legs.

    <hr>

    POV Famir

    ¡°Do you want me to kill the other guide as well?¡± I ask the woman standing in front of me.

    ¡°There is no need,¡± she shakes her head.

    Even though [Suppression] blocks my emotions, I feel a hint of curiosity, so I decide to ask, ¡°Why did you want the guide dead?¡±

    She doesn¡¯t even seem to mind, ¡°For my group.¡±

    That¡¯s confusing, ¡°Doesn¡¯t doing this put them in more danger?¡±

    She nods. ¡°Yes, it will. But it will also allow them to shine more brilliantly.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t have to. Just follow my orders, and we can continue our little alliance when we reach the central region.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I have another question, won¡¯t he get angry when he finds out?¡±

    ¡°Nat? I¡¯m sure he already knows.¡±

    At this point, my level of confusion grows even bigger. This woman, that man, their group, these two animals. I fail to grasp them at all.

    She seems to notice it even through my lack of expression, ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy you didn¡¯t decide to help the thylarin twins? If you had or decided to attack us before, he would have killed you by now.¡±

    There¡¯s that small smile on her face, making me question if I made the right choice in following her. From the moment I first saw her, I¡¯ve felt this unshakable pull to stay close, and I¡¯m not even sure why.

    It¡¯s not romantic interest or sexual attraction, I¡¯m not capable of those anymore. It''s sheer admiration for her decisiveness and strength. I didn¡¯t know I could still feel that way, but I have decided to place my bets on her to get me off this moon.

    Before leaving, she turns to me, glancing over her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t want to simply stay here just to find a way to leave. Adventure is what I want. A desperate, life-threatening adventure where everyone struggles to do their best and overcome their limits. Where my group has to rely on each other, strengthening our bonds through the dangers we face together. So that once it¡¯s over we can sit side by side, talking to each other around Nat¡¯s thermal orbs. We might be hurt and scarred from the dangers we¡¯ve overcome, but we¡¯ll be happy, knowing we went through it together and survived. Maya will make her lame jokes to lift our spirits. Sophie will pat Izzy¡¯s head. The twins will sit quietly together, sharing their feelings. Nat will pet Biscuit on his lap and will train with his orbs while Kim and Lily try to show off in front of him. Meanwhile, Noodle will keep nibbling on Nat¡¯s chairs in secret. And I will watch it all, happy to know I¡¯m part of it. That''s what I want.¡±

    And with that, she turns and leaves with a mysterious smile on her face, the lightning of her crown lighting the way.

 Chapter 442 - Something real like that

    Flashback - Tess Hansen

    The tall blonde girl patiently listens to her mom, who is yelling. There are a few bruises on her face, but her mom dismisses them as she always does. Too focused on insulting the girl, as her shrieking grows louder and louder.

    There¡¯s no point in explaining, no point in making justifications, the girl knows. Her mom just wouldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°You will stay locked in your room until I say you may leave. And I swear to God, Tess, if you get in another fight at school, I don¡¯t know what I will do!¡±

    And with these words her mother leaves, slamming the door behind her.

    She doesn¡¯t wonder why her daughter fought.

    Even before, when Tess tried to explain, her mother wouldn¡¯t listen. She didn¡¯t seriously believe that her pretty blonde daughter might be the victim of bullying at the hands of other girls in her class. Constantly picked on for her height, which left her towering over her seniors. For her, it was just kids being kids.

    ¡°Blondezilla,¡± Tess whispers and giggles. Her new nickname, a gift from one of the girls abusing her.

    Already sure it will spread through her class by tomorrow, Tess lies on her bed and touches the bruise on her cheek. Even then, she can¡¯t help her satisfied smile; the other girls ended up worse.

    After checking the clock, Tess sits down on the soft, expensive-looking rug and leans against the floor-to-ceiling window of her apartment, pressing her face against the glass. As she usually does at this time, she notices a group of five young people, gathered in the park below.

    Two girls are sitting on one of the benches while three boys loiter nearby. The girls are speaking with one of the boys while the others seem to be joking about something or other, gesturing wildly as they do. That small group of 5 meet there after school every day, no matter the weather. Even when the weather sours, they simply hide under the small gazebo nearby.

    Tess has watched them time and again throughout her many groundings.

    She¡¯s seen them fight and make peace. She saw one of the boys crying as his friends provided comfort. She¡¯s seen them having fun together time and again as they come and go from this small place they¡¯ve made their own.

    It always fascinated her. Just how might it feel to have people to rely on? How could they stay friends when they were screaming and fighting just a few days ago? What could the girl have said to leave the boys wracked with laughter for minutes at a time, at least until she took offense and started kicking them?

    Why did they come out despite the heavy storm, drenched to the bone, giggling nonetheless as the weather left them sneezing under the gazebo, only to separate for a few days, likely sick with a cold?

    She never experienced something like that.

    The things she read about in books or saw in movies, the kind where groups of people went on adventures together. Fought together, mourned their dead companions, suffering to the point of total exhaustion all to finish some grand quest.

    Persevering, even when everything seemed lost, as they pushed themselves to accomplish their goal.

    They¡¯d meet up afterward, sharing something no one could take away from them. A great adventure no one else could understand, an experience unique to those who had been there.

    Just once in her life, she wanted to feel something real like that.

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    The blue brothers try to run away from us.

    The dumbasses try to teleport.

    The assholes forget how easily they messed with my anchor.

    The douchebags end up in a similar state to me.

    Using kinetic energy, I get ahead of Group 4, and moments later reach the blue brothers strung out on the ground, their bodies torn, and bleeding as their bones peek through ragged holes in their flesh.

    ¡°Fuck, crazy human, you got us this time.¡±

    ¡°How the hell did you do something so nasty to our skill without us noticing?¡±

    ¡°Even we weren¡¯t so evil when we messed with yours.¡±

    There, I interrupt them, ¡°You redirected it into the white sand.¡±

    ¡°As if we could! We just made it so your anchor would burst open, its endpoint just happened to leave you there.¡±

    I watch them squirm for a moment. Nearly starved of the mana they¡¯ve managed to collect over the past few hours, likely the work of some passive or other. I''m still curious about that, but they refuse to tell me.

    One of them, Dravor or Drekar, looks at me, ¡°At least say something, crazy human.¡±

    ¡°Something.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    I then move closer and squat on the ground next to them. ¡°To be honest, I don''t think we need you. The only thing keeping you alive is my promise to Tess, she thinks we can use you. But at some point, the amount of trouble you cause will outweigh your usefulness.¡±

    Grabbing a few small rocks, I throw them at the two thylarin, each one bouncing off their heads.

    I reach to grab more stones and continue to throw them as I speak, ¡°You¡¯re trying to betray us, you waste our healer''s mana, you could be plotting to ask the Champion to turn against us. Maybe you are even hiding¡­ Well, you probably are hiding some things from us. And now you¡¯re wasting energy on pathetic escape attempts.¡±

    The stones keep hitting them with stunning accuracy, and neither of them tries to defend themselves.

    ¡°I have yet to see anything useful from you, and even though our group is keeping our side of the deal, you two keep fucking around.¡±

    I add a bit of mana to the mix, surrounding the stones with it, resonating it, and as the stones hit the two brothers, they begin to leave wounds, drawing red blood, which flows freely across their blue skin.

    It would be easy to add more mana and boost the stones with kinetic energy. Which the two, at some point, wouldn¡¯t survive.

    ¡°What do you want, crazy human?¡±

    I stop my pastime and stand up. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask some questions, you will answer them, to the best of your knowledge.¡±

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    They exchange looks, and then one of them nods, ¡°We can do that. Ask, crazy human.¡±

    ¡°Tell me more about crowns.¡± I point at the one over my head.

    I can see they want to start laughing but they hold their tongues, clearly thinking better of it.

    ¡°[Crowns] are classified as a variation of equipment type skill, crazy human. There are [Crown], [Mantle], and [Ring]. They are the most well-known, but there are more. We¡¯ve heard rumors about [Sword] and some sort of [Armor], but we haven¡¯t exactly seen them with our own eyes.¡±

    ¡°Well, we have seen [Crown] and [Mantle] but none of the others.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between [Mana Crown] and [Mana Mantle]?¡±

    ¡°We don''t know, crazy human, and I¡¯m not lying. As far as we know, [Crown] skills serve as a kind of battery while assisting with fine control over the stored aspect.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about attribute crowns, and there seem to be others like [Lightning Crown]. What are the differences?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Not much, attribute crowns allow you to store strength, dexterity, vitality, or mana. [Lightning Crown] allows you to store lightning. Attribute crowns are among the rarer types, and to get them you usually need a lot of things to come together. The requirements are generally pretty high.¡±

    His brother continues, ¡°Generally focused around certain skills, no one knows exactly which, and a high allocation of stats into mana. They also seem to be more common among those who chose Mana Amplification as their attribute upgrade.¡±

    I interrupt, ¡°They are rare for people with Regeneration and Potency?¡±

    ¡°Yes, crazy human, the system strengthens, it doesn¡¯t cover its weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°As my brother said. If you go for a lot of mana, the system gives you options for more mana. But if you go for regeneration, the system won¡¯t give you a [Mana Crown] just to cover for your weakness.¡±

    ¡°But it can happen, brother!¡±

    ¡°Yes, anything can happen, but it¡¯s rare.¡±

    ¡°What about [Mantle]?¡± I ask.

    Another voice interrupts, ¡°There you are.¡± Tess joins us, followed by the rest of Group 4 and the other groups not far behind.

    ¡°I''m gathering information.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± She nods, looking at the thylarin brothers, she doesn¡¯t say anything.

    Yet her eyes paint a clear message.

    ¡°We had to try,¡± one of the brothers says, smiling.

    ¡°And we didn¡¯t even try to hurt anyone, lightning human, we just ran away. Your friend probably told you, but we have our Pride to consider, so it¡¯s a bit difficult to be in a situation like this¡­¡±

    ¡°Tell me about [Mantle],¡± I interrupt, feeling more presences on the approach.

    ¡°It''s just a theory, but we think it forms a localized energy field that can mask the associated aspect and create phase interference to disrupt an aspect when it makes contact with the surface.¡±

    ¡°So [Mana Mantle] would help with masking your mana and disrupting external mana sources that come into contact with it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just our theory, based on some unreliable rumors we''ve heard. Crazy human, you really love to simplify things.¡±

    I throw a few more stones at them in response, and then we wait for the rest of the groups to catch up.

    <hr>

    We move ahead a few minutes later, after taking a moment to plan and for Lily to restore the bodies of our thylarin prisoners. This time though I notice she¡¯s missing a finger.

    The rocky tunnel is still giant, and at this point, I think it might be actively expanding. Even so, it¡¯s still tilted downward, so we head deeper underground, surrounded by the pitch-black darkness lit only by our skills and items, our steps and voices sounding awkward in this dark, quiet place.

    Tunnels, why do we always find ourselves in tunnels?

    The ant tunnels, the tunnels under the old capital, the tunnels on the 3rd floor, and that¡¯s without getting into the bunkers. Nearly everything cool so far has been buried underground.

    And this time, there might even be a good reason.

    After walking a few miles deeper, I start thinking that this Champion was either trapped here by an Absolute, who spent a few minutes doing this, or by a group of high-level people who had to have spent weeks or months preparing this place.

    The sand is still a mystery, and I¡¯m of the opinion that an Absolute made it. Though I could imagine a highly motivated Champion being capable of the feat.

    And I already have a few ideas on how to make use of it. Which I¡¯m stealing from the others speaking through our link.

    (Or maybe Nat could melt the white sand with thermal energy. It doesn¡¯t seem to trigger the effect, and if he turns that sand into a glass or something else, it could be usable,) Min-Jae blabbers excitedly.

    It¡¯s well along the lines of something I already thought of. Yup. I did. Long ago, even before we learned about the Mana Desert.

    Min-Jae continues, (I would love to use it for my projectiles. Maybe we could try to use one of the plates on Deathtrap, bend it, and store sand inside of it before sealing it up, air tight. We could come up with ideas to use it later or just use it as bombs against people, opening and throwing it into strong monsters.)

    Dennis giggles, (Or you could go nude and focus on physical stats while covering your body with armor infused with white sand.)

    (Wouldn¡¯t that hurt you as well?) Aaron asks.

    (Maybe?)

    (I want to make a golem out of it with the Golem heart,) Sophie suggests, gesturing at the piece of clay comprising the damaged arcane item she currently holds.

    (Fuck, that would be scary,) Dennis comments, mirroring my thoughts.

    (There is still the question of whether or not we even can bring it out of the desert,) Tess muses, throwing a damper on our excitement as she points ahead, continuing out loud, ¡°We have a few dozen dead coming up, people from Deathtrap.¡±

    One of the thylarin brothers laughs out loud, his eyes shining in the light of my orbs. Once again a little bit of mana has managed to collect inside of their bodies.

    ¡°They hoped to find treasures, items belonging to the Champion sealed here with him, perhaps they were seeking an array that would take them out of this place, maybe they thought they saw an opportunity to free the Champion and win his favor,¡± Dravos says, his smile never leaving his face.

    Drekar continues where his brother left off, but he isn¡¯t smiling, ¡°But they will find nothing. This isn¡¯t a normal prison. This place only serves one purpose. To keep the Champion here and kill him should he try to leave.¡±

    ¡°I may not have told you, humans,¡± Dravos says, casually stretching with a glow in his eyes, ¡°but if so much as a single speck of white sand touches the Champion, the entire Mana Desert will rush in to kill him. Isn''t that something?¡±

    This looks like more of a punishment than anything else. To even think of locking the Champion in this place. Leaving him to starve, unable to use his powers. Just how would it feel for someone like a Champion? Anyone who reaches that rank is a powerful person who must have spent years and years developing themselves.

    Yet there he is. Crippled, stripped of his mana, and surrounded by layers and layers of defenses designed specifically to kill him.

    So would you stay in and endure, with the futile hope that someone would find a way to help you escape? Or would you try to free yourself at the risk of ending it all?

    Well, it¡¯s an interesting thought if nothing else.

    It¡¯s also good that I¡¯ve managed to trap a single grain of white sand inside of my body, constantly charged and moving, damaging anything in its path, piercing my flesh while my passive heals me and my kinetic energy moves in a constant struggle to keep it contained.

    All in an attempt to examine it further.

    Just that single grain of sand is enough to cause no end of trouble. Even two would be too much to contain, requiring all of my attention.

    But at the same time, it¡¯s good to have it here.

    If the Champion tries anything funny, I can at least make sure he goes down with us.

 Chapter 443 - Welcome

    The passengers Tess¡¯ [Farsight] spotted were killed by a horde of monsters that seems to have surrounded us as well. Tiny bug-like things that cling to the walls and spread an invisible poison through the air.

    It''s powerful enough to slowly kill people approaching level 200 and even over it if you stay longer in it or if it''s more concentrated.

    At first, you only feel a bit lightheaded; later, you start having trouble breathing, and by the end, you find your lungs have been paralyzed and now you can¡¯t breathe. Sure, your enhanced body will allow you to survive a bit longer given its reduced need for air, but between that and your knowledge of what¡¯s to come, it only serves to prolong your suffering.

    Tess and Min-Jae work with the other groups to kill these monsters from a distance, while others hang back and disperse the poisonous clouds with wind based abilities, reducing the potential for harm through dilution.

    And so we continue. A group of 30 people or so, all making their way deeper underground to meet this shut-in Champion who¡¯s apparently been here for the last century. Step by step, we keep finding more and more corpses belonging to the other passengers.

    We eventually start seeing other groups head back the way we came, rushing to get back to the Deathtrap and the cave we started in, either in an attempt to fix the old and rusty SDAT or to hide while they wait for us to do all the work.

    They can¡¯t move Deathtrap though, not even a bit. There is not a single speck of mana remaining in the core, and all the important rooms are closed off. Heavy metal-plated doors sealing the entrances. Especially after the emergency shutdown the remaining guide and I triggered.

    I¡¯m also dead certain that the monsters will just be waiting there as well.

    The slope of the tunnel starts increasing at a steady rate as it grows ever wider, despite already being wide enough to accommodate a large building within its walls. Like tiny sparks of light, our orbs and items fly through the air, throwing light on just small pieces of it, unable to light it entirely because of the sheer size.

    I have a theory, I think the reason it¡¯s so wide is so that more sand can rush in. The thylarin brothers said a grain of sand could easily trigger the extermination protocols if the Champion were to make contact, but I can¡¯t help but think there would have to be another way to trigger it.

    What if the Champion left his cell? Or figured out a way to use mana somehow? I know that¡¯s how I would go about it if I wanted to trap something so powerful.

    Walking even deeper, we find a group of 20 people, all dead, each one sliced into dozens of pieces.

    The cuts are extremely smooth and clean, and it looks like it all happened at once. I keep my orb floating over the bodies and create another, moving it a bit further down the corridor before taking a seat. The others follow my lead, observing from a distance and trying to discern the cause of the carnage before us.

    I sense Izzy and Sophie seeking out any living beings. Tess is scanning with her eyes and Min-Jae uses his eye, seeking out any shifts in the local gravity. He said that everybody should have the tiniest gravitational field, so he should be able to see it with his yellow eye. He hasn¡¯t been able to do it yet, but he keeps trying nonetheless.

    ¡°We¡¯re all going to die down here.¡± The guide cries plopping down on the ground next to me.

    His face still bears an expression of exhaustion, tiredness, bags under his eyes, messy hair.

    ¡°Want to try to fly Deathtrap?¡± I ask him curiously.

    ¡°We can¡¯t.¡± He says, resolutely shaking his head and burying his face in his hands. ¡°The SDAT was made like that on purpose. Yes, for a while, you can control it with two people, maybe one, but then the ship starts its checks, and if there aren¡¯t three people at the controls, it will stop flying.¡±

    ¡°Could you modify it?¡±

    ¡°Given a few weeks? Probably yes, but actually no. I can¡¯t talk about it any more, but if I tried to modify it, I would die.¡±

    ¡°Worst case, I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± I shrug my shoulders.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t solve our problem with mana.¡±

    ¡°Yup, you are right.¡±

    Our conversation ends with that, and I go back to looking for whatever killed the other passengers.

    Unfortunately, Tess beats me to it. ¡°Threads, there are spider-like threads stretched out across the tunnel and more below.¡±

    By way of demonstration, she reaches out with her [Psychokinesis] and grabs a severed leg. She lifts it up and to the right, at which point it splits in two, cut by an impossibly thin and strong thread, almost without resistance. At least that¡¯s what I think is happening.

    Though that does beg the question, what if someone with a very high constitution or high levels of body strengthening tried to walk through, would they be able to tear these threads apart? Logically, it should be possible.

    I watch as they find the thread closest to us and test different stuff against it. They try cutting into it with a weapon, and most of the time the weapon loses, the only thing that seems to work without damaging the items are weapons of mid epic and higher rarity. Disruption skills don¡¯t work either, of course, the threads clearly weren¡¯t made with mana. You can¡¯t even sense them with mana senses.

    Fire seems to work well against them, it just needs to be concentrated a bit and the thread will burn. A serious weakness, but understandable.

    We loot the bodies for anything worthwhile and continue deeper.

    The groups under Famir and Heryd the vyssari lose two members, to a thread they missed and by moving too far to the side. One of them doesn¡¯t die instantly and screams begging Lily to heal him. She even moves to help him, but Tess grabs her shoulder and holds her back. She whispers something into our healer¡¯s ear, and the man dies a few seconds later.

    They loot his body, and we continue.

    Ten minutes later, we find ourselves approaching a bridge. It¡¯s just wide enough for a single person to cross and stretches far, far into the distance. I launch a small thermal orb right over it, and it is impossibly straight, and Tess continues to watch long after the tiny speck of light disappears.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Our best estimate places the distance at a few miles.

    The structure of this bridge alone makes me more nervous than the threads before, more even than our ever-decreasing mana reserves and the dangers ahead.

    The bridge is made out of stone, but there are no support pillars under it. It¡¯s as thick as a person and a bit wider, and the only supports are the anchor points where we stand and the other side.

    And yet it still holds strong. Tess and Min-Jae grab some huge stones and launch them far ahead, where they crash solidly into the middle of the bridge, resulting in no damage at all. The bridge doesn¡¯t even shake, despite the stones being heavier than six men combined. And to top it all off the only thing to either side of the bridge is a pit of darkness, yawning below, an almost liquid sort of darkness that refuses to be driven back by our skills, and items.

    Any light that touches it doesn¡¯t pierce deeper, but the stones we throw in fall for almost 20 seconds. Min-Jae puts the estimate at around a mile deep.

    Of course, I could fly, I could use kinetic energy to move myself to the other side.

    But I don¡¯t.

    Together with the others, I step on the bridge and walk carefully.

    The bridge doesn¡¯t shake, there are no monsters popping up, there are no other traps. Even so, my heart is beating wildly.

    Step after step, our group of thirty odd people quietly traverse the narrow bridge. No one says a word. No one makes a sound.

    I can fly. I repeat to myself. I¡¯m superhuman and there are dozens of ways I could survive the fall. I could use an anchor, I have my mana arms, and I have kinetic energy. I could even survive the landing, using my skills to slow my fall. But for some stupid, illogical reason, my heart won¡¯t stop trying to jump out of my chest.

    I shouldn¡¯t be afraid, but I feel fear, and I¡¯m savoring that feeling.

    One of Heryd¡¯s vyssari falls down. He just loses his balance and screams, immediately disappearing into the darkness under the bridge.

    We can hear his voice as he falls for the next 20 seconds, growing steadily quieter, and then there is a thump and silence.

    Then something starts eating the body.

    We shouldn¡¯t be hearing it from this distance, and yet we can. As audibly as if the beast were right next to us. A wet noise of a sharp maw tearing still-warm flesh and slurping on the blood. We hear bones snapping and something akin to slurping noises.

    When it finally does stop a few seconds later, I know the body is gone. And we continue over the bridge slower than before. Quieter than before.

    By the time we reach the middle of the bridge, the darkness surrounding it reaches our knees. That¡¯s the best way I can describe it. It¡¯s not smoke, it¡¯s not a skill, it¡¯s certainly nothing physical I could sense. Our lights stop being able to pierce it.

    The bridge that was already narrow is now gone, invisible to us, the stone under our feet the only reminder that it is still there.

    Our small expedition stops and I can feel something touching my feet, something I can¡¯t see or sense. There is no mana, no heat, no kinetic energy in the movement.

    A scream breaks out somewhere behind me, and another member of the expedition falls into the darkness below.

    Twenty seconds. Thump.

    More sounds of tearing flesh, and snapping bones.

    Then quiet.

    Someone laughs maniacally and launches a bombardment of attacks into the darkness below us.

    Nothing changes.

    Around half of the expedition turns around to leave.

    Those that stay are the members of group 4, Dravos, Drekar, Kallus, Heryd with some of his group, and Famir along with the bulk of his.

    ¡°Let¡¯s continue,¡± Tess says, her calm voice ringing out in the darkness, just before she jumps into the air, leaping over several other members of our expedition.

    She lands gently in front of everyone, on the narrow bridge that is now invisible. Just a small deviation, and she would be falling down.

    Silence reigns.

    I can fly, Tess can fly. There are dozens of ways to survive this. I remind myself of that once more. But something feels off.

    Everyone here is either approaching level 200 or well over. So why did those people just fall? Why weren¡¯t their reflexes quick enough to grab the bridge? How could that happen when they can bulldoze through most buildings. Hell, some of them could probably destroy entire cities.

    And yet they still managed to fall from the bridge?

    Something touches my feet again, it feels like a wave washing over my feet, like a myriad of snakes crawling over my legs.

    Everyone seems to be feeling the same sensations too, some swing their weapons at whatever it is.

    They hit nothing.

    We continue to walk much slower, everyone takes step after step, feeling for the edge before committing to a step. Our progress slows to a crawl, but we continue all the same.

    Tess refuses to tell us how far we have to reach the end, so with no other choice, we walk.

    No one else falls, and we reach the opposite side of the bridge.

    Having finally reached the other side, we turn to look back the way we came, the darkness has retreated back under the bridge which still stands, just as solid as before.

    I etch that view into my memory. A narrow stone footbridge lit by my orbs, and the darkness below, the pitch black depths looming as if they were waiting to consume the light.

    We turn our backs and continue.

    There are no more monsters, no doors, no traps, and like that, we reach the center of this place and light it as much as possible.

    Once again we find ourselves on a massive platform, surrounded by the same darkness as before. We throw a few stones into it. They fall for 20 seconds just like they did before, only to be swallowed by the silence.

    We cross that darkness on another footbridge, this time much shorter. Only a tenth of the one from before. No one dies this time.

    The platform is extremely big and circular. The surface is made of a dark blue metal leaning towards black. It¡¯s extremely smooth, there are no cracks, no imperfections. It almost looks alien. The platform has three bridges branching off into a series of different tunnels, including the one we used. It¡¯s likely that there were three entrances we could have taken - and the Deathtrap happened to fly into the closest.

    In the exact center of the platform is a massive, perfectly round hole cut cleanly into the metallic surface. The edges are unnaturally smooth and precise as if they had been made by something far beyond anything we know. The sides are smooth and polished, plummeting straight down, its depths seeming to rival the height of a fifteen-story building.

    We can see the bottom, where the light reflects faintly off the same alien material, giving it an unsettling, mirrored look.

    And there sits a single man, his back resting against the wall.

    He¡¯s looking up. Not just in an effort to see out of the hole either, he¡¯s looking straight at us even before we look over the edge.

    The man has blue skin, but this thylarin has six arms, instead of the normal 4. Or he would''ve, were 5 of them not reduced to a set of short stumps poking from his white clothes.

    He smiles at us and waves his remaining hand.

    ¡°Welcome,¡± he says, his voice calm and oddly soothing.

 Chapter 444 - Lord Champion

    "If you truly understood what this place was, you wouldn¡¯t be standing so close to the edge," the Champion states in warning.

    Something in his voice makes all of us instinctively take a half step back.

    He continues, "You¡¯re not the first to visit. The others¡­ well, let¡¯s just say they were less interesting." A wry smile dominates his face as he manages to look casual despite sitting trapped in a hole.

    There¡¯s something about his voice, about that confidence that makes me nervous, but I seem to be in a better state than the others. I¡¯ve met people much more powerful than the man down there.

    Even so, I must never underestimate him. Not even for a moment.

    His current state might be similar to Niall''s when I met her, they may have crippled him before throwing him in that hole. But, given the smallest opportunity, he would be more than capable of killing us all.

    ¡°Do you remember us, Lord Champion? We were candidates to be your disciples,¡± Dravos shouts, stepping before me and pulling his brother closer.

    The Champion''s eyes move over them for a short moment before he smiles gently and continues in the same soothing voice, ¡°Dravos and Drekar, right? Your father was a Champion candidate before he died.¡±

    ¡°Yes! It''s an honor you remember someone as low as us!¡± Drekar responds, seeming excited, ¡°We have come here to offer our services should you require them. As you can imagine, it was a difficult journey.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate your efforts, young Dravos and Drekar, but who are the people you¡¯ve got with you?¡±

    ¡°We are the ones who got pulled into all of this when these two were trying to reach you,¡± Tess says, interrupting the brothers.

    The thylarin''s eyes glance at her crown before settling on her face, ¡°And what is your plan, young human?¡±

    ¡°We have been stranded by a storm. In the meantime, we have decided to check our options.¡±

    ¡°Am I one of these options?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I hope you understand. It''s something we need to think about with care, we can''t make any moves before we know the risks.¡±

    He nods, ¡°What if the brothers have decided to help me on their own?¡±

    ¡°I will stop them.¡±

    ¡°Just you?¡±

    ¡°It would be my decision, and in the event you escape anyway, I would like to be the sole bearer of your wrath.¡± As Tess says these words, I know she means them. They carry that peculiar undertone of a [Declaration].

    The Champion tilts his head, the faintest flicker of amusement crossing his face, as though Tess¡¯s bold statement stirred something in him.

    There¡¯s a tension in the air, a quiet reminder of the power he holds even in this state. His eyes linger on Tess just a moment longer before he finally speaks, ¡°I¡¯m curious, young human. What do you see when you look at me? Do you see a prisoner, or something more?¡±

    ¡°Are you not a prisoner?¡±

    I watch him carefully as Tess asks, looking for any sign of annoyance as she responds with a question of her own rather than answering his. I find none.

    ¡°I am, indeed,¡± he smiles at her. ¡°But young human, you are not the first to come here. Some wanted my help, others wanted my knowledge and guidance. Sometimes, out of boredom, I have fulfilled these requests. And yet here I am.¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t think we can get you out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the two brothers, as charming as they are, lack the means to release me. But within your group, there are a few who have a small chance of achieving it - with my guidance, of course.¡±

    ¡°And you won¡¯t tell us who they are?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. I apologize.¡±

    ¡°Then allow us to talk among ourselves before we decide our next steps.¡±

    ¡°Do as you wish, young human.¡± He says, leaning back, his movements unhurried, as if this conversation were merely a passing amusement.

    As we walk away from the hole, dragging the thylarin brothers behind us, the Champion calls after us, "It¡¯s amusing, really, watching people make the same mistakes over and over, but perhaps you will be different?" He then laughs shortly and quietly.

    The meaning of these words stays behind with him.

    (What now? This fucker seems almost too confident, is he acting though?) Sophie asks, opening the discussion.

    (First things first, be careful what you say. We can''t be sure he¡¯s not listening in somehow. Nat, Sophie, how sure can you be that we are not being listened to?) Tess asks.

    (I can¡¯t be sure,) I shrug. (The Cockroach wouldn¡¯t have had any trouble, and a Sub-Champion specialist could probably pull it off, so who knows. Try using Community as much as you can. Oh, and I wanna chat with the guy alone for a bit, I¡¯ll rejoin you on the other side of the bridge later.)

    With that said, I temporarily cut off the connection and turn around, leaving the rest of the group behind.

    My steps feel weird on this metallic material as I head back to the hole. But as I observe the white grain of sand move around inside me, I start to wonder who he thinks might be capable of helping him.

    The main suspect is me, given that I have the most mana and primordial energies that can ignore the sand. Then we have Biscuit with his primordial energy and Tess for the same reason. Then maybe Sophie? Min-Jae perhaps, maybe his eye would be useful? Hell, maybe he meant some other passenger? There are quite a few options.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you,¡± the same soothing voice sounds from down there as I plop on the edge of the hole, staring down at him, but still making sure to not move too close.

    ¡°What happened to your arms?¡±

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°I used them as fuel for my body in my early attempts to escape. Judging by the state of your left arm, you might understand my willingness to sacrifice them.¡±

    I glance at my pale left arm and then back at him, ¡°Yeah. Do you want me to call you Lord Champion and all that stuff?¡±

    ¡°Do whatever you find most fitting.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. Am I one of the people who could help you escape?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the one with the second greatest likelihood.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do if you get out?¡±

    ¡°First, I would reward Dravos and Drekar. They show promise, so I might even consider taking them on as disciples for a time.¡±

    ¡°No such offer for me?¡±

    His eyes glint with a light I can see even at this great distance. Light from my orb reflected in the polished walls of that dark blue metal the hole is made of.

    ¡°You, young human, are taken by someone far more terrifying than I ever was.¡±

    ¡°And how do you know that?¡±

    "There are things you can¡¯t even begin to comprehend yet. But don¡¯t worry, I can guide you without taking your master¡¯s place¡­I just need you to offer something in exchange."

    ¡°And if I refuse?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pick someone else instead.¡±

    ¡°No threats?¡±

    He shakes his head with a soft smile and shifts slightly. His blue body moving under the white clothes, showing off his emaciated body below it all.

    ¡°Now, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to rest. Speak with your companions and decide your next course of action. But be warned - my prison holds greater dangers than you¡¯ve seen so far. If you¡¯re not careful, you¡¯ll regret it.¡±

    As I turn to leave, his voice calls out once more, ¡°And before you go, remember - sleep in this place comes with a price.¡±

    <hr>

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - we should leave the guy.

    I send as I walk across the bridge connecting the round platform to the other side.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) - don''t fall asleep either. I don''t know why, but he said to avoid it, and something about this place makes me want to accept that little piece of advice despite everything else.

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - we should be able to go without sleep for a few days, probably for a week or two if need be.

    Soph (Hell, group 4) - I keep checking just in case, but I don''t think he¡¯s using mind manipulation or anything. By the way, Nat, did you notice anything about how weird that hole is?

    StrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - even I thought it felt weird!

    Sset (Hell, group 4) - for now, we¡¯ll be using the Community to speak. There is a limit and some information might get censored, but consider our link compromised. I don''t know how he could pull it off, but we shouldn''t underestimate him.

    Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - that sounds like a good idea!

    NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - how do you like the 6th floor so far?

    NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - he¡¯s probably had his ass kicked in a few times by now.

    NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - surely

    Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - Gary is doing some scary stuff again, I¡¯m just enjoying the view. I might just hire him as a bodyguard once I start building my kingdom.

    NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - oh? Not building your harem anymore?

    Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - maybe during the second tournament. I''m kind of a big shot, am I not? I did place well in the tournament duels after all.

    In an effort to conserve my time, I disconnect from the Community, reconnecting with group 4 with one last boost of kinetic energy. Tess is there already, telling others that they shouldn''t be sleeping right now, and making sure to emphasize the potentially terrifying consequences of doing so.

    I watch as everyone listens to her, and supported by Famir and Heryd, she doesn''t seem to have much difficulty getting them to step in line. Even the thylarin brothers agree the only problem seems to be our last guide who only seems to want to lie down and sleep, but even he takes it seriously refusing to fall asleep.

    I, meanwhile, survived 2 weeks without sleep, and it went quite well. Although the exhaustion and constant training towards the end, caused me to forget that I had lost a few limbs along the way, but other than that, it wasn''t so bad.

    Knowing what needs to be done, I reach Maya and tap her shoulder, distracting her from her conversation with Sophie.

    ¡°Are you still up for giving me a beating?¡±

    At that, her face lights up with what¡¯s probably the biggest smile I''ve ever seen on her face.

    <hr>

    In the end, I end up calling in the twins to help, thinking they might be eager to get some revenge for their treatment on the first floor.

    And of course, they were.

    So with my unique epic, our group moves to the side, and our experiments start, here in this colossal dark tunnel of a prison for the human equivalent of a hydrogen bomb, which is sitting in a hole nearby.

    I create batons made of mana, manabloc batons if you will, which they use to lash my thighs. I think the thigh bone is supposed to be the strongest one in the human body, so it feels weirdly logical.

    As I take my beating, I come to realize that it isn''t even all that painful. Sure, the blows do sting, but without access to body strengthening, they can only use the power of their bodies.

    Maya and Lily probably have the highest physical stats in the group, followed by Tess and the twins, then Sophie and Izzy, and me firmly in last.

    Maybe I still come out higher with all my free stats from Active Tempering and my use of the Restrictive Training Emblem, which I still refuse to check. There will be plenty of time to process my disappointment later.

    So it¡¯s possible that my actual stats are on par with Tess and the twins if not just below? Maybe higher? I could ask them, but given that I refuse to check my stats, it doesn''t really make sense.

    To be honest, I should have realized it a bit sooner, but this unique passive of mine might be even better than I thought. And that¡¯s saying a lot considering I already thought it was pretty ¡°broken¡± as the twins would say. It replenishes my mana, allows me to ignore physical damage from blunt force, and weakens blows when they get to be too much for the passive. How crazy is that?

    The fact that the word Unique appears in the description says a lot. I made this passive by combining two upper grade epics, and it was tailored just for me. A unique passive, as the name says, implies that either no one else has it, or if they do, it¡¯s extremely rare.

    Of course, the mana isn¡¯t truly free, the source of the kinetic energy flowing through me is the bodies of my group members. It¡¯s a resource they¡¯ll need to replenish by resting and consuming food and water. But they aren¡¯t using mana to do it, so in the end, I think it''s going to be worth it.

    It might feel like a drop in the bucket, but I want to have as much mana available as possible and I need to keep my primordial energies in my vortex core topped off as well.

    As we go about this, conversations continue around us, but in the end, we still decide to go back to the ship and use its sensors to get an estimate of the storm¡¯s duration. And then we¡¯ll consider our options when it comes to modifying the ship and leaving.

    Dravos and Drekar do not like it, but according to the Champion, they are unable to help him get out. He might be lying though so who actually knows, still, there is no way I¡¯m going to let them free the guy.

    The problem is that I''m sure he can still cause a lot of trouble, even in his current state.

 Chapter 445 - Stranded

    Our trek across the bridge goes much the same as before - we get the same uneasy feeling and the same liquid darkness below, with something seeming to reach out and caress our feet. This time, no one dies, having experienced it before seems to have helped. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that when we cross, everyone exhales, clothes sticking to their bodies, covered in cold sweat.

    We reach the SDAT and kill a few monsters along the way. Spiders mostly, as they spin those thin and powerful threads. Most of them are well into the 200s and tend to be the sneaky type, preferring to trap their opponents. Their main strategy tends to revolve around the many types of threads they weave into their webs.

    There are, of course, the ones that can cut you apart, should you walk into them, though they¡¯re extremely tough they don¡¯t hold up well against fire.

    Then there are the ones coated in a terrible toxin that rots through your skin on contact.

    And rarely, we encounter a thicker thread, that seems to have the sole purpose of being impossible to get rid of without cutting away any clothes and skin they come into contact with. The sticky ones also are usually the longest and tend to hang freely from surfaces, entangling you further as you struggle.

    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 261]

    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 269]

    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 233]

    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 241]

    [Lvl 260 > Lvl 261]

    For me, they¡¯re not much trouble, and once I¡¯ve managed to locate a few early on, I know what to look for and find it trivial to snipe them down from a safe distance.

    The webs are a different matter. And everyone, including me, has trouble detecting them given their near transparency, there is no mana in them, and most of them are razor thin.

    Sophie is working on improvements to her web that should make it easier to find them, and I watch her progress eagerly, ready to steal her ideas and try to implement it into my scans.

    Along the way, we find a few bodies, either cut apart or rotted to mush, we even a few even tangled in the web, glued to the stone of the walls, still alive and unable to move.

    The web clings viciously to any and everything, and pulling it down tears flesh; burning it is even worse. The web seems to emit some strange substance when it burns, causing extreme pain.

    It''s an unusually nasty thing, even with our broad range of experience, we never come up with an easy way to remove it without causing even more harm.

    The man we free dies on our way back, succumbing to his wounds and shock, and likely whatever toxin was in the thread.

    We could have let Lily heal him, or she could have use [Disintegration] to destroy the web at a high cost to her mana. It''s possible I could have done something with my [Resonance] or Izzy¡¯s unique application of flame and subclass could have spared the man his burns while we removed the thread.

    Yet we didn''t.

    We leave the body behind for the monsters to eat. But we don''t forget to poison it with a skill from one of Famir''s men with the hope that some of the monsters will be just dumb enough to eat it and weak enough to die from the poison.

    <hr>

    A few hours later, we¡¯ve set up for another round of beating from Maya and the twins, even Tess gets a few hits in this time.

    It might be only me, but they seem to be getting bored of it, well, maybe except Maya, who seems intrigued, trying out a variety of techniques, and asking which ones net me the most mana.

    I oblige, and she keeps changing her stance, and I notice a slight difference in her attacks. She¡¯s still only using the pure strength of her body. Sometimes she also asks me to stand up and tries to target different areas.

    Seeing her progress, I think some of these attacks would cause damage if she uses her mana, and if she used her [Boost], she could probably hurt me. Her [Boost] in combination with [Focus] seems to make for a great combo, not just for massive armors.

    We¡¯ve warned people not to fall asleep, but some already had before we got back, and we weren''t able to wake them up. They still seem to be sleeping, but it¡¯s creepy. They do not shift, they breathe calmly, and they do not react to the pain or Sophie''s mind-blending efforts.

    The cause of their state is a mystery; we couldn¡¯t find a single hint.

    There aren''t many passengers left either. I think there were around 200 of us in total when we got here, and now it''s closer to 100.

    Yes, some went to explore underground before our small expedition went after them, but that still doesn¡¯t account for all the missing. They¡¯ve just disappeared, no one knows where they went, and no one¡¯s brave or curious enough to go and look for them.

    Deathtrap is their safe haven. The old rusty Sand-Defensive Air Transport even fell on its side with a big hole in it. It¡¯s just laying there in this huge cavern that we can''t even light fully and no one can be bothered or seems to have the will to waste mana doing so.

    So it''s dark in here.

    With a bit of help from Kallus, we reactivate some of Deathtrap''s systems and check the storm. There are some calculations running in the background, I think they¡¯ve stored a huge amount of data in one of the mana stones, data about the previous storms Deathtrap collected, compared to the current one, and then Kallus does some calculations as well. Something they taught them in Guide kindergarten or who knows where.

    The storm will last at least for a week with a possibility of it lasting over a month.

    I don''t think people are happy about it in the least, and when we tell them, a good number of them scream and shout, their faces pale. They¡¯re terrified and they really don''t want to stay here.

    Some try to force us to leave, some even come to me begging and crying, offering up their items and bodies to me if I would only save them, knowing that I''m probably the one with the highest mana and that I¡¯ve powered Deathtrap before.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    I leave, and when they try to stop me, I shove them against the walls using a bit of kinetic energy. One of them shouts after me, screaming that I will die here with the rest of them, their voice full of spite.

    Heading out of Deathtrap, I think about those words.

    How would I feel if I died down here?

    I¡¯d like to think it would happen only after I¡¯d expended all my options, after I gave it my all, and tried everything I could. I¡¯d also like to think I would die satisfied, knowing there was nothing more I could have done.

    Would I regret not making different decisions? Maybe not heading here at all? Storing more mana or acting differently to avoid whatever killed me?

    I think I would probably blame my past self a bit, but that''s it.

    These are just my thoughts based on how well I know myself, so I can''t be completely sure yet. But I was close to experiencing something like that, so it probably isn''t too far off.

    And I''m sure I wouldn''t go down easily - I''d be spitting, scratching, clawing, and biting until the very end, probably missing my left arm with my organs spilling out.

    I reach Sophie and drop into a squat next to her, her item lighting the small area around us. It¡¯s a small floating cube, powered by a small mana stone, only there to serve as a mana battery. It''s a pretty cool item, and it can change the focus of the light, making it weaker to light a bigger area or it can concentrate that light onto a smaller area. It can also shine into the distance or provide a softer, more localized illumination.

    I also know Sophie would like to make an item like that that would be useful for Izzy and her fire. It''s a good idea, and I''m already taking some notes from that curious item to use with my thermal energy.

    ¡°You wanted to say something, but then you didn''t and got enamored with that cheap Light Box instead,¡± she says, rudely.

    ¡°Enamored is too strong a word, but it is a pretty cool thing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± With that, she points at a small pile of white sand that sits a safe distance from us. The ¡°Golem Heart can''t control it, unfortunately. If the item was fixed and modified? Maybe it could.¡±

    ¡°I think it makes sense if the sand was created to kill a Champion, it might be too much even for a fully restored Golem Heart. It''s just an arcane item, most likely low arcane, even before it was damaged.¡±

    ¡°Only arcane,¡± she giggles. ¡°I disagree there, I think it would have been capable of containing at least a few dozen grains of sand, maybe hundreds or more, if I could combine it with my skills.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think that?¡±

    ¡°I have a suspicion that each grain of sand might be a separate construct, too intricate for us to examine at this point, but I think given a few months I could make some changes to the Golem Heart and ''steal'' some sand for my use.¡±

    ¡°The problem is how do we store it. Do we try Min-Jae''s idea? Take some of the protective plating from Deathtrap, twist it, add in a mana battery to keep it powered, and then store the sand inside?¡± I ask.

    Sophie nods, ¡°I think it could work, but maybe we double up the layers and add a few backup power sources? If the white sand got out by a mistake, it could end terribly.¡±

    ¡°Triple layers and we might not even need mana to power it if we sealed it properly. And at least three containers: one bigger and better sealed, one for you to experiment on with a small number of grains, and an even smaller one for me to examine, I just want to play with it a bit.¡±

    ¡°That could work, what do you want to use it for?¡±

    ¡°My bones? My heart? Maybe I¡¯ll find a way to develop a new skill or improve an existing one. It could also help me improve my crafting. Sometime in the next day or two, I want to try melting some of the sand. It might be possible to form it into the shape of a weapon, and in that solid state, it wouldn¡¯t be able to move and attack you. If its properties don¡¯t change too much, you might even be able to use your mana to charge it.¡±

    ¡°Wasn''t that Kim''s idea?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I thought of it first.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I see.¡±

    ¡°Yup, I¡¯ll either make these blue brothers prepare some forms for me and move it, or I get them to teach me how to get mana off my clothes and do it on my own, but that would still cost the mana I would need to use to stabilize my crown and leave it behind.¡±

    ¡°Let me know, I would love to see how they did that.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± I nod.

    With that, Sophie continues to stare at the small piles of white sand while absentmindedly playing with the piece of clay that is Golem Heart.

    ¡°Nat,¡± she calls quietly after a while.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t speak to the Champion again. Maybe we could destroy the bridge so no one can. Izzy¡¯s terrified of him, and she feels like there¡¯s something else here with us.¡±

    ¡°I agree with you for the most part. But let''s keep the bridge for now, just ask Tess to have someone guard the path leading to.¡±

    ¡°I will. Thank you.¡±

    <hr>

    Two days pass and no one goes too far away from Deathtrap, and that might be the only reason no one else dies. Well, other than the ones who fell asleep. The ones with the lowest levels die in their sleep; we never did manage to wake them. The cause of death is unknown.

    There are also more and more monsters crawling in the darkness around Deathtrap. Dozens and hundreds of monsters, patrolling in groups. Grymlok Spiders place their threads all over the place. The smaller monsters keep releasing their poisonous smoke.

    We¡¯re avoiding using mana as much as we can. Plenty of people with higher physical stats just throw rocks at the monsters, it tends to be enough to kill or seriously wound them.

    For some reason, I find it funny just how effective the primitive tactic turns out to be.

    I also keep getting my daily dose of beating. At this point, I think most of the passengers at least suspect what it¡¯s for, but the mana I''m getting outweighs the risk of them knowing.

    And now, Sophie, Dravos, Drekar, Izzy, Min-Jae, the twins, Noodle, Biscuit, and I are all grouped, a good distance away from the mold we managed to prepare and fill with white sand.

    The mold is something Min-Jae and Tess made using their skills. A formed and twisted piece of metal. There are also a few wires of mana-conductive metal placed in between the sand that fills the form. The wires have some basic inscriptions on them, but we don''t know how much of them will survive the heat.

    The weapon we came up with is a spear, a long inscribed metal rod I made. At the end of that rod, sits a mold filled with sand and inscribed wire, with the purpose of forming the blade of the spear out of the molten sand.

    It''s the first attempt, so I don''t expect it to end well; and then there are the haters who, if they knew, would be there screaming at us for doing this in the situation we find ourselves in. They can screw off.

    I let out a concentrated stream of golden energy and point it at the mold.

    Just like all the times before, the white sand fails to react to the primordial energy, and I gradually, over the next few minutes, narrow the stream and increase the heat.

    The white sand slowly rises to temperature, glowing a bright, hot, red, but it takes longer than expected but it does eventually melt. It takes quite a bit of thermal energy, but at this point, it''s just too late to stop.

    So I continue, and over the following minutes, the sand starts melting just as it reaches a white-hot glow. The texture of the sand changes, oozing from its gritty and granular state to a more viscous and glass-like pool. Small bubbles form and pop as trapped air escapes, and more than anything, it begins to remind me of burning hot lava.

    My golden flames light the area, and the heat can be felt even from this distance.

    The final result is a pool of molten, glowing, liquid glass that shimmers in shades of yellow and white. It¡¯s at this point that I cut off the flames, and the area darkens once more without their illumination, the only light comes from the molten sand and Sophie''s lightbox.

    The molten white sand solidifies into glass in the form as it cools, its surface rough and irregular. To be honest, it''s ugly as hell.

    Mana-Reactive Spear (Upper Epic) - This spear ignores mana-based defenses and absorbs mana on impact, sharpening its edge against physical armor and barriers. It becomes progressively more effective with each moment it absorbs mana, but if pushed too far, it will shatter explosively, scattering a mist of fine, cutting particles capable of causing great harm over a wide area.

    But as I look at the finished weapon, I have to wonder. What would happen if I stabbed the Champion with it? Would the altered sand forming its blade activate the fail safes in this place?

 Chapter 446 - Can you promise?

    The question I have is how the spear compares to voidsteel and weapons made of it? Maybe voidsteel is a better option for physical threats and this will turn out to be a better option for mana based threats.

    I also feel just the tiniest bit cheated. Yes, in the moment of naivety, I had hoped for an arcane item because of the base I used. But damn, that''s kind of dumb, I still have trouble understanding the damaged arcane items I already have so I clearly should have checked my expectations. Just the fact that it''s an upper epic item, even accounting for my rushed preparations and janky methods, should be enough for me.

    I need to make a few hundred more of them after all of this is over. The system will probably limit me somehow, because of course it will, but I should be able to get a good number of shards out of it.

    Tess seems to be liking it and as she reads the description I know she¡¯s thinking along the same lines as me. This could easily be turned into a weapon of mutual destruction against the Champion. Just overcharging it or break on impact would be enough.

    That silly blonde doesn''t even ask and does some [Declaration] thingy and after that, she moves the spear around her, testing its weight and feel.

    Well, I don''t entirely mind anyways, I picked this shape specifically for her.

    I turn my attention to the remaining forms and charge my thermal energy again.

    The process goes much the same as before but knowing the melting temperature and process from before speeds the process along and soon enough we have both items completed.

    It likely cost me most of the mana, converted to thermal energy, that I¡¯ve gained from my beatings. Though I do wind up with two more spears. One for Min-Jae and another for me to examine.

    I still am not fully satisfied with the result because of one glaring mistake. The blades are made of glass that is probably tough but I don''t think it''s indestructible and if it breaks or absorbs too much mana it could end up being a danger to its wielder.

    Well, we here in group 4 like to live dangerously, but even with such a glaring flaw the items do qualify as upper epic. I really need to take as much as we can later.

    As I''m examining my weapon Min-Jae moves closer, he glances at the spear, twin to the one in his hand, and then at me.

    ¡°Doesn''t this entire situation remind you of something?¡± he asks me.

    ¡°The tunnels under the old capital on the 4th floor?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly that.¡±

    ¡°Maybe a little bit,¡± I agree with him, but with a part of my mind, I start making small changes to inscriptions while repairing the ones that broke during the ¡°crafting¡± process.

    ¡°It''s weird to see how differently we¡¯re handling things now,¡± Min-Jae continues. To me, he sounds a bit proud of the progress. ¡°Back then these days in darkness would have been terrible and I remember how scared I was. I''m scared now too, but at the same time, I feel more confident.¡±

    I pause my work for a moment, ¡°How do you think things would have gone if we had gone through the old capital with our current levels?¡±

    ¡°We would have probably burned the tree to the ground.¡± He smirks confidently.

    I feel amused by his answer and tell him, ¡°I think you would die.¡±

    He stares at me, unblinking and I see how he squeezes the spear in his hand so I explain, ¡°You think that just because you¡¯re stronger now you¡¯d have a much easier time on earlier floors and that¡¯s partially true. You could find an easy way to clear the floor quest with your current powers. But on each floor, we went through something fucked up and our decisions made it more difficult than was necessary.¡±

    Finishing up my adjustments to the spear¡¯s inscriptions I turn to face him, ¡°I know hundreds of people who would have wiped the floor with me on the second floor. From the second floor, The Last King and his warrior supported by that healing aura would cause me trouble even now. The First One, The Matriarch, The Living Tree would be fully capable of killing me if I got unlucky or they got the drop on me. Even on the 5th floor, there are enemies I still know could kill me, that I would need to put my life on the line just to have a chance of defeating them.¡±

    Min-Jae quietly asks, ¡°Don''t you hate it?¡±

    ¡°A little, but more than that I love it. Any time I start to think I''m at the top and there is nowhere to go, someone jumps out from behind a corner to fuck me and climb over me.¡±

    ¡°You may be weird but everything you say seems to have this twisted logic to it.¡±

    ¡°I know, right? Was there something else you wanted?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve probably noticed but people are starting to act weird, especially Tess and Sophie. Izzy¡¯s noticed as well, you should talk to her. I¡­¡±

    ¡°It will be fine.¡±

    ¡°Will it, Nat?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because I''m here.¡±

    ¡°Nat¡­ I think you¡¯re being affected as well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve noticed.¡±

    <hr>

    Instead of heading to Izzy right away, I spend a few more hours examining the spear I just made. I find it even more fascinating than I should and spend these hours tinkering with my inscriptions. I shape them so that I can channel mana into the spearhead and increase the cutting force of the weapon.

    Every time I do I feel the glass blade start to shake as if the sand it''s made of wants to break free and attack everything in the area, only its solid form preventing it from doing so.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    It''s almost like ethercrystal. Specifically the sword I had on the 4th floor. Its blade absorbed mana from anything it cut and used it to strengthen my body.

    It''s not exactly the same effect but it is similar enough to make me wonder if the white sand hasn¡¯t been made from ground crystals with similar properties, but that sounds crazy. There is so much of it here.

    Sophie said something even crazier too, that each grain of sand was a separate construct, every single damned grain of sand has its ¡°own will¡±, or programming.

    For the next few hours, I examine the tiny grain of sand I still hold within my body, trying to uncover its secrets. I only stop when the fighting starts and head towards the source of the racket, curiosity getting the best of me.

    A wave of not monsters, but passengers, members of our small alliance, have begun to attack our group, targeting those they see as the weaker individuals like Izzy and the boys. Their motivation seems to be blackmail and I watch as 50 or so passengers rush into our group of 20-30 members.

    For some reason, Tess is not here.

    Izzy defends herself with her flames, many of the attacks concentrating on her while the others rush to her aid.

    Before the fight can even truly start, dozens of attackers just stop, frozen mid movement before they turn their weapons on themselves.

    One woman stabs at her chest over and over with a short dagger. A thylarin concentrates his mana into a skill before jumping into the attackers, causing an explosion mid melee. A vyssari literally pulls his head off.

    But they do not call off the attack, seeing dozens of their comrades die like that only seems to galvanize them as they locate the source and turn on Sophie.

    Everyone from group 4 is clearly way above them so the attackers are being cut down before they can cause much trouble, but I also catch a sight of Famir. The Dawnslayer man who clearly has a concentration skill. His level is lower than that of the two thylarin brothers or Heryd, but he still seems extremely competent.

    From him I spot clear signs of a domain type skill as well, it seems to mess with the skill activation of others or something of the like. The man weaves through the assailants with a calm and emotionless expression, destroying anyone in his way with a series of simple and powerful strikes.

    Dravos and Drekar try to use the opportunity to escape but Sophie breaks their teleportation and Min-Jae shoots a few orbs through the duo¡äs legs, preventing them from running. He shouts something at them as they try to stand up and their bodies crumble under the immense gravity of his skill.

    The expressions they give Min-Jae are hateful. Gone is their playful nature, they even appear to be more affected than some of the others.

    None of the attackers get spared and the fight ends in a decisive win. But even that win came at the cost of ever decreasing mana reserves and a flood of monsters I can already feel beginning to occupy the area.

    I wait for a bit longer and then teleport to Izzy as she separates from the group walking back into our room which still has plenty of defenses protecting it. Teleporting there through my anchor I find her sitting on the ground with Noodle coiled around her.

    The pearl-white snake with emerald eyes isn''t currently small enough to be tied around her arm, no he is massive, enough so to almost make Izzy disappear beneath him.

    It isn''t threatening Izzy in the least. In fact, Noodle¡¯s head is gently supporting Izzy¡äs cheek while the 11y old girl sobs inconsolably.

    ¡°Hello, Dumbthaniel,¡± she says, her voice sounding weak even as she forces herself to stop crying and turns her wet eyes to me.

    ¡°Hello, Izzy. Rough day?¡± I ask, moving in closer as Noodle shifts, halving his size so that I can plop down on the ground next to her.

    ¡°It''s terrible, experiencing all these emotions. I can''t bear to feel them.¡±

    ¡°Can''t you filter them out?¡± I ask curiously.

    ¡°I can''t. He did something.¡±

    ¡°The Champion?¡±

    ¡°Yes, everyone''s emotions are amplified. Passengers, monsters, by a lot. Sophie¡¯s and Tess¡¯s the most. Yours too. I tried to help. I tried to reduce them for us but it hurts.¡± she wipes her eyes into a sleeve and hugs Noodle¡¯s head.

    ¡°So stop.¡±

    ¡°I can''t, it¡¯ll get even worse.¡±

    ¡°No, Izzy, I mean it. Stop.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Just trust me.¡±

    ¡°Tess will¡­¡±

    ¡°I know. Don''t worry, I¡¯ll make sure it works out.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± I repeat, reaching down to caress her head. She¡¯s not my ESM but it feels nice so I add a pinch of her nose, ¡°Tess deserves some of it anyways, and I think it will help her. I think It''s cute how you try to act all adult-like and responsible, but let us dumb adults deal with things for once.¡±

    Wordlessly she stares at me and I let her connect to my feelings without any defense.

    ¡°W-will it really be ok, Nat? Can you promise?¡± her hands are still shaking and I can see the desperation in her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I told you back on the 4th floor. I can''t promise, but I will do my best.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still so dumb¡­¡± she sobs.

    ¡°I hear that a lot.¡±

    <hr>

    Tess returns an hour later. She comes to the room where group 4 is, smiling brightly all the while. The spear I made, floating behind her along with several endurium javelins.

    Her crown is dimmer than before and there are a score of wounds criss crossing her body.

    She¡¯s missing a finger. A piece of flesh is torn away as she removes a bit of sticky web from her body. She breathes heavily, her limbs have been damaged by some attack or other.

    At first, everyone acts normally as she lets us tell her about everything that¡¯s happened. She listens calmly and nods, asking questions of her own and adding her thoughts and adjusts a bunch of organizational stuff.

    I watch the conversation continue until Sophie asks where she¡¯s been.

    For the first time, Tess seems to be confused and falls into silence.

    ¡°I don''t know,¡± she answers honestly, the answer seeming to surprise her as well. ¡°But it doesn''t matter. In a few hours, we¡¯re going out to explore the other two tunnels leading into the platform where the Champion¡¯s been trapped. There might be something useful or another exit. Maybe we¡¯ll even find a tunnel long enough to avoid the storm and¡­¡±

    ¡°What the fuck do you mean, Tess! It''s dangerous, we¡¯re not going out on some fucked up expedition!¡± Sophie stands up, screaming. Her mental abilities activate almost without her knowing.

    A feeling of fear washes over us, the barest touch on the mind. An ability capable of making a person do horrible things against their will.

    Tess seems confused and opens her mouth to say something but I interrupt her. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡±

    The blonde''s expression quickly changes and she smiles. ¡°Thanks, Nat.¡± she then turns to Sophie, ¡°I''m sorry if I did something you dislike. We can talk about it...¡±

    As she speaks I send a message to Sophie, through her web, (Just follow through for now. I will make sure nothing happens to Izzy.)

    I notice her clenching her teeth but she still doesn''t complain.

    I¡¯ve already decided to use this situation to my advantage, there¡¯s no need to interfere yet. I just need to let things happen and poke them in the direction I want.

    Still, it''s obvious where Tess was and who she talked to, and sooner or later I¡¯m going to need to have another talk with that guy.

 Chapter 447 - Do you wish to kill me?

    Izzy was right, everyone¡¯s emotions are being amplified and it''s fascinating to watch.

    Sophie steadily grows more protective of Izzy and much more aggressive toward anyone who tries to put her sister into the least bit of danger.

    Min-Jae is more prickly and defensive every time he finds himself in a situation that leaves him feeling like somebody¡¯s lesser.

    Aaron and Dennis distance themselves from the others, as they exchange a constant stream of messages.

    Izzy quietly endures it all while constantly glancing at me as if she needs to confirm that she still has someone to rely on. Sophie doesn''t seem to like it and her behavior towards me becomes colder.

    Lily looks like a puppy left out in the rain. Moving from person to person searching for warmth and then becoming quieter, her face darker as she finds her expectations crushed by group members who aren¡¯t acting like themselves.

    Like me, Maya seems to be handling things better. She just seems a bit lost, tossing around more awkward jokes than usual, I think the [Focus] we share allows us to endure what''s happening a bit more. Famir is also an example of that. An empty expression dominates his face as the man leads his group and takes orders from Tess.

    As for the last members of group 4, Biscuit becomes quieter, choosing not to speak most of the time and looking around with a dark purple glow in his eyes. He even begins to growl whenever anyone tries to pet him. The cute corgi seems to be distancing himself from us as if to help himself endure and avoid placing us in further danger. A truly merciful future animal overlord.

    Noodle, on the other hand, does the opposite. He behaves more like Izzy and grows extremely protective of her. His smart green eyes watching anyone that comes near.

    And so we do what Tess wants. We head onto the platform, avoiding the hole containing the Champion and entering one of two pathways.

    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 241]

    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 281]

    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 263]

    [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 231]

    ¡­

    Every time I see a monster over level 200 I try to kill it, my senses seem to be getting better at locating them as time goes on. Sometimes I do it quietly so they don''t blame me for stealing their kills.

    The twins fight on the front line with Maya and one of them gets their hand cut off by a thread Izzy should¡¯ve burned earlier.

    There is some shouting as the twins blame the little girl and Sophie defends her in turn.

    This is a truly unusual situation, everyone seems to be on edge.

    Sophie even starts shouting at Tess, who stands there calmly and lets her do it. Tess then gently touches Sophie¡¯s arm and apologizes, taking all the blame on herself as the leader.

    Tess then checks on the twin¡¯s arm and asks Lily to restore it. Even Lily, affected by whatever the Champion¡¯s been doing, hesitates, looking at me for a moment, seemingly reluctant to waste resources. In the end, though she gives in and restores the arm.

    Aaron and Dennis, noticing her hesitation, quietly leave, and I feel the constant stream of conversation between them intensify.

    More curious than before I watch it all go down. My sense of fascination grows as I see these people I¡¯ve known for a year or more act so out of character. Just a few days ago the relationships were so different.

    Everyone knows our emotions are being amplified and that seems to hold them back a little. They know the things they¡¯re feeling now shouldn¡¯t be this intense.

    But these emotions aren''t fake either, merely amplified. Their true feelings being dragged to the surface for all to see.

    ¡°This won¡¯t end well,¡± Famir says, pausing next to me for a moment. His face bearing that same expression of calm that I see in the mirror.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± I respond.

    He examines me for a while longer, ¡°You¡¯re being affected too, but you have a concentration type skill, why don''t you use it?¡±

    I ignore his question, ¡°For now, just listen to Tess.¡±

    ¡°Even if it means my death?¡±

    ¡°I''m not asking that of you. While I''m here no one will die. I will cover for Tess.¡±

    His eyes stare unblinking, as he searches my gaze for the truth in my words, nodding as he seems to find it, ¡°I will continue to do so.¡±

    With that, he leaves to tend to his group and we push deeper.

    We don¡¯t find any bridges down the new path but in their place, we find a great many more monsters. Scarabs, spiders, little poisonous snakes, and something resembling wasps.

    And we fight, often finding ourselves surrounded, depleting our low mana reserves even further, even as everyone struggles to use as little mana as possible.

    With that, I watch the improvements, as each and every member of our group is pushed to the brink and forced to fight. They remain sharp as ever, even in their amplified emotional states, their abilities do not diminish nor are they blinded enough to become liabilities.

    Though I find it interesting that not a single monster tries to attack Biscuit, they even seem to be avoiding him and the unusually quiet corgi doesn''t bother hunting them down.

    This tunnel does have one remarkable feature, other than its excess of monsters, an underground lake with its surface so impossibly still that it almost looks like a great pool of glass. The effect is ruined though when several pitch black tentacles, each one at least the length of a football field. The monster''s ugly octopus-like head soon follows its glaring red eyes settling just over the surface of the water, lit only by our floating lights.

    [Inkmire Lurker - lvl ???]

    In the dim light, the fight starts and once again I observe from a distance.

    Biscuit makes purple tentacles of his own, they grow to a size nearly matching that of the monster''s, and start pulling it out of the lake while the corgi growls with a purple shine in his eyes.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Tess''s javelins and the spear I made fly after the monster, surrounded by lightning, lodging themselves in the beast¡¯s flesh, only to be pulled back to repeat the attack.

    Everyone other than me attacks and the monster takes more and more damage. It tries to launch a burst of ink at my party only to have it blocked by Sophie¡¯s barriers when it doesn¡¯t find itself targeting one of the twins¡¯ illusions.

    Then a second one appears.

    [Inkmire Lurker - lvl ???]

    And a third.

    [Inkmire Lurker - lvl ???]

    Maya crashes into a wall, thrown by a stray attack, and covered in black ink that sizzles, dissolving her armor. Tess gets in front of her, blocking the follow up, lightning blazing around her and burning the flesh from the pitch black tentacles.

    One of the monsters freezes mid-movement, stopped by Sophie, while Min-Jae bombards it with a barrage of stalactites from the ceiling, slamming them down with immense speed.

    The other monster is busy fighting the golem Sophie made with the item I gave her, Famir acts quickly running across one of the tentacles in a mad dash for the creature¡¯s head with a calm expression on his face.

    Everyone, even the thylarin brothers are fighting.

    Lily crashes into the wall next to me with a loud thump, her neck twisted and leg bent. She falls to her knees and her neck returns to its original position with a series of loud cracks and she gets back on her feet. She notices me and looks at me, confused.

    When I wave at her she shakes her head and launches an arrow-like projectile made of [Disintegration] at a tentacle that was reaching out to grab one of the twins.

    ¡°That was one of Aaron''s illusions,¡± I note as the tentacle gets devoured by her gray mana.

    And as I speak Aaron¡¯s illusion disappears.

    ¡°Well, it would be fucking nice if they stopped chattering away on their private connection and talked to us,¡± Lily groans as her leg recovers and she charges back into the fight.

    As I watch, Tess seems to be putting in the most effort out of anyone. She defends, she attacks, she directs. She also tends to get hurt a lot. She and everyone else.

    The monsters work well together and they¡¯re tough to boot, they even have some kind of regeneration that keeps replacing their tentacles. Poisonous ink that melts mana and a tough hide. Sometimes they manipulate water, turning it into pressured streams which they use to attack and defend.

    Meanwhile, I shoot the smaller monsters trying to creep up on the sly and attack the unsuspecting fighters below. Specifically, several sneaky spiders leeches sticking to the walls, and piranha-like fish below the surface of the lake.

    Hundreds and hundreds of them, each one over level 200.

    And the group below wins, in the end, the last Inkmire Lurker finally being finished by a blow from one of Tess''s javelins.

    While they rest I watch our group, especially Tess who seems satisfied with the result while the others lick their wounds.

    I can say that one or two fights like that and most will be tapped out of mana. Yet Tess still doesn''t seem to be satisfied, there is that glint in her eyes as she talks to people, sharing feedback, getting feedback. Planning what to do next.

    Partially I see Tess in that behavior, but that¡¯s not the Tess I know. Her emotions are amplified to the point where she feels like a caricature of herself. And she doesn''t seem to realize to the same extent as the others, likely because of her contact with the Champion. That time when she broke the rule she set.

    She then sits on the side and takes care of herself. The others revel in the satisfaction of winning the fight, taking a moment to celebrate, their dark emotions temporarily pushed to the side.

    I think I know Tess well enough to know what she wants and what she¡¯s hoping to accomplish. No thanks to the time we spent together before the tutorial, though I¡¯ve learned a lot in the year we¡¯ve been here. So I think I¡¯ll just let it be for now.

    Tess, even in her current state, probably realizes what''s going on with her emotions to some degree, and for some twisted reason has decided to lean into it while relying on me to take care of anything that falls through the cracks.

    And I will, but I¡¯ll do it my way.

    (Sophie,) I call, opening the private channel between myself and the green-eyed young woman. (It was Tess who got the guide killed and got us stuck here.)

    After that I leave the tunnel and quickly head back to the platform where the Champion awaits, I move quickly, and by the time I reach the edge of the hole he¡¯s already looking up at me.

    [Grimshaper - lvl ????]

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Hello Nathaniel, it''s nice to see you again,¡± the thylarin smiles as he says in that same gentle voice from before.

    ¡°So what are you trying to get out of this?¡± I ask, ignoring the fact he knows my name.

    ¡°Any number of things.¡±

    ¡°But you won''t tell me?¡±

    ¡°I apologize.¡±

    ¡°You won''t stop?¡±

    ¡°Let me ask you, Nathaniel. How many people do you think came here to speak with me other than your friend with the [Lightning Crown]?¡±

    ¡°None.¡±

    He smiles ever so gently, ¡°Three. Tell me, do you wish to kill me, Nathaniel?¡±

    ¡°Isn''t that obvious?¡±

    ¡°For laying hands on your group?¡±

    ¡°For laying hand on my group,¡± I confirm.

    With one smooth movement, he stands up and takes a few steps, an echo bouncing off the edges of the circular hole he is in.

    ¡°I have to say I never fully understood any Adepts or Masters of Pride I met. These feelings they have are so distant to me. Please, don''t take offense but in some ways, I think they tend to be very foolish.¡±

    ¡°You weren''t imprisoned here alone, were you?¡± I ask instead of reacting to his monologue.

    As if he were a teacher, excited to be presented with a clever question from a student he pauses and nods, ¡°They placed me here alongside my¡­ well, you could call her my bond. Over these 100 years, I''ve put in tremendous effort to free her from containment. I¡¯m not quite done yet, but she has been partially released.¡±

    ¡°So, do you want to explain your master plan to me?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ve always found desperate people to be the most cooperative,¡± as he says this, he speaks almost like he¡¯s tasting that last word on his tongue. ¡°You will notice your emotions cannot be trusted and eventually you will find that your sense of time cannot be trusted either.¡±

    The Champion takes a few more steps and gently slides his finger across the surface of his prison. The touch is almost loving. ¡°You cannot sleep, you cannot trust the others with you, more monsters will appear, resources will dwindle and that''s when people will start turning against each other. They always do. Tell me, Nathaniel, how will you react when you see your friends kill each other in the spur of the moment?¡±

    I think the question over for a moment before coming to my answer, ¡°I don''t know.¡±

    ¡°The people before you weren''t very¡­ resistant. My bond likes to play and sometimes she takes it too far. Will your little expedition be different?¡±

    The darkness in the holes segregated by the sparse bridges seems to be getting even deeper as if it were reacting to his words. I can''t sense anything, no movement, no mana, no heat. Yet at the same time, it feels like a thick blanket around me, a touch that cannot be sensed but is there nonetheless.

    ¡°So what are you in for?¡±

    The question seems to surprise him for a moment and that weird feeling disappears.

    ¡°For the pursuit of knowledge,¡± he answers simply. ¡°Now go, Nathaniel. My bond will see you off.¡±

    With that, the conversation is over and I stand up. As he said, I can¡¯t shake the feeling that something is watching me, and somehow the darkness under the bridge seems more ¡°alive¡± than before.

    When I reach the group they¡¯re still seated and resting, but I notice Tess has a fresh blue bruise, shining out around her eye. As if someone had punched her.

 Chapter 448 - A deal

    Tess joins me as I take my seat off to the side, she looks back over at the rest of the group and sighs.

    ¡°I might have fucked up,¡± she admits, staring at me with that massive bruise around her eye.

    ¡°Did you?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Tell me, Nat, do you think I¡¯m a bad person?¡±

    ¡°Not really, you¡¯re just a bit twisted, like everyone here.¡±

    ¡°But I should have better control over myself, I should¡­¡±

    I interrupt her then and ask, ¡°Tess, you could say I¡¯m bad with people, right?¡±

    She doesn¡¯t seem to mind the interruption and after looking me over a bit she smiles, her blonde hair shining in the light on her crown. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Even as bad with people as I am, I¡¯ve noticed something. Want to hear it? It¡¯s about you.¡±

    ¡°Please tell me,¡± Tess replies, gesturing for me to continue.

    ¡°You always talk like you want us to be a group. Companions bonded through shared danger. But I¡¯ve noticed something: You always seem to be putting yourself off to the side, instead of trying to be part of the group.¡±

    I look into her gray eyes and continue, ¡°You took on this bullshit leadership role - on the 4th floor, during the tournament, all the way up til now. You always keep yourself in check, trying to give them something to look up to, so that you can lead them and make the tough decisions on their behalf.¡±

    I grab a small stone and throw it at Dravos, who seems to be trying to make his way to the platform, and he stops and returns.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s entirely bad, but you take it way too far.¡±

    ¡°Someone has to, Nat, and I¡¯m good at it.¡±

    ¡°Oh Yeah? So killing the guide, throwing everyone in the group into danger, and getting punched by Sophie, was that all part of the plan, or did it happen because you got caught up in your feelings?¡±

    ¡°I will do what I think is the best,¡± Tess declares.

    So that¡¯s it, she won¡¯t be honest even now? It¡¯s almost cute to see her that way.

    Even so, I already have a plan in mind. ¡°Well, it¡¯s okay. Do whatever you want, Tess, and don¡¯t worry about the consequences. I will take care of everything, just this once.¡±

    She has held up well so far, but I can already feel that weird pressure closing in around us, and once again our emotions are starting to rise against us.

    Tess must feel it, but at the same time, I see hesitation. Between following her feelings and worrying about what might happen.

    I stand to leave, giving her one last piece of advice, ¡°I don''t think sitting on the sidelines and watching our group advance is what you want, Tess. You''ll need to give up some control to get what you''re hoping for.¡±

    <hr>

    I think a day passes, but that turns out not to be the case. The countdown timer clearly shows that we¡¯ve lost at least a day and a half.

    For the first time, I see the twins caught up in a fight, with Min-Jae, and punches thrown on both sides.

    The Korean boy apparently made the mistake of showing concern for them and invited them to join in the conversation, but Aaron and Dennis refused. Min-Jae didn¡¯t like that and decided to push the matter.

    There were hurtful words said, and Maya eventually had to intervene.

    The entire time Tess watched quietly, and our eyes met for a moment before she pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face, deep in thought.

    <hr>

    [You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 331]

    [You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 346]

    [You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 311]

    [Lvl 262 > Lvl 263]

    [Infusion - lvl 36 > Infusion - lvl 37]

    I went out to hunt and kill these monsters alone. The same monster that took so much effort from my group before.

    I¡¯m strong to begin with and higher level than anyone else here.

    The amplified emotions are fun to observe. The feelings I had back on the 1st floor, the emotions I felt back then, strengthened and hauled to the surface.

    Do I need them? Could I get more out of them if I was more ruthless? My life is being threatened by an extremely dangerous being, and I could easily escape on my own. So why do I stay?

    Because I can.

    Every day I¡¯m growing stronger and stronger. All towards my goal of keeping fuckers like the guy in the hole from being able to push me around.

    Before returning to the group, I stop by the hole, only to see the thylarin brothers leaving it behind. Seems like group 4 let them pass again. This is the second time in the past few days.

    ¡°Welcome, Nathaniel,¡± the Champion greets me.

    ¡°Izzy, Min-Jae, and Sophie, they are the members of my group you think have a chance of getting you out,¡± I say.

    He hesitates, seemingly surprised, but then nods with a smile.

    I look down at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we make a deal?¡±

    <hr>

    [Tether - lvl 35 > Tether - lvl 36]

    [Tether - lvl 36 > Tether - lvl 37]

    [Tether - lvl 37 > Tether - lvl 38]

    [Tether - lvl 38 > Tether - lvl 39]

    [Tether - lvl 39 > Tether - lvl 40]

    I return a few hours later to group 4¡¯s campsite. Checking the time, I find that I¡¯ve spent three entire days by that hole rather than the hours I¡¯d intended.

    The group still consists of group 4, Famir, Kallus, Dravos, Drekar, Heryd, and a few more people from Famir¡¯s and Heryd¡¯s groups.

    Just by looking at them, it''s easy to see the fights they''ve been through, and the wounds they now bear, likely the result of fights with people from their groups. The results are obvious, and evident in their behavior.

    It¡¯s been days since we¡¯ve seen anyone else, and we¡¯ve been down here for over a week.

    Everyone else is running low on mana, struggling to scrape even the tiniest amounts from depleted batteries and their battered bodies. Even Tess is starting to feel the drain, with the exception of the store of primordial lightning in her crown.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Oh, and Izzy. I only learned this recently, but she seems to have a strong connection to Noodle, who has been storing some of the mana around us. The little snake is devious, he hasn¡¯t been transforming all the mana he eats, in fact, he¡¯s been saving some. He¡¯s been storing it in a place even more separated from his body than my Mana Reservoir. It cannot be felt; it doesn¡¯t even seem to affect the white sand.

    It¡¯s quite amazing.

    Otherwise, the people are in shambles. I¡¯ve seen them fight, scream, cry, and hurt each other. Placing their darkest emotions on display until they almost can¡¯t bear to look each other in the eye.

    Just that little display of amplified emotions reminds us why Sophie¡¯s ability is so hated, along with people like her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the Deathtrap,¡± I say, and find their eyes looking up at me. Some look like they¡¯ve already given up.

    Tess stands up first, followed by Famir, and slowly others get on their feet, moving like zombies.

    Dangerous zombies that could easily decide to rush you in the blink of an eye and tear your head off.

    Only my orbs light our way as we pass over the bridge and walk through the tunnels. It¡¯s quieter than before, but there are no monsters attacking us.

    When we reach the crashed ship, we find no passengers or bodies. Out of the almost 300 passengers, only our group of 20 remains.

    <hr>

    Over the next few days, I direct them as we pull the Deathtrap apart, focusing on the control panels, and the core, taking valuable metals and mana stones for our use.

    I blame the Champion¡äs bond for the loss of the white sand, the ones we brought here when we crashed. Well, at least we have the samples we sealed in the containers we made.

    The opening we entered through is unusable; it''s a very thick wall that only seems to work in one direction. It makes for yet another fascinating feature that I''d love to examine further, and with my emotions heightened as they are, I do just that a few times.

    I¡¯m constantly amazed by how much that prisoner was able to do from his cell, especially now that I know a bit more about it. I guess he wasn''t a Champion for nothing.

    Having gathered the materials I need I follow the instructions the Champion gave me, and we work building an array, step by step.

    No monsters interrupt us, and now that they¡¯ve finally been given some direction, the others seem to be a bit more lively. Heryd Kallus, and Sophie, wind up being the most help in the end.

    The array is circular, similar to the ones we saw back on the 4th floor. The most important part is the coordinates, and for this, I use the ones provided by the Champion - something he got from an expedition 80 years ago. The coordinates should lead to one of the smaller forts in the central region. The coordinates were apparently provided by a man who had hoped that the Champion would escape so that his group would have a leader, and maybe even find a way to escape this moon.

    Back then, his bond didn¡¯t have quite as much freedom, so apparently, the expedition left this place alive, much to the Champion''s amusement.

    Out of everything, this is the riskiest part given that it relies on the coordinates he provided, but I have one good reason to think they should work.

    ¡°We¡¯re missing the processing core, and the coordinates are loosely placed. Not to mention that the metals we took aren¡¯t as conductive as I would have hoped, so the jump won¡¯t be very efficient,¡± Heryd complains.

    ¡°He might have placed some traps. I don¡¯t trust him, Nat. If something happens to Izzy¡­¡±

    ¡°The SDAT doesn¡¯t have any more arcanadium we could use. These high-quality mana stones are all we have,¡± Kallus informs.

    I answer each of these worries, and we continue to work longer and longer. Day and night, I would say if it were even possible to tell.

    During one of my breaks, I take Biscuit into my arms, though he remains exceptionally quiet.

    I sense his body pushing into mine, and even his breathing is quickened. Sometimes he lifts his head and growls into the darkness surrounding us, causing the feeling of pressure around us to disappear.

    After a while, I take him and hand him to Izzy, who looks up at me; her sister by her side as always.

    I reach down and put my face on a level with hers. ¡°Thank you for trusting me and enduring everything we¡¯ve been through.¡±

    She blinks a few times, but I ruffle her hair and turn to Sophie. I want to say a few words, but in the end, I say nothing. Sophie is smart; she doesn¡¯t need anything from me.

    I just nod and join the twins sitting off to the side.

    ¡°It will be funny to watch you two beg Min-Jae to forgive you for all the things you little twerps said.¡± I leave them with that one last sentence and head over to Min-Jae.

    He looks up at me, his expression mirroring the others. I give his shoulder an awkward tap and quickly walk away, hoping my feelings come through like that.

    ¡°Need another beating?¡± Maya asks with a smile as I approach.

    ¡°No more beatings. So what do you think of our fearless leader?¡± I ask, gesturing over at Tess, sitting quietly on the sideline.

    Maya seems to think for a while but then smiles brightly. ¡°It might sound cruel, but it''s nice to see her like that from time to time. It¡¯s more fitting than watching her force herself to be our glorious leader all the time.¡±

    Nodding in agreement, I take a few last steps to plop down on the ground next to Tess. I don¡¯t say a word, and neither does she, and an hour or two passes. Maybe longer.

    In the end, I think I hear a light sob, but I probably misheard, given that when Tess finally does look over at me she seems as normal as she can be.

    ¡°I just wanted¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±

    ¡°For a¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say interrupting again.

    She quietens and looks away, as if ashamed to even look at me.

    ¡°Do you want to know why I let so many of these things happen as I stood by and watched?¡±

    ¡°I think I do, but please tell me, Nat.¡±

    ¡°I may be extremely socially inept, but this time I think I did better than you, Tess.¡± I say, not forgetting to rub a bit of necessary salt in the still fresh wound, but it¡¯s no fun taunting Tess in this state, so I decide to give her a break and continue, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to sit off to the side and smile like some outside observer. It would be more fitting if you just broke down and sat with the rest of us, but in order to do that, you have to fuck up once in a while, like everyone else, you need to open up more.¡±

    Tess seems to take a moment to think it over before nodding in confirmation. ¡°You aren¡¯t very good at this.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    The silence this time is a bit different.

    "What about you, Nat? When will you open up?"

    That question catches me off guard and I give it a moment of thought.

    "I have time," I answer and stand up. ¡°We will activate the array in a few minutes, so be ready, okay?¡± With these words, I leave her.

    Stopping by Min-Jae, I gesture at the twins, ¡°What a bag of dicks, right?¡±

    Then, I quietly let slip a few of the things I heard the twins say - things they definitely wouldn¡¯t want any of the girls to know. Min-Jae can decide for himself if he wants to drop that nuke.

    Lastly, I find our petite healer, missing both of her arms, her own body used as fuel for her healing skills.

    ¡°You might be worse than me,¡± I gesture with my both still-present arms.

    She stares at me, and I think she may have said something rude a few days ago before our emotions calmed down.

    ¡°Nat, no more fucking dark tunnels after this,¡± she says in the end.

    "Yes, let¡¯s try to avoid that."

    As a reward for enduring so well, I pinch her nose and pull, making her shake her head from side to side. I halfway expect her to growl like Biscuit.

    Then we collect our small group into the teleportation array. I have three spears, my damaged arcane items, containers full of white sand, and more, everything we can fit even to the point we have to squeeze together.

    There is no need for more words after a few days of preparations, but I can tell that most of them look nervous, unsure of what is going to happen.

    But not me.

    My crown finally flickers and disappears, all of the mana it was holding having been funneled into the core and used to power the array. The inscriptions lighting up as they burst into activity. It takes more and more of my mana as my reserves dwindle, nearly all of it gone, yet I still push and push, sharing the pressure of activation with the materials.

    The iron creaks, the sides melt, and the core cracks.

    My Mana Wavelength Iris picks up the slack, and I let part of that mana flow through my body, shaping it until I finally activate the array I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make on my own. I then make one last-second change that almost breaks the array, and a wave of mana crashes into me, causing some light damage.

    Then the bright light flashes, forcing me to squint my eyes.

    When I open them again, I¡¯m still in the cave. All the equipment gone, all my items.

    The array is now broken, collapsed into a molten heap as it gradually cools, the singed inscriptions letting out a dim light.

    Other than me only Dravos and Drekar remain, looking around in confusion.

    Here was a very well-hidden trap in the Champion¡¯s array, set up so I would stay, but these two were supposed to escape.

    I collect the tiny bits of mana still floating in the air, coat my arm in it, and slash twice.

    [You have defeated Manabreaker - lvl 286]

    [You have defeated Manashroud Shaper - lvl 288]

    Even before they fall dead, black smoke begins to aggressively bubble free of their dead bodies, surrounding me like a whirlpool in reverse. The pressure on me increases my feelings of fear, and I can feel the anger radiating from that being. From the Champion¡¯s bond.

    It crashes against me, dragging me across the ground and smashing me against the wall over and over.

    Even the feeling of pain is amplified now, as a huge amount of mana flows into my reservoir from my passive. But the bond is tossing me around with a force I can feel, even through my unique passive.

    Something inside my body breaks, and I taste rust in my mouth, but I still smile.

    The bond finally stops throwing me around, and the black smoke halts just an inch from my face.

    ¡°How about we go have a chat with your master?¡± I ask.

 Chapter 449 - Something you are addicted to

    For the first time since I¡¯ve met him, the Champion down in the hole seems to be experiencing an emotion other than his usual lazy confidence. It¡¯s not anger, it¡¯s not even surprise. He just seems genuinely curious, his eyes ticking between me and the unsealed portion of his bond.

    Neither of us moves any closer to the hole. I know for sure that if I enter it, I won¡¯t be able to leave; that¡¯s just how it¡¯s made. It¡¯s not because of the mana, no, it¡¯s something else entirely that I can¡¯t quite understand yet. Out of all of the things here, I¡¯m probably the most curious about that hole.

    ¡°Mind telling me your name, oh Lord Champion?¡± I ask as I take a seat, and the bond lets me.

    ¡°My name¡¯s Caius. What betrayed the presence of my bond? I thought she¡¯d hidden perfectly.¡±

    ¡°Izzy told me,¡± I answer without concern, having already confirmed their status through the Community chat.

    ¡°That¡¯s curious, we¡¯ve been listening in on your telepathic communication and my bond should have been well hidden, even from her skills.¡±

    But not the system channels, I want to say, but it¡¯s not like he would hear me.

    ¡°She¡¯s more talented than you would have expected. So what was the twist? We made a deal that I would come back later to free you, but there you are, sending your bond and trapping me here.¡±

    He isn¡¯t sitting anymore, and his eyes are constantly on me as if he¡¯s reading something in my posture, taking each of my movements into consideration.

    ¡°Neither of us truly believed it, Nathaniel. Those were just empty words we said aloud, in a vain attempt to deceive each other. My bond would have killed the members of your group and placed the bodies of the ones with the most interesting skills into storage and come up with a way to fully free me at its leisure. Meanwhile, I would watch you die here and later take your Mana Wavelength Iris.¡±

    ¡°So there was never a chance for us to free you?¡±

    ¡°People tend to be easier to manipulate if they think they have something I want. They barter, they feel safe, and they tend to be easier to push in the direction I want. None of you, Nathaniel, could get me out as you are now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°Can I ask a few more questions?¡±

    The darkness that was about to surround me pauses, and followed by the feeling of it looking over at its master, and waiting for his orders.

    Caius smiles and gestures with his arm, "Please."

    ¡°You said I¡¯m already taken, what did you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not complete, but there is a mark left on you by someone very powerful. To put it in more barbaric terms, the message goes something like: ¡®This is mine, I found it first.¡¯ Marks like this are very archaic, a relic of the Absolutes and Champions of old. Nowadays, things work slightly differently.¡±

    As the presence reaches to me I ask one last question, ¡°Do you remember what I said to you before? When you asked if I wanted to kill you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you told me that you would kill me.¡± Caius smiles, and the pressure around me increases. A feeling that his bond is about to tear me apart.

    Then I take a step and jump into the hole.

    There is nothing stopping me. You can enter, but you cannot leave.

    The sheer surprise on the Champion¡¯s face as I land next to him is fun to watch.

    My vortex core is full of primordial energies, and as Caius throws a punch my way, all of the kinetic energy in my body rushes out at once in an attempt to push him away and strengthen my body.

    Even crippled and despite having never been specced for close combat in the first place, the Champion moves with incredible speed. The arm I use to block his strike evaporates into nothing, even after being bolstered with kinetic energy. Even with my unique passive.

    But emerging from all that gore is a single shining white speck, almost seeming to float out into the air between us. The small grain of sand seems to be even more visible in this hole that serves as the Champion¡¯s prison.

    All the mana I got from my passive explodes from me, and the grain of sand becomes charged, swirling around crazily while Caius rushes to dodge. It also pierces through my body, drilling holes into it as it moves erratically through the confines of the hole.

    From down here, I hear the Champion¡¯s bond for the first time. It screeches, and the black smoke throws itself into the hole, rushing to save its master, even knowing that it¡¯ll be trapped.

    My body crashes against Caius, and a swing of his arm opens my belly, spilling my intestines into the open air.

    It¡¯s worth it though; just that short moment of imbalance causes him to miss, and the white grain of sand touches him. The tiniest touch on his skin. Barely a split of a second as it passes by.

    And it¡¯s over.

    He stops moving. The bond stops moving. And I push my organs back inside of my belly.

    The air vibrates and starts shaking, and an eruption of sound pours into the chamber from all sides. Tons upon tons of white sand rushing into the cave around us.

    Somewhere hidden in the desert, huge reservoirs of mana explode, dozens of them, the explosions of such enormous amounts of mana can be felt even down here. Likely having been set for the sole purpose of serving to charge the sand that now, charged, rushes down there through three huge tunnels.

    Caius and his bearing change, as if he can¡¯t believe what just happened. Anger appears on his face, the anger of a powerful man, as he takes his next step towards me, arm lifted to deliver a finishing blow.

    He doesn''t say anything about me dying here with him, but I can¡¯t help but tell him, ¡°I told you I would kill you.¡±

    These words make him pause for a moment.

    I use that opportunity and say, ¡°Use 1 Day Beyond Stay token.¡±

    Before his blow lands, I disappear. I feel my body and mind spinning and the area surrounding me changes.

    It seems to be somewhere around midnight, and I stand on the polished and perfectly smooth black stone that seems to stretch on forever. There¡¯s nothing as far as I can see. No hills, no trees, no mountains, no clouds. Just straight and perfectly polished black stone flooring. The sky is full of beautiful stars and nebulas.

    My heart generates mana again, and I revel in the sweet sensation as it begins to fill my body.

    Once again, my handler sits before me, in a chair set behind an old wooden table stacked high with papers, plenty of mana stones, and a number of items I fail to identify.

    She moves a thread of her red tinged black hair to the side and looks at me with her big brown eyes, ¡°You¡¯re in a bit worse state than I left you.¡±

    I follow her eyes and look at the wound on my belly. It¡¯s closing slowly, but at least my organs aren¡¯t spilling out.

    ¡°Will I still get notifications here?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she confirms, likely knowing what I¡¯m waiting for. ¡°You know, you might not be nearly as normal as you think.¡±

    Huh? There is no way that¡¯s true. She should take a closer look at the rest of group 4.

    In the end, I still nod, it¡¯s better to agree with crazy people so they leave you be. Then I wait. And a moment later, it comes.

    [You have defeated Grimshaper - lvl 495]

    [Lvl 263 > Lvl 264]

    [Lvl 264 > Lvl 265]

    [Lvl 265 > Lvl 266]

    [Lvl 266 > Lvl 267]

    [Lvl 267 > Lvl 268]

    [Lvl 268 > Lvl 269]

    [Lvl 269 > Lvl 270]

    [Lvl 270 > Lvl 271]

    [Lvl 271 > Lvl 272]

    [Lvl 272 > Lvl 273]

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    [Lvl 273 > Lvl 274]

    [Lvl 274 > Lvl 275]

    Worryingly, there¡¯s no notification about the bond. I''ll need to warn the others as soon as possible; there''s a chance we missed something.

    I then invest the stats gained into mana.

    ¡°Happy?¡± she asks me as I close these notifications.

    ¡°He was a Champion, I should get more levels,¡± I complain regardless.

    ¡°Oh really? Do you truly believe that?¡± My handler smiles, leaning back, and watching me from behind her desk.

    I don¡¯t bother answering. It¡¯s more than clear that I abused the environment, and Caius was weakened so I get an ¡®assist¡¯ at most. But that doesn¡¯t change my opinion of the system being an asshole, especially after stealing so much XP from me.

    ¡°You know you could have died. What if the transport to Beyond hadn¡¯t activated?¡±

    ¡°Why would it not, it activated before with Whitey.¡±

    ¡°The system might have disabled it after you abused it.¡±

    ¡°As if I¡¯m the first person to ever abuse it like that. If the system didn¡¯t like it or could, it would have been changed hundreds of years ago,¡± I just wave my hand.

    Overall, my plan was simple. The guy couldn¡¯t sense the grain of the sand hidden within my body. I even tested it a few times, I even sent away all the spears to get him to lower his guard.

    I¡¯m also not too proud to not accept that I would have died without the Beyond entrance token. But why wouldn¡¯t I use things like the Community and the items awarded by the system to my advantage?

    As for the Beyond entrance token, I got it from killing a thousand monsters over level 200. It worked nicely, the guy probably thought it was because of my amplified emotions.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get back to you in a minute,¡± I tell my handler.

    Then, while she sulks, I open quest notifications, starting with the oldest.

    Congratulations, you have killed 1,000 monsters over level 200.

    You have received a Beyond 1 day stay token.

    Congratulations, you have reached level 275.

    You have received a Beyond 1 day stay token.

    Congratulations, you have survived.

    You have received:

    Beyond 3 day stay token

    Active skill combination token

    Yeah, that seems about right.

    I look at my handler, ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that reward too much?¡±

    ¡°What did you get? Let me check.¡± She grabs a paper from the table and taps on it a few times, ¡°Oh, active skill combination token? It¡¯s fine, survival quests can be like that, especially with personalized rewards, plus even though he was crippled and trapped, you did kill a Champion, so it¡¯s a pretty big achievement.¡±

    ¡°I can live with that.¡±

    I ignore my handler again and, for the first time in a long while, I open my status. My eyes first head toward my stats to check the results of the restrictive training emblem.

    Strength: 141

    Dexterity: 137

    Constitution: 309

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1131 + 1131

    I then close the window and open it again. It''s still there.

    Yeah, it''s not bugged. My new training method has gained me 25 levels'' worth of stats. Around 20 in Strength and Dexterity and over 30 in Constitution.

    If Lady Lissandra continues to give me such fine things, I might fall in love with her. I think I should probably apologize to her; I¡¯ve treated such a fine Absolute far too harshly.

    She might give me something even better if I beg hard enough. Buying her a gift or two could certainly raise her opinion of me. So what might so fine woman as her like?

    I lovingly check the useless stat increase. Sure, they can¡¯t quite compare to the glory of mana, but getting them for free like this means I can put more stats into mana.

    As if I wouldn''t have done it anyway.

    I also know that at some point the rate of improvement will slow, and the emblem will need to be adjusted, or I¡¯ll need to use significantly more mana. But that¡¯s something I can work on, after all, I already have plenty of interest in emblems. Plus, I can probably store a LOT of mana in the crown and use that to power the emblem in addition to the reserves in my body and reservoir.

    Seems good.

    I then open my entire status.

    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn

    Title: Champion Candidate

    Difficulty: Hell

    Floor: 6 - Astral Prison

    Time left until forced return: 3y 308d 16h 06m 11s

    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3

    Lvl 275

    Strength: 141

    Dexterity: 137

    Constitution: 309

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1131 + 1131

    Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)

    Sub-class: [Adept of Pride]

    Active skills (9/10):

    Focus - Lvl 53

    Perception - Lvl 50

    Redistribution - Lvl 50

    Resonance - Lvl 51

    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 45

    Tether - Lvl 40

    Infusion - Lvl 37

    Mana Crown - Lvl 39

    Mana Manipulation - lvl 54

    Constructs:

    Reinforcement (Construct)

    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)

    Mana Regulator (Construct)

    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)

    Vortex Core (Construct)

    Passive skills (4/5):

    Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic)

    Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic)

    Cognitive Fortress (Mid Epic)

    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic)

    Tokens:

    Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)

    Beyond 1 day stay token

    Beyond 3 day stay token

    Active skill combination token

    Shards: 149,748

    I could live with that. Yup. Not bad at all. Just wait for me, Whitey. I''m gonna kick your ass very soon, I just need a few months, and you are done.

    Well, for the second time, considering you¡¯ve already been killed once. What a loser.

    In a much better mood, I turn to my handler, ¡°I would like a different handler.¡±

    She tilts her head to the side and smiles, ¡°Would you?¡±

    ¡°Yup. Someone more useful and cooperative. How does the thing with handlers even work?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it''s quite simple,¡± she doesn¡¯t even seem insulted, rather she answers my question with forthright honesty. ¡°When you first enter Beyond, every handler has a chance to pick you up. If only one is available, they will get you. If there¡¯s more than one, they either bid on the opportunity to represent you, or the other handlers will back off based on prior deals and coercion.¡±

    ¡°How many handlers were after me? And how much information do they have?¡±

    ¡°Quite a few wanted to get a hold of you, but there were others from your planet who drew a lot of interest, especially that man. Before you ask, I won''t tell you more. As for the information, just the basics like your status, excluding the most powerful skills and traits. Then they get a sample of the records of your performance across each of the floors. As for the full records, only the Rulers can see them¡­ and maybe a dozen others. Then, of course, your handler once they¡¯re assigned.¡±

    ¡°See, that¡¯s actually pretty good, why couldn¡¯t you be more cooperative before. So I want to ask...¡±

    She lifts her hand to stop me from talking, ¡°Your time here is limited and we¡¯re nearing the end. In a few seconds, you''ll be sent to the Entrance floor. If you still want to change your handler, you can do that; just say ¡®I want to change handlers,¡¯ and the system will offer you some options.¡±

    Finally, she stands up and moves around her table, stopping in front of me. She has the look of an adult playing a trick on a dumb kid.

    ¡°Both you and I know you love to gain power and information on your own. You have that insatiable curiosity and weird sense of pride you¡¯re building. You complain, you curse, but the feeling it gives you is something you are addicted to.¡±

    She lifts her finger and waves it from side to side, and I can¡¯t help but follow it with my eyes, much to her amusement.

    ¡°But just this once, allow me to give you some information few handlers can give you. Information you can¡¯t talk about outside of this place.¡±

    My handler moves her face closer and whispers, ¡°There are 13 floors, each tied to one of the Rulers. This was something Greed wanted. Through her immense power and trickery, she persuaded the other Rulers to agree, and they altered the previous version of the tutorial.¡±

    Her voice becomes even quieter, and I feel her warm breath on my ear as she whispers, ¡°Only one Ruler refused, and no one was crazy enough to try to force him.¡±

    The next few words reach me, ¡°On each of the floors, if you''re lucky, or unlucky enough, you can meet a Ruler from some point in their past. The floors are made from their planets or places important to them. This is my gift - an answer with many more questions.¡±

    She is smiling as I get pulled away to the Entrance Floor, her brown eyes glowing, ¡°Tell me, do you still want to change handlers?¡±

 Chapter 450 - Hiding under blankie

    Changing my handler? There is no fucking way.

    Lady Handler is someone I will stick with until the very end, yup.

    I was fed up with her? When? Who? That¡¯s such bullshit, I would never.

    Anyway, I take a few steps and rest against the cold wall, having found myself back on the Entrance floor.

    It¡¯s better than being on the 1st floor, especially since I didn¡¯t reach the ¡°checkpoint¡± though that does mean that I¡¯ll have to start over.

    I slide down to the ground, and much like my 1st visit, I find a wide range of people glancing over at me with interest, but most of them are on a time limit, so they quickly go about their business.

    Who cares about a bloodied man with a shattered arm? Blood covers my entire front side from my prior evisceration and a few more minor wounds that would certainly have killed a horse and most monsters of equivalent size.

    At least my mana is coming back, and the feeling is even better than I expected. That desert truly was a godforsaken place. Another reason to work on ways to counter that. I wouldn¡¯t want to end up like that blue guy and his bond.

    With one day remaining, I don¡¯t see any point in trying to extend my stay and decide to spend the next hour collecting my mana, assessing damage, and moving my heat across my body to heal the more severe wounds.

    I¡¯m already thinking of the preparations I should make before returning to the 6th floor. There is a very high chance I will end up deep underground, buried in white sand, stone, and the remains of the prison that once held the Champion.

    Sure, there is a small chance the system will teleport me to the surface, but yeah¡­ who am I even kidding? I¡¯ll probably end up caught in a bubble of space of the System¡¯s making just before I get buried. Hell, I might find even more bullshit thrown my way.

    Especially since the system doesn¡¯t seem to mind people using Stay tokens as a get-out-of-jail-free card, I can¡¯t help but find it suspicious, it¡¯s almost too abusable. Just spend 10k to buy yourself a free escape?

    There has to be a problem with that.

    I might also have to worry about trouble from the enforcers here. Apparently, they¡¯re the guild that oversees the execution of contracts, and even though the one I signed before going to the 1st floor of Beyond was one of the lower tiers, it could cause some degree of trouble. Probably nothing too serious, given that no one¡¯s left to report me, and I can blame it on Whitey.

    As I recover my mana I convert it into primordial energies and store them in my vortex core. If I¡¯m to have any chance of surviving I need to get rid of all my mana before returning and rely on my store of primordial energies.

    As I stand up and begin to walk through the crowds of people, I let a bit of mana seep into the identification emblem, and the letter D appears on the back of my left hand. The color is the usual black. How did that woman describe things before? Obsidian Black for the D rank, Ivory White for the C rank, Royal Blue for the B rank, Shimmering Silver for the A rank, and Radiant Gold for the S rank.

    After looking things over a bit longer, I let it disappear and reach the area surrounding the center of the outpost. The place with the bulletin boards.

    I speak to the merchant nearby and spend a few hundred shards to buy a single sheet of paper and a pen. It¡¯s the one with the option to keep the message longer; in this case, it will take a month before the message will disappear and the paper will burn.

    It cost me almost a thousand shards.

    I definitely got robbed.

    Nevertheless, I take a pen and start drawing. Scrawling out a picture of a bear meant to be Cinderbear from the 1st floor. Vic always said that I had no talent for drawing, but it looks just fine to me.

    Just in case, I write a message below the image reading: Fuck Cinderbear.

    Seriously, fuck that guy.

    Then I write some keywords like Earth, a few of the Continent''s names, and similar keywords. I also draw some popular memes to spice things up.

    Lastly, I mention that I¡¯m looking to meet up with anyone else from the Earth¡¯s tutorial. I mention my intent to return to Beyond in a month for an expedition lasting a few days. I calculate when it should be and the reading on the countdown to forced return so they can time it as well. Then I use the pen to pin it to one of the bulletin boards.

    Satisfied with my work, I leave.

    I¡¯m not sure if Tess and Lily will be here by then; I¡¯ll need to ask, but in the worst case, I can come here on my own and return with them later - they shouldn¡¯t have many stay tokens anyway, so I could certainly show them around.

    Going on my way, I find the blacksmith I spoke to before, he¡¯s probably the best smith in this outpost. As I enter his shop, he looks up from the ax he¡¯s been tinkering with. It¡¯s an annoyed look I know so well.

    No one likes to be interrupted when they¡¯re having fun.

    His eyes slide on my torn, bloodied clothes and still visible wounds. I also do not have any equipment at all.

    ¡°You¡¯re that crazy guy with the Flamebearer?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the crazy guy with the Flamebearer,¡± I confirm.

    ¡°I almost didn¡¯t recognize you. If you still have the ax, I¡¯ll offer you 20 thousand shards in exchange.¡±

    ¡°The last time you offered 26 thousand.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it looks like you need the shards more urgently now,¡± he says shamelessly.

    I can¡¯t be even mad.

    ¡°Not selling, but listen to this. What would you do if, let¡¯s say, hypothetically, someone told you you would be teleported into a tiny chamber, deep underground, in a space that used to be a huge cave that is now buried under tons and tons of sand. Some time in about¡­¡± I check the time, ¡°21 hours. Hypothetically, of course.¡±

    Even annoyed as he is, this seems to amuse him and he immediately straightens up, scratching his beard, ¡°What floor? Hypothetically.¡±

    ¡°Sixth floor, Mana Desert.¡±

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    His eyes shine at that, and he opens his mouth then closes it. Likely trying to figure out what he can say without triggering the system''s censorship.

    ¡°I can prepare a metal sphere, it will be airtight and capable of enduring the pressure. I can offer a set of items that would allow you to filter the air, allowing you to hold out a bit longer. Either so you can make some preparations or wait for someone to save you, but with properties of that sand¡­¡±

    ¡°Hypothetically,¡± I remind.

    ¡°Oh, sure,¡± he nods quickly, ¡°I would also hypothetically offer a lot of shards for that white sand. I¡¯ve always wanted to try working with that material.¡±

    ¡°Sounds interesting. So what would be the price of that sphere within the necessary timeline?¡± I ask, already expecting an outrageous sum, but somehow it turns out even worse than I expected.

    ¡°Five thousand shards. Net. So it will be 6 thousand so Beyond can take its cut. I think it¡¯s a good price, and I have high hopes for our future cooperation.¡±

    Looks like I¡¯m due to be robbed a second time today.

    Damn it.

    I swear I will do my best to use every single damn grain of white sand to make stuff to sell.

    <hr>

    About 12 hours later, I wake up in a mild state of panic before remembering where I am and closing my eyes, as I pull my blanket over my head, and curl up.

    I paid for this room with an extraordinary number of shards, so I better enjoy it for as long as possible. I did consider sleeping outside on a bench to save shards, but with all these people around and my luck, someone might have tried to kidnap my ass to use as a mana battery.

    Moreover, I think I deserve a bit of rest, A bath, a freshly made bed, and some basic new clothes - all too expensive.

    While I¡¯m hiding under my new blankie, which I totally intend to steal before I leave, I open the system window and scroll through my status. It¡¯s so pretty, and I still have a skill combination token, and I plan to make use of it before I return. Just in case, I take a moment to check the timer, but I still have around 8 hours remaining.

    It takes another half hour before I truly feel awake and refreshed enough to deal with the world and push the blankets off to the side with a big yawning stretch.

    I take a moment to enjoy some of the food and water bought before turning in for the day and check the scar on my belly. The wound seems to be healed, but the scars always take a while to disappear. It should be gone soon though, and that brings an interesting thought to mind.

    I lift my right arm and look at the inner side of my forearm where the scar should be, the one I got even back on Earth.

    It¡¯s still there.

    Lily could probably remove them with her [Plastic Surgery] skill, but they don¡¯t bother me at all. I also need to find someone who was old before the tutorial started. I saw a few during the tournament, but I didn¡¯t bother asking many questions at the time.

    Honestly, I¡¯m curious to hear how the system¡¯s affected them. My scars are still here, but it seems like having a higher constitution should fix all kinds of things like organ failure, heart problems, and disease? How does the system even know the difference between things like that and more cosmetic issues?

    Now that I think about it I know just what I¡¯ll do. I¡¯ll send a message to Channeler, and he can find an aging grandpa to ask about it.

    ¡°I want to use an active skill combination token,¡± I say.

    You have used an active skill combination token. Please pick two skills from the following to combine.

    Warning! Combining two skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill.

    Warning! Combining incompatible skills may result in worse skills.

    Warning! After combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination.

    List of available skills to combine:

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 54

    Perception - Lvl 50

    Tether - Lvl 40

    Infusion - Lvl 37

    And here we go again, I got excited for nothing and got some cheap-ass low-tier combination token or something. Once again, some of my skills haven¡¯t made the list. [Focus], [Redistribution], [Resonance], [Mana Domain], and [Mana Crown].

    Sure, [Mana Domain] probably isn¡¯t there because I boosted it with the subclass effect of Pride. I already got the crown I got from a prior combination, so that makes sense too, but there is no way [Focus], [Resonance], and [Redistribution] are that high-tier, right?

    I might really have to start working harder on combining skills on my own or evolving them on my own. I¡¯ve never really stopped trying, but I¡¯ve had no success so far.

    I mean, I kind of understand; I¡¯m just a newbie here, so it may take a few years, but that won¡¯t stop me from complaining about it.

    I¡¯ve already figured out part of what I want to do anyway. One of my options is [Tether], which I got from my Primary class at level 150. It¡¯s one skill I want to keep, so the resulting combination should be something that accounts for that. My primary class also gives me [Mana Domain], and I¡¯ve strengthened it with Pride, so there¡¯s a high chance of that sticking around even after I change class at level 300. If not, I think I can get it back, unlike [Tether], which will be harder to recover.

    So the question is:

    [Tether] with [Perception]

    [Tether] with [Infusion]

    [Tether] with [Mana Manipulation]

    It¡¯s not a difficult decision.

    Congratulations, you have successfully combined [Tether] and [Mana Manipulation]! A new skill has been created.

    You have acquired [Ley Line]

    [Ley Line - lvl 0 > Ley Line - lvl 9]

    Oh my, that sounds kind of mysterious. But before we get to testing that out, let¡¯s try something else.

    I let five evil orbs form over my head, focusing on the excellent mana shaping exercise left to me by the amazing Absolute that is Lady Lissandra.

    Now, let¡¯s see how long it takes to¡­

    Congratulations, you have acquired a new skill!

    [Mana Manipulation]

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 0 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 49]

    Well, that was easier than expected.

    Warning, after combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination?

    The system can screw off.

 Chapter 451 - White Whale

    Five hours of testing later and I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what¡¯s changed with my new skill.

    I can still place anchors, and I need to place them either very close to my body or within my active domain. Exactly the same as before, it doesn¡¯t change even with the crown active.

    These anchors though, are much more durable, and I think that if I use just the right amount of mana, they should easily last weeks, likely even months without crumbling. Sure, they will still be somewhat vulnerable to external interference, but even that should require a higher degree of expertise, given that these new anchors seem to be much less noticeable, more durable, and tend to require less mana overall.

    From what I saw, most people tend to have some basic ability to manipulate mana even without any skills. Nearly anyone can learn to create mana barriers or simple projectiles with the right amount of effort, and the same goes for the disruption of things like anchors and the ability to sense mana.

    Everyone can do it, but the difference in proficiency is huge. I mean really huge. Someone with low-level abilities wouldn¡¯t have a chance in hell to make a barrier capable of defending against even my weakest attacks, much less disrupt one of my anchors ¡ª assuming they could even sense them.

    Still, it¡¯s kind of fun to consider that things like this should be so common. It almost reminds me of the way so many people on Earth know how to ride a bicycle or how to throw a rock. Hmm, there¡¯s probably a better example, so what¡­ I pause there. I¡¯m getting off track again. I tend to do that a lot when I¡¯m excited or happy, my mind just wanders, jumping from one interesting thing to another.

    Who can blame me with so much to discover!

    Anyway, I¡¯ll probably need a better name for these things than ¡°anchors¡±. Maybe I can just call them ¡°marks¡± or something like that. It¡¯s something to think about anyway. Other than vastly improved anchors, [Ley Line] improves the connection between them. I can send much more mana through without having to worry about breaking them or finding ways to strengthen the anchors.

    It feels like there¡¯s a line connecting me to my anchors and my anchors to one another, invisible and strong. It can easily handle an impressive amount of mana, especially with how thin it is.

    I have a suspicion that it should allow me to place my anchors, marks, whatever, much, much further away. Probably not on the opposite side of the planet, but a small country away should be highly possible and I can probably push it even further with a bit of effort.

    The efficiency, speed, and losses involved with sending mana across such a vast distance are things I still need to test.

    What interests me the most about the skill is these Ley Lines, as I¡¯ve cleverly dubbed them. It seems like I should be able to do even more with them, almost like Sophie¡¯s web. There¡¯s a chance they might remain stable even without anchors between them, but that¡¯s another aspect I still need to test as I level the skill.

    Overall, very good stuff.

    Plus, I got my [Mana Manipulation] back just like I did before, even though it doesn¡¯t seem like it should be that easy. It¡¯s obvious that mana and I just go together that well, even the system can¡¯t split us apart.

    Jumping off the bed, I head over to the mirror and examine my face.

    Still the same asshole.

    I breathe on the mirror, coating it in the fog from my breath, and draw two cat ears at the top of my head.

    ¡°Nya,¡± I whisper, and my reflection does the same.

    What a dumbass.

    I then pick up my clothes, something I let the seller pick for me. A while back, Maya said that I dressed like a homeless man, so I decided to let the shopkeep pick something out for me.

    I also remember that when Maya said that, I complimented her shirt, and told her that it was fitting for an older woman like her.

    Surprisingly, she wasn¡¯t very happy with that.

    Anyway, the seller spent a surprisingly long amount of time picking these out for me. She even made me try on several different outfits. We picked the pants out fairly quickly, settling on a simple, sleek black pair that turned out to be very comfortable.

    The shirt took a bit longer while she tried to match it to my eyes. We tried gray, we tried brown, but she wasn¡¯t the least bit satisfied with either option.

    In the end, she decided on a pale shade of green, which I approved because it felt nice to move my arms in.

    Happy with it, I asked her for multiple pairs of the same pants and shirts, and she looked at me like I was some kind of barbarian.

    Isn¡¯t that normal? If you find fitting clothes, just pick as many of the same shorts or pants as you can before they stop selling them a year later when you might want to buy them again.

    Even as a customer, I found myself forced to buy a range of different colors, so I ended up with gray pants, another pair of black pants, and three shirts: pale blue, burgundy, and gray.

    I liked the feel of the material though, so I didn¡¯t complain much, even as she demanded an outrageous sum in exchange.

    At least the bag was free.

    <hr>

    With an hour remaining on the clock, I finally stop by the blacksmith.

    The metal sphere I ordered is ready. It¡¯s a bit taller than me, and its surface is very smooth, extremely smooth. The only interruption in the surface is a circular hole just wide enough for me to crawl through.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. The integrity of the sphere increases if the entrance is smaller. Now just get in so I can seal it.¡±

    With a sigh, I do as I¡¯m told, having already paid.

    The weirdness of what I¡¯m doing doesn¡¯t escape me. Willingly entering this weirdo sphere to be sealed inside. If I didn¡¯t have an anchor placed in the inn I just stayed at and enough mana to defend myself, I would probably be worried.

    I light one of my thermal orbs and examine the sphere as it seals around me, and blankets me in darkness.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    There is a bit of food, some water, and a bunch of rib-like braces around the walls for strengthening.

    I asked the blacksmith not to use mana while making it and to try to purge it of any kind of residual mana, which, to his credit, he promised to do, already seeming to know about its effect on the white sand.

    Still, I know for sure there will be some remaining, but it¡¯s just something I have to expect, and I only need the sphere to hold on for a second or two at most.

    I start working on my plan as well while making sure I¡¯m touching as much of the sphere as I can¡ªI wouldn¡¯t want to leave it behind after all.

    Using a bit of my mana, I form the thinnest and most durable mana projectile I can. It¡¯s barely the width of my pinkie and about as long as my pointing finger.

    With my new skill, I tie an anchor to it and continue compressing it for the next thirty minutes, turning it a dark shade of blue with hints of purple and light blue streaking through it. It¡¯s getting close to destabilizing and exploding after turning bright white. Then I start storing kinetic energy behind it, ready to launch it away, focusing almost the entire capacity of my vortex core into that one point.

    Lastly, I wait, watching the countdown and packing my bag, filling it with food and water.

    As the timer ticks down, I breathe slowly.

    Breathe in. Breathe out, my mind constantly keeping the projectile and kinetic energy in check.

    Then the timer hits zero, and I leave Beyond.

    Immediately, the sound of compressed metal creaking surrounds me, and I hear the sound of charged white sand even through the thick metal of the sphere.

    A single grain of white sand pierces through the wall, and I tilt my head to avoid it.

    So much for no mana, but I shouldn¡¯t have expected such a complete mastery of mana from the blacksmith.

    I throw a spoon I stole from the inn into the air and watch the direction it falls. Then I shoot the projectile in the opposite direction.

    The projectile explodes forth at such a high speed that a small shockwave erupts within the sphere, rebounding off the metal walls of the construct.

    My hearing cuts out only to be replaced with constant high pitched ringing, I watch as the projectile easily pierces the metal, creating a small hole through which grains of sand slowly start falling in.

    I wait until the last possible moment, and teleport away, just before a grain of sand makes contact.

    The process of teleportation turns out to be smoother than before, and it feels more stable. I appear near my projectile, which quickly disappears from my sight, continuing to fly higher and higher.

    I take a moment to assess my current altitude and let myself fall for a moment before I start absorbing kinetic energy to stop the fall. Mostly to avoid triggering whatever aerial defenses they have around this moon.

    Looking down below me, I see a seemingly endless stretch of white dunes giving the impression that it could go on forever. Now though I find a single giga-dune right below me.

    It¡¯s enormous.

    As the sand got pulled toward the Champion, it must have flattened the surrounding area, only for the wind to slowly grow the dunes anew.

    The white sand now lies scattered, a prison that lost its purpose the moment Caius died.

    The huge number of sand particles floating in the air does make for a bit of a problem though, they were likely ejected into the atmosphere in the process of killing the champion.

    I pop my [Mana Domain] into existence, and any time a few grains enter my domain, I send a small pulse in that direction to draw them away.

    With the number of particles in the air, it''s difficult, but still doable.

    As I start thinking about what direction the central region might be, the air reverberates with a hum I can feel in my chest.

    Down below, a geyser of sand explodes high into the air, and a massive monster emerges, leaping into the air, just one of its eyes turning out to be several times my size.

    [Dustveil Whale - lvl ???]

    It has three eyes on each side, each of these eyes yellow with a red pupil in the middle. The whale is massive, even bigger than the Gaiathra I met back on the fifth floor, and its color is pure white, more so even than the sand it leapt from.

    The air reverberates again, though this time it''s an attack directed at me.

    My body shakes wildly, and my mind blinks on the verge of passing out. As the attack proceeds the Dustveil Whale moves its huge tail, flinging a massive amount of sand my way, sending a stream of the particles right at me.

    Okay, let''s keep a distance and then shoot it with some huge attacks.

    Redirecting more kinetic energy, I fly away at high speed, even at the cost of some of the sand piercing my domain and burrowing its way through my body. I start creating a javelin next to me, quickly condensing it into a bar of tricolored mana, ready to destabilize at a moment¡¯s notice as I continue to feed it mana.

    By the time I turn around to shoot, the whale is nearly below me. The monster, the size of a skyscraper, moving at a speed comparable to mine.

    I don''t think I¡¯ve been so surprised in a long while.

    Still, I launch my javelin at the beast, and it breaks the sound barrier, the boom echoing through the area as it disappears from my sight.

    The whale twists out of the way in a moment, opens its mouth, and eats my javelin.

    Its six eyes watch me as I count down to the explosion, and when it finally explodes, there is no sign of it. No mana escapes the monster''s mouth, nothing seeps through the skin. Instead, the whale buries itself deep under the white sand, swimming and then leaping into the air once more, its massive body twisting in the air like a dolphin.

    Another attack slams into me, and my altitude drops for a moment before I fly higher again.

    FINE then.

    I change tactics, instead of focusing on a single powerful attack, I start forming dozens of mana projectiles, each one shaped like a nail with a flat end, to keep them from piercing too deep.

    I shoot them at the whale, running through dozens of them every few seconds, and I speed up, adding more until hundreds of them are flying through the air like bullets from a machine gun. They embed themselves in the skin of the whale in large numbers, while it follows me nonetheless as I continue to fly at high speed.

    The mana on the projectiles charges the white sand, which immediately starts attacking the whale, the grains moving wildly through the air.

    Burrowing under the sand, the monster appears on the surface soon again. Wounds scarring its massive body, Though it¡¯s still not enough to take it down.

    When I repeat, the whale burrows under the surface and jumps back up, only to unleash that acoustic mental attack once more before burrowing again.

    The monster follows me for hours, quickly being joined by two more whales, and another three after that.

    Six giant monsters, two of which are slightly smaller and faster, constantly following me and attacking relentlessly, draining what little mana I have, even after a day in Beyond. But the desert is getting smaller and shallower at the edges.

    I don¡¯t think they were lying when they said the entire mana desert would attack the Champion if even a single grain of sand touched him. All the sand, charged by the mana batteries scattered across the desert, kept attacking until the Champion died, only stopping once he was gone. Meanwhile, a huge pile of sand has built up in the center, but the desert is slowly returning to its former state.

    It isn¡¯t long before the sand isn¡¯t deep enough for the moby dicks to follow, and they stop, their sad cries sounding like music to my ears.

    Though I¡¯m clearly still in the desert, since my mana isn¡¯t recovering, so I guess the edges aren¡¯t defined by the sand after all.

    With the promise of revenge against the white whales guiding me, I continue to fly, and when my mana finally starts to recover, I land safely on the rocky ground, and as is typical of the 6th floor. It¡¯s night, and a purple nebula shines in the sky.

    My next steps are simple.

    Find out where the hell I am¡ªwhether I¡¯m in the central region or back where we came from.

    Figure out a way to go back, grab as much sand as possible, and make a ton of items to sell in the system shop.

    Lastly, resume training with the RTE and orbs, and regroup with Group 4¡ªor at least with the twins, Lily and Biscuit, as we planned before.

 Chapter 452 - A lot of shards

    [Ley Line - lvl 9 > Ley Line - lvl 10]

    [Ley Line - lvl 10 > Ley Line - lvl 11]

    [Ley Line - lvl 11 > Ley Line - lvl 12]

    [Ley Line - lvl 12 > Ley Line - lvl 13]

    [Ley Line - lvl 13 > Ley Line - lvl 14]

    After doing a bit more testing I finally figure out the difference between [Tether] and [Ley Line].

    Where the main idea behind [Tether] was to create a tether, anchor it in space, and connect two disparate locations, the point of [Ley Line] is to create a line between them, not the anchor itself.

    I''m starting to suspect that as I reach higher levels, I might not even need the anchors. In theory, I could just create lines. However, I still have no idea how that would work.

    It¡¯s hard to explain since I mostly go by feel. Yes, anchors, marks, whatever you call them, are important, even with my new skill, but they seem to be more of a side benefit than the main focus.

    As for the lines, I¡¯m still not very sure what their advantages are, but it does bring to mind an image of the world spanning Veil of the 5th floor.

    I have a suspicion that my new skill, at a really, really high level, could have the same potential. Perhaps allowing me to cover the entire earth in invisible lines of mana and do¡­ something.

    I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll come up with something amazing eventually. Maybe a personal transportation net. Or a system to detect monsters with invisibility and kill them on sight.

    I know I still don¡¯t have a proper understanding of the skill, these are just the questions I have at the moment.

    What¡¯s the advantage of using lines over anchors? Lines have a larger surface area and more points where they can be damaged, while anchors are vulnerable to the anchors themselves. Yes, lines cover more space¡ªthe entire breadth of the line¡ªwhereas anchors just connect two points.

    It needs more testing, but it¡¯s not like I mind. After all, it¡¯s a shiny new toy I can work on, and I already did over the past few days.

    I¡¯ve also figured out that I¡¯m somewhere in the central region, though I haven¡¯t seen much difference so far, but then again I haven¡¯t actually delved any deeper than the border of the Mana Desert.

    I still haven¡¯t given up on my goal of using the sand to acquire mass quantities of shards, I¡¯m also waiting for Aaron, Dennis, Lily, and Biscuit, the group I was supposed to guide, before delving back into the Mana Desert.

    Tess and the others decided to go forward with the plan, so we¡¯ll be splitting group 4 to cover more area, train, and level up for the next few months.

    Something tells me things aren¡¯t going to be quite the same with the group after the days of amplified emotions in the Champion¡¯s prison, but I don¡¯t ask. I¡¯m sure Lily and the boys will tell me more when they get here.

    That is if we can even detect each other. Currently, the plan is for them to reach the edge of the desert and move across it until we meet. Of course, with help from my constant signals and the twins¡¯ attempting to use [Connection].

    There¡¯s also a crown over my head. For the next few months, I plan to find out how much mana I can store in the thing. I also want to move my mana to it for when I inevitably go to collect white sand for crafting.

    At least I managed to get the blue brothers to teach me how to purge the mana from my clothes, so I don¡¯t have to go naked anymore.

    An interesting question comes to mind. If I were to leave my things and crown here and go to collect some white sand, would it be possible for someone to steal my crown?

    I mean, it would probably explode eventually, but it would still be interesting to see how the skill would react if someone else were to touch the crown.

    <hr>

    A day later, I shoot off a couple of flares made of thermal energy, launching them high into the air, while storing my mana in the crown. Then I do a few rounds of expunging and purge the mana clinging to my clothes and body.

    As I pass the border and my mana stops regenerating, I repeat the process again. Only then do I use kinetic energy and make my way over to the white dunes.

    Upon reaching them, I immediately start checking for more of those annoying whales and push as much of the white sand as I can into the bags I brought with me.

    In the end, it probably comes out to somewhere around half of my weight, before running back satisfied with the result¡ªwithout any whales attacking me this time.

    I stop just before passing through the border so that my mana doesn¡¯t regenerate. There, I already have a few molds prepared, granted they¡¯re mostly just holes in the ground made with my mana and purged.

    At this pointI grab the white sand and start pouring it into one of the forms before me.

    A single big dagger with a handle made from the horn of a monster I killed not long ago.

    I repeat the process from before, using a stream of golden thermal energy to melt the sand until it begins to bubble, releasing trapped air and starting to glow. I take a moment to let the gasses finish venting and let the blade cool. Then I do the same with the other 4 forms, ending up with five daggers.

    Taking the bags of white sand, I put them in a hole on the side where mana doesn¡¯t regenerate and push a rock over them.

    Then I take the daggers and walk across the border with them, returning the crown to its place over my head.

    Like the spears I made before, the daggers begin to tremble, reacting to having a source of mana so close, despite being trapped in the form of glass where the individual particles can¡¯t pierce me.

    Mana-Reactive Dagger (Upper Epic): This dagger ignores mana-based defenses and absorbs mana on impact, sharpening its edge against physical armor and barriers. It becomes progressively more effective the more mana it absorbs, but if pushed too far, it can shatter explosively, scattering a mist of fine, cutting particles that may cause a significant degree of harm to anything in the area.

    Not bad. Let¡¯s sell it.

    Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,830 shards?

    Mana-Reactive Dagger (Upper Epic)

    Yes/No

    Well, well, well, if it isn¡¯t the system scamming me again.

    Upper epic items often go for over 10 thousand shards or more. The fact that I crafted this one means that I should receive 50% of the item¡¯s total value instead of the 10-20% I get for items I find on the individual floors. And yet this sale is going to net me less than 5 thousand.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    There could be any number of explanations, like the low quality of the item or the fact that the blade could shatter and kill its owner at any moment.

    Little things like that.

    Still, I may as well just blame the asshole of a system.

    I confirm the sale and then move to another dagger with the same description.

    Unable to sell the same item twice.

    As I feared. Even though I made each dagger slightly differently, using handles made from different materials in a variety of shapes, the message remains the same.

    Just like before, when I tried to sell coordinates to Lissandra¡¯s world twice, the system just wouldn¡¯t allow it.

    I have a strong suspicion that there was a powerful duplication glitch, and this is just how the system patched it out. Hats off to the lucky fella who abused it.

    But it¡¯s still something I expected, so I move to plan b and open the easy difficulty tab of the community.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) ¨C yo, name all the different kinds of weapons and simple armor and items you can come up with. Dagger, spear, axe, and the like. If you give me an idea I haven¡¯t thought of, I¡¯ll buy you something in the next tournament.

    Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) ¨C hello boss! The items you gave me are doing great. I killed a boss monster on my own!

    Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) ¨C I have a few ideas, but these are probably the ones you didn¡¯t think of flail, warhammer, halberd, scimitar, throwing knife, katana, glaive, nunchaku, morningstar, quarterstaff, sickle, trident.

    What the hell is up with that guy? I really didn¡¯t expect any of his suggestions. I¡¯ll seriously fuck up anyone who tries to take him away.

    Maria (Easy, AFK) ¨C Dagger, spearhead, arrowhead, knife, shuriken, short sword, throwing spike, club!

    Potato (Easy, Royals) ¨C Noname, giving away free items? I want some too, hopefully something from Tent Creep, hehe. Tomahawk, boomerang, pike, bayonet, harpoon, hook, glaive, estoc, fang, kris, falchion.

    Huh, there are a few here that I didn¡¯t think of either.

    Sami (Easy, AFK) ¨C Helicopter.

    Sure.

    Maria (Easy, AFK) ¨C While he¡¯s at it, he can make a tank or two.

    Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) ¨C Noname, you should also try making a spiked gauntlet, knuckles, and garrote.

    I didn¡¯t think¡­ well, whatever.

    Noname (Hell, group 4) ¨C I have no fucking idea how some of these Items look, so I¡¯m going to need you to describe them for me, mainly their shape. If anyone thinks they have something funny to say, I will make a living hell out of the next tournament just for you.

    And with that, everyone becomes much more respectful, while I collect the resulting ideas.

    I¡¯m rich, but now I can be even richer.

    There are a few arcane passives I¡¯ve been eyeing for a long time.

    <hr>

    For each item, I make 5 forms and create five pieces of it even though I can sell only one. The remaining ones I throw into 4 different piles.

    Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,790 shards?

    Mana-Reactive Gladius (Upper Epic)

    Yes/No

    Of course, I want to.

    Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,861 shards?

    Mana-Reactive Scythe (Upper Epic)

    Yes/No

    Gimme.

    Do you really want to sell the following item for 2,111 shards?

    Mana-Reactive Claymore (Upper Epic)

    Yes/No

    Yes, yes, yes.

    Some items are failures, like the boomerang, club, and warhammer. Some wind up going for much cheaper, many of them set somewhere around 1 thousand shards.

    I think there are requirements for the usefulness of the weapon. You can¡¯t just create a shape and expect it to be declared a weapon by the system.

    Other items take more attempts to get right. For example, the scythe took a lot of time, and some things like armor, gloves, and chest plates just didn¡¯t work at all. But I don¡¯t mind it too much. I have scores of weapons, and I¡¯m visiting multiple Communities, offering some nice stuff to people who come up with items I didn¡¯t think of.

    Most of the things that work turn out to be weapons, as things like brooches and pendants don¡¯t seem to do much, turning out rare at best.

    It takes multiple visits to the desert and another two attacks from those goddamned good for nothing whales.

    Monsters begin appearing as well, as they always do during the day. They¡¯re stronger than those I find in the outer region, but how could they cause trouble for me?

    I mean, even with the quantity of mana I¡¯m turning into thermal energy and the amount of time I spend training with RTE and orbs, I still have plenty left over to fill my crown.

    These are beautiful times.

    <hr>

    A week or two passes like that. It''s hard to say with all the training and crafting I do.

    Finally, I detect Lily, the best doggo of the 6th floor, and Aaron and Dennis. They reach my campsite, and the expressions on their faces as they do just look plain weird.

    Lily rushes in first, hugging me with a big, bright smile, and I¡¯m in a good mood, so I return, tapping her on the shoulder after a moment, signaling her to let go.

    She doesn¡¯t.

    As I start thinking about whether I should strengthen my body and how much kinetic energy I would need to dislodge this musclehead, she finally lets go.

    ¡°You sure made a mess of this place,¡± she notes, still smiling.

    I look around and realize she¡¯s right. There are dozens of holes in the rocky ground, the newer ones growing smoother as I experimented with my skills to make the edges of the forms better. Beyond the border to the Mana Desert, next to the forms, there are a multitude of bags, full to bursting with white sand.

    On the opposite side, in the central region, there are several monster corpses that I tried cutting apart to use for weapon materials or as anatomical guides for the more annoying ones.

    I even dug several holes in search of metals to use for weapons.

    This place really is a huge mess.

    But it feels cozy. Though maybe that¡¯s just because I¡¯m getting richer by the minute.

    I grab one of the daggers from the pile and throw it to Lily.

    ¡°How much can you sell it for?¡±

    ¡°It says just over 600 shards.¡±

    Hmm, I see. I could sell it for around 1,800 shards. So if I make the weapon myself, I can sell it for 50% of the system estimated value, but if I hand that weapon to someone else, it acts like they found the weapon on the floor itself, so the sale price gets reduced to somewhere between 10-20%? I¡¯m starting to wonder if the system isn¡¯t just fucking with me.

    It¡¯s probably a combination of both.

    ¡°Good,¡± I say, taking a few steps to lift Biscuit into my arms and turning him to make sure he can hear what I have to say.

    I hold the best doggo in my outstretched arms, with his hind legs hanging free as I shake him from side to side. Which he seems to enjoy.

    ¡°There are 4 piles of about 70 items each. Go and sell them to the system shop. Each of you should get,¡± I try to do a quick calculation but give up. I hate math, ¡°30-40k shards. Half is mine, which you will use to buy whatever I want.¡±

    ¡°The fuck?¡± Dennis says, staring like he¡¯s never seen me before.

    Aaron pokes him, ¡°Shut up before he changes his mind. We¡¯ll do it!¡±

    They rush away, and Lily follows after a quick moment of persuasion.

    Then I whisper to Biscuit, ¡°And you, buddy, if you can sell them, you can keep all the shards and buy whatever you want. Depending on the floor, you can even buy food.¡±

    (Food!)

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    I put him on the ground, and he wobbles to his pile before stopping and turning back to me.

    He stops in front of me and bumps my shin with the top of his head, before returning to his pile.

    I open my status and check my shards.

    Shards: 268,614

    It''s time to treat myself to something nice.

 Chapter 453 - One of us

    Passive Skill: Mana Pulse Circulation (Low Arcane)

    The user''s mana pathways are not only enhanced but supercharged with pulsating mana, passively optimizing all their physiological functions. This results in vastly increased stamina, increased energy reserves, and near instantaneous healing of minor to moderate injuries. The effects increase with more mana, and the constant high-speed circulation of mana through the brain grants enhanced cognitive clarity.

    Passive Skill: Mana Veil (Low Arcane)

    The user becomes nearly imperceptible to all forms of magical and physical detection, making them almost impossible to locate by normal or supernatural means. The veil not only blurs their outline but also distorts light and sound to the point of making the user appear invisible to the naked eye. Incoming attacks are not only distorted but are also partially redirected or nullified, and disrupting their mana flow becomes an almost futile effort.

    Passive Skill: Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane)

    The user''s mind becomes an impenetrable fortress, fortified by impossibly complex mana weaves. This passive grants immense resistance to all forms of mental attacks, including illusions, mind control, and psychic attacks. Additionally, the passive allows the user''s mind to endure the immense strain of using powerful skills and traits.

    Passive Skill: Thermal Rebirth Matrix (Low Arcane)

    The Thermal Rebirth Matrix allows one to absorb and convert ambient and internal heat at an exceptional rate. The user can regenerate from grievous injuries, including regrowing entire limbs and organs, almost within moments. This process also cleanses the body of any poisons or harmful substances. The user now possesses high resistance to all but the most extreme flame and heat-based attacks, making them virtually impervious to most forms of thermal damage.

    Passive Skill: Mana Sculptor (Low Arcane)

    The user becomes a Mana Sculptor capable of shaping mana into intricate and versatile constructs. These constructs maintain exceptional durability and adaptability while gaining enhanced precision and refinement. The user can now create more complex forms to serve a wider variety of purposes. These constructs often possess special properties like self-repair and operate with improved efficiency and stability, allowing for longer-lasting creations without additional mana expenditure.

    These are the passives I¡¯m seriously considering.

    One that grants minor mana-based healing, body strengthening, and a bit of overall improvement.

    Another that grants mana-based mind protection and likely slight improvement to cognitive abilities.

    And then there¡¯s the healing passive based on thermal energy and the Mana Sculptor thingy that I really liked the look of.

    The dark horse here is mana veil, honestly, the part about distorting the trajectory of incoming attacks interests me, and then there¡¯s the part where it promises to help me hide my mana, which I can only think will become more and more important as I grow stronger.

    Overall, any of these passives could give me a huge boost. Though the descriptions are about as simple as ever.

    With a few changes, one might even cause one to mistake them for epic passives, but the term ''arcane'' in their name speaks volumes. You could easily have a passive with ''rare'' in the name and damn near the same description, yet the difference would be immense.

    Even so, I can only ever bring myself to think of them as learning tools offered by the system. Sure, it¡¯s a goddamn arcane passive, and I¡¯m quite sure that means there can¡¯t be many people that have one.

    Getting it before level 300 could also improve my selection of Primary classes when I get my next upgrade. And given a few months or years, I may even learn to emulate the passive¡¯s effects on my own. Perhaps I could even turn it into a more active healing skill, right? Right?

    They¡¯re all low arcane, so I could always just wait until I can afford something in the range of mid arcane, but I bet if I did and got to mid arcane, I would just convince myself to wait for something in the range of upper arcane.

    These are tough times indeed. I truly have the mother of all first world problems: too many good passives to pick from.

    ¡°Biscuit, I¡¯m frustrated and I can¡¯t decide,¡± I groan, laying back against the rocky ground.

    The cute corgi leaves the pile of items that he was selling. It¡¯s interesting to note that it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen him interact with the system this way. Well, he has been able to use the Community from the beginning, so it¡¯s not too big of a surprise, but some functions still seem to be locked on his end, I think.

    His cold nose boops its way into my ear, and I hear him sniffling for a moment before he moves a bit and licks my temple.

    He lays down next to me, resting his chin against my neck while I lift my hand, mindlessly stroking his back. I can feel his warm breath against the bottom of my chin, and it tickles, and I let it be.

    And for a while, I rest, just like that.

    ¡°So, how is the group?¡± I ask, finally broaching the topic with the others.

    ¡°Not well after the Mana Desert,¡± Dennis replies, his tone solemn, while his brother remains silent. Though I can imagine him silently nodding along.

    ¡°Sophie took Izzy and left the group after getting into a fight with Tess,¡± Aaron eventually confirms.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised at all,¡± Dennis says, though he looks surprised himself.

    This time I decide to ignore it and shrug, but gently, to avoid interrupting Biscuit¡¯s rest.

    ¡°Believe it or not I think about these things, little twerp. And if you¡¯re worried about it, don¡¯t be. You may not have noticed, but Tess can be a bit naive at times and sometimes she pushes things too far. She''s still a good person though, and Sophie knows that.¡±

    ¡°They could always just solve it with a bikini clad mud fight,¡± Aaron suggests, sighing alongside me.

    Right now, I''d love to see the glare Lily¡¯s surely sending his way, but I can''t interrupt our future Absolute''s rest to look.

    ¡°How is Min-Jae?¡± I poke and receive the silence I expected in return.

    ¡°They tried to apologize, but he told them to¡ªnow how did it go?¡ª ¡®eat shit,¡¯¡± Lily responds in the twins place.

    "You know, Kim can be really stubborn when he wants to," Aaron grumbles.

    "Those orbs he shot at us really hurt," Dennis adds.

    As the sky grows darker, I create a larger thermal orb and reduce the light being produced.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Just for fun, I turn it into a cube the size of both my fists put together. I play with it a bit longer until I create a change in the thermal energy within. The light shifts and fluctuates in a similar way to how a campfire would.

    With just a bit more work, even the heat it radiates changes, radiating just as flames would. Sometimes the heat hits one place stronger than the other. I tried to come up with a way to add sound effects with kinetic energy, though I¡¯ve failed so far.

    Standing up with Biscuit in my arms, I create a manabloc chair for each of us, seated around the huge boulder.

    As they sit in the chairs, I concentrate a bit more and make them a touch more flexible so they deform them slightly in response to the weight. Then I fix them in place, each chair perfectly shaped to the position they¡¯re in.

    ¡°Manabloc chair, is that what you called it?¡± Aaron asks, giggling quietly, but I can tell his heart isn¡¯t in it.

    As Biscuit drifts off to sleep, I form a mana arm to reach out and grab a blanket and gently drape it over him, allowing his head to peek out. Then, I begin petting him softly.

    Biscuit occasionally twitches and lets out a series of soft barks in his sleep, but gradually relaxes as I keep running my hand over him.

    An hour passes in silence, and it''s strangely comfortable to just sit here after two weeks of crafting and training.

    The steady rise and fall of his breathing becomes the only sound I hear, and for the first time in a while, I let myself relax, enjoying this quiet break from the recent madness.

    I carefully break the silence, looking at the corgi in my arms, ¡°When Biscuit was just a small pup, his owner¡¯s granddaughter would leave him out in the wind, snow, and rain, without food or water. And she would record videos of her ¡°saving¡± him, probably with titles like Saving a cute corgi from the rain and bathing him in warm water. Bringing a cute corgi in from the snow and giving him a warm spot by the fire. Finding a hungry corgi outside and feeding him. The last was her favorite and she often left him to starve. I think she kept making new accounts, posting the videos, in the vain hope the videos would go viral, and kickstart her ¡®career¡¯ by bringing her an audience.¡± I state, nearly spitting the words as they come.

    After gently booping Biscuit¡¯s nose I look at Lily and the twins, who seem to have been stunned into silence.

    ¡°She never got her viral break, and so she kept trying until she got bored, and gave Biscuit to her grandparents, who she lived with¡ªand who must have known what she has done.¡±

    I pause for a moment to calm myself down, and only when I stop feeling like I want to punch someone, do I rest my hand back on Biscuit¡¯s head.

    ¡°Being a simple pup and a normal dog, Biscuit never understood. He shared some of the images and feelings he had back then, so I know a bit about what happened.¡± My eyes meet Lily¡¯s. ¡°He was always happy when she pulled him from the rain and snow when she fed him after starving him. He loved her. Just how silly is that.¡±

    No one says anything for a while, and I increase the output of my thermal cube, the light flickering across the nighttime scenery.

    ¡°Aaron and I come from a very wealthy family,¡± Dennis says, the first to break the silence. He and his brother exchange a series of messages through their link before he continues, ¡°And by wealthy, I mean tens of millions. At least we were, you could say.¡±

    There¡¯s a smile on his face as he continues, stumbling over his words for a moment as his shyness gets the better of him, ¡°Our parents died when we were younger than Isabella, and our family¡¯s passed us around ever since. Grandpa wasn¡¯t that bad, and we spent a few nice years with him. Then he died, and we got sent to our uncle and then to our aunt.¡±

    Aaron joins in, ¡°She always hated our parents but didn¡¯t mind taking us in. You know, it meant she could take a bite of all that money they left us after all.¡±

    ¡°Her and everyone else who got the chance. Father¡¯s old friends, distant family members, the state, the city, our accountants¡ªthey all made sure enough got lost along the way.¡±

    ¡°We never saw a cent. There¡¯s still some locked away in secure accounts, but most of it¡¯s gone now.¡±

    ¡°Auntie took care of it.¡± Dennis smiles even wider. ¡°She also liked to show us how she despised her ¡®whore¡¯ sister¡¯s brats,¡± he reaches over his shoulder and taps his back, ¡°We have plenty of scars to prove it. Of course, nothing too visible, we wouldn¡¯t want people to start asking and take us away.¡±

    ¡°Us and the money.¡±

    ¡°And the money,¡± Dennis confirms.

    Aaron leans back, eyes distant, as if recalling memories he¡¯d rather keep buried.

    There¡¯s a shared understanding between the twins, the kind that can only come from years of unspoken pain, but they don''t linger on it for long.

    The casual way they speak about their past almost makes it sound normal like they''ve long since accepted the unfairness of it all.

    It¡¯s clear they¡¯ve grown accustomed to brushing off the pain with forced smiles and empty gestures, but the quiet tension tells a different story.

    Then we turn to Lily, hearing a soft sobbing coming from her corner, as she wipes her eyes with her sleeves. "I didn¡¯t know," she mumbles. "I didn¡¯t know any of that."

    ¡°It¡¯s not like we go around telling people,¡± Dennis says, a gentle smirk on his lips, his blue eyes glinting in the light from my cube.

    ¡°We mostly kept it to ourselves,¡± Aaron adds. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly easy to talk about.¡±

    Dennis looks at his brother. ¡°But we always had each other, no matter what happened. I hate that creep sometimes, but hey, we¡¯re still in this together.¡±

    ¡°Dennis is a dick, but hey, at least I can do some evil things and blame it on him.¡± Aaron nods seriously and turns to Lily. ¡°So what about you? Everyone here seems at least a little messed up. Particularly Tess with everything she¡¯s done, Kim mentioned something in his own past, poor Biscuit¡ªand I bet Nat also has a thing or two, at least looking at the way he and his sister fight.¡±

    With curiosity, I watch as Lily hesitates, but the twins wait together with me.

    She starts softly, ¡°It wasn¡¯t until I got older that I realized my father and I were poor. He was hardly ever home, there was never much in the way of food, and our apartment was either freezing cold or unbearably hot. I couldn¡¯t leave because it wasn¡¯t safe outside. For years, my only friend was Grumpy, my cat.¡±

    I increase the warmth from my cube, and we sit quietly, soaking it in for a moment.

    ¡°They eventually took me from my father and placed me with a new family, they even let me keep Grumpy, I haven¡¯t seen my dad in years. The people I¡¯m with now are kind enough sure, there¡¯s always food, and I¡¯m not cold anymore. But over time, the way they treat me has changed. I wasn¡¯t behaving the way they wanted. ¡®They¡¯d always ask, ¡°Why don¡¯t you smile more, Lily?¡±.¡¯ ¡®Why are you so quiet, Lily?¡¯ ¡®Why doesn¡¯t your father ever visit, Lily?¡¯ ¡®Why, why, why, why, why.¡¯¡±

    She swallows hard, her voice catching, but then she smiles as she looks from the twins to me.

    ¡°When I get back to Earth, I hope Grumpy is still alive. He¡¯ll be old, but cats like him can live for 20 years. I know it! I¡¯ll make him immortal, I¡¯ll make him young again, and then we¡¯ll be together just like before.¡±

    For the last time, she wipes her eyes, ¡°I know it¡¯s childish, but it¡¯s something to hope for. So tell me, Aaron, am I messed up too?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re totally messed up, Lily. A fitting member of group 4,¡± Aaron confirms with a nod.

    Slowly, the conversation shifts to other topics, and I notice they deliberately avoid asking about my past.

    It¡¯s more comfortable that way, and I feel a quiet sense of relief, so I let it slide.

    Then something cold pokes my left hand, the pale one.

    I look down and my eyes meet Biscuit¡¯s.

    He doesn¡¯t say anything, but he keeps poking me.

    Firmly. Gently.

    My conversation with Tess back in the caves under the Mana Desert comes to my mind.

    The silence stretches on, but no one pushes me to speak.

    ¡°My father was a drunkard who beat my mother and sister, who always protected me, despite the fact that it only ever got her extra beatings.¡±

    All conversation stops, but I don¡¯t look up, fixing my gaze on Biscuit. And he stares back at me.

    A gentle little soul with a terrible past, just like the rest of us.

    ¡°I tried to kill him one day, but I couldn¡¯t go through with it. I still remembered how he was when I was younger. Our visit to the zoo, when he bought us the tastiest ice cream I ever had. All the times he carried me on his shoulders when my legs hurt from walking. A perfect sunny day in the park. That time he and Mom danced in the kitchen when we moved into a new home¡ªthey were both so beautiful then. I still remember all the times he put Vic and me to bed and gently kissed our foreheads.¡±

    Another cold-feeling prods my hand.

    ¡°My sister killed him in the end. Because I couldn¡¯t and because he would¡¯ve killed our mom eventually. Ever since then, she¡¯s been in prison, and I was decried as the brother of a murderer.¡±

    Biscuit licks my arm, and I ruffle his head, lifting my head up. ¡°Tell me am I as messed up as the rest of you?¡±

    ¡°You are truly messed up indeed,¡± Dennis confirms, nodding along with me.

    ¡°Terribly messed up,¡± Lily whispers quietly, her big eyes on me.

    ¡°Just like the rest of us,¡± Aaron says. ¡°Another fitting member of group 4.¡±

    (Food!)

    I look down at him and feel myself smile, "You as well, Biscuit. You¡¯re one of us too."

 Chapter 454 - Shaping the Invisible

    In the end, I decide to go with

    Passive Skill: Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) - The user''s mind becomes an impenetrable fortress, fortified by impossibly complex mana weaves. This passive grants immense resistance to all forms of mental attacks, including illusions, mind control, and psychic attacks. Additionally, the passive allows the user''s mind to endure the immense strain of using powerful skills and traits.

    It''s shameful to admit, but as of late, I''ve been having trouble focusing my mind when I need to use my skills on a really big scale. At this point managing some of the larger constructs, inscriptions, and splitting my mind into the necessary parts with [Focus] has begun to prove difficult. And I find myself wanting to act on ever larger-scales.

    Not to mention all the ways it should improve my capacity to use [Ley Line], and a lot of other skills now that I think about it, even my domain, I should be able to expand it further now without a lot of extra strain.

    And I can''t forget my eyes. With this passive, I should be able to strengthen my trait even further. I just need to get the token for 1st stage, after all, I don''t want to waste my 2nd stage token.

    I know its main effect is to defend my mind, not to make it stronger¡ªthat would require a different passive. Still, even that small additional effect is a nice bonus.

    Mana Sculptor was tempting too, but I think I should be able to recreate it on my own.

    Though I¡¯ll probably find myself regretting not choosing something with a healing effect. No, I know I¡¯ll regret it, but I''m kind of used to bleeding and losing limbs for the sake of progress. I''ve always preferred to be a glass cannon.

    Hopefully, my epic healing passive will hold on for a bit longer. I¡¯m still working on those new body modifications with Lily, and then there are those healing marks she¡¯s been working on.

    I seriously considered taking Mana Pulse Circulation and I came close to choosing that. But there are reasons I didn¡¯t, and I need to think those over a bit more to know if I should be smacking myself in the back of the head. Mana Cycling is especially something I need to look deeper into.

    My main priority will always be protecting my mind and its freedom. It''s something I¡¯ve been forced to worry about ever since the 1st floor when Sophie got her hooks in me and used that to manipulate my actions. I fully intend to learn how this passive works for future abuse. And just as an added bonus, it¡¯s due to come with a boost to my concentration and insight when it comes to researching new skills.

    As just over 230 thousand shards disappear, the passive appears in my status, leaving me with just under 40 thousand shards.

    My new passive doesn¡¯t flare into immediate action, as pain floods through me. And I mean, a lot of pain. My entire head feels like it''s about to melt, and I feel like some vast and unknowable thing has decided to skewer my brain with a red-hot iron.

    Note to self: having a high-tier passive applied hurts like hell.

    I begin doing mana shaping exercises in an effort to ignore the pain, resuming my work with the evil orbs. I glance at them now and again, curious to see if the passive has made any difference, and it''s clearly noticeable even in this incomplete state.

    There were levels in mana shaping I could delve into, but the pressure on my mind wouldn¡¯t allow for much probing when I first started, so, of course, that means I¡¯ve gained a new avenue for training!

    Right away, I add two more evil orbs, totaling seven before I get slowed by my inadequate mastery over mana rather than a weakness of my flesh.

    Over the last few days, I¡¯ve been planning to set up a large-scale web, similar to Sophie¡¯s using [Ley Line], I should be able to put this new passive through its paces then. After that, the next test will be to focus on compressing my mana and delving deeper into the kind of things Mana Sculptor passive described.

    I will improve my mana armor, weapons, projectiles, and manabloc chairs.

    Actually, the more I think about it the more ¡°manabloc¡± makes sense as a name for the compressed mana I use." So by that token, I would be using manabloc swords and armor.

    And damn if I don¡¯t know my share of people who would absolutely hate it.

    Anyway, my big mecha armor requires testing. With my new passive, I should be able to make it bigger and stronger, and the self-repair function would certainly be nice to learn. I¡¯ll definitely need to make the longest lasting creation possible. I¡¯ve even got a head start with the chairs I made a few nights back.

    The events of that night are still awkward to think about, and I¡¯m going to need to kick something¡¯s ass just to feel manly again. Bullying the twins could work, but they¡¯ve been suspiciously not annoying, and something in me thinks it has something to do with their adaptability as if they¡¯ve figured out my patterns and made an effort to avoid giving me an excuse.

    Tsk.

    ¡°How¡¯s your training going?¡± I ask, stopping by to check on them, and finding the lazy asses sitting in the chairs I made with modified evil orbs floating over them.

    ¡°You¡¯re a frigging monster,¡± Dennis groans.

    I track his eyes and find them on the seven orbs following me.

    ¡°Skill issue?¡±

    ¡°Please, Nat, don¡¯t use that jargon.¡±

    ¡°I heard it from you, so who¡¯s really to blame here? I¡¯ll remind you once again: if you fail to meet my expectations within the next few months, I will force you to switch to Hard difficulty. You would be dumb not to take me at my word.¡±

    ¡°We know, we know, damn it. You are not the type to back down from this kind of stuff,¡± Aaron, sighs from his position next to me, his evil orb vanishing.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    I modify one of mine, move it over to him, then replace it with a fresh one.

    ¡°Any reward if we succeed?¡±

    ¡°Becoming stronger?¡± I ask, mild confusion evident in my tone. ¡°If you work at it you¡¯ll improve your control over your skills, and maybe you and your brother won¡¯t have to keep being the weakest members of group 4. You could even beat Min-Jae if you do well. I¡¯m sure Tess¡¯ working on a training regiment for him as well, so you can¡¯t really afford to lose.¡±

    ¡°Are you maybe competing with Tess to see who can raise the stronger pet?¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to turn us into your disciples?¡± Dennis smirks.

    Now that¡¯s an amusing thought, I think, making the orbs a bit harder to handle. ¡°In just a few years, Vega will wipe the floor with you. Both of you at once. If she maintains her current rate of improvement, and I get the chance to summon her during the tournament, no one from Hard difficulty will be able to face her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a demon, that girl,¡± Dennis says, swatting away the remains of his burst evil orb with a free hand.

    In response, I immediately create a new one.

    ¡°So, what happened with the group after you left the Champion¡¯s prison?¡±

    ¡°Well, we were confused at first, what with the missing thylarin douches and the fact that you¡¯d stayed behind, but we checked the Community, and you were still there. Izzy seemed to know something though, so she got us all calmed down,¡± Aaron says lazily.

    The way he handles the orb tells me he¡¯s starting to get the hang of it, so I increase the difficulty.

    Dennis continues in his place, ¡°We appeared in some old, abandoned fort. We cleared the surroundings of monsters and posted a guard while we rested. Then, Sophie and Tess started fighting sometime during the night,¡±

    ¡°More like Sophie started drilling Tess,¡± Aaron adds quickly before returning his focus to managing his orb.

    ¡°She is always like that when it comes to Izzy¡¯s safety,¡± Dennis confirms.

    When Aaron¡¯s orb bursts open again, he leans back in his chair. ¡°They fought and damn, if Sophie decides she wants to cause trouble, she can really do some damage, even to Tess. Izzy had to step in before someone died then Sophie took her and left. I really didn¡¯t expect it to happen, and neither did Tess. She seemed¡­ hurt. Are you okay with that, Nat?¡±

    ¡°You guys act like it¡¯s the end of the world or something. Just give it a few months. Maya will keep poking and prodding at Tess, Izzy will manipulate Sophie, and the gang will be together again. Have you met anyone from the central region?¡±

    ¡°Not a single one so far, honestly I think we¡¯re way off target from where we were headed. Kallus seemed lost too, but he was a bit more open about sharing information on the central region, and any hints and rumors he had about the remaining containment zones. We¡¯ll have to get you up to speed on everything we¡¯ve learned since then.¡±

    ¡°Good, the Champions¡¯ containment cells seem like a solid lead to getting us off this moon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you call a solid lead? After the blue maniac in the hole? Are you sure you want to mess with even more Champion-level beings?¡±

    ¡°Why not? It ended perfectly well last time.¡±

    ¡°Suuureee.¡±

    I increase the difficulty of the orb and then create a few more which I set to hovering nearby. That way the twins can grab new ones if the ones they¡¯re training with burst. I¡¯m quite happy with the new orbs. They¡¯ll only activate their ever changing frequency and mana level requirements when one of the twins takes them. Until then, they¡¯ll remain inactive. Sandra would be proud.

    Well, if I were being honest she would probably just compare me to a pet or something.

    Walking towards Lily, I spin the evil orbs around me and examine each one. I could probably manage a few more, and that annoys me as much as it makes me happy. It shouldn¡¯t be this easy. I should be straining as blood seeps from my ears and nose just to handle the one. Just like the good old times back in the pyramid.

    Tonight, I will have to sit down and check the mana stones Lady Lissandra gave me and ramp up the difficulty. I¡¯m sure she modified the orbs for me, just as I did for the twins, surely I can modify them again.

    The thought of me being to her what the twins are to me prickles at my competitive spirit. If I don¡¯t come up with a way to make this significantly more difficult, I¡¯ll check out the other shaping exercises, even though Lissandra recommended starting with this one.

    I check on Lily to find that she¡¯s currently resting with her back against a boulder with her eyes closed, her hands clasping the finger bone of the champion from the 5th floor and some of the others I¡¯ve collected.

    Careful not to interrupt her, I connect to my Ley Lines, and they appear, flaring in my sight. A dozen invisible pale blue threads stretching in all directions. They¡¯re part of a new test I thought up. Each one is tied to a different item. And though it¡¯s something I could easily do with normal mana, these are something people can pass through and still have trouble sensing.

    They don¡¯t have any effect on the physical world yet, but I¡¯m sure I can come up with something clever once I have a few more levels in the skill.

    I touch one line, and for a moment it shines, and I give the anchor a strong pull, yanking it towards me. A chair gets pulled to me through the open area, and I grab it by the leg, setting it upright so I can take a seat.

    As I do, I think about this new skill of mine.

    These threads that make up my Ley Lines¡ªwhat can I make with them? They are of a material I have yet to meet, and I know the intention is to make them hidden, but during previous testing, I was able to make part of one line show in the physical world. That single short thread was stronger than anything else I¡¯m currently capable of creating.

    It took a lot out of me. It scared Biscuit, and the twins said they felt like they were about to pass out as I strained my skills, pushed my limits, and burned through a metric ton of mana to make it happen.

    I can usually estimate how much strain something will take, and honestly, I don''t think I can push it any further at this point¡ªat least not without seriously hurting myself.

    Fortunately, I just got a new arcane passive and that should allow for more testing.

    The materialized Ley Line is impossible to disrupt, and impossible to cut, at least with my current level of skill, even running [Resonance] at full power didn¡¯t do anything, I couldn¡¯t burn it either nor could I affect it kinetically.

    It took a lot of effort just to materialize this weird, finger-length, thread.

    But at that moment, I decided it was something I wanted to exploit. Together with the intended use of the skill, I will try to materialize it as much as possible. I have the skillset for that. I can do it.

    And once I¡¯ve mastered it I¡¯ll weave things from the thread.

    Weapons, armor, barriers. I¡¯ll learn to make the threads, the Ley Lines, as thin as possible, if I can make them fine enough they have the potential to make my creations infinitely more delicate. I will learn as much as I can from this skill and add its properties to everything I create with [Mana Manipulation].

    One day I¡¯ll even weave it through my mana mech, making it that much tougher as I use the lines for muscles and tendons.

    The sheer amount of processing it will require to materialize that many Ley Lines makes my head spin, but my arcane passive will help.

    And it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have options: I can level my [Focus], allowing it to handle more of the strain of that, and split my mind into multiple parts to process everything I need to control. I could also make an item, something to handle part of the strain.

    The Ley Line thread is already gone, I couldn¡¯t keep it materialized longer than a few moments, but its image is still fresh in my mind. A delicate, pale blue shimmering thread, a color so similar yet distinct from the pale blue of normal mana.

 Chapter 455 - Seventh variation

    ¡°I¡¯ve already modified my arm, I mostly used the Champion¡¯s bone as inspiration. It¡¯s the toughest body part I¡¯ve seen so far! Of course, I wasn¡¯t able to modify my own arm to the same extent, but look!¡±

    Lily then takes one of the daggers I made out of the white sand, one she hasn¡¯t sold yet. She sends a bit of her mana through, activating it, and slashes into her forearm, the blade only stopping once it hits bone.

    She doesn¡¯t even bother to heal it right away, and as her blood drips down, she looks up at me with a big smile on her small face.

    ¡°I tried it before, and though it took some effort, I still managed to cut all the way through. But this time, the blade stopped the moment it touched the bone! Look!¡±

    Lily pulls the dagger free, and the wound closes almost instantly. She grabs the dagger in her other hand this time and slashes the other one with great force.

    This time, the blade slides cleanly through flesh and bone and severs her arm at the elbow.

    ¡°I told you!¡± Happily, she grabs the cut-off arm and holds it to the wound, as her muscles stretch, reconnecting the limb to her body, as new skin spans the gap, and the limb shifts position as it audibly snaps back into place, leaving her cooling blood as the only sign that she had ever been injured

    I¡¯m jealous. I wish I had a skill like that. I wish there was a way to make it happen, maybe a passive or something.

    Tell me, are you watching, Lady Handler? Do you read my records? Do you still think I¡¯m not normal?

    Just LOOK AT THIS GIRL!

    ¡°So when can we start working on modifying my body?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Nat, sorry. I just started with the bones in my forearm, and I still need to go through the rest of my body before I¡¯ll feel comfortable modifying yours.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense.¡±

    She immediately perks up as if she were worried I would be disappointed for some reason. ¡°Give me your left hand,¡± she gestures quickly.

    Curious, I lift my hand, and she grabs it with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on my healing marks and I still haven¡¯t come up with a cool name yet.¡± As she speaks she reaches out to me with the tip of her finger and presses against the inside of my forearm, and I feel her mana make contact.

    I allow it to pass through my natural barrier, and a burning itch spreads through my skin at the point of contact.

    ¡°Huh, it¡¯s surprisingly easy to work on your left arm. I think you were right back on the 4th floor. I restored it, so I have a stronger connection to it. That¡¯s why I can sacrifice it and not your other limbs. But isn¡¯t that weird? I healed your other limbs too but I still can¡¯t sacrifice them.¡±

    ¡°I think it has something to do with our subconscious perceptions. Back then, when I said it, you accepted it as fact and believed it. And I still believe in it, quite strongly. After all, you made a strong impact on me back when you first restored it.¡±

    ¡°So in theory it could work with your other limbs too, and it doesn¡¯t right now because we just don¡¯t believe it?¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± I agree. ¡°To sacrifice something, you must have power over it; it must belong to you. And the more precious it is, the better it will be as a sacrifice.¡±

    Lily hums in agreement and touches my forearm again, a bit higher this time, and a mark starts spreading across the surface of my skin, tracing its form in a pale shade of white. It¡¯s barely visible against the pale skin of my arm, almost like a faded scar.

    ¡°What do you think would be the best sacrifice, Nat?¡±

    I¡¯ve actually thought about it a lot. Her skill fascinates me even now, so I actually have an answer ready. ¡°I think your own life or memories.¡±

    She stops for a moment, surprised by the answer, and her eyes meet mine. ¡°Not people?¡±

    ¡°Do you think you could even own a person on a level fundamental enough to sacrifice them like that? I don''t think it would work. No, I think sacrificing parts of yourself would work the best. Just imagine permanently sacrificing your being, what makes you you, just to power your skills. It would be worse than killing yourself, you¡¯d be forgetting everything that makes you, you. It¡¯s a terrifying thought,¡± I answer with complete honesty.

    Would I ever be able to do that? Just the thought is...

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Nat,¡± Lily objects, shaking her head in disagreement. Letting go of my arm, she takes a step back.

    She doesn¡¯t continue, so I let it pass.

    Looking down at the white mark on my forearm, I ask, ¡°So what now?¡±

    ¡°It should activate easily enough as long as it comes into contact with your blood. I tried to make it activate with mana alone, but I couldn¡¯t figure out how. I¡¯m going to need your help to come up with a trigger for it.¡±

    ¡°Got it, we¡¯ll work together to come up with something.¡±

    Then I stop holding my mana back for a moment, placing my normal process of mana cycling on temporary hold deactivating my passives as I do.

    There are definitely easier ways to injure myself, but I may as well take the opportunity to see the effects of my uncontrolled mana on my body.

    Right away, I destabilize my control over the mana in my left arm. More and more mana seeps through my skin, causing Lily to take a step back as a wave of my mana washes over the area.

    My arm twitches, and twists in several places. Muscles and veins erupt from my flesh, and mana tears through the surface of my skin, ramping up in time with my heartbeat.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Then I reactivate my passives and constructs. I once again dedicate part of my mind to the process of cycling my mana through my body as it seeps back into the proper paths through my body. The feeling of a bomb ready to explode is gone.

    I watch as blood touches the mark, and it rapidly begins to fade until it disappears completely.

    The same warm mana I¡¯ve grown to associate with Lily spreads through my arm, and with a speed unmatched by any of my passives, the bones snap back into place, and the muscles, veins, and nerves reconnect. Then the mana the mark held runs out, leaving the skin still torn in dozens of places, as blood drips freely from the wounds.

    Stepping closer, Lily puts her hand on mine, healing the rest. ¡°It¡¯s still a work in progress, and I¡¯m not sure how long I can make it last. It doesn¡¯t hold much healing mana either, and it breaks every time I try to give it more.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll test it out. How many variations have you tried?¡±

    ¡°Around seven?" she demures, closing her hand into a fist and counting fingers, "The first one just didn¡¯t work, the second one blew off my arm somehow, the third one started growing the bones for new arms through my skin, the fourth one started healing the skin and started spreading through the muscles and bones and screwed up my arm in the process, the fifth one sent healing pulses through the rest of the body instead. The sixth variation grew muscles out of bone. So I spent a lot of my time on testing before I made the 7th variation. The first test went really well too!¡±

    ¡°Lily, by any chance, when you say ¡®first test¡¯ do you mean the one we just did?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°The one you just tested on me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! But I was pretty sure it would work!¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Lily giggles and shoves me and I manage to strengthen my body just in time to avoid being thrown to the ground by the petite healer, narrowly preserving my dignity.

    ¡°I¡¯m joking,¡± she chuckles, her eyes crinkling into a smile. ¡°I did a lot of testing before I even thought of giving you the mark. And do you remember the Last King¡¯s crown? The one the Saint created? It might take a bit longer, probably years, but I think I should be able to make something similar work. A mark like that would be too difficult, but with your help, we shouldn¡¯t have any trouble making similar items work all on our own. I wouldn¡¯t even need to get close to heal people, and with a bit more work, I should be able to heal someone from miles away.¡±

    ¡°That sounds plausible. And what exactly happened to those items?¡± I ask. If I remember correctly, they were technically mine and I was just renting them to group 4.

    ¡°I¡¯ll remind you that you said you didn¡¯t mind if I destroyed the crown. The crown kind of broke when I was examining it. I had to cut it apart, but it helped me create the mark, so it was well worth it!¡±

    I can¡¯t even argue with that. What she¡¯s saying is true, and I would have probably done exactly the same thing in her place. But it could have easily sold for hundreds of shards. The thought just makes me sad.

    Relieved, Lily brushes her hair from her face. ¡°You may not have realized, but each of these items held some part of the Saint. The crown had a piece of bone, and the sword had a piece of a finger. I started examining them as well, but I don''t think they''ll be as useful as the Champion¡¯s fingerbone. For some reason, they feel like they¡¯ve changed too much even without the damage..¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of creepy, isn¡¯t it? She used parts of her own body as a medium to make it easier to send healing energy to a given target didn¡¯t she?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I think it was something like that, but they didn¡¯t feel as effective as they should have been. I think she made them before she even became a Champion, I just can¡¯t imagine her needing something like that at her level.¡±

    ¡°Then the Last King and his warriors probably kept them out of pure sentiment. Could it have been a failsafe too? Say, if someone had evaporated her body, could she have restored herself from the remains she left in the items? Like Vic did in her duel with you?¡±

    ¡°It felt different. I don¡¯t think your sister is actually a healer. She wasn¡¯t good at healing her body either, at best she was abusing her passives and traits, she certainly wasn¡¯t using anything resembling an active skill. I think she¡¯s something else entirely, maybe she had something like an [Avatar]. You told us there was a Champion with a skill like that back on the second floor, and the Avatar system we used back in the tournament felt a lot like what she was doing.¡±

    ¡°Good catch. I thought of it as well, and I¡¯m of the same opinion. Vic can probably create her own Avatars or Duplicates with free reign to control and swap her mind between them."

    "Wouldn¡¯t that make it almost impossible to kill her beyond a certain level? Couldn¡¯t she just store one of her fingers on the opposite side of the planet and regenerate from that?"

    "Yeah, I think she probably could. But I don¡¯t think that means killing her would be impossible. There¡¯s always a way if you¡¯re creative enough. For now, though, give me one more mark. I want to get another look."

    <hr>

    A few hours later, I decide to check on the twins. They¡¯re quiet and heavily focused, each struggling to deal with a single evil orb.

    Activating my eyes for a moment, I examine the process.

    "Good, two orbs each starting now," I say, creating two more orbs and moving them over to the twins.

    For a moment, I think they might complain or push back, but the idea doesn¡¯t seem to take root, instead, they leap right into the challenge.

    Their first attempts end in both orbs bursting open near instantaneously. And the cycle repeats over each attempt.

    Dozens of attempts later, and they haven¡¯t improved. Neither of them seems capable of handling two modified orbs.

    Too little mana, too much mana, they¡¯re slow to react one moment, or a distraction gets the better of them the next. The cycle continues like that for hours, and they do not stop.

    As I work on my own training nearby, I can¡¯t help but glance at them every once in a while¡ªthey¡¯re sweating, and gasping for air, as their mana fluctuates from the strain. They still do not stop.

    It¡¯s a deeper glimpse into something I¡¯ve noticed before. Aaron and Dennis are easygoing; they like to joke and they usually pick the easiest solution to every problem. But every once in a while, there are times like this. Moments when they buckle down and do their best. They have that same sense of competition, the same hunger for improvement that everyone in group 4 has.

    I don¡¯t think their talent is any worse than Izzy¡¯s or Min-Jae¡¯s, and I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what makes them the weakest members of group 4. I¡¯ve seen them try, in those small moments when their competitive spirit came to the fore, drawn out by the people around them.

    Their skills might be better suited for support roles. Particularly their [Connection] and [Sensory Deception].

    Maya tried to train with them, and even though their [Haste] puts their speed on par with Maya¡¯s, they just don¡¯t have the same talent for close-range combat. They¡¯re more like guerrilla agents.

    But they should be able to do so much more. I still remember Lissandra doing something they should be able to emulate with [Connection].

    That fiendish Absolute had a habit of letting people activate their skills and then connect to those skills, resonate with them, and use them instead. A complete show of disrespect, claiming she could use your skill better than you, without even possessing it.

    My logic is simple. We¡¯ll work on improving their [Mana Manipulation], and experiment with [Connection] If only because I think they should be able to do so much more. And in the process, I¡¯ll work on improving my [Resonance], in my own attempt at achieving the same result.

 Chapter 456 - Like in the movies

    ¡°Nat, please put your shirt on,¡± Dennis complains.

    Unfazed, I continue working on the stances Lissandra taught me.

    ¡°Why? It would only get dirty,¡± I reply.

    ¡°There might be a dangerous predator in the area,¡± Aaron says, his tone serious.

    ¡°Huh? There is not, I would¡¯ve sensed it.¡±

    ¡°Is he making fun of us?¡± Aaron asks, turning to his brother.

    ¡°He can¡¯t be like that, right? He must be trolling us.¡±

    I ignore the twins and continue. The idea isn¡¯t to learn martial arts or anything like that. The intention is to move my body and, while doing so, send kinetic energy through, practicing moving it in bursts at the right time.

    With the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions drawn all over my skin, I wouldn¡¯t be able to move without kinetic energy, even if I wanted to, but fighting the inscriptions burdening me while moving kinetic energy this way puts a tremendous strain on my body, and I can feel sweat pouring out of me.

    One slow movement after another, each requiring my full attention and effort. Just a single slip and I¡¯ll crumble back to the ground and be forced to pick myself back up while fighting the inscriptions.

    Lately, I¡¯ve been spending every free moment either doing this or training with the Restrictive Training Emblem, which is visible even now, as a tracery of lines across the skin over my heart. Between the two, my body is getting annihilated, but my control over kinetic energy is vastly improving, and my body is getting stronger.

    Of course, the only reason I¡¯m making my body stronger like this is to prepare myself as a vessel for more mana, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not enjoying the process.

    Back on Earth I always liked training, whether I was learning a new style of fighting, or going on a simple run. I¡¯ve always found the feeling I get after finishing a difficult bout of training addictive, and this is no different.

    I watch as my muscles twitch and stretch, fighting the inscriptions restraining them. I sense kinetic energy as it flows through the fibers, supporting them, as I strain to synchronize the motions.

    Lissandra couldn¡¯t use kinetic energy. Likely because she couldn¡¯t be bothered, so by far, the best user of kinetic energy I¡¯ve seen is Whitey.

    The field he created, halting everything around him in the air, be it people, debris, or projectiles, was amazing, but the part I keep coming back to is his movement. It¡¯s not just about raw power. Within that field, he tailored his expenditures, using the minimum amount of energy to accomplish each specific task, whether that be holding a stone in place, shifting large fields of debris, or restraining Beyonders, who each require a unique application of effort. All in the name of maximizing efficiency.

    Then there were those quick, twitchy movements of his. His steps launched him across great distances without ever disturbing so much as a single grain of dust. He had an insane degree of maneuverability and not even the air seemed to betray his movements.

    Whitey is¡­ was a Champion candidate. I could feel it the moment I saw him. There were a few people on the Entrance floor who had the same aura about them. For instance the man with the fire crown, and the beautiful woman with her even more beautiful mantle moving around her as if it had its own mind.

    Neither one bothered to hide their title, unlike me. There is an option to do that, and I¡¯m doing it. But not them, they flaunt their titles with pride, shoulders wide.

    Dumbasses.

    Unlike them, I will move sneakily. Like a true hypocrite, I''ll gladly do the very things I¡¯m always complaining about. Maybe that''s why people find my pride so strange.

    My control over kinetic energy is growing every day. And I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be long before I can reliably take someone my level with kinetic energy alone. Hopefully.

    For that, I need to see Whitey.

    And then, after you throw in all the free stat points I¡¯ve been getting, my new arcane passive, the body modifications I¡¯ve got planned, Lily¡¯s healing marks, and the arcane items currently in my possession, it should be more than possible. However, I don¡¯t exactly have most of them on me at the moment.

    I still have Flamebearer though, and the Echo Gauntlet which allows me to replicate spells or abilities. And that¡¯s something I totally can¡¯t wait to play with.

    Maya has Bloodthirst; I¡¯ve rented it to her for now, in exchange for a reasonable amount of compensation, to be determined later. The Golem Heart is still with Sophie, under the same terms I established with Maya.

    Lastly, there¡¯s the cursed phantom something ring, which remains with Tess. I would probably have sold it anyway, and it would probably help them more than anything the extra shards could do for me.

    Of course, that comes with its own offer of future compensation.

    Good, but doesn¡¯t that mean I have most of group 4 firmly in my grasp? If I wanted, I bet I could overthrow mighty Tess, it wouldn¡¯t even be hard with all the trouble she¡¯s made. But that problem is well on track to solve itself.

    I have plenty of other items too¡ªmana stones, loaded with information, mana stones from multiple Veil Ignition stations, the information I¡¯ve gotten from other people, documents from the Bastion, materials produced from the bones of powerful monsters, a cache of metals I¡¯ve collected over our travels, including the arcane alloy I got from Nevan.

    I don¡¯t have a hoarding problem.

    I¡¯m sure I can use every one of these items.

    It¡¯s a shame there is no inventory or spatial storage items in the system shop. I would have expected something like that to pop up by now, especially after I got that vial that allows me to compress and store a swimming pool''s worth of water.

    At some point, I stop thinking and delve deeper into my training.

    Movement after movement, the kinetic energy within me surges, battling against the inscriptions. I focus on the need to actively breathe, forcing my chest to move with kinetic energy because I couldn¡¯t figure out how to exclude it from the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions.

    A quick step, kinetic energy shoots from the bottom of my feet, traveling through my legs and waist, before joining with another burst of kinetic energy born from a twist of my waist. They mold themselves together, becoming entangled, as they war against each other while being forced together by my will.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    The wave shoots past my shoulder, with a slight twist of my elbow, forcing my forearm to contract, and then¡­ nothing.

    Instead of kinetic energy bursting from the palm of my hand, it bounces back, flowing back through my body, mixing with an oncoming wave, then once again interfacing with the muscles and bones of my body.

    I take a step back, a wave of energy shoots down through my legs, building from the bottom of my feet, strengthening my stance, a wave spreads through my back, flowing around my waist and rejoining itself on the other side.

    I feel a slight tear in some unimportant organ followed by the burn of a pulled muscle, caused by an excessive burst of energy. A too-slow reaction from my side, and my shoulder dislocates under the strain. A lightheadedness as I forgot to breathe for a few minutes already.

    When I stop and the inscriptions dissolve with a mana wave I send through, I feel my arms shaking and take a deep breath in.

    My skin burns, and I feel like falling to the ground.

    ¡°Pulling¡± on one thread, my aqua arcanum vial flies to my hand, and I dump a bathtub¡¯s worth of water on my head, reveling in the refreshing sensation.

    I comb my wet hair with my fingers and sweep it away from my face, catching Lily¡¯s gaze. For a moment, she looks almost scared that I¡¯ve caught her and I follow her gaze, to somewhere around my chest where I hold the glorified water bottle in my hand.

    ¡°You look thirsty, Lily,¡± I say, holding the item in a questioning gesture.

    Lily, looking scared, turns around entirely and plops down on the ground, with renewed interest in her dark experiments.

    ¡°There is no fucking way he didn¡¯t do that on purpose.¡± Dennis wildly shakes his head.

    In reaction, I pop all the evil orbs that float around them, ¡°I will be modifying them a little bit.¡±

    For the next few hours, both of them have to go back to a single orb, as they struggle to keep them up for longer than twenty seconds.

    <hr>

    The next day, I take my mana and form it into the shape of a sword, using the same process I used to create the manabloc chairs. The goal being to make it last as long as possible.

    It¡¯s more difficult to restore, and slightly more ¡°brittle,¡± and I can¡¯t make it as sharp. But I know the sword I just made has the potential to remain intact for weeks without losing its shape.

    There is some mana leakage, yes, and it¡¯ll still dissolve over time, though I can¡¯t say it¡¯s any worse than I would expect from an experimental process.

    My goal is to make this ¡°manabloc¡± material as flexible, sharp, mana-conductive, and repairable as normal mana. All while keeping its property of being able to stay materialized for a long time.

    Who knows, in a few years I might be able to make items like this that last for years at a time. Then perhaps my next goal can be to make them conductive to mana other than mine.

    Another goal after that would be to inscribe them so some sort of effects would activate while accepting foreign mana.

    I¡¯m imagining not needing to use arcanadium, endurium, voidsteel, or any other materials. Just my materialized mana and the epic, maybe even arcane weapons made of it. Even if they only ever last a few decades, I would be happy with that.

    But to reach that goal, I¡¯ll have to keep experimenting with this manabloc material. Instead of materializing my mana in a loosely imagined form, I try to weave threads of much thinner mana through it. Perhaps that¡¯ll solve the issues I¡¯ve been having with brittleness and durability. Though it does add quite a bit of difficulty to the process, not to mention that I¡¯m not sure how this is going to work for parts like the blade.

    Maybe I could combine it with a different type of mana; some of the weapons I¡¯ve seen were made like that. Formed of varying alloys, each tuned to fit a different function. It was even in notes Miwa left me, so it could definitely be worth trying.

    It¡¯s also possible that I¡¯m just being extremely dumb and making things far more difficult than I need to, but I think it¡¯ll be a good training method for materializing Ley Lines. That¡¯s the main reason I¡¯m even doing things this way.

    After all, I¡¯ve already spent an inordinate amount of time experimenting with those pale blue threads that feel so different from the pale blue of normal mana.

    I don¡¯t even think I would be able to materialize much more than a finger¡¯s length without my new passive. At least not without melting some part of my brain.

    My mana reserves are quite large, I would say, and I think most people would agree, but even I was surprised how much of my body¡¯s mana it took just to make that short thread, not to mention how much I had to use my eyes in the process.

    Honestly, it probably means I shouldn¡¯t be doing it and that I¡¯m going against the nature of the skill in some way, at least I think it does.

    As if something like that ever stopped me before.

    Maybe I should try using black mana. I¡¯m curious how well I can handle it now, particularly with all the levels and passives I¡¯ve picked up since last time. I¡¯m curious how it would react to a [Ley Line], materialized or not.

    But, I¡¯ve already made up my mind that I¡¯ll try to avoid using it before I reach level 60 in [Focus] and [Mana Manipulation]. It was part of the recommendations Lady Lissandra left me with. I need to work on my basics before trying to mess with things like that.

    It¡¯s yet another thing for me to look forward to when the time comes.

    <hr>

    POV Maya Jones

    Now that it is night and the rest of our small group has gone to bed, Tess changes her bearing. Her shoulders slump, her eyes lose some of their shine, and her movements don¡¯t feel quite so domineering.

    It¡¯s a part of herself she only shows to me and Kim, now that our group is split. She puts on a front for Famir and the others.

    Though maybe she¡¯s not exactly the same; she is a bit less controlling now.

    It¡¯s a good thing.

    I sit down next to her, and she leans against me with a sigh, her blonde hair tickling my nose. Sometimes, I get a little jealous of how tall she is. I¡¯m not the shortest, but having a girl eight or so years younger be a bit taller than me is quite a funny experience.

    It¡¯s amusing to see her like this though. Even I thought she was pushing things too far, and that guy noticed as well. He really can be annoyingly intelligent at the weirdest times.

    Tess is young, 20 years old. What she¡¯s going through is probably something she feels for the first time, and for her, it seems like the worst thing ever.

    In a few years, it will all be a distant memory. In a hundred, she might not even remember the details, only the feelings she had.

    I can¡¯t help but feel a bit scared at the thought of living so long. How will I interact with normal people knowing they¡¯ll live such short lives by comparison? How will it feel to love someone and watch them grow old while I remain the same?

    I won¡¯t lie; there are things I love about all of this, and I wouldn¡¯t want to give any of it up, but there are other things that terrify me. That¡¯s why I love what Tess is trying to do. She wants to make us companions, friends who survived the same experience, who are equal and can understand the troubles others might have. Not just friends for a few years, but someone we could still call a friend tens or even hundreds of years later.

    ¡°Did you think it would be like in the movies you told me you liked to watch?¡± I ask, smiling as I give her nose a flick in response to another tickle from her hair.

    That young blonde doesn¡¯t react, and that¡¯s all the answer I need.

    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Sometimes I forget how young everyone is.

    Myself included, of course.

 Chapter 457 - Show them

    The first test of the giga-web, made with the help of [Ley Line] was a huge success!

    I didn¡¯t die.

    That¡¯s it.

    No need to go into the details. I¡¯m sure the next attempt will work out! I just need to iron out some¡­ things.

    I¡¯m also kind of amazed by my new passive. Even with all that¡­ happened¡­ I didn¡¯t even break a sweat. There was barely any strain on my mind, and somehow I find that more exciting than the results of the giga-web test. It means I can push myself harder.

    I¡¯m always worried about my mind. My body can be fixed, I can replace my limbs with mana, but my mind? If my brain melts I¡¯m screwed. You can¡¯t just power through the destruction of your brain, unlike the rest of your body.

    But now that I have this new arcane passive?

    It¡¯s got me full of new ideas for improving my constructs, It¡¯s got me thinking of ways to compress enormous inscriptions down to the size of a fingernail. It basically means that the amount of information I can process is only limited by my skill, rather than the physical limitations of my mind.

    Maybe I was a bit disappointed at first. After all, I have been saving up for this for quite a while, but part of that disappointment has evaporated. Now I just need to find a powerful opponent with mind magic bullshit and totally stomp them. Only then will I truly be happy.

    Bringing myself back to the real world, I glance at our new camp, about a mile away from our previous one. We had to change locations because of¡­ stuff.

    I look at the twins and increase the difficulty for their evil orbs, forcing them to drop back to a single instance instead of the two they¡¯ve been managing. They¡¯re used to it by now, so they don¡¯t complain too much, keeping their energy focused on training. The blood, sweat, and effort they¡¯ve put in is all the proof I need of their will to survive.

    In two hours we¡¯ll abandon the evil orbs for the time being, and spar instead. All part of striking a new rhythm in the twin¡¯s training.

    This method may be cruel, but they need to experience what it¡¯s like to get hit and be injured.

    As much as possible.

    We have Lily to restore damaged limbs, repair punctured organs, and staunch any excessive bleeding. It brings me no pleasure to hurt them like this, rather, it feels like a duty, it¡¯s something I just have to do.

    Still, each and every single time I ask: ¡°Do you want to continue?¡±

    Of course, I listen to their answers, but more than that, I watch for their reactions. Their expression, and the look in their eyes.

    And even though they are shaking, scared of what¡¯s to come, they agree.

    Dennis and Aaron don¡¯t like to get hit. Often, even a smaller wound makes them drop out of the fight, lose consciousness, or try to run. They tend to rely on their high speed, illusions, and amazing cooperation to avoid being hurt in the first place.

    There is a big weakness in that strategy. You need to strike a balance between being careful and fighting at full power, even when wounded, even when you know you¡¯re going to get hurt.

    So you don¡¯t freeze mid-combat.

    They just need to get used to it, and I¡¯m helping with that. Keeping the injuries small won¡¯t help, they have to experience true danger, so I provide it.

    ¡°How will you try to attack me this time?¡± I ask them curiously.

    If they have enough presence of mind to answer, I will up the difficulty of the orbs.

    ¡°This time we will try to win through sheer speed. One of us will act as the main attacker and the other will serve as a healer so he can go all out,¡± still not taking his eyes off the two orbs over the palms of his hands, Dennis answers.

    Aaron also adds, ¡°We thought of using ranged attacks, but we have a suspicion you would just bombard us with explosive orbs or teleport around us.¡±

    "It''s just like a video game! When you try to attack the boss from a distance, it changes its moveset, gets more aggressive, and counters with its own ranged attacks."

    ¡°The goal is to force you to go into a second stage one day,¡± Aaron jokes, smiling playfully.

    ¡°The loot drop would be amazing,¡± his brother chirps mischievously.

    ¡°Maybe his second stage would be him dying, then some orchestral music would start playing, and Biscuit would be revealed as the real boss all along.¡±

    ¡°They both have similar skill sets: mana constructs, flying, orbs, so it makes sense,¡± Dennis says, seeming to agree.

    I listen to their banter with a growing sense of fascination, finding their train of thought almost as amusing as it is baffling.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a shame that Nat does more damage to himself than we ever could,¡± Dennis sighs in the end and turns to me. ¡°You want to raise the difficulty of our orbs, right?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°You always do any time we improve even the slightest bit or poke fun at you.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be smarter to pretend you have trouble or try to avoid poking fun at me?¡± I ask, curious.

    ¡°It would, but I think you¡¯d probably notice, and wouldn¡¯t that render the whole thing useless anyway? We both want to improve.¡±

    His brother nods, ¡°The suffering sucks, but it makes it easier when we can see you doing the same things, and you¡¯re even harder on yourself. Seeing that it would only feel shitty to look for ways to avoid it.¡±

    Dennis pops his orbs, ¡°It would be pathetic of us to try to avoid it, especially since you¡¯re taking the time to help. I know you probably won¡¯t say it, but I don¡¯t think you would be doing this if you didn¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°And we appreciate that, really.¡± Aaron nods seriously.

    ¡°Of course, we still hate you a bit for all the pain, and given the opportunity, we will get our ¡®revenge.¡¯¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly how it should be,¡± I confirm. ¡°And you¡¯re free to try anytime.¡±

    <hr>

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    A day later, Lily places another mark on me, and I watch the entire process.

    At this point, it may as well be routine.

    Her body¡¯s already accustomed to the influence of her mana, and rapid healing, not to mention all the ways it¡¯s more durable than mine, which makes my body the perfect test subject for revealing any mistakes in her process.

    However, that also means that my left arm takes a lot of damage. And damn, it hurts.

    As a few times before, I watch the bones grow through each other, shattering and breaking in the process while new flesh keeps growing over that mess at the same time.

    ¡°It looks like you used too much mana around the edges of the mark,¡± I note and stretch my messed up arm in her direction.

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d made enough improvements for the mark to handle it,¡± she sulks, as gray mana coats her arm before she cuts off the mess she made.

    Then, as my arm regrows, she uses [Sacrifice], causing the severed arm to vanish, as it¡¯s converted into mana that flows to her.

    ¡°How much more mana did you use compared to the 7th variation?¡±

    "I think about three times more? Using double the mana worked really well, so I thought it would be fine. I also made adequate changes."

    ¡°You should go over the mana stone Savant gave you again; you broke the loop, and it messed up the distribution.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your weak body the real problem here? I tried the mark on myself, and it worked just fine.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Will you say the same if Grumpy breaks like my arm when you try to heal him?¡±

    Lily freezes mid-movement, shock written across her face, and I see a flash of anger behind her eyes as she does. After a few seconds, she calms herself, seeming to push those feelings aside, without so much as yelling at me.

    And once she does I explain, ¡°I think you are often forgetting how different we are from normal people, Lily. You, me, the twins, Biscuit, everyone in group 4 is so much stronger that we don¡¯t break nearly as easily.¡±

    I open and close the hand of my freshly restored arm into a fist before looking back at her, ¡°You tend to let these things slip by you. You sacrifice efficiency without a single care for true mastery, relying on your skills to fix your mistakes or your body to endure them. It¡¯s also how you like to fight, and I think Tess showed you just how foolish that is back during the tournament.¡±

    As I speak I take a few steps over to our baggage nearby and locate the mana stone Savant gave Lily. The one with the information on body modification, among other things. A truly valuable repository of knowledge compiled by Hella, a disciple of Champion Tristan.

    Which Lily clearly hasn¡¯t studied as deeply as I would¡¯ve liked.

    I hand it to her, ¡°Whether or not that changes depends on you.¡±

    If I were her, I¡¯d be studying this research data, experiment results, and ideas until I could recite them, even if someone woke me up in the middle of the night.

    Then I watch as she closes her hand around the stone, nodding with her gaze fixed on the ground.

    <hr>

    That night, we sit quietly around the fire. However, maybe "fire" is the wrong word. It¡¯s one of my trademarked thermal cubes.

    It¡¯s vastly improved from before, and even its insides are made from multiple layers with the intention of testing how much I can concentrate thermal energy through it.

    Just for the fun of it, I send it into a slow spin and cause it to flicker like the light of a campfire.

    I still haven¡¯t figured out how to make it sound like crackling firewood, but I still haven¡¯t given up on the idea. With some internal modifications and possibly the use of kinetic energy, I should be able to get it to produce some noises.

    There is also a single evil orb floating over my shoulder. And this is the most evil variation yet, specifically designed to be a challenge even for someone like me. It¡¯s forced me to split my mind into pieces, each one dealing with a different annoyance the orb provides.

    It¡¯s worth it though, doing this has brought plenty of its rewards over the past few days.

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 49 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 50]

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 50 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 51]

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 51 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 52]

    [Focus - lvl 53 > Focus - lvl 54]

    My precious skill has gotten stronger every day since it returned to me, and soon it will be right where it was before I used it for my skill combinations. It honestly kinda surprises me that it¡¯s not back to its former glory already, given all the new stuff I¡¯ve been doing, but who the hell knows how the system calculates this stuff.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d want to do more hunting. To raise our levels and get stronger,¡± Dennis says.

    Once again he¡¯s proved himself the braver of the two brothers. Aaron usually prefers to let Dennis initiate conversations before joining in himself.

    ¡°What part of our status do you think holds the most importance?¡± I ask in place of my answer.

    ¡°Skills?¡± he asks hesitantly.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t raising our attributes make us stronger?¡± Aaron asks, not seeming to agree.

    ¡°Let¡¯s say you have a thousand points in a single attribute, and you spend days leveling up and gain three stat points. How much stronger did you become?¡± I counter.

    It¡¯s funny to watch the gears spin in his head, trying to come up with a counterargument.

    I reach down to pet Biscuit, who¡¯s currently sitting in my lap, and continue, ¡°Even if my level dropped by 100 right now, I don¡¯t think it would make much of a difference. The same logic applies if I were to gain 100 levels and put all 300 points into mana, which would be doubled with my attribute upgrade. Sure I¡¯d have 600 extra points, but that¡¯s it.¡±

    I know what Dennis wants to say, so I lift my finger to stop him.

    (Food!)

    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± I quickly lower a hand and continue to pet the best doggo of the Astral Prison. ¡°Of course, the extra levels aren¡¯t useless. At a certain point, you start unlocking Primary Class upgrades, and you get access to body upgrades, Traits, and more attribute upgrades, and more besides. All this just to say that your priority should always be your skills.¡±

    (Food!)

    ¡°And eating well,¡± I add.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Biscuit be training too?¡± Aaron asks, unsatisfied. In fact, it seems like he¡¯s gotten so invested that now he¡¯s looking for something to poke at.

    I glance down at Biscuit and back to the silly twin.

    ¡°Show them,¡± I whisper to the corgi.

    Biscuit lazily opens an eye and yawns, his pink tongue lolling out with a cute sound as he does so and closes his tiny maw.

    Then the mana that he¡¯s kept moving through his body, in his own crude imitation of Mana Cycling comes to a halt.

    His purple mana begins to seep out of his body just a little, and all the sounds of the world slowly fade away.

    The twins start looking around, confused, and no sound emerges as they open their mouths to speak.

    My thermal cube flickers and the heat within fades slightly. The light slowly dims as if it were being pulled away, towards me in fact. Or rather towards the creature on my lap.

    Biscuit¡¯s body feels much heavier now, his presence overwhelming, and even though I¡¯m looking at the back of his head, I can still imagine his purple eyes.

    In the fading flicker of my thermal orb, Biscuit¡¯s shadow expands and grows until it¡¯s many times its original size. Seeming almost too big.

    And then the growling starts. A deep growl that awakens something in my primal instincts. The urge to run, The burning need to grab a stick and fight back. The urge to fall to my knees and beg.

    A myriad of umbral tentacles extends forth from the shadow, surrounding our camp, and then they stop and change direction, all of them turning towards Aaron, who leaps to his feet, his chair tumbling to the ground as he struggles to escape their reach.

    ¡°That should be enough,¡± I say laying my hand back on Biscuit¡¯s head.

    All the shadows freeze and are slowly, gradually, drawn back into the enormous mass, as it too begins to shrink back into itself.

    The light returns and my thermal cube glows and radiates heat once more.

    Lily and the twins stand, their faces pale, holding their breath. I can even sense the mana gathering inside their bodies, ready to fight¡ªor flee.

    Slowly, Biscuit turns around, and when I finally see his face again, it¡¯s the same cheeky corgi I know and love.

    "Good boy."

 Chapter 458 - The Arm Collector

    The twins continue to demonstrate their [Connection] for me with a series of attempts at seizing control over one of my simple mana orbs and altering the settings.

    I made it as simple as possible, with two modes: hover in place and spin. In fact, I¡¯ve ¡°hardcoded¡± the states into its functions.

    Later, we¡¯ll move on to other skills too, but for now, I¡¯m just trying to get a grasp on their process.

    I¡¯m also wearing the echo gauntlet. The idea being that if it¡¯s already allowed me to copy that weird blood skill that guy had on the 1st floor of Beyond it¡¯ll probably work just as well for mimicking the twins, in theory, it should give me some idea how it feels to use it.

    I¡¯ve already tried a few times before, but most of the time I find myself getting no feedback. The glove just allows me to use the copied skill¡ªnot as well as the original, but it still packs some decent oomph.

    Then there are some skills it can¡¯t copy, like Lily¡¯s [Disintegration], but I was able to copy her healing and the twins'' [Sensory Deception].

    To be honest, I absolutely recognize the glove for the boon it is, especially given how helpful it could be in certain situations, but I still don¡¯t like it very much.

    So I just think I will take it apart sooner or later. Observing how its inscriptions work and what connection of materials allows it to have such an effect will probably bring me more. Items just can¡¯t be overly relied on or trusted.

    What if some asshole decides to steal it? The kind of guy that comes in and steals everything that¡¯s not bolted down. That kind of maniac.

    Still, even though I complain and trash the glove, I decide to test it a bit more. With my eyes on and straining my mind as much as possible. Then it can be used as a secret weapon before I take it apart.

    I like that plan.

    As that train of thought reaches its end the orb, which was hovering in place, starts spinning, then stops, only to start spinning once again.

    The twins jump for joy, practically dancing with excitement, as they spew forth a seemingly endless stream of trash talk regarding my skill¡¯s efficacy.

    They even have the gall to start issuing challenges.

    I let it pass, empathizing with their joy and excitement over taking another step down the road of progress.

    When we regroup with the rest of our band, I will tell Maya some of the more interesting things I¡¯ve heard them say.

    <hr>

    As I sit to the side, I watch as Lily and the twins spar. Two blonde boys attacking the black-haired girl.

    Even though she¡¯s holding back and taking plenty of damage in the process, Lily¡¯s still winning.

    They get their hits in, sure, but she takes it like a champ. Unlike them she doesn¡¯t flinch at every cut and blow, she doesn¡¯t hesitate, she doesn¡¯t let the pain make her overly cautious.

    I recently found out that she¡¯s created a number of fake organ-like structures inside her body to use as sacrifices to fuel her skills. Each one about the size of a marble.

    Though in terms of efficiency, they can¡¯t really compare to the real deal, which seems to confirm our theory regarding the importance of a sacrifice influencing the power received. But these organs are also her flesh and overall generate more power than they consume in the process of being converted into anything she might need.

    Aaron and Dennis place several fast moving decoys throughout the battlefield, but it still doesn¡¯t present much of a problem for Lily.

    Does she use logic to locate the originals and ignore the fakes?

    No way in hell.

    Lily just boosts her body and passes right through them, leading with her shoulder and ramming the copies.

    I bet the twins are sweating bullets right now, knowing full well that if she were to tackle one of them like that, it wouldn¡¯t end well.

    They quickly adjust their strategy, placing more illusions in front of trees and large boulders, In a bid to cause our petite healer to take on more environmental damage.

    But Lily once again cosplays a bulldozer, smashing through any obstacles in her path. It¡¯s so similar to her fight with Tess that I should probably be offended, but I do notice some differences.

    She¡¯s using much less mana without wasting as much on healing herself, choosing to focus on boosting the healing process a bit before letting her natural regeneration take over.

    And damn, is that natural regeneration strong.

    Lily probably has the highest Constitution in group 4, she even enhanced it with her attribute upgrade. Gaining something like Mana Potency for constitution. And once she gets her body upgrade at 250, it should improve even more.

    And like she said, the stronger her body gets, the better [Sacrifice] works, which can only make her more versatile. She¡¯s mentioned that she goes 4 parts Constitution, 2 parts Mana, 2 parts Strength, and 2 parts Dexterity. She might change it up later, but it seems to be working just fine at the moment.

    As for the twins, they go for 4 parts Dexterity, 2 parts Constitution, 3 parts Mana, and 1 part Strength. Though, much like Lily, they¡¯ve said they might change that later. They both chose Diligence as their subclass, and they seem happy with the choice.

    Sensing something flying my way, I step to the side, and Dennis blows past me, crashing into the boulder I¡¯d been leaning against. He coughs up a bit of blood, but his wounds manage to heal quickly enough for him to leap back into the frey, a skill he shares with his twin, though it¡¯s not nearly as effective as Lily¡¯s.

    I move once again, and Lily crashes into the space once occupied by Dennis, dust from the exploded stone covering her.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    She disappears again, Aaron slamming against her from the side while Dennis takes a swipe at her leg in perfect synchronization.

    Letting my thoughts waver once again, I think back on Mana Cycling, the mana technique Lissandra taught me so long ago on the 3rd floor. The process that¡¯s been helping me handle my mana.

    So far, I haven¡¯t seen anything like it. Not in the mana stones, I¡¯ve found on the various floors, not in the information I¡¯ve gotten from the natives, not even when I asked around in the tournament and Beyond. But the more I use it, the more small changes and improvements I make, the more I find myself amazed by the sheer complexity of the technique, especially after seeing the improvements left to me in that mana stone.

    It doesn¡¯t just help my body handle my mana, but it also helps me hide the excess while improving my control. And now, with the improvements Lissandra made, I think it¡¯ll have an influence on my body as well.

    I don¡¯t know what to think of it yet, given that it¡¯s still wayyy too soon to tell, but its mechanisms are the main reason I didn¡¯t choose Mana Pulse Circulation and went for Mana Fortified Mind.

    The description of Mana Pulse sounded just similar enough to Mana Cycling to bias me against it.

    Is there a chance Mana Cycling is a somewhat active version of that arcane passive? Will the technique replicate the passive¡¯s effects as I reach the higher stages? Why are the names so similar?

    When Caius spoke from his deep prison of a hole, he said that Lissandra left a mark on me, what¡¯s more, he called it archaic, bordering on ancient. A relic of the Absolutes and Champions of old. He said it had a degree of disdain to it like he thought it was uncivilized, like something from the stone age.

    Liss would¡¯ve kicked his ass if she¡¯d heard.

    Mana Cycling reminds me of Lissandra¡¯s mark ¡ªan archaic technique that modern Champions and Absolutes would almost certainly call obsolete. But I like it that way. I like how much it demands from me, what it does, and how it punishes me every time I slip up, letting my own mana harm my body.

    <hr>

    I have a week left until I return to Beyond, I¡¯m already eager to find out if I¡¯ll get to meet any humans from Earth who¡¯ve seen the message I left on the board. Tess hasn¡¯t done her 3rd trial yet, and Lily¡¯s even further behind than her. And Sophie¡¯s got longer still. So I¡¯ll be on my own again.

    I already spoke to Tess about it, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯s mentioned it in the Beyond Community for our fellow Earthlings.

    There''s only one guy who could join me though, and I bet it would be annoying. Actually, make that two¡ªthough given the first Beyonder¡¯s penchant for never speaking, I sometimes forget he¡¯s even there.

    My goal is to spend the next three days in Beyond trying to reach the checkpoint. I¡¯ll even bring some of my white sand with me to get some quick cash, though I¡¯ll have to find a way to seal it somehow.

    I''ll find out if I can enter the first floor of the dungeon on my own. If it''s manageable, I''ll go in solo a few times.

    Afterwards, I''ll save my stay tokens for future expeditions with Tess and the others and we''ll hunt some lurkers on the first floor just to show them the ropes.

    I don¡¯t think we have enough time to work on my body modifications with Lily, but she should be able to leave a few marks on me just in case.

    We also start cutting off my left arm, so she can feed it to [Sacrifice] in an emergency while I¡¯m gone.

    We perform a few test runs and find that sacrificing my severed left arm gives her an even bigger boost than it did before.

    And honestly, I would¡¯ve been angry if it hadn¡¯t. It¡¯s the arm of a Champion candidate, someone on the cusp of reaching level 300, and an individual with an arcane passive. It better be good stuff.

    With fascination, I also watch as Lily brings out a big bag and packs my arms into it. It seems it has just enough room for a few more, and then she will¡­ well, I don¡¯t really want to know what she¡¯s going to do with the rest. She could always bury them underground, or just stuff them into another bag.

    What I find creepy is that she starts cutting my arm apart and testing the level of boost and asking questions. How much of a boost will a hand give? How much from a single finger? How much from the bones?

    I¡¯m getting more and more worried about her future.

    I can already see the necklace made from my finger bones and tendons hanging around her neck.

    So while we prepare arms for her, I also give her a mini quest: to observe how my arm will behave over the 7 days I¡¯m still here and then when I leave. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll change much, at the very least it won¡¯t decompose or start rotting. Still, I¡¯m eager to find out.

    Would my body remain preserved, even after a year? What about ten years later, or after I die? Would it be possible to emulate my traits with it? Would my heart be useful at all?

    If I died because of a destroyed heart and my head stayed untouched, would it be possible to get me some new fancy heart and then kickstart my brain again, even years later?

    These thoughts fascinate me, and Lily seems to share the sentiment. So we talk and theorize, ignoring the twins and their concerned gaze.

    I don¡¯t deserve such looks from them.

    <hr>

    A day passes.

    I train, I spar with Lily and the twins. I work on improving [Resonance] by observing the twin¡¯s use of [Connection]. It feels like I¡¯m close to working something out, yet something¡¯s still missing, but I don¡¯t waste time dwelling on it. I just put in more effort.

    The twins are doing surprisingly well and they almost seem to have found aspects of their training to enjoy. They¡¯re getting better at close-range combat too.

    My style of letting the enemy hit, so I can hit back twice is what I¡¯m teaching them. It won¡¯t be their main tactic by any means, but I like to be flexible, so it may as well be another trick up their sleeve.

    And over time, I¡¯ve begun to notice them getting more and more comfortable around me. Up till now there¡¯s always been a little bit of tension on their end, and even now I can¡¯t see that ever fully going away.

    Lily, lord have mercy on her soul, runs around with my arms and sometimes bones from the arm. She does some body modification testing, and sometimes these bones explode¡­ violently.

    It would certainly be a shame if something like that were to happen to my spine while she was trying to modify my body, right?

    I try to ignore it as much as possible. It still surprises me how easygoing Lily can be about things that would make the average person lose their lunch. I don¡¯t think a normal person would be so casual about breaking down a human arm.

    I watch with great interest whenever she trains her [Disintegration], and the twins seem to take an interest as well.

    She works on everything from shaping projectiles out of her gray mana, to making weapons, mostly smaller ones, and threads.

    She¡¯s really beginning to improve, and it doesn¡¯t seem to be straining her nearly as much.

    We even test it against my highly compressed mana, which she tears through with ease. I even attempt to disrupt the skill, all to no avail.

    At one point, I use a large chunk of my body¡¯s mana to materialize a finger-length thread of [Ley Line], and her gray projectile collides with it.

    And my beautiful new skill resists. A goddamned beautiful thread of whatever this material is actually manages to resist the tiny terror¡¯s gray mana.

    Lily, decidedly less pleased than I am, attacks again, drawing more from her reserves, taking this new attempt more seriously.

    In the end, after multiple attempts, the thread does get destroyed, consumed by her evil gray mana.

    That simple exchange feels almost like a challenge between Lily and me, and we stare at each other for a moment, our competitive spirits thoroughly awakened.

    I¡¯m sure Lily¡¯s skills will only grow stronger over time, but that goes for me as well.

 Chapter 459 - On the schedule

    Over the next few days, I go out hunting in the area surrounding our camp, trying to complete side quests to earn more stay tokens.

    With the twins, we experiment a bit and came up with a way to make some items to sell for extra shards, gaining me around 15 thousand more and some for the twins as well as I make the different variations of each item. We go through quite a number of attempts and failures, but the boys are eager to earn their share of the shards and have already set to spending their share to buy themselves a decent variety of stuff.

    Lily and Biscuit seem to be saving their shards, and so honestly I don¡¯t have anything I want them to buy with my 50% share. I mean, there are plans in the works, but I don¡¯t have the time or space to put them into action yet.

    After I get back from Beyond, I fully intend to get myself an undamaged arcane item, even if it means I have to destroy some of the damaged ones currently in my possesion.

    I have plenty of materials and ideas, so I should have the resources at least.

    ¡°Are you sure this is going to work?¡± Dennis asks me curiously.

    He¡¯s watching me from across the border with brother in tow, refusing to cross beyond the point their mana stops regenerating. I, meanwhile, am standing well within the mana desert, directing my flames at the molds I¡¯ve sculpted in the ground.

    ¡°Who knows?¡±

    ¡°Nat, tell me, did you use to take things apart just to see how they were working?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Lucky guess.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Now get back to your training, Your orb¡¯s going to disappear.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way. I have it under control...¡± He doesn¡¯t have time to finish, and the evil orb beside him bursts open, ¡°¡­under control.¡±

    His brother laughs. ¡°I told you he was about to start changing them without telling us! Nat, did I do well?¡±

    ¡°Better than Dennis,¡± I agree as I watch him handle the sudden spike in his orb, a new way I found to tortu... train the brothers.

    Weakening the flame I turn my attention back to the mold and send kinetic energy through the molten sand in the form. I modify the output to create a deep vibration throughout the mass, shaking the bubbles out of the form at high frequency.

    Then I continue to heat it up. I¡¯ve started taking things slower than before, watching the surface and the color. Once in a while, I use kinetic energy to help the process along, typically to release more trapped bubbles.

    I¡¯m trying to make a simple dagger, a good form for testing as we¡¯ve found over a few days.

    ¡°What are you looking to add to the mix today? Do you need another one of my finger bones?¡± Lily asks, sounding genuinely curious.

    She¡¯s sitting off to the side, examining a mana stone loaded with information on body modification.

    ¡°We could try to add one of Biscuit¡¯s whiskers,¡± Dennis recommends.

    (Asshole!)

    ¡°You know I wasn¡¯t being serious, Biscuit! Nat, what did he say?¡±

    ¡°He called you an asshole.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± His brother laughs at him while Dennis deflates.

    ¡°We tried enhancing them with your thermal orbs, random bones, and metals, but we¡¯re kind of hitting a wall by not being able to add mana,¡± Aaron sighs.

    ¡°We did?¡±

    ¡°You did, but we supported you from a distance.¡±

    ¡°Sounds about right. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to add anything this time. Someone else might be able to get more out of this sand, but I can¡¯t do anymore at this point in time.¡±

    It¡¯s frustrating. I can¡¯t inscribe it, I can¡¯t add my mana to the mix. I can¡¯t even use mana while making it.

    And in the end, as the dagger cools down, the blade is still ugly. Somewhat.

    The surface is nice and smooth, white-ish and thoroughly glass-like. Probably the best I¡¯ve made so far. However, the description is no different than it was before and stubbornly retains its upper epic rarity and its ineligibility for sale in the system shop.

    I pocket it in the same fashion as the failures that came before.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you make items for the others? Like you did for us?¡± Dennis asks as he watches me stow the dagger.

    ¡°We won¡¯t be meeting them soon enough for that. Do you want to carry all those items for the next few months?¡±

    ¡°I guess we can come back later. But damn, even if we¡¯re taking 50%, you still have a lot of shards invested in us.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I intend to use them to buy materials for crafting, testing, and other stuff. Did you already use the detachment token on [Connection]?¡±

    ¡°We both did, but damn, Nat, it¡¯s not a nice feeling removing a skill upgrade. We didn¡¯t bother using one on [Mana Manipulation] either.¡±

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°It¡¯s worth it in the end, and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll push others to follow suit.¡±

    The sleepy-looking Lily yawns, speaking lazily as she does, ¡°I used them before we even reached this floor, back when you first mentioned it, Nat.¡±

    That makes me turn to the twins. ¡°Why can¡¯t you guys be more like Lily?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have the Handy Backpack she has.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Chop Sack,¡± Aaron disagrees with his brother.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s an Armory Bag.¡±

    ¡°Disarmory.¡±

    Catching Lily¡¯s gaze, I shrug and she repeats the motion, adding another yawn. ¡°I¡¯m going to get a few hours of sleep. I think the 11th variation of my healing mark is due to be the best one yet.¡±

    ¡°So there won¡¯t be any more veins growing through the surface of my skin?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I fixed it. Night, boys,¡± she waves before heading off to rest.

    Something nudges my feet, and I look down to see Biscuit.

    (I require sustenance.) He says, uttering a series of words I haven¡¯t heard him use in a long time.

    Knowing what that means, I head to my backpack and open a secret compartment, and pull a sealed box free, taking a single piece of Archdeer jerky from within. A commodity that¡¯s rapidly becoming more and more precious as time goes on.

    Biscuit patiently waits, but I can see him tippy-tapping with his front legs, even jumping subtly as he struggles to contain his excitement.

    ¡°Paw,¡± I say as I squat in front of him.

    He immediately lifts his right front leg, and I grab it, shaking it and feeling the soft toe beans beneath.

    Feeling refreshed, I hand the jerky to him, which he gently takes into his mouth, then turns around, heading to his usual resting spot at which point he proceeds to nibble on it.

    ¡°Did you have any pets back on Earth, Nat?¡± Aaron asks, in an uncharacteristic show of Initiative.

    I shake my head. ¡°Never. But I remember a time when I was younger, there was a boy who got a puppy for Christmas, and for a year or two, his mom often brought it with her when she went to pick her son up from school.¡±

    That memory flashes in my mind.

    ¡°The dog was always so happy, just seeing that boy, and the boy was happy as well. It didn¡¯t matter if he got bad grades, or someone was bullying him, or if a teacher chewed him out. Every time he saw that dog, a smile would light up his face.¡±

    ¡°That sounds nice.¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡± I stretch and activate the burden enhancement inscriptions, forcing myself to move kinetic energy throughout my body. ¡°It¡¯s time for some light sparring. Your goal is to maintain the evil orb while we fight.¡±

    ¡°I wish he had better names for these things. It makes me feel lame that I have so much trouble with it.¡± Dennis sighs, fixing his clothes as mana starts flowing through his body.

    ¡°We should have known what we were getting ourselves into when he named our group: group 4.¡±

    The sparring match takes off, and they don¡¯t have the luxury of speaking anymore.

    <hr>

    Just two days remain until I start my next Beyond expedition, and my training is in full progress. I cut down on my sleep planning to make up for it before I go to Beyond.

    Be it day or night, all of us train, my companions deciding to follow my example and stay up for the next few days.

    Much like before, there is no hunting, we only resort to killing monsters when they attack us. And this close to the Mana Desert, that rarely happens, leaving our campsite unusually quiet.

    Here on the 6th floor, days are hot, and the sky makes it impossible to see where the light¡¯s coming from, almost like we were caught in a perpetual storm or the sky was covered in sand or something.

    Day is also the time when the monsters seem to be the most active, and yet the nights are cold and quiet. And I¡¯ve grown to enjoy the nights here, even as hostile as they are. If only for the view I still can¡¯t get enough of.

    It almost looks like I can reach my hand and touch the stars. Myriads of them in the sky, mixing with purple nebulae that cover a huge part of the sky as well.

    Sometimes I just like to sit there for a few minutes and watch it, thinking about just how real it is. How far does the tutorial reach? Did it stop at recreating the moon, this Astral Prison. Is everything beyond the borders of this satellite just an even bigger fake? A projection set there for convenience? Like some giant TV screen? Is it just an illusion? Graphics that only bother to load when we look at them?

    Or does the system do more? Back on the 2nd floor, old Liss said she couldn¡¯t leave the planet, so maybe it just ends. But there¡¯s a chance it doesn¡¯t.

    I¡¯ll have to find out next time we¡¯re on a floor without aerial defenses. I¡¯m curious to see if I could fly up to outer space and survive there.

    <hr>

    A few minutes remain, and I adjust my backpack, it¡¯s already been loaded up with all my most important stuff. I have the Flamebearer, I have my Echo Gauntlet, I even have a few weapons made from white sand, and plenty of other odds and ends.

    I also have somewhere around a dozen healing marks dotting my body, though most of them are confined to my left arm. The current and 12th variation has been tailored to send a scan through my body to find the wound and focus its healing there.

    Though it would certainly cause problems if someone were to sever my left arm¡ªwhich is, sadly, not impossible¡ªso we decided to space out a few more marks across some of my other body parts, even though it made things a bit more difficult for Lily.

    I endure a second long hug from Lily, suspecting her of milking the situation while fully aware that she might try it again.

    ¡°So, You¡¯re planning to be back in three to five days right?¡± Aaron asks.

    ¡°Yup,¡± I confirm. ¡°I¡¯ll start with a one day token, and use more based on how that goes.¡±

    ¡°Take care, Nat,¡± Lily cries, seizing the opportunity to give me a third hug, and I look over her head at the smirking twins.

    Then I push the baby koala away and lift Biscuit to eye level, letting him lick my face a few times.

    Trading a final round of well wishes, I take a few steps and grab the nearby stack of boxes. Each one made from melted white sand, sealed airtight, and impossible to open without breaking the container itself. Inside, there''s nothing but a hollow space filled with loose white sand.

    Yup, I¡¯m using white sand to store white sand. I have a dozen boxes just like it, each the size of my head.

    ¡°Later,¡± I shout, waving as I use a Beyond Stay token and the environment around me fades.

    And there she is, my beloved Lady handler, seated within the same endless space, behind the same, old wooden table.

    I follow her eyes to the boxes filled with white sand behind me and can¡¯t help but feel proud. It took a lot of testing to get it right and even more effort to create them and store the white sand within.

    ¡°You can¡¯t bring those to the Entrance floor or into the dungeon,¡± she says resolutely.

    Yeah, I never liked this old hag of an asshole lazy handler.

 Chapter 460 - What a beautiful day

    ¡°I want to change handlers,¡± I tell her and wait for a pop-up message.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t work here,¡± she sighs and points at the storage cubes I brought with me. ¡°White sand was made by a powerful Absolute long ago. It was his way of dealing with annoying mana users and he modified it to trap Champion Caius and others. You surely must know how dangerous it could be if someone were to release it on the Entrance floor.¡±

    ¡°There are people with damaged arcane weapons and surely there are others with full arcane weapons. Plenty of people would be capable of wiping out the entrance floor on their own without any need for a weapon or item.¡±

    ¡°Even arcane items need to be used with intent, while there is not a single attendee capable of controlling the white sand. Do you think you¡¯re the first one to bring white sand here, to Beyond? What do you think would happen if you were to release it here in the highly mana-saturated entrance floor?¡±

    ¡°What happened last time?¡±

    ¡°Someone brought it here, it got out of the container, became charged by the abundance of ambient mana and the mana radiating from the people here. It wiped out one of the entrance outposts¡ªand any attendees and locals that were there. A single pile that was probably smaller than two of your boxes combined.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Yes, oh. So let¡¯s do it like this: I will take these boxes, I will also take the weapons you made out of it. There are a few handlers with permission to play around with things like white sand, so I will sell it to them and give you a portion of the shards later. And if you try to bring more, I¡¯ll just take it from you.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ll take a cut?¡±

    ¡°Obviously.¡±

    I can¡¯t help but feel disappointed. Part of me expected this, but I was hoping for a different outcome. At least I¡¯ll get some shards out of it. If I don¡¯t get enough to make it worth it, I¡¯ll be angry.

    ¡°Can¡¯t these handlers just ask Rulers to get them white sand or find some themselves?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re doing you know, but I¡¯ll play along this time and give you this for free. It¡¯s impossible to enter the tutorial twice. No one can enter the tutorial other than the attendees from the First Generation.¡±

    ¡°Not even the Rulers?¡±

    The look she gives me makes it clear that¡¯s all I¡¯m gonna get.

    After a while, she smiles from behind her table. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to change handlers last time?¡±

    ¡°I forgot.¡±

    ¡°Did you?¡±

    ¡°Well, a lot of things happened. I might be thinking about it now though, so you better have some good information for me.¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking for a new handler the second I get out. What with your attitude last time, and now this situation with the white sand¡ªI''ve put in a lot of effort, you know.¡±

    ¡°Sure, do it.¡±

    Her smile widens even more as she watches me, resting her chin in the palm of her hand, ¡°But I¡¯m in a good mood, so if you ask the right question, I might answer. You only have a few more seconds before you get transported to the entrance floor, so be quick.¡±

    ¡°Who was the ruler on the first floor?¡± I ask.

    She chuckles and leans back in her chair with a relaxed ease. A playful light flickers in her eyes, and she waits a bit, stretching the seconds until I feel myself getting pulled away.

    As if that were the signal she¡¯d been waiting for, she asks, ¡°Do you remember that deer you skinned?¡±

    Then I disappear, without even a chance to respond.

    And there I stand, shocked to my core, surrounded by the dozens of Beyonders walking all around me, going about their business here on the entrance floor.

    There is no fucking way.

    <hr>

    An hour later, I¡¯m 99% sure that old hag, asshole of a handler, was just messing with me.

    I catch myself wondering why I haven¡¯t already asked for a new handler. It would be so simple¡ªjust say the words out loud and go through the options. But to my frustration, I still haven¡¯t done it. All because I believe her when she tells me she¡¯s one of the few handlers who can provide the kind of information she gave me last time.

    Damn it.

    I still have a few hours until I have to go to the meeting I advertised on the board, so I take a moment to walk around.

    This time I have my crown over my head, and after a few weeks on the 6th floor, it¡¯s nicely filled. It seems to be a running trend with me: filling my crown only for things to go to shit. So I¡¯m expecting something to go wrong fairly soon.

    And just like that, there goes my act as melee fighter Noname. I¡¯m sure there can¡¯t be many people who could see how much mana I have stored without me noticing. The crown is something I¡¯m deeply connected to. It would also be rude, so it¡¯s pretty rare for anyone to try to scan the people around us, mostly rookies.

    As for my crown, I have to wonder just how many people would recognize it as a [Mana Crown] in the first place.

    To mess with them a bit, I move a bit of my thermal energy, creating yellow flames that flicker around the crown, trying to disguise it as a [Fire Crown]. And for the most part, I try to make it as close as possible to the one I saw before.

    From what I¡¯ve heard so far, the fire-based crown would get less attention. Lastly, I finish off my camouflage with a simple mask made of mana to cover my face and hide my Flamebearer under a wrap made of cloth.

    It¡¯s so silly it nearly makes me want to forget the whole thing, but still, I continue.

    Duncan told me a lot of things the last time I saw him. Sometimes people disappear, their bodies are never found, likely taken apart for their traits. In other cases, people with rare skills are kept for testing.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    In the near future, I fully intend to reveal some of these skills to purposefully get myself kidnapped. The kidnappers can then serve as a valuable source of information and loot.

    Your body changes and adapts to your powerful skills as they level up. Either because it needs to or as a side effect of a skills influence on the body. Even that little is enough for some people to risk it on the small chance it gives them hints to acquire a powerful skill.

    Attribute crowns are some of the most sought after, especially [Dexterity Crown]. as are Strength and Constitution while Mana is mostly considered just a variation of a mana battery. An amazing one at that, the skill likely being equal or better than even the greatest mana batteries, but [Dexterity Crown] seems to be on a different level.

    I still don¡¯t fully know how one would even go about filling that crown, but I can clearly imagine its strength. Just imagine a person storing Dexterity over months, over years.

    It¡¯s so crazy. How do you fight someone who moves so quickly you can¡¯t see them? Someone who moves faster than you can teleport, to the point that even if you do teleport, they¡¯re already there waiting for you?

    Give them a powerful weapon, and they¡¯re one of the most terrifying opponents you could ever face. Just the crown, a method of enduring the strain of motion, and a blade sharp enough to pierce through armor and barriers¡ªand that¡¯s it for you.

    I stop mid-stride and take a few steps back.

    Off to my side, I spot Duncan, hurrying off somewhere with his signature big bag strapped to his back and a smile on his face. He quickly greets a group of feylith and rushes off between the houses.

    It almost makes me feel ashamed for slacking around like this, so even though it¡¯s a bit early, I head over to the spot I arranged for my meeting.

    The closer I am to it, the more I start focusing again and pushing these constant thoughts away. Now they all get replaced by curiosity.

    All 10 rounds of Earth¡¯s tutorial should be synchronized now, meaning I have every chance of meeting Beyonders from any given round of the tutorial. And as I get closer, I find that that¡¯s exactly what¡¯s happened.

    A tall, bald man sits there, raking his fingers through his beard. He¡¯s wearing a tank top, and either one of his arms must be thicker than my leg for sure. Hell, his leg alone probably weighs as much as I do.

    It¡¯s the winner of the 1st round¡¯s 1st tournament. The one we saw during the Chronicle of the Past.

    Next to him sits a boy, no older than 12, with a slim build and wavy brown hair matching the color of his eyes which constantly flick from place to place, full of curiosity.

    Opposite of them is a woman with short black hair, kind-looking eyes, and a golden retriever sitting next to her with his head in her lap while she scratches him behind the ears.

    Extrovert class, both of them for sure. The woman is smiling and nodding, while the big, tall, muscular man laughs loudly and happily, ignoring the looks he gets because of that. The boy seems to be used to that, and I can see him rolling his eyes. The way he sits close to the bald man tells me they are most likely used to each other, likely from the same round.

    As I approach, the boy finally detects me and pokes the bald man. He doesn¡¯t let it show and continues to act normal, yet the feeling of danger increases to an overwhelming degree.

    As if I had walked into a den of beasts the sense of hostility continues to ramp up as I continue my approach, and despite the man¡¯s relaxed appearance as he continues laughing in time with the conversation, the current atmosphere just doesn¡¯t fit that picture.

    I let my heartbeat, kinetic energy flowing through my body, permeating my muscles, to counter his pressure. I match the tension in the air as I proceed, each of my steps reverberating through the floor around us, my heart beating just outside the range of normal hearing.

    My hand closes into a fist and opens.

    Winner of the tournament? Let¡¯s see.

    ¡°Noname?¡± Asks a voice, seemingly out of nowhere.

    The moment feels frozen in time, and the bald man, in the process of standing up muscles bulging, stops mid-movement. He glances at me, then at the woman with the retriever, the one who interrupted us and sits down.

    With that, the feeling of danger is gone.

    Disappointingly.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I greet.

    ¡°Hello,¡± the woman smiles, turning to me. ¡°Luna noticed your approach,¡± she says as she pets her dog, who wags her tail in response. ¡°She said you smell like a human from Earth, so I thought you might be the one who left the post.¡±

    ¡°Luna¡¯s pretty smart.¡±

    ¡°She is, right?¡± The black-haired woman smiles happily. ¡°My name is Leticia, and this is my Luna as I¡¯ve already said,¡± she states, introducing the golden retriever as if she were the most important member of their party.

    Luna turns to me, the same gentle brown eyes retrievers usually have. But there¡¯s an uncanny intelligence behind those eyes. I don¡¯t feel any indication of a scan, but I¡¯m sure the retriever is checking me out and appraising the danger I present.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Luna, we¡¯re all from Earth here,¡± Leticia says, smiling and petting her once again, prompting Luna to quietly turn away from me.

    Leticia then gestures at the young boy. ¡°This is Spacewolf. He¡¯s really sweet, so please don¡¯t mind the name! The mountain pretending to be a human next to him is CarrotCake.¡±

    The bald man, who sits almost two heads taller than me and twice as wide, smiles brightly, his teeth gleaming in the light.

    ¡°My name in the community is Noname,¡± I introduce myself.

    ¡°Hello, Noname. I hope we¡¯ll learn to drop these nicknames sometime in the near future. My handler told me that you can even change your Community name, but only once, and only to your real name. So please think about it.¡±

    Spacewolf snorts while CarrotCake stands up and stops in front of me. Obscuring most of my view with his beard as I look up at him.

    ¡°Round?¡± he asks.

    ¡°Fifth, you?¡± I return, curious if he will try to lie.

    ¡°First round, winner of the 1st tournament. You?¡±

    ¡°I won our first tournament as well.¡±

    The feeling of danger rises again and it¡¯s immediate this time. Even stronger than before and the man¡¯s smile becomes even brighter.

    Then the two presences I felt coming closer reach us, Luna the retriever reacting exactly the way she did when I showed up.

    ¡°That makes three of us,¡± says a man a few years older than me, bringing himself to the muscular man¡¯s attention, which he ignores. ¡°I¡¯m Derick, and this is Noelle, 8th round.¡±

    Derick has long red hair tied into a ponytail. He¡¯s slim and dressed in a pair of black pants and a long sleeved shirt. And to top it all off he¡¯s unarmed.

    Noelle is shorter, with brown hair, and wears a long bow strapped to her back, seemingly made out of metal with no string.

    They, like the others, seem accustomed to each other¡¯s presence.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that great! What a beautiful day this is shaping up to be!¡± The bald man, who I refuse to call CarrotCake, shouts as he stomps, leaving a crack in the cobblestones lining the street below him. It¡¯s just a simple movement, playful, devoid of mana, yet it perfectly illustrates the power of his body.

    I smell another single-attribute enthusiast. It''s just a shame he chose Strength.

    Leticia rushes to calm the bald man down, and I have a strong suspicion he wouldn¡¯t mind starting a fight right here and now. He certainly seems like the type.

    Derick and Noelle stand quietly off to the side, talking to each other. The winner of the 8th round''s tournament, it makes me curious about what kind of abilities he could be hiding. Unlike the musclehead over there, it''s not quite so obvious.

    I check the countdown, the time for the meeting nearly up.

    Exactly on the second, the last person enters the area, a young man with green eyes and long black hair tied back in a ponytail. He has a beauty mark under the corner of his left eye. That guy...

    So we have three winners from the 1st round of tournaments.

    An archer with a weird ass bow.

    A woman who snuck her dog into the tutorial.

    Spacewolf.

    And lastly, the cowardly Savant.

 Chapter 461 - Allies?

    ¡°Is everyone from round 5 some kind of weirdo?¡± Spacewolf declares in an unprovoked attack.

    That little jerk sure sounds confident hiding behind that mountain of muscle, and as we sit there and plan, he only grows more bold. He¡¯s already been badmouthing the others, and now I¡¯m his target.

    Some of his confidence might be bought by his worth as well. He introduced himself as a healer after all.

    I just look at him and don¡¯t bother answering.

    ¡°You¡¯re wearing that mask, Savant¡¯s just sitting off to the side, and he hasn¡¯t said a word since he arrived. And you haven¡¯t made any attempts at speaking to him either,¡± the boy continues.

    This time I glance at his bodyguard, wondering if I have a chance at sneaking in a petty attack on the boy.

    The tournament winner seems to catch onto my intent and flashes a bright smile, placing his teeth on display. A clear challenge gleams in his eyes.

    For some reason, that only makes me want to do it even more, and as carefully as I can, I start moving my mana toward the annoying boy.

    ¡°Spacewolf,¡± Leticia says in a gentle tone, ¡°there are some people who just don¡¯t feel the need to talk very much. Noname and Savant might just need some time to get comfortable with us, maybe they¡¯ll be ready to talk then, so let¡¯s not be rude, okay?¡±

    Surprisingly, that makes the boy blush, and he looks to the side, away from the young woman in question.

    As if she had something to say, the golden retriever Luna pokes her owner, and Leticia just smiles at her, booping her on the nose a few times.

    Somehow that gentle-looking woman with her short black hair has taken on the role of a placeholder leader. At the very least she seems focused on trying to guide us to a shared goal.

    At that point, I decide to ignore the fact that I was the one who called them all here and hope that no one remembers.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Noname call us all here? Shouldn¡¯t he explain what this is all about?¡± Savant¡¯s voice interrupts. I don¡¯t even have to turn around to know that he isn¡¯t even looking in our direction.

    As eyes turn to me and I sigh. ¡°It¡¯s simple. There is a place I want to reach on the 1st floor. It¡¯s close to a safe zone where you can find a ¡®checkpoint¡¯. We will be moving in that direction together, and when we get close I intend to split off from the group while you continue on to the safe zone. I¡¯ll even finish off most of the lurkers to get them to focus on me and time the end of my stay token, so I can escape. That way you don¡¯t experience any losses.¡±

    ¡°What if I want to go with you? It sounds fun,¡± the bald man asks smugly.

    ¡°Then the deal¡¯s off. What¡¯s at that place is mine and mine only.¡±

    ¡°And if I lie and follow you anyways?¡± he pushes.

    ¡°Then I will fuck you up.¡±

    Leticia quickly jumps in, ¡°Noname, CarrotCake, there¡¯s no need to go that far. There are countless lurkers you could fight, even other Beyonders. There is no need for the people of Earth to fight each other.¡±

    ¡°I would like to remind everyone that each of us is wasting their stay tokens because of these two,¡± Savant follows up, throwing in some wisdom of his own, from his seat further away, probably so he can escape if things get too hairy.

    ¡°I agree with Savant,¡± Derick interjects, turning to me, ¡°Did you plan this as an Earthlings only expedition? Or do you want to recruit others?¡±

    ¡°I had planned to go alone, but then I thought it would be better to have a few more people just in case I meet a powerful named one.¡±

    ¡°Have you met any before?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Whitey.¡±

    That seems to catch Derick¡¯s interest, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him. He¡¯s supposed to be one of the oldest.¡±

    ¡°How does he compare strength-wise to other named lurkers?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Noelle, any idea?¡± He asks, turning to the woman next to him.

    Her voice is quiet and soft, and very soothing, ¡°As far as I remember, he¡¯s supposed to be a demon with long white hair and kinetic energy. He is one of the oldest, but not the strongest. That¡¯s as much as we know, Mr. Noname.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about what I expected, he¡¯s pretty much just like you said. Wide-range kinetic energy field and excellent perception¡ªthere is no chance of hiding from him. The place I want to go is near his territory.¡±

    ¡°How do we know you don¡¯t want to use us as decoys while you run away and do something else?¡± Derick asks me, curiosity evident in his voice.

    ¡°He won¡¯t do that as long as you don¡¯t give him a reason to,¡± Savant says, much to my surprise.

    Before I can react, Leticia joins in, ¡°Luna and I have decided to trust Noname as well, and with three tournament winners accompanying us, I don¡¯t think we need to recruit any more attendees. If we hurry, we should be able to reach the safe zone, especially if Noname takes most of the lurkers on himself, and we ditch him once things get hairy.¡± She smiles at me and winks as she speaks.

    Leticia then talks to the others, her voice taking on a playful tone, and the entire time as she does, Luna watches me.

    I really want to boop that nose.

    ¡°Noelle and I will time our stay tokens so they end sometime in the near future. If the expedition goes well, we¡¯ll use another and try to reach the safe zone. But if everything goes wrong, we¡¯ll just leave,¡± Derick says.

    ¡°That sounds like a good idea. How about we all do that? Spacewolf, CarrotCake, Savant, what do you think?¡±

    Facing Leticia, Savant nods in agreement, and I would bet that was his plan all along, and he was already timing his tokens the same way.

    An amusing thought comes to mind: What if everyone times their tokens that way, they leave, and I alone remain? I find the idea hilarious for some reason.

    As the extrovert woman drills into the bald man and annoying boy, I stand up and walk over to Derick and Noelle. Judging by their posture and the way they speak to each other I¡¯d say they were a couple, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m a relationship expert either, so I could easily be wrong.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°What¡¯s the mask for?¡± Derick asks as I approach.

    ¡°It¡¯s annoying, but I¡¯m trying to obscure the nature of my crown. I had too much stored to just cancel it,¡± I gesture at the crown spinning over my head.

    ¡°I can understand that. What about you and Savant, is there any bad blood between you guys? It could drag us down during the expedition.¡±

    Savant doesn¡¯t seem to want to answer, unfortunately, so I have to, ¡°It won¡¯t interfere with the expedition.¡±

    Derick glances at Savant, who nods ever so slightly.

    ¡°Fair,¡± the red-haired man says, seeming satisfied. ¡°Want to exchange information, at least as much as the system will allow?¡±

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s walk and talk though. The others seem to be getting impatient.¡±

    ¡°It seems so.¡±

    So far, Derick seems to be the most reasonable person in the group. Someone would probably pick Leticia as the candidate for the most normal-looking member, but there is something in me that just can¡¯t accept friendly people.

    But Luna seems okay. She¡¯s a good girl.

    I wonder if Leticia will let me pet her?

    <hr>

    It doesn¡¯t take much longer, and we find ourselves heading towards the entrance to the 1st dungeon floor. Just the seven of us, a much smaller number compared to the twenty from the last expedition.

    I don¡¯t entirely trust these people; any one of them could decide to throw me under the bus at any moment, but the same goes for me. Still, there is a little bit of trust, unlike the 1st expedition. All of us are Earthlings, and most of them probably had much the same experience I did.

    It¡¯s one of those things that just seems to repeat time after time. People get their start searching for attendees from their own planets. Later they join guilds where cooperation is required, rewarded, and often guaranteed by high-level contracts.

    CarrotCake, the mountain of muscle, seems like a battle maniac. I suspect that he is a Strength attribute enjoyer, but soon I should know for sure.

    Spacewolf, that annoying little shit, is CarrotCake¡¯s personal healer. Musclehead gets healing, and the boy can be a little jerk without having to worry about anyone slapping it out of him.

    Leticia is probably a hidden evil mastermind or something. Gareth seemed perfectly friendly too, that is until we learned he didn¡¯t mind wiping out dozens of natives just for scraps of food to feed his group or anyone else he happened to encounter from Earth.

    ¡°Thinking?¡± Leticia asks, noticing me looking at her, she quickly joins me as we walk matching my pace, Luna nearby as always. And much like her owner, Luna keeps a close watch on me.

    ¡°Can I pet Luna?¡±

    Leticia skips a step before returning to her normal rhythm, the look of surprise quickly disappearing from her face, only to be replaced by amusement as she turns to the golden retriever, ¡°What do you think, Luna? Can he?¡±

    Luna seems to think for a moment, her smart eyes looking between me and her owner before taking a step towards me and offering her head.

    Sorry, Biscuit, I¡¯m a weak man. I even pet Noodle from time to time when you aren¡¯t looking, and I¡¯m sure you know that. I think that might be one of the reasons you enjoy bullying the poor snake so much.

    I reach down and carefully pet the smart little golden retriever. Her eyes watch me patiently, and her head is bigger than Biscuit¡¯s, even her fur feels different. She lets this continue for a few more seconds before nudging my hand and returning to her previous position.

    ¡°Luna used to be my guide dog,¡± Leticia says with a smile and starts to pet her. Unlike before, Luna even wags her tail and licks Leticia¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t guide dogs supposed to be for blind people?¡±

    The question seems to take Leticia aback, but she smiles softly, ¡°You really don¡¯t have much tact, do you, Noname? Yes, they usually are for the blind or visually impaired, but that¡¯s not strictly the case.¡±

    We reach the entrance to the first floor and pause. At which point Leticia continues, ¡°I was blind until the second floor, you know.¡±

    Then she leaves to talk with Derick and the muscle man about something, and I watch her go.

    Yep, I knew it. She can¡¯t be normal. There¡¯s no way anyone who survived a month blind on the first floor is normal.

    <hr>

    Before entering the first floor of Beyond¡¯s dungeon, we share as much information as we can¡ªmostly about the first floor.

    Then, we step inside.

    Welcome to the 1st floor of the First Dungeon!

    You may exit the 1st floor in designated safe zones spread across the floor. After reaching a safe zone, you will be able to use the array to return from the Entrance Floor.

    1st floor quest: ???

    Rewards:

    7-day Stay Token

    ???

    We find ourselves in a sickly-looking area. There are a lot of fallen trees, dried-up grass, water so stagnant that it may as well just be poison. A few old buildings made of crumbling stone bricks can be seen in the distance.

    There are huge craters and other signs of damage everywhere we look. Crumbling mountains, sprawling fields pocked with craters, and the drooping edges of melted buildings, with their stone facades crumbling to dust.

    As before, the rocky ceiling looms above, reminding me of our presence deep underground. With it, the gravity increases, pulling more heavily on my mana, drawing it toward something far beneath my feet.

    Looking at the power levels of the people here, I find myself growing more confident about this expedition than the one before. Looking back I don¡¯t think anyone other than the leader was noticeably stronger than any of us.

    I also get rid of the mask made of mana and the fire effect around the crown. The mana signatures and presences of all the people around us disappearing is weirdly comfortable as we enter that destroyed environment of the first floor.

    ¡°You¡¯re actually quite handsome. This isn¡¯t how I imagined you, Noname. Though I noticed it even with your mask on¡ªyour eyes are beautiful. Heterochromia, right?¡± Leticia asks.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I answer, my senses shooting into the area around us and as I do, I notice that everyone does something similar.

    Not wasting time, we get to running in the direction I pointed out, taking a bit of a detour, to avoid Whitey, whom I intend to pay a visit on my own.

    Luna runs slightly ahead of us, and even though I can¡¯t sense anything, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s scouting ahead in her own way.

    There is not a single presence as far as I can sense.

    Nothing even after thirty minutes.

    Going by the expressions on everyone¡¯s faces, even they find this strange, and I can sense them rushing to stack skills and effects around their bodies while keeping their senses sharp.

    No one speaks anymore, but the bulky man seems to be growing more excited by the moment.

    Despite all our scanning, we detect no presences¡ªnot even the slightest trace of mana or primordial energy. The place feels devoid of life both natural and unnatural.

    <hr>

    Another hour passes, and still, we encounter no enemies.

    We pass a massive mountain, its sides overgrown with unnatural vegetation.

    We pass a lake with bubbling light green water.

    We pass a city that looks like some enormous creature stomped it flat.

    And yet, no one attacks us.

 Chapter 462 - Specter

    The dreary silence continues even as we approach the halfway point nearing the area I think of as Whitey¡¯s territory.

    There is no wind down here, at least not on this floor, leaving the scenery around us to settle into an eerie stillness that extends even to the grass and trees. Everything stands motionless, in a state of crumbling decay, overgrown by vegetation, or thrown all around by different kinds of attacks.

    Luna continues to lead, the golden retriever moving with extreme grace and speed, her sharp eyes scanning the area as she takes the occasional break to sniff at some strange scent before leading us on.

    Musclehead appears to be happy; there is an aura of exuberance around him, which seems to upset the boy though he¡¯s clearly learned to accept it.

    Derick and Noelle stay together, neither one showing the slightest hint of unease.

    Leticia constantly moves mana in the air around her, weaving something in preparation, and I watch with great interest as she does.

    As for Savant, he stays off to the side of the group, seemingly unperturbed, his green eyes scanning the area. I bet he doesn¡¯t even want to be here, but his cold, calculating mind probably figured this would be a better opportunity to examine the first floor than mingling with random attendees.

    When I try to find out how much mana he has stored in the broken Sword of Aeons on his waist, he deflects that attempt and continues to ignore me.

    Everyone here is used to situations like this; it¡¯s almost commonplace. That calm before the storm, the feeling of your senses amplifying in anticipation of danger looming right around the corner.

    It¡¯s addicting; it anchors you to that moment in time and makes you feel more alive than anything else.

    So when the first attack comes, we¡¯re all ready.

    Leticia shouts, and Luna stops, as the ground in front of her explodes, and the shockwave throws the golden retriever against a boulder nearby, and she lands with a whimper.

    Leticia¡¯s barrier, which softened the initial attack, surrounds her dog once more, stopping another strike as an explosion devastates the area.

    Noelle looses an arrow, and a barrage of white and red lightning pierces the sky¡ªthe same lightning Tess has. That attack crashes against a barrier created by the attacking figure floating high in the air.

    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl ???]

    The barrier glows in three different colors: pale blue, dark blue, and purple.

    ¡°Named one,¡± Noelle whispers, just loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°Rookie Killer, mage, barriers, and mana-based attacks.¡±

    She doesn¡¯t get a chance to say anymore as the next attack explodes in our midst. The same as before, there is a brief moment where the Lurker¡¯s mana reaches towards us nearly imperceptibly and creates a tiny portal through which it launches its next attack.

    The bright white explosion of compressed mana I know so well crashes against my barrier, and I reach out for the Rookie Killer in the same fashion, stretching my [Ley Line] out through the air and creating an endpoint next to him.

    It seems to have an incredible perception, sensing my skill and attempting to disrupt it.

    But nothing happens. The thread doesn¡¯t even react to the attempt.

    Another barrage of lightning from Noelle crashes against the feylith lurker¡¯s barrier, and as it does, I teleport right in front of him.

    He has a set of small wings on his back, and his hair and eyes, which should be changing colors, are now a deathly shade of white and his skin has shriveled as if with age.

    Rookie Killer moves, surrounding himself with a huge amount of mana in an attempt to resist my rapidly activating domain, which is currently being strengthened by the effect of my subclass.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got another named one! Specter!¡± Noelle shouts from below, and I sense the fight rage beneath me.

    My body radiates more and more mana, ramping up the pressure and strengthening my domain as we face each other.

    Hundreds of mana projectiles enter my domain, only to be disrupted by [Resonance] as I infuse it throughout.

    [Mana Domain - lvl 46 > Mana Domain - lvl 47]

    My own mana projectiles, boosted by kinetic energy, crash against that tricolored barrier, which deforms under the barrage but holds strong nonetheless.

    I fend off a constant string of attempts to tear my domain apart, along with the projectiles. The lurker teleports away before I can stop him, leaving his barrier behind, as it shrinks to the size of one of his projectiles and turns bright white.

    Rather than disrupt it and waste mana, I use my existing [Ley Line] to return to my original position, placing the fight at a distance where I see the orange light of Savant¡¯s [Dawn] and two more lurkers fighting the group.

    Something about this group of three feels off. They¡¯re all too strong to be random lurkers, and even then, they¡¯re showing signs of damage ¡ªas if they had already been through a tough fight.

    Another portal opens near me, and a barrage of attacks erupts forth, crashing into my hastily constructed barrier.

    [Ley Line] activates again, and I throw a dozen or so invisible shimmering blue lines in all directions and shrink my domain to make it more potent. Another teleport gets me closer, and I boost myself with kinetic energy, closing the remaining distance, as I deflect the incoming frontal attack with my barrier.

    The lurker attempts to open another portal behind me and launch an attack, but I reach towards it and tear it down before it can happen.

    Then a mana projectile passes through my barrier, and just before it explodes, I disassemble it with [Resonance].

    Another dozen or so attacks have modified frequency, ignoring my barrier and even partially disrupting my attempts to match the creature¡¯s speed, forcing me to come up with my countermeasures the same way Rookie Killer does.

    Then, an animal I don¡¯t recognize forms from his mana. It looks like a wolf with long legs and two pairs of wings.

    It passes through my barrier, becomes more transparent within my domain, only to be torn apart before it can even reach me.

    I activate my Mana Wavelength Iris and weaken my domain as two more press the attack.

    They phase through my barrier, better able to handle my domain, their frequency constantly shifting. One of them gets destroyed, and the second one I let bite my forearm, the being entirely made of mana bites into my flesh, and a powerful mana disruption effect rushes through my body. Then in a blink, the animal shrinks into an orb before turning bright white, and exploding, forcing me downwards, and throwing me onto the ground.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Just in time, I pop up a barrier around me, strengthening it as much as possible as dozens of attacks crash into the area around me.

    Each of the explosions is big and powerful enough to wipe out an entire building, evaporating my surroundings into a cloud of dust and debris.

    But that¡¯s it.

    Disappointed, I stand up. Dusting myself off I activate my healing passive. Healing the assorted scrapes and bruises I¡¯ve accumulated.

    Rookie Killer floats there, hanging in the air, his small wings unmoving, as he charges hundreds of projectiles in the space around him, while more of these weird wolves take form by his side.

    The lurker can teleport, send attacks through portals, and actually seems to have a decent amount of mana, or, more likely, a high rate of regeneration. His skill at disruption is amazing, and he can change the frequency of his mana to surprise opponents.

    Most interesting though is probably the animals he creates with his mana, delivering a powerful disruptive attack and quick explosions. It¡¯ll definitely be something to experiment with in the future.

    But that¡¯s it.

    I teleport close to him, my eyes flaring into activity as my mind fractures into pieces, absorbing every detail. With a single pulse of disruptive mana, everything around us is torn apart.

    [Resonance - lvl 51 > Resonance - lvl 52]

    All the animals, all the projectiles, all the defenses, and portals disappear.

    The lurker tries to move, but [Redistribution] holds him in place, and I send another disrupting wave at him, ramping up the effect with an excessive burst of mana and causing the air to reverberate under the pressure.

    A single orb appears, forming over the tip of my finger, made from tricolored mana which turns bright white in the blink of an eye, growing to the size of a grape. I mold it into a javelin-like projectile and drive it into the lurker''s chest.

    The attack detonates, my barrier wavering as waves ripple through its surface, but it endures, withstanding the blast reverberating through the air.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 303]

    [Lvl 276 > Lvl 277]

    My Ley Line takes me closer to the group, and I fly the rest of the distance.

    The orange color of Savant¡¯s domain surrounds the area, and the man¡¯s left arm hangs uselessly across his body, displaying a row of deep cuts, clearly meant to pass through his forearm only to stop at the bone. And the finishing blow that exploded his shoulder bone.

    Savant swings the sword in his hand, and his opponent ducks under it, with incredible speed stabbing at Savant¡¯s chest three times in quick succession. Savant dodges all three attacks and kicks out at the lurker who dodges again.

    The lurker''s skin is even more cracked than usual, resembling the horrific burns inflicted by Savant''s domain.

    Derick reaches them, short bursts of disrupting mana flashing from his fists, as a skin-tight mana barrier flickers around him.

    The lurker dodges, tanks one hit from Derick, and flickers, turning half transparent, as Savant¡¯s swing and Noelle¡¯s arrow pass through without causing damage.

    Materializing again, the lurker moves incredibly quickly, parts of his body flickering in and out to let some of the smaller attacks pass through.

    Repositioning, he attacks me, in a clear attempt to capitalize on my distance from the others.

    This one¡¯s the same race Rat was. Humanoid, with gray skin and long arms and legs. His dead white eyes lock onto me, and I disrupt his attempt to mark me in some way.

    Kinetic energy flows through my body, and I squeeze Flamebearer in my hand.

    The lurker dodges three bursts of kinetic energy, he lets a barrage of mana-based attacks pass through his flickering body, my [Redistribution] slips off of his skin, and he stabs at me.

    I teleport, and he immediately follows me, an aggressive movement that makes him look more like an animal than anything humanoid. He dodges a dozen arrows launched by Noelle in a single second and briefly clashes with Derrick before the red-haired man kicks him. The lurker lets the kick land, using it as a boost to launch himself back at me.

    He dodges more primordial lightning arrows, he avoids Derick again by moving at much higher speeds, and he adjusts his barrier to weaken the effects of Savant¡¯s [Dawn].

    My domain activates at full power, my eyes reading his barrier, and my disruptive attacks are at their best. And for that short moment, I cause his barrier to flicker and decide to face him head on instead of teleporting.

    Kinetic energy supports me, my movement matching his for that moment, and I disrupt his barrier again, swinging my ax at his head while launching powerful bursts of kinetic energy to take a chunk of his chest, right where his heart should be.

    And he dodges both.

    His speed surges and the barrier around him reactivates as if I¡¯d never disrupted it. The lurker reduced his speed. He even let me weaken his barrier.

    All to lure me in.

    His dagger stabs into my chest, as I pivot just enough so it doesn¡¯t pierce my heart. Some kind of poison is flooding in through the wound, along with a powerful disrupting attempt.

    But I¡¯ve seen it all before. Disrupting my mana just isn¡¯t that easy.

    Kinetic energy boosts my movement and a barrier of mana forms over my forehead. I bring it down and smash it into the lurker with full force, with an audible crack from his head or mine. Or both.

    He tries to take another step, but I wrap my arms around him, pinning his arms so he can¡¯t move the dagger he¡¯s managed to lodge in me. The direct contact makes it harder for him to flicker away.

    Golden flames seep out of my body, surrounding us both. Healing me and damaging him.

    I hold on to him all the while, disrupting his attempts at using that flickering skill of his, in a constant battle not unlike the orb-shaping exercise Lissandra left me.

    But I love this. I reinforce the barrier on my forehead and slam into him again, shattering his nose and teeth.

    Feeling that he¡¯s about to slip away, I boost my body and resonate my mana, removing the arm he stabbed me with, a split second before he flickers away.

    He tries to grab the arm and dagger lodged inside me, but Derick smashes into him, and the lurker lets his body roll. Then in an incredible display of acrobatics, he jumps into the air, dodging an arrow, and tries to kick Savant, who deflects the blow and attacks in turn.

    The lurker¡¯s body flickers, and he starts running at incredible speed.

    I send a powerful burst of kinetic energy through the Ley Line I tied to him and the lurker reacts with incredible speed, flickering away the instant my attack grazes him, minimizing his injuries.

    A weird dagger forms in his hand made out of an extremely pale, almost transparent form of blue mana, which he uses to cut away the Ley Line, along with the flesh it was attached to, before disappearing into the distance.

    As the explosions continue in the distance, Leticia and two others caught in their own fight with the third lurker, I pull the dagger out of my chest, focusing thermal energy around the wound as I concentrate it and let it burn my own flesh to stop the spread of poison.

    It hurts a lot, but I distract myself by thinking of ways to improve my [Ley Line] and make it harder to get rid of.

    Even though that lurker was insane and likely one of the stronger ones, it shouldn¡¯t have been so easy to take it down¡ªor even notice it. It serves as a stark reminder that no matter how strong I¡¯ve become, these lurkers were once attendees, people who reached Beyond on their own.

    I store the severed arm in my bag and glance at the dagger.

    Nullstrike Knife (Arcane, Damaged) - The Nullstrike Knife is incredibly sharp, capable of slicing through the toughest armor. The poison it once held is nearly gone, but it disrupts mana on contact, hindering magical defenses. Occasionally, it releases a pulse that temporarily silences all spells in the immediate area.

    It shouldn¡¯t be this easy to collect damaged arcane items.

    ¡°Good job. That was a bit of a crazy way to go about things, but hey, if it works.¡± Derick says, as he approaches, glancing at the dagger In my hand.

    ¡°Thanks. Are you done doing the bare minimum so that you can observe our abilities?¡±

    The red-haired man seems to be amused, and for a moment, a smile flickers across his face before it disappears. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all doing it? Why don¡¯t we check on the others?¡±

    ¡°After you,¡± I gesture.

 Chapter 463 - Lurkers everywhere

    The muscleman, annoying boy healer, Leticia, and good girl Luna have all been marked by the fight. Well, other than the boy who looks like he came from a walk. The big musclehead has terrible burns across his hand and forearms, but he doesn¡¯t seem to mind, in fact, he¡¯s smiling brightly right now.

    ¡°What a fight! That little man sure packed some heat!¡± As he talks, I watch the burns on his arms heal even without any support from the boy.

    His natural regeneration might be even higher than Lily¡¯s. However, I still don¡¯t think he comes anywhere close to matching her high Constitution, leading me to think it¡¯s some kind of powerful trait or skill at work, be it active or passive.

    Leticia, meanwhile, has been blinded in one eye, a terrible burn taking up half of her face, and the golden retriever doesn¡¯t look much better. Luna is missing one of her legs with the same sort of burns surrounding the injury.

    Noticing my look, the woman smiles, ¡°I will be fine. That lurker was just faster than expected.¡±

    It¡¯s at this point that Noelle speaks up, joining the conversation, ¡°Noname fought Rookie Killer. He¡¯s gotten quite famous for bombarding newbies and causing trouble for weaker expedition teams, but he¡¯s not that strong. We got attacked by Specter, one of the more dangerous ones, and he ran away. But I don¡¯t know the one who fought you.¡±

    ¡°They fought a vyssari woman, another named one called Blazing Shortie,¡± Savant speaks up, having already recovered, his wounds have closed at the very least, his bearing unchanged.

    ¡°That fits pretty well!¡± Our musclehead says, smiling, and shoving the boy next to him. ¡°Go and heal her.¡±

    For a moment, I think the boy might refuse, but he just sighs and approaches Leticia, who thanks him and lets him touch her face.

    With curiosity, I observe the process, comparing him to Lily.

    The wound closes quickly, and it doesn¡¯t seem to cause the boy much trouble. The mana feels similar to Lily¡¯s. It¡¯s no different when he restores the golden retriever¡¯s missing leg, the bone growing in first, only to be quickly covered in nerves, tendons, flesh, skin, and finally, fur.

    He doesn¡¯t seem to push himself, so it¡¯s hard to estimate how he compares to our petite maniac.

    Then we continue moving on our way.

    We pass by another small ruined city, a huge crater in the side of a mountain, and a big field filled with spikes piercing into the ground, and breaking the otherwise uniform surface.

    When we eventually do meet two more lurkers, they go down easily, these ones having been much more in line with beginners who got in over their heads.

    As promised, I¡¯m the one to deliver the finishing blow, thus making future lurkers more attracted to me as time goes on.

    When we meet three more, one of them dies near instantly, torn apart by a barrage of attacks from Noelle and me.

    Leticia is great at manipulating mana. Her shields have perfect timing, and she forms them incredibly quickly. Even then, they¡¯re none too shabby, seeming more than capable of enduring even more powerful attacks.

    However she hasn¡¯t really pressed the attack thus far, so I don¡¯t know what her full capabilities are.

    As for the resident musclehead, I watch as he jumps in feet first to face a lurker in a set of heavy armor.

    The winner of the 1st round¡¯s tournament is surprisingly nimble and doesn¡¯t face down attacks if he doesn¡¯t need to. His fights don¡¯t usually take long either.

    I watch as he pounds the armor, denting it as if it were made of aluminum foil. And after taking a few quick steps, he follows up the strike with a knee kick.

    The lurker in armor creates a greatsword with mana and takes a swing, which the bald man dodges nimbly. Then repeating the maneuver, his next hit strikes the flat of the blade, snapping the weapon in the middle, before the following kick sends the lurker flying, slamming it into a boulder.

    Grabbing a stone from the ground, the man throws it at full force, the impact sounding like an explosion as the stone explodes into a cloud of dust from the sheer force, sending reverberations through the air.

    ¡°You can finish him,¡± he tells me, sounding disappointed, no different from the fight before.

    I let one of my javelins pierce the unmoving lurker, its armor rendered useless.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 253]

    <hr>

    We start moving again, and as we progress, more and more lurkers head our way, attracted by the annoying mechanic that defines this floor. The more we kill, the worse it gets, and we aren¡¯t even halfway through.

    As much as we can, we avoid killing them, often leaving lurkers behind crippled and missing limbs.

    We could have done it before, but I think the others wanted to be sure I would keep my word. Just to know they¡¯d have someone willing to serve as a decoy if needed, while they escape. I think it¡¯s only fair, and it¡¯s exactly what I offered to them.

    Nearly a day passes like that as we continue on, setting a slower pace than my previous expedition. My stay token is about to end so before I can disappear back to the 6th floor, I use another 1-day stay token. Leaving me with two more 1-day stay tokens and one 3-day stay token.

    We lower our speed as the others take the opportunity to acclimatize themselves and explore the floor and make themselves familiar with its dangers. We do some tests on the lurkers as well, curious to learn just how much of the original person remains in them.

    Another half a day passes like that, and the more I observe this group, the more curious I am. We stand around, chewing our food, with a barrier surrounding the first somewhat stable house we could find. Taking a short break.

    So, who other than me and Savant could be a Champion candidate? I can¡¯t sense the title from anyone else. If there does happen to be anyone else with the title, they¡¯re probably taking full advantage of the function allowing them to hide it.

    As we eat, while Luna and Leticia keep watch, I get a great idea.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Are you a Champion candidate, CarrotCake?¡± I ask directly.

    His healer seems like he is about to spit out the food he is chewing, but the tall man laughs.

    ¡°I¡¯m not. Some weird guy on the 2nd floor wanted to declare me one, but I rejected it because it sounded suspicious. Like, why the hell would I let someone declare me a Champion candidate or something when I don¡¯t even know who they are?¡±

    Is he messing with me?

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Derick also seems unbelieving.

    ¡°Champion this, Absolute that, Candidate non Candidate, Rulers, blights, radiances, and other bullshit. Who cares?¡± The bald man shrugs, his teeth exposed in a wide smile. ¡°I let my group deal with all that so that I can just fight.¡±

    Huh, I could respect that. He might not be that bad.

    An unexpected question comes from him. ¡°And you, Noname? Are you one of those Candidate thingies?¡±

    The question sounds innocent, but the way he¡¯s looking at me makes it clear that the way I answer will allow him to put me in a box. To understand me better.

    ¡°Yup,¡± I reply.

    Satisfied, he nods without pressing further.

    He is also an Adept of Pride and the same as I can sense it from him, he can sense it from me.

    ¡°My name is Jean, and this is Lucien.¡± He says, slapping the boy next to him with his massive arm, nearly causing him to choke on his food.

    ¡°You goddamn dumbass, tell him your name if you want, but why did you have to give him mine as well!¡± the boy complains without an ounce of hesitation.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about such useless stuff.¡± He crows, adding in another slap before turning back to me. ¡°During the second tournament, we will fight,¡± he declares.

    "Sure."

    That makes me remember a certain cockroach who promised to join. That tournament will certainly be one huge mess.

    ¡°Luna says there¡¯s a group of 10 lurkers approaching; they¡¯re heading right for us,¡± Leticia announces.

    Jean doesn¡¯t even bother exiting through the door and instead opts to blow off the entire side of the house with a single punch, forcing us to exit before it caves in on us.

    ¡°Any strong ones?¡± Derick asks as we get to running.

    ¡°Two, maybe three,¡± Leticia quickly announces and immediately stops, her feet burying themselves in the ground. ¡°Twenty more approaching from the direction we were just running.¡±

    Oh boy.

    ¡°We could head in the direction we came from and try to get around them,¡± Derick says, rolling up his sleeves, displaying a number of tattoos with designs I haven¡¯t seen yet densely covering his entire arms¡ªfingers, palms, forearms, every inch of exposed skin. He then continues, rolling up his pants, revealing a similar set of tattoos covering his legs.

    ¡°That would make both groups join and follow us. Noelle interjects. Leticia, is Luna sure they are heading right at us?¡± Noelle asks, taking the bow off her back, as a string made of mana appears and bending the bow into position.

    Her forearms, as it turns out, are covered in their own set of tattoos, which begin sparking with white and red primordial lightning.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Leticia confirms.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to have some fun, gals and boys.¡± CarrotCake¡ªJean¡ªseems to be getting excited as he turns to the boy. ¡°Give me a mark, Lucien.¡±

    With a defeated sigh, the boy slaps the enormous man on the back, and I sense a flash of mana and a healing aura, establishing some sort of connection between the two of them.

    No one says anything, but all of us start heading in the direction of the smaller group.

    ¡°Noname, I won¡¯t hold back this time,¡± Derick tells me, his tattoos radiating more and more mana with each step he takes.

    ¡°Sure.¡± He better not, we need to kill them quickly.

    I take a few more steps and boost myself high into the air.

    Even from this distance, a lurker manages to attack me, and I duck to the side, as a massive icicle sails off into the distance.

    Someone touches my mind, but that¡¯s it. My passive renders the attack useless, and I detect the attacker, deciding to deal with them first.

    First, I shoot dozens of threads of [Ley Line] into the area, immediate attempts at disrupting them pulse out from two different sources, but neither one has any hope of getting rid of them.

    As the group of ten lurkers enters my view, I dodge a few more attacks and block a few with my barrier.

    The group splits up to cover a bigger area, some staying behind to attack from a distance while the others move into melee range. There is no sense of cooperation. Just like zombies, they just group together and attack similar targets.

    My first tricolored orb explodes in the middle of a group of five melee attackers, throwing a few of them to the side while two manage to endure the attack. One of them, likely a named one, even shrugs it off, its armor made of mana absorbing the blast as he rushes toward Jean.

    The huge man welcomes the lurker with a powerful punch that destroys the ground in a massive area, and tears apart the lurker in a single blow, leaving nothing behind.

    With it goes most of Jean¡¯s arm, reducing it to a mass of ragged and profusely bleeding flesh, but the wound closes quickly. And I notice that not a single bone is broken.

    Savant is already attacking the lurker I threw the orb against, his movements much more dangerous than they were during the tournament, without even activating his domain.

    Teleporting through my anchor, I reach the lynthari woman who used some sort of mental attack before.

    She attacks me and her mental assault crashes against me again, as she follows up with a wave of oscillating mana spinning around her and cutting the area around her to ribbons.

    Mana armor forms around my body, taking deep cuts across the surface, but by boosting my body with kinetic energy, I manage to take a few steps. Foot burrowing into the ground, as I twist my waist, redirecting all the force through my body and releasing it in short bursts.

    The lynthari¡¯s chest caves in, forcing her to stagger back, but there¡¯s no sense of pain in her eyes.

    Another step and swing of my hand separates her head from her body.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 261]

    I teleport away, and a barrage of attacks crashes into the place I was standing, mostly ice projectiles that seem to radiate immense cold into the area around them.

    A pulse of mana erupts outwards from me, detecting the positions of my group and the lurkers, As I compress a huge amount of mana and send five tricolored orbs through my Ley Lines.

    Five powerful explosions reverberate through the air, preceding a heatwave followed by a shockwave and an implosion.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 241]

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 253]

    [Lvl 278 > Lvl 279]

    The air is still shaking, reverberating, when I sense one more signature heading from the direction of the group of 20 lurkers. A signature that moves at incredible speed, passing a distance that would take other lurkers at least a few minutes in mere seconds.

    It lands in the middle of the group, the enormous wings made of mana on its back disappearing as the figure slows to a walk.

    The figure is one of the races I met on the entrance floor, twice as tall as me, and while they still have humanoid proportions, they feel off on someone of this size.

    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl ???]

    Leticia shouts something, and Luna grows in size until the golden retriever is as big as a horse. The legs elongate, along with a maw that shows off a dangerous set of teeth. But before Luna can attack the lurker, the musclehead tackles her with his shoulder, sending the retriever to the side.

    ¡°Mine!¡± he laughs maniacally as the muscles on his body bulge.

    His skin tears, the air around him seems to shake, and he crashes into the giant lurker with a huge shockwave.

 Not a Chapter. Announcement â€“ Book 3 Live on Amazon!

    It¡¯s here again! Book 3 is live and even longer than the previous one¡ªthis time it is around 780 Amazon pages!

    The audiobook isn¡¯t ready yet, but I¡¯ll let you know as soon as it¡¯s available!

    As before, I¡¯d be really thankful if you find time to rate the book or leave a review with your thoughts. You can (most of the time) rate and review even if you didn¡¯t buy the book. If you have KU, you can download the book¡ªjust downloading it helps, as it counts as a sale!

    Book 3 starts around the time of the creation of Angry Kittens, a Group 4 guild formed during the 4th floor in Virelia. The book includes the rest of the 4th floor and part of the 5th, introducing Nathaniel Gwyn¡¯s very first disciple¡ªa little half-demon. Some call her minion.

    There are no big changes to the story, but the book went through professional editing with a few smaller changes.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Amazon: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0DD4BQ9PC</a>

    I also made Reddit posts, so if you have a Reddit account, upvoting them helps as well!

    r/litrpg: https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1h6k93r/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_3_is_out//</a>

    r/ProgressionFantasy: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/1h6k7go/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_3_is_out/</a>

    Thank you all so much for being a part of this!

 Chapter 464 - Luna

    Everyone evacuates the area as the giant and Jean clash, reducing their surroundings into a field of craters in a storm of shockwaves.

    Jean stands his ground this time, taking blows he otherwise wouldn¡¯t in order to deliver a few of his own. Each punch he throws tears his flesh, sending chunks of skin flying and blood spraying into the air as his body fails to endure the sheer power of his own attacks.

    Surprisingly, his bones endure, without breaking even as the giant beats him down, and that¡¯s when I notice the barest hint of mana surrounding his massive fists.

    Of course, Lucien supports him with an occasional round of healing, climbing onto Luna''s back beside Leticia. While Luna keeps them out of harm¡¯s way, avoiding stray attacks from the few surviving lurkers, Leticia weaves mana around them to defend and attack doing so quickly and precisely.

    Another powerful lurker crashes into Savant, who¡¯s been silently radiating his domain into the area, the lurker¡¯s body, already having taken damage from the deadly field, begins to break down even faster as it takes a strike from the sword Savant creates from said domain.

    Noelle continues to avoid attacks while picking off the weaker lurkers, her projectiles bursting forth in a near uninterrupted stream.

    But Derick seems to be having a bit of a problem. His opponent is a male lynthari dual wielding swords with a crown seemingly made of ice, floating over his head.

    Neither Derick nor the lynthari move quickly, but their movements are smooth and dangerous. The area around them has also grown immensely cold, causing Derick''s breath to mist in the air as the skin-tight barrier around his body freezes over.

    With a boost, I land nearby, armor surrounding my body.

    The lynthari doesn¡¯t even flinch, focused on pressuring Derick with a constant barrage of his attacks, who¡¯s been deflecting the blades with his forearms and shins, without even the slightest injury.

    Then the immense cold hits me, freezing the armor around my body, and I find myself unable to move for a moment. Boosting my movements with kinetic energy, I take a step, breaking the layer of frost hindering my movements, and infuse thermal energy into my armor. The pale blue mana taking on a hint of the energy¡¯s golden hue.

    That''s when the lynthari reacts for the first time.

    The crown over his head spins and expands, vastly increasing the influence of his cold. Even the ground glazes over with a sheet of ice that feels almost sticky, freezing to my shoes whenever I take a step. And Derick ignores it. Without armor to protect his body, or flames and heat to disperse the ice. Relying on nothing but his skin-tight barrier, glowing tattoos, and incredibly short bursts of mana that he uses to attack and disrupt incoming skills.

    More thermal energy surrounds me and I shoot off a few mana projectiles, which freeze in the air, crumbling into fine particles as they make contact with the lynthari.

    One of the swords swings my way only to be met with Flamebearer, flames warring with ice. I increase the output of the flames and boost my body to push back against the sword.

    And my golden flames begin to die off, unable to resist the concentrated cold. Immediately after, a strong pulse of cold shoots into the area as I release my thermal energy into the area around me, letting it burn.

    That cold stops Derick just for a moment and one of the lynthari¡¯s swords pierces his leg, the frost quickly spreading before the man frees himself.

    An ice projectile that was about to pierce me evaporates just in front of my heart, meeting my forearm instead.

    I have never felt so cold in my life.

    Shrinking my domain, I stop trying to fight the cold surrounding me. Instead, I make my [Mana Domain] skin-tight, adding resonating mana into the mix. The armor around me disappears and I charge up heat just under my skin, and send a burst of kinetic energy through my body, as I move to attack.

    With an almost lazy movement that feels perversely elegant, the lynthari meets my axe with his swords, with each clash my axe, coated in golden flames, evaporates some of the ice releasing a frozen mist to chill the air surrounding us.

    The sword pierces through my foot and continues on into the ground. I duck and avoid his follow up, and take a step back, breaking my foot, leaving it behind, entirely frozen, little more than a block of ice.

    I detonate the frozen stump and use one of Lily¡¯s healing marks, quickly restoring my foot.

    In the meantime Derick takes up the lynthari''s attention, the swords clashing against his form, as his tattoos glow brighter than ever. A few short exchanges and Derick staggers back, with the lurker pulling a sword from his chest, the blade coated in blood.

    A pulse of mana explodes from Derick and the frost-like effect fades from his body, but the wound remains as the red-haired man attacks again, working in concert with me.

    My axe burrows into the lynthari¡¯s side, and Derick caves in the lurker¡¯s chest.

    In the blink of an eye, the field around the lurker shrinks, condensing the area of effect and concentrating the effects of the cold. I can feel it in my chest, as my fingers start turning blue, even filled with my thermal energy. My movements are getting even slower and the mana around me keeps freezing and becoming extremely brittle.

    Then the third person joins the attack.

    Savant ambushes the lurker from behind. Striking with the broken Sword of Aeons, restored with the orange light of [Dawn], which actually seems to pressure the lurker, the mana poisoning doing its vile work, even here, the lynthari¡¯s skin already beginning to show the effects.

    The orange blade clashes with the sword seemingly made of ice a few more times, and with immense effort I force myself to move even though my body feels ready to break with the slightest impact just like my foot. I swing my axe and bury it in the lynthari¡¯s shoulder, and I nearly empty my vortex core as I feed thermal energy into the lurker.

    Derick grapples with the Lynthari, twisting one of its arms until it breaks, putting it into a hold, and forcing one of its swords to clatter to the ground.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    A burst of cold sends Savant staggering back before he can attack again, the sword in front of him glowing brightly in his defense. His green eyes shining dangerously from behind his guard.

    Derick lets go to avoid a spray of ice projectiles and the other sword thrusts its way towards my head.

    I teleport to the opposite side of the lynthari lurker having placed a Ley Line before and deliver another swing with the axe, a brilliant gold exploding into the area.

    A wall of ice shoots up from the ground, and my flames crash against it, forcing me to pull them back into the axe so that I can reuse them.

    The lurker ducks and Savant''s sword passes just over his head. The crown disappears entirely, and with it, the lurker turns an even paler shade of white. Even his own body glazes with frost and as he takes his next step his arm and leg shatter into tiny particles of ice, but for that moment, the three of us freeze in place.

    Thermal energy, kinetic energy, all my external mana are useless.

    As the sword heads toward me, I activate the glove on my hand, copying the lurker¡¯s ability.

    I make use of his ice skill and add that to the immense cold that¡¯s already serving to freeze the lynthari. And just like us, he freezes mid strike, standing there on a single leg and with a sword just a few inches away from my face.

    The first to move is Derick. He takes one small step, followed by another, the ice beginning to fall from his body.

    With the last step, he swings his arm, striking the lurker¡¯s head with an open palm, and forces mana through the point of contact, causing its head to explode into a cloud of frozen particles.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 321]

    As if it never existed, the field of cold disappears, the air gradually heating up as normal air rushes to fill the area.

    I let thermal energy surge through my body and still feel that mind numbing cold, even with all the heat I can channel now.

    Barely a minute has passed since we attacked the group of ten lurkers and since the giant overtook us.

    Jean is still fighting him and only two lurkers remain aside from the giant, and they¡¯re being dealt with by Luna, Leticia, and Noelle.

    Meanwhile, the area around us is nearly unrecognizable. Gone are the buildings and the ground is scarred by long tears and craters. In the middle of it all, they continue to fight, the giant is riddled with bloody wounds, a broken arm, and the mana around his fists is flickering.

    Jean seems just as enthusiastic as before. Blood covers his body and one of his eyes has been blinded, not to mention that a massive blow has clearly turned half of his face into a mangled mass of meat. Even so, he punches the giant¡¯s knee and it explodes into a gory mess, forcing the huge lurker to kneel. He raises his forearms to block, but Jean''s immense strength blasts them aside, leaving his guard wide open.

    With a jump, Jean reaches the giant¡¯s face and strikes.

    At that moment, the lurker snaps its mouth closed.

    He doesn¡¯t bite off Jean¡¯s arm, instead, it holds its ground, the giant lurker finding himself unable to shear through.

    Laughing maniacally, Jean doesn¡¯t even try to pull the arm free. Instead, he swings his other one, his fist burrowing into the giant¡¯s eye, pieces of flesh and liquid erupting from the eyeball to cover him.

    And he swings again and again until the giant stops moving and falls down.

    The man then continues to punch the dead lurker¡¯s teeth until he breaks enough of them to free his arm. It''s nearly devoid of flesh, connected to his body only by a visible section of bone.

    ¡°Lucien, my boy!¡±

    ¡°Got it, got it!¡± as if this were a common occurrence, the boy shouts and the mark he put on Jean¡¯s back activates, the wounds closing slowly.

    ¡°We have a minute before the group of twenty reaches us. Thirty seconds before the quickest arrives!¡± Leticia warns us, already going through the equipment that was on dead lurkers.

    Even as wounded as some of us are, everyone immediately does the same, with the only exception being Jean, who stands there longingly staring at the body of the giant.

    Ten seconds later, we start running.

    <hr>

    After five minutes of this, I start checking out the ways everyone¡¯s been covering their steps, and I have to say that Leticia might be even better than me.

    Whereas I can remove residual mana, she does so much more naturally, making it look almost indistinguishable from ambient mana or at least mana that had been fading for weeks.

    I also have a strong suspicion she can reduce our scent and mitigate a few other lingering effects.

    And when we reach the huge tower, we hide on one of the floors. While we wait, Lucien goes around healing everyone. He doesn''t put in a lot of effort but no one complains. His abilities might be even more necessary later.

    Luna, in her normal size now, keeps guard since the lurkers would be able to track anyone else.

    Even though we killed a pretty large number of lurkers and should be easier to notice now, it may still be possible to hide here for a few minutes. Any longer would incur too much risk.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t named ones supposed to be rare?¡± Derrick asks, resting against the wall with Noelle next to him.

    ¡°Want to bet you just jinxed it, and more will appear?¡± Noelle jabs, playfully poking him in the side.

    ¡°Damn it. But since we started¡­ When I get home, I¡¯ll open a nice caf¨¦ or restaurant. Oh, and by the way, these are my kids, aren¡¯t they cute¡­¡± He chuckles, miming taking a photo out of his wallet.

    Noelle laughs and pushes him away, ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯d know if you had any kids.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a handsome young man, women are throwing themselves at me, maybe something happened behind your back.¡±

    ¡°If that were the case, then the lurkers would be the least of your problems, Handsome young man,¡± she says with a final poke before turning to Leticia. ¡°Luna scared me for a moment there, she grew so big.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± Leticia smiles happily. ¡°She¡¯s really good at all of this, and sometimes I think she was the one meant for Hell Difficulty, and I just got caught up in all this with her.¡±

    Luna waits patiently as Leticia squats and squishes the golden retriever¡¯s cheeks together. Even so, I can see her tail wagging.

    Somehow, I find myself disagreeing with Leticia. Just seeing the way she handles mana, it¡¯s obvious she ¡°belongs¡± here just like the rest of us.

    ¡°Why are you so shy?¡± Leticia asks her golden retriever. ¡°I think you could say something now.¡±

    ¡°Leticia, sometimes I think it¡¯s me who¡¯s human. Maybe you were the real dog, and our minds got swapped when we were summoned.¡±

    Everyone stops what they¡¯re doing, staring at the retriever from whom the sentence came. It¡¯s not telepathic or anything. It¡¯s just a human voice reverberating in the air as the retriever opens her mouth. Her mouth isn¡¯t moving, in a parody of the act of speech. Rather, it just hangs open, emitting the voice from its depths.

    The voice is womanly, very soft, and soothing. The kind one might imagine singing lullabies.

    Leticia doesn¡¯t seem the least bit shocked and smiles even wider. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind it at all! Should I try barking and asking for pets?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that, Leticia, you¡¯re embarrassing yourself,¡± Luna says, sitting down and lifting one of her paws, licking it while glancing at us. She reacts to the silence. ¡°Really? This surprises you after all we''ve seen?¡±

 Chapter 465 - Challenge

    Jean immediately takes a step forward and grabs Luna in his massive hands, lifting the golden retriever to his face so he can look her in the eyes.

    Luna calmly returns that gaze. ¡°You will either let me down, or I will bite you, smelly human.¡±

    Leticia rushes in, placing a hand on Jean¡¯s massive forearm. ¡°CarrotCake¡ªehm, sorry, Jean, please let Luna go before she gets angry.¡±

    It¡¯s easily noticeable that Luna is already growing, and I remember her figure from when she was the size of a horse.

    That makes me wonder how big she could grow.

    ¡°She really is talking,¡± Jean says, shaking his head before he lets Luna go, at which point she returns to her normal size and sits closer to the window.

    ¡°Modifying my vocal cords to use human language wasn¡¯t that difficult. And please restrain yourself from bothering me; I¡¯m keeping watch.¡± Having said her piece, she doesn¡¯t give him more attention.

    ¡°Sorry! That¡¯s just how she is. I blame the lynthari; they really were fascinated by her, and she learned a lot of weird habits.¡±

    For the first time since I met her, Luna growls, ¡°DO NOT TALK ABOUT THOSE DERANGED BEINGS IN FRONT OF ME, LETICIA! I still have nightmares about that golden-eyed, crazed cat human!¡±

    Leticia just smiles. ¡°She can be such a drama queen sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Say what you want, Leticia, just pull yourself together. You are shaming me.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Luna! Are there any lurkers closing in?¡±

    ¡°We will need to move in a minute or two. I¡¯ll let you know, so rest for now.¡± Luna soothes, standing, and taking a few steps over to me before coming to a stop.

    Because I¡¯m sitting on the ground, her eyes are on the same level as mine. I lift my hand and put it in front of her, which she sniffs a few times, and I use the opportunity to boop her nose.

    She pulls back a little, surprised but doesn¡¯t let it bother her.

    "You¡¯ve been marked by someone¡¯s scent, you crazed human."

    ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m a crazed human?¡± I ask, curious.

    I swear I have never in my life had anyone look down on me quite the way Luna is now.

    She doesn¡¯t even bother answering my question. So I boop her nose, ignoring her quiet growl. So she can sense the mark Lissandra left on me? So far, only Caius managed that. That¡¯s surprising.

    "The mark came from someone truly terrifying, and I¡¯m struggling to decipher what it means."

    Staying silent, I let her talk, and she sniffs a few times, her tail wagging seemingly without her knowledge.

    Her tail¡¯s wagging picks up speed, rapidly crossing into frustration. ¡°What it says, I can¡¯t guess. Companion? Sustenance? I''m not sure what it¡¯s meant to mean.¡±

    Oh my. I think I know where this is going.

    ¡°No, I got it!¡± Luna barks happily but quickly reverts to confusion. ¡°Why does it say ¡®Food¡¯?¡±

    Biscuit, you as well?

    <hr>

    Noelle nearly dies in one of our next fights.

    Specter, the powerful lurker who attacked us before, appears in our midst, his transparent dagger stabbing into her back, the merest tilt of her body causing it to miss the back of her head.

    Derick is there instantly, defending Noelle from further attacks.

    The lurker runs away again, but before he can get far, Savant somehow forces him out of his strange flickering state and runs the lurker¡¯s body through with a sword he created.

    With immense speed, they clash a few times, the lurker¡¯s strikes with his finding themselves deflected by an aura of orange light taking form around Savant¡¯s forearms. Then the lurker flickers away, disappearing before Savant can attack again.

    I try to tag him with a Ley Line only to miss, the lurker flickering away before it can latch on.

    Derick quickly pulls Noelle to Lucien, who says nothing, simply taking a look at her before healing her completely. Only then does Derick calm down, and Leticia holds back Jean, who moves closer, not liking the implied threat to Lucien.

    I think Derick might attack Luna, who hadn¡¯t sensed the lurker coming closer, but he doesn¡¯t say anything and the tension slowly lowers.

    That¡¯s when Specter appears again, without any of us sensing him.

    This time it¡¯s my neck that gets pierced, the blade nearly separating my head from my body as it pulls across.

    Startled, I lose control, and all my mana surges out at once. The full force of stored kinetic energy blasting the lurker off my back and hurling him through several buildings.

    <hr>

    POV Noelle Kelley

    I can still feel the blade that pierced my back, and even though the wound is already gone, I can still see my hands shaking.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I whisper to the young boy, and he nods.

    Derick, more worried than me, stands concerned by my side, and I feel warmth inside. How can someone as powerful as him panic so much sometimes? We¡¯ve been through so much worse.

    ¡°It will be fine,¡± I whisper in his ear and give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

    As he always does, when he finds himself in such a state, he nods solemnly, with a cold expression in his eyes.

    I don¡¯t say anymore, knowing he¡¯s better off being left alone when he gets like this.

    ¡°What do you¡­¡± Words freeze in my mouth as blood shoots into the air.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I see a figure appear on Noname¡¯s back. The same lurker that just stabbed a dagger through my back mere moments ago repeating the act with Noname¡¯s neck.

    The wound is huge and ragged, blood flowing from his body like a river.

    A chill runs through me as my eyes lock with Noname''s.

    Derick¡¯s been reminding me ever since we first met him, but only now do I understand why he warned me never to anger the man when he¡¯s not around to protect me.

    Even inches away from death, Noname¡¯s eyes do not bear fear. There''s a moment of pure surprise, which is quickly overtaken by anger that fades just as fast.

    The lurker is blasted away, the buildings shaking over our heads with the aftershock. Then an immense wave of mana seeps into the air all at once.

    I gasp for air, reeling from the sheer pressure. It¡¯s more than I¡¯ve felt from anyone else in our round. Not even during the tournament. No one was even close to it.

    His mana pulses like a living storm, thick and oppressive, filling every inch of space around us. Its presence is raw and fierce as if the air itself were vibrating with barely contained fury.

    Noname moves his arm, hooking his fingers in his mouth, before pulling his head back into place, and closing the terrible wound on his neck. The wound closes instantly, in a grand display of raw healing power. Then Noname spits, dislodging a clotted dark red mass of blood onto the floor with a sickening splat. His mana disappears as if it never existed, impossibly contained within that body of his.

    I expect him to run out, to hunt down the lurker who attacked him.

    I expect him to be angry.

    But he doesn¡¯t, and calmly says, ¡°I think we should reposition.¡±

    That calm, logical reaction is more unnerving than anything he¡¯s done so far.

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    It¡¯s been bothering me for a while, but the lurkers seem to be moving in bigger groups than I saw in my prior expedition, not to mention that each group seems to contain a number of powerful, named ones.

    When we run into a small group of 2-3 lurkers, they¡¯re always damaged, missing pieces of their or suffering from large, gaping wounds.

    It feels almost like they¡¯re huddling into groups for safety, and the lone ones are the leftovers of groups that got destroyed.

    There are a few things that could be responsible.

    It might¡­ I pause, catching myself touching my neck with the tips of my fingers. The skin feels so normal there, with exactly the same texture as before.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Forcing myself to stop, I let my hand hang along my body and dedicate even that wandering part of my mind to my scans. This time I ditch everything. I do not scan for mana; I do not try to locate sources of heat or bodies nearby.

    All of my effort is spent on locating signs of kinetic energy. Those little vibrations you would need to be monstrously skilled to erase.

    I look for vibrations from footsteps, the air moving around invisible bodies, a muscle stretching to move.

    There are so many of these signatures around me, and the sheer amount of information feels overwhelming. So I direct part of my [Focus] to filter them out.

    I would like to use the entirety of it for detection, but that¡¯s impossible to manage as I am now. I need that part to confirm these vibrations belong to my group, and then to filter them out. Then the rest of my mind can search for any signs in the area.

    [Focus - lvl 54 > Focus - lvl 55]

    Doing it continuously for hours is difficult, and I have to ignore any conversations they try to pull me into, occasionally sparing part of my mind to check the state of our plan and point out any important landmarks from my memory.

    Then when we hide from a group of 30 lurkers passing by, I continue.

    I continue even as the group of lurkers passes the fallen cathedral-like building we are hiding under.

    Looking. Searching. Preparing.

    And then I finally detect that presence.

    As I stand up, I feel as if a weight is falling from my body, and the remains of the fear and shock I felt when that dagger nearly severed my head are gone.

    ¡°Noname, when do you want to meet again?¡± Leticia says before I can take a step.

    She¡¯s very sharp, isn''t she?

    Leticia smiles as I look at her. ¡°Six months,¡± I reply.

    ¡°Got it. Good luck! Boys and girls, it¡¯s time to go. Prepare¡­¡± she orders, but I don¡¯t hear the rest of her words.

    Stomping on the ground, I bulldoze through the last remaining wall, and behind it, crash into Specter who¡¯s been sneaking around, and stalking us. Kinetic energy tears through my body leaving horrible wounds, but I activate one of the healing marks and push through, grabbing the lurker.

    He tries to flicker away, but I disrupt his escape attempt with sheer force, unleashing a surge of mana that instantly grabs the attention of all 30 lurkers nearby. But, at that moment, I don¡¯t even register their attention.

    Instead, I sink my fingers into his neck, ripping away chunks of flesh before tearing his head clean from his body.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 318]

    [Lvl 279 > Lvl 280]

    I stomp on his severed head, allowing the last bits of kinetic energy stored in my core to vibrate through the air, tearing the body apart. Then flames blaze around me, burning anything that remains. Only then do I notice the three stab wounds the lurker managed to deliver.

    Another healing mark from Lily activates, and the wounds close and heal.

    With this done, I proceed with my part of the deal, my body¡¯s mana blazing into the area like a lighthouse for every lurker to see. Throw in my kill count and most of the thirty immediately lock onto me, giving the others an opportunity to escape.

    And then I run in the exact opposite direction from my group of fellow Earthlings.

    This time, I redirect a decent chunk of mana to my heart, using it to generate kinetic energy for the first time since the start of this expedition.

    My heart thumps loudly, each beat sending waves of kinetic energy through my body. As it does, I feel another beating far in the distance, and in response, I head off in search of the familiar presence.

    As I rush after it, some lurker tackles me from the side, the burst of kinetic energy gets absorbed by my passive and converted into mana, which I use to disrupt the barrier around the lurker and pierce its body with a javelin before tossing it aside.

    But as I do an explosion nearby throws me to the side, the heat gets absorbed but the shockwave still throws me to the ground.

    Before I can even stand up, a huge lurker swings his massive hammer right at my head.

    I teleport through my [Ley Line] and then boost myself high into the air, shooting more lines out in front of me, tied to a number of projectiles.

    Some skill catches me, and I find myself being pulled to the ground. [Resonance] tears the skill apart, and I boost myself again, teleporting just before an invisible blade passes through the area.

    A piece of my feet stays behind.

    Not needing it at the moment, I resume my flight, teleporting once more, and then put my hands up, deflecting the thrusting blade of a lurker who was lying in wait. The poison spreads through my arm, and I burn my own body.

    Yet it continues to spread, so I detonate that part of my arm with kinetic energy, staining the lurker with my flesh and blood.

    Another pair of extremely fast lurkers reach me, and while I defend myself from the next attack, an arrow barely misses my head.

    They attempt to stop me, but I fight through their efforts and teleport again. And before I can do so again, another arrow crashes into a hastily constructed barrier of my creation, a poisonous smoke flows into the area around me and begins melting the trees nearby.

    I teleport, and it¡¯s more difficult this time, and they again track my target, and when I appear, water from a nearby lake shoots in a thin stream, cutting off one of my ears. I react just in time, managing to boost my body with kinetic energy just enough to avoid being sliced to ribbons and teleport once again, leaving a huge tricolored orb behind me as I go.

    As I reappear in my new location, the orb explodes, the shock reaching me despite the distance, and I can feel the heat.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 270]

    At that point a flying feylith approaches from one of my flanks, firing a round of mana projectiles at me.

    In response, I launch a single boosted javelin in his direction, and his head evaporates as it connects, his body slowly falling to the ground, caught in the fading remains of his skill.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 261]

    My next attempt at teleportation fails, and I duck to the side, taking the damage from the incoming strike on my shoulder rather than my head.

    Flames spin around me, and the giant lurker ignores them, swinging his hammer at me once again.

    I let it connect with my forearms, converting an immense amount of kinetic energy to mana, and staggering a few steps back.

    Before I can return the attack, a fireball the size of my body crashes into the ground next to the giant lurker, and the flames envelop an area the size of a football field, turning anything in it into melted goop.

    These flames disappear in a blink as I condense them down into a single orb the size of my fist.

    The giant lurker with the hammer presses the attack again, his body sporting a number of terrible burns, displaying the bones under the ragged flesh, and I release the orb, the blast of flames burning even the lurker behind him.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 269]

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 263]

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 266]

    Finally, I teleport again, breaking through every attempt to stop me, enveloping the area in my golden flames once more.

    An arrow pierces my barrier and lodges itself in my body, the lightning within staggering me for a moment.

    Seizing the opportunity, some kind of skill activates increasing the effects of gravity on my body, pulling me to the ground with a loud crash, breaking a few bones in the process, even through my passive.

    A fireball explodes right over me, and I absorb the heat again, releasing it in a thin laser-like stream at a vyssari warrior wielding a shield.

    The shortie blocks it.

    Stuck lying down and unable to move because of gravity, a dozen more attacks head my way just as I manage to teleport again.

    And then there he is.

    He lands on the grassy field nearby, without creating the slightest disturbance as he does so.

    Everyone in the area freezes, unable to even twitch a finger. His heart beats out an angry rhythm that only I can feel.

    Whitey disappears from my sight, his white hair streaking through the air.

    At that moment, it becomes obvious who the lurkers were trying to protect themselves from.

    Even without the ability to think and deprived of their old memories, the lurkers keep some primitive instincts, and grouping up to defend against a powerful predator is one of them. But it¡¯s just not good enough for this one.

    With a brilliant sort of beauty, Whitey moves from lurker to lurker, killing each one in a single hit. Heads torn free, chests caved in, bodies torn in half. He acts with extreme efficiency, wasting not a single speck of kinetic energy other than the field around him.

    Every time he kills someone, body parts fly through the air and hang in place as if frozen in time. Chunks of bone, blood, and debris¡ªall fly into the air and stay there.

    The group that was causing me so much trouble disappears in a flash until I¡¯m the last one left alive.

    It feels as if it¡¯s very much on purpose.

    My timer is ticking down, but I still have a few seconds remaining.

    Yes, I¡¯ve timed it oh so well. Even as angry as I was, I didn¡¯t let it get to me. Just a few seconds, and it will be gone, just like the first time.

    I haven¡¯t come here just to die.

    With an effort that would have killed me before I gained my newest passive, my body moves even through the field. My kinetic energy goes to war with Whitey¡¯s.

    I step forward and declare, ¡°As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, as a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is my life and my status. If I lose, they¡¯re yours¡ªand you can reclaim your position as an attendee, with a chance of regaining your memories.¡±

    Whitey freezes mid-step, and I continue, ¡°If I win, I want all of your knowledge on kinetic energy.¡±

    <hr>

    POV ???

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with attendees nowadays,¡± a voice resounds throughout the pitch-black darkness, sounding almost dismissive.

    ¡°Wait,¡± another one interjects, joining him, quickly, as if to prevent the first voice from acting.

    ¡°What do you want, Greed?¡±

    ¡°I want you to help me accept that wager that Earthling made.¡±

    ¡°That wager is nonsense, and you know it.¡±

    ¡°Diligence, let¡¯s be honest. The system actually considered it for a moment before refusing. I just need you and a few of the others to nudge the system in the right direction. Here, in Beyond, we can make that happen. Then it¡¯ll be up to the system to decide what¡¯s fair once the challenge is over.¡±

    ¡°You would need at least three out of five votes for that amount of interference.¡±

    ¡°I already have Kindness. You know very well she will do what I ask.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know that all too well, Greed. But I refuse. Sometimes I feel like I¡¯m the only one among the five of us who takes this Beyond cycle seriously. First Envy, then Wrath, and now you, Greed.¡±

    Another voice joins the conversation, ¡°I¡¯d be willing to help with that small bit of interference.¡±

    The reaction catches both voices off guard, and Diligence asks with a measured tone, ¡°Envy, has something changed with you lately?¡±

    Envy ignores Diligence, turning their attention solely to Greed. ¡°So, do you want my help or not? Wrath isn¡¯t going to support you.¡±

    ¡°No strings attached?"

    "No strings attached."

    "He won¡¯t die, you know that, right?"

    "We will see about that."

    "Okay, I¡¯m in.¡±

    At that point Diligence interrupts, shooing both of them away. ¡°Now that you are done, go away.¡±

    With that, the silence ensues again, and Diligence returns to their work.

    The entire conversation didn¡¯t even last a second.

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    I feel a sense of acceptance, and in that moment, I know my challenge and wager have been registered.

    ¡°Use Beyond 1-day stay token,¡± I declare, cutting off my only escape.

 Chapter 466 - All out

    I don¡¯t hesitate, not even for a moment, to go all out.

    Ley Lines erupt into the area, deploying a structure I¡¯ve been preparing in my mind ever since I returned to Beyond. Dozens of threads trace the battlefield, creating a three-dimensional web of pathways I can use to teleport and distribute mana.

    All of the mana in my body compresses, turning black, the oh-so-familiar sensation flowing through my body. Something I haven¡¯t felt in a while. Whitey doesn¡¯t use mana, so it¡¯s no good as a defense. Instead, I use it to strengthen my body, unfortunately, my kinetic energy still can¡¯t produce the same effect.

    After all those preparations, I let part of the vast store of mana collected in my crown flow into my body.

    Whitey reaches me in the blink of an eye, his palm striking my chest, causing my unique passive to convert all of that immense energy into mana. Even then, the damage is severe, leaving most of my organs bruised or ruptured.

    Another of the now six remaining marks left by Lily is used.

    Five remain.

    This time I find that I can move through his field and I attempt to grab Whitey, but he¡¯s still much quicker than me. Before the second blow can land, I teleport, taking a moment to get used to my current state.

    A white flash, not a bit of kinetic energy wasted, and Whitey is on me once again.

    He grabs and pulls my arm, dislocating it and nearly tearing it from my shoulder.

    This time, when I move I strike with that much more precision. He dodges the attack, but the burst of mana evaporates the building behind him, leaving debris suspended in the air. It¡¯s a primitive use of mana, inspired by the training drills I endured under Liss¡¯s instruction¡ªsimple, but quick and dangerously effective.

    I teleport again as he lets go of me, and when he charges again, another burst of mana explodes forth to welcome him, his body moving to the side almost fast enough to emulate teleportation.

    I release an amount of mana equal to my entire body¡¯s reserve, without even needing to tap into my reservoir. The resulting blast tears a massive chunk out of the mountain beneath us.

    I teleport, and my body moves much quicker as I grow accustomed to the effects of his field around me and the warring forces within my body. Even so, my body alone wouldn¡¯t be enough. So I have to abuse my domain, [Redistribution], and [Resonance] to pick up the slack.

    My mind is fine, but taking stock of the damage this is causing my body, I decide to use another healing mark.

    Four remaining.

    I release two more bursts of mana, each with even greater output than the last. It''s an extravagant waste¡ªI could accomplish far more if I weren''t using it in such a reckless, primitive manner. But the sheer speed is undeniable.

    Whitey dodges both attacks, his field weakening as he redirects more of his efforts into enhancing his body. His movements grow sharper, and his stance shifts.

    I teleport and try to move again, and for a moment, both my body and mana freeze, unable to move.

    Despite all my preparations¡ªthe sheer volume, the immense defenses, and the countless calculations my eye trait and mind endure¡ªWhitey still halts my mana in its tracks.

    The monstrous kinetic energy user accomplishes it using nothing but that energy, even as blood streams from his ears, eyes, and nose.

    Something like that shouldn¡¯t be possible.

    A much smaller pulse of kinetic energy pierces my body. It¡¯s not blunt, in fact, it¡¯s very sharp, so my passive doesn¡¯t stop it.

    My insides turn to soup, only my heart survives, protected by a barrier of mana I managed to create at the last possible moment.

    Another teleport.

    Two healing marks down. Two remaining.

    A burst of my own mana explodes around me, but Whitey isn¡¯t there.

    He remains motionless, standing in the same spot, staring in my direction. Despite the lifelessness in the lurker''s eyes, a faint red lingers within them, and his demonic horns protrude just beneath his long white hair, the color of freshly fallen snow.

    And his heart keeps beating. Steady, unstoppable. Like the perfect generator, an engine he uses to harness his power.

    But even now, that¡¯s not what interests me the most. No, what truly fascinates me here is the way he wields his power, the mind he must have had to pull it off, the ability he¡¯s put on display. That¡¯s what I want more than anything else in his possession.

    The kinetic field he¡¯s been maintaining until now disappears as if it never existed. My blood suspended in the air, the debris from my attacks, the corpses of the lurkers around us, all come falling down at once.

    More and more of my Ley Lines erupt outwards, and I compress more mana, converting it into its black counterpart, powering my mind and body.

    Whitey then changes stance again, and with it, his heartbeat changes. The rhythm becomes more erratic, its pace quicker.

    All thoughts disappear from my mind, and I focus on the same method I used to locate Specter, I¡­

    I drop my head down as the stone behind me explodes into hundreds of tiny shards, a hole as thick as my finger drilling its way through.

    Another one pierces my chest right over my heart, a third destroys my knee, a fourth scratches my cheek, a fifth nearly scalps me.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    I teleport again.

    Five more attacks shoot my way, I protect my head and heart, four more holes punch through my body.

    I teleport again, accumulating three more holes in the process.

    Another healing mark gone. One remaining.

    I appear behind Whitey, my eyes wide open, my mind on the brink, focused on avoiding his attacks despite the lack of distance.

    Another hole pierces through my body as I move to avoid further damage.

    With it, the web I¡¯ve been making with [Ley Line] is finally complete, half of that immense mana I¡¯ve been storing floods its way through the shimmering pale blue lines, and [Redistribution]¡¯s effects cover the entire area, directed and concentrated in a sphere around me.

    It¡¯s Whitey who freezes this time, unable to move.

    His field reactivates as well, and I find myself unable to move. Dozen more piercing attacks come my way without even a hint of movement from Whitey.

    Half of them end up deflected by a tricolored mana barrier taking form around my skin. Others, in a show of concentrated fire, pierce my body in two places.

    The last healing mark is gone, and with it comes the feeling of death¡¯s approach as I sense his attacks reverberate through the air, their source just a step or two away.

    Five small segments of the tricolored barrier activate, blocking each of these attacks, and two more besides.

    In exchange for two attacks piercing my body, I redirect a bit of my concentration from my defense to return the attack and focus the rest on upholding the web restraining Whitey. Another burst of mana explodes from me. It¡¯s even more primitive, less efficient, and less damaging than it was before. It¡¯s the simplest attack I can do.

    It tears pieces of flesh from the body of the demon opposite me, revealing his bones in a few places.

    Another wound to me, and another burst of mana.

    And another.

    And one more.

    Until Whitey stands there, a ragged skeleton, nearly stripped of muscle, and I can see parts of his heart pulsing through his rib cage.

    Then the half-skeleton moves.

    There isn¡¯t much left in terms of muscle, just a few tendons. The only recognizable parts of Whitey¡¯s face are one solitary patch of white hair and a single eye looking at me. Yet he still moves, even under the influence of my field.

    Another burst of mana explodes forth, along with three javelins, and a tricolored orb.

    And he takes another step, just a skeleton, moving himself with kinetic energy alone.

    I almost want to laugh when I see him move the bones of his fingers, clenching what¡¯s left of his hand into a fist in an insane display of control.

    He can¡¯t even see me anymore, only sense my heartbeat and movements.

    The same way I can sense his, each beat coming slower than the last, his damaged heart steadily falling out of rhythm.

    Whitey, even now, holds me with his field, and for the last time, he punches the mana shield I¡¯ve created. That barrier shatters, and one last burst of kinetic energy damages my body. Only then does the skeleton crumble, a fraction of a second later the notification sounds.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 301]

    You have won your first Challenge. The contents of the wager will be delivered soon!

    The only thing holding me upright disappears, and I fall to the ground. With no healing marks left, I¡¯m forced to rely on my healing passive. For a while, I sit there, surrounded by the devastation, and replay the fight in my mind. Move after move. Every mistake I made, every opportunity I missed, every time Whitey did something that surprised me.

    While part of my mind scouts the area, I keep replaying the fight, over and over again, and with it, I¡¯m already modifying the ways I¡¯ll use my kinetic energy going forward. Something I was once so proud of now feels inadequate in the face of the things I¡¯ve seen.

    Liss with her mana control. Whitey with his kinetic energy manipulation.

    Amazingly, Whitey was barely over level 300. One of the lowest-level named lurkers, and yet he consistently wiped out entire groups with complete ease.

    It leaves a bad feeling in my mouth, the knowledge that I only won because of the mana I had stored away, an amount great enough to power a city. Just trickery and taking every advantage against someone long dead, a lurker incapable of fighting to the full capabilities of his past self.

    How fucking sad is that.

    I want to fight him at his best, not as a lurker with weakened abilities, but as a living, breathing being.

    The web of Ley Lines Is useless now, so I start modifying it into a detection system, reducing the density and expanding the area of effect. My plan is simple now. I will try to survive as long as possible, probably find myself being hunted down like a rat. Then a few seconds before the end, I should reach the place I hid the items and materials from the expedition Whitey wiped out. The one where I found all those damaged arcane items with Shayna.

    If I add in the items from the dead lurkers lying around me ¡ª killed by Whitey ¡ª it¡¯ll really be a lot.

    That line of thought also gives me pause. For someone who doesn¡¯t care about items that much, I sure enjoy collecting them.

    <hr>

    POV ???

    A short man with a shaved head, wearing a simple uniform in a combination of white and pale blue, turns to the woman next to him.

    ¡°Nyssa will fucking love that guy. Do we grab him right away?¡± he asks as they continue to watch from a distance, observing the young man they just watched fight the named lurker known as Whitey.

    ¡°Not now. He probably timed his stay token so he wouldn¡¯t have to run from Whitey for more than a few minutes before it expired. He¡¯ll probably be leaving Beyond in a minute or two. Tell me would you have been able to kill Whitey?¡± the woman asks.

    ¡°I think so.¡± He says before pausing in shock, ¡°Is he collecting the items from the lurkers Whitey killed?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it.¡±

    Then they wait.

    An hour passes, and the young man is still there, hidden away in one of the buildings, the other lurkers still too scared to enter what they consider Whitey¡¯s territory.

    The man starts to giggle, shaking his head in disbelief, ¡°Timed his stay token to be able to run away? Ha! That motherfucker is even crazier than I thought.¡±

    "Seems like it. He¡¯s got a decent handle on kinetic energy and with that mana in the mix¡­ Nyssa¡¯s going to want him. We¡¯ll snatch him up when he hits the second floor."

    ¡°And if he refuses?¡±

    ¡°The Doctor can gather plenty of information from his body. There are groups of lurkers staying just outside his detection range. Stop them and let a few through every so often so he doesn¡¯t get suspicious. Don¡¯t reveal yourself, and remember his mana signature.¡±

    ¡°I already have,¡± the man snorts, then rushes away to complete his objective while the woman holds her position on top of the hill, observing the man far away.

 Chapter 467 - Knowledge

    The feeling of pulling descends upon me, and I leave the 1st floor of Beyond.

    With all the items I¡¯ve acquired from the dozens of lurkers and the first expedition I joined, along with the ones Whitey killed before. There are so many I had to pile them up and lash them together with rags I tore from my clothes, plus some threads I made of mana.

    Honestly, I was only able to do it because so few lurkers attacked me. At most they came in groups of three that I was able to handle with a bit of effort, sometimes they even came one or two at a time.

    I find it suspicious that more of them didn¡¯t follow me, considering how much I should have been attracting them with so many kills. But I think it might have something to do with how scared they were of Whitey¡ªif they even are capable of feeling dread. If not, it might be their survival instinct.

    As I depart, I find myself in the area where I usually meet my handler, who¡¯s currently sitting behind her table. She doesn¡¯t even pretend to be working, choosing instead to stare at me.

    ¡°I swear, if you try to take these items from me, I will change handlers, even if you name every single fucking Ruler,¡± I tell her right away.

    My handler glances at the items and then back at me.

    If she won¡¯t talk, I will. ¡°And what do you want? I thought I could only ¡®visit¡¯ when entering Beyond.¡±

    ¡°Yes, such ¡®visits¡¯ are required, but I can ¡®summon¡¯ you on the way out too.¡±

    ¡°I see. So what do you want? Do you have my shards for the white sand?¡±

    ¡°Actually, yes.¡± After waving her hand, a window appears in front of me.

    Request to transfer +70000 shards. Confirm?

    Yes/No

    Quickly, before she changes her mind, I confirm the transfer, a sense of suspicion flowing through me immediately afterward. The number is almost too round. Did she by any chance take 30%? Do I even want to know? I decide not to ask and be happy for now.

    ¡°So what did I do this time?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I won¡¯t even mention how royally stupid what you just did was,¡± the handler lifts one of the papers off her table, reading from it.

    ¡°It worked out in the end.¡±

    ¡°There are so many different ways you could have gone about it.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Easier ways, less painful ways, ways with a higher chance of success.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I confirm again.

    ¡°Damn pride maniacs. After seeing it work the first time, you might just get the idea to challenge every lurker with an interesting skill or ability on the 1st floor to gain knowledge and rewards.¡±

    That surprises me. It¡¯s exactly what I was thinking.

    My handler, seeing my reaction, taps on the table, her frustration evident, ¡°It won¡¯t work a second time. It shouldn¡¯t have worked at all in the first place.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±

    ¡°No. It is not.¡± She pauses as if listening to something. ¡°We¡¯re almost out of time. Before you go, here¡ªyour identification emblem, updated.¡± She waves her hand.

    There¡¯s a burning sensation on the back of my left hand, and my D-rank Obsidian Black shifts to C-rank Ivory White.

    I take a moment to admire the new emblem and remark, ¡°That was an easy jump from D rank to C rank.¡±

    ¡°It was not.¡±

    ¡°I see., I say, deciding not to argue. ¡°One last question. That deer¡­ was he really¡­¡±

    For a moment, she looks confused but quickly remembers, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. ¡°Of course not. The ruler from the 1st floor was a phantom goblin.¡±

    She meets my gaze, and, disappointed by my lack of reaction, simply smiles playfully. ¡°Information like that is extremely valuable, certainly not something you should possess yet. It¡¯s nice that you want to know, but don¡¯t be too¡­ greedy.¡±

    As I get pulled away, she waves, ¡°I shall see you later.¡±

    <hr>

    The first to meet me is Biscuit.

    I still plan to have a talk with him about the mark Luna sensed on me, the one I think other animals can sense as well. Maybe even Noodle can sense it, hell maybe Biscuit marked me because of Noodle.

    Seriously though, what¡¯s with the people and animals around me? I got a mark from Lissandra, and a mark from Biscuit. What¡¯s next?

    Biscuit is lying next to the place I teleported from, my pile of items nearly falls on him, leading him to quickly stand up, his eyes full of sleep. Biscuit shakes his head, and gives a small yawn mixed with a welcoming bark, before rushing over to me, his borderline nonexistent tail wagging.

    As he gets close though, he slows down. A few more steps later he stops, his nose constantly sniffing.

    I take a step forward and kneel, reaching my right hand towards him. I don¡¯t pet him right away but I let him sniff my hand¡ªsomething he likes to do sometimes.

    After sniffing it, Biscuit barks. When I extend my hand toward him, he barks again and bites me. Even then, he¡¯s gentle about it; it doesn¡¯t even hurt.

    Turning around, he leaves, totally ignoring me, not even bothering to create a telepathic link between us.

    He doesn¡¯t look back even as I try to tempt him with offers of Archdeer jerky, and I¡¯m left there alone.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    <hr>

    An hour later, Lily returns from her hunt, but the twins are still nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Nat!¡± She cries, with a happy smile, and uses the opportunity to sneak in another hug.

    After scanning my body, she heals the remaining wounds in one fell swoop, regrowing the bits of my limbs I¡¯ve lost, and quickly placing a few healing marks in the process.

    ¡°So, it went well?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Pretty good. I¡¯ll tell you all when the twins get back so I don¡¯t have to repeat myself. How did things go here?¡±

    ¡°A few powerful monsters showed up, and a day later, some native tried to kill us. Aaron and I nearly died, but I got us patched up. He felt like he was close to three question marks.¡± She touches my arm again. ¡°You used all the marks.¡±

    ¡°Yup. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it without them. My passive sucks.¡±

    ¡°I told you!¡± She seems to be giddy, knowing that she was able to help me in that way.

    What a silly bulldozer-like healer.

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± I respond. ¡°Now do you want to help me sort out the items I got?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    I watch as she reaches one of the piles, and generating just a bit of that gray mana, she cuts the threads of my mana that keep it all together. She even glances at me while doing so.

    Is it some strange new show of dominance?

    Just you wait. I already have an idea to improve my mana in all sorts of ways that¡¯ll make it difficult even for [Disintegration] to damage.

    Sitting on the ground next to her, I start going through the items as well, separating them into separate piles.

    One for the items I intend to sell. Another for items I want to disassemble to learn something. A pile for the strongest items, I¡¯ll figure out what to do with those later. A pile for materials, and a pile for miscellaneous items.

    ¡°Should it really be this easy to get damaged arcane items?¡± Lily asks, holding the staff and dagger I got from my last adventure.

    ¡°I keep asking myself the same thing.¡± I take the items from her and put them into the pile of items I still need to decide what to do with. later

    I could sell them in Beyond, to the system shop, maybe rent them to someone from group 4, or I could just take them apart for materials and to gain experience for making an arcane item of my own.

    Eldertree Staff (Arcane, Damaged) - Once capable of summoning ancient forests, this staff could bring entire woodlands to life. Though weakened, it retains the power to invoke powerful roots and thorned vines which will erupt from the ground, briefly ensnaring enemies and causing significant damage to all caught within its grasp.

    Nullstrike Knife (Arcane, Damaged) - Nullstrike Knife is incredibly sharp and capable of slicing through the toughest armor. The poison it once held is nearly gone, but it disrupts mana on contact, hindering magical defenses. Occasionally, it releases a pulse that temporarily silences all spells in the immediate area.

    Looking at them now, they aren¡¯t that bad. As their rarity would imply, they are much more powerful than upper epic weapons.

    ¡°Any idea why we keep finding so many damaged arcane items? I would expect them to be more durable.¡± Lily brings up a good question.

    ¡°It could be the system messing around for the purpose of the tutorial. Weakening arcane items to give people an easier time learning to make arcane items or to help them get used to their power.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense, in that case, to create a rarity between epic and arcane?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the tutorial is capable of twisting things that much. You could just as easily say that these items have had their power sealed, and it¡¯ll take some effort to get them back to their full power.¡±

    ¡°So outside of the tutorial, there won¡¯t be so many damaged arcane items?¡±

    ¡°Possibly.¡±

    ¡°Yup! Also, look at what a nice piece of metal this is.¡± Lily chirps, handing me a piece of black metal with a coppery sheen.

    Voidcopper (Arcane) - A dense, jet-black metal with a faint shimmer, Voidcopper is known for its ability to deflect magical interference. It¡¯s favored for crafting shields, amulets, and armor due to its capacity to absorb minor spells, lessening their impact before dispersing the energy harmlessly.

    ¡°Yup, it will be useful, but check this out,¡± I say, throwing her a ball of thread that¡¯s probably got me more excited than anything else.

    Amberlace (Arcane) - A warm-toned, honey-gold fiber that is both durable and flexible. Amberlace has an innate ability to stabilize nearby magic, allowing it to withstand complex enchantments without losing structural integrity.

    Lily reads it and then rubs it against her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s weird. It feels like metal, but it¡¯s kinda warm and also¡­ soft?¡±

    I catch it as she throws it back to me and immediately stow it away, ¡°It¡¯s a shame there wasn¡¯t more, but I can probably use it for some decent stuff.¡±

    ¡°Is it common to get so many items from one or two Beyond expeditions? Isn¡¯t it too¡­ easy?¡± She asks, gesturing at the piles of upper epic items, I intend to sell later, and some other stuff.

    ¡°Easy¡­¡± I say, stretching the word. ¡°It was doable.¡±

    ¡°How many times did you almost die?¡±

    That requires a bit of thinking.

    As I think it over, I count on my fingers, ¡°I¡¯ll only count the serious ones. So first would probably be when Specter cut my throat. I could¡¯ve probably died fighting that icy lynthari too, if I had fought him alone, but honestly does that even count? I joined to help Derick, and Savant joined in too. Don¡¯t tell him, but his domain was a bit of a help there. Then I almost died fighting that group of lurkers before Whitey came. Lastly, there were a few times during my fight with Whitey. If I hadn¡¯t had mana stored up beforehand or your healing marks, I would¡¯ve probably died anywhere between two and five times.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s what you call doable?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already curious to find out what happened there.¡± She stands up, glancing at the piles of items one more time. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just for the items, right?¡±

    ¡°Nope, but it¡¯s a nice bonus. If it had been too much of a bother, I would¡¯ve thrown them away in a heartbeat.¡±

    ¡°So what was it you went there for?¡±

    "I¡¯ll tell you after I check it out myself. Could you go check on Biscuit? I want to try something in the meantime. If you can get Biscuit to forgive me, I¡¯ll let you choose an upper epic item as your reward."

    ¡°Only one? You do have over 20 of them.¡±

    ¡°Maybe two if you teach him to stand on his hind legs.¡±

    ¡°And walk while asking for sustenance?¡±

    ¡°Please, no.¡±

    She giggles. ¡°Okay then, good luck.¡±

    As she leaves, I rest my back against the boulder nearby and close my eyes with every intention of checking on the results of my wager. I don¡¯t know what to expect, certainly not how the system would even go about delivering this kind of knowledge. Will it be a book? Or a mana stone inscribed with the information? A feeling? Will the knowledge just flow into my mind?

    Sensing my intent, the system just seems to know what I want, and I find myself in a different place. I can still feel my body sitting in the same spot when I try, so I figure this place is likely somewhere within my mind.

    A desolate hill stands before me. The landscape is hauntingly barren, the ground is cracked and dry ground with jagged rocks jutting out from seemingly random points making the entire scene feel alien.

    The sky is a swirling mix of gray clouds that only serves to make the place look even more bleak, bordering on post-apocalyptic. And the dim light that barely manages to pass through the clouds only adds to the feeling.

    There, at the top of the hill, stands a white monobloc plastic chair, and in that chair sits a tall figure. With long, beautiful white hair flowing down from his head, and I can see his black horns, even from here.

    And the figure is watching a TV set on a cheap Ikea-style table.

 Chapter 468 - More fitting expression

    I take a few steps closer and move off to the side, and finally catch sight of the scene on the TV. It¡¯s a replay of my fight with the lurker Whitey, taken from my perspective.

    ¡°Just come here and sit, don¡¯t sneak around,¡± the demon says, waving his hand at me. I take notice of just how slim and smooth it looks.

    After hesitating for a moment, I finally reach the edge of the hill and just as I begin to think about creating a chair of my own out of mana another white plastic chair appears next to the first one, so I take my seat and look to the left.

    Whitey isn¡¯t very different from what I remember of him from our two prior meetings. Tall, and slim, with a handsome face. Though this time he isn¡¯t a lurker, so his eyes aren¡¯t pale red but of the proper red color demons have. Even his hair looks smoother.

    He¡¯s wearing black clothes and sits there in an extremely easygoing manner.

    ¡°Look, do you see this crap?¡± he says, pointing at the TV as the video pauses.

    The scene we¡¯ve stopped at displays the moment he pierced me with a multitude of ranged attacks and forced me to use two of Lily¡¯s healing marks.

    ¡°You should be dead twice over! How the fuck could his aim be so bad!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that your aim?¡± I ask.

    He snorts, ¡°If I had fought you, you would¡¯ve been dead mere seconds after the fight began. With or without your disgusting quantity of mana and healing marks.¡±

    The screen starts playing that video again, and Whitey watches it with apparent disdain, ¡°It¡¯s like someone gave an amazing weapon to a newborn demon. No, even a newborn demon would¡¯ve done better.¡±

    Whitey waves his arm, and the screen starts changing rapidly, ¡°Here, terrible placement. Here, that should¡¯ve hit. Here he should have pushed you more. Here, that movement was trash. Here, why did he dodge instead of deflecting the attack and getting a hit in? Here, he should¡¯ve deactivated his kinetic field much sooner. Here, he should have gone to 3rd stance instead of going to 5th; that would¡¯ve confused you as well!¡± And he goes on, in a manic furor, pointing out every flaw he can find.

    Annoyed, he waves his hand, and the screen disappears. Whitey stands, turning his chair to face me, the plastic legs scraping against the rock below. Then he sits back down, folding his arms across his chest, giving me a slow once-over.

    ¡°What year is it?¡±

    ¡°No idea, how would that help?¡±

    He hesitates and nods, ¡°Is Adrian still first in Individual and Exploration rankings?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°When are the rankings due to reset?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a reset?¡±

    He blinks, ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me my lurker lost to a goddamned newb.¡±

    ¡°I just started my second year of the tutorial?¡± Satisfied, I almost feel like smiling as I lean back in my chair.

    ¡°You smug little shit,¡± Whitey snorts. ¡°Individual and Exploration rankings reset once every millennium, and Guild and Craft rankings reset every year.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the info. This could help; someone told me you were one of the oldest lurkers around.¡±

    He nods, ¡°The 1st floor should reset with the rankings, so I probably died somewhere around a thousand years ago? For sure over 500 years. Damn, and no one got deeper than fucking Adrian.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s the only one who¡¯s made it to the 6th floor.¡±

    ¡°That makes me curious how that asshole is doing nowadays. If you happen to meet him by any chance, punch him for me.¡±

    Feeling bold, I decide to poke Whitey for more info, ¡°Was he stronger than you?¡±

    ¡°At least learn to mask your intent when you decide to ask such blunt questions.¡± He gestures at my eyebrow, ¡°It moved when I mentioned Adrian. Your jaw too, the muscles twitched. Now your pinkie is tense, and you¡¯re getting ready to attack. Your heartbeat changed a bit too.¡±

    He shifts his position in the chair and watches me, ¡°Adrian was stronger than me, but he did everything he could to avoid fighting me.¡±

    I let the silence stretch for a bit longer, and when the time feels right, I ask, ¡°So what is this place, and where did you get the TV?¡±

    ¡°You tell me. All of this was made using your memories.¡± He smiles, red eyes glowing, and when he stands, the plastic chair he sat on bursts into black particles before disappearing. The same happens with mine, and I jump to my feet before I can fall to the ground.

    Whitey is slightly taller than me and slimmer. He looks like he has barely any muscle. Which I¡¯d originally thought was a result of being a lurker back during our meeting, but looking at him now, I guess that¡¯s just how he looked before he died.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I will tell you one thing, human: it¡¯s fucking unfortunate that trashy lurker made of my body didn¡¯t win; it would¡¯ve been nice to be able to walk around again. I¡¯m not even going to pretend to understand how that challenge even got accepted, but someone either hates you a fuckton or the opposite. But a wager is a wager, and I lost.¡±

    ¡°So, you are¡­¡±

    ¡°Probably just a construct, like the natives of the floors.¡±

    ¡°That sucks.¡±

    "It really does. So, you foolish little human wished for my knowledge of kinetic energy, and now you have it. It¡¯s safe to say that I will, for a while at least, remain part of your memories, and this is just the form they take."

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been easier for the system to simply transfer the knowledge?¡±

    Whitey doesn¡¯t even bother answering.

    ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± Obviously, the system is an asshole.

    Curious, Whitey takes a few steps around me, poking my arm, my back, and my chest, just over my heart. ¡°Tell me, why do you want kinetic energy so much?¡±

    ¡°Is this a test or something?¡±

    ¡°Just answer the fucking question. You have a lot of mana, and from the way you fought, it¡¯s clear how much time you¡¯ve spent mastering it. There¡¯s no point lying; it¡¯s something I know very well. You also have access to thermal energy. There are a number of things to divert your attention. So why kinetic energy?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to show off, but I could do almost anything I want with mana. I could focus on detailed manipulation, I could focus on compression, I could focus on ranged mana abilities, or melee. Or I could just spend all my time crafting. The same goes for thermal energy. I could spend more time making it as strong as possible. I could also try to come up with more ways to use it for healing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of options,¡± he nods. ¡°So why kinetic energy?¡±

    ¡°Because I want to.¡±

    Whitey shows me a wide smile and gestures to continue.

    ¡°It will cover for my weaknesses in the future. Kinetic for body strengthening and close-range combat. Thermal for healing, and mana for everything else.¡±

    This white-haired demon keeps nodding, his bearing now so different from the way he fights. He is weirdly easygoing.

    Clapping his hands together to recapture my attention, he says, ¡°A loss is a loss. I¡¯ve never taught anyone before, so this is due to be an interesting experience. There are seven stances I¡¯ve put together and made my own. Some I learned from other demons I met in Beyond, some were drilled into me before the tutorial, some I gained on the floors, and some I came up with myself. And you will learn all of it.¡±

    My interest only grows as I quietly listen to the words of this demon who came so close to killing me so many times.

    It¡¯s unnerving to see him move so casually, and sometimes I notice my body twitching, expecting another attack. And I¡¯m sure he¡¯s noticed as well, but he kept quiet so far. Likely finding it amusing.

    ¡°First is Pulsar Stance.¡± Whitey takes a short, quick step, his movements boosted by a burst of kinetic energy, and delivers a quick punch to the air, causing it to reverberate in a concentrated pulse of energy. ¡°It¡¯s quick, and disorienting, focused on efficiency and accuracy. You stay in constant motion, confusing your opponent with erratic movements, absorbing and adding to your inertia to outmaneuver them.¡±

    He shifts back into his original position and smirks, ¡°You were trying to do something similar, but I¡¯ll still need to beat some bad habits out of you.¡±

    Once again, he changes his stance; it becomes wider and heavier. ¡°The second is Breaker Style. It¡¯s brutal, relentless, and relies on raw kinetic energy to overwhelm the opponent with powerful, heavy attacks. You crush, you shatter.¡± His movements are heavier now, but each one is full of purpose, and each strike he demonstrates sends powerful waves radiating outwards.

    ¡°Third is Wraith Dance.¡± He stomps powerfully, but there¡¯s no impact; instead, he vanishes, moving so quickly it almost feels like he¡¯s teleported. His heartbeat echoes erratically, sometimes from places he''s already left, leaving fake signatures along his path. ¡°It¡¯s all about rapid, long-distance movement, afterimages, and individual bursts of swift, extended motion.¡±

    The more he shows me, the more I realize just how lacking his lurker was when it came to the intricacies of his abilities.

    ¡°I will show you the other four later, but they are called Resonance Flow, Needle Point, Counter Flow, and Steelroot.¡±

    As he comes to a stop, I ask the question that¡¯s filled my mind since he began, ¡°How did you die?¡±

    The moment these words leave my mouth, his mood changes. The Whitey¡¯s expression, which had felt so forced until now, crumbles, growing dark. His eyes seem redder now, and the beating of his heart grows even more oppressive.

    I like it more than this weird kindness, so I pile on, knowing my next question will hurt.

    It¡¯s meant to.

    ¡°How many times has your lurker been killed?¡±

    Whitey moves impossibly quickly, in a burst of movement more like teleportation than mere footwork in an amazing show of the third stance he demonstrated just moments ago.

    I lift my arms in front of me to block, but he shifts at the last second, landing a hit on my chin instead.

    Louder and louder that demon heart beats, and I freeze mid-air, held in place before my body can even start to fall, and he grabs my leg, pulling me back and smashing me into the ground. He finishes it with a kick, sending me crashing into a rocky wall nearby.

    It¡¯s surprising how much it hurts, almost as much as it would outside, and I stumble to my knees before pushing myself back to my feet and glance at the demon who¡¯s staring me down with a more fitting expression on his face.

    Not like a puppet content to deliver information, but more like a living being.

    He might be a fake, perhaps he¡¯s just a snapshot of his memories from the moments before he died, or maybe the system prepared something else entirely. Still, I much prefer this over that fake eagerness from before.

    Laughing quietly, Whitey sweeps his hair from his face, his red eyes fixed on me. ¡°Killed by betrayal, hundreds of years as a fucking lurker, and then I get challenged by a fucking human just to end up like this. The Rulers must be shitting their pants with laughter right now.¡±

    My movements halt again, and I don¡¯t even try to fight back as Whitey uses Wraith Dance to appear in front of me.

    ¡°Worst of all, I have to teach a human,¡± he says, pressing a finger against my chest. ¡°Even though you¡¯ve won fair and square in my eyes, what can you do? As a human without a proper heart, you will never master everything I can show you.¡±

    As he lets go and steps back, I answer, ¡°I hear that a lot. Show me the first stance.¡±

    At that moment I decide to abandon any further attempts at explaining; It¡¯s not like I was ever any good at it anyway, and I know my actions will convey what words cannot.

 Chapter 469 - Awakening

    After Dennis and Aaron return, I give everyone an explanation of everything that happened while I was gone. Lily listens with a singular degree of focus as someone who will soon enter Beyond.

    It¡¯s impossible to tell her about the trial itself, given the way the system censors any attempt, but general information regarding Beyond seems ok, so I tell her what I can.

    ¡°So you still don¡¯t know how to clear the 1st floor of the dungeon and enter the second?¡± she asks as I finish my tale.

    ¡°Yup, no idea at all. The current plan is to reach the safe zone and try to gather information and continue from there. We should be able to do it in three days when you and Tess get your stay tokens.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t we need a bigger group?¡±

    ¡°Possibly, but Tess said Gareth promised to join. If it doesn¡¯t work out, we can just reschedule it for six months from now¡ªwhen I¡¯m due to meet up with Leticia and the others. Or I could just go back for a day or two and leave another message so that we can try sooner.¡±

    Tapping on the armrest of the manabloc chair I made for her and the twins, she smiles. ¡°I¡¯m so happy I don¡¯t have to think about these things! Just point me at the monsters.¡±

    ¡°Is she cosplaying Nat?¡± Dennis quips, poking Aaron.

    ¡°Remember we read that article that said that one of the easiest ways to pick up girls was to imitate them a bit? Like mimicking their movements and behaviors would help make you more endearing. Maybe she read the same article,¡± Aaron nods seriously.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to fuck you up! Both of you!¡±

    ¡°Totally like Nat.¡±

    ¡°Yes. At this point, it has to be intentional.¡±

    ¡°And now Nat¡¯s going to increase the difficulty on that cursed orb of his.¡±

    ¡°Well, we were expecting that. Bring it on!¡±

    I listen as they babble for a moment, then do just that, and for a while at least, they don¡¯t have the focus to spare on idle chatter.

    I turn to Lily. ¡°What do you think of Specter¡¯s arm and the pieces of Whitey¡¯s heart?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re in terrible shape and weakening fast. They¡¯ll probably crumble to dust soon.¡±

    ¡°Either it¡¯s the system messing with us or that¡¯s just how lurkers work, maybe they just crumble to dust so they can be recreated in a year. Though I¡¯d think it¡¯d make more sense to just fix the body over the following year and reuse it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe that is how it works; perhaps in this case the arm has been marked as destroyed?¡±

    ¡°Could be.¡± After weakening the orbs so the twins can focus, I address the entire group, ¡°In three days we¡¯ll be heading deeper into the central region. With any luck It might finally complete our side quest, and we can start working on our information gathering in the process.¡±

    As I return to thinking about our plans, I spin the newly shaped thermal pyramid floating in the middle of our group, having moved on from the cube, each face shines a different color, ranging from pale yellow to dark gold, and each one emits a different amount of heat.

    The way it spins has an almost hypnotizing quality to it, as I continue, ¡°We¡¯ll take over one of the smaller groups, so we have a good place to sleep. Preferably somewhere with a good view. Before you ask, yes, you can call it Angry Kittens, I don¡¯t even care anymore. The training will continue for you two and Lily too. We don¡¯t need to sleep much anymore, and we¡¯re going to find out how far I can push you guys before you start hallucinating.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°[Mana Manipulation] will be our main focus, and we¡¯ll work on improving [Connection] after. Lily¡¯s going to focus on body modification and [Disintegration].¡± I say, and begin to put my plans into words, in an attempt to make everything easier to schedule, ¡°I¡¯ll work on improving [Resonance], and practice the stances for kinetic energy, and I¡¯ve got a great idea for a new mana technique, with Lily¡¯s help, I think I could get a new skill in the process.¡±

    Eventually, I start to feel like a single thermal pyramid isn¡¯t enough of a challenge and create multiple evil orbs, making them spin around me while I deal with their effects, ¡°I will disassemble most of the damaged arcane items and sell a few. My end goal is to build a facility to create arcane items with the materials at our disposal.¡±

    Biscuit approaches, and I watch as he lays on the ground next to Lily, putting his small head on his front paws.

    ¡°I will try to come up with ways to modify and recreate the Restrictive Training Emblem and Burden Enhancement Inscriptions so that you can make use of them as well. I just need to find a way to keep them from stopping your brain from functioning, or your heart from beating, or preventing your chest from moving and suffocating you.¡±

    ¡°WHAT?¡±

    I''m really going to be busy I realize, saying as much as I do, ¡°You know that feeling when you think you have a lot of free time and then you start going over everything you need to do and find you don¡¯t have near enough time to fit it all in. Anyway, over the next few weeks, I think my priority will be mana and kinetic energy, in that order. I¡¯ll just have to find a way to fit the rest in somehow.¡±

    ¡°What about things like the Floor quests? I mean, we¡¯ve already been here for quite a while and we still haven¡¯t figured out how to leave,¡± Dennis says, reminding me.

    ¡°It¡¯ll probably end up being something as simple as helping one of the beings from the five, now four, containment cells escape and then letting them deal with the rest,¡± I say, yawning as I increase the speed of the spinning pyramid.

    ¡°You mean beings on the level of Champions?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± I nod. ¡°You remember the 4th floor, right? Our quest was to kill one of the Calamities, and the biggest part of the solution was to pick the one you could face with your group and abilities. This floor might be the same, we might just need to choose the right prisoner to release. Though that dickhead Champion from before clearly wasn¡¯t it.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think that alone would be enough?¡±

    I shrug, ¡°If it¡¯s not, we release them all and let them break this prison apart and sneak out when they do.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I hope Tess¡¯s or Sophie¡¯s group finds out more,¡± Aaron says, not seeming to like my idea for some reason. Well, I don¡¯t mind the lack of trust, but in my experience, the simplest methods often work the best.

    I lean back in my chair and open up a pouch of deer jerky, and taking out a piece, before taking a bite and chewing on it.

    Somewhere from my right, next to Lily, I hear a quick, surprised movement.

    I take another bite.

    (Bitch!) Biscuit shouts, using a word I haven¡¯t heard from him in a long while. I think he must have learned it from Lily.

    I take two more bites, and Biscuit quickly appears right in my face, floating and clearly angry but finally giving me his attention.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say sincerely, apologizing for cheating on our future Overlord, as I put my hands on my lap and return his gaze. ¡°But, Biscuit, haven¡¯t you been letting other people pet you as well?¡±

    That seems to shock the corgi as if the thought hadn¡¯t occurred to him, and he avoids my gaze.

    Reaching into the air, I grab him and pull him into my lap. He lets it happen, his nose constantly twitching as he sniffs at the pouch of deer jerky.

    I take out another before closing the pouch and offering the piece to him.

    He hesitates for a bit, but after glancing at me, he starts carefully chewing away, trying not to touch my hand.

    <hr>

    The next day, we get some more detailed messages from the others.

    Tess, Min-Jae, and Maya are heading deeper towards the center of the region. They can¡¯t share more with the system¡¯s censorship, but I think they learned a bit more about the remaining containment cells and decided to head over to one of them.

    Izzy sends a message of her own as well, confirming that she and Sophie are safe and heading west. She mentions people with abilities like Sophie, bringing to mind an image of the closed-off city of mind mages.

    It¡¯s an area even people outside the central region seemed to scorn. And as we¡¯ve asked around we¡¯ve learned that most people with such abilities tend to gather in a single place. Either for protection or to accomplish a shared goal. For some reason, Sophie and Izzy have decided to head in that direction.

    Though I have something I would just love to ask Sophie.

    The others might have forgotten, but I haven¡¯t. The Champion Caius¡¯s bond didn¡¯t die back in the containment cell in the Mana Desert. And I¡¯ve really been thinking about it too. The thylarin brothers died, so they were unable to carry the parts of the bond Izzy sensed, but what if that asshole Champion tricked me? What if he expected those pieces to be discovered, or prepared another, just in case, a much smaller and weaker fragment he kept well hidden?

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    There is even a chance Sophie already knows about it. When it comes to these things, she could almost be considered my equal, and in some situations, she even does better.

    But the biggest confirmation of all is a feeling I get in a flash of shared memory I had with Biscuit. The corgi refuses to share more, but it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s made some sort of deal with Sophie to stay quiet about it.

    Our newest Beyonder and her little sister, heading for a city of mind mages, carrying a piece of the Champion¡¯s bond with them.

    Sophie sure is working on some interesting stuff.

    <hr>

    A day passes, and I appear in front of Whitey again. The area around us this time is the 1st floor; more accurately, it is the clearing with the bus we arrived in.

    Whitey stands in front of it, tapping with the tip of his finger on the side of it, each tap sending audible vibrations through the air.

    Curious, I observe him as he does. He seems to be concentrating on something, examining it deeply. All while his heart beats in slow, powerful, bursts.

    ¡°Got it.¡± He says, nodding, apparently satisfied, before tapping on the side of the bus one last time.

    In an instant, a surge of concentrated kinetic energy explodes outward. In an incredibly focused burst of force, sending a perfectly round shockwave through the metal, as the point of impact collapses inward as if it had been struck by a meteor, sending a series of ripples outward in a visible wave.

    Each part of the bus caught in the wave is thrown back violently, but the energy dissipates just past the bus itself, leaving everything beyond it completely untouched. The roof compresses, the windows shatter inwards, and the entire vehicle collapses into itself, forming a deep, circular indent exactly where Whitey¡¯s finger made contact.

    In the next heartbeat, the bus releases all the built-up energy in a single blast. The side panels explode outward, flaring out like petals. The energy transfer is so precise that even the ground beneath the bus is untouched.

    Whitey steps back and turns to me, ¡°That thing is made of some interesting materials.¡±

    He stomps, sending a single wave of kinetic energy blasting outwards from his body, bending the grass, and for a moment, the wind stops blowing, encompassing us in deep silence before it returns. His eyes glow dangerously, the look more reminiscent of the lurker that tore people apart rather than the man I met a day ago.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, human. I even respected you for a bit given the way you defeated me, but the thing you killed was nothing more than an empty puppet. A fucking disgrace to all the effort I put into developing my abilities.¡±

    Another gentle stomp sends everything around us floating into the air. Pieces of the bus, the bus itself, stones, pieces of wood. He levitates all of it, holding the mass of debris frozen in the air with his ability.

    ¡°You want my kinetic energy? The result of my blood, sweat, and tears, the culmination of my heart¡¯s purpose? The very thing I threw everything away to pursue. Fine! That was our wager, and I¡¯m someone who always kept his word.¡±

    More and more energy radiates from him, his eyes growing a deeper and deeper shade of red. Whitey begins to feel taller, and slimmer. His white hair whips about in the air as if it were caught in a hurricane, and his black horns start feeling like they¡¯re absorbing the light. Just the beating of his heart generates enough energy to slowly push me away.

    More than any time before, he feels like a demon.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a proper heart, you¡¯re only human, and your talent is the worst,¡± he says, a dangerous smile crossing his face, almost like he''s recalling an old memory. ¡°But maybe, just maybe, there''s something here I can work with. You¡¯ve got guts, I¡¯ll give you that. If you¡¯re ready to get broken down and put back together, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±

    Whitey steps closer, his eyes glowing with a fierce intensity. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what it takes. You¡¯ll understand what it means to let every heartbeat become a weapon, every pulse of blood a force that could crush mountains.¡±

    He pauses, letting his words sink in.

    ¡°You already said something similar,¡± I say in response.

    Even though he is smiling, it feels very dangerous, almost like I''m poking a sleeping bear while being locked in a cave with him. A bear with a mini nuclear reactor in place of its heart.

    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to understand or think the best of me right away.¡± I say, rolling up my sleeves and shaking off the tension in my arms and legs, ¡°Words are cheap, and your actions tell the greatest of truths, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he answers simply.

    I nod, ¡°Not long ago, I had the benefit of learning from someone not so different from you. And she¡¯s the most powerful person I¡¯ve ever met. Certainly far more powerful than you.¡±

    Closing and opening my fist, I think back on everything that¡¯s happened since I found myself here. There are things I still need to improve, but if there¡¯s one thing I can say about myself.

    It¡¯s that I take pride in my efforts and progress.

    I look back at Whitey, and speak as a sharp smile climbs its way onto my face, ¡°She didn¡¯t know me as well as she thought she did and pushed too much. I will take what I want from you, along with what I¡¯ve won. I don¡¯t care if you beat the shit out of me; I don¡¯t care if I have to bleed and crawl through the dirt, as long as I can get it.¡±

    ¡°You would make a decent demon.¡±

    ¡°My disciple said the same.¡±

    ¡°Let us begin then.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    <hr>

    POV Earth

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as we feared, director. The animals are getting bigger. That polar bear in South Hudson Bay is three times the size of any polar bear ever recorded. An impossibly large moose was discovered in Newfoundland, and a giant lynx is hunting grizzlies in the Yukon.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I just wish I didn¡¯t have to deal with it, damn it. Prepare a report, and I¡¯ll go over it before passing it on to the higher-ups.¡±

    ¡°Should we pass it on to the Department of Public Safety and the Armed Forces?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They can deal with it just like everything else.¡±

    ¡°Got it, director!¡±

    <hr>

    POV Earth

    ¡°Sir, the situation in the Pacific just got a lot worse. There¡¯s a shark out there¡ªit¡¯s the size of a cruise ship. They spotted it near the Mariana Trench.¡±

    ¡°A shark? That big? Are we sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir. It¡¯s already disrupted several shipping routes, and a couple of research vessels have gone missing. Satellite images show it circling, almost like it¡¯s guarding something down there.¡±

    ¡°Great. That¡¯s just what we needed after that damned spider showed up. Send out an alert to the naval forces and tell them to keep all civilian ships out of the area.¡±

    ¡°Understood. And should we inform the public?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. Let¡¯s just keep this between us and monitor its movements.¡±

    <hr>

    POV Earth

    ¡°So, we¡¯re just all gonna pretend there isn¡¯t a giant spider hanging out on the moon?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, it¡¯s totally normal. It¡¯s just a massive spider, chilling up there like it owns the place.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, at this point, I kind of have to respect it. It¡¯s been up there for over a year and hasn¡¯t moved an inch. Probably just waiting for us to get comfy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like a horror movie villain on a coffee break. Just taking its time, and plotting its next big move.¡±

    ¡°Right? Meanwhile, we¡¯re all down here hoping that just maybe if we ignore it, it¡¯ll go away.¡±

    ¡°Hey, maybe it¡¯s just shy!¡±

    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s sizing up the planet like, ¡®Alright, if I ever need a snack, I¡¯ll just reach over. Not today, but someday.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ let¡¯s just hope it stays on break.¡±

    ¡°Just look at it. We all know it¡¯s just a matter of time.¡±

    <hr>

    POV Earth

    "Ever since its appearance over a year ago, the ''Moon Spider,'' as it¡¯s been dubbed, hasn¡¯t shown any signs of movement or aggression. It''s just¡­ there. Clinging to the surface of the moon, The size of the entire state of Colorado, with its many legs spread across the lunar surface, all visible from Earth. For the time being, it¡¯s remaining completely motionless. There¡¯s no observable activity, no indication of feeding activity, or even the most basic of life functions. We''ve been monitoring it around the clock, trying to understand what it is, how it got there, and why it¡¯s been so eerily still. Initial scans show an incredibly dense biological structure, unlike anything we''ve ever encountered. It doesn''t fit into any known category of life as we understand it. The spider is silent, and despite all efforts, there¡¯s been no response to any signal or attempt at communication. But the question remains: why hasn¡¯t it moved? It¡¯s been over a year, and it hasn''t so much as twitched. Speculations range from theories regarding a deep hibernation state to the idea that it¡¯s some sort of cosmic warning. The public at large, after an early outbreak of panic, has finally gotten used to the spider''s presence. Even though it still remains a threat, no one knows if it¡¯s content to simply watch¡­ or if it¡¯s just waiting for something. That was until about two weeks ago."

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°A group of a few dozen people appeared near a collapsed tunnel in Osaka, Japan, and the Moon Spider showed signs of movement, just a slight turn in the direction of Japan. The individuals that appeared in Japan were later identified as members of a group of people who were presumed dead in a tunnel collapse a few weeks before the Moon Spider appeared.¡±

    ¡°Continue.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you, sir. Reports indicate that these people possessed¡­ unnatural abilities. Physical and mental capabilities that defy our understanding. The Japanese government and military have done their utmost to keep this under wraps, and most of these people have been cooperative, freely sharing information after their return. Japan has recently decided to provide us with some of this information. They¡¯ve suggested that more individuals like them may appear and they¡¯ve noted that those who¡¯ve returned so far are what they refer to as ¡®Easy Difficulty¡¯ participants.¡±

    ¡°You said most cooperated. What happened to the rest?¡±

    ¡°Two refused and attempted to flee. One was subdued with the assistance of the other returnees. That¡¯s what the Japanese have taken to calling them, sir, and we¡¯ve decided to adopt the term as well.¡±

    ¡°Understood. What happened to the last one?¡±

    ¡°Kazuki Sato, twenty-three years old, was neutralized using an anti-materiel rifle. Prior to that, he survived an anti-tank missile strike and eliminated a twelve-member team from Japan¡¯s Special Forces Group. We¡¯re awaiting further reports, including photo and video documentation.¡±

    ¡°Please continue with the briefing.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir. Since the arrival of the first returnees in Japan, a range of animals in the area where the returnees appeared have exhibited remarkable growth in both physical capabilities and intelligence. Holographic windows have begun appearing before people who come into contact with the returnees. The returnees refer to this phenomenon as a ¡®system message.¡¯ It¡¯s incredibly infectious¡ªproximity alone is sufficient to spread it. Those affected have shown signs of what the returnees call ¡®awakening,¡¯ allowing them to access a ¡®status window¡¯ displaying a numerical representation of their abilities and granting them two so-called ¡®skills¡¯.¡±

    ¡°What does the message say?¡±

    ¡°It reads: ¡®Congratulations! The earliest participants of the tutorial have completed their induction, and Earth will begin its awakening. More information will follow once the tutorial concludes! Welcome!¡¯¡±

 Chapter 470 - Gravelhands

    POV Dennis Dalton

    Using [Haste], I reach the top of the building where Aaron is already waiting. Like me, he¡¯s wearing clothes woven with experimental threads made from an alloy of metals that Nat spun together. These threads apparently help us hide our mana signatures more efficiently while disguising our heat signatures and dampening the signs of our passing, from our footsteps to the air disturbed in our wake.

    Just these damned modified clothes qualify as mid-epic rarity, much like the masks we¡¯re wearing, the ones that don¡¯t even have holes for our eyes while still allowing us to see.

    (Clothes alone might not be enough,) Aaron sends with a sigh.

    (Sneaky mode?) I ask.

    As I wait for an answer, I glance at the city stretched out below us. The place we¡¯ve spent the past five months. Hollowgate is one of the three biggest cities in the central region, well-known for the mines it stands atop and the ancient ruins within.

    Thousands of prisoners move through the city, weaving between the vast multitude of buildings dotting the landscape. Some structures look to be on the verge of collapse, while others resemble fortresses, sprouting directly from the streets of the city. A few tall towers rise above it all, while a deep pit¡ªapparently dug by one of the groups occupying the city¡ªtears a massive gash in the land, and a tall mountain dominates the landscape of the city, with a small fort nestled against its base¡ªwhich we¡¯ve decided target this time.

    (Sneaky mode,) Aaron confirms.

    After that, we tune our mana emissions like Nat taught us and circulate it throughout our bodies with a few slight modifications. In combination with the clothes, our presence becomes almost imperceptible. Adding [Sensory Deception], Nat says we should be able to easily hide from people up to 50 levels higher, with a few rare exceptions.

    As planned, making use of the mental map we made on prior scouting missions, we pass by the guards and then break through the protective web over the tall buildings encircling the areas within. It¡¯s easily one of the best defended places in the city.

    Our first obstacle is the outer circle placed on one of the walls in our path, so we approach one of the designated anchors. There on the wall, is an intricate set of inscriptions, engraved in molten metal and requiring a key tied to the user¡¯s mana signature.

    We already stole a key; so the hard part is going to be using it.

    (Together,) Aaron says through our link.

    I send my confirmation, and through [Connection], we combine our minds¡¯ processing power, to work on decrypting the key, connecting it to ourselves instead of the owner. And just like that, a task neither of us would have been able to manage alone has been accomplished almost without effort, and we pass through the now worthless defenses with hastened movement.

    There¡¯s barely anyone around at this time of night and we¡¯ve already noted the positions of the guard posts we¡¯re now in the process of avoiding. Eventually, we enter the building, breaking through its protections in a similar manner, quickly running through the hallways made out of white stone with black floors. Our steps echo off the empty walls, and I feel my heartbeat quickening.

    The same feeling I¡¯m getting from Aaron.

    Using the same method, we once again connect to another door, opening it together before proceeding deeper inside once more.

    We avoid a few guards, while others pass us by, oblivious as we blend into the furniture. Occasionally, a scan from the protective array sweeps over us, but it always passes us over, thanks to our masking. We¡¯re not even using the key to impersonate the guy we robbed at this point¡ªhe probably didn¡¯t have access to this area anyway.

    Then we find ourselves stuck, in front of the final door, deep inside of the fort. The door is made out of beautiful silver metal with intricate engravings on the surface, as beautiful as they are functional.

    (Even he wouldn¡¯t be able to open this.)

    (Please don¡¯t say things like that, he might show up and smack you in the head, before opening it up, all while practicing with those evil cubes of his.)

    (Fuck, that could really happen. Creepy orb?)

    (Yes, but be careful, and please, don¡¯t lose the box this time. He¡¯ll be furious if it happens again.)

    (Don¡¯t even remind me.)

    And with that final confirmation, I reach into my pocket and pull out the small box densely layered with inscriptions and made of some of the most durable metals we could find, all covered in a thin layer of voidcopper.

    I unlock it with my mana signature, and it opens up, revealing a gray orb, about the size of a grape that almost seems to be made out of smoke.

    Inside, the box is lined with a layer of Lily¡¯s bones, which bear their own set of inscriptions. Even now, I don¡¯t dare try to touch it with my fingers, choosing instead to bring it closer to the door, extremely carefully blowing into it while deactivating the inscriptions.

    The gray smoke flows through the air, meeting the silver door, before disintegrating the metal at the merest touch, eating through its defenses as if they weren¡¯t even there.

    That''s how Lily''s [Disintegration] is.

    We watch the process from a good distance away, waiting for the smoke to disappear entirely. Even then we wait a bit, just to be sure.

    Only then do we move in, pushing on the door and entering the room.

    It¡¯s a storage facility belonging to a group called the Gravelhands, in fact, we are currently visiting, one of the best vaults in the entire city.

    (Quick.) Aaron says, throwing a bag at me, which I grab, before piling materials inside. Some metals, some threads, scales, weird leather.

    Meanwhile, Aaron moves over to the corner where the more valuable items seem to be.

    (Fuck, that¡¯s a lot; I bet we¡¯ll get some nice shards out of this too!) he says in between looting the various items around us.

    (It would be nice if he made us an arcane item.)

    (Dream on; you saw how many different items and materials he needed just to make one, and it still blew up our old base.)

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    (Angry Kittens are indeed a menace.)

    (For Angry Kittens!) Aaron cheers, his hand wrapped around some weird metal.

    We both giggle for a moment before receiving a signal from one of the traps we left behind us.

    (Not good.)

    Time and again, our traps go off, followed by multiple scans washing over us, the defenses in the room trying to reactivate without any real success.

    Without any need to talk, we pick up everything we collected and rush outside, reactivating Sneaky Mode and [Sensory Deception].

    We pass through the first wave of guards easily, none of whom directly notice us, then we avoid another by going through the window.

    Then one of the guards does notice us and does something to strengthen the defenses in the area around us, destroying our camouflage. He attempts to disrupt our mana, but we resist and disrupt his instead, then he rushes us, his immense mana flaring up around his body, and creating a set of huge mana arms.

    (Teleportation?)

    (Teleportation outside from here is still blocked.)

    We¡¯ve done any number of runs like this. I guess it was about time one of them went belly-up, especially considering the value of the items we took and the power of this group in particular.

    Our [Connection] activates, and we connect to the skill of the man attacking us. Our minds come together to bear the strain of the calculations, as we take over the skill, one of the huge arms punches its creator and three more start tearing a hole in the wall.

    As the man gets thrown by his own arms, we pass through.

    I receive a warning and move to the side without pausing to check and send a similar warning to my brother, causing him to duck under an arrow. Another man and woman attack, but we get rid of them quickly, and a few more afterward. Just a few months ago, they would''ve been a lot of trouble, but now it seems way too easy. For now.

    Finally, we reach the place we passed into the inner layer of their defenses and come to a stop.

    A blue-skinned man with four arms stands there. In the darkness, only the flashing of security lights and their piercing sirens serve to break the silence. But the moment he stands before us, the alarms fall silent, as do the men and women who were pursuing us.

    There is no need for them to hunt us anymore. The man in front of us is a Champion Candidate, the most powerful thylarin mage in the Gravelhands and one of the top 10 in Hollowgate.

    (Together we can take him), I note.

    (Not quickly enough. They¡¯re already building up defenses around the fort.)

    (Well fuck, I¡¯m sending him the signal,) I say and pull the thread tied to us and leading back to our base.

    (This is going to be a mess.)

    (It already is.)

    ¡°Tell me, are you the ones who¡¯ve been stealing things all across Hollowgate over the past two months? From the Voidstriders? From the Veiled Claw? What about Goldmere?¡±

    ¡°Also from Shadowcliff,¡± I note with pride. It was the most difficult one so far.

    The thylarin Champion Candidate lets out a boisterous laugh, his blue skin shining in the dim light around us, and his four arms moving lazily. ¡°You mean that old fuck Drek covered it up? Was he too ashamed to let people know?¡±

    He doesn¡¯t say more, opting instead to release an immense amount of mana from his body, it flows from his heart, through his chest, and into his four arms which hold it, molding the energy, and creating a number of wisps that glow in the air around him while he radiates a scary amount of pressure.

    ¡°Now, I¡¯ll be taking your masks and cutting off your limbs, one by one. Then we¡¯ll talk. What do you think, my new friends?¡± he says, his tone dripping with menace.

    Before anything can happen, I feel a mark on my forearm burn. It¡¯s his anchor, connecting us to that invisible thread of his.

    The protections around the area are suddenly ripped apart from the outside, as if that monster were forcing his way in, ignoring all their defenses against teleportation. Then, without any warning, without so much as a whiff of mana, or any sign of disturbance, he appears at my side.

    He doesn¡¯t even have that crown of his floating over his head, he¡¯s left it behind in our base, clearly feeling that it wasn¡¯t needed. The same goes for that terrifying weapon he made.

    His black hair is messy and his clothes look like he just woke up and threw them on. Obscuring his face is a mask similar to ours, hiding even his eyes and muffling his voice.

    He takes quick stock of the situation, his stance lazy, seeming almost careless.

    Maybe he really did just wake up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this quickly, okay? Clean up the fodder; I¡¯ll take the boss. No witnesses,¡± he finishes that with what sounds like a yawn.

    In a blink, he disappears, suddenly standing in front of the thylarin Champion Candidate. It¡¯s not even teleportation, he¡¯s just that fast.

    Layers of shields stack in front of the thylarin, and Nat twists his body, in a smooth, almost lazy movement, tapping the first layer which ripples like the surface of a lake before bursting open. And the other barriers quickly follow suit.

    The thylarin moves the disrupted mana, tendrils with glowing white tips making an attempt to run Nat through, who¡¯s begun moving from side to side in a twitchy, and chaotic pattern of movement that seems almost impossible to predict.

    One of the thylarin man¡¯s arms gets torn off, one of the left arms, it holds its position in mid-air, floating there as Nat bulldozes through barriers and continues to fight the man.

    Then I run out of time to spend watching and use [Haste] to avoid an attack. Multiple projections of me appear in the area around me, each possessing its own mana and heat signature, they even produce a small kinetic signature. Aaron does the same, and we rush the men and women surrounding us.

    I hold a short sword and dagger while Aaron favors using a single dagger.

    Whenever we find ourselves faced with an opponent that¡¯s more difficult than the others, we opt for a quicker way, often swapping places. Aaron is better at facing certain builds, and I¡¯m better at fighting others. The sheer surprise each time we do is just a bonus.

    No one here can match our speed, even with their higher average level. Plenty of them have trouble even detecting us or find themselves confused by our projections, so with the exception of two of the more powerful members, where we end up needing to combine our minds to disrupt their mana, we deal with them easily.

    When it¡¯s all over, we return to Nat. He stands there, and I can sense him deploying his web to erase our signatures and anything else that could be used to track us.

    I add him to our link, and he asks, (Done?)

    (Now that everything¡¯s in chaos, do you want to go loot some more?) I ask in return.

    (Maybe next time. I¡¯m currently blocking three of their defensive arrays and disrupting their attempts to teleport in. Probably around a hundred people?)

    (Well, fuck.)

    (It¡¯s fine, they suck at it.)

    His mana touches us, and at the same time, I feel a pull on that thread and anchor tied to us, spiriting the three away while the thread dissipates in the air as we vanish, without leaving anything in the way of a traceable signature.

    We appear back in our base¡¯s living room and throw the loot into yet another pile nearby before Nat quickly goes through it finally settling on a pair of weird metals, and seeming satisfied.

    ¡°Just what I needed,¡± he declares and then, without fanfare, disappears again, probably returning to his underground lab, leaving two evil orbs in his wake.

    As we exchange glances, I send a message, (Lucky us, we didn¡¯t get yelled at.)

    (Yea, you think so? Check the orb.)

    As I do so, I can only let out a deep groan at the new structure. It requires us to break through defenses and is filled with dozens of traps that punish each mistake, mimicking the one we missed that triggered the alarm.

 Chapter 471 - One Hundredth Time

    Even though the metals Dennis and Aaron brought back are only epic rarity, I¡¯m happy with them. I¡¯ve long since learned that sometimes a nice complementary metal with good properties is better than something with a higher rarity. Sometimes.

    The lights around me flicker back on, coming from a dozen thermal cubes lighting up my underground lab. My crown hovering over a metal bust inlaid with a range of inscriptions moves, floating across the room until it takes its rightful place over my head.

    My baby, my precious. The crown has become a deep shade of blue, marbled with faint traces of pale blue.

    The amount of mana stored in it is probably enough to destroy¡­ I don¡¯t know what, probably something very big. Without further testing and experience, it¡¯s hard to guess. It will probably also be difficult to channel that much mana, but hey, it¡¯s what I¡¯m good at.

    I drop the metals on the table next to a short sword in a sheath that obscures any mana signature that might be emanating from the blade. The sheath is made of an alloy of a dozen metals: shades of copper, black, blue sheen gray, are blended throughout, alongside tiny bits of blue and white crystal, complemented by the densest and most complicated inscriptions I¡¯ve ever made.

    My Mana Wavelength Iris activates again, and as always, I feel the gradually increasing pressure on my mind. It¡¯s doable, but doing so any longer will cause problems, even with my goddamned arcane passive.

    I get to work, radiating heat, and melting the metal in my hand, moving thin strands of material with my mana, as I hammer it with kinetic energy. Reaching the required consistency, I move the molten metal to a set of pre-prepared grooves on the sheath while reaching into the back of my mind, where I¡¯ve kept an inscription structure prepared just for these situations.

    It doesn¡¯t take long, and after performing the requisite checks, I absorb the heat from the metal, while making a few finishing touches with my kinetic energy before it hardens.

    I give the sheath a few more checks, but the seals and inscriptions for suppression, protection, camouflage¡­ and other things, seem to be working better now and the signs of degradation I saw mere moments ago have been rectified.

    Good, that should be able to contain that evil sword I¡¯ve made for a bit longer.

    Lastly, I take a sheath wrap I made out of the leather of a level 350 manta ray I hunted in the Mana Desert not long ago and apply it, finishing the protections.

    For a while longer, I examine the hilt of the sword and guard. Both have been made from a single piece of molten alloy, combining arcanite alloy, amberlace, tiny bits of voidcopper, and a few other materials I got from scrapping some of the damaged arcane weapons I had. Combining them into a dark gray alloy, with mottled hues of black and light gray and streaks of copper running through the metal like a spiderweb of cracks.

    There are some imperfections here and there, cracks even, and shapes that feel off. To be honest, it¡¯s every bit as ugly, as my fellow group members have pointed out several times over. But it¡¯s my other precious, and I carefully put it back on the table and activate the defenses I¡¯ve placed around it.

    Not so much to protect the sword, as to protect us from it.

    The thing is just evil.

    I send a signal through a Ley Line connected to Lily and receive her confirmation, then use it to teleport over to her.

    Unlike me, she doesn¡¯t need an underground bunker lab as she didn¡¯t have an accident that blew up her lab and took an entire fortress with it. The sort of thing that could¡¯ve happened to anyone. Even to the best of us.

    Lily likes to do her training and experiments in the confines of our walled yard. She even made some of the guys plant some nice trees here, which they had to get from one of the dangerous forests that litter the central region.

    The result is trees with white bark and leaves that produce a shade of green unlike any we¡¯ve ever seen on Earth.

    There she sits on the bench with the axe she made on her lap. An axe she grew from her own bones. Its handle is only half as long as Lily is tall, but I¡¯ve seen just how quickly she can make it longer if she needs to. The axe blade is single-sided and likely has a surface area nearly as great as that of Lily''s entire body.

    This weapon is something she¡¯s been growing for months already and started doing so after I made her level up as much as possible to reach level 250 and get a body upgrade that was a massive power-up for her. Growing the axe from her body also made it stronger than it would have been before level 250.

    ¡°It seems to be nearly done,¡± I note and sit on the ground opposite her. In an attempt to avoid slacking off, I create one of my evil cubes and start training.

    She smiles softly, ¡°I¡¯m happy with the shape, and I changed the handle a bit, so I can grow it quickly if needed. Now I just need to keep working on strengthening the blade while I experiment with infusing the blade with [Disintegration].¡±

    I long since gave up being surprised at the terrifying ideas the members of group 4 tend to come up with.

    I stop for a moment and examine her. Lily is still very pale, and her brown eyes seem lighter in this light. She also has her hair tied up in a simple ponytail with her trademark bangs falling across her forehead. She also seems to be growing more athletic by the day.

    Her shoulders are a bit wider now, and she packs a hint of muscle, bringing to mind an amusing memory of a time when she refused most forms of exercise, worried that she was going to turn into some kind of muscle monster.

    And the twins threatening to call her ¡°muscle mommy¡± didn¡¯t help much either.

    But in the end, she¡¯s still just as petite as ever. A tiny killing/healing machine.

    ¡°How¡¯s the Skele-Suit coming along?¡±

    ¡°Nat, please, you at least, should stop calling it that.¡±

    ¡°What about calcium-cage?¡±

    ¡°Another one? I¡¯m going to beat the snot out of those two little assholes.¡±

    I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to tell her that the last name was my idea.

    Lily points at the tree, against which she has lain a chestplate made of the same pearl-white bone as her axe. ¡°It¡¯s hindering my movements. Sure, it can hold some mana and block attacks, but my bones can do that just as well. I¡¯ve already got some designs with platings that should make the armor much easier to move in.¡±

    ¡°How about making chainmail, and using your bones in place of the iron rings?¡±

    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s not a bad idea, but now I feel like going to sleep and procrastinating just imagining how much work that would take.¡±

    ¡°I already tried making something similar from manabloc, so you can bet on my sympathy.¡± A memory from a few months earlier flashes through my mind, and I shudder. Then a thought comes. Could I one day replace mana rings with Ley Lines? Wouldn¡¯t that be too strong?

    ¡°How did it go with Gravelhand?¡±

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°The twins triggered a trap, and their Champion Candidate appeared. The information about him being out of the city seemed to be wrong.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the informant about that. Any trouble?¡±

    ¡°By talking to him, do you mean engaging in intimidation and knocking some heads together?¡±

    ¡°What else? I¡¯m not Tess,¡± she says, smiling playfully, despite the horrifying implications of the statement.

    ¡°As for any trouble that might cause, it shouldn¡¯t be anything major, and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll speak with the informant. We¡¯ll just need to be more careful when we visit Hollowgate for a while, that¡¯s all. Hey, what have you done there?¡±

    Proud of me noticing, she excitedly moves closer, hefting the giant axe in a single hand and shoving the blade within an inch of my face.

    Before I can complain, she proudly points out, ¡°I finally succeeded, and I think I¡¯ll be able to ¡®heal¡¯ the axe if it gets damaged. Of course, it shouldn¡¯t be all that easy to damage it in the first place. Between the effects of my constitution, body upgrade, and trait, my bones are extremely tough as it is, but it could still happen! Now it almost feels as if it¡¯s part of my body! I told you that growing it out of my own bone rather than using those of a Champion or some powerful monster would be better!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty cool,¡± I agree, ¡°I just still think it would be super strong if you did.¡±

    "It would take much longer to grow it from a Champion''s bone. But don¡¯t worry, this one will grow along with me, and I¡¯ll be able to keep strengthening it." She says, pulling the axe back.

    Some time ago, I held that weapon and was surprised by its weight. Sure, with the increase in my stats from using the Restrictive Training Emblem, I could hold it and even swing it, but could I have done the same with a single arm, with the same ease as Lily? She swings it through the area around her, taking swift steps and manipulating the axe as if it were no heavier than a normal splitting axe.

    And the fact that it¡¯s a petite black-haired girl doing it feels especially weird.

    ¡°I¡¯m almost caught up with my work here, so we¡¯ll leave soon to regroup with the others.¡±

    ¡°How about that place?¡±

    ¡°The Hoarders are preparing an expedition to the mines in a few days, so we¡¯ll join them. I already had Dennis enlist us while you grew that monstrosity, and by monstrosity, I mean it in a good way,¡± I add before she can complain.

    Lily laughs shyly as if I had just given her a massive compliment. ¡°If you¡¯re right and one of the Containment Cells is down there, it will be a truly fun expedition.¡±

    I can only agree with the sentiment.

    <hr>

    Later that night, I close my eyes, appearing inside of my mind, where, as usual, the area has changed.

    This time it¡¯s a view I saw a long time ago on TV. Whitey and I stand on the surface of the Moon and look out into the pitch darkness that almost seems to swallow the Earth in the vastness of space, making its troubles seem small and insignificant by comparison.

    The gravity is normal, Earth-like. All of this is from my imagination, a combined image made from a collection of images and videos I saw on TV and the internet.

    As I sit down to enjoy the view for a moment, Whitey moves closer, sitting next to me and tapping my shoulder. He holds a tablet in his hand, playing a video of me fighting the Gravelhand¡¯s Champion Candidate.

    ¡°Here you were slow to absorb your inertia,¡± he says, touching the screen and scrolling, ¡°here you could have moved to the opposite side. The way you destroyed his barriers went pretty well, but there are still a lot of ways you could improve. Instead of concentrating on such a small surface and delivering equal power, you should spread it out, make it more powerful in the middle, and weaken it as you move towards the surface.¡±

    I grab the tablet and replay it, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make the aftershocks weaker?¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± He exclaims, snatching the tablet away. ¡°Quite the opposite. The gradual separation would strengthen the pulses, and while it would be a bit weaker it would also make the attack more efficient. Even better would be releasing a timed series of pulses, but you suck at it.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. Show me.¡± I stand up and create an exact copy of the barrier the other man used.

    Whitey jumps to his feet as well and does just that, a single tap on the barrier, releasing a series of three pulses. Each comes at a different time, in a pattern that doesn¡¯t seem to make any sense. Yet I watch as each pulse meets, crashes into, and strengthens its predecessor. Instead of spreading further around the spherical barrier, they make for higher frequency ¡°waves¡± in a smaller area, destroying the barrier even more quickly.

    Knowing what he wants to hear, I sigh, ¡°I know shit all about kinetic energy.¡±

    Whitey smirks, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t exactly say it¡¯s shit, but yeah, it¡¯s pretty bad.¡±

    Having spoken his piece, the closest he¡¯s ever gotten to giving me praise, his stance changes. Breaker Style.

    Gone are the smile and careless bearing he displayed before. As always when it comes to fighting, his eyes seem to flare a deeper shade of red and the atmosphere around him grows that much more dangerous. Joviality is replaced by the presence of a cruel, and dangerous predator.

    I mimic the stance, and the rhythm of my heartbeat changes, matching his. Pulsing in slower, more powerful beats.

    He takes a step forward, and using the force of his entire body, thrusts his open palm towards me, surging forth behind a brutal, and heavy burst of kinetic energy.

    Taking a similar step forward, I stomp, releasing a similar burst with what I might otherwise think of as perfect timing.

    The moon dust flies into the air and covers the area, but eyes in a fight against kinetic energy don¡¯t matter.

    His next strike erupts from behind the veil of dust, followed by another, hidden in its shadow. Increasing my output, I attack three times, each burst sending more dust flying into the air and producing an audible disturbance, almost as if someone were banging on a massive drum.

    After a few more exchanges I sense a change in his heartbeat, replacing the prior rhythm with a quicker, erratic, and more chaotic one.

    Needle Point.

    Thin bursts of kinetic energy, as narrow as my fingers, shoot toward me, forcing me to dodge again and again. Instead of slowing down, the attacks come faster as time goes on, several times per second, leaving me no time to strike back and demanding every ounce of my focus just to react.

    But unlike our Challenge, I can actually sense them with some degree of accuracy, boosting my body to react with a near sense of ease.

    Duck under, jump over, move to the side, twist my head. I sense each and every burst.

    Then they stop.

    And immediately after, a dozen more fire off almost simultaneously.

    I manage to dodge the first six, amazed at my ability to do even that much, but the rest pierce my body, perfectly anticipating my movements.

    My knee explodes, my shoulder gets pierced, the fingers, on one hand, find themselves reduced to mush, one of the attacks even punctures a lung, while another destroys my ankle.

    With the next step, the cloud of dust is blown away, revealing Whitey in Wraith Dance. He appears in front of me, followed by a switch to Pulser Stance.

    He avoids my attacks with excessive ease, simply ripping the ground apart around him with Breaker Style as he deflects the rest. He grabs my arm and tears it from my shoulder, spraying my blood across the surface of the moon.

    He dodges again and continues to deflect my attacks as I switch to first stance, then he kicks me, caving my chest in and causing blood to seep from the corners of my mouth.

    ¡°Your heart¡¯s output has greatly improved as has your efficiency,¡± he says, examining the arm he tore from my body.

    ¡°Is it?¡± I hiss, blood flowing from my mouth.

    ¡°Yes.¡± He says, throwing my arm somewhere behind him, having lost interest. ¡°Your detection is also starting to get pretty good, so I¡¯ll start adding in feints the next time we spar.¡±

    ¡°Lucky me.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Whitey squats in front of me and touches the wound on my chest with his slim, pale finger, ¡°It¡¯s already been five months since we started this training. I mean, it was fun at the start, but it¡¯s lost some of its charm. Do you feel like giving up yet? You could spend more time on your mana, that¡¯s where your true talent lies.¡±

    ¡°I liked you more when you talked less and beat the shit out of me more.¡±

    He stands with a smile. And I notice that here, on the moon, surrounded by scenery devoid of color, his eyes seem especially red, and his white hair seems to shine against the void.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t half bad, for a human. This makes the hundredth time I¡¯ve killed you.¡± Whitey muses, then stomps on my head.

    I open my eyes back in my lab and stretch on my bed before closing my eyes and replaying the fight.

    It could be said the kinetic training has been going pretty well.

 Chapter 472 - Not a very reasonable person

    Our fort is a nice place, not far from Hollowgate. After making a few modifications to one of the walls of my room, I now have a window with a nice view of the city as a whole.

    I¡¯d even say it¡¯s quite pleasant, especially at night, with the purple nebula and countless stars above and the city lights below.

    This place used to belong to a group called¡­ I forgot. Anyway, it''s Angry Kittens now, a small group made up of a few dozen members with a suspicious degree of wealth. After we took over, almost everyone who had objections tried to kill us, while others left and those who stayed, are currently being paid for their services.

    Their salary comes in multiple forms: items I¡¯ve made, food, water, a safe place to sleep after we killed any monsters within several miles of the base, and a number of other fringe benefits. In exchange, they collect information for us, or in Lily''s case, they bring her a few trees in exchange for bone spears they can¡¯t place the origins of.

    Obviously, there were disadvantages to it, like being forced to deal with people, but Lily and the twins usually take care of that part. After all, it''s only right that they take care of such minor annoyances in exchange for my teachings.

    Though they¡¯re not high-level extroverts like Tess or Gareth, so they do have some difficulties, but that¡¯s a sacrifice I¡¯m willing to make.

    As I mull these facts over in my head, I turn my attention back to the Beyond Community and read the last message.

    Sset - We located two and now that you¡¯ve located one as well, we¡¯re getting close to the end. We¡¯ve already started moving, and we can meet at Soph¡¯s location after you guys are done with your stuff.

    Grumpy - I miss you all, guys!

    Sset - I miss you too, Grumpy.

    Tacita - (¡Á_¡Á)

    Grumpy - I miss you too, Taci! (?¡ä §Ù `)¥Î

    Tacita - ¡£¡£¡£¥ß©c(¡££¾£¼)¥Î

    Grumpy - You won''t run away! ©¤=¡Ô¦²((( ¤Ä£¾£¼)¤Ä

    Sset - Just please don¡¯t push it, Noname.

    Noname - You know me.

    Sset - That¡¯s why I''m worried.

    Noname - It will be fine.

    Sset - I always get chills when you say that.

    Tacita - /¨v/\¨q(??Òæ??)¨r/\¨u\

    Grumpy - £Ü(©–_£ï)£¯

    Noname - Just don¡¯t forget our schedule in case something screws up.

    Sset - I would not forget. I got to go, see you later. Stay safe.

    Noname - Stay safe.

    Tacita - (? o ?)¡è=[]:::::>

    Grumpy - (¡ä? ¦Ø ?`) ?

    After closing the Community, I use one of my Ley Lines and appear in the Common room with a few of the original owners. They immediately jump to their feet in a rush to greet me.

    I just gesture in acknowledgment and check the pile of materials they¡¯ve piled up to see if I can find anything interesting. Disappointed at not finding anything, I move to teleport away when I get stopped.

    ¡°Boss!¡± one of the men calls.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask, turning to him. His face seems familiar, ¡°Oh, you are¡­ E¡­ B-something.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already forgotten my name three times, so what¡¯s the point of trying at this point?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! I just wanted to report that I saw a few members of a neighboring group sneaking around, just outside your defenses.¡±

    ¡°Are they strong?¡± I ask with interest.

    ¡°They outnumber us five to one,¡± he notes seriously, ¡°and they have experts on destroying defensive arrays. Before you¡­ ehm, took over, we tended to have trouble with them.¡±

    Oh boy, I would love to see them try to do something to my [Ley Line] based defensive array.

    ¡°Just ignore them. If they attack, let Lily know, she¡¯ll take care of them.¡±

    Teleporting away, I find myself in Hollowgate, the thread I set easily reaching across the distance without being noticed. Though if I¡¯m being honest someone may have noticed and found they couldn¡¯t disrupt it.

    Without my crown, I feel naked, and with Sneaky Mode deployed, my mana feels foreign, but it¡¯s useful and little bother if it means not dealing with the annoying people who tend to swarm me.

    Relying on my memory, I weave through the crowds, breaking the arms of two pickpockets, as I continue deeper into the nicer parts of the city.

    Using Wraith Dance, I leap to the roof of one of the nicer houses, send a ripple of my mana through the barrier, and pass through, leaping into the massive yard where a gathering is already underway.

    Everyone¡¯s levels are much higher than the random people outside, and I get a few curious looks of my own. As I push through them, one man tries to grab me, but all it takes is a single burst of kinetic energy to send him rolling to the ground.

    This time I don¡¯t even have to repeat the demonstration, and I make my way over to a pair of guards, both of whom are uncommonly bulky. One is a thylarin with four swords, and the other is a feylith with a lazy smile.

    ¡°The boss is waiting inside,¡± the feylith says, gesturing as the door unlocks, and allows me to pass through.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    The house opens up to a series of dark hallways lit by a number of yellow flames floating in the air like ensconced torches. Passing by them, I come to another door and enter an office dominated by a huge table seated before a massive window. That window offers a stunning view into a beautiful garden on the other side.

    With a cough, the man behind the table grabs my attention. A thylarin in expensive clothes, specially made for a member of a four armed race such as the man before me. His clothes are a stunning shade of white woven through with golden threads, making for a nice contrast against his pale blue skin.

    ¡°I heard someone offed Ellan yesterday,¡± he says in a deep, slow voice.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Thylarin mage, no. 10 in all of Hollowgate?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that guy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, a 200-year-old Champion Candidate. A man who spent the last 50 years here in Astral Prison. The man they used to call Mage Bane.¡±

    ¡°The one who was supposed to be out of the city for a few days?¡± Instead of grabbing one of the chairs, I make my own, reliable, monobloc chair with its classic nostalgic design and sit down.

    ¡°Yes. Someone who, according to all information, should have been far away from the city and very unexpectedly wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Quite a bad piece of information,¡± I nod. ¡°I can imagine that such bad information could have easily cost the lives of¡­ let¡¯s say two brave ¡®collectors¡¯ who were relying on that person being far away from the city.¡±

    ¡°Things like that just happen sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Not when it comes to my people, Fynn.¡±

    There is a long moment of silence and I notice a growing tension in the man¡¯s face.

    ¡°Nathaniel, I would very strongly recommend that you be reasonable and consider what you are about to do right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a very reasonable person, Fynn. You know that.¡± As he stares at me, I add to the statement, sensing the movement of his arm under the table, ¡°If you raise the alarm, I will blow your entire guild off the surface of this prison along with that shitty array of yours.¡±

    I sense him freeze in place, and he very carefully pulls back, all four hands placed on the table for me to see.

    ¡°There will be an expedition into the mines in a few days,¡± I start again.

    ¡°Yes, the one being led by the Hoarders with The Witch in it. One of the largest in the past ten years.¡±

    ¡°Yup, that one. We already applied, so make sure we pass and they don¡¯t do too much of a background check on us. If you do that I will forgive you for passing on such unreliable information.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s going to require a lot of effort.¡±

    ¡°That sucks.¡±

    ¡°It really does, but fine. Consider it done. And I mean really done, no mistakes this time. I will personally make sure of that.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good!¡±

    Jumping to my feet I take a step towards the shelf and grab a mana stone carved into the shape of a hollow cube with some kind of weird inscription that gives off a nice light.

    ¡°Is it fine if I take this?¡± I ask the man, already putting it into my pocket.

    ¡°I¡­ do you even¡­ haa, yes. Please consider it a gift from me, Nathaniel.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, you truly are a nice guy. See you later.¡±

    As I make my exit through the door, one of the guards blocks my way. It¡¯s the bulky thylarin with four swords. He and his partner seem to be highly trusted, demonstrated by the weird connection they have that allows them to listen to what¡¯s happening in the room.

    ¡°Mais, please let him go,¡± Fynn calls from inside.

    The guard doesn¡¯t budge, channeling kinetic energy through his body using a trait I noticed long ago. I¡¯ve wanted to fight this guy for a while¡ªMais, also known as the Spinecrusher, ranked No. 7 in Hollowgate.

    I take a step toward him, releasing an amount of kinetic energy to match his own, feeling the weight of it building in the air. Mais responds, increasing his output as the tension sharpens to a razor¡¯s edge. His hands hover closer to the swords at his sides, the flicker of violence rising in his eyes. The space between us tightens, energy crackling between us as though one wrong move could set everything off.

    ¡°Mais! Stop before we all fucking die here!¡± This shout is much louder and more desperate, catching the attention of the people around us.

    Only then does the guy manage to calm himself and take a step back.

    I feel the pressure begin to dissipate as he pulls back, and I make one last corny attempt at baiting him, hoping to amuse myself with a decent brawl, ¡°Yeah, Mais, be a good boy.¡±

    To my disappointment, he doesn¡¯t bite. Sure, he seems to be more pissed off, but that¡¯s all.

    As he steps away, I pass by and wave at the second guard, who waves back at me with a smile, his eyes and hair blazing a happy shade of red along with the small wings flickering on his back.

    Melo, also called The Nightmare, no. 5 in Hollowgate, the kind of person even Fynn rarely gives orders to.

    After jumping across a few roofs and a quick teleport later, I visit a few shops and return to the fort we lord over as Angry Kittens, directly jumping into the room this time. Here, in relative safety, I put more effort into the training that¡¯s been going on in the back of my mind the entire time.

    Separating a small part of my mind, I form a simple evil cube and wonder over it. It¡¯s an upgrade I made by modifying the orb after becoming familiar with the shaping exercises Lissandra gave me.

    Lissandra has amazing mastery over mana, and her flow is smooth, perfectly controlled, and sharp.

    My style of control is more chaotic, and it¡¯s something I¡¯m starting to account for with my shaping exercises, especially the 1st one, where I¡¯m constantly having to control multiple frequencies and manage an ever-changing set of mana requirements just to maintain the thing.

    Changing the shape to a cube allowed the mana inside the shape to bounce more chaotically and made its movements nearly impossible to predict. Even after a few months, I''m still not sure what I expect to get from it, but I¡¯ve decided to continue. Lately, I¡¯ve even started changing the shape into a pyramid, which made it even more difficult, the mana inside the shape bouncing and swirling even more unpredictably.

    Someone smarter could probably explain the reasons behind it since I expected the cube to be more chaotic¡ªbut not me.

    With a wave of my hand, the cube disappears, and I bring my mind back to the previous method of training, leaving just a tiny bit to continue thinking as I throw myself back onto the bed and stare at the ceiling.

    ¡°System, show me my level.¡±

    Lvl 291

    It¡¯s pretty, and I¡¯m fairly certain that even with as much effort as I directed to training at the expense of leveling, I¡¯m probably one of the highest levels in our round. Perhaps even the highest. And I¡¯m just nine levels away from my Primary Class upgrade. I''m really curious how the system will deal with it, given that I already have all ten of my allotted active skills, and the Primary class always seems to bring more along for the ride.

    ¡°System, order me pizza. I will pay 10,000 shards.¡±

    Nothing changes, obviously. Looking at the terrifying number of shards I currently possess, I don¡¯t think I would miss those 10,000.

    It¡¯s really tough out here.

    Lastly, before settling in to sleep for the next two hours, I decide to check on Biscuit.

    (Food.) I send through the link the twins created. The one that works despite Biscuit¡¯s current distance.

    (Food,) he sends back mysteriously.

    (Food food?) I ask.

    (Food!) he answers right away.

    (Asshole!) I send back.

    (Gone. Food. Food.)

    (Food,) I confirm, and over the next few exchanges, I tell him about our plans, until we finally say goodbye, focusing my attention back on the ceiling.

    Damn, I miss that corgi. It¡¯s already been a few months since he went on his secluded training like some hidden master, and after not being able to boop that nose for so long, I''m starting to get close to my limit.

    [Bone Knitting - lvl 18 > Bone Knitting - lvl 19]

    Finally, the skill levels up, and I take a break from my efforts. The bones, which had been itching until now, finally settle, and the mana threads dissolve, the energy returning to my pathways to continue cycling through my body.

    Only then do I close my eyes and allow myself to fall asleep.

 Chapter 473 - The Witch

    Days pass by quickly. Filled with mana training, getting taught and then killed by Whitey, and giving pointers to Lily and the twins.

    There isn¡¯t any talk anymore about making them change difficulties. Even when they¡¯re not combining forces to fight, they¡¯re still dangerous. They don¡¯t flinch anymore when they get hurt. They¡¯re quick to learn and much more experienced when it comes to combat. They¡¯re surprisingly patient and don¡¯t hesitate to stretch out battles as needed, gradually building up an advantage.

    Their projections are amazing, to be honest. Mimicking mana signatures, and heat, while imitating the vibrations of true motion. I can see a lot of potential in these projections of theirs and I¡¯ve worked hard to help them improve.

    Honestly, I¡¯m capable of doing something similar myself. And with my superior control over mana and the proper application of kinetic and thermal energy, it even comes fairly easy. But I''m the type that prefers dealing damage to such trickery, so I don¡¯t spend much time practicing myself¡ªit¡¯s just something to do when I feel bored. So their projections are currently much better than mine.

    [Connection] is a straight-up broken skill, much like [Resonance]. The things we¡¯ve come up with lately are¡­ scary at times. In a good way. Like I always say, if you can hurt yourself with your own skill it¡¯s a bad sign for your opponent.

    I don¡¯t mean it in a maniacal way of course. Your body naturally adapts to your skills, allowing you to endure their use. So, in theory, using a skill that causes damage to yourself should hurt your opponent even more. For example, Lily¡¯s body and bones can withstand [Disintegration], but if she were to use it on anyone else with the exact same stats and traits, they¡¯d be completely wrecked.

    Even though we both tried, even working together, we couldn¡¯t figure out exactly how it works or how skills influence the body, but it''s something we¡¯ll definitely return to later.

    As for the twins, my instinct to push them into training their mana proved to be an excellent decision¡ªas always¡ªand even though they currently need to combine their minds to take over most skills, they now have a clear path ahead of them.

    I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll ever be the strongest 1v1 guys, but 2v1 they are scary, and in cooperation with people like me, there¡¯s definitely hell to be made.

    And then we come to Lily¡­ yeah, there is no need to worry about her.

    Two days before the expedition, Biscuit also returns.

    An unidentified floating object appears on the horizon. It¡¯s shaped kind of like a burrito and it moves surprisingly fast. That floating object just so happens to be on the list of exceptions to my defensive array and therefore passes through easily, slowing to a stop over the garden where all of us happen to be.

    Announcing his majestic presence with a loud cry of (Food), our future overlord slowly lowers himself, landing on the ground with a cute surprised noise as he lets go of his levitation a bit early and falls a bit further than he expected.

    It¡¯s been two months since I last saw him. Calculating the 10 boops per day I usually did, that¡¯s 600 boops I¡¯ve missed out on, and they still need to be delivered.

    Ever since the Golden Retriever accident, we¡¯ve made some changes, so Biscuit ignores others and stops in front of me.

    I immediately lift him to my chest, reveling in the familiar feeling, weight, and scent of the best corgi of the 6th floor. He boops my nose with his paw, I caress his tiny head, and let him happily lick me while he wags his short tail, taking the rest of his body along for the ride with sheer inertia.

    Only then do I release him to greet the others.

    I¡¯m allowed to pet other animals, and Biscuit is allowed to be pet by other people, but he will be my number one, and I will be his. With that simple deal, the dark times brought about by the Golden Retriever incident have finally ended.

    I would love to know what he¡¯s been doing to train, given that I only ever get flashes of memory, but I suppose time will tell soon enough. It¡¯s about time something went wrong and threw our plans into disarray.

    Those near-death experiences I¡¯ve had over the past five months just don¡¯t feel the same as they used to. Lily and the twins probably wouldn¡¯t agree, though. There was that time Dennis got cut in half by that one guy, Lily got trapped under a mountain while she was hunting a high-level monster, and Aaron was poisoned and got paralyzed for three days before we finally figured out a way to cure him.

    Things like that are just things I¡¯ve accepted as part of life in the tutorial. If they don¡¯t like it, they can switch to Hard difficulty, where they¡¯ll probably have no trouble clearing each floor on their own.

    The old pre-tutorial me would probably be a bit shocked by that way of thinking, but what can I do? Screw that guy.

    That thought also makes me curious to know how he would react and what a conversation between us would look like.

    <hr>

    ¡°You are free,¡± I tell the man whose name I¡¯ve already forgotten.

    ¡°I¡­ why are you giving me an old sock?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a custom where I¡¯m from.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry, I didn¡¯t want to insu¡ª¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. As I said, we will leave the rooms unlocked, and we¡¯re leaving some stuff behind, so you guys can sort it out, kill each other over them if you like, or settle it some other way.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    ¡°You also mentioned that neighboring group that was sneaking around, right? Lily checked on them last night, and I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be making trouble anymore. If you are lucky, you might even take over what¡¯s left. But don''t expect any fancy items or materials, we took them all.¡±

    "If she¡¯s the one who went there, there won¡¯t be many people left alive to conscript. But thanks, we¡¯ll¡ª"

    ¡°Sure,¡± I say, waving him off and teleporting away, reappearing in my underground lab.

    The only way to get here is by teleporting through the Ley Line that leads here. Otherwise, the lab is deep enough to be almost perfectly shielded.

    I did have some trouble getting breathable air down here, but I solved it with a set of mana stones¡ªinspired by the one that the blacksmith gave me back on Beyond¡¯s entrance floor.

    Right now, the lab feels unusually tidy, gone are the chaotic piles of items and materials that were scattered all over the place. The best and most useful items were packed away in our bags, and the rest were either sold to the system shop or left up in my room, which I¡¯m sure is already in the process of being looted.

    The only thing of note remaining in the lab is the inscribed bust with my crown hovering over it. The bust serves to stabilize the crown so it doesn¡¯t lose mana while it''s not over my head.

    With the bust currently charged, the crown should be able to remain there for two or three weeks without any trouble, and the Ley Line thread connected to it makes it possible to summon it to my location.

    To avoid annoying questions during the expedition and to avoid immediate conflict with a certain person, I plan to leave it here and summon it at the first sign of trouble, which I¡¯m sure will happen soon enough. Until then, I at least won¡¯t be bothered by these people.

    I mean, I could probably just take over the expedition at this point, but that would be too annoying.

    Giving my precious crown one last look, I teleport to the door to Lily¡¯s room and knock.

    ¡°Come in!¡± she calls a few moments later, and I enter.

    ¡°You should have been packed an hour ago,¡± I note looking at her messy room.

    ¡°I know, I know!¡± She deflects, turning to me and holding a dress in front of her. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    The dress is a pale shade of blue, with a skirt that comes to an end just over her knees. The design is a bit weird.

    ¡°Huh, no good.¡± She mumbles, reading something in my face I didn¡¯t even know was there, and throws it on the ground, quickly choosing another in its place, this one is a very dark shade of red. ¡°This one?¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s where your pocket money went?¡±

    ¡°This one¡¯s no good either, huh,¡± she sighs, throwing it aside. ¡°And yes! I¡¯m a young woman, of course, I like to dress well. Though, other women probably wouldn¡¯t care about clothes in a situation like this, so maybe it¡¯s just me, but you know what I mean!"

    Lily picks another dress, this one dark blue with thin shoulder straps, ¡°This one?¡±

    ¡°That one looks the best so far. Do you think you¡¯ll be using it anytime soon?¡±

    Happily, she throws it on the bed and starts folding it carefully before putting a small mana stone on it and stowing it in some kind of protective bag, before adding it to her other things.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be needing it, that¡¯s why I¡¯m only taking the one and leaving the rest. Before you ask, the mana stone is supposed to help keep insects, dirt, mold, and other stuff away from the cloth. I don¡¯t have very many, so no you can¡¯t have one¡ªyou would just break it to see how it works.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible accusation. If that happened, I would make you a new one.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure! And then for some unknown reason, you would add in an additional function that would cause it to overload with mana and explode. Do you remember that mana stone that was supposed to keep my clothes smelling fresh?¡±

    This time I can¡¯t help but defend myself, ¡°That bullshit stone was clearly a scam and didn¡¯t work to begin with.¡±

    ¡°So why did it explode?¡±

    ¡°It had an interesting structure that gave me an idea so I modified it a bit and¡­ that¡¯s not the point! Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I guess.¡± After shrugging her bag on, she takes a few steps, grabbing the massive ax made from her bones, and a nostalgic smile crosses her face as she looks over the room for the last time. ¡°I think I may have gotten a bit attached to this room. I think I might miss it for a while after this.¡±

    ¡°I can understand that.¡±

    ¡°These past few months have been great, honestly. It¡¯s been really fun having all of us together, and I¡¯d love to keep that going. Hopefully, we get to spend more time together like this.¡±

    ¡°Nice jinx. The expedition will go great.¡±

    After a short laugh, she tightens her posture, gray mana swirling around her, in the shape of a mantle.

    "Everything will be fine, you¡¯ll see. I¡¯m here," Lily says, full of unwavering confidence.

    <hr>

    We find ourselves in the same yard where the twins got themselves caught not so long ago. Despite losing one of their strongest, The Gravelhands have managed to hold onto their fort, which stands tall, guarding one of the largest entrances to the mines beneath Hollowgate.

    There are probably a few hundred people all told, and going by the results of past expeditions, only around 10-50% will return. Between the monsters, other members of the expedition, battles for resources, and unresolved disputes it would be fairly easy to disappear down there.

    So while Dennis is speaking with a smaller group of leaders, we wait off to the side, while I observe the people around us.

    One of them is the no. 1 in Hollowgate, a thylarin woman known as The Witch, and she clearly has a [Mana Crown] floating over her head. I would recognize it anywhere.

    [Terra Shaper - lvl 306]

    There¡¯s a rumor going around about the Witch. Some say she only ever joins an expedition once every ten years, then retreats to her manor, spending the following years charging her crown for the next journey. That¡¯s why her crown is such a deep shade of blue with streaks of light purple and pale blue swirling across the surface.

    The sheer amount of mana it holds can¡¯t be hidden¡ªjust being near her feels like the air itself is growing heavier as if the immense power she¡¯s carrying could crush everything around her.

    Then there¡¯s my good friend, the thylarin with his kinetic energy and four swords quick to hand. For some reason, it seems like he¡¯s decided to join the expedition. He isn¡¯t looking at me, but I¡¯m sure he knows that I¡¯m here, and he¡¯s standing close to The Witch¡ªas if he intends to serve as her bodyguard.

    Well, color me surprised if this expedition won¡¯t be fun.

 Chapter 474 - Relentless passage of time

    There are still a few payments to be made, along with the final checks, and last minute confirmations¡ªjust the kind of annoying tasks the twins insisted on handling themselves.

    After that, we pass through a door carved into the rock trailing behind the main group and enter a wide tunnel with a low ceiling. Soon though, the space opens up, revealing a massive hollow within the mountain.

    That hole is about as wide as a city block and has a set of stairs carved into the side that spiral down. The staircase is wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and there¡¯s obviously no railing to be seen. A single misstep would be enough to send the average person plummeting to their death.

    I¡¯m sure we have plenty of members who could survive the fall with flight, or teleportation, if not through the use of some other fancy skill. Hell, some of the races we¡¯ve seen can fly as is. But I¡¯m also sure some would die from falling down, and that¡¯s because of the glow that can be seen deep below. A molten river of lava swirling and flowing through the caverns beneath us.

    ¡°We¡¯re not sure what it¡¯s made of, but for those who haven''t heard, there¡¯s a river of molten material flowing through here,¡± one of the leaders says, informing the rest of the group. ¡°Some of you might think you could survive falling into it, but let me warn you: that river moves fast. It will drag you under and carry you deep beneath the rock, far away from here, to wherever it leads.¡±

    He grabs a small stone and throws it down, the stone falls for almost twenty seconds before it hits the surface. And I estimate that the river sets about a mile below us.

    ¡°This expedition is headed to the lower floors of the mines into a tunnel that runs along that river of lava. If you want to complain, complain to the leaders of your parties. Everyone was informed. Let''s move !¡±

    There¡¯s no organization, no elaborate planning¡ªthere¡¯s too little trust for any of that. The group will rely on the sheer force of numbers when danger arises, and everyone knows it. It feels less like a unified expedition and more like a number of large groups that just happen to be moving in the same direction.

    The first group begins descending the stairs, slowly making their way down. No one flies, teleports, or moves quickly. Instead, they choose to walk, and as our turn rolls around, I think I might understand why. The molten materials that make up the river below generate some sort of field that seems to have a disruptive effect. While the stairs seem to be somewhat shielded, the exposed chasm to our side is filled with a constantly fluctuating disruptive field.

    It¡¯s very fascinating to me, and I have to wonder if this is the result of the molten blend of mana-conductive metals violently mixing together in the churning currents of the river. The effect isn¡¯t strong enough to cause me much trouble, and I bet there are plenty of people who could say the same.

    As for the stairs, even though they are undamaged, it¡¯s weirdly fun to walk on them while watching the glow of the river deep below given that the stairs are basically just stone plates sticking out of the wall, with holes in between each step.

    (It feels like we are descending to hell,) Dennis grumbles, issuing our first complaint.

    (Food?)

    (Nat?)

    (He¡¯s asking if there is food in Hell.)

    (I don¡¯t know, Biscuit,) Dennis answers.

    Biscuit seems to be disappointed but continues to look at the people walking behind us. He is currently held in my arms, my hand supporting his backside, as he rests his chin and neck on my shoulder, looking behind me.

    While we are descending, I observe the effect of the river on the mana I radiate into the air and listen to some of the guys talking behind us.

    ¡°First number two died a few months back, and I¡¯ll be damned if I wouldn¡¯t have sworn the man was too angry to die. Then a month ago number eight went down, and just a few days ago we lost number ten. Is there someone hunting these guys?¡±

    I notice the twins stiffen when number eight is mentioned.

    (No worries, I cleared the tracks you made.) I inform them, sending it through our link.

    (Yeah, I know. It just made me remember that guy. I swear, Nat, he popped up out of nowhere like some fucking scout selling cookies,) Dennis shivers.

    (He also cut you in half as he was dying,) his brother reminds him.

    I redirect my attention back to the guys talking behind us.

    ¡°¡­ and what if they¡¯re gunning The Witch or Spinecrusher? And don¡¯t forget Babyface, there are three of them.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Spinecrusher or Babyface, but wouldn¡¯t The Witch just fuck up anyone who tried to go against her? It¡¯s been ten years since she went anywhere. At this point, she might as well be sweating mana, I swear.¡±

    ¡°What do you think would happen to all that mana if someone killed her?¡±

    ¡°The mana would be fine, we would be beyond screwed.¡±

    ¡°So damn funny. Ha ha. And fucking hell, don¡¯t push me! I almost fell.¡±

    ¡°Just look where you¡¯re stepping.¡±

    As the conversation begins to deviate from anything resembling an interesting topic, I stop listening and notice that Biscuit is curiously sniffing at the shortsword in the sheath on my waist. It doesn¡¯t seem like he can actually sense anything from the weapon itself, after al,l I¡¯m sure I sealed it properly.

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    We would know if it wasn¡¯t. All of us would know.

    (Nat, I¡¯ve been wanting to ask for a while, but why did you shape that thing like a sword?) Dennis asks through our network.

    Their interest peaked, Aaron and Lily rush to listen in too.

    I step to the side for a better view below. The glow from the river of magma below us cuts through the darkness around us, aided by the few lights others have brought. The enormous size of the hole brings my adventurous spirit to the fore. The only thing we''re missing is an old note from a dwarven expedition lamenting that they dug too deep.

    (I thought about a number of shapes,) I send in a response. (It could have been a staff, javelin, spear, axe, sphere, cube, and more, but the sword felt like the most familiar and easiest thing for me to move around. It¡¯s as simple as that.)

    Dennis, who likes his shortsword and dagger, adds happily, (Swords are cool! Elegant, slim, and they don¡¯t tend to draw too much attention, unlike Lily¡¯s ax, which is bigger than she is.)

    His brother adds, (I don¡¯t know, man. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re not just staring at Lily because of the axe. She is quite the looker you know.)

    ([Surgery],) Dennis says smartly.

    (Wasn¡¯t it [Plastic Surgery]?) Aaron asks.

    (It evolved.)

    (Oh!)

    (You two know I¡¯m also here right? Should I leave you cut in half next time, Dennis? Oh, and do you remember that toxin, Aaron?)

    Aaron energetically shakes his head. (Lily, I know Dennis. If you leave him that way, each half will regrow, and you¡¯ll have two annoying jerks to deal with instead of one. You really shouldn¡¯t let that happen, for all our sakes.)

    (That¡¯s true,) Dennis agrees in a serious tone. (And I saw Aaron eat terrible things back on Earth. He¡¯s the kind of guy who drinks orange juice after brushing his teeth. Some random toxin would mean nothing to an abomination like that.)

    The conversation continues as we continue our walk down the narrow stairs projecting from the walls of the hole. It¡¯s all friendly banter, and it might feel careless, but I know very well that all three of them are on their guard even though they¡¯re acting like this.

    It¡¯s a habit I¡¯ve worked hard to instill in them over the past months.

    <hr>

    When we finally find ourselves just over the molten river and the expedition starts funneling into the target tunnel, I pause, bringing the rest of my small group to a stop with me.

    (I bet he wants to jump down there just to see how the disruption effect works and if proximity would change its effect on him.)

    I decide to ignore the heinous message and focus on the river. Curious, I activate [Ley Line] and toss the thread down, tied to a piece of metal I pull from my bag¡ªa metal I know won¡¯t melt anytime soon. Before it¡¯s completely dragged under and carried away, I anchor it to the wall.

    The river does nothing to it. Ley Line holds like a champ, without losing a hint of integrity. I leave it there and head into the tunnel, with two more threads following me, both connected to the surface.

    <hr>

    Not too far into the tunnel, we come across some abandoned machinery¡ªrusted, crumbling, and long forgotten. Each piece is intricate, covered in strange, unfamiliar inscriptions that give hints at their original purpose. There are empty slots where mana stones should have gone, likely to be used as power sources, but now nothing remains. The machines themselves are varied in design, each one seemingly tailored for a specific task, and all of them equally fascinating even in their state of decay, resting against the walls or buried under rock.

    One machine is particularly large, with gears that no longer turn, and metal joints crumbling with age. Another is smaller, more delicate, almost like it was meant for more precise work. The inscriptions, though alien, almost look familiar to me in a way I can¡¯t quite place. I stop for a moment to study them, my fingers touching the patterns etched into the surface. Then I spot a piece of strange alloy, something that catches my eye, and pocket it.

    The group ahead continues moving and there is no more time to linger. With a final glance at the abandoned machines, I quickly catch up, knowing they won¡¯t wait for us.

    <hr>

    At the front of the expedition, fights break out as monsters begin attacking the lead members. The creatures are dealt with quickly, their ambushes barely slowing our group¡¯s progress, but judging by the reactions of the people around me, it¡¯s clear that the danger¡¯s only just beginning.

    I can sense monsters burrowing through the tunnel walls, slithering beneath our feet, and moving just above our heads, hidden in the shadows. Their movements are subtle and unmistakable, like the tremors and heat generated by their bodies, or the hint of mana they leave behind them.

    For now, there are only a few dozen, but even at this distance, I can feel the presence of hundreds more lurking far beyond.

    Waiting. Preparing.

    <hr>

    Further into the tunnel, we come across several old campsites littered with broken tents, abandoned cooking implements, and some empty crates scattered around. These are all very old, likely not from any recent expeditions.

    If someone were to tell me they were leftovers from before this moon was turned into a prison, I would believe them. All of these remains crumble to dust with the weakest vibrations or the simplest touch.

    It¡¯s thrilling to imagine that hundreds of years ago, there were people walking these same tunnels¡ªliving, eating, and interacting with each other¡ªnever thinking that centuries later, there would be people like us staring at the remnants they left behind.

    And a feeling not unlike nostalgia captivates me.

    If I die, sometime far in the future, will someone one day have the opportunity to look at what I¡¯ve left behind, unaware of my thoughts, hopes, and struggles? Will the name Nathaniel Gwyn be forgotten, along with everyone who ever knew me, and will all these adventures we¡¯ve been through be erased by the relentless passage of time?

    It¡¯s both fascinating and a little sad.

    Before we move on, I offer Lily a bottle of water, and she takes a sip with a thankful smile. I insert a lame joke into the twins¡¯ conversation, give Biscuit a quick pat, and then we leave the place behind.

 Chapter 475 - Know your place

    (Why are the monsters not trying to cause a cave in? So deep underground we would be screwed,) Dennis wonders as we find our path blocked by yet another cave-in.

    (They are. There are monsters trying to weaken the rock around us right now, but the Witch is preventing them from succeeding by solidifying it,) I reply, as I look back at another molten river we just passed over. It moves just as quickly as the first one, and I think I may have noticed something suspicious about its shape.

    (Huh, but wouldn¡¯t that be too much effort?)

    (Not really. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s even touched the mana in her crown yet, and trust me, she has a shitload of mana stored in it.)

    (More than you have in your crown?)

    (Ten to thirty times more than is currently in my crown.)

    Are you serious? You aren¡¯t joking, right? You aren''t making fun of me?)

    (I''m not.)

    (Isn¡¯t that too OP? With that much mana...)

    (The problem isn¡¯t storing it. I¡¯d bet that there are plenty of highly specialized mid to upper arcane items that could store more mana than her crown at its current level. The problem is channeling that mana and using it en-masse effectively.)

    As I say this Aaron decides to chip in, (So she has a big bottle of water and can only take small sips of it?)

    I shake my head, (It¡¯s more like she has a flamethrower. You can use it in short bursts and you might get your hair burned, but you¡¯ll be fine. But if you let it overheat, you¡¯ll set yourself on fire.)

    (So you need to make your body powerful enough to endure the flames¡­ or mana?)

    (And your mind.)

    (Your metaphor sucks, Nat. A flamethrower wouldn¡¯t burn your mind.)

    (So what? Come up with a better one if you want. But overall, I¡¯d say there¡¯s a reason they only come this deep once every 10 years and always bring her. Her crown and the way she handles the stone is a perfect combination for the dangers down here.)

    (Is she stronger than you?)

    The question makes me think for a moment. (I don¡¯t think so? At least not with what we¡¯ve seen from her so far. My skills seem to be more geared towards combat, and she¡¯s the kind of person who relies on her mana and crown. People like that are kind of screwed against me.)

    (And Lily? Do you think she could take her?) Aaron asks as well.

    (I think Lily would have a good chance against her on the surface, but she would need to be very quick and go all out from the start. Here underground, she would have to be very, very quick, otherwise, the Witch would just bury her.)

    (Tsk,) our healer grumbles.

    (No worries, Lily! You¡¯re still our favorite terminator!) Dennis quips, smirking as he turns to me once again. (What about me and Aaron?)

    (I think you two would be screwed.)

    Aaron sighs. (Well, that¡¯s it. Hard difficulty, here we come.)

    For a moment, that seems to scare Dennis, who examines my expression for a moment before quickly turning to Aaron and punching him in the shoulder, followed by a quick private exchange of messages between them.

    Aaron catches my eyes and smirks at me.

    (I¡¯ve noticed it before, Nat, but you seem to take more of a passive stance during expeditions like this.) While the brothers fight, Lily comments, taking a step closer to me.

    (What exactly have you noticed?)

    (A lot!) She quips, fixing the giant axe on her back, the weight not seeming to bother her much. (Most of the time, you let people around you do their thing. You even tend to let them push you around, and sometimes even screw up, and you wait until things go completely off the rails before you jump in.)

    (Is that a bad thing?) I ask curiously.

    (I wouldn¡¯t say it was bad per se? But it might be better if you shared your knowledge right from the start and helped more, don¡¯t you think? The expedition would probably go much smoother as well.)

    (That would be annoying.) I say, stopping her before she can continue, (Before you call me an asshole for thinking that way. It would be different if it was another member of group 4 or, let¡¯s say, someone from Earth¡¯s tutorial.)

    (You didn¡¯t say anything back in the Mana Desert, but that was a favor you were doing for Tess, right?)

    (Yes. Can you wait a bit?) I ask, tapping Biscuit on the back, his chin still resting on my shoulder, as he looks at something behind me. (You¡¯re sniffing a lot. What have you noticed?)

    (Food!)

    (Translation, please.) Dennis asks, apparently done arguing with his brother, joins.

    (I think we¡¯re probably right, somewhere deep below the ground here is another Containment cell. And if Biscuit is right, the prisoner is of¡­ the edible kind.)

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    (Food! Food!) The corgi shouts in all of our minds, his tone full of excitement.

    <hr>

    We find ourselves under attack by exactly the kind of monsters one would expect in the environment we¡¯re traveling through.

    They¡¯re slim, with only two front limbs, each ending in a sharp set of claws, and their bodies continue on behind them ending in long tails. They tend to be covered in spikes and use toxic attacks, they try to cause cave-ins or break through the walls to grab unsuspecting people.

    [Caveprowler - lvl 222]

    [Caveprowler - lvl 241]

    [Caveprowler - lvl 221]

    And as we head deeper, their levels only get higher until we encounter one of the most dangerous creatures we¡¯ve seen so far.

    [Rotling - lvl 302]

    [Rotling - lvl ???]

    [Rotling - lvl 310]

    These ones generally don¡¯t get much bigger than a fist, much less as long as a forearm. They¡¯re usually tiny insect monsters with dozens of long legs and antennae, and their mouths though small are full of tiny, sharp teeth.

    I watch as one jumps at the man next to me, and without the slightest hint of resistance, it starts chewing through his sword, which is coated in mana. Long, sharp legs flickering around the weapon, trying to pierce the man.

    I take a short, quick step, and release a blast of kinetic energy just a moment before actually touching the monster. It flies off the man, crashing into the wall without showing any sign of damage.

    Someone else tries to smash it with a big hammer, but the Rotling quickly avoids it, its long sharp legs clicking against the rock, leaving a line of grooves in its wake as it rushes to attack someone else.

    Another one pierces through the wall behind me, jumping for my head, but its movement slows, and the monster starts floating in the air, each of its attempts at further motion filling me with kinetic energy.

    It¡¯s surprising how much strength that tiny body packs.

    I quickly create and compress a spear, stabbing it at the monster. It resists even that and starts grabbing at it, its mouth extending to gnaw away at my mana.

    Pulling the spear back, I strengthen it more, resonating the blade, and stab again.

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 303]

    Boosting my movement with kinetic energy, I reach another man, grabbing the insect from his back and throwing it to the floor. My heartbeat changes, slipping into the rhythm of Breaker Style, and I stomp the monster, releasing some of my collected kinetic energy in a localized fashion. The monster bursts open, without leaving so much as a crack in the rock below.

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 304]

    Another quick movement, and I move my head out of the way, just as another one passes by me. Twisting my waist, my left foot buries itself in the ground, and my hand extends, as I release energy through my palm.

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 301]

    At that point I spot one as it leaps from the ceiling, diving toward a woman who¡¯s apparently dumb enough to start casting a fire spell.

    A burst of my mana disrupts her skill, shock, and horror taking over her face as it deactivates, and she watches the monster fall toward her. The monster and the woman stop mid-motion. The beast¡¯s thin, long legs reaching for her fear-stricken face.

    I create a javelin, which bursts violently forth, piercing the monster and pinning it to the wall, where it twitches until it finally stops moving.

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 310]

    [Lvl 291 > Lvl 292]

    With that, the fight slowly comes to a stop, no more monsters are coming in, and the ones that initiated the attack are dealt with.

    (Can I heal the wounded?) Lily asks through our connection.

    (Do whatever you want.)

    She seems surprised at my answer but smiles and rushes off to help the most heavily injured with a nod, closing mortal wounds with ease, without using much mana or resorting to [Sacrifice].

    There are a few weaker healers, each with half a dozen guards, but none can compare to what Lily does, and I can see the shock etched on their faces.

    ¡°Hey, do you think this is a good idea?¡± Aaron asks, coming to a stop by my side and whispers so only I can hear.

    ¡°There are only three people in this expedition you should be worried about. The Witch, Babyface, and Mais. As long as you don¡¯t get jumped or stabbed in the back, the others shouldn¡¯t bother you at all, even if they attack in large groups. So, you look after Lily, and I¡¯ll keep an eye on the other three.¡±

    Both of us look toward The Witch far ahead. As usual, she says nothing, standing off to the side, her people dealing with the small annoyances around her.

    She¡¯s just a bit shorter than me, with the typical light blue skin of a thylarin. Unlike most of her kin though, she has six arms instead of four, slim and tucked away under her robe. Her short brown hair frames the pale yellow eyes that are quietly observing everything around her. Her crown floats lazily above her head, spinning slowly. Its design, much the same as my own, though hers has three distinct colors.

    ¡°And be very careful of that woman,¡± I add quietly. ¡°She¡¯s much more dangerous than I thought.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°She used mana from her crown to blast one of the monsters attacking her.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Nat, but I don¡¯t get¡­¡±

    I interrupt him and explain, ¡°In our previous conversation I mentioned that the crown has a weakness if you want to call it that. To expand on the metaphor, imagine the crown as a full water tank instead of a flamethrower, and you can expand that tank at will. It can be as small as a water bottle or as big as the reservoir behind a dam.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem that bad. So what¡¯s the problem?¡±

    ¡°The hole you use to access that water doesn¡¯t change. If your container is small and you want to let out some water, you don¡¯t have a problem. The problem starts when the container gets really big. Every time you twist that valve to get water, there¡¯s an immense amount of pressure from all the stored water trying to get out. The size of that valve, at least for [Mana Crown], doesn¡¯t change.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to get it¡­ and did you say her crown holds 10 to 30 times more than yours?¡±

    ¡°Yup, and she opened that valve and was able to take a tiny amount of mana just to blast a small monster away from her. I would have understood if she had channeled it for a while to power some powerful skill or release enough to make everyone here vomit their organs out. But no, she held all that mana at bay and, through that tiny valve, took just the tiniest wisp to deal with a nuisance.¡±

    ¡°Is it me, or do you seem happy about that, Nat?¡±

    I wave him off, my mind thinking it over. What I just described is a definite weakness of my crown and something I don¡¯t think that¡¯s unique to me. It means the more mana you store in your crown, the more difficult it is to use.

    If you open the valve too little, less mana will flow out, but the pressure will be higher and more intense, making it harder to control the flow of mana without getting hurt.

    If you open the valve fully, vast amounts of mana wash over you at once, emptying the crown much faster, as you risk drowning in the sheer amount of mana assuming you don¡¯t end up wasting it.

    That¡¯s just how scary what she did is.

    Finally, she notices me staring and turns her face toward me. Her yellow eyes radiate calm confidence, the kind that says she can handle anything¡ªwith an obvious hint of disdain.

    What she did earlier was a warning, a deliberate display of skill, likely meant for me¡ªno doubt a response to something Mais told her about me, and after sensing me observing her.

    To me it''s a single, unmistakable message: know your place.

 Chapter 476 - About time to leave

    A few hours later we enter one of the bigger tunnels after the Witch punches a hole through one of the walls revealing it, and allowing us to sidestep the cave-in. The resulting hole is about the width of a football stadium, and I watch intently as she works, Mais quietly keeping pace behind her.

    She stops in front of the wall and taps on it with a finger, sending ripples through the stone. The affected rock almost seems to melt, behaving like water as it bends to her will. It moves to the sides, it swirls, it compresses all around her, all while she calmly advances like some unstoppable force, the stone clearing a path for her under the influence of the mana from her crown.

    Once she¡¯s done, she steps aside, and the quasi-leader rushes in with a few more guys to run checks.

    ¡°As promised, we¡¯ve reached one of the smaller mining outposts, and this one isn''t on any maps, nor has it been visited before,¡± he shouts, his words quickly spreading. Yet everyone waits, and no one rushes in.

    Only after everyone¡¯s finally passed through does the Witch close the hole.

    The man continues, ¡°Three hours. Rest, eat, look around and loot. But let me give you a warning! If you want to fight amongst yourselves, that¡¯s fine, but if you take things too far, you will be dealt with. Go!¡±

    His words have barely left his mouth by the time everyone disperses throughout the massive cave, their skills lighting up the area as their overlapping scans trace every inch of ground.

    There are a few dozen small buildings off to the side: smithies, piles of rock, old broken crates full of refined metals and crystals. More seems to be hidden in the houses and other places. This is what most of these people are here for. Just a few handfuls of the right metal has every potential to make one very rich on the surface.

    (Nat, please recharge the creepy box; me and Aaron will do some looting.) Dennis states, handing me the small box densely inscribed and plated in voidcopper. After that, he and his brother disappear, more excited over the experience itself than any items they might find.

    That leaves Biscuit, Lily, and me off to the side, with Mais, the Witch, and a few others waiting on the opposite side of the cavern.

    As I sit on the ground, Biscuit moves closer and lays his head on my leg while Lily takes my other side.

    (It needs recharging already?) she asks.

    (It seems so.) I quickly check the inscriptions on the box, and all seems to be fine. (Can you check inside?)

    Lily takes it from me, carefully opening it and checking the bone she grew from her own finger and the grape-sized gray orb it contains.

    (The bone is already slightly worn down. I really need to work harder to keep it stronger, even when it¡¯s separated from me.) As she says this, she uses her healing skill, adjusts the gray orb slightly, and then closes it.

    (It¡¯s fine. Items like these are just for fun and experimenting.) I slide one of the panels a bit, revealing the mana stone inside, and touch it to charge it with my mana, topping off its flagging supply of mana.

    Without it, to power the container, the shielding and inscriptions on the bones inside would fail.

    (But we spent so much time on that box,) Lily complains.

    (Yeah, and you''ve learned a lot from it, just like I have.) I say, staring at the box in my hands. (But at the same time, it can be discarded and made anew.)

    As I store it away, Lily glances at the sword on my waist. (Even the sword? If you¡¯d like, I can take a look, just to see how it¡¯s holding up.)

    I glance at the sword and touch the hilt. (No need; it seems fine for now. My main goal in having the four of us work on the sword was to evolve my skills. I even partially succeeded, but otherwise, the sword is a failure. A few months, maybe a year? It won¡¯t last beyond that. Until then, I''ll learn as much from it as I can.)

    (That seems like a kinda sad way of thinking. It¡¯s something all of us made with a lot of effort. Of course, you did most of the work, but you know what I mean. It would be nice to have it as a reminder.)

    It¡¯s amusing to watch her try to avoid getting tangled in the conversation, and I say, (I value these memories and knowledge more. Given the dangerous nature of our current expedition, I might be jinxing it, but we¡¯ve already created a few items together¡ªso there¡¯s nothing stopping us from making many more in the future.)

    A slow smile spreads across her face. (I loved working on that sword too, but yes, if you keep jinxing us like that, we might all end up dead.)

    <hr>

    About three hours pass and the twins return. Their clothes aren¡¯t damaged, and they look clean, but I can feel that they¡¯ve been in a fight. It¡¯s like when you use the engine for a while and turn it off¡ªit still radiates some heat. That¡¯s what I feel coming from their bodies right now.

    (We managed to get a few bits of voidcopper and voidsteel. Aaron picked up some weird-ass crystals. People seemed happy, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything special. Do you think we¡¯re getting spoiled? Are you our sugar daddy, Nat?)

    (Please never say those words again.)

    (Did saying that increase the difficulty of our future training?) he asks.

    (Yes.)

    (Screw you.)

    (If you really want to complain, get stronger and beat me up.)

    (You know, Nat, after these months together I can really see why the system offered you Patience, Greed, and Pride. You can be surprisingly chill when someone bothers you, patient, even. Savant would be proud.)

    (Yo, don¡¯t push our luck.) Aaron snaps, nudging him a bit too firmly as he hands me some mana crystals he found.

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    All of them are epic rarity, but they¡¯re a kind I haven¡¯t seen yet, so after a quick examination, I pocket them.

    Neither of the twins complain or asks for anything in exchange. They never do, but owing them would feel weird, even though they claim that my training is payment enough.

    So I make equipment for them every once in a while.

    (Recharged,) I say, handing the box to Dennis. (Don¡¯t lose it.)

    (I love how he says it every time,) Dennis sighs, looking at his brother.

    (Should I remind you how many shards I could get for the value of the materials in that box?) I ask him.

    (Please don¡¯t. I will cry. Also, Aaron and I have noticed something really fun. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it, want to hear it?)

    (Tell me.)

    I then feel multiple checks of the links between us, as the twins focus on strengthening them so no one can listen in. With growing curiosity, I do some checks of my own, and for a moment deploy the array structure stored in the back of my mind, creating a field around us.

    With a big smile, Dennis says, (The Witch is connected to someone deep below us, likely so that she can communicate with them. And we¡¯re heading in their direction.)

    The little jerk knows me all too well. A couple of ideas immediately form in my head as I start coming up with reasons, ideas, and countermeasures. The tips of my fingers tingle, and the background noises fade away as a new mystery takes over my mind.

    With it comes a bit of annoyance that I had not noticed that connection. Sure, the twins have a skill called [Connection] and they¡¯ve spent more time training it than I have with my [Perception], rather I¡¯ve been focusing on my other skills. There will always be people better at certain things, at their specialties, than I am, but¡­

    (Are you thinking what we¡¯re thinking?) Aaron asks. He says "we," but knowing the brothers, Aaron¡¯s the more thoughtful of the two, and he probably came up with the idea before Dennis.

    I agree with a nod, (It seems like her goal isn''t much different from ours.)

    <hr>

    POV Sophie Martinez

    I pass through a gate that closes behind me, the guards redeploying the defensive array after greeting me. Gesturing in acknowledgment, I keep my mask on and walk the tree-framed pathway leading to the tower made of white stone.

    As I walk, I do checks of the array around me, deploying my own locks on top of the guards''.

    I stop in front of the door and close my eyes, doing checks of my mind, looking for any signs of foreign mana, mind parasites, influence, trackers, all of it. Lastly, I deploy a cleansing structure, and only then do I pass through the door that I open for myself.

    Another set of guards greets me, these ones with a deep bow.

    My assistant Mila hurries over. ''We¡¯ve received messages from the Archon and the Circle. The Archon requests your presence at a gala dinner in a few days to celebrate a new addition to the Circle¡ªit''s Orik, just as you predicted.

    "Please confirm my attendance. Now what¡¯s the message from the Circle?"

    ¡°The monthly maintenance of the Framework is coming up, and this time you¡¯ve been invited to participate!¡¯ Her eyes sparkle with excitement. ¡°No one as young as you has ever been invited before!¡±

    ¡°How did Beatrice react?¡±

    "I¡­" Mila hesitates. "She wasn¡¯t too happy, so I assigned more guards to your sister and ran background checks on them."

    ¡°Good. Check the arrays as well and do it yourself¡ªuse the structure we practiced a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°As you command. Shall I have dinner ready in an hour?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say, continuing on my way, as Mila turns to head down a different pathway.

    There are no elevators, I had them removed, so when I reach the spiraling stairway piercing through the middle of the tower, it takes me a few minutes of walking to reach my floor. I feel the barrier deploy, and multiple checks press against me as I pass through.

    Finally, at the top, I stop by the window and look out over the city where I¡¯ve been spending the past few months.

    It¡¯s not very big, nestled against the bank of the nearby lake, but nearly every building is a tower. The city forms an almost perfect circle, every stone structure placed with intent. Everything about the buildings is carefully calculated: their height, width, materials, and density, right down to the number of windows.

    Cobbled streets weave paths between the towers, bordered by metal frames. At the center of the city stands a short, perfectly circular building with a roof constructed from mana-conductive metals, linking it to the rest of the city.

    With a sigh, I turn away and once again go through all the checks, and only when that¡¯s been done do I knock on the door. A skill reaches out from within and connects to my emotions, and another one pulls a wisp of my mana, testing it. Only then do the doors open, allowing me to slip inside before closing them behind me.

    The expression I¡¯ve kept on my face until now crumbles, and I allow myself to relax.

    ¡°Fuck, I hate this place.¡±

    ¡°Language!¡± Shouts a voice that brings a smile to my face.

    ¡°I¡¯m the older sister here, so I can do whatever I damn well want.¡± I throw my robe aside and rub my shoulder. ¡°How have you been?¡±

    Moving through the hallway, the big, cozy room opens up¡ªso warm and welcoming it feels like I could relax just by collapsing onto the floor.

    Izzy sits in the corner, her head resting against Noodle, whose body is currently thicker than hers and probably about as long as six of my little sisters lined up end to end.

    Using her as a scale cheers me up, and I throw myself down next to her, hugging her small body which is warm as ever. Both Izzy and Noodle are staring at a book that Izzy has lying open in front of them, and their eyes move in perfect sync as Izzy reads, mouthing out the words.

    That feeling of connecting to me reaches out again, and I don¡¯t block it, not even for a second, and let Izzy read my feelings like an open book.

    Sensing what I want, she acts annoyed and shakes her head, but with a sigh, she taps the top of my head.

    ¡°Is it about time to leave?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Yes. I finally got access to the Framework and I¡¯ll be near the Archon in a few days. If everything goes well, we¡¯ll be done here within a few weeks.¡±

    ¡°Soph¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Izzy?¡±

    "I want you to be careful and call the others to help." For the first time I can remember, Izzy looks serious going so far as to her book away. "Can you do that for me?"

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Soph,¡± Izzy says quietly, and this time her feelings rush into me, and in much the same way she felt mine, I feel hers.

    The hesitation, hope, worry¡ªthe fact she hasn¡¯t asked me that, not even once since we separated from the group. She¡¯s been waiting this entire time for the perfect opportunity, for my feelings of anger to weaken. I can sense that, but I can also feel why she did, along with all the feelings of loneliness and fear.

    There is no way I can say no after feeling her heart.

    "Okay, we¡¯ll call them and ask for help before I go all out. Yes, even Tess." I concede, feeling defeated, but as she hugs me with a big smile, despite feeling like a loser for being the first to forgive, I also feel good.

    ¡°Love you, Soph.¡±

    ¡°I love you too, Izzy.¡±

    ¡°And I like Noodle and Blackie as well!¡± She declares and rests against Noodle once again, who flicks her nose with his tongue, making her giggle.

    My shadow perks up at the announcement as well. Confused, incapable of feeling things like love, and lacking the capacity to understand them.

    The last surviving fragment of a bond without its master, now resting in my shadow.

 Chapter 477 - Green acid

    The Rotlings are a constant reminder of the dangers of the mines we¡¯ve found ourselves traveling through. The deeper we delve, the more of them appear, and I could almost swear they have some sort of Hive Mind or skill-sharing ability.

    If you kill one with lightning, the rest become that tiny bit more resistant to the lightning.

    Of course, each one might have a different level of resistance, and I could be wrong. But I prefer to assume the worst, so that¡¯s the option I¡¯m going with.

    It¡¯s at this point that we see the first deaths among the expedition crew, as the Rotlings begin to coordinate, attack in larger groups, and single out specific targets. I¡¯d like to think it¡¯s just a coincidence, rather than a display of greater intelligence, but they¡¯ve begun to focus heavily on Lily and the other healers.

    That¡¯s why I¡¯m watching closely now, as Lily steps forward deeper into the large cave we¡¯re passing through, her axe flashing as it cleaves a Rotling in half. She shifts her stance, takes a few quick steps, and slashes into another. Using the flat of the blade, she blocks three Rotlings in quick succession, delivering a few swift kicks in the process.

    As they scramble to put distance between themselves and Lily to reorganize, she takes another big step, extending the handle of her axe, and brings them into her reach, one Rotling isn¡¯t quick enough to avoid the attack and dies with the next sweep of her axe.

    A dozen or so creatures burst from the ground beneath her, leaping at her legs. Their small mouths, filled with sharp teeth, bite into her flesh¡ªwhich is highly durable¡ªand yet they still manage to tear chunks out of her legs.

    The axe flashes as Lily cuts through her own legs, in the blink of an eye growing new ones in a flash as she stomps and slashes away at them.

    Not even for a moment does she seem to need even a semblance of help, and she quickly massacres the rest of the monsters.

    When the attack stops after a few more minutes, the sounds of fighting are quickly replaced by cries for help, the carnage of dead bodies on the floor, many of them missing big chunks out of their bodies, having been eaten alive.

    After checking on us, Lily turns back, healing her own share of the injured.

    With the way she¡¯s been leveling her [Reconstruction], she doesn¡¯t even need much mana and her natural regeneration readily handles the demand.

    ¡°Are you planning something, letting her heal all these people?¡± Aaron asks, coming to a stop next to me while his brother keeps pace with Lily, keeping an eye on her.

    ¡°Not really, it¡¯s just something she wants to do.¡±

    ¡°What if she spends too much mana and needs it later?¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯ll be a learning experience for her and she¡¯ll have to decide what she takes from it herself,¡± I reply, shrugging off his concerns. ¡°By the way, I think Biscuit¡¯s been sniffing in the direction you mentioned seeing the Witch¡¯s connection. So that¡¯s probably where the prisoner really is.¡±

    (Food.) Biscuit confirms as he takes a seat on the ground next to us.

    I look at him, as I continue my conversation with Aaron, ¡°That silly corgi just refuses to tell me more about what he¡¯s found. It¡¯s highly suspicious.¡±

    Biscuit gives me the side-eye, something he doesn¡¯t seem to realize only makes dogs look silly, and then looks away.

    ¡°The Witch is planning something, you¡¯re planning something, even Biscuit¡¯s planning something, and Mais probably has something up his sleeve as well,¡± Aaron sighs. ¡°Nat, I swear, we haven¡¯t had a single normal expedition. The old capital on the fourth, the Mana Desert before, and now this.¡±

    And honestly, I can¡¯t help but agree with that. I just don¡¯t tell him it might be something I prefer.

    <hr>

    Hours pass, and we nearly get buried a few times, only the Witch¡¯s quick reactions stop me from needing to step in, as she solidifies the rock around us or creates holes through the wall leading to yet another cave with a small outpost.

    The timing is extremely suspicious, and we reach these places every time the other members of the expedition start complaining too much. It¡¯s like she¡¯s dangling all the shiny rewards in front of their faces to make them forget the dangers and let their greed take over.

    Then there¡¯s the way she looks at humans, it makes me think she might be a little bit¡­ Well, racist? Even a few of the human leaders, and the feylith or vyssari members of our expedition, get the same dirty looks¡ªthe only exception seems to be the thylarin.

    She also knows I¡¯ve been watching her, and it seems to annoy her. Not to the point that she¡¯s willing to deal with me herself and risk a clash down here, but I can see it in her bearing.

    Still, I continue to watch as she uses her skills, manipulating the mana from her crown. I rely only on my regular senses, certain it would be unwise to provoke her by using any of my mana based senses. Even so, it''s fascinating enough.

    I''m also curious as to why she has six arms. The only other thylarin I¡¯ve ever met with six arms¡ªthough five were missing¡ªwas Caisus, the trapped Champion. The Witch isn¡¯t anywhere near his level, hers barely passing 300, while Champions seem to start around 500. So, being a Champion has nothing to do with it.

    Maybe it¡¯s some kind of rare mutation? Or perhaps the number of arms varies in the same way as a human¡¯s skin color. Is it the result of a trait? Is it something some thylarin are just born with? A skill? I''m curious.

    Then there¡¯s the trouble with Babyface, number 4 of Hollowgate, and one of the other members, leading one of the bigger and stronger groups who¡¯ve joined up.

    It could be said that the entire expedition has split into 4 factions.

    The first one is the Witch, Mais, and the other loyalists.

    Another is Babyface, his group members, and a few additional people.

    The biggest group consists of a bunch of random people who must have been collected to be used as fodder. And they know it too, yet they¡¯ve decided to risk everything in hopes of getting their hands on some rare materials. Likely having heard about the dangers and opportunities from the veterans of the previous expeditions.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Our small group of five is last, positioned for our sheer strength comparable to any of the other groups.

    As for Babyface, he¡¯s a tall, muscular man wearing leather armor and fighting using a crystal dagger alongside a weird skill that allows him to create crystals, not unlike Myrra¡äs Aurora Glass. Judging by his nickname, I would¡¯ve expected a different kind of face, but the man is extremely¡­ well, he¡¯s not exactly nice to look at.

    He has a broken nose, a meaty scar that goes from his left cheek to his clavicle, he¡¯s missing his left ear and has a huge bushy beard.

    He relentlessly bombards Lily with invitations to join his group as a healer, and the Witch¡¯s group has been making similar offers. Shamelessly, right in front of me, they¡¯re trying to take Lily away.

    If we weren¡¯t so deep underground, if Lily weren¡¯t so strong or important, and if I were weaker, I¡¯m sure these ¡°invitations¡± would be taking a very different form.

    Around that time, the acid rivers start appearing as well.

    Unlike the rivers we encountered before, filled with their weird combination of molten material, these tend to be much smaller. The streams of green acid circulate through the walls in separate tunnels, probably as big as a bus.

    Sometimes monsters redirect small streams at the cost of their lives, slowly filling the tunnels we¡¯re passing through with the acid, such that it follows us into the depths, thus avoiding the Witch¡¯s attempts at diverting them.

    These streams of green acid begin to evaporate as well, filling the tunnels with a vapor that moves far quicker than the liquid form.

    Before we learn to block them and expand our senses, they reach us two more times.

    The first time, a group of twelve dies almost instantly, as the vapor melts through their skin, flesh, and lungs within moments, before the rest manage to push it away with a wind-like skill. The stream producing the vapor arrives quickly, dissolving the twitching bodies on the ground in seconds, and breaking through the mana barriers we¡¯ve created.

    It even melts through my tricolored barrier, partially dissolves the reinforced stone the Witch created in front of it, and effortlessly evaporates any weapons that have been left on the ground.

    Instead of blocking it, I switch to Breaker Style, using a controlled burst of kinetic energy to form a ditch running the full width of the tunnel, allowing the acid to flow down and fill it as we make our escape.

    Joining in, the Witch deepens it, creating a gutter that leads it somewhere else into the wall.

    As the guys with wind-type skills keep the vapor away, I watch the expressions of fear solidify on the faces of the majority of the remaining expedition members.

    Of course, that''s when Lily gets closer and sticks her finger into the green acid and when she pulls it out, it¡¯s gone¡ªbone, flesh, tendons.

    As it starts regrowing, she seems to recover slower, much slower than usual.

    (If it takes me this long to heal my own body, I would recommend that you guys avoid it rather than relying on my healing marks,) she notes, the look of fascination never leaving her face.

    Then she goes back to it and, much to the shock of the people watching nearby dips her entire hand into it.

    <hr>

    An hour later, and we have another wave of looting, this time in a small mine we found. The timing is perfect, given the way people started to panic when we got attacked with streams of acid multiple times. For a short moment, the fears are replaced by greed, and I¡¯m sure around this time the Witch is thinking of just splitting off from the larger group.

    I would probably do the same in this situation. The big groups of people are more of a hindrance than a help faced with the acid, rather than the monsters we were dealing with before. Of course, there is always the chance that if she does so, the monsters will start attacking normally again. Sucks to be her.

    Taking the time to rest, I rely on Lily, waiting nearby, to keep an eye out, and I close my eyes, finding myself in an empty metro station, with electric lights shining from the ceiling and an empty train passing by.

    That train slows quickly until it comes to a stop, Whitey¡¯s standing on the platform. He¡¯s wearing a black suit that fits him very well, and even his hair is a bit shorter and tied back into a neat ponytail draped down his back, the hairstyle still emphasizing his horns.

    I know I¡¯ve said that Channeler is one handsome mofo, but Whitey is on an entirely different level¡­

    The view on one of the screens changes from an image of the train schedule to footage of me stomping to stop the stream of acid.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen someone so proud over something performed so poorly.¡± He says, stomping in imitation of my own movements, and a crater forms in the ground beneath him.

    This one is perfectly circular, the released kinetic energy is reabsorbed, reused, and sent back like a wave, clashing with the first shockwave and deepening the crater two more times after the initial impact.

    ¡°How the hell were you only level 301?¡±

    The question seems to make the demon happy, and he smiles. ¡°The others might have focused on useless leveling, but I trained to improve my control of my abilities.¡±

    I mumble, ¡°While you were partying, I studied kinetic energy. When you were having premarital sex, I mastered my skills. While you wasted your days leveling in pursuit of vanity, I cultivated inner strength.¡±

    Despite having spoken under my breath, Whitey catches on and nods energetically. ¡°Yes, just like that. I quite like it!¡±

    Without warning, he appears in front of me in a flawless display of Wraith Dance, and I mirror it, my movement taking me to the other side of the metro as I sense him moving behind me.

    I time my attack, tracking his presence, but when I turn to face him, he¡¯s gone, leaving only a disorienting afterimage in his place.

    Instead, he strikes me in the side with an open palm, and I switch to Counter Flow, absorbing the impact, circulating it throughout my body, and switching to Breaker Style, adding my own energy to the mix and releasing it at Whitey.

    He also switches to Counter Flow and does the same, absorbing it all with ease and throwing it back at me.

    I mimic him, and he then mimics me.

    We stand there, throwing kinetic energy at each other, absorbing it, adding more, and throwing it back, the power level ramping up very quickly.

    ¡°When it comes to moving large amounts of kinetic energy, you¡¯re getting quite good,¡± Whitey nods, satisfied, and takes a step toward me, his body so close I could punch him.

    As the distance closes, his speed increases, giving me less time to react. The jerk begins subtly shifting what I think of as the frequency of his kinetic energy.

    My absorptions are rough, bits of energy escaping around me, cracking the floor, while when Whitey does it, not a single hair moves in reaction.

    Dozens of quick attempts later, I fail to keep up, and before it all explodes, I release it in the direction of Whitey, who absorbs it again and throws it back, the resulting explosion smashing me against the wall, as the metro explodes around us.

    Only the last-second absorption of my impact stops me from dying right here and now.

    Blowing the dust away, Whitey stops in front of me and nods, satisfied to see that I¡¯m not dead yet. ¡°Tell me, why don¡¯t you use mana? Why don¡¯t you level up and get your Primary Class upgrade like I did? Wouldn¡¯t that make facing me easier and a bit more fair? It¡¯s something you could have done at any point.¡±

    I fall from the wall and dust off my clothes. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s Pride, and then there¡¯s just being dumb.¡± Whitey takes off his jacket, unbuttons one of the buttons on his vest, and starts rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt.

    Standing there tall and proud, he moves a strand of hair from his face, the mellow atmosphere around him changing.

    The lights above, damaged by the explosion, flicker, throwing shadows across his face, and his red eyes glow dangerously as his expression slowly grows more serious.

    ¡°If you land a hit on me, I might finally tell you my name,¡± he offers playfully.

    ¡°Must be a terrible name for you to hide it for so long.¡±

    His teeth show in an irritated smile. ¡°... you little shit.¡± With that, he disappears, and the fight starts anew.

 Chapter 478 - The pain... itâ€™s unbearable.

    After getting stomped by that demon, I remain seated, replaying our fight and taking notes on a mana stone I brought with me. Some of these things will be very useful for my minion.

    While doing this, I reflect on our situation, trying to recall and visualize all those rivers of molten material. There is a suspicion I have and if I''m right, there are big channels in the rock around us through which this molten river, or rivers as the case may be, flow. I¡¯ve also confirmed that some of them are thicker, while others tend to be a bit smaller, and some even move at different speeds. It¡¯s still a mystery to me what actually keeps them moving, but I think they¡¯re serving as a form of inscription.

    Molten material flows at high speeds, generating a field that merges with those from the other channels moving at varying speeds, combining into a unique effect. The scale of such a formation would have to be massive, and I can''t even fathom the effort required to create something like that so deep underground, at such a size, and then to maintain it for hundreds of years.

    We¡¯ve already walked for days, yet the number of rivers we¡¯ve crossed has not decreased.

    It certainly makes for a fascinating theory, and knowing what to look for, I¡¯ll definitely be keeping an eye out.

    Is it possible that the acid rivers are also a part of this systems, what about the veins of metal running through the rock?

    (Nat,) Lily warns me.

    (I know,) I send back and focus back on my surroundings, watching the Witch and Mais, also known as Spinecrusher, moving closer.

    With curiosity, I look at thylarin woman. Wondering what¡¯s made her decide to break her silence and what she wants with the hypothetical prisoner she¡¯s been communicating with.

    The first to speak is Mais. ¡°We will be splitting from the rest of the group and continuing deeper as a smaller group.¡±

    As we speak, Lily is already standing by my side, and I notice the twins return, taking a position a bit behind the duo.

    Ignoring Mais, I turn to the Witch. ¡°Is it the prisoner you¡¯re after?¡±

    She doesn¡¯t let any surprise show, nor does she even seem to be trying to hide it. ¡°You may call them a prisoner, but the being trapped down there is more than that¡ªa great presence, suffering in its confinement for millennia.¡±

    ¡°And you intend to save it?¡±

    ¡°What I do is my business, human,¡± she says with disdain. ¡°Shall you and your healer go with us, I can promise there will be material rewards along the way. Enough to satisfy even the deepest greed. I do not care for any of these things.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. When are we leaving?¡±

    ¡°Five minutes.¡± With one last look, she turns around and leaves with her bodyguard following her.

    Little does she know I would¡¯ve continued even if she¡¯d turned away and returned to the city even if there was no Containment Cell in the end.

    <hr>

    We leave quickly, through a tunnel she creates, leaving the rest of the group behind. I¡¯m sure most of them can get back the way we came. There are others who can do much the same things with stone that the Witch has, they just didn¡¯t bother because they had her around. Or maybe they¡¯ll still try to go deeper and find more riches. It¡¯s their life and their decision.

    Our new group only contains about twenty people. The Witch, Mais, and even Babyface are here, along with a number of the stronger members from the larger group, some of them carrying interesting things in their backpacks.

    I shrug a bit as Biscuit¡¯s whiskers tickle against my neck and put the corgi down. He sniffs towards our destination with such interest that he doesn¡¯t even seem to mind despite needing to run by our side to keep up with our walking speed on his short legs.

    Because our group is so much smaller now, the fights become more difficult as well. I was also wrong. The acid attacks don¡¯t stop with the increase in monster attacks. Instead, we get both.

    The most common problem is the constant flood of Rotlings, who have been attacking six to a man. After killing them, the Witch has to foil their attempts to cave the tunnels in around us in or pour acid on us through holes in the ceiling.

    Sometimes they even combine multiple streams and try to fill the entire tunnel, forcing us to dig through the wall, thankfully though the stone seems to be capable of resisting the green liquid.

    One of the guys gets trapped behind us as a small river of acid washes over the wall the Witch was using to block the tunnel. There is no regret or pity on her face, just for a moment she stares toward the wall, her mana senses reaching through it.

    When the man¡¯s mana signature disappears, she turns around and we head in again where another group of Rotlings lies waiting.

    Lily rushes in first, her axe slashing out in a big sweeping motion, carving through several of the little monsters.

    A few of them jump towards her, but the twins are already there, cutting into them and easily avoiding the others, who seem to be terrible at seeing through their illusions.

    I, meanwhile, move into one of the side tunnels and stand there, waiting.

    I create a small crater in front of me as a preemptive measure, and a moment later, a dozen or so Rotlings fill the tunnel, their legs piercing the walls and creating footholds for them to climb on.

    All of them freeze and stop moving. Some halt in mid-air, others are caught mid strike. Their tiny bodies fight against the hold I have on them, and more and more kinetic energy flows through me the more they try to move.

    Breathe in. Breathe out.

    I concentrate, and my heartbeat changes to a more erratic and unpredictable pattern as I swap stance to Needle Point, one of the stances I¡¯ve always found difficult.

    Moving the kinetic energy as I¡¯ve been shown so many times before, I launch the first projectile. It¡¯s not perfectly smooth and it¡¯s thicker than a finger, but it reaches the monster, and instead of piercing through its body, it hits its leg.

    Using kinetic energy attacks like these at such a long distance still proves difficult. Arm¡¯s reach, or even a few steps in from me is fine, its something I¡¯ve been doing for a while now. But at this distance? I¡¯m just not there yet, but I¡¯m still much better than I was even a few weeks ago.

    ¡°Still avoiding killing too many monsters?¡± Lily asks, coming to a stop by my side, axe resting along her body, her movements still energized from the fight she¡¯s just been through.

    ¡°Yup, want them?¡±

    ¡°Sure, why not.¡±

    As she says this, I release the monsters, and after waiting a few seconds to minimize my assistance, Lily rushes at them.

    <hr>

    An hour later, I think we are getting closer. The fights are growing more frequent, there are even smaller streams of molten metal rushing through the walls, and the Witch starts saving up more of her mana, as if she doesn¡¯t want to use too much of the mana in her crown.

    Like she needs a specific amount of mana to do something.

    The field surrounding us is growing stronger, and some of the weaker members are struggling to use mana for their skills due to the interference. It¡¯s fascinating, especially given that I¡¯m certain that this field isn¡¯t even directed at us, more like it¡¯s being concentrated elsewhere. I¡¯ve gathered this mostly from mapping the three-dimensional network of rivers and streams around us and examining the structure in my mind.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    The inscriptions are fairly simple, so I can guess their purpose even without a complete picture. The power source behind all of this is still a mystery to me, but then again, my passive skill¡¯s mana reservoir is also being stored, who knows where, outside my body while remaining connected to it. I can easily imagine someone doing something similar, actively concealing the power source in the same way.

    Obviously, it still annoys me that I¡¯m unable to locate it.

    ¡°Nice eyes you have. Is it a trait?¡± Babyface, seeing as he¡¯s struck out trying to convince Lily to join his group again, he must have decided to bother me.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Look, I hope you don¡¯t mind I talked to your healer and tried to get her to join my group,¡± he smiles, the act somehow making his face even more ugly.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If she wants, she can join you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, how reasonable. The problem is that she doesn¡¯t want to. Healers as powerful as her are very rare. To be honest, I¡¯m surprised those mind manipulator dickheads haven¡¯t snatched her up yet, let alone some other powerful group. You guys must be still be quite new here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve only been here a few months.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why. What did you do to get thrown here?¡±

    Continuing to examine the structure in my mind, I think for a moment before just shrugging and staying quiet.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, friend, you don¡¯t have to tell me,¡± he smiles. The whole time he speaks, even though he comes off rough, like someone one might expect to be impulsive or aggressive, he actually manages to control himself pretty well.

    Izzy could probably tell me his true feelings, but to me, he looks like a reasonable person at the moment. He talks with an easygoing voice, gestures in a non-threatening manner, and doesn¡¯t try to get too close or use excessive amounts of mana to come off as aggressive.

    Of course, I¡¯ve already seen the way he acts in fights and how he treats the weaker members of the group, so it¡¯s a bit late for him to be acting like that.

    Coming to a conclusion, I ask, ¡°How much has Mais told you about me?¡±

    I watch with a hint of amusement as a flicker of hesitation flashes across his face before he masks it with a smile. ¡°Sharp, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    I don¡¯t even think something like that deserves a compliment, but I see it as yet another communication strategy. Everyone likes compliments, even if they¡¯re empty.

    His voice turns to a whisper. ¡°Tell me, how the hell did you kill that guy? That maniac was someone even The Witch didn¡¯t want to mess with.¡±

    Annoyed with the exchange I tell him, ¡°Not your problem. But there is one thing that¡¯s been bothering me.¡± I say, bringing my voice down to a whisper as I take a step closer. ¡°My healer has turned you down three times already, made it clear she¡¯s not interested in joining your shitty group. So, don¡¯t bother her again, and don¡¯t even look at her in a way you think I might not like. Got it, friend?¡±

    I lower my voice even further. ¡°I won¡¯t even waste my time dealing with you myself¡ªI¡¯ll just ask her to get rid of you. Now screw off; I have work to do.¡±

    ¡°No problem. Sorry for bothering you¡­ Nathaniel,¡± he says with a smile, taking a few steps back while maintaining eye contact, as he leaves.

    Before continuing with my work, I begin to wonder if it¡¯s really normal to have all of our expeditions go like this and how much more different it feels when it¡¯s just the members of Group 4 and I wonder if it would be the same in Beyond with a party composed solely of people from Earth.

    I would like to think it¡¯s just the system pushing these fakes, the natives, to deal with attendees with the intent to speed up our growth, but I know far too many people to think it could be that alone.

    Especially here within Astral Prison, which some prisoners seem to have taken to calling ¡°the trashcan,¡± the idea being that this is where people go when no one wants to deal with them.

    <hr>

    A day passes, and even I¡¯m being forced to fight now, even though it¡¯s strictly a support roll, keeping my assistance as low as possible, I mostly just keep the waves of monsters from moving and release them one after another.

    Most of the time, it¡¯s Lily who takes them out then. When she finds herself faced with any monsters she can¡¯t cut, she uses the axe still the same, wielding the blade as a hammer instead, squashing monsters against the ground with great force.

    A few more guys die along the way. We lose one to acid, another to a cave-in, and a third just gets pulled away into the tunnels by a hoard of Rotlings. I¡¯m not trying to save my body¡¯s supply of mana, as it regenerates quickly enough to spare my Reservoir and I help everywhere I can.

    Pushing monsters away, crushing them against the wall, holding them with kinetic energy.

    The entire time I keep my eyes active and my senses firing off into the area, and I¡¯ve been doing so since the start. A constant rippling of my [Perception] outward, keeping me ready to teleport my group away.

    Not even once have I underestimated the danger of this place, I still remember just how dangerous Caius was, even crippled as he was, imprisoned within the Mana Desert.

    Lily fights well, as do the twins¡ªoften alone, without cooperating, using even this as an opportunity to practice. And Biscuit¡­ well, he waits, rarely jumping in, like he¡¯s been saving his energy for something.

    As for the rest of the group, The Witch has been in constant communication with that presence I¡¯ve finally begun to sense on the edge of my ¡°radar,¡± her expression changing from that cold glare to a look of hope, anger, sadness, and desperation. In a twisted blend of emotion.

    Mais stays close, the four swords vibrating with kinetic energy as they rest in his hands, his movements reminiscent of Pulser Stance.

    Other than him, Babyface is the strongest, no longer bothering us and staying close to the mentioned duo, his face sometimes taking on a weird expression not unlike the Witch''s. It makes me wonder what originally brought him down here. Is it greed? Or is his purpose similar to the Witch¡¯s?

    We stop by a small outpost, nestled against a wall with several veins of metal running through it. The place is dark and eerily quiet, small streams of acid run through the cavern, and the air is full of toxic vapor.

    As far as I understand, this is the furthest any expedition has ever been, nobody¡¯s ever reached this place before, something or other always stopped them, whether it was a lack of mana, or inexperience, but the greatest factor was probably the confusing layout forcing them to wander for days under constant attack. But this time, unlike the previous expeditions, the Witch is following her connection and is leading us directly to the source.

    The materials we find down here are well worth the effort. Metals up to arcane grade, pieces of amazing crystal capable of enduring the pressure of incredibly dense and power-hungry inscriptions.

    There¡¯s a huge smithy carved into one of the walls, with an anvil as big as a car in the center and a piston-style hammer above it, both made from material that helps to reflect mana¡ªso tough that even Lily can¡¯t damage them with her weaker version of [Disintegration] as she makes her surreptitious attempt.

    There are a few golden hued fragments of chain that seem to be made from a similar material, despite their odd coloring and the additional effects granted by the inscriptions that have been etched into them through unknown means. These shattered chains are massive, each piece is as big as my torso and they¡¯re all very heavy.

    Everyone takes some materials from the storage, careful to maximize value for weight, and when they are done, I step towards the anvil, activating [Ley Line].

    All of the mana in my body disappears, along with the anvil.

    A third of my Reservoir disappears, and the hammer with it.

    The two remaining thirds of my Reservoir disappear and take the fragmented golden chains with them.

    Using the last remaining bits of my mana, I touch a specific Ley Line, and within a flash, my [Mana Crown] appears over my head. The exact same design as the Witch¡¯s, just a different color.

    My mana seeps into my body, filling it, and my reservoir as well, and I continue to send all the materials I can away, totally emptying the store room.

    [Ley Line - lvl 38 > Ley Line - lvl 39]

    My crown then disappears as well, returning to float over the bust far away and I face the shocked members of the expedition.

    <hr>

    POV The Witch

    Impossible. The space here is too unstable for long-range teleportation, yet he managed it. Even after the activation, I couldn¡¯t trace where he sent the materials.

    And that crown too, it¡¯s a lot more full than I had expected when I sensed the familiar skill on him.

    (Underestimate humans, Melel, and they¡¯ll surprise you. Always have.)

    (I apologize.)

    (No need. But please hurry. The pain... it¡¯s unbearable.)

    (I will. Forgive me.)

    The voice, echoing like a distant memory of my mother, murmurs, (Use that human and the weapon he carries. It can free me.)

    (As we planned. I¡¯ve marked it. He¡¯s still unaware.)

    (You¡¯ve always had a gift for this, my child. But beware of the small creature with him¡ªdon¡¯t let it near me. Eliminate it if necessary.)

    The pain surges again. Turning away from Mais, I grit my teeth, fist clenched, waiting for the wave to pass.

    (I''m sorry, dear Melel.)

    (It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s my weakness for not being able to bear our connection.)

    (Please hurry. It hurts.)

    Her gentle voice fades into silence as I channel more mana to keep my body from fracturing, forcing myself into composure before turning back to give the next set of commands.

 Chapter 479 - Chained Beast

    The feeling of danger keeps increasing until it takes on an almost physical aspect like I could reach out and touch it as it clings to my skin. It raises the hair on the back of my neck and sends goosebumps prickling across my forearms. The sensation is reminiscent of crawling into the cave of a beast, pulling yourself ahead on your hands and knees. Knowing you should turn and run, even as you continue, ignoring your scraped hands and knees and the blood trailing behind you.

    As the fights grow ever more dangerous, we push on, and my wounds are beginning to add up, even with my enhanced body as acid drips from the ceiling, something even The Witch is incapable of stopping.

    The rotlings double in size, as does the number of legs and the size of their mouths. Just a few seconds is all it takes for them to tear out huge chunks of flesh, and their coordination becomes better.

    And in the midst of it all, Lily moves like a whirlpool. Her swings, though amateur, are swift and precise, cleaving through swathes of monsters. As dozens of them close in on her, targeting our last healer, her new skill envelops her body.

    Her [Disintegration Mantle] rests on her shoulders, flowing down to her knees. It shifts in the air as if it has a will of its own or as if caught in a strong wind, yet it remains firmly within her control.

    Its color is a graduated shade of gray, darker around her shoulders and becoming lighter at the bottom, where it begins to resemble smoke more than anything else. Any monster that touches it gets disintegrated, nothing seems capable of passing through as she rolls into groups of monsters without a care, swinging that bone ax of hers.

    There are signs of her using it to attack as well, going by the way it¡¯s shifting and moving. Though she''s still exploring the skill, even in this weakened form, nothing down here can withstand it, a fact clearly reflected in the expressions of the other expedition members.

    My mind is also clear and sharp, the dangers surrounding us shaping it as I maneuver across the battlefield with kinetic energy, avoiding the Rotlings, and tossing them aside, so that I can finish them off with compressed javelins, boosted by the same energy.

    Any monster that manages to get close is welcomed with a weapon made from manabloc that I¡¯ve compressed to the point of near destabilization, as I alternate its shape between spear, sword, claymore, and ax.

    Yet, I still hold myself back, knowing the worst is yet to come.

    Fighting through the waves of monsters, we eventually reach a dead end to the tunnel, and the Witch closes it off, soon after we hear the sound of acidic vapors and liquids slosh against the wall she¡¯s created. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, she and two of the other members of our group mold the stone, creating a way for us. We head through with hurried steps, rough breathing filling the tunnel.

    I notice burns on my forearm, left over from a few droplets of acid I was unable to avoid. As we¡¯ve seen before, it heals much slower than it should.

    (We are close, Nat. I can feel her connection getting stronger,) Dennis says, gesturing at the Witch, who now has an absent, painful expression on her face.

    Then we stop.

    ¡°Where is that creature?¡± the thylarin woman whispers to herself, slowly turning around as her face clears up and she asks louder, shouting at me. ¡°Where is that creature!?¡±

    Biscuit¡¯s not here, he left during the previous fight with a simple message to me.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I answer honestly.

    At that moment, as we wait for the next monster attack, the atmosphere changes quickly. Some of the mana from her crown seeps into the air, the pressure nearly palpable, just a taste of the mana she has been collecting for 10 years reaching toward us.

    ¡°Where. Is. That. Creature,¡± she asks, each word forced through her teeth.

    My domain expands around us as I weave my mana, using just my body and reservoir to fight her pressure, while Lily and the twins struggle to catch their breath.

    Mana Wavelength Iris glows in the dark tunnel, reading and observing the mana filling the air, while I continue compressing, strengthening, and weaving my domain, forcing her to release more of her mana. It reaches a point where, unlike my group within my domain, those around her begin to suffer as the emotional thylarin woman begins to lose control.

    Noticing that she immediately stops, her face twisting in pain as she seems to be listening to something.

    ¡°Sword,¡± she orders in a raspy voice, and Mais vanishes, reappearing by my side with two swords drawn, slashing at me while two of his arms reach for the shortsword at my waist.

    At the same time, dozens of hands made from compressed stone explode all around me, reaching toward me and my sword.

    With a stomp, I release the kinetic energy I¡¯ve been collecting, the modified vibrations destroy the stone arms and throw Mais to the side making him use his own kinetic energy to stop and rush again.

    Lily appears by his side, her hair shortening, and her ax swings toward his head, forcing him to dodge the gray mantle floating around her as well as the ax.

    The thylarin man curses and tries to blast her away, but the attack is halted by the mantle, and then her axe collides with his sword. He stops it effortlessly, absorbing the kinetic energy from the strike and channeling it to fuel his own movement.

    Lily lets go of the ax and moves incredibly quickly as well, her muscles healing even as they tear under the strain.

    Mais tries to avoid her, but even with all the kinetic energy, he¡¯s too slow to match Lily giving it her all, and she collides with him.

    Rock bursts beneath her feet, stone spike,s and arms reaching to slow her down, but Lily ignores the wounds, her mantle swirling around her body. Half of her face turns into a mass of bone and raw flesh, and one of her arms is nearly torn off, as Mais drives a hole through her body, fueled by kinetic energy.

    Lily pushes through it all and, with an incredibly swift punch, sends a burst of gray mana through Mais¡¯s chest, evaporating half of it. Then his body drops to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

    Pressure on my domain intensifies, attempting to tear it apart. The ground shakes, and the rock beneath us moves like waves, twisting, swirling, trying to press in on us.

    Reaching through my Ley Lines, I connect to all of us, and even though The Witch tries to stop us, I teleport us away, back to the place we were a few minutes ago.

    ¡°Follow me,¡± I say quickly, and three of them quickly fall in line behind me.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t we going to fight her?¡± Aaron asks hurriedly, joining by my side.

    ¡°It would cost too much mana, and that might just be what the prisoner wants. At this moment, it seems to be after my sword, and for some reason, it doesn¡¯t like Biscuit¡­ wait.¡±

    We all stop, and as the monsters flood the tunnel, I draw on half of my kinetic energy reserves, adjusting its frequency and releasing it in a single surge through the tunnel without harming the walls.

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 328]

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 309]

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 316]

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 333]

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 323]

    ¡­

    [Lvl 292 > Lvl 293]

    Level up, so annoying.

    With no presences lying in wait, we rush forward.

    ¡°Huh, she seems to be tracking us somehow.¡± Sensing movement in the rock surrounding us I activate our anchors again before the walls crash onto us and teleport us to another place.

    Right away, I use Ley Lines and throw them as far in as many directions as I can.

    ¡°What are you¡­¡± Dennis begins, but I filter out his voice.

    How did she find us? I erased any way she could track the Ley Line even if she could sense it. I didn¡¯t feel any large-range scans either and was even prepared to counter them, so how?

    Quickly, I activate my eyes again, observing Lily, Dennis, and Aaron. I look very carefully and deeply yet find no mark. It¡¯s the same when I check myself. There seems to be no thread, no connection, no foreign mana, no skill I could sense.

    Once again, I feel movement in the walls and, annoyed, switch my stance, absorbing the enormous kinetic energy of the moving walls and stopping them in place before they can squash us.

    How is she doing it?

    Ignoring the immense pressure, I do the scans again, this time slower and look deeper. Lily, Dennis, Twins. Nothing. Myself. Nothing.

    I grab the line and teleport us again.

    More monsters pop into the tunnel, and I release all the kinetic energy I absorbed, allowing it to rush forth like a flash before the surprised monsters can even react.

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 319]

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 326]

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 341]

    [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 333]

    ¡­

    ¡°How much did you [Sacrifice]?¡± I ask, turning to Lily.

    ¡°Just some hair, I still have plenty in store.¡±

    ¡°Good, you two?¡±

    ¡°No problems here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve still got a lot left in me.¡±

    They barely finish, and I start absorbing the movement of the walls around us, this time expanding even further.

    ¡°I think she marked the sword. She¡¯s clearly after it, so it makes sense, but I can¡¯t feel the way she did it, and my attempts to remove the mark failed.¡±

    ¡°We can just leave and return after she¡¯s gone,¡± Lily shrugs it off.

    ¡°We would be leaving a certain corgi though.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Where did he even go?¡±

    ¡°No idea. Anyway, we have a minute. I might have to use the sword, so let¡¯s do some additional preparations.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, when you use it you better keep that thing as far away from us as possible.¡± Despite his cursing, Dennis touches my right arm. He and Aaron connect their calculative abilities, and [Connection] activates at its full power.

    What we are about to do isn¡¯t necessary¡ªI can use the sword without it¡ªbut we have protocols in place that should help me use the weapon to a greater extent and with a lesser degree of backlash.

    [Connection] weaves a stronger link between me and the weapon, in theory allowing me to weaken its effects on the surrounding area should I wish, while putting more pressure on me. It¡¯s just a sacrifice I¡¯ll have to make for more control.

    Once they¡¯re done, Lily places a healing mark on the back of one of the bones of my right forearm, of the sort that¡¯s connected to her with the twins¡¯ assistance. It requires more mana and doesn¡¯t last as long, but it is much more effective.

    Knowing my tendency to lose limbs, there is a necklace around my neck with a small pendant made out of her bone and coated in a mix of metals to strengthen the effects.

    These preparations barely take us a minute, but having reached my limit, I use my Ley Lines and teleport us again, deploying a modified version of Sneaky Mode, which I concentrate around my weapon, just in case.

    Not needing to follow the Witch anymore, I head toward that presence I feel far away, there aren¡¯t any more monsters in our way, but the density of the molten metal and acid rivers through the walls increases to the degree that I can barely sense any of the rock in between.

    <hr>

    POV The Witch, Melel

    ¡°Melel, please, hurry.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ my head, it hurts so much.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s our connection, it¡¯s getting stronger the closer you are.¡±

    ¡°It hurts so much. I feel like I¡¯m dying.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my dear child, you will die soon. Your mind won¡¯t be able to resist much longer if this continues. Hurry.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Please hurry, Melel, I¡¯m scared.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°They are already so close. Please. Save me.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to die.¡±

    ¡°Please, help me, my dear child. It hurts.¡±

    ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡±

    ¡°SAVE ME, MELEL.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡­ I¡¯m on my way.¡±

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    I teleport us across the molten river, and we jump over streams of green acid finally landing ourselves in a perfectly spherical cave.

    The walls are smooth, as is the floor, divided by dozens of gutters leading outward from the center towards the edges. Through these gutters, acid flows through them, to be collected in the middle and sent to the edge to be circulated. The full force of disruption generated by molten rivers is stronger here. The field generates a constant sensation of pressure, threatening to take control of one¡¯s skills. And we feel the incredible weight of its influence even though most of it is concentrated in the center, targeting the being chained there. Well, what remains of it.

    It¡¯s the skeleton of a monster the size of a small building, lying there, attached to glowing gold chains tied to the bones in four places, anchored to a plate with a metallic shine that covers the entirety of the floor. There were clearly two more at some point though now they lie broken, their pieces lying near the skeleton.

    The bones of the skeleton shine a brilliant shade of white where they can be seen, but most of them are covered in dark red blood and the tiniest pieces of flesh that continue to move as the skeleton tries to regenerate.

    But it can¡¯t.

    The constant, dense rain of green acid that falls from the ceiling, serves to dissolve the regenerated parts.

    When an eye begins to form, the acid eats it; when a hint of flesh appears on long bones, the acid falls there as well.

    It¡¯s a constant fight between the creature¡¯s regenerative abilities and the terrifying green acid, aided by the field of disruption, strengthened and delivered by the golden chains, preventing the being from being able to regenerate.

    This is clearly more than a prison, this looks like torture, and yet the being is still alive.

    Looking at the chains, I recall their durability from the pieces we found in the smithy, and a plan begins to take shape in my mind.

    For a moment, I glance at the sword on my waist. Whether I rely on items or not, it may actually come in handy this time.

    Fracture (Mid Arcane) - The shortsword is capable of devouring mana from everything around it. The moment it connects with an object or being, it disintegrates the material within, unravels all mana and connections, leaving nothing behind. The weapon flickers with instability, damaging anything it touches, including the user. Fracture grows stronger as it feeds, but its insatiable hunger also turns inward, siphoning power from its wielder. With each encounter, the weapon becomes more powerful, yet its defective structure strains under the immense energy it consumes, becoming increasingly unstable. The longer it is wielded, the more it seems to break apart, its power twisting and spiraling out of control, threatening both itself and its user with destruction.

 Chapter 480 - Breakfast of Champions

    Lily and the twins scrunch their faces, twisting them into expressions of pain. Their posture breaks, and their control over their mana wavers, caused by a combination of the effects of the disruptive field and something else.

    My domain encompasses them, smaller and more powerful than usual, declaring the mana within to be under my control.

    Lily¡¯s the first to recover, groaning ¡°It¡¯s trying to communicate with me. It sounds just like my dad¡­¡±

    The twins regain their composure a moment later, working together to shake off the foreign influence. Watching them do it, I figure it really must have been an attempt at communication rather than an attack, something they probably could have handled even without my assistance. Probably. But I''m not going to risk it. I reinforce my [Mana Domain] in response and tailor it to counter skills like the twins'' [Connection].

    ¡°To me, it sounded like our mom when I was really young¡­ it¡¯s disgusting.¡± Dennis spits out these words. ¡°It speaks with her voice, begging, and crying.¡±

    I nod. ¡°It¡¯s been down here for centuries. Judging by the state of this¡­ prison, its mind probably isn¡¯t in the best shape either.¡±

    ¡°Prison¡­¡± Lily repeats, adjusting the ax on her back as she studies the skeleton. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s sane anymore.¡±

    The green acid rain from the ceiling keeps falling and splashing against the bone, sizzling and melting away the creature¡¯s flesh, even as it regenerates.

    That¡¯s when the Witch decides to appear, forming a tunnel in one of the walls, as she enters the cave just opposite us, placing the bound skeleton between us. The only remaining member of her crew is Babyface who¡¯s holding a crystal dagger covered in blood. The erratic, and desperate behavior she showed us before is still present, in fact, it may even be worse now¡ªpain writ across her face, underscored by the dried blood under her nose, and crusted in the corners of her eyes.

    Her crown rotates wildly, the mana inside feeling chaotic, the cell''s field attempting to disrupt the skill and making any attempt to use that immense mana more difficult. She spots us in the same moment we spot her, and starts walking around the edge of the room in a great half-circle, trailed by the man who followed her here, heading for our position.

    I take a step, mirroring her movements, striding over to meet her, with the members of group 4 close behind. It¡¯s quiet here, other than the sound of the molten rivers roaring through the walls, the sound of dripping acid, and our steps echoing off the walls.

    A minute later, she stops, and I follow suit, leaving just a few steps between us. Standing up close like this only makes it easier to see the hint of craziness in her eyes, her forearms covered in bloody wounds where she¡¯s been gouging her own flesh with her nails.

    ¡°Give me your sword,¡± she demands, opening the conversation.

    ¡°It will kill you if you try to use it.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ just give me the sword.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t come here unprepared. Why do you need the sword?¡±

    Instead of an answer, more confusion appears on her face, and I can see her struggling to put together a coherent thought.

    I push, ¡°Did you break the other two chains? Do you even remember doing it? Just how long has this thing been messing with your mind.¡±

    Her mouth opens and closes, and in that fraction of a moment, my domain encompasses her as well, as I take another step closer, ¡°Just how much longer can you endure like this before your mind breaks under its influence? Are you really ready to die here?¡±

    The same pressure that connected to Lily and the twins before tries to connect to me, but it can¡¯t. It can¡¯t because I¡¯ve put too much effort into ensuring that I wouldn¡¯t allow myself to be controlled, and it can¡¯t because my arcane passive insulates my mind from outside influence.

    I continue, ¡°It knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to keep returning every ten years to break another chain. So, when it saw this sword, it wanted you to use it to release it in one go, even if it were to cost you your life.¡±

    She neither confirms nor denies my theory, but a sudden pulse of mana bursts forth from her crown, tearing through the portion of my domain that had reached her. I intensify my efforts to keep it contained around the four of us.

    The Witch moves her six arms, spreading them, four opening their palms, mana seeping out of the crown and floating in the air around her. Stone rises up from the ground, forming two long spears which she grabs in the other two hands. Mana swirls around her, dangerously, threateningly, yet even now serving as an amazing demonstration of her level of control. Even with her mind confused, and the pressure of the field around us.

    Her eyes clear, and her posture straightens.

    She declares, ¡°I am Melel, a Champion candidate, and I challenge you, my equal in title. The wager I propose is¡­¡±

    The challenge fails. So she tries again.

    And it fails again.

    And then she tries once more.

    She is unable to issue a challenge, likely because the system does not deem her in control of herself enough to do so.

    Melel laughs desperately, as if finally confirming something, her connection with the being intensifying as the look of pain deepens across her face. I can see her straining to break the connection with everything she has, even if it means dying in the process.

    Babyface forms a dagger in his free hand, and armor made of crystal encloses his body, as a ring of similar material forms around one of his fingers. He moves in very quickly, dagger thrusting at her head. His face is blank, save for the same expression of pain she wore on hers.

    Even in this situation, Melel takes notice¡ªstone arms emerging from the ground to grab him. He dodges a few, but then a stone dome forms around him, trapping him inside.

    When the dome finally shatters, the only thing remaining inside is a body torn to pieces.

    Melel, still partially under foreign control, attacks me. Huge stone arms move toward us, but I freeze them mid-air, absorbing their kinetic energy. The pressure from her crown squeezes down, only to be countered by my domain, and yet she keeps pushing relentlessly.

    Well, that should be enough.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    With my left hand, I grab the sheath of the sword, and with my right, I grab the hilt and pull the blade free in one smooth movement.

    Lily and the twins immediately put distance between us as the blade shows itself to the world.

    [Resonance] activates at full strength even before the sword is out, focused on keeping all the distinct forces working together. Without it, the sword would break almost instantly.

    The blade itself is made out of a hollow shell of molten white sand and bone. Enclosing a combination of gray and black swirls, seemingly alive.

    Immediately, the palm of my hand starts disintegrating, and my mana gets sucked into the sword and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.

    In an instant, nearly all my mana drains and I use Wraith Dance, dodging the stone arms, projectiles, and slashes tearing through the air, and swing, severing the Witch¡¯s connection to the skeleton.

    Then the backlash hits her, making her groan in pain as she staggers back. Another step, and I reach her, the sword¡¯s tip piercing her crown and breaking the surface with ease.

    I feel the pressure alleviate for a moment as the sword focuses on the crown, but it immediately comes back even stronger with all the mana it absorbs.

    [Resonance - lvl 58 > Resonance - lvl 59]

    The entirety of my right arm disappears in a blink, along with a piece of my shoulder, leaving behind the skeletal remains. Bones endure longer thanks to [Bone Knitting], and the dense mana threads woven through them for added strength.

    My arm immediately heals, Lily¡¯s mana flowing through my body, and I increase my efforts to keep [Resonance] running at full power.

    I can¡¯t even use mana, as all my focus is bent on keeping myself alive, even as the sword becomes stronger and stronger, gray and black swirling inside the blade wildly, adding more and more cracks to the glass holding it in check.

    When Melel tries to stand up, I kick her, the blow slamming into the side of her head, making her stagger to the side, and I try to pull Fracture away from her crown, figuring that I¡¯ve done enough.

    The sword refuses to move.

    More cracks appear on the surface, and a wave washes over me, disintegrating all of my arm, half of my chest, part of my leg, and face, leaving the bones in place before Lily¡¯s healing restores them in a blink.

    And once again, more mana from my reservoir gets sucked in along with the rest of her crown, the hungry weapon refusing to let go.

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 59 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 60]

    Finally, Wraith Dance pulls me away from the others, bringing me over to the skeleton. Lily and the twins immediately find themselves locked in battle with the confused, absentminded Melel, who attacks them the moment I¡¯m gone¡ªbut I trust them to handle it.

    Kinetic energy rushes into the area above me, encompassing me, stopping the acid rain from falling, and leaving it floating in space. A shockwave throws the acid away from me, and the monster, without the constant downpour of acid, quickly starts to regenerate.

    Tendons, veins, flesh¡ªall rush to cover the skeleton. Now that there are muscles covering the bones, the monster moves for the first time, golden chains ringing as it rises, scattering its blood throughout the room in the process.

    Fracture smashes against one of the four remaining chains, disintegrating the material, severing its connections as the mana within unwinds connections.

    The monster moves again, its body now covered in flesh.

    Another step, another chain destroyed¡ªalong with more parts of my own body¡ªthe only thing allowing me to wield the weapon with as much mana as it¡¯s absorbed is Lily¡¯s healing. But cutting the chains requires an immense amount of power, and Fracture starts to weaken, leaving the third chain only partially damaged as I slash against it.

    My crown appears over my head, and its mana gets absorbed as well. Allowing me to destroy the third chain.

    Brown fur covers the flesh, and the monster finally stands on all four legs, releasing a loud roar filled with hate and madness that makes my eardrums burst and heal moments later and then burst again.

    Its attempts to connect with my mind grow more determined, and I feel the pressure increase as antlers start growing from the monster''s head. The longer they are, the stronger the feeling is. But they stop growing¡ªbefore the beast can be fully healed or regain its original power, the thickest golden chain still managing to hold it back.

    (Free! Free me, human. It hurts. I¡¯m scared. Please. Help me, child, brother.) Its words finally sound in my head, taking on a voice that sounds like a combination of my mother and Victoria.

    Words repeated without any real understanding of their true meaning.

    (Help me, my child. I¡¯m dying. It hurts so much.) Over and over again the beast cries, blending the voices of my mother as it begs.

    Clearly, the mind of this being has broken under the torture it¡¯s suffered over the centuries and millennia. What was once a majestic beast, has now been reduced to a mere shadow of itself¡ªfrantically repeating words with the briefest flashes of clarity, focused entirely on the manipulation of others.

    This being won¡¯t help us. It can¡¯t be bargained with, and it mustn¡¯t be set free.

    The sword in my hand pulses for the last time, and I slash toward the monster''s neck, all the remaining force I¡¯m capable of containing breaks free, ravaging my body, and the monster with it.

    Connections are severed, mana is unwound, and flesh and bones disintegrate, without healing.

    With great effort, I push Fracture back into its scabbard, feeling the pressure ease, even as it leaves me with a strong reminder of its presence. My entire right arm, though healed and restored by Lily, continues to bleed, left horribly torn and scarred, the healing coming much slower than before.

    And the monster still lives.

    (Hurt! Save! Victoria, please¡­Nathaniel, my beloved.)

    It keeps pulling at my mind, but it staggers back, its legs burrowing into the floor as it pulls on the chain with great force. I can feel its attempts to access its mana, even as they continue to fail.

    Then it stops moving, its eyes expanding, as the barrage of words ramps up as purple tentacles reach from the ground and grab its leg, slowly climbing higher and higher.

    (Die for me! Protect me! Heal me, Lily, my child! I always hated you, Aaron. You will never amount to anything, Dennis. Melel, my beloved.)

    Over and over again it screams as a dark shadow surrounds it. A flickering mass of something huge covering it in darkness until the entirety of the monster disappears. From the darkness, comes a dark growl, as two huge glowing purple eyes open wide, just at the height of the trapped monster¡¯s neck.

    The golden chain stretches into the darkness ringing out as the tentacles drag the monster deeper into the darkness, followed by the screeching of the tied monster and a crunching bite. The entire cave starts shaking, as all the rivers of molten metals and acid are redirected, rushing to bury the monster held by one last chain.

    Again and again, the monster screeches, trying to escape, its mind attacking everything around it. Until finally, the psychic messages end.

    Then there is silence, filled by the sounds of the cave breaking apart.

    [You have defeated Nightwraith Stag - lvl 471]

    [Lvl 293 > Lvl 294]

    [Lvl 294 > Lvl 295]

    [Lvl 295 > Lvl 296]

    [Lvl 296 > Lvl 297]

    I¡äm unable to hold it anymore, and the acid starts falling again as I take a step toward the shadows that have already begun to fade. Pulling Biscuit from within, who seems to have passed out or fallen asleep. I use Wraith Dance and move over to Lily and the twins, who are already ready to leave.

    ¡°Nat, please, bring her with us!¡± Lily shouts, pointing to the unconscious thylarin woman they defeated.

    Meeting Lily¡äs eyes, I disrupt the natural barrier around Melel, and with the last dregs of my mana pulled from the surrounding area, I use my [Ley Line] and teleport us away.

 Chapter 481 - Puppy

    We reappear in another cave deep underground, which at this point, is beginning to feel routine¡ªme finding holes and placing anchors in them. A few of my thermal cubes surround us immediately warming our surroundings as I get to work recovering my mana.

    The first thing I do is check Fracture, but the sword appears to be sealed properly in its sheath. Aside from the heavily worn inscriptions and some new cracks on the blade, it almost seems fine¡ªas fine as something this evil can be.

    My right arm is still healing slowly, like most of the injuries the sword causes. Although it looks fine on the outside, I know it¡¯s going to take days before they¡¯re back to an optimal state¡ªmaybe even weeks for some parts of my right arm.

    My mana pathways are burned and they¡¯re slow to recover, throwing off my mana control like in the old days. On top of that, it¡¯s left my muscles in a weakened state and damaged my natural barrier, creating a number of vulnerabilities I¡¯ll have to deal with in the meantime.

    And that¡¯s just from the side effects of holding the sword; direct contact with the blade would have been far worse.

    I check on the sleeping Biscuit, confirming what I sensed, and for a moment, I push it to the back of my mind. Next, I check on the Witch. She¡¯s lying on the ground, still unconscious, and missing a few of her arms as well as an assortment of chunks from the rest of her body. Our little trio of hell difficulty enjoyers seems to have beaten her properly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t use [Disintegration],¡± Lily says, watching me inspect the thylarin woman ¡°but we had to be¡­ rough before she started using the stone around us or did something to get in your way.¡±

    She and the twins are standing in front of me, staring at Biscuit, who still lies in my arms. It would seem I¡¯m not seeing things after all, given the way they seem to have noticed it as well.

    Biscuit is much smaller now, to the point that he looks like a puppy, two-month-old at the most. His fur is all fuzzy and incredibly soft. Even his nose is shorter, his face rounder and his legs seem shorter compared to the rest of his body.

    Simply put, Biscuit has become unbearably adorable, and I feel an overwhelming urge to strongly squeeze and nibble him. I know it¡¯s perfectly normal cute aggression, but I can¡¯t help myself as I hold that little pup in my hands.

    Lily steps closer first and touches his small paw, and I sense her sending mana through him, checking his status. As she does so, I notice that unbeknownst to her, she¡¯s begun to caress and pet his tiny paw with a stray finger, her eyes widening, as her breath quickens.

    ¡°He¡­¡± her voice cracks, and she coughs. ¡°He¡¯s fine as far as I can tell. His current stature aside, I think his mana pool probably increased rapidly in size, and there are some changes going on I can¡¯t quite follow, but they don¡¯t seem detrimental.¡±

    As she talks, her interest grows more and more, and she moves her face closer. Then Biscuit barks in his sleep, twitching his leg as he does. Lily squeaks in response, and for a moment I almost think she might snatch him right out of my hands, but she holds herself back and masks the squeak with another cough.

    ¡°Something in my throat,¡± Lily complains before coughing once again.

    ¡°Sure,¡± I say, pulling away from her as I form a new set of manabloc chairs, one for each of us, each modified to be the peak of comfort over the past few months. They grab them, and we sit in a circle around the flickering cube which, thanks to a clever application of empty space and a touch of kinetic energy, now emits the sound of crackling firewood.

    While the Witch¡¯s unconscious body lies on the ground next to us, I start rubbing my cheek against the sleeping form of Biscuit¡¯s small body. ¡°Is everyone ok?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I healed all our wounds, but yours might need a bit more time. You know I could have used [Disintegration] and you wouldn¡¯t have needed to use Fracture.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you could have probably broken a single chain, maybe two if you were to really lean on sacrifice. If I hadn¡¯t used Fracture, I would have to use black mana to get rid of her crown, and that would¡¯ve caused an explosion, without really improving our situation. This way, I got rid of her crown and used up the mana inside before it could cause any trouble; it was a perfect plan.¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t kill the monster,¡± Aaron reminds me.

    ¡°I knew Biscuit was around,¡± I say, lifting the corgi pup as I do, leaving his tiny hind legs and fluffy short tail dangling as I move him from side to side. ¡°I probably could have pushed myself more and dealt more damage, but I trusted him.¡±

    Pulling him back onto my chest, I give him a gentle squish, feeling the urge to squeeze him even more and give him a playful nibble.

    This is getting dangerous. He¡¯s way too cute. I force myself to put him on my lap and lay my hand on his small head, which only makes things worse. That head is so small now, so soft, so fluffy.

    Breathe in. Breathe out.

    Good.

    ¡°Of course, there were different ways to deal with the situation, but overall it went well. My only complaint is that I was deducted who knows how many levels for the assistance he gave me in killing that beast.¡±

    ¡°You say ¡®it went well¡¯, but wasn¡¯t the plan to free one of the prisoners to help us escape the Astral prison?¡± Aaron asks, reminding me of our mission.

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but not this one,¡± I say, sure of my words. "That thing was way too unstable to even think of cooperation and we still have three containment cells left. Tess knows about two and is currently working to find the last.¡±

    ¡°If you think about it,¡± Dennis begins cautiously, ¡°aren¡¯t we going around killing tortured, and beaten up prisoners?¡±

    ¡°Well, when you put it that way, of course, it¡¯s going to sound wrong,¡± I reply with a shrug. ¡°But understand this: whether it was with Caius or this prisoner, I never went in with the intent to kill them from the start. I¡¯m always open to freeing them through a fair deal.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s crazy how these Champion-level prisoners can still cause so much trouble, even with so much of their power stripped away,¡± Aaron says, gesturing to the woman on the floor. ¡°What about her?¡±

    ¡°We could just leave her here and do our own thing, but I think we can probably get something out of her as a reward for saving her life.¡± After performing a quick check to ensure she¡¯s not just pretending to be unconscious, I add, ¡°I want to ask her some things about challenges and using the crown. She seems to have some experience. She might also have some nice items we could take.¡±

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to ask her more about using mana? Just crown stuff?¡± Aaron asks as if suspecting me of something.

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m better than her when it comes to most mana-related stuff.¡±

    ¡°Imagine how good you could be if you ditched Whitey and focused on mana alone,¡± Dennis says, clearly trying to provoke me with a smirk.

    "Imagine how completely dead I¡¯d be if my mana got blocked, as tends to happen. Plus, this way, I can ignore my body¡¯s stats, which will ultimately lead to a greater degree of mastery over my mana."

    ¡°Imagine how good your control would be if you focused completely on mana to prevent that from happening,¡± he pushes. Lately, he and his brother like to see how far they can get me before I punish them with harder training.

    So I lean back in my chair and carefully pet the tiny corgi puppy in my hands. ¡°Imagine thinking the conversations you have through [Connection] are private only to find out that someone was listening in.¡±

    ¡°Imagi¡­ what.¡±

    ¡°Imagine talking about very¡­ well, private stuff while walking through the tunnels behind a certain member of our expedition.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing. There¡¯s no way you were able to resonate and join our private [Connection]. Not without us noticing.¡±

    ¡°Dennis, I don¡¯t think he is. When he¡¯s bluffing, he somehow looks more confident,¡± Aaron says, the more cautious of the two.

    While they talk things out, I step aside, coming to a stop in front of the Witch, and say. ¡°I know you¡¯re awake.¡±

    Hearing me, Melel lifts herself up, bringing herself back to her feet, and dusts herself off with the two arms she has remaining. Her wounds aren¡¯t life-threatening, but they¡¯re also the kind of thing Lily won¡¯t waste mana to heal if Melel were to turn out to be an enemy.

    Her yellow eyes observe me, and Biscuit cradled in my arms, before shifting her gaze to the sitting twins and Lily. Then they flicker toward the thermal orb, and her mana senses examine the cave.

    She does so slowly, to avoid coming off as threatening.

    Only then, without reacting to the situation or trying to say anything about the events that took place down there, she asks, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Pleasantly surprised by her reaction, I nod and ask, ¡°What do you have?¡±

    <hr>

    An hour later, we find ourselves back in Hollowgate, following Melel, who¡¯s currently leading us through the halls of her manor, which also happens to have one of the highest walls in the city. All of her arms have been restored, courtesy of Lily, who was kind enough to treat her other wounds as well.

    Her manor is empty; there are no servants, no other people. Melel lives alone, secluded within a very dangerous set of defensive arrays.

    The interior of the manor is simple¡ªwith no luxurious furniture or wasteful items. Everything is clean and minimalistic, with large windows to let in plenty of light. The manor itself is smaller than I expected, with thick walls enclosing most of the interior which are layered with even more defenses.

    Most of the estate is dominated by a massive stone cube that towers over the actual house, taking up nearly all the available land. Its enormous bulk, easily capable of swallowing multiple mansions with room to spare, dwarfing the manor in comparison.

    We pass through the cube¡¯s wall with her skill alone, the stone seeming to melt away as it creates a path for us.

    Dozens of crystals line the ceiling, mimicking daylight with remarkable accuracy, and a set of inscriptions on the walls even create the illusion of wind. A large part of the space is occupied by a lush garden, filled with trees, vibrant grass, a small pond, and a cozy-looking cottage tucked into a corner.

    This is where Melel has lived for the last 10 years, storing mana in her crown.

    Most of the cottage¡¯s interior is lined with shelves upon shelves, filled with books and an even larger quantity of mana stones packed full of information. Then there are the items, most of them only seeming to have sentimental value, while others are clearly the results of an assortment of experiments.

    It¡¯s really messy inside but not in a bad way; it¡¯s clean, lived-in, and radiates a wonderfuly cozy feeling.

    Without a word, Melel takes a small tray and puts five cups on it. She doesn¡¯t seem to have a complete set, so each cup is different, be it in material, shape, or size. Adding to it, she takes a bottle from one of the shelves and wordlessly heads to the terrace connected to one of the doors.

    We take our seats in the chairs she brings us from the house, once again not a set, indicating once again, that she¡¯s probably not used to hosting visitors like this, and so, seeing that she¡¯s missing one, I make my own with mana, which grabs her interest as she takes a moment to examines it.

    As we sit around the small table, she pours the drink into every cup, and then, in front of us, takes a sip.

    Lily is the second to drink, and when she confirms it¡¯s fine, we drink as well. It tastes very nice, fruity, and slightly fizzy, and feels warm and refreshing. I quickly find myself enjoying it and take another sip while taking full advantage of the view the terrace offers, overlooking the small pond where, under a large shade tree, sets a small stack of books. It would be easy to see Melel reading there in her free time.

    During this, the Witch doesn¡¯t speak, but I can only think of it as a silent form of thanks for saving her life. I doubt she¡¯ll say anything more, but this gesture speaks loud enough.

    ¡°How do you take such a small amount of mana with how much you had stored in the crown?¡± I ask a few minutes later.

    Melel turns her eyes to me from the pond, ¡°There are a few tricks to make it easier. I had a feeling you would know about them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can do it too, but I was curious about the way you do it.¡±

    Melel tilts her head, considering her words. ¡°Think of it like this: the mana in the crown behaves under its own set of rules, like a layered lattice. Each layer has a different response threshold, a kind of resistance coefficient, if you will. You have to tune into each specific frequency to access one layer at a time. Otherwise, you¡¯re effectively breaching the entire reservoir at once, which is wasteful and unstable.¡±

    She gestures with a hand, tracing invisible lines in the air. ¡°It''s about precision extraction. With the right modulation¡ªand by aligning your mana with the crown¡¯s specific binding structure¡ªyou minimize the draw. It¡¯s controlled, like a harmonic oscillation. Without that tuning, you risk releasing it all at once. Think of it like plucking a single thread from a weave, using resonance instead of force.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like a valve, the more you¡­¡± Dennis interjects, mocking my words with a sly grin¡ªthen abruptly stops mid-sentence, mouth stuck open, frozen in place.

    ¡°Continue,¡± I tell Melel.

    Glancing at the twins, Melel¡¯s fingers dance subtly in the air, as if illustrating a complex formula. ¡°The crown isn¡¯t just a simple container; it''s a resonant structure. When you tune into that structure precisely, you don¡¯t just take mana¡ªyou prompt it to flow willingly, at your own pace. It''s a form of induced resonance, not unlike coaxing stone to vibrate at its natural frequency. The crown essentially lets its defenses down.¡±

    She pauses. ¡°But the trick isn¡¯t just about knowing the resonance. You have to account for environmental factors, right down to the minor shifts in ambient mana density. Most of it, the crown does on its own, but adjusting for those conditions is possible from your side, and by doing so you increase your control.¡±

    A faint frown appears on her face. ¡°And every time I draw from it, I also perform a recalibration of sorts, mapping the crown¡¯s mana fluctuations to my own.¡±

    This sounds fun, and it might take a while.

    ¡°Go play,¡± I say, waving Lily and the twins away, and wait for them to leave, Dennis with his mouth still wide open, then I lean closer to Melel. ¡°Repeat what you just said and imagine you are explaining it to a 5-year-old.¡±

 Chapter 482 - Racist Witch

    Dennis couldn¡¯t close his mouth for two days. That meant no eating and should have meant no drinking. I was ready to let go so he could at least drink, but they solved it somehow, and I decided I didn¡¯t want to know the details. I guess his pride just couldn¡¯t bear the thought of coming to me to have the effect removed.

    I used those days to pull all the information I could out of Melel. Ignoring the fancy names she likes to use for everything, I quickly simplified it in my mind and immediately came up with my own ways to incorporate the new information into my training.

    She hasn¡¯t even complained about her lack of sleep over the past two days, though it¡¯s no great feat of endurance for someone at her level.

    Most of her knowledge is theoretical, mostly things she learned back on her home planet, her teacher apparently having been one of the oldest Champions from her planet¡¯s First Generation.

    When Melel was much younger, she did something terrible, though she refused to tell me what, and I respect that. That act led to her being sent to the Astral Prison.

    At some point during the years she¡¯s been here, after establishing her reputation, she ended up in Hollowgate, where she joined an expedition to explore the deep mines below.

    They got lost in those dark tunnels, barely surviving the weeks of constant battle.

    Melel suspects that one of the expedition¡¯s members was caught in the influence of the prisoner, who had been drawing people down into the depths in hopes of finding a talent capable of freeing it. And that¡¯s exactly what happened: after months of wandering, Melel, the only survivor, eventually stumbled onto a path close enough to the prisoner for it to speak to her.

    Exhausted, wounded, and vulnerable, the less experienced and, at the time, much lower level Melel fell under the prisoner¡¯s influence¡ªthough not full control, apparently the creature wasn¡¯t capable of that, but by using subtle manipulation and trickery it managed to create a link that only grew stronger as Melel did.

    Luck had been on the prisoner¡¯s side. It found someone as talented as Melel before they could become powerful enough to resist its influence. For the last few decades, she¡¯s been returning to the mines, gathering mana, joining expeditions, and working to break the chains of a being that she¡¯d come to see as a friend and mentor¡ªdespite the obvious red flags. All warnings were ignored, silenced by the hold the prisoner had over her.

    I asked because I was curious¡ªand I¡¯m sure the only reason she answered was because she felt like she still owed me. If she hadn¡¯t, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d have just told me to fuck off, which I¡¯d consider entirely reasonable. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not shameless enough to take advantage and ask as many questions as I can to satisfy my curiosity.

    Our relationship is simple. I helped her, and now she¡¯s repaying the service by answering my questions and sharing her knowledge.

    I had thought of requesting some items, but sometime over the last two days, I changed my mind. The knowledge I¡¯ve acquired is more than good enough.

    Melel is extremely good at handling her [Mana Crown] and manipulating stone. She can do some really fancy things with stone, but nothing of use to me. So, other than information on the crown, I listen to her lessons on theory and ask any questions I need to grasp the concepts before marking them down.

    I was never the type to enjoy studying, and even now, I prefer to experience things on my own rather than getting bogged down in theory.

    Then there¡¯s the things she teaches me about the kinds of challenges a person can issue once they reach the rank of Champion Candidate or similar.

    As we saw back in the mine, a person under the effects of something like mind control is incapable of declaring one. You can also create some really wild challenges, but they must be accepted, and the challenged party can usually adjust the wager slightly before seeking confirmation from the challenger, then it¡¯s up to the system to acknowledge it.

    You need to possess, or own, the things you are wagering. That little tidbit really drives home just how wild it is that my challenge to Whitey got approved. It¡¯s something I even mention to him as I slip into my mind for our regular training regimen and get a laugh out of it for the trouble.

    I think it¡¯s even possible to wager things like traits, but you need to mean it and have a certain level of mastery over the trait in question for the system to acknowledge that you ¡°own¡± it. At higher levels and for beings with the status of Champion and Absolute, these challenges get easier to make and allow for some crazy stuff. You can wager your stats, passives, and more besides.

    Active skills seem to be the exception though, they¡¯re one of the very few things that just aren¡¯t possible to wager. That confirms my speculations on their importance, in fact maybe they¡¯re even more important than I thought, and I already had them quite high up.

    While I¡¯m collecting this information, Biscuit is still unconscious, and after examining him a bit more, Lily¡¯s come to the conclusion that he just needs time to ¡°digest.¡± His regression into a puppy is probably some kind of backlash caused by overextending himself, but of course, how could that silly corgi ever hold himself back after seeing a deer like that.

    Lily and the twins spend time slacking around and training. When I give my modified evil orbs to the twins, Melel shows an interest, and I make one for her as well, which, much to the twins¡¯ frustration, she handles like a champ. When she thinks I¡¯m not looking, she carefully places the orb into a mana cage, as if she intended to examine it later.

    I want to ask her about the cage, but she looks so thrilled with the orb, almost like she¡¯s just gotten a new toy, and I don¡¯t want to ruin it out of mere curiosity. So, as a thank-you for all the information, I pretend I haven¡¯t seen anything.

    She then lies, trying to tell me that the orb she just secreted away had burst during her examinations, so I create another one, with a bit of added difficulty. She gives me a wordless nod of thanks and examines it while launching into the next lesson.

    Even though this thylarin is clearly racist, I¡¯ve also learned over the last two days that she¡¯s an extreme introvert, and never thought twice about locking herself away in this place for 10 years. Spending all her time training, learning, and reading. And it¡¯s something I can¡¯t help but deeply admire.

    Led by some incomprehensible impulse, I even say as much.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asks, ¡°I¡¯m not racist, I just don¡¯t like being around people, no matter the race.¡±

    That answer raises my respect for her more than anything else she¡¯s done so far.

    Melel then continues, ¡°I¡¯ve given you all the knowledge you wanted, some of it I would¡¯ve never shared under normal circumstances, and some of it I spent years trying to learn. I value my life a lot, but I value this knowledge almost as much.¡±

    Getting a hint, I stand up. ¡°Got it, this should be enough. Consider your debt paid in full.¡±

    ¡°Good, the exit is that way,¡± she says, gesturing towards a stone wall that shifts and molds itself to reveal a door. Then she turns away, heading back to her cottage whereupon she peruses her collection of books, presumably looking for something to read.

    As I leave I come across Dennis and finally stop using kinetic energy to hold his mouth open, and he closes it very slowly, groaning, as his jaw proceeds to make a series of intense cracking noises as it closes. Aaron watches him with clear enjoyment, likely burning the moment into his memory to tease his brother later.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Lily asks, rushing over to walk by my side.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Yes, it took longer than I thought, but to make up for it, I¡¯ll fly faster and teleport us further per jump. What did Tess have to say in the Community?¡±

    ¡°The plan¡¯s changed a bit, and we¡¯re heading over to meet up with Sophie and Izzy.¡±

    ¡°Huh? They made up?¡±

    ¡°It seems likely, Izzy pacified Sophie already. But I really want to get there fast enough to see the two of them reconnect.¡±

    ¡°So, Mindblender City it is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s supposed to be an old fort nearby where Sophie¡¯s planning on meeting us. Apparently, it¡¯s dangerous to just walk into the city.¡±

    ¡°Well, I hope the three of you trained your mental defenses properly like we practiced. Now let¡¯s hurry, we don¡¯t want to be late.¡±

    <hr>

    Before we leave, we make a visit to the place I sent all the materials I got from the expedition. The hammer, anvil, and chains aren¡¯t going to be something we can take with us given their size, weight, and the mana cost to transport them. So they stay where I left them, in my underground lab, which has been heavily damaged and nearly destroyed by their arrival.

    I just grab the bust and a few pieces of the most valuable and interesting metals. After leaving the lab, I also remove any Ley Lines heading there and clear away all the signs I can. The shielding of the room should take care of the rest.

    After thinking it over, I create a smaller hideout far from my lab and move over a few pieces of chain and metal. This way, I can retrieve them if I need to, without leaving any trace back to the main hideout.

    Then we depart using my teleportation and flight. As always, when I find myself having to move more than a few people, it¡¯s very janky, but so far, it¡¯s still the fastest method of travel.

    There are a few monster attacks along the way and we have to deal with and avoid a few random groups that would otherwise ambush the average traveler; though aside from that, it¡¯s just a simple trip as we head deeper into the central region.

    When we finally make our landing, the old fort Sophie mentioned is well within view, and far in the distance, we can even see the shimmering of the lake and the city with its many towers nestled on its banks.

    Deactivating the Restrictive Training Emblem, the pressure on my body alleviates, and I activate one of Lily¡¯s healing marks.

    Examining my body, it¡¯s still not fully healed. My muscles are weaker and they still don¡¯t feel right, my mana is much more difficult to move, and sometimes I get spasms of pain, or find that my right arm has become entirely paralyzed.

    Fracture is a very powerful weapon, mid grade arcane¡ªit¡¯s not something I expected when I set out to make it. The cost of its power is the danger inherent to its use and the fact it¡¯s constantly crumbling away, but even now, I¡¯m still learning from it.

    So now, as we head towards a tower where I sense a single mana signature lying in wait, I check my status and with it, the results of my training.

    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn

    Title: Champion Candidate

    Difficulty: Hell

    Floor: 6 - Astral Prison

    Time left until forced return: 3y 120d 11h 36m 11s

    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 1/3

    Lvl 297

    Strength: 164

    Dexterity: 160

    Constitution: 342

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1197 + 1197

    Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)

    Sub-class: [Adept of Pride]

    Active skills (10/10):

    Focus - Lvl 59

    Perception - Lvl 54

    Redistribution - Lvl 57

    Resonance - Lvl 59

    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 55

    Infusion - Lvl 47

    Mana Crown - Lvl 49

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 60

    Ley Line - Lvl 39

    Bone Knitting - Lvl 20

    Constructs:

    Reinforcement (Construct)

    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)

    Mana Regulator (Construct)

    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)

    Vortex Core (Construct)

    Passive skills (5/5):

    Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic)

    Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic)

    Cognitive Fortress (Mid Epic)

    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic)

    Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane)

    Tokens:

    Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)

    Beyond 3 day stay token

    Beyond 3 day stay token

    Beyond 1 day stay token

    Beyond 1 day stay token

    Beyond 1 day stay token

    Beyond 1 day stay token

    Shards: 279,936

    That¡¯s close to 30 levels of free stats I¡¯ve gained, mostly evenly split into Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.

    But best of all, there¡¯s also my first strengthening of Mana Wavelength Iris¡ªsomething I¡¯m quite used to at this point, but damn, the beginning hurt. The strengthened trait allows me to see mana particles and the structures of skills with even greater clarity. Though the cost is high, and I still feel like I haven¡¯t fully uncovered the trait¡¯s potential.

    With the second-stage strengthening token, I could enhance it further. I just need a bit more time to fully adapt and before I do, especially before I get my Primary Class selection.

    I have my hopes it will make the offerings better. Having Mana Wavelength Iris at the second stage by then could be huge.

    As for my constructs, I¡¯ve upgraded all of them at this point¡ªall.

    I had Lily¡¯s help for the Reinforcement construct and my Thermokinetic Mana Heart; Reinforcement is markedly better now when I decide to use it, and with my mana reserves, it was already quite powerful to begin with.

    And the output of my heart has increased as well, especially when it comes to kinetic energy¡ªsomething I could directly compare with Whitey and the bits of information Lily got from the pieces of his heart before they disappeared. That made the white-haired demon shut up about my weak heart for the most part, and he only really mentions it when, according to him, I do exceptionaly poorly.

    For any further upgrades, I¡¯ll need more to work with, ¡®though I have have high hopes in the form of the Champion¡¯s heart Lissandra promised to get me from the pyramid. If all goes well, I could give it a good boost in strength during the tournament - if the healing field doesn''t interfere again.

    My mantle got the second most noticeable upgrade after the heart, the inspiration I gained from the combination of [Ley Line], [Resonance], working on Fracture, and my arcane passive. To be honest, my Mana Sovereignty Mantle might be approaching the level of an arcane passive, nicely rounding out my defenses against mental attacks and any attempts to hijack my body, mana, or otherwise interfere with my use of either.

    I now have plenty of stay tokens, and there''s been no change when it comes to my passive skills, but there is a good reason for it.

    Shards: 279,936

    I¡¯ve gained over 150 thousand shards during these past few months, and I¡¯m currently saving for a mid arcane passive, and I swear, I will sell Fracture if I need to just to get it before the Primary class upgrade, Fracture itself representing another 150 thousand shards in value.

 Chapter 483 - Annoying little jerks

    Passing through the destroyed gate, we find ourselves on an empty street framed by equally empty buildings. If the 6th floor had more greenery, I¡¯m sure the fort and buildings within would¡¯ve been overtaken by it, but as of now, it¡¯s just a skeletal ruin. There are no signs of life other than the mana signature awaiting us amongst the streets, so we make our way in that direction.

    As we walk I begin to sense an intricate web of mana hanging in the air around us, with functions I haven¡¯t seen before. After examining it for a bit I can tell that there are plenty of detection mechanisms that ring the moment I so much as touch the web. Some others seem geared towards interfering with different tracking methods, some serve as a more direct form of defense, and still others allow for the quick deployment of secondary webs among other things.

    While I study it, we reach the crossroads of two streets, where Sophie sits waiting on a boulder against which a single withered tree rests. It¡¯s the only sign of any greenery as far as I can see, and the tree¡¯s branches move almost like a living being as Sophie runs her mana through it¡ªlikely as a means to pass the time.

    Sophie looks the same as she did the last time I saw her. Slightly shorter than me and a bit younger. Her green eyes are noticeable even in the dusk, as is her well tanned skin.

    She¡¯s luxuriously dressed in a long black robe layered over a finely embroidered tunic. The robe itself is richly adorned, trimmed in silver threads with subtle, elaborate patterns that shimmer faintly in the low light. Many of them seem to be highly mana-conductive, and I¡¯m sure these clothes offer better defense than some of the upper epic armor I¡¯ve seen.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t mess with my web, Nat,¡± are the first words from her mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m examining it, not messing with it. If you¡¯re nice, I¡¯ll show you a few ways to improve it.¡±

    ¡°At this point, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m better at this than you, so if you¡¯re nice to me, I¡¯ll let you examine it and maybe explain the parts you don¡¯t understand.¡±

    "Sophie, please don¡¯t. He¡¯ll deploy some kind of array and end up bleeding his brain out of his nose just to modify it and win this challenge," Dennis sighs beside me, and I feel him adding Sophie to our link so we can all communicate telepathically if needed.

    ¡°You can talk about it later,¡± Lily jumps in before I can answer and rushes in, pulling Sophie into a hug. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to see you!¡±

    Sophie seems surprised for a moment, almost like she doesn¡¯t know what to do, but then she slowly closes her arms around Lily and hugs her back.

    ¡°I¡¯m also glad you guys are ok. How did you do?¡±

    ¡°We just killed one of the prisoners held in the Containment Cells!¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I see.¡± Sophie¡¯s eyes land on me with a suspicious expression.

    Feeling the need to defend myself, I hold Biscuit in front of me at arm¡¯s length. "Look, we went down there with the best intentions, but you wouldn¡¯t want a psychopathic, telepathic, super-regenerating deer running around free. And it was this little jerk who finished him off."

    ¡°Can I hold him?¡± Sophie asks instead of demanding details about the Containment Cell.

    ¡°No, he¡¯s mine.¡±

    Sophie continues without missing a beat as if she hadn¡¯t even asked. ¡°What happened to him? Is he okay?¡±

    ¡°Yup, he¡¯s just as healthy as he could be. He seems healthier than before and stronger; he just shrunk. Lily thinks it¡¯s some form of evolution. I think it¡¯s because he overextended his abilities, Aaron thinks it¡¯s like a phoenix growing anew from his ashes, and Dennis seems to think it¡¯s my fault somehow.¡±

    ¡°If you hand him to me, I could check¡­¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s mine.¡±

    "Nat, just give me that goddamn adorable corgi puppy."

    ¡°You have a really scary expression on your face right now.¡±

    Instead of answering, Sophie smiles wide and chuckles for a moment. This expression feels more real and relaxed than the one she wore before. Meeting with people after so long can be awkward. No matter how much time you spent with them before, it can still feel a bit off until things return to a semblance of normality.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you guys are ok. I didn¡¯t realize¡­¡± Sophie starts but then stops mid sentence and shakes her head, a smile still on her face.

    Lily responds by pulling her into a seat on the boulder next to her with the twins standing nearby as the two of them exchange information. Nothing too important for now; we still need to wait for the others before we can get to that.

    While they talk, I return to examining Sophie¡¯s web and connect as she grants me access. Even while she''s chatting with Lily and the twins, she notices whenever I start making improvements. Each time, she quickly removes my changes, restoring her original version. She clearly doesn¡¯t agree that my adjustments are improvements, but I persist, tweaking and modifying in response to her edits.

    We continue like this while waiting for the others to join us.

    <hr>

    Tess, Maya, and Min-Jae join us a few hours later. While I¡¯m sure Tess and Min-Jae could fly if they wanted, they walk, passing through the broken gate and empty streets the same way we did.

    Tess is the first to enter the crossroads, her confident stride faltering for a brief moment when she spots Sophie, but she continues forward nonetheless.

    There is a white and red lightning crown floating over her head, and her golden hair is now short-ish, barely reaching her shoulders, with bangs falling to her forehead and wavy hair framing her face.

    She is wearing a fitted, light metallic gray armor and five javelins float behind her back, each seemingly made of a different material. Without any gesture from her, they stab themselves into the ground and stay there.

    Tess stops in front of Sophie, her expression finally changing as she takes a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she says, addressing her and then also Lily and the twins. She then stops and waits.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    I¡¯m sure she could say more¡ªshe¡¯s good at these kinds of things. She could explain herself, make the apology longer and more heartfelt, and try to explain her behavior, yet she has chosen not to, relying on these few words to convey her feelings.

    Somewhat awkwardly, Sophie looks away. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    These words make Tess very happy, and for a moment, I¡¯m sure her gray eyes are slightly wet before she blinks a few times and rushes to hug all of them.

    ¡°No apology for me?¡± I ask while they¡¯re all hugging.

    ¡°Screw you, Nat,¡± she calls to me and continues to squeeze the life out of Lily.

    When she¡¯s done, she stops in front of me as well, a big smile on her face. The words she says to me are different from the ones she said to the others. ¡°Thank you.¡± With that, she hugs me as well, careful not to squish Biscuit, who I still hold in my arms.

    As she lets go, she tries to inconspicuously pull Biscuit away from me, but I don¡¯t let go.

    Tess seems disappointed as she stares at the cute pup in my arms. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°He ate too much.¡±

    ¡°Too many biscuits?¡± Next to her, Min-Jae laughs. But seeing no one joins, he laughs again, this time a bit more awkwardly.

    He is also wearing armor similar to Tess¡¯s¡ªgray, light, and metallic. As always, his hair seems to be messy and a bit longer than it used to be. Underneath, his left eye is still yellow.

    He notices me looking at it. ¡°A few months ago, it became stronger, and I think I almost died.¡± There¡¯s a smile on his face as he says this and continues in a whisper only I can hear, ¡°And guess who also has Primordial energy now?¡±

    ¡°You?¡± I ask.

    Maya, while hugging Sophie, shouts in my direction, with Tess already nearby. ¡°Nat, did Kim already tell you about his new fancy primordial energy? You guys have already been talking for five seconds, so it¡¯s highly likely.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s told me three times already. Did you start talking to me because you want to return the claymore I rented to you?¡±

    Surprisingly, Maya becomes too busy and returns to friendly chatting with Lily. Even Maya is wearing armor similar to Tess and Min-Jae¡¯s, and on her back is Bloodthirst, the damaged weapon mentioned. It might be just me, but the claymore looks a bit redder and less damaged.

    As for Maya, I can sense something weird from her that is hard to describe. I guess I will have to try to find out later. The dagger on her waist also looks interesting, and unlike the others, there is a short leather cape on the back of her armor, barely reaching her waist.

    Everyone seems to have picked up a thing or two.

    ¡°Nat, don¡¯t your arms hurt? If you want, I can hold Biscuit for a while?¡± Min-Jae asks carefully.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? I could¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Aren¡¯t you taller?¡±

    ¡°You noticed? Just a bit more, and I¡¯ll be taller than Maya! I¡¯ve also put on some muscle¡ªlook!¡± He flexes his bicep. ¡°I never had this much before. Maya gave me a great routine that I stick to. Did you know she was a personal trainer? And apparently, a really good one. But don¡¯t tell her I complimented her.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to do some testing to see how much working out influences strength and if there is a difference between a muscular body and a non-muscular one when the stats are the same. I¡¯m also curious if the stats are changing our bodies and making them look more fit,¡± I note as the thought comes to mind.

    Min-Jae hesitates for a bit but then shakes his head and smiles. ¡°It feels like we never split. I¡¯m glad.¡±

    ¡°It was just a few months.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty long time, Nat, but... I guess I¡¯ll have to go and talk to Aaron and Dennis¡­¡± He waves off and goes to the side where the twins already awkwardly stand and wait.

    To avoid being overwhelmed by all the greetings, I move in front of one of the broken houses and form a manabloc chair, sitting on it carefully. I fix the blanket around Biscuit so only his tiny head pokes out and boop his nose just once. It¡¯s softer and smaller, but it¡¯s the same cold and slightly wet feeling.

    It seems like we don¡¯t have to hurry yet, so everyone spends a bit of time talking to each other, and there are even some smaller gifts exchanged. The most awkward ones seem to be Tess with Sophie and the twins with Min-Jae, even after apologies and both sides wanting to get over it, but these things take time.

    The first to join me is Tess, and when she lifts her eyebrows, I create a chair for her, and she sits next to me.

    ¡°Do you have to train even now?¡± she gestures at the evil cubes floating around me¡ªthe version that doesn¡¯t deal with changing frequency, but the one with a smaller cube inside, and then a smaller one inside of that, continuing to the smallest degree I¡¯m capable of.

    ¡°I¡¯d be bored if I didn¡¯t.¡± The cubes float and spin around me. ¡°I could modify some for you to train. The twins love them.¡±

    Tess smiles and taps the cube closest to her. ¡°I¡¯m sure they do. So, how did you find dealing with them, Nat? Last I remember, you were worried about having to be the responsible one.¡±

    ¡°Honestly?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re annoying little jerks.¡±

    ¡°Are they?¡± Her smile grows bigger, already knowing it¡¯s not all I have to say. That way, she probes me to say it out loud.

    ¡°Lily can be creepy at times, but she mostly listens to me¡­ for obvious reasons. But these two? They can be super impatient and rely on me to deal with consequences. They train hard but constantly try to come up with a way to cheat training just to spite me or try to get one over on me.¡±

    My eyes land on the twins, who still talk to Min-Jae and gesture widely, likely sharing stories from their adventures.

    ¡°Wanna hear something? I once gave them a mana-shaping exercise to keep the orb from bursting for as long as possible. The two jerks failed after an hour, but instead of coming to me, they spent half a day using [Sensory Deception] to make an orb that would look and feel like the one I made. Then they showed up in front of me.¡±

    I pause, still remembering the feeling I got back then. I turn to Tess. ¡°I checked it only on the surface, so I failed to notice, but got suspicious a few hours later, and only then did they reveal it was just their projection. For the following two months, they kept reminding me of it every time the tiniest opportunity showed itself. I¡¯ve never seen them so happy, I swear.¡±

    "¡°That''s just like them,¡± Tess agrees.

    ¡°Yes, exactly. They¡¯re a pain in the ass, constantly provoking me and everyone around them just to see how far they can push it. For shits and giggles and while keeping their private link going. Annoying little jerks.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like it, Nat.¡±

    ¡°You really want me to say it out loud, right?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± she confirms. ¡°We¡¯re both pretty messed up, so we have to push each other to realize things like this. Just like you did for me down under the Mana Desert.¡±

    ¡°I guess,¡± I shrug it off and lean back, once again staring at the two blonde twins. ¡°They¡¯re annoying little jerks, but they¡¯re my annoying little jerks, so I¡¯ll try to keep an eye on them so they don¡¯t get into trouble.¡±

    ¡°Just like an older brother?¡± that silly blonde teases so I nudge one of the cubes to bump against her head.

    ¡°More like two silly disciples. And honestly, it¡¯s fun sometimes. Just a little bit. The tiniest bit. So small, you wouldn¡¯t even need¡­¡±

    ¡°I got it, Nat. I got it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Min-Jae and Maya are also an annoying little shit sometimes.¡± The playful jab comes out of nowhere, and when I turn to the right, surprised, she¡¯s smiling at me brightly.

 Chapter 484 - Mindblender City

    We eventually arrange ourselves to sit in a half circle with Sophie standing in front of us underneath the half-dead tree.

    She looks at the chairs I made for everyone for a moment. "Is it just me or have you made some improvements to your monobloc chair design?"

    "Yes," I confirm. "I modified the structure to make them more comfortable with minimal alterations to the overall design, and the mana used for the base is¡­ enhanced."

    ¡°You should try it, they¡¯re surprisingly comfy,¡± Min-Jae calls.

    "Maybe later," Sophie replies, waving him off. "It¡¯s about time we were heading over to the city, so I wanted to give you a few warnings before we do. First, it doesn¡¯t have a name¡ªmost people just call it the mind mages¡¯ city if not something more derogatory and they avoid the place as much as possible. Typically, when someone does visit, they¡¯re either staying a few days at most or they end up being press-ganged into one of the local factions. If they¡¯re particularly useful, one of the mind mages might even try to pacify them with mind-control."

    ¡°Nothing against you, Sophie, but if this had happened on Earth, I¡¯m sure people would¡¯ve nuked the city already.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Maya, no offense taken, and I agree with you. Believe it or not, they tried; just in the past ten years, there¡¯ve been three large-scale attacks on the city, but as you can see, it still stands. Unfortunately. Before we even get close, I¡¯ll make sure your minds are protected and leave marks on you so everyone here knows that you belong with me.¡±

    ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯re some kind of big shot in there, Soph,¡± Maya states, lazily crossing her legs while the others look at Sophie, eagerly awaiting her answer.

    Sophie doesn¡¯t even seem shy about it as she responds. ¡°You could say I¡¯m around the top 5 of the city. Given a bit more time, possibly number two and the next Archon.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Yes, oh. There really aren¡¯t as many mind mages as one might expect. Over the past few hundred years, most of the ones who¡¯ve appeared here on the Astral Prison headed to the city and either made their own group or got themselves controlled by a more powerful mind mage. As weird as it sounds, it seems to be fairly normal. As for all of you, each of you would be considered a great asset in your own right, it¡¯s highly likely that everyone would be scrambling to make you submit to them before another mind mage could beat them to it.¡±

    ¡°How many are there in the city?¡± I ask.

    "Fewer than 50, and most are being controlled by someone else, forming three powerful groups: Archon, he¡¯s the oldest of all of them; Beatrice, then there¡¯s his daughter with her own faction; and Namior, who got lucky and managed to seize control of a few powerful prisoners and monsters. My group is the fourth. There was a strong, independent mind mage who noticed me the moment we arrived in the city and tried to take over, but it didn¡¯t go well for him, so I replaced him as the head of his group."

    ¡°No complaints from the others?¡±

    ¡°None at all. It¡¯s the kind of place that only cares about individual ability, and no one weeps for the losers.¡±

    Sophie then gestures for me and the twins to stand. ¡°I¡¯ll need your help with my web and getting everyone connected. And while we¡¯re at it we may as well use the process to make it that much more difficult for all of you to fall victim to mind control, marking, tracking, and other forms of manipulation. Doing things this way will also tie you to me so that I¡¯ll know if someone tries to take control of you, and provide me with a means of defending you. I did the same for Izzy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just sit here and look pretty. Maya quips¡±

    ¡°Please, do Maya.¡± Sophie retorts, shaking her head in exasperation, much to Maya¡¯s amusement, but in the end, she can¡¯t help but smile a bit. ¡°Before we start, there¡¯s this thing called The Framework. It¡¯s a mental construct centered around the palace at the heart of the city, it allows the mind mages and the people under their control to focus their calculative abilities on a single common goal.¡±

    She looks a bit more serious now. ¡°they¡¯re trying to decipher the spatial locks over the Astral Prison and destroy them.¡±

    <hr>

    The lesson about Mindblender City continues over the course of our approach to the place in question.

    (You might be wondering why all the mind mages come here when there¡¯s such a high chance of being taken over by someone more powerful. But it¡¯s pretty simple when you think about it: mind mages tend to be killed on sight everywhere else. The moment you make the ability known or show even a hint, the clock starts ticking, and rumors begin to spread. Sooner or later, people form a mob to kill you off. So here, at least, you¡¯re treated moderately well. Like a tool to be used and thrown away, but in the meantime you have a nice palace to stay, food to eat, and the only thing you have to worry about is the other mind mages and they usually defend their own kind.)

    (How does Framework work?)

    (I told you already, Nat, I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ll know more in a few days after I join the maintenance team, and yes, I¡¯ll tell you as much as I can.)

    (This city is weird.)

    (So you¡¯ve already noticed?)

    (Yup.)

    (It¡¯s exactly what you¡¯re thinking, the entire city functions as a colossal inscription array. Each building represents a meticulously placed node within the greater structure, crafted from materials tailored to the array¡¯s needs¡ªsome are more highly conductive to channel mana flow efficiently, while others are there to act as dampeners. The streets are lined with specialized alloys that interact with the entire mana network, creating pathways that facilitate the controlled flow of energy across districts. Throughout the city, there are many battery stations strategically positioned to provide sustained power and ensure the array¡¯s stability, even under strain. Additionally, frequency amplification stations have been placed at key intersections to regulate resonance frequencies while enhancing mana output and refining flow to prevent disruptions.)

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    (Don¡¯t do that, Sophie; he gets annoyed when people talk smartly like that, using all these fancy words,) Dennis warns.

    (Yeah, he¡¯s always hated it,) Min-Jae confirms, giggling as he does, but quickly shuts up when he notices me looking at him.

    Aaron speaks up next, nodding seriously as he explains, (Most of the time he understands all that mana science blabber; he just gets annoyed and grumbles about how: If you truly understand something, you can explain it simply enough that a 5-year-old could understand.)

    Ignoring them, I ask Sophie, (With my passive, constructs and skill, how much of a threat do these mindblenders pose to me?)

    (I think you¡¯re probably safe, but at the start, you might want to weaken your defenses a bit¡ªnot enough for their manipulation to pierce, but just to make them think it¡¯s possible. They have people probing newbies, and if you come off too strong, they might send their bodyguards after you.)

    (Bodyguards being powerful non¨Cmind mages they¡¯ve managed to manipulate?)

    (Yes.)

    (I don¡¯t think they could cause much trouble for me.)

    (There are three that could,) Sophie says seriously.

    At that Dennis laughs under his breath.

    To stop the conversation from moving in an unwanted direction, Tess interrupts the conversation with a reminder, (As we said before. We¡¯ll be entering the city and staying in Sophie¡¯s tower with Izzy while we wait. Nat and occasionally Maya will act as her bodyguards, as the ones with the highest resistance to mind control, and Sophie will go ahead with her plan. We will do our own preparations, and then¡­ we¡¯ll go from there.)

    Everyone sends their confirmations through the link, and now, as we make our final approach to the city, everyone stops talking, their mental defenses rising in sync as we get closer.

    I, on the other hand, slightly weaken my Mantle and stop using [Focus] to counter their attempts. As I do, I decide to test [Ley Line]. A thread still leads off toward the secondary hideout, where I¡¯ve stashed some of the golden chains and a good supply of extra materials.

    As we pass over the small bridge and the wide white gate opens itself to us, I feel the defensive arrays running their checks, but there seems to be some special mark on Sophie, and once they detect it they stop.

    [Ley Line] seems to remain unnoticed by the automatic measures, but I¡¯m sure someone skilled enough to notice will show up sooner or later. The question is whether or not they¡¯ll be able to mess with it. Sophie noticed but wasn¡¯t able to disrupt or otherwise manipulate it, to her annoyance and my pleasant surprise.

    Inside, the Mindblender City looks unlike anything else we¡¯ve seen on the 6th floor. It fits more with the style of the second, I would say. It¡¯s almost enough to make it seem like we aren¡¯t on a barren moon that serves as a prison. Well cobbled streets, clean buildings crowded with eye-catching architecture, and towers upon towers everywhere offering a stunning view of the varied styles even from the streets.

    There aren¡¯t as many people as I thought there¡¯d be, but everyone seems busy, and there¡¯s no one standing around in conversation. I guess there¡¯s just not enough trust for that. How can you call anyone a friend if the mind mage controlling them could give the order at any time for them to turn against you, and they don¡¯t have the free will to refuse?

    Once again, I¡¯m reminded just how disgusting that ability is, more so than invisibility or having "Phantom" in a class or item description.

    With Sophie, I¡¯ve had time to get used to it, and there is trust between us, but that hasn¡¯t stopped me from constantly developing my mental defenses¡ªher presence and skill serving as a constant reminder of what could happen.

    As we walk through the streets, an assortment of probes touch us. Some sense Sophie¡¯s mark and stop right away, while others only seem to grow more interested when they find it and they inevitably try to gauge our ¡°power level,¡± checking over each member of our group.

    The checks tend to linger a bit when they reach Lily, who is just terrible at hiding her abilities, and do the same for Min-Jae, who honestly isn¡¯t much better.

    Deploying a modified version of Sneaky Mode, the twins and I probably get the least amount of interest, the check passing over us without seeming to find us interesting enough for inspection. Even Fracture is well hidden by me.

    The place Sophie is staying is a beautiful tall tower; even the yard is nice, filled with decorative columns, a small pond, and trees. It¡¯s so unfitting for this floor, I check my status just to be sure we didn''t wind up somewhere else.

    There are checks upon checks. As we enter, as we walk by the trees, as we meet the guards. Every person seems to have some kind of proximity-based scan they run the moment they pass another human, looking for a mark¡ªlike the one Sophie gave us so that we could enter this place.

    But I guess it all makes sense. Mind mages don¡¯t generally seem to care much for direct combat; they¡¯d rather resort to more underhanded methods. Like spying, controlling people, and overall trying to one-up each other. It all sounds so tiring.

    A young woman greets Sophie, the second in command and was second in command before Sophie killed the original owner of this place. Mind mage Mila, now subject to Sophie¡¯s control.

    From their interactions though, it¡¯s hard to say just how much that matters. Mila is smiling and seems very helpful to her new ¡°master.¡±

    [Will Breaker - lvl 255]

    ¡°Mila, everyone here is to be afforded the same level of access as me and should be treated with the same degree of respect. If they give an order, treat it as if it came directly from me.¡± Sophie commands, her demeanor shifting noticeably in mere moments. She¡¯s colder now and far more confident, like someone accustomed to giving orders and having them followed.

    ¡°As you command. Should I have dinner prepared?¡±

    ¡°Yes, for all of us. While you¡¯re at it, have rooms prepared for them on the same floor as my sister. Starting tomorrow, only I, my guests, and my sister are permitted on that floor.¡±

    ¡°I will personally see to the completion of these tasks. I should also inform you that Lady Beatrice left an invitation for dinner at her place in three days. I¡¯ve learned that only a select few were invited, mostly members of the Circle and those with significant influence.¡±

    ¡°Confirm my attendance; I¡¯ll be bringing one of my guests along as a bodyguard. Arrange for a tailor tomorrow, as they¡¯ll need new clothes promptly.¡±

    They exchange a few more sentences, and throughout the conversation, a subtle mind battle seems to play out between Sophie and Mila¡ªperhaps an attempt by Mila to free herself from Sophie¡¯s influence or even take control herself.

    Sophie appears accustomed to the process, showing little difficulty and, eventually, finding herself unable to gain control, Mila departs with the same friendly smile as before, bidding us adieu with a slight bow.

 Chapter 485 - Confronting the Tailor

    Izzy is nearly twelve now, and every day she resembles her sister just a little bit more, though I can still see the ten-year-old girl in her.

    She¡¯s been here, locked away on the top floor of the tower, like a princess trapped by her evil stepmother or a damsel captured by a dragon, and surrounded by layers of defenses.

    A huge smile spreads across her face as we enter, and she rushes over, hugging everyone in turn with all the strength she can muster. The inseparable Noodle is coiled around her left arm, his emerald green eyes level with Izzy''s. The sneaky snake even pretends to "kiss" or lick the members of Group 4, though I notice him subtly siphoning some of their mana as he does.

    When it¡¯s my turn, Izzy shouts, "Dumbthaniel," and throws her arms around me. Her body is surprisingly warm¡ªnot from illness as far as I can tell; it seems to be related to her skill, a passive or a trait.

    "It¡¯d be nice if you stopped calling me that," I reply, returning the hug.

    Noodle doesn¡¯t try to "kiss" me like he did the others, but when he looks at me questioningly and I nod slightly, he takes the mana I offer. His eyes half-close as if savoring a delicious treat, his expression oddly human.

    "I don¡¯t think you''ve earned that right yet," she retorts, eyes flicking toward Biscuit. "I¡¯ll tell you Sophie¡¯s deepest secrets if you let me hold him for a minute."

    "Izzy?!" shouts an outraged voice from elsewhere in the room.

    "Sorry, Soph, one day you¡¯ll understand." Izzy taunts, flashing a mischievous smile at her sister before turning to me and whispering, "I¡¯ll even toss in Noodle to sweeten the deal."

    The white snake shakes his head in disbelief, glancing at Izzy, who pretends not to see.

    "Not enough," I reply, feeling the weight of Biscuit¡äs small body in my arms.

    Izzy seems a bit more mature now; she doesn¡¯t protest or threaten me with childish antics. Instead, she just nods and smiles, a mischievous glint in her eyes that, for a moment, mirrors her snake¡¯s and I half expect her to flick her tongue at me.

    Six months¡ªit¡¯s been that long, and I¡¯m already eager to see what new tricks everyone¡¯s picked up, and how many I can borrow for myself to improve my own skills.

    Izzy shares some feelings with me, doing so very covertly, ensuring that Sophie doesn¡¯t pick up on it. The feelings vanish as quickly as they came, but the message is delivered.

    When she looks at me, a question in her eyes, I give an affirming nod and receive another hug¡ªthis one tighter and filled with gratitude.

    <hr>

    I wake up early in the morning and the first thing I do is check on Biscuit, still fast asleep, nestled in a luxurious armchair under a pile of cozy blankets.

    Creating a line to him, I teleport over, lift him up, and teleport back into bed, balling up under the blankets with the corgi pup in my arms.

    Finally, a yawn escapes my mouth, and in the new morning light, I examine my room.

    One wall is made entirely out of glass, laced through with metal wire, forming a set of defensive inscriptions that should make the glass more durable than some standard walls. The design is kinda nice too. There¡¯s a lot of light, illuminating my bed, the thick carpets, a bevy of armchairs, and a door leading to a massive balcony. Then there¡¯s another door leading to a dressing room and another leading to the bathroom.

    The room is already littered with an assortment of things, most of the items from backpacks I, the twins, and Lily were carrying for me¡ªthe results of my experiments and materials I¡¯ve set aside for experimentation and crafting. Naturally, this includes a few of the golden chains from my lab which I¡¯ve teleported over, all in all, the whole affair takes up a huge chunk of the room.

    I greatly prefer this over the almost clinical sterility from before.

    Turning my eyes back to Biscuit, I reach out and boop his nose. And once again, he doesn¡¯t react, so I brush his whiskers experimentally with the same lack of reaction.

    Braver now, I carefully open his mouth, grab, and pull gently on his small pink tongue. When I let go, his mouth closes, leaving his tongue poking out slightly.

    ¡°How did you do that, you silly creature? Is your primordial energy so strong? Are you the chosen one? Main character? Some kind of regressor or reincarnator?¡± After each question, I boop his tiny nose.

    There is no answer.

    ¡°I know I helped you; I know the beast was still chained, I know it wasn¡¯t sane, it was wounded and terribly weakened. Still, don¡¯t you think you took things a bit too far, devouring it so seemingly easily?¡±

    Still no answer, so I move on and grab his tiny paw, poking at the soft pink beans of his toes.

    ¡°You completely devoured it, you didn¡¯t even leave a single bone or drop of blood behind. I wanted some of that to experiment with, you know. It would¡¯ve been nice to get a piece of that extremely durable bone, or part of an antler, or even some of its flesh to observe the regeneration process.¡±

    And still, the corgi decides to sleep and keep his secrets, so I reach and touch the soft fur on his neck, right under the chin, and caress it with a single finger.

    ¡°The cave is gone too, and with it, all the things I wanted to loot. I still plan to return a bit later and look into getting some of the acid; the anchor I left should last a few more weeks, so at least there¡¯s that.¡±

    I finally let go and lay on my back, the sunlight gradually starting to creep across my bed. I close my eyes, listening to the gentle breathing of the small creature beside me.

    ¡°I forgive you because you¡¯re cute,¡± I declare in the end. ¡°But next time, at least leave me a piece of bone.¡±

    Only once I¡¯ve said it out loud do I realize the absurdity of it all, and jump out of bed, content in my amusement, to throw on some clothes before heading off to meet the tailor.

    <hr>

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    After trying on the 5th set of clothes, I feel like I¡¯m starting to get close to snapping. And the other members of Group 4 slacking around in the room aren¡¯t exactly helping either.

    ¡°Lady Sophie, your bodyguard has a nice body and face, sure, but his taste in clothes is¡­ unconventional.¡±

    ¡°Some would say he likes to dress like a homeless man,¡± Sophie says with a nod and a smug grin.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far, Lady Sophie, your bodyguard just seems to prefer a more casual style.¡±

    ¡°If you know, then why do you keep pushing these ridiculous clothes on me?¡± I lift a white shirt with a high collar and tons of buttons that serve no purpose. Even the cut is too wide, and moving my arms is a pain.

    The middle-aged man, dressed in a more elaborate set of clothes than anything I¡¯ve ever seen, looks at me like a child. ¡°Lady Sophie holds a high position within the city. Your appearance, as her bodyguard and escort, reflects on her. You are a weapon that serves at her will, so it follows that the weapon must be an extension of herself.¡±

    I glance at Fracture nearby and then back at the man.

    ¡°Sounds like bullshit. The only important thing is power. With enough power, I could walk in there in my underwear and they would still bow and kiss my feet if I tell them to. If I don¡¯t have the power to back it up, not even the best clothes in the world will help me.¡±

    The man looks like someone drank a protein shake, sealed up the leftovers, let it ferment for a few days, and reopened it by mistake.

    It¡¯s a nice look.

    All this time, Sophie just sits back and seems to enjoy the situation, sitting on the sofa with Lily and Izzy, with Noodle slithering around. Lily seems to be the most excited, looking through a catalog of dresses she asked from the man, once in a while showing some to Sophie.

    ¡°Mister,¡± the tailor says, and his tone makes me wonder why no one¡¯s thrown him from the top balcony of the highest tower, ¡°you may rely on your strength, but elegance and propriety are as much a part of wielding influence as any skill. Even the finest sword deserves a polished sheath.¡±

    Once again, I glance down at Fracture and the sheath I made for it and haphazardly wrapped a level 350 manta ray skin around. The result is¡­ not polished.

    ¡°Hard disagree. Give me some simple clothes. Something comfortable and easy to move in; if it¡¯s like that and not overly decorated, I won¡¯t care.¡±

    "I see, sir. Perhaps a minimalist approach would suit you¡ªa fitted set of attire with clean lines made to highlight your figure, with refined stitching and subtle detailing, while still being appropriate for one in Lady Sophie¡¯s service. I hope that will satisfy your¡­ tastes.¡±

    ¡°Sure. If it¡¯s comfy, you can make multiple sets in the same design.¡±

    Once again, I get the same smell-of-forgotten-protein-shake expression and a giggle from Sophie.

    ¡°Do you have his measurements?¡± she asks the tailor.

    "Indeed, Lady Sophie. By tomorrow, I shall have the attire prepared: a sleek, streamlined design in black and gray, with discreet detailing and a touch of pale blue stitching¡ªfor an air of understated refinement, should it meet your approval."

    ¡°Thank you, you can go. When you return tomorrow, I would like to ask you to take measurements for one more who will also be serving as my bodyguard and this young lady as well,¡± she states, gesturing at Lily, who seems very excited.

    ¡°That should be very possible,¡± he says, nodding towards them and giving me one last look, before leaving with a few more bows.

    When the doors are closed, Sophie explains, as if she knows exactly what¡¯s been going through my mind, ¡°He is one of the Archon¡¯s favorites; that¡¯s why he¡¯s still alive.¡±

    ¡°I can imagine someone pushing him off a balcony.¡±

    ¡°I heard someone tried once and got pushed off instead, even at level 200. He somehow managed to die, all the bones in his body were broken. I would like to laugh at you a bit more, but you are mostly right; if you¡¯re powerful enough, you don¡¯t have to care about things like protocol, so you should be fine.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s always like that.¡± I take a few quick steps and lift Biscuit from the armchair before Izzy can steal him as she tries to pretend she¡¯s just passing by.

    Acting as if nothing happened, she makes a lap around the armchair and moves to sit next to Sophie once more. Only then does she give me that scary look of hers, about as threatening as an angry kitten.

    ¡°What should I be expecting at that dinner we¡¯re attending?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Mostly a wide range of people checking you out and maybe two or three bodyguards trying to test you. I¡¯ll take care of the mind manipulators, but the bodyguards are up to you. If anyone tries to do anything improper, don¡¯t be shy about it and be very direct; that¡¯s how I¡¯ve presented myself up til now, and you should do the same. Don¡¯t hesitate to show off your strength.¡±

    ¡°I quite like that.¡±

    ¡°I knew you would,¡± Sophie says. ¡°I think you should also keep your crown active. You¡¯ll see a few people with rings and one or two with mantles.¡±

    At that, my interest piques, ¡°Have you learned anything new about that class of skills?¡±

    ¡°Not much, to be honest. Don¡¯t quote me on this, but it should be more or less like this: Crowns for storage, rings refine and channel, and mantles resist. I read it in one of the books I found so I don¡ät know how reliable that information is.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a lot. Lily, what about your mantle?¡±

    She perks up and stops petting Noodle, who slithers back over to Izzy. Noodle seems even smaller than before, barely as thick as two of my fingers combined, but I¡¯m sure the little animal is hiding something.

    ¡°My mantle is very, very mana efficient, so I can keep it up for a really long time. It uses more mana when it attacks or gets hit, but it¡¯s still much less than if I used the skill instead. It¡¯s still very low level, so I will let you know what I learn as I use it more.¡±

    Pulling Noodle¡¯s tail, Sophie thinks for a moment before speaking once more, ¡°Didn¡¯t those two thylarin brothers imply that [Mana Mantle] could be used to power abilities based on mana and prevent others from taking control over the user¡¯s mana? Wouldn¡¯t that mean Lily¡¯s [Disintegration Mantle] is nearly useless, as I don¡¯t think Lily will be meeting many people with [Disintegration]?¡±

    On that point, I disagree, ¡°If the mantle can resist [Disintegration], wouldn¡¯t that make it easier to resist weaker stuff like simple mana attacks, like stone manipulation, water, and fire, not to mention a few of the more obscure things?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, but wouldn¡¯t the efficiency be terrible if the mantle were used to block a different element than its own?¡± Sophie asks, ¡°And wouldn¡¯t that make simple mantles like [Mana Mantle] even more powerful, and make those based on super rare skills like [Disintegration] even weaker?¡±

    I think about it a bit and can¡¯t help but agree as I respond, ¡°Yes, but that fits with what we know about the system¡¯s asshole methods, and I bet it¡¯s not that simple. But there¡¯s probably something else to it; otherwise, the mantle and the ring would both come up short in comparison to the crown. They need to do something extra on top of amplifying your skill.¡±

    ¡°Your crown can store mana without you having to focus on upkeep, right?¡±

    As we exchange our messages, Lily¡¯s eyes jump quickly between me and Sophie. Noodle notices and, for a while, watches Lily doing so before copying her and doing the same.

    Then, for some reason, and with a smile, Izzy starts doing it as well.

    ¡°Yes, the requirement on me is minuscule. If [Mana Ring] helps with control, it probably adds something else to it so it¡¯s not as simple as [Mana Manipulation]. Maybe it makes things like compression easier, or maybe it lets the system take up some of the strain of channeling mana.¡± I muse.

    ¡°That could slow your growth or allow you to let the ring handle that kind of mana use while you focus on a different discipline¡­ By the way, those annoying lines you¡¯ve been making, what are they?¡±

    Finally, she¡¯s asked about my [Ley Lines]; I¡¯ve seen her struggling to resist since we got here, and as someone who likes to use and deploy mana structures, not unlike her web, it comes as no surprise. The feeling is almost like a victory in itself, after all, I haven¡¯t asked about the things she¡¯s made either, and she must know why.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know, in exchange, you get to help me with this cute little thing,¡± I quip, gesturing at Fracture resting against a wall nearby.

    Unlike Lily, Sophie shows a deep interest and I recognize in her the same slightly crazed shine I often see reflected in the mirror.

 Chapter 486 - Dinner

    After a round of sparring, Tess and I went to the top of the tower, to have a look at the city around us. Right away I noticed a few higher towers with a better position that I felt would offer a nicer view of the lake.

    ¡°Do you think Sophie will be mad that we damaged the training hall?¡± Tess asks, her hair waving in the gentle breeze as she takes a seat on the bare rooftop.

    I follow her example and claim a seat next to her. ¡°Who should we blame it on?¡±

    ¡°The twins would rat you out in a heartbeat if you tried to blame it on them. Lily and Min-Jae would seem to be the best options.¡±

    ¡°I agree, also, did you just call him Min-Jae?¡±

    She smiles. ¡°He asked me to call him by his first name, apparently that means we¡¯re good friends. He almost asked Maya as well, but he seems kinda shy around her.¡±

    ¡°He told me to call him by his first name months ago.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a competition, Nat.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Even though the sun isn¡¯t visible, because of that dust or whatever surrounding the moon, it feels a bit warmer up here, so I open up the blanket a bit so that Biscuit can enjoy it as well.

    ¡°Do you plan on bringing him with you while you¡¯re serving as Sophie''s bodyguard, or will you break down and finally allow us to touch him?¡± She asks, lifting her eyebrows in an amused and questioning manner.

    ¡°I know, the moment you guys get your hands on him, even to pet him, you won¡¯t be able to resist trying to take him from me. That''s something I can¡¯t allow. Besides, it¡¯s up to me to protect him while he¡¯s like this.¡±

    ¡°You mean while he is in a food coma?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a food coma. He¡¯s digesting the Champion-ranked monster¡äs body and¡­ cultivating or something. You know expunging impurities from his body.¡±

    ¡°So, it¡¯s a food coma?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I admit with a sigh and carefully hand him over to her, and she accepts him just as carefully, remaining mindful of the blanket as she does.

    I watch as she gently touches the top of his head and pets him with the slightest brush of her fingers before using her entire palm, seeming surprised by just how small his head has become, not to mention its softness. I can see it on her face, especially in the big smile dominating her expression.

    Biscuit, the sleeping pup, is defenseless, so she takes the opportunity to poke at his round, soft belly, pulls on his paws, and then, seemingly to her own surprise, leans in and sniffs the top of his head, chuckling as she does.

    ¡°Emotional Support Corgi, or ESC, is that what you called him?¡± she asks, the broad smile never leaving her face.

    ¡°Sometimes it feels that way. Izzy told me months ago that Biscuit feels like he has no evil in him, that you could always feel at ease around him.¡±

    ¡°Only until the moment he decides to nom on a being approaching level 500.¡± Tess quips.

    ¡°It was terribly weakened and almost all of its powers were suppressed.¡± I retort in the doggo¡¯s defense.

    ¡°But he ate it.¡± Tess continues, ¡°A house-sized deer with bones capable of withstanding an acid that melted through Lily¡¯s arm as if it were nothing. She told me all about it.¡±

    ¡°If you put it that way¡­¡± I demure, letting the sentence fade into the air as lay back on the roof, allowing myself to rest, just for a while. No training, no worrying. Just for these few minutes, I allow myself to relax while I listen to Tess giggle like a child, caught up in her admiration of Biscuit.

    ¡°What happened to the other guys?¡± I ask after a few minutes, recreating the evil cube and reactivating my Restrictive Training Emblem.

    ¡°Famir took over the group we were leading. He and Heryd and their groups stayed with us after Sophie split off with Izzy. For the entire six months. We grew that group pretty big with their help and killed a good number of powerful sleeping monsters.¡± She seems reminiscent for a while. ¡°Is it weird that I thought even that was fun? Even with the other groups pushing and hunting us, the need to constantly fight off strange monsters, all while dealing with city leaders, collecting information, and exploring amazing places?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not the right person to ask.¡±

    "I guess you aren¡¯t," She admits, pulling Biscuit closer and rubbing her cheek against him, her golden hair falling around his tiny head. Then she asks, quietly, almost whisper silent, ¡°Do you remember your apology, back in the tournament, for what you did on Earth?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°It was all forgiven long ago.¡±

    As I look at her, she lifts Biscuit up to her face, his hind legs hanging down alongside his tiny, fluffy tail. Biscuit covers most of her face, her eyes the only things visible over his head. The wrinkles in the corners of her eyes tell me she¡¯s smiling.

    ¡°Ah... that¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± I can hear the smile in her voice, but by the time she puts Biscuit back in her lap and wraps the blanket around him, it is gone.

    As her face takes on a more serious expression, she turns to me ¡°I¡¯ll guard the fort while you¡¯re at that dinner with Sophie and speak with Maya so she can guard Sophie when you need to be out doing your own thing. I already asked Izzy to help and we got Sophie to push back her plans a bit, so we have more time for preparations. So for the next few weeks; this will be our base, and once we return from the Beyond expedition you have scheduled for us, we can finally push to leave the 6th floor. I just think it¡¯s better to go to Beyond while we have a safe base here on the 6th rather than leaving others alone to deal with the start of the 7th.¡±

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    "Let¡¯s see how things shake out. We still have a lot to gain here, so I wouldn¡¯t complain¡ªbut things never go as planned. Hopefully, the other floors won¡¯t take as long. I want to clear them all."

    ¡°Me too. Now, if you¡¯ll allow me,¡± she says, carefully handing Biscuit back to me, ¡°I have to go and get that smartphone from Izzy, I really hope it¡¯s not broken yet. Then I¡¯ll listen to some of Earth¡äs music on repeat until I fall unconscious.¡±

    <hr>

    Sophie walks in front, joined by her second assistant. Mila¡¯s bringing up the rear to handle our defenses, while Tess does the same. I follow closely behind in the new clothes I¡¯ve been forced to wear.

    For some reason, they even brought in a barber, who wound up giving me a simple haircut and a quick styling, that nevertheless manages to earn a few compliments. Izzy also snapped a picture, surprising me with the idea that there should be any storage left on the device.

    Heading to dinner we don¡¯t take anything as fancy as a carriage or ride some flying monster or whatever the people here are accustomed to using. Instead, we walk. There are plenty of sneaky touches reaching toward us. Attempts at mental manipulation, or leaving a mark on us, scans, and more. All of which is simply and swiftly thwarted by Sophie as she walks sharply, her posture confident and head held high. Her expression is very different too, colder, and more confident, if not just dangerous.

    Whenever people reach towards us, she reaches back, causing exactly twice the damage they would have caused.

    So far, she also defends me and her second assistant who is also a mind mage, even if they are weaker than herself, so I¡¯m just enjoying the walk and the feel of my new clothes. I think they¡¯re the most comfortable I¡¯ve ever had in the tutorial. Except for that shirt I bought for 10 bucks seven years ago. Even though it¡¯s bleached and has a few holes, I still used to wear it on Earth when I went to sleep. Last I knew I¡¯d thrown it over my chair back on Earth.

    I hope no one stole it.

    (Now that you and Tess are here, I can push more, so I mean to do just that. It will result in more attempts on our minds. Will you be okay?) Sophie is the first to break the silence.

    (Sure, go wild. It¡¯ll be more fun that way.)

    (I''m confident you¡¯d be singing a different tune if you didn¡¯t have that disgustingly powerful passive to protect your mind.)

    (That¡¯s true; you know how much I love mind manipulation. I would probably end up nuking this city from orbit otherwise.) I¡¯m sure she remembers our¡­ clash from the first floor just as well as I do.

    (I think these powers are just as disgusting as you do,) she admits, her voice growing quiet, despite the privacy afforded by our communications uplink.

    To her assistant¡¯s surprise, Sophie slows her walk and points to her right. (There are 10 people in that small house there. A group of people who¡¯ve been taken over by one of the weaker mind mages. I could erase his marks, his protection, and order them all to start killing each other with a thought.)

    She starts walking again. (Just think about how simple it is, even here, where people have mana, levels, and stronger natural barriers. Imagine what I could do on Earth. By the time I get out of the tutorial, I should be capable of turning millions, tens of millions, into mere slaves.)

    (Do you want to?)

    Sophie laughs. (It¡¯s damn crazy, that would be the first thing you¡¯d ask. I don¡¯t want to, but if it meant protecting Izzy? Protecting someone else from our group? I¡¯d just like to think I¡¯d at least hesitate.)

    (Why would you? Isn¡¯t your sister more important than a bunch of people you don¡¯t even know?)

    (I... do you realize the moral implications of that, Nat?)

    (Yes, very clearly.)

    (And you would... you would choose your sister over millions of people?)

    (Yes.)

    (...sometimes it¡¯s really easy to forget how you are.)

    (I¡¯m not saying I¡¯d do it with pleasure, obviously. My goal is to become powerful enough to avoid ever being forced to make that choice. But want to hear a secret?)

    (Please tell me, Nat.)

    (No matter what you do or how much you try to prepare, there will be fuck-ups.)

    (So you think I should stop worrying?)

    (Nope. Just do the best you can so that even if something does fuck up, you can say there was nothing more you could do.)

    (I wish I could.) She waves her hand, and a group of guards parts around us, letting us pass unchallenged. Before she starts walking again, she faces me, fully serious, with the faintest of smiles on her face. (People like me don¡¯t get happy endings, and there¡¯s a good reason I was thrown here.)

    Then she turns, her steps determined as she strides forth to face the very thing she hates.

    The building towering in front of us is much taller than our tower. Likely the second tallest in the city. It¡¯s pitch black, with a surface as smooth as a polished mirror.

    White inscriptions coil their way across the surface of the entire tower creating an ornamental display, bathing the surroundings in a gentle light. The trees framing the pathway have their own set of matching round lights floating among the branches, moving gently like buoys resting on the waves.

    As it turns out the dinner isn¡¯t actually being hosted inside the tower; instead, they¡¯ve set everything up outside, in a beautiful garden framed by an assortment of trees, coiling pathways, flowers, and pillars showcasing art and inscriptions. The air hums with a strange energy, thick and charged. Shadows flit between the trees, figures pass through dressed in cloaks and fine robes, each giving off a sense of purpose and mystery. Somewhere deeper in the garden, music plays softly, adding a haunting echo that blends almost seamlessly with the whispers of the crowd around us.

    There are dozens of people milling about, and Sophie¡¯s protection disappears from me as she leaves me to fend for myself.

    As if they had been waiting for just that moment, dozens of careful touches brush against my mind, each one making my blood boil. And even though they don¡¯t manage to do anything, just the sheer fact that they¡¯re even trying makes me want to smash in their heads.

    My mind, my freedom is very important to me, and that¡¯s a sentiment that¡¯s only grown stronger over the course of the tutorial as I¡¯ve encountered the forces capable of taking that freedom away.

    I make sure to remember each and every one of those signatures, especially the three that seem more powerful or sneakier than others, making more serious attempts at taking over.

    After clearing my mind, I use [Focus] to strengthen my resistance and follow Sophie, aware of dozens more scrying touches reaching for her than for me. It¡¯s almost as if each step closer to the center of the garden were sharpening their interest, and drawing them in like moths to a flame.

 Chapter 487 - In that guestâ€™s favor

    (There are only three bodyguards you need to worry about. One of them isn¡¯t here¡ªthe most powerful man in the city and someone Archon himself ¡°caught¡± when that man was much younger. Archon really lucked out with him. The remaining two will be at dinner tonight. One of them is guarding a man called Namior. He¡¯s not here yet and it''s not likely he¡¯ll even come. His bodyguard is a vyssari woman. She possesses primordial thermal energy, but there are rumors that she has another. The second person you need to watch out for is the man standing next to our host.)

    Sophie gestures towards the gazebo where a group of people is standing in a small circle, drinking from a delicate set of glasses. Each one has a presence that sets them apart from the other groups.

    Mostly, the woman with pastel pink skin and pink hair. Her eyes are a mix of blue and pink colors, seeming to move like waves slowly crashing onto each other. Her face and skin are adorned with blindingly white dots reminiscent of freckles. She¡¯s currently wearing a pale green dress with a similar pattern of white dots. Surprisingly, it doesn¡¯t look as strange as I would¡¯ve thought if it had been described to me. Her pink skin and hair have taken on a pleasant pastel color, which complements it well.

    Other than all of that, there is one more noticeable thing on her: a ring on the pointer finger of her right hand. The ring gleams as if it were made of white light, constantly shivering and slightly changing its shape.

    [Waveshaper - lvl 265]

    Behind her stands a man. He is tall and handsome, wearing a gray and white suit. He has brown hair and a short well-kept beard. His eyes never stop scanning his surroundings.

    [Breaker Sentinel - lvl 251]

    Over his head floats a crown. It¡¯s bigger than mine, and the design is different as well. The crown is transparent, and some kind of transparent energy seems to be swirling inside.

    Sophie¡¯s voice takes on a different tone. (The man with the crown serves as mutually assured destruction. They say the crown he¡¯s wearing is either an [Impact Crown], [Shock Crown], or [Momentum Crown]. The energy stored within should be enough to blow up the entire city ten times over, and his life is bound to that of the woman he protects.)

    (Another man Archon picked up and gave to his daughter?)

    (Yes. People say that after storing energy in that crown for so long, the man is incapable of using it normally, which reduces his capabilities. But it doesn''t matter, the moment he tries to use it he will die, and the crown will release all of the stored energy.)

    (That¡¯s quite disappointing. You would expect some skill from someone like that. And his level¡¯s not very high either.)

    (My guess is that he was never meant to be anything more than a threat, so the Archon didn''t bother "raising him". But let¡¯s greet one of the more powerful mind mages; I want to see her face. She is one of Beatrice¡¯s puppets and really didn¡¯t like it when I was invited to be a part of the Framework¡¯s maintenance.)

    ¡°Pyke, you can go for now. Greet the other attendees and collect as much information as you can. You are allowed to use my name for the sake of reassurances,¡± Sophie says out loud.

    The second assistant just bows and heads for the nearest group of people, and Sophie advances towards the smaller circle of well dressed people. They¡¯re a blend of human, thylarin, and vyssari. And I follow behind her, observing the way people turn their eyes to my crown, wondering if anyone notices the sword on my waist.

    So far, most people check the crown, but barely anyone bothers to look at the sword. However, a few do seem curious as to why I would carry such a heavily ¡°sealed¡± and weak-feeling weapon with me.

    Especially that pink woman¡¯s bodyguard, who seems more curious about its nature and spends more time observing it than anyone else.

    Sophie joins the circle with a big fake smile and greets everyone, starting with Beatrice¡¯s puppet, to whom she bows gently.

    ¡°So, you did have people outside of the city, Sophie, my dear,¡± the woman smiles as fakely as Sophie did before. As she does I notice Beatrice glancing our way. The blue and pink colors swirling in her eyes. The white freckles on her skin and face seem even more interesting. Their shape is a bit spiky.

    ¡°You could say that, Lady Kehsi. I¡¯ve shared a path with Nathaniel for a long time.¡±

    ¡°He seems useful indeed, especially his defenses¡­ impressive.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an arcane passive,¡± I say, joining the conversation, not minding the looks they send me for the offense. ¡°It¡¯s there in case some fucker decides to try and mess with my mind.¡±

    Silence fills the area, and judging by the looks on the faces around me everyone seems to be questioning whether or not they heard me right.

    Sophie doesn¡¯t say anything to stop me, but I can almost feel her amusement through our link as she watches the expressions of everyone in this small circle.

    After a brief moment of shock, Kehsi smiles, hers even more fake than Sophie¡äs while still containing a hint of interest and danger. "How rare it is," she begins her tone both amused and cutting, "to encounter someone with such audacious disregard for propriety. I can hardly recall the last time anyone gave us a display of such... impertinent candor. Perhaps I¡¯ve grown accustomed to the practiced reverence of those who know their place." Her eyes gleam with a flicker of something unreadable. "Tell me, is this insolence an artifact of your nature, or merely a fleeting lapse in judgment?¡±

    I shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what half of these words mean. What I do know is that this man has made three really nasty attempts to get into my mind three times. Then, when he failed, he tried to etch some orders into me on the sly.¡± I turn and point to the man in question. ¡°I¡¯ve already memorized his mana signature and will be finding where he lives very soon. Then there¡¯s the woman to your left who keeps trying to mess with my connection to my crown and make it explode the next time I fall asleep or something. Baldie in the corner tried to leave some kind of tracking beacon on Sophie, so I left my own mark on him.¡±

    Kehsi raises an eyebrow, her smile widening, as though my words have amused her in some darkly satisfying way. "So, beneath that coarse exterior lies a vigilance I hadn¡¯t anticipated," she replies. "You speak as though you understand the delicate intricacies of our world. And yet, here you are¡ªbold, undeterred, and seemingly indifferent to the dangers such accusations carry."

    Leaning in slightly, she lowers her voice, each word dripping with condescension and laced with curiosity. "Tell me, do you truly grasp the consequences of such¡­ insolence? Or are you merely testing the patience of those who could end such audacious endeavors with a mere whisper?"

    I keep my tone flat. ¡°I don¡¯t care much for the ¡®delicate intricacies¡¯.¡±

    Kehsi¡¯s fake smile widens. ¡°So, you mean to say you don¡¯t understand¡ªor rather, you simply don¡¯t care about¡ªthe consequences of your actions here?¡± Her voice is almost mocking, like she¡¯s daring me to slip up.

    ¡°Guess you¡¯ll find out.¡±

    For a moment, there¡¯s silence. She tilts her head, almost intrigued, before finally speaking. ¡°Bold words for someone standing alone,¡± she says, but her gaze shifts briefly to Sophie. ¡°I¡¯ll remember this¡­ boldness. Let¡¯s see if it can last.¡±

    Sophie just gives her a big smile and a short nod, after which the woman leaves, closely followed by her bodyguard.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    The man I threatened to mark does the same along with the two others who tried the mess with us the most.

    (These people would be amazing at playing a group of villainous nobles in a TV show,) I note.

    (Pff, more than you would think. Now watch how the others react.)

    I do as I am asked, and the rest of the circle, which had treated the departed duo so well before, now turns to Sophie. They praise her, they praise me, and they immediately begin to trash-talk the people who just left.

    Such shamelessness amazes me, but it quickly gets to be too much, so I let Sophie handle things while I filter it out. My eyes move across the garden to some sort of mana-based fireworks that occasionally explode in the sky, creating beautiful shapes. Sometimes it¡¯s a mystical animal, sometimes they look like simple ornamentation.

    I think I should be capable of recreating them, and the longer I watch, the less difficult it seems.

    Then my eyes slide to my right, meeting the gaze of the bodyguard with the transparent crown over his head.

    His cold eyes meet mine, then he glances at my crown before looking away. After a while, he whispers something into Beatrice¡¯s ear, and she nods in agreement. Then they each walk towards a different group of people.

    (You¡¯re not going to talk with that Beatrice woman?)

    Sophie continues talking with her group of bootlickers but spares a bit of attention to answers. (We mostly avoid each other, and until I¡¯m sure we can deal with her bodyguard, I would prefer it to stay that way for now.)

    (Sounds reasonable. Any idea what race she is? I haven¡¯t seen anyone like her, even in Beyond so far.)

    (She and her father are the only members of their race I¡¯ve met, and as you can imagine, they aren¡¯t eager to share any details.) She also looks towards Beatrice for a moment and sighs in my mind. (You would think she¡¯d look silly if someone had simply described a person with pink hair and skin, but she¡¯s just so beautiful.)

    (The white freckles do a lot of heavy lifting, as do the weird eyes. By the way, I think I should be able to handle the bomb guy.)

    (...Are you sure?)

    (How can I be sure of anything in this tutorial? In the worst case, I can teleport us all out.)

    (That would destroy the Framework, so how about we leave it for later?)

    (You keep mentioning the Framework, but isn¡¯t it here for quite a long time without any success?)

    (Yes, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯d also prefer if we do it on our "own" instead of freeing a being that could squish us like bugs.)

    (Well when you put it that way¡­ it makes me curious how the others intend to clear the floor.)

    (As far as I know, no Hell group has cleared the 6th floor yet, so it seems like it¡¯ll be one of the longer ones.)

    (Theoretically, you could spend years on each floor. There might still be people stuck on the 3rd, unable to finish off the saint, or those who decided to spend the rest of the tutorial on the 4th. By the way, your shadow is creepy.)

    (So you have noticed.)

    (Right away.)

    (I¡¯ll tell you more later; I need to concentrate for now and try to take over one of these mind mages.)

    (Sure, good luck.)

    With that, I disconnect from the conversation. While keeping an eye on Sophie, I continue to examine the bodyguards, leaving the mind mages to her.

    The constant barrage of manipulation attempts is extremely irritating, but I can control myself and hold myself back, my eyes ticking between attendees I consider interesting.

    The weird crown guy is the most interesting by far. Low level and who knows how long he¡¯s been storing energy in that crown. Then there¡¯s a weird guy with two slim swords that seem to vibrate constantly at a ridiculously low frequency. A thylarin with a ring made of fire, and a vyssari with a mantle made of ice.

    Six months ago, I might have been cautious around them, but now they feel weak¡ªfar too weak. With all my training and breakthroughs, I could easily take them all on at once.

    Even down in the mines, I didn¡¯t get a chance to use my full strength because of the situation and that cursed weapon of mine. But I can be patient when I choose to be. I¡¯m sure soon enough I¡¯ll be able to go all out, to test myself against someone strong, and feel the satisfaction of seeing my own progress.

    I cut my thoughts short, stepping back and glancing to my left, where I find a woman sitting with a creature perched on her shoulder¡ªa monster resembling a crow, its eyes a pupilless void of blue.

    [Phantom Beak - lvl 241]

    Damned abomination.

    Sophie and some other mind mages separate from their bodyguards, moving towards higher parts of the garden, leaving us behind.

    Much like their ¡°owners,¡± the bodyguards split into groups as well, and I take the opportunity to have a seat on a comfy-looking bench I saw a few minutes ago. On my way there, I take a plate from one of the servants and a glass of a rainbow-colored drink and plop down.

    And just like that, I get a few minutes of relative quiet.

    While I keep an eye on Sophie in the distance, a woman comes closer and sits next to me. She¡¯s dressed like the other servants but there¡¯s a vast difference in the way she holds herself and smiles.

    She looks very ordinary¡ªthe kind of person you¡¯d pass by without a second glance, neither beautiful nor plain, weak nor powerful. Just perfectly average. But the way she looks at me is anything but ordinary, and it sends a shiver down my spine.

    "Hello, Nathaniel,¡± she says, her smile carrying an unsettling warmth. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind me speaking to you like this.¡±

    There¡¯s a brief pause before blood begins to trickle from her nose. She dabs it away with the edge of her white sleeve, almost amused. ¡°This body¡­ it¡¯s proving more fragile than I anticipated. I¡¯m no expert when it comes to this sort of interference, so we¡¯ve only got a few minutes before it wears out.¡±

    ¡°Okay?¡±

    She raises an eyebrow, giving a faint, knowing smile. ¡°So rude. I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d remember me, but I suppose that¡¯s too much to ask; the version you knew was very¡­ unlike this.¡± Her expression softens, almost fond. "Simply put, I''m also one of those who helped make your challenge possible¡ªand, indirectly, allowed your little guest to settle in your mind."

    ¡°I still don¡¯t get what you mean, but you¡¯re giving me the same feeling I got from that dickhead Envy. Are you one of the Rulers?¡±

    She is nodding in a way that feels strangely genuine. ¡°Envy can be a bit much, can¡¯t he? This time, he managed to pull a fast one on both Greed and I. Greed only wanted a light touch of interference, and Envy lent a hand. But in the end, the system twisted things just enough to work more in your guest¡¯s favor.¡±

    ¡°Are you restricted in what you can say, or do you just like being mysterious?¡±

    ¡°Maybe a little of both? I have to admit, I¡¯m glad I took an interest in this particular run of the tutorial. You¡¯re all so unexpectedly delightful! Your sister especially¡ªshe¡¯s got a rare spark. And that man in Beyond¡­ he¡¯s a treasure, so strange and fascinating. Greed likes a more hands-off approach, but I think it will be much more kind to give you at least some information.¡±

    She leans in closer, gesturing for me to do the same as blood trails from her nose again. One of her eyes bulges, then bursts, spraying my face with blood. Her neck jerks, twisting unnaturally.

    Yet she continues in a whisper, her voice now rough and rasping. ¡°If you¡¯re not careful, your guest might begin weaving his memories into yours, slowly replacing you. It¡¯s possible he¡¯s already started. That¡¯s how the system decided to handle this little challenge, much to Envy¡¯s satisfaction. Greed should have known the system wouldn¡¯t take kindly to our interference¡ªor maybe she did.¡±

    She pauses, a strange look passing over her face. ¡°It seems my time has run out. Until next time, Nathaniel...¡±

    With that, her body contorts sharply, limbs twisting at unnatural angles as the sickening crack of snapping bones echoes through the air. Her face twists in a grotesque grimace, eyes wide but empty, as her frame collapses in on itself, her skin splitting under the strain. Her body crumples into a heap¡ªa tangled, broken mess.

    The servant¡¯s remains lie there, twisted and lifeless, a bloody reminder of the cost of her presence, leaving an unsettling stillness in the air as if even the world itself were recoiling from her departure.

    Looking at it, I stand up, wipe the blood from my face, and move to a different bench to keep an eye on Sophie.

 Chapter 488 - Craziest fucking human I ever met

    The rest of the dinner is uneventful, and even though they suspect me of killing the servant, no one seems to make any serious complaints, and it ends there.

    As we return to the tower with Sophie, I think about how strange that is. How would my two-years-younger self react to such a situation? And with that, I can¡¯t help but think about what we¡¯re doing right now. Currently, we¡¯re planning to take over a city of mind mages. There¡¯s no hesitation in any of us, and we¡¯re all ready to kill just for the sake of reaching our goal.

    Part of me wonders if we¡¯ve gotten so comfortable with the thought of killing natives because we know they¡¯re fake, or if we¡¯ll find ourselves dealing with real people the same way. Everyone in Hell difficulty is twisted in one way or another, and I can¡¯t imagine people from lower difficulties acting like this. Everyone in Hell is wilder, more dangerous, and just¡­ more adaptable to the world we¡¯ve found ourselves in.

    Are we just a bunch of sociopaths and psychopaths? Is our ability to adapt part of normal human nature, or are we just better at it? We don¡¯t hesitate to go out, hunt, and kill monsters that only want to defend their territory. If someone did something like that on Earth¡ªwent and killed all the deer in a forest, for example¡ªthey¡¯d just be considered crazy. Yet, we don¡¯t even hesitate at the thought here. Yes, there¡¯s a difference between monsters and animals, but it¡¯s a fine line nonetheless.

    For now, I think we¡¯re just taking full advantage of the opportunities granted by the tutorial, given that we still don¡¯t know what awaits us out there.

    (I¡¯ll return to the tower in a bit,) I tell Sophie as we come to a stop in front of the gate.

    She seems to realize what I¡¯m about to do. (Sure, later then.)

    (Yup.)

    With those last words, I make sure she makes it through the gate, and only then do I head back into the city. There¡¯s still some dried blood on my hand and some on my neck, but I don¡¯t bother washing it off.

    Connecting to the mark I made, I head in its direction and ignore all the scans I pass through along the way.

    It doesn¡¯t take too long, and I reach a tower only slightly shorter than ours. I boost myself up onto the roof of a nearby house, tearing through its defenses. Before the alarms ring, I reconnect the array, stop the signal, and sit on the rooftop, with my back against the chimney.

    Then I wait.

    The mark moves to the top floor an hour later. The man I promised a visit after he used the most disgusting methods of manipulation. He didn¡¯t only do it to me and Sophie but to others at the dinner, and most protected themselves from him with ease as if they were already used to it. But something about the way he targeted me and Sophie really irks me.

    He made several attempts to mess with my connection to my crown and force it to release the within mana with enough force to kill me. And he tried to make a subtle change to Sophie¡¯s mark that would cause her tower¡¯s defenses to turn against her, and he did more besides¡­

    I sigh. Yes, he was the worst of all, but at this point, it¡¯s safe to say I¡¯m just looking for a way to vent, using this man as a scapegoat. Ever since we came to this city, I¡¯ve had that feeling of gradually building anger.

    As the man ascends the higher floors of his tower, I sense his attempts to remove or block my [Ley Line]¡ªhe¡¯s probably just noticed it. Every attempt fails, no matter what he tries over the next ten minutes. Meanwhile, the defenses around his tower steadily strengthen, and my trait activates as I observe the fluctuations in the defensive array.

    Having had enough, I stand up, take a step off the roof, and teleport through the [Ley Line], making my appearance in front of the man and his two bodyguards.

    An immediate sense of pressure surrounds me and the main defense¡ªa powerful, disruptive targeting field¡ªmarks me as an intruder. A piercing noise fills my ears as wave after wave of attacks slam into me, each one with the intent to disrupt my mana.

    Even so, my mana seeps out, spinning itself into threads that weave themselves into the shape of a javelin, and nothing can stop it. No amount of interference has any effect.

    It¡¯s one of the things I¡¯ve been working on, a technique of my own that I named Mana Weaving¡ªweaving mana into complex, resilient patterns that are extremely resistant to external manipulation and much harder to disrupt.

    My javelin shoots forward, piercing through the bodyguard and the man he¡¯s protecting, completely unhindered by the barriers they¡¯ve set.

    Wraith Dance brings me closer, and using the same method as before, a spear forms in my hand, as a shield takes shape on my back deflecting an incoming attack. Before the mind manipulator can react, I boost my movement further using kinetic energy and thrust the weapon into his chest, swiftly shrinking and weaving the spear into a sword to cut through the remaining bodyguard¡¯s ax and send him careening into the wall with a burst of kinetic energy.

    [You have defeated Psyche Bender - lvl 258]

    [You have defeated Mana Nullifier - lvl 265]

    [You have defeated Breaker Knight - lvl 261]

    I absorb the kinetic energy from the door to keep anyone from opening it and locate what appears to be a safe with my eyes.

    [Resonance] turns the stone around it to dust, and I tie a [Ley Line] to it and teleport it along with me back to the front of our tower despite every attempt to stop me.

    Once I¡¯ve removed all the marks, I turn to the guards stationed outside and gesture at the safe, commanding them to ¡°Bring this inside.¡±

    ¡°As you command!¡± they quickly confirm, hauling the safe between them as I pass through the gate myself.

    ¡°Give it to Dennis and Aaron and tell them to open it without destroying it.¡±

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Without waiting for an answer, I cross the garden and follow the path to the door. After a few checks, the guards open it, and I step inside. A quick scan reveals the other¡¯s locations, so I head up to the top floor to find most of our group in the living room we¡¯ve come to frequent.

    The laptop I bought for Izzy during the tournament is playing some quiet music¡ªemitting the sounds of a soft guitar accompanied by a soothing female voice. Even though it¡¯s late, no one seems to be sleeping; the only people not present are Maya and Sophie who¡¯ve settled in a different room with the twins.

    I don¡¯t like the room¡¯s lighting, so I turn it off and replace it with a few of my thermal cubes, which float into place without a sound.

    ¡°Do parties really suck that much?¡± Min-Jae asks, catching a glimpse of the bits of blood stuck to my skin.

    ¡°Could¡¯ve been worse,¡± I say, sitting opposite Izzy, who I catch taking pictures of a sleeping Biscuit. She¡¯s putting a series of cute hats on his head, and I¡¯m once again surprised there¡¯s still any space left on the smartphone.

    Noodle, seemingly disappointed with his owner, slithers over to me and patiently waits for me to gesture my consent before he crawls his way up to my shoulders, his head settling next to mine and looking in the same direction, his mouth hanging open slightly as he feeds on my mana.

    As he likes to do, his size is now different from the day before. It¡¯s overall very inconsistent, and it makes me question just how big he can grow.

    ¡°Do you need healing?¡± Lily asks, before continuing on to quip; ¡°Also, your passive sucks.¡±

    ¡°I think I have fewer shards than I should. Can you heal that, Lily?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a problem that can best be solved by being born rich,¡± Tess answers before our healer can.

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Or, if you want, you could buy my guide to becoming as rich as me.¡±

    ¡°How much does it cost?¡±

    ¡°Enough to make me rich.¡±

    ¡°Smart.¡±

    I notice the looks Lily¡¯s giving Tess, and I¡¯m sure Tess is aware of them as well, that amused smile curling at the corner of her lips until she laughs and pulls Lily into a full on hug. ¡°Damn, Lily, you can be so cute sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Only sometimes?¡± she demurs, pretending to sulk.

    ¡°More often than not. Want to spar tomorrow? I want to see how much you¡¯ve improved.¡±

    ¡°I might hurt you if you aren¡¯t careful, Tess.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d have to catch me with that enormous ax of yours though. But how about you make a bone javelin for me? I want to test it out.¡±

    ¡°Another one for your collection?¡±

    I allow myself to listen to their banter for a while, feeling my mind relax slightly as I do. I close my eyes and calm myself. There¡¯s a part of me that wants to use [Focus] to filter out these emotions I¡¯m feeling, but I don¡¯t.

    Gradually, a determination builds up in me. My mind clears, and my chest feels lighter. My fists clench and unclench multiple times, and my erratic heartbeat slows until it becomes calm again.

    When I open my eyes, Izzy is standing in front of me, watching me up close.

    ¡°You are so pretty,¡± she smiles, and I know she¡¯s not talking about my looks.

    Her small hand touches the side of my head and then moves to caress the top of it.

    ¡°There, there,¡± she says, still smiling. ¡°You know you can ask for help if you feel like everything¡¯s getting to be too much.¡±

    These words hit harder knowing the situation she is currently in.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I say, standing up and carefully holding on to Noodle as he shrinks down to half his previous size and slithers onto Izzy¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Good night,¡± I say to the room, and listen while everyone returns the sentiment behind me as I turn to leave the room, choosing to walk rather than teleport.

    After entering my room, I close the door behind me, take a warm shower, put on clean clothes, and sit in the armchair I¡¯ve set next to the large window. Surrounded by all the materials, golden chains, and items littering the room, I look out at the city before closing my eyes and retreating within my mind.

    This time, it¡¯s not a place taken from Whitey¡¯s memories. I¡¯m in an area that¡¯s very familiar¡ªa city on Earth, surrounded by a number of small apartment buildings. There are no cars, no people, and even the trees are still in the stagnant air.

    I still stop before crossing the road as I have so often and look both ways before crossing. Walking between the two apartment buildings, I take a quick step to the left to avoid the pothole that I know is there.

    As I reach the entrance to the building, I pull hard on the doors, remembering the way they tend to stick.

    The stairway is just as dark as I remember it, and as I enter the second floor, I find the door to our apartment open and go inside.

    Crossing the threshold, there¡¯s one more door to pass¡ªthe one that leads into the room where Victoria and I grew up. And without hesitation, I open it.

    Whitey sits there on my old bed.

    ¡°Yoo¡­,¡± he says with a big smile.

    ¡°Yo.¡± I nod and sit on Victoria¡¯s bed, just opposite him.

    ¡°This is a really shitty room.¡± He gestures, ¡°But it¡¯s not like I can bash it too much. After all, I grew up in worse.¡±

    Whitey takes a notepad from the table beside my bed and flips through it, looking at the silly drawings I used to make, mostly just scribbles.

    He chuckles for a moment and holds it out in front of me, showing a drawing of some weird animal, most closely resembling a dog.

    ¡°Cute.¡± He smirks.

    ¡°I did my best. If you go to page thirty, you¡¯ll find a much better drawing,¡± I say, defending myself and taking the opportunity to look around. Even though I have a lot of bad memories of this place, there were definitely some good ones too.

    As tends to be the case with such things, some memories are blurrier than others, but the strong feelings will always remain.

    Whitey lifts the notepad again, now open to page thirty, revealing a huge middle finger drawn on it. Even though it¡¯s not the same gesture he¡¯s accustomed to, he recognizes it from my frequent use over the last six months.

    ¡°Very nice,¡± he confirms and finally puts the notepad away. ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask?¡± he finally inquires, putting the notepad away and looking at me.

    ¡°I thought about it and there¡¯s no need,¡± I respond.

    His eyes haze and waver for a moment, and he observes me in that way only he can. Sensing the vibrations of movement, he watches for the slightest change in my blood flow, the most minute twitch of my muscles, the beating of my heart, and the flickering of my eyes.

    I don¡¯t do anything to stop him, nor do I try to hide the signs as he works to confirm my words.

    "Crazy fucker. You¡¯re the goddamn craziest and dumbest fucking human I¡¯ve ever met,¡± he growls, irritation clear in his tone.

    Looking at me for just a bit longer he stands in one smooth motion and takes Victoria¡¯s old, barely-working laptop from the table. On the screen, is a scene of me using kinetic energy, as always from my POV.

    ¡°Now, let me explain what you did wrong here,¡± he says, sitting beside me and pointing out all my mistakes directing my kinetic energy during that brief clash in the tower.

 Chapter 489 - Mana Weaving

    ¡°Are they your disciples now or something? You got lonely without that cute half-demon of yours, so you adopted these two twerps instead?¡± Maya taunts, as she paces around the living room.

    Dennis and Aaron are too busy dealing with their experimental Burden Enhancement Inscriptions to answer, so I do instead. ¡°They would probably say they¡¯re more like guinea pigs than disciples.¡±

    ¡°In a less respectful tone, I assume?¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± I confirm.

    ¡°So, what did you do to them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a modified version of my Burden Enhancement Inscriptions. The version Lissandra gave me blocks all my movements and only allows movements powered by kinetic energy. Since these two don¡¯t have kinetic energy, I had to modify it. They still can¡¯t move, but in this case, they need to refine their control over mana to break free.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not disrupting their mana, is it? So what stops them from just powering through?¡±

    ¡°I thought of that, so I made some changes. If they mess up, they¡¯ll hurt themselves, after all,l it takes a lot of mana to power through. It¡¯s still not as complete as I¡¯d like, and it¡¯s one of three variations I¡¯ve been working on.¡±

    Maya takes a swift step and smacks Dennis in the back of the head. Since he¡¯s sitting cross-legged on the floor, he tilts slowly and crashes to the ground, landing in a weird position.

    I¡¯m surprised by her sudden use of force, but I don¡¯t complain.

    ¡°You know very well what that was for, Dennis,¡± Maya declares with satisfaction.

    ¡°That was Aaron, not Dennis,¡± I say.

    For a moment, I see a flicker of surprise in Dennis¡¯s eyes, but he quickly understands and I¡¯m sure he appreciates it.

    ¡°Huh, they¡¯re getting more and more difficult to tell apart by the day.¡± She takes another step and delivers another smack to the innocent Aaron, who also falls onto the floor.

    ¡°Are you happy with Bloodthirst?¡±

    ¡°Quite a bit,¡± Maya nods, glancing toward the claymore resting against the wall. ¡°It¡¯s like we thought, the more blood it absorbs, the more it ¡®fixes¡¯ itself. And it grows sharper against opponents whose blood it has tasted. And it¡¯s already very sharp.¡±

    ¡°I still hold to my opinion that you¡¯d do better sticking with weapons made of mana that can change shape.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I agree with you. I took inspiration from you, and I¡¯ve been using Bloodthirst as a tool to try to get a new skill. I¡¯m almost there.¡±

    ¡°And you won¡¯t tell me what it is, will you?¡±

    "Nope. I''d rather keep it a surprise. That way it''ll be something that''s all mine. After all, you wouldn¡¯t want your knight taking the backseat."

    ¡°You¡¯re going with that again?¡±

    I form an energy orb and move it toward Maya, who takes over, joining me in my mana exercises.

    She then sits down to focus her concentration. ¡°You never know, I may be more serious than you¡¯d expect. By the way, did you also want to throw that tailor out of the balcony?¡±

    ¡°Multiple times.¡±

    Her orb bursts, and she waits for me to send her a replacement. ¡°Well, I already got the clothes, and they¡¯re goddamn great, but the people here act just like arrogant nobles from some old romance or a deranged clan of vampires looking down at us peasants.¡±

    ¡°Vampires¡­ I wonder if they exist as a race within the system.¡± I muse in response to Maya¡¯s fascinating implication.

    ¡°Well, we have demons, so why not? And we¡¯ve met the feylith and they¡¯re like chicken-winged angels, the lynthari are straight-up catgirls, vyssari are knock-off dwarfs. The only things we¡¯re missing are elves and vampires; you said you saw those giant-looking douches in Beyond, and then there¡¯s that pink bitch Beatrice that Sophie likes to rag on.¡±

    ¡°And more besides.¡± I say, gesturing at the orb she balances, ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite good at it.¡±

    ¡°Right? I just needed a moment to get a grasp of these orbs of yours. You can increase the difficulty if you like.¡±

    I do as she says, and even then, she keeps pace like a champ.

    "Will you show me what you did to your manabloc sometime?¡± Maya asks. ¡°Even Sophie¡¯s still singing its praises, she says it would take a ridiculous amount of effort to disrupt. I''d love to try creating something like that," she continues.

    ¡°Why not, but don¡¯t expect quick results. It took me six months to get there, and I had [Ley Line], and [Connection] to observe, and I still had to incorporate bits of my other skills.¡±

    ¡°Can you show me?¡±

    With a gesture, I burst the orb beside her and use [Focus] to shape a dagger from the material I call manabloc, using my own proprietary method.

    Thin, durable threads of mana extend from my body, before weaving themselves into the form of the dagger. Gaps take form between the threads, but mana rushes in to fill them¡ªcreating a small imperfection I''ll address when the time comes.

    The dagger made by these threads is just as sharp as it would¡¯ve been if I made it normally, and even the color is the same¡ªchanging according to the density of mana, though the difficulty of its creation was much, much, much higher. But it¡¯s a process I¡¯ve been able to shorten by a lot, especially if I¡¯m not trying to make the most powerful version.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°How long will it last?¡± Maya asks curiously, immediately noticing the parts that differentiate it from the ¡°normal¡± version.

    ¡°The one in your hand will probably last a few months if left as is. Maybe half that if you keep using it. The version I made for Sophie should last for a year¡ªthough I still haven¡¯t had enough time to test and see, so it could be longer.¡±

    ¡°Cool stuff.¡± She says, waving it around a bit, as her mana rises up around it. ¡°I can surround it with my mana, but I can¡¯t send it through.¡±

    ¡°Yup. I¡¯d need to work with you and devote a lot of time to matching it to your mana. Though in the future, I might find a way to make it so everyone can use it.¡±

    Maya keeps a close watch, enveloping the dagger with more mana and refining it, using the manabloc as a foundation. Then forms her own mana weapon and strikes it against the dagger. Like most who work with mana, she can disrupt it to some extent, so she tests that as well¡ªbut it has no effect. And I¡¯m certain the result would be the same, even if she put everything she had into the effect.

    "I don¡¯t think you should make it so everyone can use your weapons. I quite like the idea of a personal weapon or armor, matched to your mana signature, that could only be used by you without simply turning into a sharp, durable item in another¡¯s hands."

    That makes me pause, and I let the thought linger in my mind as I mull it over.

    ¡°I quite like that idea,¡± I admit.

    ¡°I knew you would.¡± Maya smiles, but that smile slowly disappears. ¡°Nat, have you, by any chance, applied this thing to the mana mech?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    "Fuck, that thing must be terrifying. And here I thought I¡¯d improved mine a lot¡­ How big can you make it?" She asks with a note of competition in her voice.

    ¡°A moment.¡± I stop her and turn away, staring at Dennis, whose mouth has begun to twitch, as he exerts an extreme amount of effort to move it.

    He succeeds in the end, barely managing to get a few words through before being forced into quiet once more, ¡°That¡¯s what she said.¡±

    His eyes are bold and filled with pride at his success.

    "Anyway, I still haven¡¯t gone all out¡ªI¡¯ve been focusing on quality and maneuverability oversize," I say, shifting my attention back to Maya.

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that it¡¯s not the size that matters?¡± Maya asks.

    Both of us look at Dennis and wait. His lips are twitching, chin moving as he fights the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions, but when he still fails to comment after a few seconds, we turn away once more.

    ¡°Something like that,¡± I confirm. ¡°I¡¯m mostly training it on the side in case there¡¯s a huge monster I¡¯ll need to get close to, and my other skills won¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something cool about being able to fight face-to-face with some kaiju-like monster.¡± She replies

    ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s not,¡± I admit, agreeing with her.

    ¡°Okay, then, can you please tell me what you did to your manabloc?¡±

    ¡°Sure. If I were an asshole or a pretentious douche, I¡¯d say something like this: ¡®The technique, of my own creation, which I¡¯ve aptly named Mana Weaving, involves the precise and intricate practice of forming mana into interlocking, highly stable structures. Through a disciplined process of mana manipulation. At its core, the technique revolves around manipulating one¡¯s mana on a fundamental level to bind it into a sophisticated lattice that fortifies each strand and amplifies its resilience. This woven mana structure serves to establish a self-sustaining network, effectively enhancing its internal cohesion, rendering it far less susceptible to external interference and hostile manipulation and resulting in a reinforced mana framework that is exceptionally difficult to disrupt, and therefore presenting an exceptional challenge for anyone attempting to breach or destabilize it.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Damn, do people really talk like that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how many do.¡±

    ¡°I guess there are assholes everywhere. Please explain it to me like a normal human.¡±

    ¡°You weave multiple threads of mana together. That way Instead of being able to disrupt all the mana in a construct at once, the attack has to disrupt each thread, and even if it succeeds in disrupting some of them, the others remain.¡±

    ¡°Much better.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    <hr>

    Sophie returns from her first session of work on the Framework¡¯s maintenance, followed by Maya, who has been serving as her bodyguard, being the second most resilient against mental manipulation after me, thanks to our mutual skill [Focus].

    Even then they still haven¡¯t encountered Namior, leader of the city¡¯s third most powerful group¡ªsomeone I¡¯ve been wanting to meet for a while now, though I haven¡¯t seen him yet, despite lingering around his tower multiple times.

    This time, we¡¯re all sitting in my room. Some are sitting on my bed, some are seated in manabloc chairs, and others sit on the ground. I, for the record, am sitting on the ground, with a piece of that huge golden chain in my hand while I work on examining it, hoping to improve my insight into the system and, with my skill along with it.

    ¡°It¡¯s just as I thought before, the Framework makes it possible to combine the calculative power of every mind mage in the city. But it¡¯s not just them; they can also include the mental capacity of every person controlled by a mind mage and every person within the city¡¯s inscriptions. Plus, they also have thousands of monsters with useful mind traits or skills imprisoned under the city, for the purpose of enhancing the Framework.¡±

    ¡°Damn.¡±

    ¡°Damn is right, Dennis. The amount of power it¡¯s going to require is immense, so they can only really afford to activate it once every eight years.¡±

    ¡°Let me guess, it¡¯s going to be soon?¡± I look up from the chain.

    ¡°Very soon - depending on how maintenance goes,¡± Sophie confirms.

    "That''s perfect timing, isn¡¯t it?" Lily says excitedly. "We could clear the floor either before Beyond or right after we return."

    ¡°Yes, the activation of the Framework happens only every eight years. This floor¡¯s timing makes it almost certain that it¡¯s one of the ways we¡¯re meant to clear this floor.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that good?¡±

    Tess explains, stepping in for Sophie, ¡°Try to remember how the floors we¡¯ve gone through so far tend to look the closer we¡¯ve gotten to clearing them.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, oh,¡± Sophie says, looking from Tess to me. ¡°The question is if we still want to try to check on any of the remaining Containment Cells.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a job for the Champion-grade annihilation squad!¡± Dennis chimes in, excited. ¡°We¡¯re the best at ending weakened and tortured champions, right, Nat? There are still three more to take care of.¡±

    Looking at his excited face I reply. ¡°Count me out, I still have things I want to do before reaching level 300.¡±

    At that moment, something catches my interest, a sense I haven¡¯t felt from another member of our group until this moment, and I turn to the right, meeting Tess¡¯s eyes.

    Oh my, what has she done?

    ¡°I think we should visit at least one of the Containment Cells before we go to Beyond and the Framework activation.¡± She smiles, knowing very well what I¡¯ve just sensed.

    Tess has allowed her title to be felt.

    She¡¯s a Champion candidate now too.

 Chapter 490 - Namior

    ¡°I think one of the points of this floor is to give people an opportunity to become a Champion candidate.¡± Tess states, as all eyes focus on her, drawn by the revelation of her new status.

    Maya shamelessly smirks back at me when I look at her, and Min-Jae looks a bit guilty for not telling me sooner, but I figure Tess must have asked him not to tell. She probably chose this specific moment to cause the most impact.

    It¡¯s really such a silly thing to do.

    I¡¯d absolutely do the same.

    Of course, there is always the chance that Tess was trying to see if she could hide it from me.

    ¡°My group located two containment cells with the team we put together. One was simple to reach, and the Champion was very different from the man we met in Mana Desert. The cell is hidden within a permanent storm on a floating island. Once inside we found a trapped vyssari woman.¡±

    Maya snorts. ¡°Just tell them already. The storm is powerful enough that the lightning has been known to kill people as high as level 200 in a single strike, and given its propensity for striking targets more than once it could easily take out stronger individuals.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true we did have some trouble reaching it,¡± Tess admits, ¡°but we¡¯ve had plenty of time to prepare and plan, and we haven¡¯t had a single death or severe wound. As for the storm, it¡¯s made up of the excess primordial lightning energy being pulled from the prisoner and released into the area. So you can imagine why I wanted to take the risk to check things out when I sensed it.¡±

    Tess¡¯s eyes haze a bit as memories flash by, but she quickly returns to the room and smiles. ¡°The vyssari Champion apparently wanted to be left alone and threatened to kill anyone who meant to free her.¡±

    ¡°Another nutcase, but she was definitely better than that guy in the hole.¡± Maya nods.

    Min-Jae also joins in, ¡°I kinda liked her. She seemed nice.¡±

    ¡°She said she was close to declaring Maya a candidate, but that she felt that there was still something missing and that she needed to try harder.¡± Tess quips, flashing a quick smile.

    Maya doesn¡¯t even seem hurt or disappointed, rather she shrugs it off, unbothered. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just having the possibility confirmed is cool in and of itself.¡±

    ¡°So you want to visit her and have her declare the other Champion candidates?¡± I ask, already thinking about who might have a chance. The names that come to mind are Lily and Sophie. If Min-Jae didn¡¯t make the cut then there¡¯s a high chance the twins won¡¯t either, I feel like they¡¯re on the same level of talent. Even though I¡¯m sure it¡¯s possible they¡¯ll reach that rank later; as we''ve seen, plenty of people aren¡¯t declared candidates until they reach the higher levels.

    ¡°It would be a shame not to take the opportunity while we have a somewhat reasonable Champion nearby,¡± Tess confirms.

    ¡°Well, you guys can discuss it later,¡± I say, waving them off and focusing my attention on Tess. ¡°As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is 10 points from my Mana stat. If I lose, they¡¯re yours. If I win, I want 10 points in Mana¡­¡±

    These words stop in my throat, and I find myself unable to push them out.

    So I try again. ¡°As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is 100 shards. If I lose, they¡¯re yours. If I win, I¡­¡±

    The same thing happens again.

    ¡°Nat, I think the system takes these challenges a bit more seriously than you do.¡± Tess shakes her head.

    ¡°I take them plenty seriously. As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is one of the upper epic items I possess. If I lose, it¡¯s yours. If I win, I want¡­¡±

    And again I get stopped.

    ¡°Do you think the system would just let you abuse challenges that way? I have [Declaration], which seems to be a bit similar, so I can tell you it¡¯s not how it works.¡±

    Disappointed, I sit back and reply. ¡°Explain.¡±

    ¡°The system probably thinks about challenges as something almost sacred. Something you can only call upon in specific situations with the right kind of ¡®intent¡¯, it needs to be ¡®in the right spirit¡¯ if you will. Can you imagine how it would look if they were that easy to abuse?¡±

    ¡°Tess, the system is an asshole.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s not wrong.¡±

    ¡°Sooner or later, I will find a way.¡±

    ¡°Got it, oh fellow Champion candidate,¡± she snarks, flashing me a smile.

    As she turns to talk to the others, a single thought comes to mind.

    This can¡¯t go on. I have to get the cockroach to declare me an Absolute candidate somehow.

    <hr>

    Walking through the city, I come to a stop in front of yet another tower. After checking the map, I confirm that this tower serves as the home of a mind mage.

    As I¡¯ve done dozens of times before, I use [Ley Line] and fire it off at the tower where it ¡°anchors¡± itself.

    And a decent chunk of my mana disappears in response.

    [Ley Line - lvl 39 > Ley Line - lvl 40]

    Curious, I wait a minute to observe the coming reaction.

    So far, they¡¯ve fallen into three camps. Some towers didn¡¯t notice. Others noticed, but after realizing I¡¯m with Sophie, they stayed locked inside, trying to get rid of [Ley Line]. The third, and rarest, reaction was people coming out and trying to cause trouble.

    If it were up to me, I¡¯d likely teleport inside and at least purge the mind mages who were the worst at that dinner, but it seems like we might actually need them for the Framework. So I hold myself back, but I hope they come out and try to fight me.

    That they¡¯d give me an excuse I can use to justify my actions to Sophie, with all the work she¡¯s done to get where she is within the city.

    But this tower isn¡¯t it, and they stay locked inside, so I leave, disappointed.

    Since I started doing this, I¡¯ve left twelve Ley Lines connecting me to twelve towers. But that¡¯s not all. There are five more. Of a version that even Sophie can¡¯t sense and she doesn¡¯t know about them either.

    And these connect to the Framework.

    <hr>

    POV Maya Jones

    ¡°Sophie, are you sure it¡¯s okay to let him do this?¡±

    ¡°Trust me this is better than letting him go around killing every mind mage that even tries to sense his mind. We need them for now.¡±

    ¡°Is this even good for something?¡±

    Sophie laughs, almost incredulous, ¡°Maya, that night after the dinner, he infiltrated the tower of one of the top 10 mind mages in the city. He just passed through their defenses as if they weren¡¯t even there. That crazy skill, that [Ley Line], is still there, and not even Beatrice has been able to remove it. The mind mages, who would¡¯ve fought tooth and nail to occupy such a high-grade tower under any other circumstances, refuse to move in. And now that he is going around the city and casually placing the same threads within their innermost protections, they¡¯re scared shitless.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean they¡¯ll band together to take us out?¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t. Maya, trust me, I¡¯ve set up some truly nasty surprises to prevent that. After the Archon¡¯s, my tower is the most secure in the city, so if they try anything, I¡¯ll take them all down¡ªand they know it very well.¡±

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    On my way back to our tower, a crow lands on a bench next to me as I pass.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    [Phantom Beak - lvl 241]

    It¡¯s the abomination I saw at the dinner in the garden.

    It tries to connect to my mind and initiate telepathic communication, but I stonewall it and stare it down until it caws at me.

    Then it flies a bit further away and lands on another bench, looking at me, clearly gesturing for me to follow.

    I do just that, and for once, there isn¡¯t a single mind mage trying to mess with my mind. That ever-present feeling of sharks circling in the water around me is gone. In this city, information spreads quickly.

    Following the crow, I reach a small restaurant on the corner. This is strange in and of itself, after all, there aren¡¯t many to be found in this city, but the ones that do exist seem to be worth visiting and are heavily regulated by the Archon himself. According to Sophie, there were just too many poisonings before he did.

    The restaurant is empty, other than a table occupied by a man with two women standing at his side. The moment he¡¯s within sight the crow immediately takes off and lands on the shoulder of a human woman with the same solid blue eyes as the crow.

    [Spectral Sentinel - lvl 261]

    But the more interesting one seems to be the second woman, this one¡¯s a vyssari. Like the rest of her race, she looks almost human, though much shorter, with legs covered in gray scales with red highlights, and her eyes framed by the brown locks of her hair match the red gray sheen of her scales.

    [Primordial Warden - lvl 291]

    And finally come to the leader, who seems to be the man Sophie mentioned a while back, the leader of the third faction, the man known as Namior. He¡¯s wearing the same luxurious clothes the mind mages around here tend to favor, and he has the same air of confidence around him.

    [Mindsculptor - lvl 268]

    Finally, I¡¯m meeting him after trying to track him down for so long.

    Without hesitation, I take a seat in the chair opposite him, under the watchful eyes of his woman protectors. The vyssari in particular seems dangerous, and the rumor that she¡¯s capable of wielding two different primordial energies does interest me to a degree, given that I have yet to meet anyone else who could.

    "I thank you for accepting my invitation," The man says with a smile.

    "Are you Namior?" I ask, just to confirm my suspicion.

    "Yes, I am. I see my reputation precedes me."

    "Just a bit¡ªI¡¯ve been looking for you."

    At this point, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s already trying to break through my mind¡¯s defenses. Despite the challenge presented by my passive, skills, and construct. And he¡¯s pretty good, to be honest. I can tell because I can¡¯t sense anything.

    And Sophie hasn¡¯t noticed anything either.

    ¡°So do you think you¡¯re going to be able to break through my protections?¡± I ask.

    The confident expression doesn¡¯t disappear from his face. ¡°Possibly, but it seems to be more difficult than I had expected.¡±

    ¡°You mean because Sophie doesn¡¯t control me and you can¡¯t exploit her link?¡±

    This time, I do notice a moment of hesitation. [Focus] allows me to watch him, and kinetic energy emphasizes what I sense¡ªa slight twitch of his eyebrow, and the shifting of his leg under the table.

    He decides to keep his confident mask, buoyed by the support of his bodyguards, the dozen or so people outside the building waiting to rush in, and his connection to another place that may even allow him to escape.

    ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised she isn¡¯t controlling you, but I¡¯ve already split your group with Beatrice, and sooner or later, you¡¯ll become one of mine. But please, tell me, how did you figure out that I¡¯m influencing Sophie?¡±

    ¡°Her sister told me. Not long ago, Sophie started behaving oddly after meeting you at one of the dinners. And I think you¡¯ve been working on it for a while, carefully and slowly, and now you can influence her without her even noticing.¡±

    ¡°So the princess locked in the tower noticed that,¡± he says, leaning back and scratching his chin, seeming to take it as feedback and thinking of ways to improve the process.

    When he finally returns his attention to me, he¡¯s just as overbearing as before. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change anything. What I did can¡¯t be undone so easily, and each time I meet her, I¡¯ll gradually strengthen it, influencing her more and more without her noticing until she becomes one of my vassals.¡±

    ¡°That may be true, even I can¡¯t sense what you did to her,¡± I admit, standing up as I do and fixing my clothes. ¡°Sophie kind of messed up here.¡±

    The mood shifts as his guards, both those at his side and those waiting outside, prepare to burst in on his signal, and a preprepared array flairs into activity.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t let you leave.¡± Namior chides, shaking his head.

    That confuses me, and I tilt my head as I reply. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to leave.¡±

    My entire right arm becomes a mess of torn flesh as I use kinetic energy to draw Fracture at incredible speed. In a single motion, I sever the connection between the man and his two bodyguards. Doing so won¡¯t allow him to send orders, but it probably won¡¯t change whatever he already did to their minds either.

    In that same fraction of a second, I shove the sword back into its scabbard and activate two healing marks. Snapping my arm back into place, as the flesh regenerates.

    The crow rushes to attack me, and its owner tries to move, but both are still standing, the crow frozen mid-air, held in place by my [Redistribution].

    Golden flames explode around the Vyssari, surging toward me and effortlessly melting through my hastily formed barriers. I slide into [Focus] to push away the feeling of pain as my skin and flesh ignite and burn away in an instant. My bones are revealed, the fire attempting to burn even them, but unlike my flesh, my bones are durable.

    Much more durable.

    [Bone Knitting - lvl 20 > Bone Knitting - lvl 21]

    [Bone Knitting - lvl 21 > Bone Knitting - lvl 22]

    There are dozens of mana threads running through each bone, binding them together, filling them, covering them.

    Part of my mind takes over that task, the skill keeping my bones from melting away, as [Redistribution] absorbs some of the heat. But the vyssari is better at thermal energy than me, and the flames seem impossible to stop even with the armor I¡¯m forming around my body; it begins to sizzle and melt.

    Now freed from the man¡¯s control and acting reflexively in her confusion, she attacks me without giving it her all.

    Wraith Dance brings me into her space, and up close, the flames are even deadlier, burning more of me away. The muscles, the tendons, some of the less important organs. My skeleton moves, powered by kinetic energy, as my skeletal arm crashes into her head at incredible speed, sending a burst of kinetic energy flooding through it.

    And just like flipping a switch, she loses consciousness.

    Three healing marks activate, and my flesh and body recover. Then as I turn to face Namior, he disappears, leaving a signature behind as he teleports away.

    All of that happens within a short moment and soon dozens of guards finally rush in, skills swirling around them.

    I move the mana in my [Mana Crown], spinning it, faster and faster, until it reaches an incredible speed. The massive amount of mana quickly begins to move so quickly that it reaches critical speed, and with a little help from skill, a burst of disruptive energy explodes from me. Just as powerful as it would have been if I had directed it at a single target, but this one creates an area of effect that disables the skills of everyone here.

    My Mana Wavelength Iris activates, and I look at the remains of his teleportation. I watch the mana track, using [Focus] to rebuild the structure of the portal, and then use [Resonance] to use the remains to teleport along the same route.

    The moment I appear on the other side, dozens of attacks crash into me, stripping me down to the bone, but my mana spins in the crown again, reaching that critical limit and releasing another disruptive wave before slowing and coming to a stop.

    My flesh grows back under the influence of the healing marks, and tracking Namior¡¯s presence, I use Wraith Dance to move over to the massive door dominating the room. There, I switch to Breaker Style, and a single powerful burst causes the metal door to buckle inward, as the second sends it flying through the room and embedding it in the wall of the tower.

    [Mana Domain] encompasses me as I tear through all the defenses within, spinning the mana inside my crown and sending disruptive waves throughout, causing the entire tower to flicker as I make my way to the highest floor.

    The guards freeze in place, only to be pinned to the walls or thrown out of the tower, while Namior keeps moving higher and higher, throwing everything he has against me.

    Before I can reach him, he¡¯s gone again, and I repeat the process, resonating with his teleport, appearing in a different tower, likely belonging to one of his vassals¡¯.

    As I¡¯m getting my bearings, rocks explode from the ground as two huge monsters burrow their way onto the surface, reminiscent of gorillas, coated in white fur with four eyes each and no mouth.

    Mana seeps from my body, spinning itself into threads that weave themselves into a suit of armor that surrounds me and grows bigger and bigger until I match the size of the monsters. My heart thumps wildly, generating kinetic energy to boost my movements in this massive, heavy mana armor.

    The first gorilla crashes into me, but my elbow hits the side of its head; as it wavers, I grab it and bury its head into the ground, tearing up trees and small buildings in the process.

    A huge spear of mana forms in my hand, and I pierce the monster¡¯s body, boosting the spear with kinetic energy, creating a hook at the end, and pinning the gorilla to the ground.

    The other one jumps at me, but I sidestep and, with a burst of kinetic energy, tackle it into the tower, which shakes at its foundations but endures nonetheless. Two of my arms hold the gorilla, and two more arms form at my shoulders, their fingers interlocking before I bring the hands down, slamming them into the monster¡¯s head.

    A massive mouth opens in the monster''s chest, stretching as wide as its torso, and a deafening screech erupts, assaulting my eardrums. Tattoos flare across its skin, its strength surging. But I repeat the process, striking again until its eyes cloud over. Using all four arms, I rip the monster''s limbs apart and hurl them¡ªand the creature itself¡ªfar away.

    My armor disappears, the mana flooding back into my crown in a blink. I quickly realize that the first gorilla is about to break free and form a huge nail in the air, launching it at the monster to pin it once more while being careful to avoid killing it.

    I land on the ground, Wraith Dance bringing me to the next door, which I destroy, finding guards and the remains of another teleport inside.

    A tricolored shield blocks the incoming barrage of attacks, and I teleport myself again.

    This time, I appear before the city¡¯s second-tallest tower, owned by Beatrice, the pink-skinned, pink-haired daughter of the Archon.

    ¡°Beatrice! Beatrice! Fucking help me, you can have my mind if you want, just get that man off me! Beatrice!¡± Namior screams, shouting at the woman standing on top of the wall surrounding her tower, her bodyguard standing next to her with his transparent crown floating over his head.

    Namior shuts up and turns back, to see me standing there, and shouts, ¡°Get the fuck away from me!¡±¡ªfollowed by the most powerful mental attack I¡¯ve felt so far.

    But it¡¯s all for nothing. It simply slides off my mental defenses.

    And when he opens his mouth to shout again, I¡¯m there standing by his side.

    ¡°I can be more useful alive, I can¡­¡± Before he can finish, a concentrated blast of kinetic energy detonates his head.

    [You have defeated Mindsculptor - lvl 268]

    Beatrice says nothing, watching as I tear the rest of his body apart with subsequent bursts of kinetic energy, then burn the remains.

    Before I leave I throw one last [Ley Line] toward the inside of her tower, and when I finally teleport away, no one tries to stop me.

 Chapter 491 - We donâ€™t talk about sparring with her

    Back in my room, I take a look at myself in the mirror. My body is nearly restored. The right side, which was damaged by Fracture down in the tunnels, still heals a bit slower, the skin struggling to regrow as bits of bone peek through.

    [Bone Knitting - lvl 22 > Bone Knitting - lvl 23]

    For the first halfway proper test I¡¯d say things went really well. Thanks to the number of healing marks Lily gave me, I could even let them hit me properly, and even though my flesh didn¡¯t endure due to my generally weak constitution, my bones did and sometime in the future, I¡¯ll even find a way to stop relying on them all together.

    I got [Bone Knitting] when I was trying to create a healing skill. However, I went so long without results that I eventually just decided to go in a different direction entirely.

    My thought line is very simple. As long as I don¡¯t die instantly, I can just wait for my thermal energy and any future healing passives to heal me over time. Flesh and tendons can be regrown, but bones take longer to restore, so the only reasonable course of action is to work on making them stronger.

    Thanks to all of my experimentation during the tournament, the body modification data we got from Savant, and the samples I collected, bones of powerful monsters, and such, I¡¯m getting pretty good at understanding them. I got the inspiration for weaving threads into my bones after acquiring [Ley Line] and developing Mana Weaving.

    There are two vital points that I need to protect above all others: my brain and heart. If something happens to my brain, that¡¯s it. In theory, I could sacrifice my heart, but seeing how much trouble Lady Lissandra¡¯s been having with restoring hers and how much the system emphasizes the importance of Mana Hearts, it¡¯s probably not a good idea.

    [Bone Knitting] strengthens my skull and ribcage the most, making it all the more difficult for attacks to breach them.

    I consider it a very reasonable series of actions considering my apparent inability to acquire active healing skills.

    Finally, the last wound closes, and I stretch my body, twisting, bending, and stretching. Everything feels like it¡¯s in the right place, so I step into the shower and run the water in the coldest setting. Only then do I feel like I can truly calm down. My wildly beating heart quiets, and the anger I felt begins to dissipate.

    Then I reminisce about feelings Izzy shared with me. The fear she felt for her sister. The horror as she watched Sophie slowly change, refusing to acknowledge the ways she might be being influenced, even forgetting their conversations. The two weeks she spent watching her older sister, pretending that everything was fine, slowly and carefully building herself up to ask Sophie to call us in, hoping that it wouldn¡¯t be too late and that Sophie wouldn¡¯t refuse.

    That moment of realization when Izzy knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything alone. Knowing that she wouldn¡¯t be capable of killing the man on her own and the despair of being locked in by her beloved sister, who didn¡¯t even fully realize why she had done so.

    Shutting off the water, I step out of the shower and look at my reflection in the mirror until my expression returns to its normal state: the one that makes people want to punch me for some reason.

    As I dry and clothe myself, I think about how easy it would¡¯ve been for Sophie to end up totally enthralled, fully caught in the grasp of that man. Possibly dying, and taking her sister with her. All from the slightest misstep on her part, driven by her own overconfidence.

    I believe it will be a great lesson for her, and I¡¯ll take it as a reminder for myself as well.

    Sometimes, I might catch myself thinking I''m getting too strong for Hell difficulty, that only Beyond truly holds any challenge for me. It''s a thought I need to ensure never takes hold too strongly.

    Only when I¡¯m fully dressed and check my expression again do I open the door.

    Izzy stands there, where she¡¯s been waiting for me ever since I returned.

    ¡°I was so scared.¡± Even though she¡¯s trying to control herself, and I notice her shaking, her body sending waves of kinetic energy through the air and floor as she does so, though she doesn¡¯t seem to notice herself.

    ¡°I know. It¡¯s okay now.¡± I reply.

    She shakes her head and looks down, staring at her feet, her black hair covering her face, preventing me from seeing the look on her face. ¡°You said he didn¡¯t have any connection to her, but I¡¯m still worried. How much did he manage to influence her?¡±

    ¡°Honestly? And you can connect to my feelings to confirm, I don¡¯t think he managed to do all that much. I killed him because I decided we wouldn''t need him to undo whatever he did. He was the kind of guy who goes slow and steady, he was too weak to go against Sophie in a direct fight. Sophie might still want to keep you locked away for a while. She might decide she wants to control more mind mages or continue avoiding Beatrice and follow whatever other impulses he planted in her mind. But it won¡¯t grow any further because the man who did it is already dead.¡±

    As I¡¯m saying that, I know I mean these words.

    Stepping closer, I poke her forehead hidden under her hair. ¡°I think the rest will be up to Sophie, to realize what he did as his influence wanes. There is nothing else you or I can do.¡±

    ¡°Yes... Nat, please leave me and Sophie alone for a while. Now that he¡¯s gone, I want to do more to help her.¡±

    ¡°Will do,¡± I confirm, then squat in front of her, finally peering into her green eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if anyone tries anything like that again, I will blow up this whole city, Framework or not.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even have to connect to your emotions to know you¡¯re serious.¡± She quickly rubs her sleeve against her eyes before lowering her arm and returning my gaze. ¡°Thank you, Nat.¡±

    ¡°You are welcome.¡±

    <hr>

    Min-Jae dodges my attack, his body moving almost as strangely as mine does under the influence of kinetic energy. Though in his case, he uses [Telekinesis] and [Gravity Well] to emulate me. His movements are sharp, clearly meant to deal as much damage as possible. And to top it all off, the gravity field he¡¯s created around us slows me down, forcing me to use more and more kinetic energy while he continues to move unrestrained.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Eventually, he fails to predict one of my movements in Pulser Stance, and I reduce the power of my strike, the punch connecting with his side and sending him staggering.

    Gravity around me increases further, and he moves his body swiftly through the air.

    He dodges my second blow; moving his body with [Telekinesis] rather than relying on his own muscles and reflexes, almost like he¡¯s puppeting his own body on a set of strings. It looks eerie and unnatural, but he¡¯s clearly grown accustomed to it.

    I let his punch connect, and my unique passive transfers the kinetic energy of the attack into mana in my reservoir. Fairly surprised by the output, I let him punch me again, craving a more noticeable addition of mana to my reservoir.

    ¡°I know your movements are weird, but this is too much, Nat!¡± he shouts, attacking again, smiling, as his lean muscles stretch, propelling his body, as his wide brown and yellow eyes track my movements.

    Once again, he dodges my attack, performing a maneuver that any acrobat would envy. And the whole time, he maintains the enhanced field of gravity around me, his Primordial gravitational energy serving to make the already strong skill even stronger, even in melee, and the boost to his mid-range attack is incredible in its own right. And I¡¯m sure that with a bit more preparation he should be able to dominate long range as well.

    We continue for another thirty minutes before finally coming to a stop.

    As Min-Jae cancels out the gravitational field around me, I find myself feeling insanely light and wind up having to move carefully for a while, just to get used to the feeling.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hit him as much as you hit us,¡± Aaron notes, undistracted by the evil orb floating next to him.

    ¡°He comes to it more naturally than you, so there was no need,¡± I reply.

    ¡°Tess had Maya beat me up though,¡± Min-Jae acknowledges.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Min-Jae smiles. ¡°It helped in the end, so I don¡¯t mind, but most of my training went into [Telekinesis], and even though my output isn¡¯t quite as high as Tess¡¯s, my fine control is better. Plus, she rarely moves anything very big, she mostly just uses it to make her javelins more deadly.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the biggest thing you can move?¡± Dennis asks, without pausing his training.

    ¡°Huh...hmmm, we once got attacked by a big monster next to some ruins, and I just threw a bunch of car-sized stones at it. So while it does take some effort, I can move multiple tons without issue. This one time, just for fun, I used [Gravity Well] and [Telekinesis] to lift a huge stone high into the air, then brought it down while increasing the pull of gravity. I swear it looked like a meteor.¡±

    He turns to me. ¡°Some time ago, you mentioned a thought experiment regarding a bunch of tungsten rods orbiting the earth and the idea that dropping one of them would cause about as much damage as a nuke, I think I should be able to pull it off sometime far in the future. I just need to find some way to keep myself connected to them, hold them in a semi-stable orbit, and do some calculations regarding the zone of impact, pull them out of the orbit, and boom.¡±

    ¡°And we can sneak around, make decent projections, and sometimes use your own skills against you,¡± Aaron mentions.

    At that, Dennis shakes his head. ¡°If you compare that to nuking the city, we seem to be lagging behind. Hey, Nat, why didn¡¯t you teach us something like that? I want to nuke cities too.¡±

    ¡°Then get some skills that¡¯ll allow you to do so. But I can tell you right now that even as you are now, either one of you could take Min-Jae in a fight.¡±

    ¡°Huh, really?¡±

    ¡°If I had your skills, I wouldn¡¯t have any problem, and as for you two¡­ I would say you would probably win 7 out of 10 fights. And if you had the initiative that number rises to anywhere from 8 to 9 out of 10.¡±

    ¡°Suck it, Kim.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, suck it, Mr. I-can-nuke-the-city-maybe-in-the-future.¡±

    Knowing better than to encourage them, Min-Jae curiously asks, ¡°What are my chances against Lily?¡±

    I don¡¯t even have to answer, and Dennis, already standing, comes closer and throws his arm around the Korean boy. ¡°Kim, buddy, my sweet delusional friend.¡±

    Aaron looks around, confirming Lily¡¯s absence, and joins from the other side. ¡°We don¡¯t even talk about sparring with Lily.¡±

    Enthusiastically nodding, Dennis confirms, ¡°Lily¡¯s picked up some terrible habits.¡±

    Aaron points at me. ¡°We blame that man.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I agree.

    Confused, Min-Jae keeps looking between us. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°That guy. ¡± Aaron¡¯s voice becomes louder as he keeps pointing at me. ¡°He taught us, but he also taught Lily. They spent most of their time doing some kind of crazy experiments, but they also spent a lot of time sparring.¡±

    ¡°A ridiculous amount! Even though Nat likes to go kaboom, as that cute half-demon of his likes to say, he also likes to get in close and punch stuff.¡±

    ¡°We have a theory he does it to vent.¡±

    ¡°Plus, he¡¯s kind of a battle maniac. But what¡¯s important is that Lily really likes his style, and Kim, my buddy, that girl is even more talented than we thought.¡±

    Once again, Min-Jae looks at me, and I repeat, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Dennis shakes his friend. ¡°You know how Nat fights, right? Losing limbs all over the place, taking ten blows just for the opportunity to get in one hit that will splat you against a wall? Tearing muscles, and breaking bones as his body strains to endure the strength and speed?¡±

    ¡°That really does sound like Nat.¡±

    ¡°Because that¡¯s how Nat fights. Well, Aaron and I got to watch as Lily started picking up on that same style of combat, building on it more and more, mimicking those weird movements of his. Nat uses kinetic energy though, so you''d think it would be impossible with just your body, right? Well, Lily disagreed. Apparently, you can still pull it off¡ªif you''re willing to accept that your body will get fucked up in the process.¡±

    ¡°And you might try to say that she fought that way before, and you¡¯d almost be right. But there was always a bit of hesitation there, and she was still learning martial arts from mana stones she got who knows where, but once she started sparring with Nat, she gave up.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Dennis confirms. ¡°She strengthened her bones, she improved her constitution and did some nasty things with [Sacrifice]. Throw in her healing, and she wins 7 in 10 fights with Nat when it comes to melee combat.¡±

    This is where I step in. ¡°That¡¯s not true, it¡¯s 5-6 at best.¡±

    "Even if she ditches the ax and uses the mantle?"

    "Mantle doesn''t count. If I try to tire her out, I win 7 out of 10. If I try to face her directly, she would win 7 out of 10 times."

    They dive deeper into their theorizing, but I¡¯m only half-listening. Even Whitey can¡¯t help but acknowledge Lily¡¯s close combat capabilities, so it¡¯s clear I¡¯d have trouble if I faced her using only kinetic energy. But seeing how well I hold up, and considering that it¡¯s not my primary means of combat and that I can still win half the time, I don¡¯t mind all that much.

    Really, I don¡¯t.

    It¡¯s fine.

 Chapter 492 - Young white haired demon

    My room has become an even bigger mess than before. Most of the furniture¡ªaside from the bed, a few armchairs, and the sofa¡ªhave disappeared along with the carpet. The floor is now covered in deeply etched inscriptions, with some extending to the walls, accompanied by mana batteries to supply them with power and more.

    The once-functional protective arrays have been reworked and Frankenstein-ed together to better serve my needs. And the same goes for the inscriptions that once covered the huge windows on the exterior wall.

    At the moment, my room is being excluded from the tower''s array and is under my full control. And I have multiple Ley Lines connecting my inscriptions to the Framework, which I¡¯m constantly monitoring.

    Then there are two blanks I¡¯ve created using high quality materials I¡¯ve managed to acquire, one for a shield and another for an ax laid out on the ground. Just the sheer quality of the materials should easily push them to upper epic rarity, but I¡¯ve specifically decided to hold off on finishing them for the moment. So there they lie, half done, waiting as I work on advancing other plans.

    In the corner of the room sits a box made of white glass, also awaiting my attention. Much like the ones I brought with me to Beyond not long ago, filled with the white sand from Mana Desert. Next to it, a few weapons from the Mana Desert as well. I still remember the promise I made to Sophie, that we would try to work the white sand into the damaged arcane weapon known as the Golem Heart that I gave her. By this point, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s made her own improvements, and it might be possible to start experimenting with a grain or two of sand.

    The only problem is that Sophie has been locked away in her room for the past few days already, and there are only two people allowed to freely enter and leave¡ªIzzy and Tess.

    Otherwise, it¡¯s been days since anyone¡¯s seen Sophie, and the only sign of her presence is feeling her going over the protective arrays and confirming her control over the mind mages she¡¯s enthralled. No one comes to visit. There are no attacks, and even the people who spent the most time spying on us seem to have backed off in favor of caution, confirmed by Tess, who¡¯s taken it on herself to keep an eye on such things.

    The ignition of the Framework is getting closer every day, so it''s been quite a mess considering that one of the most powerful mind mages has gone missing and the people formerly under his control have been freed. I¡¯m also curious what happened to that vyssari with thermal energy and the second primordial energy she was rumored to have. However, my curiosity isn¡¯t tempting enough to lure me out to try and find out. She seemed skilled but she was nowhere near Melel''s level nor was she talented enough to make me want to learn from her.

    A presence appears in front of my door, and I activate the mana construct controlling them. They open on their own and close once my guest enters, the protections around them snapping back into place.

    Noodle swiftly slithers in between the golden chains, stray chunks of metal, and stones and climbs onto the armchair, careful not to touch Biscuit, who is sleeping on my lap, still comatose.

    "Just in time," I tell the snake as I draw one of the orbs of mana floating next to me closer.

    And Noodle patiently waits as I proceed to set it in front of him.

    ¡°So, sorry about last time. I thought the addition of a small amount of thermal energy would make the orb tastier.¡±

    The white snake calmly looks at me.

    ¡°It seems like you can only absorb mana and normal fire because of your bond with Izzy. I think that''s the reason you got a bit... sick, she doesn¡¯t actually have her own thermal energy. So this time I modified the orb a bit more. The frequency of the mana, its density, and the amount within are different this time. So tell me, what do you think?¡±

    His tongue flickers as he tastes the air in front of the orb, and only then does he open his mouth and gently take it from my hand.

    The orb disappears into his mouth, and Noodle continues to stare at me with his green eyes.

    Then he nods as he does, but only once.

    ¡°Hmm, so it¡¯s not as tasty as the last time, but better than the one before?¡±

    He nods again.

    ¡°I¡¯ll modify the next version a bit more,¡± I promise the snake with a dismissive gesture, only for him to coil around my arm.

    I allow my mana to seep through the skin of the arm the white snake has coiled himself around, and activate my eye trait to carefully observe him.

    As he has so many times before, Noodle starts absorbing said mana through his mouth, causing it to disappear within the confines of his body without leaving any trace behind, all while I try to pick up at least a bit of what¡¯s going on as it does.

    <hr>

    The next day finds me standing over an inscription-covered circle that surrounds the two weapons I made but still haven¡¯t finished. They took a lot of precious materials, but if my plan works, it will be well worth it. These inscriptions along with the circle surrounding the weapons, and the shield and ax themselves, have all been tied together with Ley Lines that are themselves connected to the main Line, which is further connected to the Framework.

    Satisfied with the result, I leave it there and stretch as I rise to a standing position.

    Min-Jae is sitting in one of the armchairs with Biscuit in his arms, and waves to get my attention.

    ¡°I went through the simplified blueprint of the Restrictive Training Emblem with the twins the other day, and I think you might be right. I should be able to make my own version to increase the weight of the person wearing it.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not very good at this kind of stuff, so I can¡¯t make it work passively and I don¡¯t know how to apply it so someone else will be able to activate it on their own. And making anything a person could use their own mana to activate is only going to be more difficult.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I just wanted to give you some inspiration for the future.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not complaining,¡± he says, nodding as he lifts a glass of juice from the table with his skills before lifting the liquid inside free as well.

    That liquid spins slowly, pulling together into a floating sphere which Min-Jae promptly slurps down. ¡°Do you have more blueprints or information regarding the Skyhold Islands? I¡¯ve already gone through most of what you gave me.¡±

    ¡°Left corner of the room, on the green shirt, oval mana stone. Take the grape-sized round one next to it as well¡ªit contains some basic inscriptions along with some exceedingly flowery theory on creating more durable constructs. You might need them if you want your own floating island.¡±

    ¡°Was I really that obvious?¡± he smiles in that typical shy way of his, and the stones fly into his hands.

    ¡°It would be a shame if you didn¡¯t want something like that with your combination of abilities. You can ask Aaron and Dennis for more info; I drilled some of the basics into them, and they¡¯re getting pretty good.¡±

    ¡°The infamous 2nd and 3rd disciples of Nathaniel Gwyn.¡± He snarks, gently setting the sleeping corgi puppy on the blankets bundled up in the armchair and adjusting them so that only his head can be seen.

    As he leaves the room, I think about his last words but decide in the end to shrug it off and come back to it later.

    Closing my eyes, I appear within my mind space.

    This one is unlike any I¡¯ve seen before, and I know Immediately that the setting isn¡¯t from any of my own memories, it¡¯s not the first time it¡¯s happened either.

    I look to the right at the white-haired demon standing next to me and follow his red eyes, to look in the same direction.

    Within all the yellow sand surrounding us, is a beautiful oasis interrupting the scenery of the desert below us. A huge jagged rock has pierced the ground in the middle of the oasis, creating some much needed shade, and allowing a range of grasses, and trees to take root around it. The jagged rock itself has a bluish metallic shine, and even though there are no inscriptions, it feels almost like it does. And as we watch the oasis, we can see a few demons going about their daily tasks, each one tall and slim with horns not unlike Whitey''s and the same red eyes.

    And sticking out like a sore thumb is a single demon with long white hair, dressed in a set of ragged clothes, likely the worst in his community, and covered in wounds.

    The demon is very young, likely landing somewhere between Vega and Izzy, just under 10 years old. The demon looks sickly, his heart beats weakly compared to the other demons, his limbs are thinner, and he even seems to be paralyzed on the left side of his body, his left arm moving slowly, and he¡¯s often forced to drag his leg behind him as he takes his clumsy steps.

    ¡°Demons can be born with as little as a single trait, and the more powerful ones have two. How does that work without the system?¡± I ask as I take a seat in the warm sand.

    Whitey looks away from the oasis and sits next to me. ¡°Some traits can give you access to primordial energies. Most of the demons are born with a heart that gives them access to one of those. Some are born without a demon heart and develop demonic eyes instead, or rarely both. I¡¯ve heard of traits ranging from physiques to circuits and skeletal structures, and more besides. It varies a lot.¡±

    ¡°Getting free traits like that should be cheating. So the system awakens mana?¡±

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, yes. There are also fragments of eternal fire, fragments of eternal wind, and more besides. There are also primordial energies and probably other things you can get without the system, but only the system can awaken mana.¡±

    We watch as the white-haired demon slowly makes his way to the top of the dune. He almost falls a few times but slowly reaches us and sits an arm¡¯s reach away from Whitey.

    He clearly can¡¯t see us; after all, he¡¯s just a memory.

    Calming his stuttering heart, he closes his eyes and throws a handful of sand into the air.

    Most of the grains fall down, but a few stay put, floating. They move from side to side, they shake, and it looks almost like they could fall at any moment; and in the end, they do. Though the young demon smiles brightly and laughs with joy. He lays on his back, tired even after such a little thing, and wipes the sweat from his face.

    Inside the oasis, little kids, probably half the white-haired demon¡¯s age, do much the same, throwing two big handfuls of sand, holding the thousands of grains in the air with ease.

    ¡°He¡¯s such a dumb little fucker, isn¡¯t he? Damned untalented crippled freak.¡± Whitey says staring at the young demon, who, even in his malnourished state, bears a stunning resemblance to the grown demon beside me.

    ¡°I kind of like his spirit,¡± I reply.

    ¡°Yes, he was always a bit dumb. Some might call that having a strong spirit.¡±

    Whitey stands in one smooth movement and stomps. Causing the entire dune we stand upon to explode in a great plume of sand before all of it stops hanging in the air. The yellow grains gleam as the sunlight finds its way in between them, throwing the most incredible shadows across the scenery.

    ¡°Out of the 7 stances I¡¯ve taught you, there are a few that you clearly favor.¡±

    Whitey¡¯s hair hangs, floating in the air, held there by the same force holding the grains of sand.

    "Pulser Stance suits you well, and you¡¯re not half bad¡ªyou just need a bit more practice. The same goes for Breaker Style. As for Wraith Dance, you seem to use it more for movement than anything else."

    ¡°I¡¯m agreeing so far.¡±

    His teeth show in a smile. ¡°As if you could prove me wrong, you little shit. I know more about kinetic energy than you ever will.¡±

    I bow. ¡°I apologize, master.¡±

    That makes him smile even more, and I know that when we get to sparring, his punches will hurt more than usual.

    ¡°Your Resonance Flow is powerful. And your ability to handle massive amounts of raw power is probably better than mine, but that¡¯s understandable given how accustomed you are to managing such a disgusting amount of mana. Your fine control, however, is a bit lacking."

    Whitey pokes one of the floating grains of sand, and it slowly floats to the ground. ¡°Your Needle Point is trash. Close to mid-range, you do fine using bursts of kinetic energy to attack, but your long range control is just abominable. Your Counter Flow is decent, and your Steelroot sucks.¡±

    "Sounds about right."

    He smirks deviously. "Today, you¡¯ll be using only Needle Point, Steelroot, and Wraith Dance."

    All the demons within the oasis, along with the young white-haired demon next to us, vanish like the memories they are.

    The dune collapses in a cascade of sand, and we clash amidst the chaos.

 Chapter 493 - Logic Core

    I¡¯ve spent enough time in this damned tower to figure out a number of ways to temporarily take over the defensive array, especially now that Sophie has locked herself in her room and refuses to leave.

    And I know I promised Izzy to wait but this is taking way too long already.

    That¡¯s why I¡¯m standing in front of the door to her room, taking control of the web and defenses to let myself in.

    The door opens, and I enter. ¡°I know you¡¯re personally invested in beating yourself up for allowing yourself to be tricked by that dumbass, but you promised to tell me about Blackie and about that Logic Core thing¡­¡±

    My words stop there as my mind registers the sight of Sophie lying on the floor while Tess drags her along by the leg. Sophie looks¡­ well¡­ not great. Her hair and clothes are in a terrible state, there are big bags under her eyes, and I think I can see signs of dried blood under her nose. There¡¯s even a bruise starting to show under one of her eyes.

    Tess looks even worse. Her forearms have been deeply gouged as if by claws, bites mark her body, along with the odd bruise, peeking out from under freshly tattered clothes.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Tess chirps, smiling brightly. She follows my eyes to Sophie and shrugs, ¡°Did you know that ever since she locked herself in her room a few days ago, she¡¯s been spending more time wallowing in self-pity than actually examining the state of her mind?¡±

    ¡°Fuck off, Tess¡­¡± Sophie curses, her voice hoarse.

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Tess smiles, her grin widening, as she waves off Sophie¡¯s protests and continues to pull her across the floor, and Sophie, with her lack of investment in physical stats, just can¡¯t muster an effective resistance. Even the marks she¡¯s left on Tess are probably only there because Tess allowed it, after all, I¡¯m sure she should be more than capable of pummeling that black-haired mind mage of ours.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take her to bathe and get her dressed properly. Afterward, I¡¯ll bring her to this floor¡¯s terrace to get some fresh air. You can talk with her then.¡±

    Both of the girls disappear around the corner, and only then does Izzy poke her head out.

    ¡°Your work?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I asked Tess for help,¡± Izzy confirms, and Noodle, currently the size of an anaconda, shrinks and rises to coil around her arm.

    ¡°Good job.¡±

    ¡°Even though Sophie wouldn¡¯t say it, she¡­¡± Izzy whispers, lowering her voice conspiratorially, ¡°She looks up to Tess quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Sophie give Tess that beautiful shiner back when we were still under the Mana Desert?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°People¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, people!¡± Izzy agrees. ¡°While you were messing with her web, she wanted to storm out of the room a few times and call you a dumb fuck, before she finally settled down and gave me a lesson on everything you did wrong.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard worse.¡±

    We step out into the hallway, the doors closing behind us as their protections flare back into activity. Together we make our way over to the terrace, where we each take a seat in one of the armchairs I stole from one of the other floors.

    It¡¯s night, so it¡¯s cold, but Izzy doesn¡¯t seem to mind. Her body radiates an impressive amount of heat. Even so, I take it upon myself, and place one of my thermal cubes over the small table, generating soft light and radiating a comfortable and even wave of heat.

    The view from the tower so high up is beautiful, even with the state of this messed-up floor. Lights shine down below, radiating from the windows of the tower¡¯s around us illuminating the night. There are even some twinkling from the shores of the lake. And then, as always there¡¯s the purple nebula swirling through the sky amongst a myriad of stars.

    It takes half an hour before Sophie and Tess finally join us, having both secured a change of clothes while their wounds have already begun to fade under the influence of their natural regeneration.

    Tess rushes in first and takes a seat next to Izzy, which forces Sophie to sit in the remaining armchair alone.

    The silence that ensues quickly grows awkward as it stretches on over the next few minutes as Sophie works up the courage to break it, ¡°I think that fucker only managed to do three things.¡±

    For once, Izzy doesn¡¯t bother complaining about Sophie¡¯s language.

    Sophie raises a finger as she begins, ¡°He planted something akin to thought anchoring. The first one was to avoid clashing with him or his forces. He did it very covertly, and my mind made up the excuses on its own. There was also an impulse to even forget that I met him. This was the riskiest one and the one I was most likely to notice. But I didn¡¯t.¡±

    She lifts a second finger as she continues, ¡°The second thought anchor was a desire to control as many mind mages as possible.¡±

    The last finger lifts, ¡°The last one was the most open ended¡ª a deeply ingrained desire to rely on myself, cutting myself off from the others, while focusing on maintaining things within the city. In the end, it was just a slight push in the direction he wanted.¡±

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    As she finishes her speech, Sophie buries her head in her hands and sighs, ¡°Without him to renew and build on them, these thought anchors should dissipate over time, removed by my natural defenses, but¡­ if it had gone on for even a few weeks longer¡­ he would have been able to influence me more and more without me even noticing.¡±

    ¡°He begged for mercy before he died. I¡¯m pretty sure he cried as well,¡± I offer.

    In response, Sophie looks up at me, and I return her gaze. ¡°You fucked up,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°I fucked up,¡± she confirms.

    ¡°Really fucked up.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I guess I got a taste of my own medicine, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Yep, fuck mind mages. Anyway, what¡¯s the deal with Blackie?¡± I ask, changing the subject, considering this topic settled.

    ¡°Nat, don¡¯t you want to hear more about that thought anchor? You might be able to help,¡± Tess interrupts.

    ¡°What can I do? I¡¯m not a mind mage, and it¡¯s up to her to deal with that shit. If she thinks I can help, she¡¯s free to ask anytime. So, Blackie?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Tess, I¡¯ll deal with it on my own.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget me,¡± Izzy reminds her.

    And at that, Sophie smiles, gazing at her lovingly and nodding before turning back to me, ¡°Blackie is all that remains of the desert Champion¡¯s bond¡ªa really small piece of it.¡±

    Her shadow moves as if it¡¯s alive and takes on a three-dimensional, amorphous shape that almost moves like water, smoke, or mist; honestly, it¡¯s a bit hard to describe.

    ¡°A small piece escaped with us back then, and Biscuit wanted to eat it, but I made a deal with him before he did and let the bond attach itself to me. It was looking for a new master after the Champion died, and since I had [Manipulation], I was able to take it in.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure the Champion didn¡¯t leave any bits of himself behind? Couldn¡¯t it try to take over, or kill you, or something like that?¡± Tess interrupts.

    Shaking her head, Sophie reaches toward her shadow, and it reaches back to her. ¡°I, of course, can¡¯t be absolutely sure, this is the Champion¡¯s bond we¡¯re dealing with. But I think it¡¯s highly unlikely. Plus, it¡¯s not very powerful without a connection to its master. I think that Champion was here because he was experimenting with creating artificial minds, and to that end, he was probably experimenting on entire cities full of people. Blackie is the result of that, an artificial mind with no emotions¡ªa tool that grows with its master.¡±

    ¡°Can it think on its own?¡± I ask.

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to explain¡­ I wouldn¡¯t say it can think. Honestly, it reminds me more of an array that can react to specific stimuli¡ªbut taken much further. It is something akin to a collection of an immense amount of information, and behavioral patterns. A bit like a mix between a mind imprint and a program. Nat, you said Lissandra created a near-perfect copy of her mind. Well, I think that Champion was experimenting with learning how to do something similar, and his bond was just another step towards that goal.¡±

    ¡°But Blackie isn¡¯t him nor does it have his memories?¡±

    ¡°No, but there¡¯s a chance that in certain situations, for which I didn¡¯t program or teach it, that it could act in accordance with the Champion¡¯s programming, which is probably based on the way the Champion would react.¡±

    Seemingly annoyed by the long conversation, Izzy butts in, ¡°Blackie¡¯s like a small pup that just happened to be raised by a bad guy. Then that bad guy died, and someone nicer took over, but that pup still has some of that bad behavior learned.¡±

    I look at Sophie, and she hesitates a bit before sighing, ¡°Yes. You could say that.¡±

    A bright smile blossoms on Izzy¡¯s face as she stands and pokes Blackie. It pulls back quickly, its reaction seeming surprised or scared, and yet completely devoid of emotion. The black shadow swirls around Sophie before reverting to its normal two-dimensional form.

    ¡°More than a living being, it¡¯s a tool,¡± Sophie concludes.

    ¡°What can it do?¡± Knowing it belonged to a Champion, I¡¯m curious about its capabilities.

    ¡°Currently? Not much, and it will never be quite the same as the Champion¡¯s. It¡¯s bonded to me now, and our bond is fairly similar to the one between Izzy and Noodle, so it will be influenced by my growth and programming. But I have learned some things from examining it; the Logic Core is one of them.¡±

    At that, I straighten up in my armchair and listen carefully, ignoring Tess, who scoffs at my reaction. Sophie notices as well, and I see that annoying smirk twitching at the corner of her lips, but I decide to ignore that for now and listen carefully.

    ¡°I know you can ¡®program¡¯ your mana constructs a bit. To launch projectiles when something breaks a thread of mana, these orbs, and such. I also know how limited that is, and that you¡¯ve been looking for ways to free up the bits of mental focus you have to devote to upkeep.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± I ask, fully realizing that she¡¯s stretching things out on purpose. But those thoughts of self-pity she was having seem to have taken a backseat, so I decide to play along and let her have her fun.

    ¡°The Logic Core could be what you¡¯re looking for; it¡¯s the simplest version of an artificial mind. A process node programmed to kickstart specific tasks or alter behaviors based on outside information and your ¡®programming.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m listening, Sophie. Please tell me more.¡±

    Her green eyes regain a bit of that glint, ¡°Best of all, it¡¯s all mana-based, like a distant variation of inscriptions. Though there¡¯s a fair chance that I¡¯ll always be better at it because of my mind powers, but I¡¯m sure you can imagine all the things you could do with that.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see just who¡¯s better at it.¡± Then, even though I already have a theory, I ask, ¡°So what ideas do you have regarding using it to manage Fracture?¡±

    ¡°You told me how much concentration it takes just to keep it from breaking apart and limiting your ability to use it. With some practice and experimentation, a Logic Core could handle some of the menial tasks in the future.¡±

    I look at my waist where the shortsword is hanging and give that a moment of thought.

    Something excites me even more than the prospect of wielding this damned weapon: the thought of how much I¡¯ll learn about using the Logic Core in the process and the possibilities it will open.

    Instead of storing a bunch of simple arrays in my mind and maintaining them with [Focus] for deployment, maybe I could store a few Logic Cores¡ªif I can find a way to deploy them. I don¡¯t expect much at the start, but at higher levels, a Logic Core might be able to operate independently of me.

    I like it. I like it a lot.

 Chapter 494 - Car ride

    Retreating within my mind, we appear in my school this time.

    Whitey is wearing the same clothes as my former P.E. coach. He¡¯s got the classic look¡ªplain gray tee, loose mesh shorts hanging just over the knee, white socks pulled up mid-calf and a basic pair of sneakers.

    The worst part is that the damned demon still manages to look cool, even wearing that, in spite of his lanky form and taut, compact muscles stretched under his pale skin.

    ¡°Surprisingly comfortable,¡± he notes, taking a moment to stretch.

    I let him live in his delusion, as we stare down on the scene from the top of a wall nearby, watching a group of four boys as they surround another. The boy in question is currently on his knees, patiently waiting while the largest of the boys pours a bottle of an unidentified soft drink over his head, causing his black hair to cling to his face, and even then, his gray and brown eyes refuse to display any hint of rage.

    ¡°He creeps me out,¡± one of the boys says, laughing as he reaches over to squeeze the bottle in his buddy¡¯s hand, encouraging the beverage to flow and redirecting the stream such that it sprays into his victim¡¯s face.

    The kneeling boy doesn¡¯t so much as flinch as the others continue to laugh.

    Finally, when the bottle is empty, they throw it in his face.

    ¡°It¡¯s no fun if he¡¯s not gonna react,¡± the oldest boy complains, kicking the kneeling child in the belly for good measure. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The moment they get out of sight, the boy swiftly jumps to his feet and takes off his wet shirt, revealing a thin, bruised body. He squeezes as much of the beverage from his shirt as he can before putting it back on, relying on the hot summer day to dry him off on the way home.

    ¡°What happened to these four?¡± Whitey asks, seeming curious.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Whitey smiles, his eyes shining with that demonic look of his. ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if I should look them up when I get out of the tutorial. You know, for old times'' sake.¡±

    ¡°I would tear them to shreds, for old times'' sake.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how demons like to do things isn¡¯t it.¡±

    ¡°Limb by limb, I would tear them apart. I would hold them with kinetic energy to stop their breath, only to stop as they reach the brink of passing out, and then I would repeat that. I would send pulses of energy through their bodies and break their bones, leaving their flesh and organs untouched so they¡¯d have some time to think as they died.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Want to try something?¡±

    Whitey, curious by nature, nods and follows me out of the school stepping into the empty city, reconstructed from my memories without the faceless hoard of people. A number of cars stand parked in the lot, and I choose one at random before breaking a window and crawling inside.

    Almost like a scene from a movie, I find a key behind the sun visor and turn it in the ignition.

    After watching me sit down, Whitey follows suit, taking a seat by my side, closing the door with a bit too much force, causing it to buckle.

    ¡°All the car buff fathers in the world are going to curse you if you keep slamming the doors so hard. You probably just killed the paint job or something.¡±

    Unsurprisingly, he tries to open the door and do it again, but he can¡¯t seem to figure out how it¡¯s done, so he reacts by piercing it with Needle Point while staring me down.

    ¡°So very mature,¡± I note, throwing the car into gear and pressing down on the gas pedal.

    The car roars and doesn¡¯t move.

    Under the confused expression, Whitey gives me, I take off the handbrake, and the car finally moves, only for the engine to sputter and die.

    ¡°Is this what you wanted to show me?¡±

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s not like I had too many opportunities to drive a car.¡±

    I repeat the process, and the car, throwing and jumping, moves again. We even scratch against another car before we get away from the parking place and onto the main road. There, I shift the gears and add the speed, moving on the totally empty roads. There are no other cars, no buses, nothing.

    ¡°When do we lift off?¡± Whitey asks after a minute.

    ¡°It can¡¯t fly.¡±

    ¡°What a terrible means of transportation.¡± Even so, he sticks his slim pale hand out of the window and cups it in the air as we start moving at higher and higher speeds.

    Air flows into the car through the broken window, causing his long white hair to flow in the wind.

    ¡°I always wanted to try to drive around just like this,¡± I note.

    ¡°Is it as good as you imagined?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°It never is,¡± Whitey confirms.

    Both of us reach for a source of kinetic energy at the same time. Whitey for the one inside of him, while I absorb it from the moving car, which comes to a stop, almost on a dime.

    A blast from Whitey sends the door flying off on his side, as he jumps out of the car and I do the same, only to watch the entire side of the car crumple under Whitey¡¯s next punch. The car flies into the air, forcing me to dodge as it smashes into the building behind me, as the sound of broken glass fills the otherwise quiet city.

    Wraith Dance brings me in close as I avoid his Needle Point attacks, and both of us switch to Breaker Style, the shockwave from our strikes colliding, with no one to absorb it. Instead, he uses Wraith Dance, and I do the same, following him. Whitey enters a shopping mall, as I follow, exchange blasts of kinetic energy along the way, destroying the place around us.

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    The entire time I track the movement and frequency of his heartbeat, trying to predict any change he might make in his stance. Even so, I know he can be tricky and likes to fake me out when he can, creating fake vibrations to cover his true intent.

    I stop in place as Whitey unexpectedly switches to attack in Pulser Stance.

    As always, when that happens, I give up trying to predict his movement. It¡¯s just that impossible. There is no logic to it, no inertia to give away his movements. You can absorb it, you can redirect it. You can stop mid-air, you can halt your movement, and change directions at any point.

    My instincts, honed in the hundreds of clashes we¡¯ve engaged in, take over, and I deploy the hard won methods I¡¯ve been developing while making sure not to fall into my habit of over relying on the moves I¡¯m most comfortable with. Whitey is very good at predicting my movements based on the ways I¡¯ve fought before.

    Our clash gradually increases in speed, and the flooring continues to explode under my feet, placing my lack of control on display, as I release a bit too much kinetic energy.

    Meanwhile, Whitey¡¯s form is perfect. Without the slightest bit of waste on his part. His movement feels like it wouldn¡¯t even move a falling feather as he jumps over the railings, using glass windows as footholds without damaging them. He then switches to Steelroot and stops, a clear challenge as his heartbeat begins to resound loudly, like a huge bell.

    Once again, I switch to Breaker Style, and my body comes to a halt right in front of him. I twist my body, my feet burrowing into the ground, as kinetic energy explodes through my body, leveraged in an open handed strike.

    With all the force I can muster, I launch a palm strike at his unguarded chest. He doesn¡¯t even use Counter Flow to absorb or redirect the impact. Instead, he relies on Steelroot¡¯s defense, causing the kinetic energy aimed at his body to detonate outward, tearing through everything around us.

    A shockwave erupts through the area, shattering the glass on the floors above, which cascades down in a shimmering rain, drifting slowly downward like a downpour of falling feathers.

    Whitey just stands there with his shirt torn and a big, blue bruise blossoming across his chest.

    He glances down at it.

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Whitey says simply.

    Knowing what will follow I immediately switch to a higher gear and prepare to use Counter Flow, I¡¯m more comfortable with that than Steelroot. My heart beats, pumping kinetic energy through my body at much higher concentrations than ever before.

    My eyes snap wide open, tracking his every subtle movement, watching for the faintest trace of kinetic energy.

    "Not bad," Whitey says once again, a maniacal grin spreading across his face, his red eyes locked onto me. "My turn."

    <hr>

    Dead once again I open my eyes, now free of my mind space.

    As a few times before I find myself hoping that my minion doesn¡¯t wind up like Whitey. Vega is perfect just the way she is.

    Then I start replaying our entire fight in my mind. Every mistake I made, Whitey¡¯s every move. All the ways I can improve and the habits I need to lose. This process takes twice as long as our fight did, and only then do I bother pulling myself out of the armchair.

    My room is even more different now. An array of invisible Ley Lines connect to the inscriptions on the floor surrounding my new ax and shield, and the wall, heavily scarred where I clawed away the stone and replaced it with a metal alloy made from two highly conductive metals, which I simply melted down and poured into the freshly carved grooves.

    I also check the escape routes I¡¯ve prepared, there are three of them for the whole group to evacuate through and two more they don¡¯t know about. Each one capable of taking all of us elsewhere.

    There¡¯s also a powerful [Ley Line] connecting me to each member of the group, straining the skill to the fullest and making it nearly impossible for me to create more lines without causing the others to dissolve.

    A part of my mind, separated by [Focus], keeps them in check constantly, ready to pull on them and get us all out.

    Then there is also Tess, who has her own escape routes, and even the twins have something they¡¯ve prepared with Min-Jae¡¯s help. Sophie is excluded from all of them, even now going through her mind, and trying to find any signs of lingering influence.

    The Framework¡¯s ignition is set for tomorrow. Whether it will remove the spatial locks is a question for later. Constructing the array to transport us away is another matter entirely.

    There is also a chance that reinforcements or prison guards will show up once they notice a problem in an effort to relock them, but there should be enough time. At least according to the mind mages¡ªat least a week if it works¡ªto escape, giving us enough time to visit the vyssari Champion Tess and others met. The Mind mages even have their own plans to escape the moon after breaking the spatial locks and we¡¯re currently trying to steal them.

    But I¡¯m almost sure of one thing. The Framework ignition would fail if not for me and Sophie.

    During the maintenance, Sophie noticed a few things and came up with improvements. And I¡¯ve been making some small changes of my own from the safety of my room, unnoticeable, even to the Framework¡¯s owner, who is probably the Archon.

    That confirms, for the most part, that this was always meant to be one of the ways out for any of the tutorial attendees capable of escaping.

    I sense Sophie¡¯s [Ley Line] shift as she nears the tower. However she rarely leaves now and never does so without Tess and Maya, and no one in the city seems to mind when she does. I suppose having a series of high-speed railways terminating directly at the heart of their towers just has that effect on people.

    I hear a knock on my doors and let them open, allowing Sophie to enter, followed by Aaron and Dennis, who¡¯ve come to help just as planned.

    "I swear, this room gets more wrecked by the hour," she says, inspecting the wall I modified.

    ¡°Can you get any more Amberlace?¡± I ask in place of a response

    ¡°I tried. There isn¡¯t more of it in the city.¡±

    ¡°This city sucks.¡±

    ¡°Nat, I¡¯ve spent nearly all the money I have to get you as much Arcanadium, Amberlace, Voidsteel, Endurium, and Heartwood as possible, and more besides.¡±

    ¡°You were the one who said they owed me, not me.¡±

    ¡°Usually, people are less¡­ shameless about it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you consider your freedom more valuable than¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it already! I¡¯ll try to get you more, damn it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sophie.¡± Then I turn to the twins. ¡°Did you practice like I told you? And where is Lily?¡±

    ¡°We did, and she should be here soon,¡± Dennis confirms.

    His brother smiles. ¡°It was nice to do something better than you for a change.¡±

    I let them bask in the glow, and in the meantime, I put Fracture on the densely inscribed table I¡¯ve made entirely out of alloys composed of a number of valuable metals. The table alone took me days to fully prepare, but it was fun, and I came up with a few more interesting applications for a few of my skills, which has always been the main goal.

    ¡°That table is worth more than some of the towers around here,¡± Sophie notes.

    ¡°Not in the system shop. I think the system thinks it¡¯s too specialized, after all, the only thing it does is help manage Fracture and connect it with the Logic Core.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late!¡± Lily cries, rushing in as I open the doors for her.

    "Let¡¯s get started, then."

    It¡¯s time to create and connect the Logic Core for this evil weapon¡ªwhich I fully intend to study and refine later with Sophie¡¯s guidance. Connecting it to Fracture will provide the perfect foundation for my future experiments.

    My vision for the Logic Core extends far and wide.

 Chapter 495 - Framework ignition

    We have [Manipulation], we have [Connection], we have all my skills, and we even have Lily to heal us if the pressure gets to be too much and hopefully stop a brain or two from melting. Mine should be fine, but I¡¯m not entirely sure about the others.

    After rehearsing the entire process a few times, we get to it.

    Sophie, the twins, and I start working on the Logic Core, inscribing the base into the highest quality mana stone we possess. The mana stone is surprisingly small, only as big as my thumbnail, and its color is reminiscent of voidcopper.

    For the first time, I also sacrifice some of the alloy Nevan left to me back on the 5th floor. As I melt and pummel it with kinetic energy, thin threads of the metal stretch into the air, connecting themselves to Fracture¡¯s crossguard as I work on preparing the setup. The heat I need to reshape Fracture gets pretty intense, so Lily helps by using [Disintegration] to make some space at the cost of destroying bits of valuable metal I could have reused, but I don¡¯t think it can really be helped.

    Meanwhile, Sophie is preparing a basic structure for the new Logic Core, sketching out an outline for me to inscribe into the stone, though she¡¯s not very good at working with such high-quality mana stones. There¡¯s a certain degree of resistance you need to push through, and I¡¯m just better suited to the task.

    The twins wait patiently to play their part in the process to help connect it all, preparing to join their minds for that purpose.

    My expectations aren¡¯t high. Even if we do succeed in creating a Logic Core and connecting it to the weapon, it¡¯ll still be empty, ready for me to work on as Sophie teaches me how.

    The main objective is to add some new functionality to the sword¡ªand it happens. For the first time in a while, nothing goes terribly wrong.

    I inscribe the mana stone with a design that should allow the Logic Core to integrate with the weapon while leaving enough empty space in the stone for future modifications. Sophie then takes over, primarily working in a supportive role, meticulously addressing any minor imperfections.

    The entire time, the blade stays in its sheath and I use [Resonance], giving it my all to endure the process and support the twins¡¯ [Connection]. I can see how taxing it is for them, but I know they can do it. I¡¯ve seen the skill and determination they possess and the way they enjoy the challenge. I may have taught them, but the effort was always theirs.

    It takes us quite a while, but by the time we¡¯re done, a copper cabochon cut mana stone adorns the center of the cross guard where it comes to a point just above the blade.

    Contrasted with the blade and its mottled gray hues, and streaks of voidcopper, it looks surprisingly nice, even though the finished result is somewhat ruined by the imperfections I created when I was forging it.

    ¡°That was surprisingly easy,¡± Aaron comments, staring at Fracture.

    Sophie looks at him. ¡°What did you expect, an explosion and mortal wounds?¡±

    Dennis waves at her, and when he gets her attention, he just points at me.

    Sophie follows that point and looks at me as well, her mouth wordlessly saying, ¡°Oh.¡±

    Ignoring the heretics I ask instead, ¡°The Champion¡¯s bond before felt like it had emotions. Do you think a sufficiently advanced Logic Core could do that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Nat,¡± Sophie shakes her head. ¡°You said he called his bond ¡®she,¡¯ but I still think his bond was fully artificial, just taken to such an extreme that it might have felt like a living being, without truly being one.¡±

    ¡°If it had true sentience wouldn¡¯t that mean the Champion basically created life?¡± Aaron asks, seeming genuinely curious.

    I shrug as I think about the answer. ¡°I would like to know. Did he create inscriptions, like a modified personality construct of his mind? Was his bond just another native of the floor, with a false semblance of emotion? Are the natives truly fake, like an elevated version of a Logic Core? Are they clones of beings that lived long ago with a predetermined expiration date? Lissandra made a personality imprint of her own, and now she¡¯s messing with all kinds of things all over the place.¡±

    ¡°If so then maybe creating a living being isn¡¯t as extraordinary as it might seem?¡± Aaron wonders.

    ¡°That would be fucked up though, wouldn''t it?¡± his brother asks, shoving him. ¡°If that¡¯s the case then what stops someone from cloning themselves and leaving a few thousand versions of them wandering around?¡±

    ¡°They would probably be subject to certain limitations or need to build their stats and levels on their own¡ªif they could even connect to the system in the first place,¡± I reply, opening the door to my room as I finish sharing my wisdom, allowing the rest of group 4 waiting outside, to shamelessly jostle their way inside.

    Maya pokes the table with the ax and shield on it. Tess lifts Biscuit from the chair and sits down, pulling him into her lap.

    Izzy rushes over to Sophie, and Min-Jae joins the twins, who immediately start showing off as three of them surround Fracture and poke it careful to avoid removing the sheath.

    Amazed by such shamelessness, I quietly move to the corner of my room.

    It¡¯s the final night before Framework ignition. We spend the remaining time discussing our strategy, though I only half-listen. Once everything is organized, a few leave to get food. Stories are shared, and jokes are exchanged.

    Knowing the danger looming over us tomorrow, everyone agrees to put their grievances aside for the night.

    <hr>

    In the morning, Sophie leaves with Maya and Lily. Tess moves to the top of the tower, her eyes tracing their path as if she can track their signatures even through the heavily warded walls, with a large number of javelins surrounding her.

    Dozens of them trace paths through the room. Another dozen have been weaved from my mana, making them extremely tough and durable. The kind that could probably last a year or two if left untouched.

    Another dozen javelins have been made from Lily¡¯s bones. Knowing that they¡¯ve come from the body of a person possessing [Disintegration], high Constitution, and a powerful healing skill, they cannot be underestimated.

    Min-Jae sits next to her as well, surrounded by boxes, filled to the brim with orbs as big as my fist. Some are once again made from my own woven mana and others have been made from Lily¡¯s bones.

    There is something weird about it, but at the same time, it has a certain kind of logic to it. The materials are just that good.

    Izzy and the twins are on the lower floors of the tower, ready in case of attack. The sleeping Biscuit and Noodle are there with them.

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    All of us are connected through the web Sophie and the twins have provided, allowing us to communicate.

    I, meanwhile, stay in my room, connected to the Framework through [Ley Line] and watching the entire process, all my preparations within the room ready to activate. [Focus] sharpens my mind, bent to the task of helping me process the immense amount of information.

    As I wait the Framework slowly begins to activate.

    At first, it¡¯s almost unnoticeable. Seemingly dozens of mind mages surround the main set of inscriptions, connecting their minds to the construct and gradually pulling in the minds of the people under their control and those of the monsters they¡¯ve caught and locked up for this specific purpose.

    Slowly, more minds are added, and mana batteries placed across the city are tapped as the city itself¡ªacting as one big inscription¡ªactivates. Everything is calculated to help the process: the width of the streets, the height of each tower, the number of windows in the towers, their materials, and the very shapes of the walls.

    It¡¯s an incredible piece of work that must have taken decades to build. Something I find hard to imagine a simple group of level 300 individuals devising on their own.

    That unsettling feeling becomes more pronounced¡ªas we feel a pull from all around us, enough to make a person dizzy. And even though we should be protected and excluded from it, we can feel it, and the others can probably feel it more than me.

    Gradually, even the minds of the people walking through the city are taken over, no one seems capable of resisting, and all life stops as they halt their movements wherever they are, standing rooted in place, empty expressions on their faces.

    Anxiety continues to build, intensifying as I glance toward the inscribed roof at the heart of the city, where everything is unfolding. The roof, covered in dense, golden inscriptions, radiates light with an indescribable hue. A powerful, concentrated beam shoots upward, piercing through the cloudy sky and beyond.

    As I monitor the Framework, I sense hundreds, thousands¡ªtens of thousands¡ªof monster minds connecting, each one pushed to its limit, strained to the breaking point, and many ultimately die in the process.

    The pressure continues to mount. Monsters keep falling, and some of the humans on the streets begin to succumb. Mana batteries drain at an alarming rate as an extraordinary number of calculations are rapidly performed in succession.

    The immense power of these minds becomes a resource, directed by the city¡¯s inscriptions.

    Then they succeed.

    Something changes. Something invisible, yet everyone feels it. The very air seems different, and the stifling sensation of a ceiling overhead disappears. The pressure vanishes with a single audible crack¡ªlike the snapping of a twig¡ªechoing across the entire moon.

    The spatial locks are broken, and with it, the city begins to shake. A tear appears in the sky, and from it, a single giant eye emerges and looks down towards the city.

    The eye looks human in structure but it¡¯s clearly way too big to belong to any human. The iris is black, and the pupil is golden-brown, while the sclera is weaved through with a tracework of bloody veins as it stares, unblinking.

    It would seem like the spatial locks were holding one of the Containment Cells closed.

    The Framework starts to die as minds begin disconnecting.

    That¡¯s when I step in.

    My mind shines within the Framework, and I feel all the presences within turn to me in an attempt to sever my links to the construct.

    They cannot.

    My Ley Lines aren¡¯t that simple to get rid of.

    My mind is not that simple to overwhelm or attack.

    All the inscriptions I¡¯ve made, all the Ley Lines connecting me to them, activate, and my mana pours out of my crown as I take over the Framework and make use of that resource¡ªthat power¡ªall these minds.

    I¡¯m not a mind mage, so it¡¯s not perfect. Over 90% of that power is wasted, but even that, even 10% of the processing power from those thousands of minds is enough. The inscriptions leading to the table holding the ax and shield activate. Everything has already been prepared and carefully planned, enabling me to accomplish something that would otherwise shatter my mind in an instant, if it didn¡¯t take me months to complete.

    The surface of the table starts melting and cracking under pressure, but I hold everything together deep within my [Focus].

    [Focus - lvl 59 > Focus - lvl 60]

    [Ley Line - lvl 40 > Ley Line - lvl 41]

    [Ley Line - lvl 41 > Ley Line - lvl 42]

    [Infusion - lvl 47 > Infusion - lvl 48]

    [Infusion - lvl 48 > Infusion - lvl 49]

    [Redistribution - lvl 57 > Redistribution - lvl 58]

    The immense power of that mind converted into a resource, flows through the Framework I¡¯ve taken over, channeled via my Ley Lines and inscriptions, and guided by my will. The experience I gained while working with the twins on Fracture brought to bear as I apply the same techniques to the axe and the shield.

    Healing marks activate one after another. My arcane passive safeguards my mind, though its primary function is to defend against mental manipulation¡ªnot against my own actions. Unfortunately.

    Still, I hold on for as long as I can, pouring every ounce of effort into directing the power of these minds to aid in forging the items.

    Finally, when control slips beyond my grasp and I can no longer regain it, the work is complete.

    Before me lie two finished creations.

    Ironbreaker (Mid Arcane) - Ironbreaker functions as an impenetrable shield, capturing the kinetic force of each attack within its dense layers, causing the energy to bounce back and forth, amplifying with each reflection. This concentrated energy can then be released in controlled bursts, resulting in powerful shockwaves that may be used to repel even the fiercest assaults. With each impact, Ironbreaker¡¯s internal structure temporarily reinforces itself, becoming an unyielding barrier capable of withstanding relentless physical attacks without compromise.

    Mana Reaver (Mid Arcane) - Mana Reaver draws intensely from the wielder¡¯s mana, honing its edge to an almost unnatural sharpness that cleaves effortlessly through any magical defense. Upon contact, the blade releases a unique disruptive effect that interferes with the mana flow of anything it touches, suppressing skills and breaking through magical barriers. The wielder can channel additional mana into each strike, immensely amplifying the weapon¡¯s potency and allowing it to cut through even the most formidable magical protections.

    Three healing marks from Lily activate, mending my body from the strain of crafting the items. I wish I could make more, but as expected, this seems to be my limit, even with all the help I¡¯ve been afforded.

    I immediately send an order through the system.

    Do you really want to sell the following item for 135,600 shards?

    Mana Reaver (Mid Arcane)

    Yes/No

    Do you really want to sell the following item for 129,900 shards?

    Ironbreaker (Mid Arcane)

    Yes/No

    The offers are each lower than what I could get for Fracture, even in its imperfect state, but for now, it¡¯s enough.

    ¡°It seems like you will be staying with me for a while longer,¡± I note, speaking to the sword as I confirm the notifications.

    Then I make another choice.

    Do you really want to sell the following passive skill for 9,110 shards?

    Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic)

    Yes/No

    The window disappears, and I check my shards.

    Shards: 554,546

    Finding myself with more shards than I had expected, I decide on a different passive, one I¡¯ve had my eye on for a while.

    "Buy passive skill Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane)."

 Chapter 496 - Threads of the Devourer

    Passive Skill: Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane) - The user¡¯s mind functions in an unending attunement loop, immensely reducing the mental toll of continuous large-scale mana and energy usage, seamlessly sustaining even the most demanding skills and traits. This allows unrestrained mana and energy manipulation over extended periods without fatigue.

    Almost five hundred thousand shards disappear, and the passive appears in my status. The description though simple is perfectly aligned with my ever-growing goals and the increasingly intricate ways I find myself using mana.

    There were passives that could have offered more¡ªfor instance, those designed to help my body better withstand the strain of mana, others that would¡¯ve enhanced my mental capabilities¡ªbut I chose to pass on them.

    This passive is straightforward, and its simple description assures me that it will deliver exactly what I need. And the rarity only reinforces its effectiveness. Impressively so.

    The pain immediately hits me, but this time I don¡¯t really have the luxury of waiting it out as hell descends outside, the eye maintaining its position high in the sky as threads resembling veins stretch their way down towards the ground, connecting themselves to the bodies of those who died during the Frameworks activation.

    Their corpses twitch, bloat, and quickly grow in size until they stand towering over most houses¡ªgiants of exposed viscera with bones peeking through their bloated flesh and twisted expressions fixed on their mangled faces as blood drips from them every time they move, burning holes in the ground.

    And the eye in the sky gradually grows stronger and stronger, despite its weakened state, creating more strands that seek out the ever increasing victims of the giants. They don¡¯t have any text over their heads, but the eye does.

    [Bloodroot Devourer - lvl ????]

    This prisoner doesn¡¯t seem like the type to hold a conversation.

    (Do we bail?) Aaron asks through the link.

    (Sophie, have you gotten ahold of the off-moon teleportation array?) I ask.

    (Beatrice escaped to the palace before we could get to her. She was extremely aware of Lily, and she was gone the moment Lily attacked.)

    (I gave it my all.)

    (I know you did, Lily,) Sophie sighs and I sense her keeping a constant watch on Izzy. (The good news is that I deployed my web over the Archon¡¯s palace, so he shouldn''t be able to teleport away just yet.)

    Our communication continues, question and response firing off at rapid speed in a rapid stream of messages as Sophie, Maya, and Lily make for the palace at high speed. And I take note of their movements, keeping tabs on them through the connections I¡¯ve established with [Ley Line].

    (So you recommend staying and trying to get there while the eye, which is probably a soon-to-be-full-power Champion, hunts us. Sounds good.)

    (Dennis, don¡¯t talk to me like that. My sister¡¯s in just as much danger as you.)

    (I¡¯ll hold it off.)

    After sending my message, silence follows, and I¡¯m grateful to finally be alone in my room. My hand rises to my lips, and I feel the corners curved upward. My rising heartbeat, confirming its presence.

    The eye looms above all, towering over the chaos. People lash out at it with a host of powerful attacks, only to have them deflected by the once-human figures the creature has transformed into an army of fleshy golems¡ªthose with wings, fly around the eye as the main line of defense, while the others remain on the ground, creating more corpses.

    It¡¯s still weak, far too weak to be called a Champion, but it¡¯s growing stronger by the second, making me curious if it was ever truly crippled or if it still has some hope of fully regaining its title.

    (Nat, do you think you can fight a Champion?) Aaron asks carefully.

    And I answer honestly, (No way. A Champion would beat the shit out of me in a second, but that thing¡ªit¡¯s not it yet.)

    And with that, I push the link to the back of my mind, monitoring for urgent messages.

    ¡°Use Trait strengthening token on Mana Wavelength Iris.¡±

    The pain from the application of my new passive intensifies as the strengthening token goes to work. Even though it hasn¡¯t been fully applied, the new passive should help with this damn powerful trait.

    It wasn¡¯t long ago that I strengthened this trait for the first time, and it should have taken me another few months before I felt like I could do so again. But now? With my new passive?

    I extend my hand, and Fracture rises to meet it, still in its sheath, pulled along by a [Ley Line].

    The mana in my crown begins to spin, and I shatter the window in front of me with a surge of kinetic energy and leap out of the tower. Far in the distance, I notice a huge mana mech form¡ªslender and deadly, equal in size to the towering flesh abominations. Maya fights to create a path for Lily and Sophie to reach the palace.

    At the same time, blue flames explode around the tower, along with dozens of lifelike projections the twins are using to distract the attacking flesh golems.

    I boost myself and fly into the air, heading for the eye, using Mana Weaving to create a huge projectile behind me.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    A few monsters attempt to block my path, but javelins streak past me at incredible speed, sounding off with a terrifying whistle. Red and white lightning arcs around them, annihilating the monsters in a single strike before the javelins pivot and surge toward new targets.

    I launch the massive javelin at the monster, but the eye shifts focus to intercept the attack. Vein-like tendrils extend from it, effortlessly swatting both attacks out of the air.

    As I form another weapon and battle the fleshy monsters, a constant barrage of javelins supports me.

    The monster releases even more fleshy veins¡ªhundreds of them¡ªtwisting, shifting, and forming a shape, an inscription. Then a single pulse of mana flows through them and activates it.

    I find myself unable to fly no matter how hard I try. My kinetic energy is still there, but it¡¯s impossible to direct it in the ways I need to maintain flight.

    My Mana Wavelength Iris takes in that incredible structure made by the fleshy things. Forming an immensely intricate design, capable of generating such complex effects with ease. The sheer knowledge and control needed for something like that¡ªcomplemented by a beautiful movement of mana to put it into effect.

    I stare in awe even as I make my forced landing in between the buildings of the city, absorbing the kinetic energy generated by my fall. Three fleshy golems charge me, blood dripping everywhere and melting anything in their path¡ªstone, people, or metal.

    Mana surrounds me, forming massive plates of armor around my body, and I allow myself to compress it more than I normally would. I incorporate more threads with Mana Weaving and allow the mana to flow from me in waves.

    It hurts so much, with my new passive and trait still making their changes to my body, a process that will likely take several more hours. But over time the changes make themselves known.

    Kinetic energy flows through my armor, and I tackle one of the fleshy giants closing in on me. The blow leaves the construct shattered and sends it slamming into the buildings nearby. My armor moves slowly, struggling under the strain of its own weight and bulk, so I pump more kinetic energy through, enhancing its movements before slamming into another fleshy golem. Grabbing its shoulders, I tear it in half and send the last one¡¯s head flying with a punch.

    That done, my armor disappears, and I land, softly alighting on the ground, pulling the huge quantity of mana back into my crown where I set it to circle.

    Three javelins, as long as a bus, form above me. Weaving themselves from mana, compressing, and filling with golden thermal energy. They shoot forth, sending a shockwave through the streets in their wake.

    All three explode in the grip of the fleshy veins that manage to intercept them long before they make contact with the eye. A few of Tess¡¯s javelins meet the same fate.

    At that point I get a message, leading me to teleport through a [Ley Line], ending near the palace where Sophie, Lily, and Maya should be. The huge armor forms around me again, and I find myself clashing with a set of fleshy golems trying to follow the trio. At the same time, Min-Jae, already here, starts throwing huge pieces of broken buildings at the monsters, each one the size of a car, allowing them to build up a lot of speed, obliterating the monsters.

    Just as a test, I tear away one of the fleshy tentacles connecting one of the monsters to the eye, but the monster continues to move and attack despite the effort.

    One of the tallest golems falls down, unable to stand within the field Min-Jae created around it. With a sweeping motion of his hand, Min-Jae brings down an entire tower along with the smaller one next to it.

    With all of them dead, I teleport to the boy and gesture at the eye. ¡°Throw me at it.¡±

    To his credit, Min-Jae doesn¡¯t hesitate, nor does he ask why. I lower my natural defense, and his skills envelop me, sending me flying right toward the eye at incredible speed.

    Forming armor around my body, I pierce through any monsters in my way. When the fleshy tentacles reach for me, I increase the armor''s size so they grab the armor instead of me. Though their movements are still incredibly quick.

    The eye turns to me, looking, observing, its veins forming inscriptions once again. This time, I allow my Mana Wavelength Iris to take over. Observing it in the same way, reacting to the movements of its mana.

    As the monster activates the inscriptions, I add a bit of speed to the rotation of my crown¡ªan instability that releases a pulse of disruption, modified to counter the attack meant to vibrate my body and mana into a mist of bloody flesh.

    My pulse and the monster¡¯s attack collide, disrupting each other.

    And I live.

    The eye blinks, and the tentacles form into another shape. More of them try to attack the armor around me, attempting to pierce or tear it apart with great force. For my armor to last this long really goes to show just how durable I¡¯ve made it.

    But the monster grows stronger at the moment. Its movements become quicker, the pressure it radiates increases, and it starts moving its mana at higher and higher speeds. Another inscription activates, and I barely manage to counter it¡ªas half of my armor evaporates into nothingness.

    A red and white lightning passes by me, destroying the fleshy tentacles in their way along with the ones that try to stop it, before nearly reaching the eye¡ªonly for a last-second mana barrier to stop it. And what a powerful barrier it is. With my eyes, I can tell right away that I won¡¯t be able to break it apart.

    (Tess, there¡¯s a box full of sand in my room. Just throw it at the monster if it looks like I¡¯m getting my ass kicked,) I send through the link.

    Finally done, I let the mana in my crown cycle one more time, the resulting wave disrupting the effect preventing me from flying.

    My armor gets pulled back into me, and the mana seeps back into my crown.

    The monster, now feeling at least 50 levels stronger than me, moves. Its tentacles forming an ever-changing array of inscriptions that hurt my eyes¡ªa terrible attack I¡¯ll have no way of withstanding.

    At the same moment, an orb forms over the palm of my hand.

    Light blue.

    Dark blue.

    Dark blue with wisps of light blue.

    Dark blue with wisps of light blue and purple.

    An orb on the brink of destabilization beginning to turn bright white.

    Finally collapsing into another color.

    An orb made of black mana. So domineering, and yet so calm here in the palm of my hand.

    With my [Focus] and [Mana Manipulation] at level 60, with my body getting used to the strengthening Mana Wavelength Iris, and with the new passive still being applied, I connect the orb with the crown floating over my head.

    Within a blink, the crown turns an inky black, the movement of the mana within coming to a halt in an instant. The stillness is unsettling, unnatural¡ªyet it doesn¡¯t stop there. The crown begins to draw mana from me, pulling from my body and reservoir without hesitation, consuming all with relentless efficiency.

    The air around me shifts, growing dense with an oppressive weight. The battlefield seems to hold its breath as my crown absorbs an endless stream of mana. Building a quiet sort of power, steady and unyielding.

    This time, I might just be able to make it work.

 Chapter 497 - Clash with the Devourer

    All sound fades away, replaced with a silence unlike anything I''ve ever experienced. I can''t hear my heartbeat. I can''t hear my breathing. Nothing. Colors fade to black and white, save the vibrant blue of mana.

    In that world, the crown above my head appears darker than even the deepest shades of black around it.

    My domain, enhanced by the additional effects of my Pride subclass, envelops me and the crown as I focus with absolute intensity. The crown absorbs all my mana, and I allow it to do so¡ªbut in return, I bend it to my will. Every ounce of effort and experience poured into making that happen.

    I¡¯m far stronger than I was before, and for that brief moment, the crown permits it. Because it¡¯s my mana. It¡¯s part of my skill.

    The crown¡äs effect expands even more, and the ambient mana gets drawn in from the air around me, the crown hungrily sucking it in like a whirlpool eager to devour everything. The shield around the eye dissolves into a cloud of mana particles, as even it gets siphoned away.

    The eye¡¯s inscriptions fail to materialize as the crown begins drawing in all the mana the monster can produce. The sheer volume of mana is staggering, increasing as the monster steadily regains its original strength, and yet the black crown above my head continues to absorb it effortlessly.

    No skill powered by mana is able to manifest within its reach.

    The eye starts falling down, unable to keep itself in the air, and as it passes by me, multiple javelins trailed by lightning pierce through the eye, only for it to regenerate. Its fleshy veins drawing in materials from the flesh golems to close the wounds with the sizzling pop of rapidly molded tissue.

    Every golem still on the ground quickly grows a new set of wings and heads right for me. Numbering in the hundreds in a matter of seconds, each the size of a multi-story building.

    Breathe in.

    Breathe out.

    Wait a bit longer, let your new trait enhancement and passive apply just a tiny bit more, just a little bit.

    Good.

    I reach out to my crown, drawing on the overwhelming power within to fuel my skill. A single pulse of [Resonance] radiates outward, crackling with the immense mana drawn in by the crown. The pulse surges through the area like an unstoppable tide.

    In an instant, the hundreds of flesh golems closing in on me are obliterated, shredded into countless fragments, immediately reduced to nothing more than grains of sand scattering on the wind.

    The pulse continues on, slamming into the giant eye. The attack digs into its body, tearing it apart, layer by layer, with a ravenous hunger. Half of the eye is obliterated under the relentless onslaught.

    Then the backlash strikes, hitting me hard¡ªthe aftereffects of my skill, the damage from my crown, the application of my new trait, and the passive all take their toll at once. For a moment, I falter, dropping slightly before regaining control of my kinetic energy and lifting myself back into the air.

    Three javelins of black mana take shape above me, hurtling toward the damaged eye and piercing deep into it. Blood pours down in torrents like waterfalls, glimmering as it cascades through the sky. Yet, even as it suffers, the remaining fragment of the beast¡¯s pupil fixes its gaze on me, emanating an inhuman, emotionless intelligence.

    All of the creature¡¯s remaining veins burst into motion, forming even more intricate inscriptions. Just looking at it makes me want to vomit, and my eyes become hazy as the edges of the inscription blurs.

    Even without mana, the veins form another inscription and it activates.

    No, it would seem that even the tiniest fraction of mana the monster generates¡ªjust managing to escape before my crown can absorb it¡ªturns out to be enough to activate them. The monster calmly works to bypass the threat presented by my crown, as if it were nothing more than another obstacle to be outmaneuvered.

    The effects of the inscription are directed at the monster itself and the entire eye begins to blur, the javelins lodged in its flesh falling to the ground as the monster fades becoming transparent and immaterial.

    Another pulse of [Resonance] passes through the monster as if it weren¡¯t even there. The same goes for any other attacks I fire off in quick succession, each fueled by that powerful mana guided by my body¡¯s capacity to channel vast quantities of energy.

    The eye activates another series of inscriptions, its wounds sizzling and sealing until it is fully healed. Its mana surges, growing stronger with each passing moment, inching ever closer to its original power¡ªa level where I won¡¯t stand a chance.

    But the same goes for me. My Mana Wavelength Iris pierces through the veil and sees the place where the monster shifted itself.

    The crown fights my control but I use its mana, and I resonate with it, adapting the frequency to the space the monster has sequestered itself. The crown then starts absorbing the eye''s mana.

    Behind me, threads of mana form, moving like the eye¡¯s fleshy veins, shaping into inscriptions. I try to mimic and adapt one of the monster¡¯s previous attacks, and when the preparations are complete, a pulse of mana from the crown ripples through the dense threads of mana.

    The threads snap, crumble, and disintegrate, unable to withstand the immense amount of mana. The backlash is worse than I expected, and the difficulty of forming and activating the inscriptions is far greater than I thought.

    Excitement stirs inside me as I make adjustments. I adapt the inscriptions to myself, replaying the monster¡¯s actions, alter the way I¡¯m channeling my mana, and modify the frequency and quantity.

    Then, I start creating the lines, weaving the inscriptions anew¡ªusing Ley Lines instead. The pain grows, and the eye increases its efforts.

    Another inscription formed from its fleshy veins flares into activation, and a huge part of the sky turns dark red. Overtaken in its entirety, interwoven with the creature¡¯s veins, forming more inscriptions. Then the eye makes a change in the way it handles its mana changes as well, constantly deploying that field that makes the monster shift. All the while, that eye stares at me, a calm, alien intelligence glowing within.

    My attempt collapses under the crushing weight of the oppressive force generated by the blood-red sky.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Then the monster avoids another attack by shifting its position and turning transparent, all the while generating more mana and letting it be absorbed¡ªamounts I haven¡¯t felt in a long time.

    I know what it¡¯s doing, but I can¡¯t stop it. Even with the crown under my control, even with the monster¡¯s awareness, I can¡¯t do more. Right now, I lack the ability to use it to its fullest, I simply lack the capacity to face an opponent this powerful.

    Finally, it reaches the point where I can''t hold onto it anymore, and the incredibly charged crown slips from my control, failing to absorb any more mana. Immediately starting to break down as cracks of white spiderweb their way across its surface.

    (You can throw the box at the eye.)

    Tess does just that, the box of white sand crashes into the tentacles protecting the creature, immediately charging the contents to an incredible degree, and it starts flying around the beast like an enraged swarm of bees, piercing through the monster¡¯s skin with ease.

    Even so, bleeding as the sand grinds it down to paste the eye starts to build up layers upon layers of barriers around my crown.

    I know it shouldn¡¯t be enough. I know exactly how much mana the crown has taken from the monster and me. And yet¡­

    (We are leaving,) I state, sending another message to the ground.

    As I land on the ground, my legs give up and I fall to my knees, but I push through it, reaching through Ley Lines and connecting to the others.

    Then I teleport us all away, dropping us at a point I set up near the abandoned fortress.

    All of us appear here and check on each other, some of them are carrying items from my room and others have brought additional loot from the city¡ªstill visible in the distance.

    The blood red sky stretches on for miles as the fleshy veins expand further. And amongst all that red, over the city, the black crown still floats, the monster¡¯s veins, barriers, and flesh continuing to surround it even while being constantly ravaged by the wildly swarming particles of white sand.

    The dark red sky turns bright white for a moment. But I don¡¯t get any kill notifications.

    Instead, all of my running skills fail as I feel a new pull on my mana.

    And in the place where the crown was, there is now a black, siphoning all the mana from the area, siphoning away the barriers the eye is struggling to build around it. There are more and more of them, creating a thick layer and inscriptions activated by these fleshy veins. Even through all these efforts, the black mana keeps pulling on the mana of the monster. Not as strongly as it could as a crown, but it still does nonetheless.

    I don''t think that black orb will endure the monster much longer. Even now, the eye feels stronger than level 350, and my best, likely not accurate, estimate is closer to 400. Still far off from the usual around level 500 of Champions, but I have no intention of staying here and waiting to see if the monster can regain its peak form.

    Having had a moment to recover some mana, I force my mind to work again, pushing through the pain and reaching through my [Ley Line] to teleport us once again.

    A chill creeps up the back of my head, and I sense movement reaching toward me. But I¡¯m too slow¡ªfar too slow to react.

    An attack meant for me pierces Lily''s chest. A blood-red vein spanning the distance between here and the city miles away.

    The eye fixes its gaze on our position, preparing another attack. Simultaneously, it forms barriers around the orb, even as it¡¯s being relentlessly worn away by the white sand.

    "Oh, you don¡¯t," Lily whispers. Gray mana seeps out around her arms, as she grabs the vein piercing her with a short scream.

    Immediately, that gray mana disintegrates the vein at terrifying speed, devouring it like a fuse, tracing a path toward the source of the attack.

    For a split second, the monster seems willing to let the gray mana reach it. But in the end decides against it, moving its other tentacles to tear it off.

    I touch Lily''s shoulder, replacing the [Ley Line] connection her attack removed, and teleport our entire group before another attack can reach us. Even so, in mid-teleport, something crashes into us. Doing so in a way I haven''t felt before. It''s not physical, and most of all it reminds me of when the thylarin brothers back messed with my anchor back on Deathtrap.

    Then it''s followed up by a second force that fights against it.

    The [Ley Line] I''m pulling us through threatens to snap, and within that short moment, I once again force my battered body and mind into overdrive, relying on my strengthened trait to pick up the slack, just to hold everything together. Even now, I have no idea what such a terribly messed-up teleport could do.

    At last, we break free, but instead of appearing near Hollowgate, we arrive in an unfamiliar place, scattered across the ground. Some of us are missing limbs, others are simply injured, and a few are even unconscious. All my items, all the items they looted, our weapons have been scattered across the area in much the same way.

    With a groan, I remove the damaged [Ley Line] that brought us here and form a small orb of black mana to remove any residue that could help them track us.

    When it''s done, I force myself to my feet and stagger over to Lily, who lies on the ground, breathing heavily. The wound on her chest is covered by the red flesh of the monster as it tries to devour and turn her into another fleshy golem or something worse. Her gray mana keeps firing up around her heart to defend it and keep the infected flesh from reaching her brain, but Lily seems to have trouble focusing on removing it thanks to some side effect of the invading flesh. It spreads through her body, disrupting her mana, damaging her marks, and attempting to change her, to take control.

    Lily meets my eyes and clenches her teeth, giving me a signal.

    Kinetic energy collects in my body as I transfer what little mana I have left and let it generate a bit more. It comes forth in bursts, directed at Lily, concentrated as much as I can manage, turning the flesh surrounding her chest wound into a fleshy crater, evaporating the majority of the monster¡¯s red flesh.

    Lily doesn''t even groan in pain; instead, her eyes look scary as they remain wide open, observing my actions.

    [Disintegration], now easier for her to use, activates, obliterating her own body. It takes her right arm, the right side of her chest near her heart, and even a part of her waist and neck, aiming at removing the remains of the red flesh.

    When she looks at me I shake my head and point higher at her neck.

    She repeats it, her eyes slowly glazing over as her broken body bleeds from open wounds.

    I shake my head again and point at her belly.

    Another part of her disappears. Bloody foam forms around her mouth. She doesn''t breathe anymore. She can''t, with most of her lungs and chest missing.

    I get to my knees and move closer to her, and slap her across the face, forcing her dwindling attention back to me.

    For a moment she closes her eyes.

    Quickly I grab her head and shake it.

    Lily opens her eyes, a bit confused but after seeing me she smiles and tries to say something.

    The kinetic energy I¡¯ve been collecting since the last attack bursts forth with an accuracy I didn''t even know I was capable of. It obliterates the tiny remains of red flesh in multiple spots, hurting Lily further and making her body twitch as each strike makes contact.

    "Heal." I don''t even recognize my voice as I speak, simply repeating the word, "Heal."

    Lily takes a moment, as if she were having trouble hearing me or as if she couldn¡¯t quite understand my words. Only after a while does she nod slowly, and both of her legs below her knees disappear with a quick use of [Sacrifice]. Her neck, her chest, her arms, and blood, begin to regenerate at incredible speed.

    Then she takes a deep breath.

 Chapter 498 - Metal Cathedral

    I sit in deep thought, watching as Lily goes from person to person, healing any serious injuries while letting our natural regeneration deal with the rest. Everyone is battered, and the snapping of my Ley Line has dropped us somewhere unfamiliar.

    Tess says she might have an idea where we are and she''s confirming her suspicions with Maya and Min-Jae, neither of whom has much mana left over from our fight in the city. The same goes for everyone else, whether they were caught in the fighting amongst the mind mages after the Framework ignition or dealing with the fleshy golems afterward.

    My eyes continue to follow Lily, and I think back over everything again. I replay the fight and all the mistakes I made. How I let my excitement and desire for the experience of fighting a powerful being take over. Even to the point that I failed to go all out right from the start when the newly freed Champion was closer to my current level of strength. I didn''t even use Fracture and make no mistake, that was a very intentional decision.

    Could I have killed it then, if I had gone all out from the start?

    It''s possible. But it''s also more possible the eye had more cards hidden up its sleeve, much like I do, and perhaps it still could have endured long enough to regain its full power.

    The problem here is that I didn''t even stop to think about it and that nearly cost Lily her life.

    I lean back and let out an annoyed groan. Then I jump back to my feet and rejoin the group.

    All of our items have already been collected in a big pile: my golden chains, a selection of stolen weapons and materials, even some equipment the others managed to loot during the fights. Plenty of them have already sold their spoils, though they seem to have left the most interesting ones, either for study or use.

    Izzy looks to me first, with Biscuit cradled in her arms. I feel her touch and used to not hiding it from her, I let her for a moment feel my current emotions.

    That makes her smile and she taps the ground next to her, inviting me to sit.

    I oblige, joining everyone else as they take their own seats, forming a circle, this time it¡¯s Izzy''s blue flames gathered in a sphere, cracking and providing a steady stream of warmth.

    "I think we¡¯re just a few days off from the Containment Cell holding the primordial lightning vyssari," Tess starts with that.

    After a moment of silence, it''s Sophie who finally breaks down and says what we all are thinking, "That is too lucky, isn''t it? It''s exactly where we wanted to go. Nat''s [Ley Line] didn''t even go in that direction, quite the opposite in fact."

    "I can''t deny that," Tess confirms. "But what should we do? Do we really think that thing meant to send us here when it disrupted Nat''s skill? Could it really all be luck?"

    "Maybe it was affected by the array around that floating island that holds the vyssari Champion and it acted like a magnet and pulled us towards it?"

    "I think it was the vyssari Champion who caused us to come out here." I say, following Sophie¡¯s line of logic and all eyes turn to me and I continue, "The Bloodroot Devourer, the eye thing, was trying to tear us apart when it interfered with my teleportation. Certainly something much worse than what ended up happening. There was a second force trying to help me. I think that while I did manage to keep us from dying, that second force helped bring us here. I don''t know how capable that vyssari is, but every Champion seems to have some sort of influence on the world outside of their cells."

    "Well, whatever it is, we¡¯d better decide fast, shouldn¡¯t we?" Aaron says, seizing our attention. "If that thing becomes a full Champion, it¡¯ll be powerful enough to destroy the whole continent. Hell, that Tristan guy back on the 2nd floor destroyed life on an entire world."

    "Any idea how long it might take that thing to regain its full power?" Tess asks.

    I think about it for a moment before saying. "This is a rough estimate and I don¡¯t have much experience to back it up, but if things continue as they are now, it should reach somewhere around the rank of Champion within a few hours. If it slows at some point, then maybe a few days. Assuming it even can regain its powers and it wasn¡¯t crippled like the other Champions."

    "Got it, even that¡¯s better than nothing," Tess nods. "Sophie, did you get everything you wanted?"

    "Beatrice and Archon escaped in the end, but we got one of her vassals and I got as much as I could from his mind. The array is fairly basic, but most importantly, I managed to obtain coordinates to the planet we are orbiting. With the spatial locks removed, all we need to worry about is building it up and powering it."

    "How much mana?" I ask her.

    "A lot. You should be saving as much as you can as should everyone else. I¡¯ll prepare the structure of the array in my mind in the meantime and we can work on building a basic platform to anchor it just long enough to teleport us. It''s possible this is still a way for us to clear the floor, so the mana requirements might not actually be as high as if we were actually trying to move between planets, that would be crazy."

    "Will do. As soon as my body and reservoir refill, I¡¯ll start filling the crown. Do you think working with Archon and Beatrice was supposed to be one of the ways we were meant to escape?"

    "Highly likely¡ªif you happened to be capable of keeping yourself from falling under their influence. Another way to escape would probably be to wait for guards to show up to put the prisoners back under lock and key and escape through the way they came? Maybe we could coordinate with some other Champion and hope for mercy? I think the one back in the Mana Desert would¡¯ve been capable of escaping if he had been freed."

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    That reminds me, "What about the last Containment Cell, Tess? You said you located the last one as well?" I ask, turning to her with the question.

    "Let me guess, it''s deep underground," Dennis grumbles before she can answer, which gets him a curious look from Min-Jae, and I sense them exchanging messages as he explains.

    Tess shakes her head, "The last Containment Cell should be somewhere far to the north of here, beyond the central region. Surrounded by a wall of millennia-old ice and blizzards powerful enough to threaten and perhaps kill us, even at our level."

    "We are not going there, are we?"

    "No, we are not going there, Min-Jae," Tess confirms. "While Nat and Sophie prepare our way out, we are going to head over to the vyssari Champion and see if we can get her to declare more Candidates. If Sophie and Nat can get ready before then, we will leave right away, even if we have to forgo meeting her."

    Tess gestures towards the blood-red sky far in the distance. The color deepening as it gradually takes over larger and larger portions of the sky. "I don''t think we should stay on this floor much longer."

    Looking at it, I nod along with her, my mind elsewhere.

    <hr>

    We move quickly for the next day or so. We don''t even stop to sleep, deciding to push through these last few days on the floor. When we meet monsters, we either avoid them or let the others deal with them, allowing me to save my mana.

    At the same time, Sophie¡¯s working on the teleportation array and often finds herself asking for help as she feeds me the specifications for the base I will need to anchor it.

    During the few short breaks along the way, I melt the materials and form the base to save time later.

    As I work on one of the mana stones we¡¯re going to need, I get a message through a private link in my mind.

    (It sucks, doesn''t it?) Sophie asks.

    (What?)

    (You¡¯ve barely said a word since Lily almost died, and you keep staring at that red light in the distance, Nat. It¡¯s not exactly hard to figure out what¡¯s on your mind¡ªI don¡¯t even need Izzy¡¯s skill to see that.)

    (I guess.)

    (As you are now, you can''t do shit about that monster. You went all out and you still had to run away, and now it''s even stronger than it was.)

    (Sophie. If you are looking for a fight, just say it to me directly.)

    (I understand how you feel, you know. I¡¯ve got my own unfinished business with Namior. He completely outplayed me, and then you went and killed him¡ªstealing any chance I had at revenge.)

    (I see.)

    (Yeah. It sucks ass.)

    I confirm, (It does in fact, suck ass.)

    <hr>

    The Containment Cell holding the vyssari Champion floats over the mountain range.

    Well, at least what remains of the mountain range. A near-constant barrage of red and white lightning tears through the air around it, many of the bolts continuously striking the mountains and tearing chunks free. Some of the tallest mountains have been stripped of half of their mass, the lightning tending to cause landslides, though even now each of these mountains is tall enough to tower over anything we have on Earth.

    And there, amid the jagged remains of mountains, floats an island. Its base forms a perfect half-sphere, with a single cathedral-like structure resting at the top in a towering crown of spires. The entire building appears to be made of metal, and the lightning seems to be emanating from it rather than striking it.

    I try to throw Ley Lines towards it but fail to reach the island. The moment they cross a specific point, a barrage of lightning targets my invisible Ley Lines and destroys them.

    I always knew they could be destroyed by someone with the right level of skill. There is a reason why skills need to be mastered and leveled, and [Ley Line] is no exception. But for them to be destroyed by some automatic defensive measure... strikes me as particularly messed up.

    So we fly there. Everyone capable of flight stopping to help those who can¡¯t, while we squeeze in as close as possible. Tess flies a ways ahead, her crown glowing brighter and brighter as her own white and red Primordial lightning crackles through the air around her.

    Any lightning that would otherwise strike our group finds itself directed at her instead, occasionally injuring her in the process, when it doesn¡¯t fly directly at her crown.

    As we pick up speed, the lightning grows denser, yet Tess, despite enduring dozens of strikes, guides us safely through. Only once we¡¯ve reached the island does she allow Lily to heal her, explaining that healing anyone along the way would¡¯ve disrupted some kind of ritual of passage.

    From here, the metal cathedral looks even bigger especially as we walk through its big open doors.

    There are no cells for us to search through, no holes, no circle of containment, and no massive chains to hold the vyssari Champion in place. Instead, after walking a scant ten minutes we find her in one of the towers. In a room spanning the full width of the tower.

    The only bits of furniture In the massive room are a simple bed, a wooden chair, a table set, and a dresser stand near one of the large glassless windows. The rest of the room is taken up by books. Thousands of them piled everywhere we look.

    "If you damage any of my books, I will beat your ass." The vyssari Champion says, sitting in the second chair on the small balcony connected to the room. Looking out, we see a view of the destroyed mountain range and the constant barrage of lightning responsible.

    That vyssari woman is just as short as the other members of her race and her scaly legs have a gray metallic shine to them. Her hair is blonde and her eyes are gray. Though the most eye-catching detail is the slim metal choker around her neck, seemingly formed of the same material as the cathedral itself.

    Other than that, I make note of the ring on her finger, which looks like it¡¯s made out of pure lightning, constantly moving and swirling.

    She lifts her eyes from the book in her lap and looks right at our group members, "Tess, I thought I told you to leave me the fuck alone."

 Chapter 499 - Vyssari Champion

    "I''m sorry!"

    "Sorry won''t cut it, Tess."

    "I can clean your room if you like."

    "Fuck off. If you so much as move a single book, I''ll burn your ass so badly no healer will be able to fix it for the rest of your life. And why the fuck did you bring so many people here?"

    "You¡¯re using the word ''fuck'' too often. Reduce it a bit, please."

    "Fuck off, Tess."

    "I''m sorry!"

    The short vyssari jumps to her feet, carefully putting the book down before moving between stacks of books taller than she is before coming to a stop in front of me.

    I return her gaze as she stares at me. "Fucking hell, man, what kind of fossil left that mark on you? That shit was old school millennia before I was born."

    "Would you say that to her face?"

    "Hell no." She says, smiling brightly with a wave of her hand. "But still answer my question before I kill you."

    The aura around her shifts, her expression growing serious.

    Anger wells up inside me, but I shove it aside. "Sure. I met her in one of the worlds we visited before coming here. Later, we crossed paths again, and she named me a Champion candidate after I passed her tests. As you can probably sense, read, or whatever it is you''re doing, she is¡ªor was¡ªan Absolute. It¡¯s... a bit complicated."

    "See, it''s not that difficult. You guys came to my house, perhaps even to ask a favor. So tell me, is it wrong for me to expect to have my questions answered without having one asked back?"

    "When you say it like that, it sounds very reasonable."

    "I know, right?" She says, pacing in front of us before coming to a stop in front of Sophie. "If you hadn''t come here with Tess, you would¡¯ve been dead already."

    Before Sophie can respond, the vyssari comes to another halt in front of Izzy, who stands just slightly shorter. Izzy¡¯s cradling Biscuit in her arms, with Noodle, coiled around her arm, as always.

    The vyssari looks from Izzy to Noodle, and then to Biscuit, whom she observes a bit longer. Then back to me from him shaking her head as she does.

    Without a word, she moves over to the twins. She gestures for them to lower themselves and pokes at their cheeks, pulling them while observing their faces.

    "Handsome," she notes, touching their blond hair and looking into their blue eyes.

    I notice right away Dennis opening his mouth to spew out some stupid joke, but he stops himself at the last second, remembering exactly who we''re dealing with here.

    But the vyssari Champion notices and turns to him. "Tell me what you wanted to say. If you lie, I will beat you."

    Dennis looks over at Tess, who smiles gently and nods.

    He turns to the vyssari. "Declare me a Champion candidate if you think I''m so handsome. I¡¯ll even flash you my best smile¡ªfree of charge."

    Oh my.

    The moment the words leave his lips I get ready to fight, and I notice the other members of our group do the same.

    The vyssari blinks a few times, staring at Dennis before a laugh slips out. A light, cheerful sound, and as it fades, she shakes her head in disbelief. Then a sudden crackle of lightning flares behind Dennis, zapping him square in the ass and drawing a startled squeak from his lips, more an expression of surprise than pain.

    Without a word, the vyssari moves along, coming to a stop in front of Lily, her eyes tracing a path from the huge bone axe to Lily''s face.

    Her expression takes on a more serious bent than before, "Tess, where did you find this one?"

    "She¡¯s my friend."

    "Your group surely has more than its share of monsters," the vyssari says, shaking her head but not taking her eyes off Lily. "I declare you a Champion candidate."

    She says simply, as she turns around and heads back to her chair with a book in hand. Glancing at Tess, she asks, "Happy?"

    "Thank you very much!"

    Lily looks around a bit confused, but I can see her reading a message invisible to us, and her title is something I can feel now.

    Tess moves closer to the vyssari with a big smile. "Can I do something for you as thanks?"

    "How about you just shut up?"

    Tess smiles even more, still happy. Gesturing for us to stay quiet, we leave the room.

    Before we fully exit, the Champion calls out, ¡°Tess, come back in an hour. I¡¯ll show you how to properly use that Primordial lightning of yours.¡±

    ¡°Sure! Thank you, ma¡¯am!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the Champion replies, waving her hand to dismiss us."

    As we leave I check a few of the titles on the books.

    Postcards from Eternity

    The Cartographer¡¯s Lover

    Echoes of Forgotten Cities

    Through a Thousand Sunsets

    A Court of Starlight and Shadows

    I notice her watching me, so I stop reading and quickly make my exit.

    We move a floor lower, entering another room, almost the mirror of the one we just left, with the exception of actually having nice furniture in it.

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    "Congratulations, Lily!" Tess shouts, hugging our poleaxed healer.

    "That was... simple?"

    "That¡¯s just how she is, don''t worry about it. For now, we''ll stay here a while to avoid annoying her further¡ªotherwise, she might snap. In the meantime, we should be safe. Speaking of which, how''s your progress, Sophie?" Tess asks, leaving Lily for the others to congratulate.

    "It¡¯ll be done soon, but..." Sophie gestures out of the window.

    Far in the distance, the blood-red sky can be seen, gradually expanding further.

    "Domain?" Tess asks, this time looking at me.

    "It¡¯s probably something like that," I confirm.

    "How bad is it?"

    "No idea, to be honest, but I don''t want to stay on this floor long enough to find out."

    "Did you want to go back to your old base and get some of the materials you left there?"

    "Yeah, that huge anvil and a few more golden chains, plus that massive hammer. I also wanted to go to the Mana Desert to get some more sand. But I got most of the valuable metals here, and Sophie bought and looted more for me, so it''s fine¡ªthey¡¯re just items anyway. I¡¯ve still got a small box of the white sand left over, at least that¡¯s something."

    "The items and materials we got from Archon''s palace should be well worth it. You should thank Lily; she stole anything not bolted to the floor and broke into several vaults," Sophie notes.

    At this, Lily smiles shyly. "As you said, take anything not glued down."

    "...anything not glued down," the twins say, mirroring Lily in perfect harmony.

    Min-Jae looks between them, confused.

    <hr>

    I continue my work on the base for the array, modifying it to Sophie¡¯s specifications. It''s reasonably similar to the one I used to evacuate the others from the mana desert, though this one¡¯s much more intricate. I guess it makes sense, given the way it¡¯s meant to allow movement between moons, planets, or wherever else it¡¯s supposed to lead.

    What I don''t like is that Sophie has the coordinates and something akin to an activation sequence, especially since I don¡¯t think I could replicate it on my own, and neither does Sophie.

    It''s basically a code we can only use once, if only because we don''t understand it enough to replicate it.

    The best we can guess these sequences¡ªthe coordinates themselves¡ªhave to be tuned to pass through things like planetary defensive arrays, spatial locks, and other such mechanisms. It only makes sense for most of the planets capable of such travel to have those defenses in place.

    This is just a floor quest though, so I think all we need to do is activate it to fulfill the requirements and open the entrance to the 7th floor. But outside of the tutorial, it would probably be more difficult. I mean, how can you guarantee the coordinates won''t teleport you to some empty spot in space?

    I think it should be possible to gain some information from the coordinates themselves to make sure that doesn''t happen. Sophie also theorizes it should be possible to perform something like a "connection check" before deploying the activation sequence. The problem is neither of us knows how. This sort of thing seems to be ridiculously advanced, and we¡¯re still at the level where we can just barely remember the text without fully understanding it.

    The main thing I noticed, after going through it all, is that the system seems to have simplified things for the purpose of our escape if only to make it possible at our current level of ability and mana control. Situations like this have come about before, and since it''s a tutorial, there¡¯s bound to be some logic to it.

    During that time, the blood-red domain¡ªor whatever it is¡ªexpands even further, filling the entire horizon and stretching far into the distance. Tess says she can even see some of the fleshy veins stretching across parts of the sky, shaping a number of enormous inscriptions.

    And I can confirm it won''t be anything good. My eyes and senses can easily detect the amount of mana collecting in the distance¡ªthe Bloodroot Devourer is likely approaching its power as Champion.

    The vyssari Champion continues to sit in her wooden chair, occasionally glancing toward that blood-red patch of sky. But the spread seems to stop and doesn¡¯t seem to be trying to stretch its way any closer to the floating island within the storms, so she doesn''t seem to care.

    She merely continues to give her lessons to Tess and read her books, content to be left alone.

    But that all changes when we go to visit the vyssari for the first time in two days.

    The inscriptions far in the sky activate with a single powerful pulse of mana, and its effects wash over the surface of the Astral Prison. It reaches us in an instant, and our mana briefly goes out of control, destabilized as the wave continues to spread at incredible speed.

    A sudden thud echoes as the book slips from the vyssari Champion¡¯s hands, falling to the floor.

    The lightning surrounding the floating island is gone¡ªthe very same weak residual lightning she was allowing the prison to siphon off to defend the area. Without the constant barrage of thunder, the silence is eerie, as the sound of crackling lightning begins to emanate from the vyssari instead and her hair stands on end, caught in the static.

    There is extreme rage in her eyes as she stares in the direction of the blood-red sky.

    "How dare you." The words themselves are calm, unlike her expression, almost unbelieving.

    The metal choker around her neck pops open with a sharp click and falls to the ground, its effects nullified by the eye¡¯s assault, only to be torn apart by the lightning surging around her.

    "How dare you," she repeats, her voice taking on a dangerous edge. She leaps from her chair, the ring on her finger sparkling wildly, lightning crackling through her hair and flashing in her eyes.

    Her words carry a weight that seems to travel for miles. They aren¡¯t loud, but they hold an edge of authority laced with a dangerous undertone. And something answers¡ªa pulse of mana rippling from within the blood-red sky.

    "As you wish then," she says solemnly, her voice steady as the air around her thickens with an almost tangible tension. The mood shifts sharply, like a storm gathering strength. She steps forward, her presence commanding, "I call upon the ancient right. By my will and by my strength, I stand against this insult. Let power itself decide our fate." Her words reverberate, carrying a weight that seems to press down on all who hear them. The sky darkens and in that moment of silence she says, "I challenge you."

    I''m certain these words can be heard across the entire surface of the moon. They are not loud, they do not cause pain, and they are not meant for us. Yet, they reverberate through the air, inviting us to witness this Champion''s challenge.

    There is no wager, there are no rules. Just a challenge between equals.

    And the Bloodroot Devourer rejects that challenge.

    "Coward," the vyssari declares and lifts her arm toward the sky.

    A single lightning strike crashes down, blinding us all and seemingly tearing through the air rather than simply passing through it. It strikes her arm with the ring on it and lingers there, like the purest form of lightning suspended in time, stretching to the length of a spear.

    (We are leaving! Nat, right away!)

    Something in Tess''s voice makes me listen, and even though I continue to stare at the Champion in front of me, as I throw a [Ley Line] as far away as I can.

    With the prison''s locks in shambles from the eye¡¯s escape, it''s simple.

    The vyssari takes a step, pulling her leg back and preparing to throw the thing cradled in the crook of her arm. White and red lightning cracks around it, shattering the air itself in its wake.

    I teleport all of us as far away as I can. Immediately using my mana to form a barrier around us. Sophie strengthens it, the twins cooperate in an attempt to shore up the gaps, while Tess and Min-Jae create shields of their own. Maya creates and boosts her own barrier. Lily''s healing skill floods the air, and she cuts off one of her arms, forming the bone within into a hemisphere, enclosing us inside as her blood drips down on us.

    Even here, I can sense the crazy reverberations, as our barriers break one after another under sheer pressure until nothing remains.

    Our view opens up again.

    The once dusty sky is clear now that the miles of dust that once blocked it have been blown away. A single star shines through the hole¡ªharsh, cold, and strange. Its light is a pale white streaked with faint crimson. The glow cuts through the cleared sky like a blade, casting sharp shadows across the broken ground.

    The floating island is gone in its entirety, and where it once stood, a small figure floats¡ªthe blonde vyssari with lightning flowing through her hair and crackling around her ring. Her small figure is bathed in the star¡¯s light as she hovers in place.

    There is a trail of lightning hanging in the air, stretching on for miles in the direction of the blood-red patch of sky.

    The mountains that once seemed to graze the sky have largely evaporated, only to be replaced with a great yawning crater.

 Chapter 500 - 7th Floor

    I blink, and the Champion is gone. Reappearing to stand next to us, and all that remains of our defenses crumbles. She looks to the sky, as the dust begins to fill it once more, cutting off the light of the sun.

    The vyssari stops and looks at Tess for a moment flashing her one last smile. "Good luck to you and your party, Tess."

    With those simple words, she disappears again, moving at speeds too great for the eye to follow, leaving a trail of lightning in the air as the only sign of her passage.

    Just a few seconds later, lightning streaks across the blood-red sky, visible even from this distance, signaling the fight''s renewal. Hundreds¡ªthousands¡ªof bolts crash down in rapid succession, and it takes several seconds before we hear the first thunderclap, a stark reminder of the distance between us and the battle taking place.

    Then we begin to feel tremors too¡ªa constant barrage of vibrations from the shockwaves generated by the distant fight.

    The air grows noticeably colder, and a blizzard appears on the horizon approaching from the opposite side of the Champion¡¯s lightning storm, stretching nearly through its entirety.

    "Did that eye just free the remaining prisoners? The lightning vyssari and whatever it was in the north behind the permafrost?" Min-Jae asks, unable to take his eyes off the clash far in the distance.

    "It seems like it. Nat, Sophie, we might need to hurry, like really really hurry. I don''t think we¡¯re quite far enough away to survive as they increase the output and that last prisoner might actually be worse than the two of them combined," Tess says, finally managing to pull her eyes away from the blizzard.

    "I should be done," I reply and immediately start laying out the parts of the array. "You two, help."

    Dennis and Aaron quickly rush to join me, just as we practiced, their skills momentarily coming together to connect the parts. Sophie, meanwhile, stands there with her eyes closed and brow furrowed, I can only imagine the amount of work she¡¯s having to do in her mind. Tess, taking note of the situation, leaves her alone.

    Izzy''s flames surround us, blue and warm, warding off the increasing cold that¡¯s already coating every exposed surface in a layer of frost and causing snowflakes to fall gently from the sky. Izzy¡äs blue flames press in close against us without burning, providing us with a gentle source of warmth.

    Noodle expands in size, growing as thick as a tree and coiling in a circle around us with his mouth open as he devours the mana radiation gradually encroaching upon our space.

    The others chip in as well, doing their best to set up defenses while the fight in the distance gets worse and worse. The sky grows a darker shade of red until it feels almost tangible. High in the sky, fleshy veins grow within, resembling both vegetation and inscriptions.

    Just the fact that we can see them from so far away tells us something about their size. Just how big might they be? Miles upon miles tall and wide.

    They form into the shapes of inscriptions, generating fields, attacks, and defenses that crash against that small figure that flew there specifically to fight the one who freed her.

    Within the blood-red sky, red and white lightning crackles relentlessly, unleashing attacks that obliterate the eye''s creations. These strikes form colossal lightning weapons, each as big as a mountain. Explosions ripple through the air, scattering the dust and tearing through the red domain of the sky, allowing shafts of light to break through.

    And approaching from the other side is a blizzard making its way ever closer, an unknown presence within. And the closer it moves, the more sluggish my mana feels, as if the cold were slowly freezing it.

    Once I finish setting up the array, I move over to help Sophie. The twins connect us together, allowing us to combine our efforts, and we push ourselves to make everything work. And all the while, the moon, the Astral Prison around us, starts breaking apart, as a little part of me watches it all happen.

    The anger that has been simmering within me resurfaces. The realization that there is nothing I can do here at this moment. There may ¡°only¡± be a 200-level difference between me and the Champions, but that gap is still immense. I don''t try to push this anger away; instead, I let myself feel it. I let it flow through my body and make sure to remember everything I feel right now. My weakness and powerlessness.

    Then Sophie activates the array, finally pushing through with all her might before collapsing in concert with the twins, as the others rush in to catch them before they can hit the ground.

    And I feel much the same as my entire reservoir of mana is channeled through my body to be sucked away by the array, but I endure. It''s something I have to do.

    One by one, everyone in group four passes through the array. I take a step forward and pause for a moment, turning to look back, engraving the scene behind me deep into my memory.

    And only then do I cross through, and watch as the view shifts and the system¡¯s notifications appear before me.

    Congratulations! You''ve successfully completed the 6th floor''s main quest in the fifth round of the tutorial for Hell difficulty.

    Welcome to the 7th floor: Battlefield.

    You have acquired:

    Active skill combination token

    Epic-grade passive skill

    5000 Shards

    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes

    Send a single item to your disciple (up to rare rarity)

    Increased daily Community limit

    So Battlefield it is.

    I force strength into my legs and stand upright.

    There are dozens of people passing by us: lynthari, humans, thylarin, demons, people of all races. Everyone is dressed in full armor and we find ourselves in something akin to an outpost¡ªsurrounded by temporary buildings made of stone, wood, and some that seem to have grown from naturally occurring trees, along with others made entirely from crystal.

    A constant barrage of words fills the air around us.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    "... heard they need more on the 5th front, they say the pay is pretty good..."

    "You won¡¯t catch me fighting with a demon at my side, those guys are..."

    "They say there¡¯s a spy in the main camp, they¡¯re offering an arcane item to anyone who can bring them information exposing them..."

    "... no, only Champions Safie and Feroy are taking disciples, and not just anyone either. Feroy especially tends to be... picky. Did you hear..."

    "... so maybe? I heard a Champion-grade monster appeared on the 2nd front so you bet I¡¯ll be fucking skipping that place."

    "... attacked the smithies. Weapons increased in price again."

    "Nobody can get through that array in that cursed forest¡ªnot even Champion Owain. There¡¯s a rumor that he¡¯s planning to ask his master for help, but yeah, good luck with that. The Absolute is the only thing keeping us alive, so I¡¯d say he¡¯s got his hands full."

    And many more.

    We seem to be ignored for the most part and people pass us by without noticing. Even the levels of all these people tend to match our own, rarely does anyone break level 300. There are some with levels just over 100, but I don''t think I can see anyone lower. Most people seem to hover around 200 and over.

    We grab the twins and Sophie, who have yet to recover, and pull them to the side, walking between the massive buildings until we find a quiet spot far from the crowds, just below a simple wall, made entirely out of wood. There are no joints, no gaps anywhere I can see; almost as if it were formed of one single piece of lumber.

    Catching our breath, we sit quietly, each of us taking a moment to process recent events while Lily heals anyone who needs it.

    I almost stop to warn her to hide her status as a candidate, like Tess and I, but I see that she¡¯s already doing so, likely Tess told her when I was busy.

    "At least the rewards for the floor quest are nice, right? I got a passive skill combination token," Maya is the first to open the conversation. "And I can communicate and send some stuff to my disc..."

    Her eyes move to the unconscious Dennis, likely remembering his disciple who died, and then she buries her face in her palms with a loud groan. "Fuck, I forgot."

    "Be careful, please, he still gets upset about that sometimes," Izzy warns, gently tapping the boy''s head.

    "Yeah, I will," Maya replies, reading an invisible message in the air. "So the floor quest is..."

    "We¡¯ll need to talk about it and decide what to do," Tess confirms. "This one is unusual."

    Like the others, I open my notifications and reread them.

    Floor Quest:

    Survive as many waves as possible.

    Note: You can leave at any time and head to the 8th floor.

    Rewards:

    ???

    ???

    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes

    Send a single item to your disciple (up to epic rarity)

    While I read through everything, I randomly pick an epic-grade passive from my rewards and sell it for just over 10,000 shards.

    I think it''s reasonable to say the longer we stay and by extension the better we do, the better the reward will be. The question is how long should we stay? At what point do we say we¡¯re better off heading to the next floor rather than trying to maximize our rewards here?

    Or more to the point, when does it become too dangerous¡ªbecause I''m sure that''s going to happen. Especially with all the talk of Champions, the frontlines, and mercenaries.

    <hr>

    Wandering around the outpost, we collect a bit of information and let our bodies and mana recover. My crown is already over my head, ready to store any mana that won''t fit into my body or reservoir.

    The planet we find ourselves on this time is comfortably warm without being hot, almost like the last warm days of summer accompanied by a nice breeze. Looking at the sky, I see a few islands floating far in the distance, and I can sense something that reminds me of the Veil surrounding us. It''s not as powerful as the one we encountered on the 5th floor, rather it¡¯s much more basic. There are a lot of triggers, so I don''t bother connecting to it nor do I examine it too deeply.

    Tess, meanwhile, manages to use some of the materials we have to pay for the rent on a small house near the edge of the outpost, near the wooden wall. The house is just big enough for all of us, forcing each of us to share a room with at least one other person.

    We spend a few days without trying anything. Taking our time to train and heal, while collecting information, the Beyond expedition is coming up in just a few days. Me, Tess, Sophie, and Lily should all be able to go. However, that means leaving Maya, the twins, Izzy, Noodle, Biscuit, and Min-Jae behind.

    So we do our best to make a somewhat safe base for the ones being forced to stay behind.

    It¡¯s during one of these days that a message appears in the Beyond community.

    Hadwin - Little pup, what floor are you on?

    <hr>

    POV Earth

    "Did you see? Some guy came out of nowhere and broke all the records like it was nothing."

    "Oh, you mean that Italian with all those viral posts?"

    "Yeah! He looks like he barely weighs 70 kilos and he managed to deadlift a full tonne then went for reps. The bar was bending! Then he ran 100 meters in five seconds, benched half a tonne, and..."

    "My man, everyone knows it''s all fake, don''t let..."

    <hr>

    POV Earth

    "Yesterday, a video went viral, originating from Africa. A new type of ant has been discovered¡ªand each one is about the size of a cat."

    "Do you think it¡¯s connected to the phenomenon?"

    "Yes, sir. There have been reports of a returnee group in Africa, they¡¯re likely responsible for or accelerating these changes. We¡¯re doing our best to keep it out of the public eye, but additional groups have been reported in Europe and China. Possibly even in Russia and North America. We¡¯re working on confirmation."

    "What¡¯s the classification?"

    "Still Easy-tier, sir. Estimates suggest all current groups will remain in this category. However, based on the information being shared by the current batch of returnees, we expect individuals from the Normal-tier to emerge within the year."

    "Have you reviewed yesterday¡¯s reports and recommendations?"

    "Yes, sir."

    "Thoughts? Be honest."

    "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

    "Granted."

    "Honestly, sir, I don¡¯t like it. But I understand the logic behind it."

    "Good. You¡¯ll be joining that unit as my intermediary."

    "I¡­ as you command, sir."

    "Speak your mind."

    "I agree that involving the families of suspected returnees is a logical next step. However, I¡¯m concerned, sir. If individuals from Hell-tier difficulty finish their tutorial at Grade 5 on our temporary scale, even a simple conversation with their families could provoke a dangerous reaction. This is true regardless of whether the interaction is intended to bribe their family goodwill.¡±

    ¡°Let me ask you this instead: what happens if we¡¯re left with no information or means to negotiate?"

    The room falls into a heavy silence.

    "No response? Then carry out the orders."

    "Yes, sir!"

 Chapter 501 - So devoid of passion and genuine effort

    POV Myrra

    ¡°Did it work, Lady Lissandra?¡± I ask after a minute.

    The silver-haired young woman in front of me looks away from an empty space in the air and nods, ¡°It works as expected. I should soon be able to do the same for you. Because we still have work to do on your status, we¡¯ll be getting our own instance and waiting to synchronize with little pup once we¡¯ve gotten you fully instated.¡±

    ¡°Sorry for the trouble and thank you very much.¡±

    She waves it off and gestures for me to follow, and I comply, having grown accustomed to her eccentricities.

    As we walk, I look her over once more. She¡¯s shorter than me, with silver hair, and a pretty, if stern face, but most of all, there¡¯s this aura of confidence around her¡ªas if nothing can stand in her way. A fact I¡¯ve seen bourn out time and time again.

    When we visited a ruined continent to recover the remains of an Absolute''s heart. When she combined said remains with the heart of the Champion. When she spent months working on her new heart and then tore open her own chest to implant it. When she then pierced it through with that orange eyed bone dagger to reignite it.

    The first beat of that heart was nearly powerful enough to render me unconscious before she took control. And it only took a second for her to do so. Now I¡¯m having trouble imagining just how powerful she might be, despite her insistence that she¡¯s still far from attaining her original power and will need years to recover and adapt to her new body and heart.

    She calls her body unsatisfactory, she says her heart is weak, and she¡¯s always complaining about her skills being rusty. The knowledge and skills she¡¯s honed over the millennia now feel too vast for the fragile frame she currently inhabits.

    But even after completing her new heart, she¡¯s still holding on to that black dagger on her belt as we walk on the surface of this new planet. And she is satisfied it¡¯s a new instance and not a continuation of the one Nathaniel previously visited.

    The sky in this place is covered in clouds of dust which settle overnight to reveal a stunning view of a brilliant night sky.

    And now we stop¡ªa desert full of white sand in front of us.

    ¡°Are you sure, Lady Lissandra? That man in the Last Rest said the desert was made by an Absolute a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°Little kitten.¡±

    ¡°I''m sorry!¡±

    With that, she takes a step through that invisible border and steps onto the white sand, which doesn''t react to her at all. It doesn''t so much as twitch even as her new heart continues to generate that incredible mana.

    I¡¯ve seen what happens to the people thrown into the desert by the competing groups that rule this place; I¡¯ve seen what it can do and how it reacts even to the slightest bit of mana. I watched as a swarm of brilliant white particles tore them apart.

    Lady Lissandra stands silently, bending down to scoop up a handful of sand, and letting it slip through her fingers.

    ¡°I¡¯ve suspected this for some time now, but it seems like modern Absolutes and Champions aren¡¯t what they once were. All these trinkets, arrays, and emblems¡­ leaning so heavily on the system''s gifts without ever truly understanding them.¡±

    The last grains of sand fall to the ground as she turns to me, her silver hair flowing in the gentle breeze, ¡°It all feels so detached, so devoid of passion and genuine effort.¡±

    The words come softly, yet they have a strange sort of weight to them. ¡°Little kitten.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Follow close behind me.¡±

    Without another moment¡¯s pause, she takes a step forward, heading deeper into the desert.

    I follow close behind, stepping onto the white sand without a hint of hesitation or worry.

    As expected, the sand doesn¡¯t react to me or my mana, and I continue along her path.

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    Please pick two skills from the following list to combine.

    Warning! Combining these skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill.

    Warning! Combining incompatible skills may result in worse skills.

    Warning! After combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination.

    List of skills available for combination:

    Perception - Lvl 54

    Resonance - Lvl 60

    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 57

    Infusion - Lvl 49

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 60

    Bone Knitting - Lvl 24

    Okay, I have an opportunity to repeat what I¡¯ve come to think of as a pro gamer move and a big fuck you to the system. I can combine [Mana Manipulation] with another skill and regain it later.

    The question is if I want to with the primary class upgrade looming so close. I know that primary class offers active skills as well, and it seems to be the only way to gain active skills other than learning them, evolving skills, or combining skills.

    I''m sure the system has ways to deal with it if I happen to have filled all my slots, but do I really want it? With all my preparations, my primary class offerings should be goddamn good, so I will probably get some kind of amazing new active skill. Something on the level of [Focus], [Redistribution], [Mana Crown], or [Ley Line], which for the time being aren''t among the skills available for combination.

    But [Resonance] and [Mana Domain] are, and they weren''t an option for the previous skill combinations, meaning this token is of a higher tier than previous ones.

    So the options are:

    [Perception] and [Resonance]

    [Perception] and [Mana Domain]

    [Perception] and [Infusion]

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    [Perception] and [Mana Manipulation]

    [Perception] and [Bone Knitting]

    [Resonance] and [Mana Domain]

    [Resonance] and [Infusion]

    [Resonance] and [Mana Manipulation]

    [Resonance] and [Bone Knitting]

    [Mana Domain] and [Infusion]

    [Mana Domain] and [Mana Manipulation]

    [Mana Domain] and [Bone Knitting]

    [Infusion] and [Mana Manipulation]

    [Infusion] and [Bone Knitting]

    [Mana Manipulation] and [Bone Knitting]

    Then there are my personal favorites.

    The first on the list are [Resonance] and [Mana Domain]. Given the way they appeared in the list of options for my prior skill combinations and I¡¯ve just acquired a higher-tier token, it means they¡¯re high-quality skills, and logically their combination should be stronger¡ªif they make for a good fit, and I think they might.

    [Perception] and [Mana Manipulation] could also be pretty good, but I suspect the skill would be similar to my trait, which I think will just end up being stronger, especially now that it¡¯s gone through a second round strengthening with assistance from my new passive. And I still think I should skip using [Mana Manipulation] this time in preparation for my primary class upgrade.

    Then there¡¯s [Resonance] and [Infusion].

    Leaving this decision to the future me, I lean back in my manabloc chair and open the Beyond Community. It looks like the cockroach is curious and talks to people there.

    Hadwin - I''m not the man called Hadwin.

    Gareth - Then why do you have that name? You even belong to the same group.

    Hadwin - I don''t understand why I should explain it to you, child.

    Noname - You should be able to change your Community name to match your real name. Apparently, it''s possible to change it but only once and only to your real name.

    Hadwin - Little pup, are you dumb? The only reason I can talk here is because the system thinks I am that person. How would it make sense for me to change to my real name?

    Noname - I hadn''t thought of that.

    Gareth - Noname, are you ok? Little pup? Are you getting bullied?

    Noname - Yes.

    Hadwin - Is there any difference between this and other Communities?

    Noname - Not much. Just the degree of censorship on certain information, and we can communicate across the floors.

    Tacita - ©c(©`_©` )¥Î

    Hadwin - What is that?

    Noname - I... I don''t know how to explain.

    Tacita - (?_?)¥Î

    Hadwin - Whatever it means. I will be leaving now. Also, little pup, I have kept my promise and gotten ahold of that heart for you. I hope you kept yours.

    With that, she is gone.

    Tacita - ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)

    In the real world, I turn towards Lily, who¡¯s sitting nearby in the same style of chair as me, examining a set of healing marks she¡¯s placed on a range of different materials to see what happens.

    ¡°Lily, Beyond Community.¡±

    She looks quickly up at me and then stares into the empty space in front of her, reading the messages.

    Grumpy - (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å

    Tacita - £Ü(©–_£ï)£¯

    Tacita - C= C= C= C= C=©°(;?¦Ø?)©¼

    Noname - Gareth, how is your group?

    Gareth - We are still on the 6th floor, but we have a plan. It¡¯s probably going to take anywhere from a few weeks to a month or two if everything works out. We¡¯re proceeding slowly and safely. What about you guys?

    Noname - You know it, every floor is easier at the start.

    Gareth - I can only agree with that. A few days ago I tried asking Savant where he is, but he didn''t answer, and getting that kind of information from Tacita is...

    Tacita - ©c( `§Õ¡ä*)¥Î

    Gareth - I apologize! Anyway, as I told Sset, I should be there at the scheduled time, Noname. See you then!

    With that, I close the community and check the numbers.

    Easy difficulty 1159/2000

    Normal difficulty 842/1000

    Hard difficulty 223/500

    Hell difficulty 36/250

    Beyond 9/10

    Easy difficulty has lost about 200 people since the last time I checked. Adjusted for the ones who already used their difficulty change token, which is surprising, given that people don¡¯t tend to die as much nowadays.

    People in Hard difficulty seem to be theorizing that some of them may have already cleared the tutorial and gotten out, but it''s hard to confirm. Even now we can only communicate with people from other difficulties only when they¡¯re on the same floor as us. That''s why I haven''t seen Channeler for a while along with some of the others. Beyond is the only exception to that.

    It''s an interesting thought, leaving the tutorial after clearing the 13th floor, and I''m curious to find out if I''m still the only one who knows the exact number of floors. So far estimates have ranged from 10 to 20, to 50, even a hundred floors in some cases, and it''s hard not to feel a bit smug about that.

    As for the other difficulties, Normal is only missing around 20 people who likely died, Hard lost 20 or so as well, and Hell lost three. I even think some of that may account for casualties in Gareth''s and Brainiac''s group, but I haven''t asked.

    Two days remain until the Beyond expedition, and preparations are in full swing.

    Setting up a safe house.

    Collecting information about the new floor.

    Healing marks, items, mana batteries, charging our crowns, sacrifices for Lily in the form of my severed left arms stacked in her armory.

    My training with Whitey and my decision not to hold off beating him before I proceed to level 300. If the situation allows, I will reach level 300 within Beyond and continue down the path of mana.

    I¡¯ve been thinking about it, and I think my pride may have gotten the better of me, making me want to defeat him with kinetic energy alone and at a lower level than him.

    That in and of itself may as well have been a slap to the face, almost like I was looking down on him¡ªa man in as much awe of kinetic energy as I am when it comes to mana. I can confirm that just from seeing his memories and the way he fights.

    I¡¯ve been too greedy, but it''s not all bad, I have learned a lot in the process and will continue to do so. But my path is the pursuit of mana and always will be. Everything else is supplementary.

    Once again, I look over the options.

    [Resonance] and [Mana Domain]

    [Mana Domain] and [Infusion]

    [Resonance] and [Infusion]

    I think I¡¯ll keep [Mana Domain] as it is, focused solely on mana. I like using it on my body alone, almost as if I¡¯m declaring it my personal domain of mana, making it even harder for someone to disrupt my body¡¯s flow of mana. That leaves me with one option.

    Congratulations, you have successfully combined [Resonance] and [Infusion]! A new skill has been created.

    You have acquired [Eclipse].

    [Eclipse - lvl 0 > Eclipse - lvl 8]

 Chapter 502 - Again into the Beyond

    With the acquisition of the new skill, my preparations for the primary class upgrade are complete.

    I have acquired as many powerful passives as I can, I have strengthened my traits, and I have plenty of powerful skills, all at high levels¡ªnot to mention the body modifications Lily and I have been making. Then there are all the feats I¡¯ve accomplished that should factor in, like killing¡ªwith a significant amount of help¡ªa Champion.

    This upgrade better be good.

    As always, the system offers no description for the active skill, so I conduct my tests, checking whether the effects of previous skills are missing or have changed.

    ¡°Hey, Maya, create some weapons with [Armament] for me.¡±

    She gives me a confused look and creates a dagger, and at my signal, she throws it at me.

    My skill activates and my eyes do as well, scanning for the information I need. I use [Eclipse] and take over as I would with [Resonance].

    The effect is mostly the same, and yet somehow it feels different. Instead of altering and modifying my mana to connect with it, it feels as though I¡¯ve simply taken control. There¡¯s a stronger sense of ownership.

    Looking at the dagger now, it doesn''t seem all that impressive or useful to take it over.

    ¡°Javelins?¡± I ask.

    With a sigh, she uses her skill again and starts forming weapons, which take their places floating over her shoulders. Using the new skill, I connect to them, resonate with them, and take over, while Maya finds herself cut off.

    I stare at that. Once again, not very useful.

    ¡°Barrier?¡±

    ¡°Nat, I fucking swear if...¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Damn it,¡± she curses but brings a spherical barrier into being around her body.

    My skill activates again, and I push my hand through her barrier with ease, adapting to its frequency.

    I keep trying to grasp that feeling. The best way to describe it is that my control seems to overshadow hers as I infuse myself into the skill, resonating deeply with its inner workings.

    I still have a sense that I could disrupt her control over mana just like I did before. Even at this low level, it feels almost strong enough to rival the previous version. However, there¡¯s something different about it now, and I¡¯m finding it difficult to fully grasp.

    I¡¯m sure the skill will truly shine in combat. However that also means more testing, and I feel that familiar rush of excitement I get whenever I get a new toy¡­ or, in this case, a new ability. I¡¯ve thought about it a lot recently, mulling over the difference between using upgrade tokens on my skills and acquiring new ones with combination tokens, and I¡¯ve come to a conclusion¡ªthere is a difference.

    Upgrading a skill feels almost like cheating, taking the easy way out. But combining skills to create a new one is different. Sure, at first, I let the system guide me and show me how to use it, but I always strive to master the skill on my own and push it to its limits. With more powerful skills, this approach can only grow more valuable over time.

    As for [Eclipse], its name feels odd¡ªalmost like Savant¡¯s [Dawn] or the [Regalia] I had before. It¡¯s enough to make me wonder about the naming of skills and how their names are decided.

    Thanking Maya, I move back to my corner and increase the output of my Restrictive Training Emblem for now, putting off my testing of [Eclipse] for the time being.

    It only takes me a few hours to finish the mana stone I¡¯ve been working on and now it¡¯s fully inscribed, containing all the training regiments for the seven stances I got from Whitey, starting with basics while keeping the more advanced stuff locked behind mana locks that will require a certain degree of mastery over mana to get through.

    That should ensure that my minion doesn''t jump head first into the dangerous stuff without working on her basics first. And prevent her from forgetting her mana training.

    My Mana Wavelength Iris activates again, and I stare at the stone in the palm of my hand. I watch it very closely, observing the mana wavelengths around it and their movements, while [Perception] works at full force to supplement my efforts.

    Only then do I say, ¡°Send this to my disciple using the token meant for that.¡±

    I don''t even have time to blink before the mana stone vanishes. It disappears in that crazy scary way the system likes to make them disappear. The way where I can''t sense anything at all.

    But I will get there.

    Then, while RTE continues to crush my body, I grab my mana and start moving it using Mana Cycling.

    <hr>

    It''s the hour of our Beyond expedition, and everyone¡¯s gathered in the room. On purpose, I have not examined this floor too much, knowing that it would only make me curious the entire time I found myself in Beyond.

    So that''s where I rely on Tess and others to make sure it¡¯s safe for us to keep going for the next few days. And I¡¯m especially sure that Sophie made every possible effort to ensure that her sister would be safe.

    I wait for the others to say their goodbyes and return the ones I get.

    With that, I use my token and the others as well, all of us moving to our handlers.

    <hr>

    POV Maya Jones

    The moment they disappear, Biscuit opens his eyes and yawns. He turns to Izzy, who carefully sets him on the ground so that he can stretch as he yawns once more.

    ¡°W-what?¡± Kim stammers, his tone echoing my own state of confusion.

    ¡°It''s fine! Biscuit was just pretending to be asleep. He woke up just after we came to this floor!¡± Izzy says, hints of joy leaking into her voice, as she kneels down to let Biscuit sniff her hand. ¡°Isn''t he cute?¡±

    ¡°You knew, but why would he...¡± Kim doesn''t have time to finish his words before Biscuit looks at him and floats into the air, coming to a stop in front of the boy.

    Biscuit moves through the air much quicker than before, and honestly, seeing a two-month old pup float through the air like that is just way too cute. His fuzzy tail trails behind him and his legs hang down.

    Biscuit starts sniffing curiously, but we don¡¯t get the typical message we¡¯ve come to expect.

    Izzy explains, ¡°He just likes it when Nat carries him around, pets him, and takes care of him. That''s why he was pretending to be asleep! Though he¡¯s been having some trouble getting used to some of his abilities and can''t talk at the moment.¡±

    I want to shake my head, say something, but I can''t.

    What Izzy said right now makes a lot of sense, and I find myself thinking that it just about fits with the rest of this crazy situation.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    Once again I meet my handler sitting in her wooden chair, behind the same wooden table.

    This time I move closer and shamelessly take one of the papers laid out across its surface, curious about its contents.

    The paper is blank.

    When I put it back on the table, the text appears.

    So I lift it again to look at it, and it disappears again.

    I put it back on the table and then lean closer until I can just about make out words, only for it to go blank once more.

    I step back, and even though using mana like this isn''t my specialty, I strengthen my sight and stare at it, only for the paper to grow indistinct as the text vanishes yet again.

    ¡°Annoying, isn''t it?¡± my handler watches it all with curiosity.

    Instead of answering, I reach to grab one of the mana stones but find myself unable to lift the table no matter how much I try. Even as I try to peek in, it seems empty.

    Disappointed, I create a manabloc chair and sit down, ¡°Any news?¡±

    ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve already been warned about the guest in your mind. Other than that? The Enforcer¡¯s Guild came looking after you over that contract you signed but they stopped after a few months¡ªmostly because it didn''t seem like you were the one who broke it, and the people who died weren''t really all that important, and it wasn¡¯t a very high tier contract to begin with.¡±

    ¡°That''s good.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re just leeches, so if they start to get on your nerves feel free to fuck them up. As long as you haven''t signed an A or S tier contract with one of the top guilds, they won''t even bother sending anyone all that powerful. Currently, they have two or three such people, but they won''t move for such low end contracts.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. I probably can''t ask much, right? About Beyond?¡±

    ¡°It would get censored, though I¡¯ll still tell you all the important bits and leave the rest up to you. The rest of the information allocation I''m saving for the big ones like that little tidbit I gave you before. You liked it, right?¡± She interlocks her fingers and rests her chin against them, a bright smile on her face. ¡°Do you have any theories as to who the Rulers could be?¡±

    ¡°Well, for the First, Cinderbear, for third, I wouldn''t be surprised if it was one of those damned sparrows, otherwise Edwal, or the King even though they seem unlikely, getting stuck at the same city over millennia, so maybe the Saint somewhat?¡±

    I look at her, trying to read something of her expression. I even use kinetic energy to track her movement, but she notices it well. She doesn''t block my probing, but there is absolutely nothing I could track.

    Her smile widens, so I continue, ¡°Fifth, I don''t know. Gaiathra? Niall? Some other Champion I may have missed? And as for the Sixth, there are too many possible candidates to guess.¡±

    "No guess for the second floor?" she asks.

    "There is no need, am I right?"

    ¡°I see, I see,¡± she nods with a smile, ¡°In exchange for satisfying my curiosity, allow me to tell you about something exciting to watch out for...¡±

    ¡°So being polite pays off?¡±

    ¡°Rarely,¡± she responds, shaking her head in amusement, as I feel myself begin to fade.

    This person really seems to like to time our conversations that way.

    She waits a second longer, ¡°Starting now you can take Beyond quests, I¡¯ll tell you more next time we meet.¡±

    ¡°Sounds cool?¡±

    My handler shakes her head, her red tinged black hair flowing around her, as she watches for my reaction, the information must have really been juicy for her to even bother.

    ¡°Beyond quests will allow you to leave the tutorial for a certain time, usually a few days, to work on a quest commissioned by someone on the outside. I¡¯ve even gone through some of them; there are a few you might like, all with really nice rewards. The higher the rank you reach in Beyond, the better the quests you''ll gain access to¡ªand trust me, some of them are truly fascinating. These could include anything from quests that no Beyond attendee has completed in a hundred years, thousand-year-old challenges, and many more.¡±

    Well, she got me again.

    She seems to notice it as well as I watch her smile brighten, just in time for me to disappear, finding myself back on the entrance floor.

    <hr>

    The price to use the teleportation array to different Entrance Floor''s outposts is 10,000 shards. After you do it, that entrance floor becomes your ¡°starting¡± floor the next time.

    That''s why it sucks to be Lily and Tess, both of them having to use their shards. Lily at least, should have plenty because of the item selling spree we went on back in the mana desert, but it must have set Tess back quite a bit.

    It would seem that even if you do happen to be from the same group you may not appear in the same outpost and instead find yourselves split in between god knows how many others. I thank Duncan for this information, along with the Coordinates or address you might say, for our current outpost¡ªnever mind that he charged me 1,000 shards.

    I guess the grind just never stops for that man.

    After meeting up with Sophie at the smithy, where I told her to wait if she arrived first, we make our way over to the teleportation array.

    When Lily and Tess rejoin us, I¡¯m already there to cheer them up again.

    This time they get to pay for their own identification tokens.

    Truly the authentic Beyond experience. A first impression is important, so they must realize how this place is.

    I teach them how to activate their identification marks, and when they do, my ivory white C rank contrasts nicely with their obsidian black D rank. Not wanting to show off for too long, we head to the spot where our Earth expedition formed the first time around while ignoring the others around us. And we find a group of people already waiting there for us.

    The winner of the 1st round''s 1st tournament, CarrotCake aka Jean. The big bulky mountain of muscles with that annoying little jerk sitting next to him, aka Lucien, though I still have no idea how he passed through Beyond¡¯s trials, being a healer without any obvious fighting capabilities.

    The mountain of muscles seems to be training or something as we watch his skin stretch over his body and tear while a focused expression continues to dominate his face. And I can still feel that immense sense of danger radiating off him.

    My respect towards the guy grows seeing the damage he causes to his body.

    Meanwhile, Leticia jumps to her feet with a happy smile, ¡°Noname! I thought you would make it! Luna, you owe me 5 thousand shards!¡±

    Leticia stops in front of us, the golden retriever following behind her while complaining, ¡°First impressions are important, Leticia, please tone it down and don''t embarrass me.¡±

    The golden retriever takes a quick step and grows till her head sets at the height of Leticia''s chest and shoves her to the side while coming to a stop in front of Tess. ¡°I apologize for my companion. You three must be Noname''s friends, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Luna, and that silly woman over there is Leticia. She may get like this sometimes, but she¡¯s generally more reliable when things get dangerous, I promise.¡±

    With a laugh, Leticia jumps on Luna''s back and wraps her arms around her neck, forcing Luna to grow even bigger.

    ¡°Four people out of the same group in Beyond is crazy,¡± Leticia says, nodding seriously.

    ¡°That¡¯s just how it worked out. I''m Sset, it''s nice to meet you Leticia, and Luna as well. This is Grumpy and Soph.¡±

    As they focus on introducing themselves, I notice Jean bringing his training to a close and placing the whole of his attention on Sophie.

    There are no extra senses involved, no perception, or anything of the sort. If I had to compare it to anything It''s more like the instincts of a wild animal. The longer he looks at her, the more his expression contorts.

    I let kinetic energy and mana collect in my body. An amount that leaves my capacity before I acquired my new mid-arcane passive. My mind handles it all with ease, even as the roaring forces threaten to destroy my weak body, only held at bay by my own self control.

    Jean moves at the same time I do, and before he can reach Sophie, I¡¯m there, standing in front of him, absorbing the incredible power of his attack with Counter Flow and the effects of my unique passive, adding a huge chunk of mana to my Mana Reservoir.

    He moves his hand and grabs me in an attempt to throw me out of the way, but I bury my feet into the ground, move my body, and strike his chest with my palm, putting the force of the kinetic energy I absorbed into the attack while adding a bit of my own.

    A short shockwave reverberates in the air, as the man staggers back.

    Unfazed, he shakes it off, the sense of danger rolling off him increasing as he does so, and his face grows darker, ¡°You know about her abilities.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°People like her need to die.¡±

    ¡°That''s your problem. She¡¯s part of my group.¡± I emphasize the word ''my'', making sure he understands.

    Jean observes me for a moment as if confirming my words and then nods in acknowledgment.

    I raise my energy at the same time he does as we both prepare for battle. Sophie, Tess, and Lily are getting ready as well, while Lucien channels his healing to Jean.

    But before any of us can move, Jean and I both freeze. My eyes shift at the same moment as his, landing on the figure that has suddenly appeared to his left.

    A young woman with messy brown hair, a thin frame, ragged clothes, and a small backpack slung over her shoulder.

    She holds a dagger in her hand, its tip gently piercing Jean''s chest, just above his heart. The young woman is much shorter than the man, so she has to lift her arm to do so, yet she¡¯s still smiling.

    None of us sensed her appear. Not even Luna. Not even Sophie. Not even me with my improved sense of movement.

    Tacita smiles brightly and waves at us.

 Chapter 503 - Expedition like ours

    After Tacita waves at me, the field around her reverts to something closer to the one she used back during the tournament. The one we used for more playful forms of training when we weren¡¯t going all out, that same old game where she tries to hide herself and I pierce through the field around her.

    Yet, she still managed to hide from me. Quite easily too. It looks like someone didn''t like nearly dying during the tournament and went on a training spree.

    Jean swings his arm at her, but she vanishes, reappearing on his opposite side with incredible speed, her dagger raised even higher, aimed directly at his eye.

    The man freezes at that moment, and I see his muscles tensing. But Tacita doesn''t follow through, rather she takes a step back, putting the dagger away and lifting her empty hands, still smiling. She ignores Lily, who¡¯s been waving at her frantically, and instead moves to the side to take a seat, pulling her knees up to her chest and watching us with curiosity.

    Before Jean can do anything, Leticia jumps down from Luna, who shrinks and moves towards him, cursing at the man and calling him a fool.

    "I could have stopped him," Sophie notes as I move to stand next to them.

    "I saw him move too, Nat. I don''t think I would¡¯ve lost against him." Lily states, tapping the blade of her axe and finally pulling her eyes away from Tacita.

    "It''s fine. I¡¯m the one who organized it all, so it''s only reasonable for me to be the one to stop him. And you shouldn¡¯t underestimate him. He won their tournament for a reason."

    "I''ll talk to him," Tess says, stepping away from us. "Everyone knows how Sophie''s abilities are perceived so his reaction really wasn¡¯t all that surprising. I''ll make it clear¡ªif she ever uses them against any of us, she¡¯ll answer to me first."

    With a smile and a wink at Sophie, Tess strides toward the bulky man, while Lily shifts her focus back to Tacita. She doesn¡¯t approach her directly, treating the young woman like a skittish stray that might decide to bolt at any moment. Instead, Lily continues to wave and smile, all while maintaining a gentle, reassuring distance.

    "Nat, do you think I could win a fight with Tacita?" she asks curiously.

    "Honestly? She would probably kill you in nine out of ten fights."

    "That many?"

    I nod, confirming my statement, and take a moment to give the mute young woman a quick look. I wonder if I might be able to see through her field with my strengthened eyes? It seems likely.

    Well, if it isn''t yet another great start to the expedition.

    As Tess and Leticia talk to Jean, who has that young jerk near him at all times, it''s Luna who returns to speak with us, having returned to her original size.

    "You humans are so dumb sometimes." Once again, I find myself amazed that she managed to create an organ to project vibrations through the air, much less properly form words. However when she "talks," her mouth simply hangs open unmoving, creating quite the eerie effect.

    "Can I pet you?" Lily asks, finding herself unable to resist the temptation.

    "No."

    "Oh." There is a lot of disappointment in her voice.

    Luna observes her smartly. "500 shards for one stroke," she offers.

    "That''s too much!" Instead of being surprised, Lily starts bargaining. "Two hundred and you let me pet you for five minutes."

    "What do you take me for, young girl? I only offered because you seem nice, and I thought it might make you more willing to heal Leticia or me in the future. But two hundred? That¡¯s like pulling my whiskers out!"

    "I would¡¯ve helped you regardless."

    Luna looks between me and Lily and then turns back to Lily. "500 and three minutes."

    "500 and two times two minutes! Two minutes now and the second set later."

    "Deal."

    The shards are exchanged, and Lily, with a big smile, reaches her hand out to Luna, who sniffs at it and then slightly bows and closes her eyes as Lily puts her hand on top of her head and starts petting her.

    Seemingly unbeknownst to the golden retriever, her tail starts wagging slowly from side to side.

    (Yo,) Sophie sends through a private link established through her web.

    I can only sigh. (I know.)

    Tess, having finished her conversation with the others, moves with the others towards Tacita, who stands up and rushes to find somewhere else to sit, clearly showing no interest in the conversation.

    (So we have that guy who wants to kill me, the boy you said was a jerk using said man as a shield. A weird woman and her talking dog. And a mute girl following us like a curious cat.)

    (Don''t forget Gareth. Tess said he was going to be here. That man has to be secretly evil. And at this point, it looks like we are missing Savi and one more tournament winner with his wifey.)

    (Well, at this point I''m happy Savant isn''t here. I don''t think he likes me either.)

    (It must suck to have such a scummy ability. How was your handler?)

    (Surprisingly normal. He gave me some warnings about hiding my ability and he told me to pretend it only works on monsters like some sort of tamer if I get caught and then he told me a few more useful things. Stuff like don''t go to the surface. If you go to the 1st floor, make sure you only go with a group, and beware of groups and contracts and more besides. What do you think the handlers are?)

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    (I think they¡¯re either Champions or Absolutes. My handler mentioned there weren¡¯t that many of them and each one has dozens or hundreds of people they are handlers for and are using some kind of item made by Diligence to make it all work assuming they don¡¯t have the ability to do so directly.)

    Luna barks, finally prompting Lily to stop petting her and offer thanks instead. The retriever manages to somewhat keep her dignity intact and moves over to Leticia, a mere 500 shards richer.

    Maybe Lily really isn¡¯t great with money or shards. I know she got plenty from selling the items I made, but this? And then there are all the clothes and trinkets she picked up in Hollowhole, she was even trading valuable metals and mana stones for them.

    When Jean starts moving towards us, I bring my attention back to him even as Tess gestures that it should be fine.

    Instead of going to Sophie, he simply gives her a disgusted look and comes to a stop in front of me.

    "Don''t stand in my way ever again, do you understand?"

    He really is looking for a fight.

    Even though he¡¯s much taller, I step closer, stopping just an arm''s length away, a range that should play more to his strengths and abilities.

    "No, I don''t understand."

    Somewhere in the background, I hear Tess groan as Leticia grabs Jean''s arm, but he pulls it free with ease as if she hadn¡¯t been holding it in the first place and pushes her away.

    "I understand loyalty to your friends, and I even respect it. But Noname, as long as I¡¯m breathing, I¡¯ll do everything I can to kill people with abilities like hers."

    Each of his words is calm and stated with utmost clarity, giving the impression that he means each word. But my decision is simple.

    "Got it. But I don''t care. Lay a hand on anyone in my group again, and you''re dead."

    Jean nods in acknowledgment, saying nothing more. But even that makes it clear¡ªif it comes down to it, he¡¯ll go through me to kill her, even if it means taking me out too.

    Like me, he seems to have his own set of rules to live by.

    <hr>

    Gareth shows up a bit later and apologizes profusely while introducing himself.

    As always he looks like some sort of hero. He has his shiny armor, a well-kept short beard and hair, a muscular and fit body, and despite being between 40-50 years old he maintains that youthful edge, energetic and fit.

    Without any trouble he accepts the presence of the talking dog, greets Tacita, and shakes hands with Jean, all while being pleasantly nice and keeping his voice firm and friendly.

    The man is evil, I can tell. Other than being somewhat interplanetary-xenophob-ish there must be something else. Humans aren''t meant to be that friendly and that... well put together.

    "After we reached the safe zone Savant left and I haven''t seen him since. While Derick and Noelle seem to have done something similar," Leticia explains.

    That leaves us with ten people, even though I have trouble including Tacita in that count. She¡¯s just, well... too unpredictable.

    "Aren''t healers supposed to be rare?" I ask Leticia.

    "They are, extremely so. I¡¯ve met a few other groups and they never seemed to have one. Are you talking about our group?" she smiles, quickly understanding why I asked. "If so then I don''t think most of them would consider Lucien or Gareth proper healers. Lucien is either capable of healing only one person at a time or doesn''t have the desire to do more, and Gareth can heal more people at once but his healing isn''t really all that strong."

    At that, I look towards Gareth, who¡¯s laughing, caught up in a conversation with Jean. Is that silly man already talking about his abilities? Is he dumb?

    Waving, Leticia heads over to join Tess and Luna, who are already working on organizing our formations based on our abilities. Meanwhile, Lily stays near Tacita, who eyes her like she might swat her away in a bout of irritation at any moment.

    I really do have to wonder if the other planets have expeditions like this too.

    <hr>

    We enter the 1st floor not much later.

    Right away Leticia weaves something out of her mana, something fairly similar to Sophie''s web, though it covers a bigger area and it¡¯s not quite as useful. The only thing it does is detection. Sophie deploys her web as well and Tess stays near her while Lily moves a bit further ahead staying close to Gareth.

    At the front of our little pack is Luna, already the size of a horse with Leticia riding on her back, with Jean to keep near watch.

    Tacita, after curiously looking around for a while, vanishes from our sight.

    When it comes to distance I¡¯m not just talking about a few steps either. Many times we find ourselves separated by the length of multiple football fields. A distance that at this point is nothing to us. We can perceive across those distances with ease, we can communicate without obstruction and we can move to help any of the others within a few seconds.

    Tess, Sophie, and Lily are careful and curious. The new environment clearly leaving them nervous and intrigued at the same time. Even though I told them as much as I could, they don''t really know what to expect.

    I, on the other hand, have experienced this a few times at this point so I''m not that surprised when five lurkers pop up ahead with a warning from Luna.

    Before we can even reach them Jean jumps in and kills two melee fighters, each with a single hit.

    One of the three remaining jumps into the air, fleshy wings growing from his back and a mana spear forming in his hand, the spear is about twice as long as he is, with a blade burning with blue flame.

    Before he can attack, three javelins trailing lightning shoot through the air heading right for him. He blocks the first one with a barrier, but it cracks. The second javelin strikes the exact same spot, shattering the barrier and hurling him backward. This opens the way for the third javelin to pierce his chest with precision, driving straight through his heart.

    He falls from the sky motionless.

    I look back and with my normal sight, unmodified by mana, I barely manage to see Tess as a small figure way off in the distance.

    The two remaining lurkers move to the side, speeding up to avoid Jean as much as possible, only to crash right into Gareth who charges them with his shield at the fore, bashing one with the blunt instrument, followed by a blow from a mace surrounded in that silver light of his.

    Lily moves in that direction herself, a quick change in trajectory, straining her body just to stop the inertia, and when the 5th lurker tries to stop her attack by positioning his swords out in front of him and surrounding his body with armor made of stone, she adds more strength and her axe smashes through, breaking arms and denting armor.

    Her feet move quickly and she swings that giant axe again and again, using it more like a hammer than the bladed implement it is¡ªI guess she¡¯s still working on actually sharpening it.

    When Gareth finishes dealing with his lurker we move again, quickly.

    A minute later we find a group of lurkers. Six of them, all dead without any sign of struggle. As if they just stood there and got attacked before they could muster any sort of defense.

    Two of them have stab wounds through their hearts, one of them clearly fell victim to decapitation, and the remaining three look like someone scrambled their brains through their eye sockets.

    All their equipment is still there, and it honestly reminds me of a pet proudly dropping a dead bird at its owner¡¯s feet.

 Chapter 504 - Deeper Into the First Floor

    We split the loot from the lurkers well and head deeper into the 1st floor. The blasted environments and high ceilings beginning to feel familiar, but I don''t let it lull me and stay attentive.

    At some point, two lurkers finally manage to reach Sophie¡ªsomething Tess lets happen¡ªand Sophie takes control of them. One a vyssari man with flame attacks, and the other a human woman with some sort of domain that serves to reduce the effectiveness of healing skills.

    Around that time, we reach our first named lurker¡ªof the same race Rat used to be, the name of which I still don''t know. It¡¯s a humanoid with gray skin and long, slim arms and legs.

    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl 307]

    I reach him before Jean can, and activate my Mana Wavelength Iris. The ever-present mana moving around the creature making itself known to my sight. I feel like I can see it all. I see the ambient mana floating in the air, mana seeping from the bodies of the people around me, the structure of the skill the lurker¡¯s trying to activate. The amount of information that strained me before, even before undergoing the strengthening process, now flows smoothly into my brain, which accepts it¡ªall with an ease that feels almost like cheating.

    The lurker uses my shadow which expands, becomes three-dimensional, and takes on a shape unlike any animal or monster I¡¯ve ever seen. Its eyes glow red, and six powerful limbs reach out to grab me.

    The mana in my crown spins and destabilizes, releasing a disrupting pulse, returning my shadow to its normal state. At the same time, all the shadows around me erupt with monsters, wolves with six legs and no tail, humanoid figures with snake heads, lion-like animals with elongated maws and six eyes. Each one a pitch black shadow given form by mana.

    Another wave disrupts them all.

    I weave a javelin from my mana and launch it at the lurker, who bursts like a bubble in a flash of shadowy substance.

    Wraith Dance brings me closer, and my eyes read through the remains of his skills. [Eclipse] activates in the same fashion as [Resonance]. My mana overpowers the lurker, and I connect to his skill, teleporting along with him.

    I form a barrier in front of me, incepting a barrage of attacks, ripples of force rolling through the surface.

    More and more of that shadowy substance leaks from the lurker in an attempt to encapsulate the area around me. It floats like water, covering an area wide enough to take out a city block and spinning like a whirlpool, sharp edges grinding the surroundings to dust: whether it be the remains of buildings, trees, or stones.

    I create a projectile and launch it through, piercing his defenses with ease without slowing down in the least and opening a gaping hole in his barrage. The lurker''s barriers crumble under my attack, and he finally stumbles back missing the left half of his body.

    Every shadow in the area moves like a living thing, surrounding him¡ªand giving form to a pitch-black figure the size of a multi-story building. Its head looks like a lizard''s and it has four arms, two thick legs, and a long tail to top it all off.

    Each step is fluid, the surface of the lurker''s creation rippling as it moves forth. The huge figure opens its mouth, and pours forth a white flame, quickly narrowing the stream until it''s condensed into a beam about as thick as my arm crashing against my barrier like a laser. That flame roars as it pierces through the air, burning everything in its way; without even sparing the mouth of the shadowy black creation before me as the shadow substance evaporates into nothing.

    I give it a bit longer, but the lurker doesn''t seem to have any secret trump cards in the mix.

    Overall, I''m pleasantly surprised. That kind of skill combination would¡¯ve probably managed to wipe out a big city or two, and it''s somewhat fitting for someone at level 307, I think.

    My own mana explodes from me, surrounding me in armor the size of the beast facing me. The barrier disappears, and the white flames crash into the chestplate of the blue armor I¡¯ve enclosed myself in, right in front of me.

    I weave it denser and denser, until I feel happy with the integrity, noting that it¡¯s not even putting any strain on my mind. Kinetic energy explodes from me, and my armor moves faster than ever before.

    The shadowy figure gathers the surrounding flames into its hand, a sword made of white flame forming there as it swings against me.

    I further weave and compress mana and let the sword crash against my forearm.

    There is no damage, and the sword breaks into flames which rapidly dissipate into the air.

    Before it can move, I take a step. My eyes locate the body of the lurker, and I burrow my arm into the mouth of the shadow from whence the flames emerge, grab the lurker, and squeeze.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 307]

    [Lvl 297 > Lvl 298]

    Right away, I pull the mana back into my crown, and over where the head of my mana armor was, a barrage of stone javelins passes. I boost myself towards the ground and use Wraith Dance to move towards where I see pulses of mana.

    The ground in front of me explodes, and a huge arm made of stone reaches towards me. I dodge it, and another is there, and then more. Dozens of arms, some of them not much bigger than mine and others as thick as trees.

    Boosting myself into the air, I fly in the direction of the attacker. Whitey''s favorite, Resonance Flow, surrounds me, and every projectile entering my perimeter slows to a stop in mid air as if frozen in time. Hundreds of them follow suit, immense amounts of kinetic energy collecting inside of me.

    The figure disappears underground, and I crash into the surface where it disappeared, releasing all of the kinetic energy into the ground below, reverberating through stone and soil.

    My eyes read the movement, and [Ley Line] stretches down after him, teleporting me into a room just big enough to take a few steps in.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    The vyssari lurker, even emotionless as they are, seems to show shock seeing me here and turns to attack me.

    I release the mana orb I¡¯ve been making¡ªa compressed mess of thermal energy, kinetic energy, and a lot of mana. Before it explodes, I teleport back to where I was, the ground under my feet shaking.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 291]

    Three more lurkers attack me all at once, two of them go all out to disrupt my mana and the last one prepares to deploy a domain that I can feel hanging patiently in the air, all the while firing harpoons made of mana at me with chains tied to them connected to a wildly oscillating circle behind his back.

    [Eclipse] activates, and I gradually feed it more and more mana, without the slightest regard for their attempts to disrupt my mana. My eyes read them all, modify the frequency of my mana, and with that, they¡¯re barely a bother.

    The world loses more of its color under the influence of [Eclipse], and only mana keeps its color. It''s something that happens from the view of others as well¡ªnot dissimilar to the effect of [Focus].

    [Eclipse - lvl 8 > Eclipse - lvl 9]

    [Eclipse - lvl 9 > Eclipse - lvl 10]

    [Eclipse - lvl 10 > Eclipse - lvl 11]

    The domain the lurker was preparing to deploy destabilizes and deactivates, unable to penetrate the effects of my [Eclipse], which simply overpowers it¡ªmy mana resonating at frequencies that counteract and disrupt its structure.

    His mana harpoons crash against my bare body, dissolving into a mist of fine particles in the process.

    Mana threads swirl around me, growing denser and denser and weaving together as they move through the air behind me, forming a circle of inscriptions.

    The harpoon lurker tries to move away, but a javelin quickly forms next to me, connected to me with a thread of mana, much the same as the harpoons connected to the lurker. It shoots ahead, changing direction mid-flight as the lurker tries to dodge, only for the projectile to follow him. At times, bursts of kinetic energy pulse forth in time with a slight tilt this way or that, sending it in different directions until the javelin finally pierces the lurker and a kill notification rings in my head.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 289]

    [Eclipse - lvl 11 > Eclipse - lvl 12]

    The two remaining lurkers, a pair of similar-looking feylith figures, finally stop trying to get into my head and disrupt my mana.

    Wraith Dance brings me to them before they fly into the air, avoiding my pulses of kinetic energy, and swiftly maneuvering their flight around me. The inscriptions made of mana threads I¡¯ve been working on finally activate, attempting to mimic the thing the eye did that prevented me from flying.

    For a moment, the two feylith stumble, and it seems like they will fall, but flaws in my inscriptions sabotage the attempt, allowing the duo to push through.

    More testing needed.

    I deactivate [Eclipse] and my mana threads before boosting myself into the air with kinetic energy and quickly catching up to the two feylith.

    The highly specialized lurkers attack again, their mental attacks crashing uselessly against my passive, while my mana control is much too great for them to disrupt, allowing me to finish them quickly.

    Two more notifications ring.

    Quickly, I move from body to body, grabbing any useful items and reading through the descriptions.

    Looking around, I don''t find any lurkers nearby, so I teleport through the [Ley Line] connecting me to Lily and appear next to her, only to duck down immediately, as her huge axe passes over my head.

    "I''m sorry! You surprised me!" Lily shouts and moves away at incredible speed.

    Sensing mana, I look into the air and find a vyssari floating there, blue flames surrounding her with a crown made of fire floating over her head.

    [Reanimated Corpse - lvl 313]

    I quickly realize what Lily was escaping from. This fireball composed of blue flames with a white core as big as a small building.

    Feeling the heat scorching my skin, I teleport again, reappearing next to Tess this time, after sending her a warning through our link of course. In the distance, a flash explodes into the darkness, as blue flames mixed with white burst into the sky, the heat serving to set the surrounding forest ablaze and evaporating anything in their direct path.

    The shockwave and heat reach even us here, and I watch as the flames swirl and move like living creatures, merging into the shape of a snake seeking out a lonely figure.

    Jean doesn''t even try to avoid it, and I would bet he¡¯s smiling, even now. He throws a punch at the giant flaming snake, which promptly disappears like the flame of a blown-out candle. The immense pressure from Jean¡¯s strike blowing it away and tearing the ground apart around him.

    Flame armor surrounds the flying vyssari, making her seem even bigger than Jean as she lands¡ªburning blue armor surrounding her and two enormous gloves made of white flames.

    She and Jean clash again, burns appearing on the man''s skin, but the flames blowing off before reigniting quickly as Jean hits her once again.

    The vyssari in flame armor is thrown through the air, setting anything she touches on fire and only coming to a stop after bulldozing through dozens of trees. Jean reaches her surprisingly quickly, his stomps blowing out the fire raging through the forest and then crashing into another battle with the armor which once again finds itself extinguished. He grabs the vyssari by the head and arm, ignoring the burst of white flames ravaging his chest, and pulls, tearing the small body in half.

    The flames blaze up once more before the vyssari lurker dies.

    Jean stands there with the flesh burned away from his chest, ribcage clearly visible, along with the organs inside his body, especially that big, powerful heart beating a surprisingly calm rhythm.

    Slowly, his wounds begin to close, and I can tell Lucien isn¡¯t healing him. Even so, his combat abilities don¡¯t seem reduced in the slightest.

    With all the lurkers dead, we exchange a few quick messages and loot the bodies, before heading towards the safe zone once more.

    "So what do you think of Jean and Lucien?" I ask Lily, matching my speed to hers.

    "I could beat him if I wanted," Lily immediately says.

    Now that I think of it, that would be fun to watch, but I don''t say it out loud and specify instead, "You know what I meant."

    "Well, I can obviously heal better than that boy, I think. He hasn¡¯t really done much until now. As for CarrotCake... Jean... I can see why he won the tournament for his round. He might seem hotheaded and dumb, but he is surprisingly effective in a fight."

    "It''s called battle IQ," Sophie states, joining the conversation. "When it comes to combat, he¡¯s hyper aware of his positioning relative to his opponents, and to top it all off he¡¯s quick to grasp their abilities."

    I don''t even ask her why she¡¯s been observing him so much. She obviously wouldn''t like someone like him threatening her life.

 Chapter 505 - Three ways to clear this floor

    We stop for a short break after a few more clashes. At this point, we¡¯ve all killed plenty of lurkers, so we¡¯re attracting a lot of attention. As always, the lurkers are going to be the most attracted to the people who¡¯ve killed the most of them. Even so, the floor itself is huge, so we always have a few minutes before we make contact with another group.

    Could we move without killing so many? Quite possibly, but even if we were to run into another lurker like Whitey, I don''t think it would cause us much trouble.

    Surrounded by a circle of trees, we stand there, taking a moment to eat and drink under the cover of multiple defensive arrays and sensory webs. That''s when Luna decides to move in closer and take a sniff of my hand, her nose lightly brushing its back.

    She opens her mouth, and the sound comes from it. "That mark, that scent has grown stronger, human."

    "It''s possible."

    "Why didn''t you bring the one who marked you as well?"

    "He¡¯s currently pretending to be asleep. And I''m not sure if he could come to the Beyond."

    "Why would he..." Luna shakes her head and growls as Leticia pulls her tail and joins us.

    "Don''t be rude, Luna."

    Luna, apparently deciding it''s not worth the argument, simply closes her mouth and sits down.

    "Why doesn''t Biscuit talk?" Lily asks curiously. "I mean, he does, but not as much as Luna."

    I shrug. "You can ask him if you want. I won''t be telling it without him agreeing."

    "So you know?!"

    "Obviously."

    It''s fun to see Lily''s expression. I wonder what she could be thinking.

    "If you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going to have a conversation with Soph. She made some really fancy modifications to her web, and it made me curious!" Leticia says, excusing herself, and Luna follows, her movements taking on a very protective manner¡ªsomething she does every time Leticia decides to approach Sophie.

    Taking her place, Tess comes closer after a quick conversation with Jean. "Half a day at this pace and we should reach the safe zone."

    "Did you learn anything else in the meantime?" I ask her.

    "A little. The first floor is shaped like a massive circle¡ªemphasis on ¡®massive¡¯. Thousands of tutorials, if not more, run simultaneously, and it''s believed that there are tens of thousands of Beyond attendees at any given time¡ªmaybe even hundreds of thousands. If anyone knows the exact numbers, they¡¯re not sharing."

    "Isn''t that... too much?" Lily asks, glancing between Tess and me in surprise.

    "Well, if we consider that every tutorial is connected to this single instance of Beyond, I wouldn''t say so. Isn''t that amazing?" Tess smiles. "Thousands and thousands of beyonders. You get 100 people at most from each world¡¯s tutorial, and that means thousands of tutorials running all at once. Each tutorial only takes 5 years and then there is many more included that already ended."

    "That probably means... there are a lot of planets already in the system," I reply.

    Tess nods and asks with a smile, "The system is enormous and very old. Doesn''t that humble you, Nat?"

    "Why would it?"

    "The fact that there are so many people so much stronger than you."

    "Why would I care about that? Just give it some time."

    "Boring," Tess complains and turns to Lily. "And what do you think?"

    Lily glances at me and then back to Tess. "With my skills, I will probably outlive most of them, so I just need to learn how to help others to do the same."

    "You can be so cute sometimes, Lily." Tess swoons, pulling her into a hug before asking quietly, "Remind me, how old are you?"

    Lily once again glances at me and then back to Tess. "Eighteen, almost nineteen!"

    That almost makes me roll my eyes and Tess notices, I''m sure.

    "And I''m just a bit over twenty," she notes.

    "It''s still hard to believe that Sophie is older than you by two years no matter how often I hear it."

    "That''s rude, Lily. Look at Nat, for example. He¡¯s older than me too, but going by our behavior, who would you say is older?"

    And at that, our healer, rightly, decides to stay quiet, much to Tess''s amusement.

    "Min-Jae will be turning eighteen sometime after the second tournament, so don¡¯t forget, you need to start thinking about the right gift," she reminds me, before hurrying over to Sophie, who gestures a signal about something triggering our detection arrays.

    A minute later we are on our way again.

    <hr>

    The 1st floor is enormous, just as Tess said. You can move for days at our enhanced speed and just manage to reach the first safe zone. After that, you head even deeper towards another safe zone. That one is closer, but the danger increases; there are fewer lurkers but they tend to be stronger, and for the first time, you get to meet the true monsters of this floor.

    According to the information we¡¯ve managed to gather, they mostly tend to be the millennia-old reanimated skeletons of the monsters that lived here when people first entered the 1st floor before they ended up reanimated much like the lurkers did.

    Something, or someone, makes it all happen, and even if someone did happen to know the hows and whys, the censor keeps them from sharing the information even here.

    So that leaves us with the question of how to progress to the second floor?

    The answer, as it turns out, is quite simple.

    You reach the first safe zone. And then you make for the second safe zone. When you get there then you have three ways to clear the first floor and enter the second.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    First, you look for a reanimated lurker or monster who may, on exceedingly rare occasions, have a special crystal that¡¯s formed inside their bodies. These crystals basically act like coordinates and, with some additional work and items, can create a temporary entrance to the second floor. They can apparently be bought, are single use, and sell for a lot of shards.

    Your second option would be to find one of the permanent entrances to the second floor. All of them are hidden well and tend to be guarded by something like a raid boss¡ªa monster even stronger than a lurker that usually takes hundreds of attendees to kill or distract it long enough to even have a chance of entering the second floor.

    And then we have the third, head towards the center of the 1st floor where something awaits, likely whatever being causes the reanimation of lurkers and monsters. That being likely reanimates as well, and rumor says that it hasn''t been killed in hundreds of years, and doing so is said to clear the floor. That''s the reason why people on the lower floors of Beyond sometimes return to the first, to kill it in hopes of better rewards, and more often than not they die trying.

    The sheer size of this floor means that each of these options will take some time, but with the right amount of luck, this floor could also be cleared in a matter of days.

    I''m not going to lie, but there is one option I''m really fond of. It feels like a mystery and challenge combined, and how could I resist that? I''m sure that at some point I will attempt to pull it off, even if it isn''t this time, but sometime in the future. Just the fact that 4th and 5th year attendees have been known to die trying to reach the center of the first floor.

    The fact there are thousands or tens of thousands of Beyond attendees¡ªthe best out of everyone from their planets¡ªand yet they still have trouble dealing with it, just makes the thought irresistible.

    But I learned my lesson fairly recently. There is too much to be excited for to just... I stop myself there. Trying to gaslight myself into that kind of thinking has never truly worked.

    <hr>

    Tacita does reappear every once in a while, often leaving a big group of dead lurkers in her wake. At this point, I don''t even want to know how many she¡¯s killed, most of them seem to have been left in our path for us to loot¡ªin this way, she almost seems like a mama cat trying to leave food for her kittens.

    I don''t know if I should consider it an act of kindness or if she just doesn''t have any use for them and decides to leave the items where they are.

    Or maybe it''s just a payment for the bigger groups of lurkers she can''t deal with and decides to pull our way.

    But one thing has been confirmed for me: Tacita, with her extremely high Dexterity and that field is very terrifying, much more so than she ever was during the tournament. Even though her skillset isn''t all that good against huge or flying monsters, she is very effective against anyone around her size.

    Sometimes I move a bit ahead to finish off a group of lurkers trying to run away or prepare some grand attack, and in those cases, I can see her fighting. Even lurkers over level 300 tend not to notice her before their heads fly off. The weapons in her hands are extremely sharp, and the multiple daggers hidden across her body each seem to have their own very different effects, and she frequently swaps between them.

    After one of these fights, I finish off two lurkers preparing a large-scale attack. Just as she finishes with hers and moves a bit closer, taking a seat on the branch of a nearby tree, watching as I cut a giant lurker apart.

    The man seemed to have some weird-feeling way to move mana through his body, so I''m checking to see if it¡¯s at all similar to my Mana Circuits or something else I could use as inspiration.

    A small stone hits the back of my head, and I look over at her.

    She waves shamelessly, and a bit of mana glows at the tip of her finger. She moves her hand at an incredible speed, drawing an emoji in the air.

    ?(¡¥¥í¡¥"?)

    "I''m learning stuff."

    (©V_©V)

    "Sure, and why the hell are you even here? Were you spying on the Beyond Community so that you could join at the same time?"

    |?¦Ø?)

    "So very sneaky, I''m sure it was extremely difficult to spy on us while we were chatting out in the open."

    Another small stone hits the top of my head.

    (? o ?)¡è=[]:::::>

    "You can try anytime."

    A flicker of interest flashes in her eyes, and she leans closer, her muscles twitching, eager to move, to attack.

    Mana and kinetic energy do the same inside my body, my eyes activating, in a clear challenge to her.

    A challenge I hope she will accept.

    (¨s¡ãÒæ¡ã)¨sáê©ß©¥©ß

    Tacita disappears.

    My body moves, and the Resonance Flow field surrounds me, slowing anything that moves within it by absorbing its kinetic energy.

    Within it, Tacita''s movements slow down, but with wild animal instinct rather than skill or knowledge, her field adapts and her movement returns to that same incredible speed.

    I boost my movement more, and rather than relying on my eyes, I focus on tracking the disturbances in the air around me.

    The dagger playfully moves toward my neck as I absorb my inertia, shifting in place, absorbing it again, and moving once more. I repeat this multiple times in half a second¡ªsomething that would tear a normal body apart. After all, humans aren''t meant to move like this.

    As the dagger passes by me, my hand shoots toward her, kinetic energy flowing through my body and my feet sending a burst into the ground to move me to the side.

    I miss, and so does her strike at my neck.

    She pulls back, and I boost myself ahead in a surge of quick movement to follow her.

    I duck under the swing and then use Wraith Dance to bring me back as the dagger passes through the space I once occupied three times in succession.

    Tacita appears in front of me in a movement reminiscent of Wraith Dance. Her eyes shine under her messy brown hair, and her mouth curls into a smile. Her dagger crashes against one of my own woven out of mana, and I change its shape, causing it to coil around and grab her dagger. I boost my body back, and I drag her with me, trying to pull her off balance.

    But she lets go of her dagger before I can do so. Her figure blurs and disappears, but I follow her movement and...

    I release a burst of kinetic energy pushing myself back, then again to the side, and then Wraith Step to move even further away.

    Another spike of danger raises the hair on the back of my neck, I duck and kick behind myself, weaving mana around my forearm in an attempt to deflect a dagger that seemingly comes from nowhere, managing to slice through my protections, drawing blood and poisoning me.

    Thermal energy concentrates around the wound, and I let it burn the flesh, the golden flames surrounding my forearm and scorching away the poison in the process.

    Tacita appears again, the way she was confusing my kinetic movement senses dropping as well. She smiles even more and happily waves the dagger with my blood on the blade.

    Wow.

    So that''s how it is?

    I let my heart beat without trying to calm it down. Armor covers my left forearm once more, and a dagger forms in my right hand again.

    Part of my Burden Enhancement Inscriptions dissolves, and the kinetic energy immediately starts moving so much easier through my body.

    This time I allow much more of it to flood me, nearly emptying my Vortex Core, and I take a stance, deactivating my Mana Wavelength Iris and solely relying on my kinetic and thermal senses ¡ªnot to track her, but to watch for the slightest change in the air around us.

    ? ?? o ?? ?

    Tacita pulls daggers into each of her hands. One of them has a transparent blade made of crystal and the other one is made from a black metal with blue veins running through it. She lowers her body, taking on a stance more reminiscent of a wild beast than anything a human would take.

    I know she''s getting more serious too.

    Before either of us can attack though, a powerful shockwave washes through the area, followed by three more in quick succession.

    Then I get a hurried message from Sophie. (Nat, we might need help here.)

    (Oh, come on.)

    Tacita notices my hesitation, and her daggers disappear back into her clothes.

    She rolls up her sleeve and flexes her biceps, showing off the small peak of muscle victoriously.

    "That''s not it," I correct, trying to defend myself, but she¡¯s already gone.

    For a few seconds, I stand there, motionless.

    With no other options, I move toward the source of the explosions.

 Chapter 506 - Lake City

    Even though I don''t have time for a full lesson, I make sure to visit the guest who¡¯s taken up residence in my mental space.

    This time I find Whitey seated in a well-kept garden, surrounded by towering, elegant bonsai-like trees. Nearby, cherry trees scatter their pink petals. In the distance, the bamboo thing fills with water before emptying itself with a rhythmic thunk as its base collides with the stone beneath it.

    The scream of cicadas even serves to round out our exceptionally clich¨¦ environment.

    Additionally, Whitey¡¯s dressed in a white and black kimono. And even these clothes seem to fit him very well, as always.

    "Are you having fun going through my memories?" I ask, sitting next to him, wondering exactly what anime, movie or show he got it from.

    "At least as much as you are going through mine. By the way, that human girl, I like her."

    "Tacita?"

    "Yes. She moves very well, and even though her technique is lacking, her instincts balance things out favorably. Back then you would have lost against her with kinetic energy alone, you know."

    "Bullshit. So why don''t you point out what I did wrong."

    Whitey, always excited to put down my abilities and make fun of me, reaches into his pocket, pulling out a smartphone, and brings up a video of the fight from my point of view.

    "First, she is, in fact, using some sort of ''field'' as you refer to it, but until she deploys it over a wider area, there still should be signs of movement. Look here and..."

    <hr>

    A few minutes later, I open my eyes and nod at Lily, who¡¯s been keeping watch over me, and she nods back, unable to say anything as she continues to stuff her mouth with some sort of dried fruit.

    "Noname, I was asking the others, but how many Stay Tokens do you have?" Leticia asks, taking notice of my freshly opened eyes.

    "I could stay longer than the others if I wanted, but we¡¯ll see. We just started the 7th floor, so I''m still curious about that. So I¡¯ll probably only stick around the next 3-5 days, same as them, and just hope we reach the second safe zone."

    "Seventh floor is pretty good! Luna, I, and the rest of our group are still on the 6th! I think Jean and Lucien are still on the 6th as well."

    The aforementioned CarrotCake doesn''t seem to be disappointed, and in fact, chooses to clarify. "There are a lot of fun opponents to fight. Plus there is nothing I can do about the Floor Quest, so the others have to deal with it."

    Lucien, the annoying little twerp, also seizes the opportunity to speak up. "Jean just likes to punch people. And that¡¯s not going to help him get out of the Astral Prison."

    "That''s true," Jean doesn''t have a problem acknowledging that and grabs the back of Lucien''s neck, shaking him. "That''s why I have you and the others, right?"

    "Fucking brute, let me go!"

    That causes Jean to shake him even more.

    Leticia turns to Gareth. "And you?"

    "We are on the 6th but might be able to clear it soon. I would love to tell you more, Leticia, but I worry the system would only censor it."

    I don''t say it out loud but I bet Gary here is busy performing countless human sacrifices to free the eye and to escape the floor or something. He might¡¯ve even joined the Mind Mages willingly or started bringing deathtraps full of people into the Mana Desert to feed to the thylarin Champion and his bond.

    "Noname," Lucien calls out to me, seemingly from nowhere, once Jean finally lets go.

    "What?"

    "Did you meet Lissandra Hawthorne back on the 2nd floor?"

    My state of disinterest up til now vanishes, and I give the boy my full attention.

    That seems to be exactly what he wanted, as a smirk tugs at his lips. "I''ve met her too, and I had a feeling you had as well. The way you move your mana feels distinctly similar to hers."

    His voice dies off a bit and his hand trembles for a moment. Something most probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed, but I sense it nonetheless. His left eyelid twitches, and his toe shifts nervously inside his boot.

    "You don''t look like someone with much interest in mana," I note.

    He shakes his head but stays silent, clearly trying to get under my skin. "I¡¯m curious - how did you manage to draw her out? Until now, I haven¡¯t met a single person who¡¯s encountered her face to face."

    "What? Was she some kind of rare native?" Leticia asks curiously, sliding closer to the boy and prodding him to answer.

    "Apparently," Jean waves it off. "She took a liking to one of Lucien''s skills and made him do some tests for a day or two before throwing him away."

    "You dumb brute. Do you not know when to keep your mouth shut!" Lucien says moving away from Leticia to start pounding on Jean''s shoulder, who doesn''t even seem to notice.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    I squint my eyes and observe the boy with more attention. For The Cockroach to take interest in his skill, it must really be something else. Like really something else. It might be part of the reason he passed Beyond trials. Is there anything else?

    Also, for him to recognize the similarities in our use of mana even at this distance is weird. There¡¯s barely any connection.

    Lucien notices me looking at him and his frustrated expression disappears, and he smirks again, probably knowing what¡¯s going through my head and the frustration I feel for not knowing the answer.

    "You will fail, do you know that Noname?" he says leaning back, arms crossed over his chest. "You will never be like her, no matter how much you imitate her techniques. You will never be as strong as her."

    That confuses me but I stay quiet, and while we all stand up, preparing to move again, I think.

    Why would I be doing all this, only to become as strong as she was?

    <hr>

    Before we finally reach the safe zone I have an opportunity to watch Sophie use Golem Heart, the damaged arcane item I left with her long ago.

    She¡¯s already made her own modifications, and even though she hasn¡¯t used the grains of white sand I left with her on the 7th floor, it¡¯s still stronger than it was before.

    Now, if she wants to improve her control she can infuse her bond into the creation, such that when the earth rises up her shadow connects to it, making the golem faster and more reactive while Sophie works to keep the frame of the golem strong, changing it according to the situation.

    It can be humanoid, it can crumble down, and deep within that mass, a smaller wolf-like figure acts as a skeleton making it seem more alive. But most of all she uses it to protect herself while she does her own thing. There are even still two lurkers under her control fighting in her stead.

    There are weaknesses I''m sure she knows about but there are strengths as well.

    As far as I know, she still hasn¡¯t fully tested the limits of her ability. Just how many lurkers can she control and imprint with her [Geas]?

    Another thing that interests me is Gareth and his silver crown. I remember seeing it back during the tournament all those months ago, yet I still have no idea what crown it is, much less what that damned silver light around him could be. But his abilities are undeniable, I know he doesn''t have to "tank" and that he can move much faster, yet he doesn''t do it.

    So we fight one more time and reach the safe zone.

    Simple as that.

    There are no more crazy strong lurkers standing in our way and now we¡¯re just a few steps away from the safe zone.

    There aren¡¯t any random guild of thugs sniffing around to get our equipment either.

    Just like that, we reach the place, and I have to wonder if I really had an authentic experience with my previous expeditions or if we just got lucky or our party was just too strong this time.

    The safe zone we find ourselves in is simple.

    An island on an enormous lake full of dark water, too murky to see past the surface. Despite that, something does seem to be swimming beneath the waters, and when Sophie makes her lurkers move closer, the surface ripples, and whatever it is pulls the lurkers down below.

    We had already heard about it from Leticia, given that she and the others had already made it to this safe zone, so it should be safe - but still, let them move in first. They also mentioned something about fish or fishing, but I¡¯m not sure how that connects to anything.

    Leticia takes a step onto the surface of the dark, almost black lake, and stands on the surface of the water, ripples of blue light pooling under her feet. Jean takes a step as well and confidently continues to walk, his ripples much bigger, reflecting his weight.

    It¡¯s not them using an ability that makes it possible, but rather one of the lake¡¯s properties.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I catch movement - a slim figure darting across the surface like one of those crazy lizards back on Earth that run on water. The lake is massive, and the island lies far off in the distance, yet Tacita crosses it swiftly.

    Something in me wonders if she could pull it off just as easily even without the strange effect that allows the rest of us to cross.

    I let my eyes activate and take a step, watching the ripples of water, mana, and moving mana signatures under the surface. No monsters attack us, and despite the fact that we¡¯ve been walking for a few minutes, no lurkers try to approach. The contrast with the situation, even a few moments earlier, is striking. And it¡¯s taking us a while to get used to not constantly feeling lurkers prowling just out of sight.

    "Given the number of attendees and the first floor¡¯s size, there¡¯s quite a few safe zones. This one is called Lake City," Leticia starts explaining.

    "That''s very original. It also seems too small to be called a city."

    "I know, Sset," Leticia flashes her a smile. "There are fewer people inside than you might expect, probably a few dozen at most. Though sometimes that number rises to just over a hundred. It changes according to ''season,'' and more natives and attendees come to this safe zone when it''s time to ''fish.''"

    Tess asks, "How do natives get here and what are they fishing for?"

    "Once or twice a year they pay a lot of shards to the top 100 guilds who send them a few B or A ranks who help them fish and to get here safely. They even share part of the catch."

    "Are you going to tease me longer?"

    "Hehe, it is fun, Sset." Leticia ignores Luna who quietly bumps her leg. "They¡¯re hunting for a fish that eats mana. These fish also tend to eat weapons and items from the lurkers who get pulled into the lake, but more importantly, when they eat mana it crystallizes inside of that fish''s belly and makes mana stones favored by the larger guilds!"

    "Is the fish tasty?"

    "I''m sorry, I don''t know, Jean."

    "I understand."

    "By the way, Sset, are you guys planning to join any guilds? Luna and I are still on the fence, and we¡¯ve got a few offers, but we might also be waiting a bit longer for a better one. Apparently, the better guilds don''t tend to bother with newbies until they¡¯ve made it to the second floor. It¡¯s pretty rare for them to take an interest in anyone from the first."

    "We¡¯re going to wait and see as well. Is there any reason to? Noname told me a few things, but he only had one source so I want confirmation from someone else. I remember something about longer stay tokens, better prices, and salaries."

    "Well, that''s mostly it," Leticia giggles. "Top 10 guilds can double the duration of your stay tokens and top 3 can probably triple it? But don''t quote me on that. Then there¡¯s the salary, you can join Beyond events as a guild member, better prices in certain shops, you can also find new party members and get information on the floors which can help you a lot, and they usually keep things restricted to guild members only. Bonuses, salary, items. And occasionally they run expeditions to the surface as well."

    "Thanks for telling me, Leticia."

    "No problem, Sset! I¡¯m sure you¡¯d do the same for me. And no matter how grumpy Luna can get, she¡¯d share too, right?"

    Luna stays quiet, glancing away without denying it. Then lets out a bark as Leticia tugs on her tail, which only makes the young woman smile even more.

 Chapter 507 - Fish

    Lake City turns out to be quite basic. There are no walls or protections, there aren¡¯t many locks on the houses though I do spot a few rudimentary arrays to prevent break-ins. It seems like no one¡¯s even considered the possibility of a lurker attack or an assault from the monsters in the lake.

    All of the houses are made out of a material reminiscent of ice, but it''s not cold and there are no sharp angles. Instead, it feels oddly comfortable and warm to the touch.

    Some of these houses are unlocked, likely serving as lodgings for the attendees, while the locked ones probably belong to the assorted guilds and natives who move in for the local fishing and trade seasons.

    You have reached a safe zone! Congratulations! The next time you enter Beyond you will appear here instead of the Entrance Floor until you reach a different safe zone.

    Looking to the center of the city, I also see a teleportation array and two thylarin, likely natives staying in the small house nearby.

    "Let me guess, the guild runs the teleportation array and charges 10k to move to the Entrance Floor," Lily notes with clear annoyance, likely already missing the shards she had to pay just to reach the same entrance outpost as us.

    Just imagine how many pets she could buy from Luna with all those shards.

    "Yes. Starting now you can teleport to this safe zone or out of it... if you have shards," Leticia confirms.

    As we pass by, Luna growls at the men.

    That makes me wonder what experience they could possibly have had with this mode of transport.

    After a moment of looking around, we split up, Tess, Leticia, and Lucien heading to the merchants to find out what they can get for the items we got from the lurkers and if we might get more selling them to the system shop. There we even have a couple of damaged arcane items, though nothing to really hold my interest.

    Meanwhile, the rest of us follow Luna, who has been leading us towards one of the bigger houses, which we enter.

    An entire wall on one side is transparent, opening out on a view of the dark lake. The view isn''t perfect but it¡¯s certainly better than nothing, and I create a manablock chair and sit there. Lily and Sophie also get one each and sit nearby.

    "What''s your problem with me?" Sophie asks Jean out of nowhere.

    The bulky man looks at her. "You''re nothing more than a temporary nuisance."

    "Do you think I mean to simply hide behind Noname? If you come at me, I¡¯ll be the one to fuck you up."

    At that, he shakes his head. This calm, focused behavior runs completely at odds with his prior demeanor.

    "You have no chance against me," he says and turns to point at Lily, "you have no chance against me." Lastly, he points at me, "If we fought, you would lose. I hold myself back because of the promise I made to Leticia, but even if I don¡¯t kill you now, the opportunity will come in the future."

    "Even if you do hate mind mages, Soph hasn¡¯t done anything to you, you know that," Lily says in an attempt to defuse the situation.

    Instead of Jean, it''s Lucien who answers. "Don''t bother, once he gets like this he won''t change his mind."

    Sophie doesn''t answer, but I can see that look in her eyes. If it comes down to her survival, she won''t hesitate to play dirty or even kill him before he can do the same. I know she won''t.

    Then there¡¯s the other thing I¡¯ve noticed: Luna¡¯s been avoiding Sophie as much as possible. It seems like even the others from Earth are learning to fear and hate mind mages, which I consider very reasonable.

    Sensing a familiar presence outside, I stand up and make my exit through the door.

    As expected, it turns out to be Duncan, the young man carrying the massive bag on his back, following close behind a small group of natives and attendees. I do take notice of a few Royal Blue B-rank identification emblems on a couple of the attendees. Demons. The group seems like a powerful one, likely visiting from a deeper floor.

    A few eyes glance my way, towards the crown especially, but no one tries to probe my body¡¯s mana capacity or anything like that, given the offense it would cause. Though one of the demons does try to probe my heart but he doesn''t linger on it for too long.

    Duncan looks towards me as well, but overlooks me for a moment before his eyes snap back to me in surprise and a big smile takes over his face.

    He quickly makes some excuse to the native next to him and leaves the group to come rushing my way.

    "Noname! I didn''t expect to see you in Lake City! Congratulations on reaching the safe zone. It''s been a while since I saw you, so I thought you might have died or gone deeper."

    "Hey. That¡¯s just how it worked out. We just got here a little while ago and now we¡¯re planning our expedition to the second safe zone."

    "Oh, you seem to have found a nice group this time," he then looks around as if he were worried about being overheard.

    I form a barrier around us and add [Eclipse] to the mix, making sure no one can eavesdrop.

    "You always were quick to understand," he smiles. "Listen, I¡¯ve got some pretty nice info, 1,000 shards and it could be yours. If, after a while, you find it has some value or leads to some nice earnings, you can tip me, so you could even say I''m being generous. What do you think?"

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    I guess the grind really never stops with this guy.

    "Sure," I reply, transferring the shards.

    "You probably have heard about fishing here, right?"

    "Just a little bit."

    "So, the group I joined has a few fresh B-ranks looking to make some shards. Usually, you would want A-ranks, but it''s not the season so the pale purple, white, and golden fish won''t be around. But, if you know where to look, you can still catch some, and even though they¡¯re not as valuable they are good enough for a few B-ranks."

    "Continue."

    "Obviously I can''t tell you much more about their plans; I have my reputation to uphold! But from my own experience, I know that once you start fishing using a lure, plenty of smaller fish come to the surface all over the lake. The bigger ones will stay near the lure so the B-ranks will get their stuff, but if you get lucky you could catch one or two of the smaller ones."

    "That does indeed sound interesting. How would one go about luring these smaller fish?"

    Duncan smiles brightly and taps on his backpack.

    With a sigh I ask, "How much?"

    "Five thousand shards! I promise it¡¯s worth it!"

    "Here."

    "Thank you!" He quickly sets the bag down while explaining, "Of course, the proper lures are much more expensive and you¡¯d need a specialist to make them, but I have some of the materials they use to make them. Not much, but it should be enough for the smaller ones."

    He hands me three small grape-like things. They¡¯re red and the surface is shriveled, and they have a strong scent to them. It''s not unpleasant, but it is weird and hard to describe.

    "You need to crush them all at once and mix them with a bit of mana, as concentrated as possible. Someone with Mana Potency would be great for that! It will strengthen the effect! See you back here in a day?"

    "I''m not sure about that, but I will find you here before we leave."

    "That works as well! Good luck!"

    As he leaves, I cancel out the barrier around us and walk back into the house looking over the three weird fruits.

    I smell them again before carefully stowing them in one of my pockets.

    Let''s do some fishing.

    <hr>

    We¡¯re now all gathered around the lake, surrounded by a mass of other people. Likely accounting for the full population of the outpost. In the distance on the opposite side, the group of attendees and natives are making their own preparations for fishing.

    Everything in Beyond moves quickly. They do not rest or slack around. Just an hour after arriving they¡¯re already on the move, ready to fight again.

    "So we¡¯re going to do some fishing of our own?" Leticia asks, her voice full of childish excitement.

    This prompts Luna to poke her with her nose, but Leticia doesn''t let that stop her.

    "Are you excited for the fish, Luna? I thought you didn''t like fishes," Leticia teases playfully.

    "Leticia, each day you get closer to confirming my theory that I''m the real human and you are the golden retriever."

    "I wouldn''t mind!"

    "Leticia."

    "I love you too, Luna."

    "Silly girl, I love you too." The sigh sounds very weird from the golden retriever.

    "Done planting death flags?" Lucien gripes, impatiently interrupting the pair and turning to me. "So you want us to help you fish?"

    I nod. "I paid five thousand for the information and ten thousand for the lure. I also made it all possible, so I¡¯ll be taking 50% of whatever we make. The rest can be split among the group."

    "I''m up for it," Tess replies before Lucien can interrupt, and when he looks at her annoyed, she shrugs and smiles. "Soph, Grumpy?"

    "I don''t mind."

    "I don''t mind either!"

    "Luna and I also think that¡¯s fair."

    "Leticia... we could get more, you know," Luna complains.

    "It''s fine!"

    Seeing that Jean doesn''t complain, Lucien just sighs. "Fine, damn it."

    With that last confirmation, we watch as the group sets the lure. Even though I''m not using my senses to the fullest, I can feel them compressing mana, likely in an attempt to increase the lure¡¯s efficiency.

    It feels lacking.

    After a minute of tense waiting, the surface of the lake near them ripples, and a blue light flows through it. They make a formation, allowing the natives to move out of the way. There are 3 fresh B-ranks and the other 6 consists of D- and C-ranks.

    The dark water erupts, and a fish climbs out onto the lake¡¯s surface. The lake¡¯s unique properties allow it to stand on the surface, just as we do.

    And yup, climbs.

    The fish is reminiscent of a salmon with three pairs of human arms. It¡¯s about the size of a small house and its scales are gray with pale blue edges.

    "Oh, they got pretty lucky," one of the natives nearby mutters to the man sitting next to him.

    "Looking at that color, I would guess 80 years."

    "At least 110! Just look at the size and the length of the arms!"

    "There is no way..."

    I observe that monstrosity as it uses its arms to maneuver across the surface of the lake and uses jet-like water based attacks.

    "No, even kids know the fewer colors there are and the paler the fish is, the older and stronger it is!" the native raises his voice at his friend.

    As I move, the rest of the group moves as well and we break out into a run across the surface of the lake.

    When I think we are far enough, I pull out the weird fruit, Within my arm an orb compresses, its color turning dark blue really quickly, and soon a mix of light blue and purple flows through¡ªa tricolored, very densely compressed mana.

    I stare at it for a moment.

    Then I shrug and push further, turning the orb pitch black as it begins to reverberate in my hand, struggling to escape my control.

    I squish the fruit and the juice within reacts to my mana; flowing around and encapsulating it, before shining a brilliant white and dropping to the surface of the lake.

    It only takes a few seconds for the vibrations to roll through the surface, the ripples rebounding all the way to the opposite side.

    Something moves under the surface at an incredible speed and an arm pierces the surface. Human-like, enormous, and thin as a spire.

    The fish pulls itself out¡ªrevealing another salmon-like creature with six pairs of red eyes and three pairs of these creepy arms.

    That fish is twice as big as the one the others lured, and its scales are of a single color only: pale blue.

    [Fish - lvl ???]

 Chapter 508 - Our fish

    Even before it fully climbs out, I find myself sliding into [Focus] as [Eclipse] activates, reaching out for the fish while Ley Lines crisscross their way through the area, the pressure just feels that strong.

    Sophie deploys her webs; Luna grows to the size of a horse, nudging Leticia and prompting her to climb on her back as she begins to form a bow of mana in her hand.

    Lucien quickly repositions, and Tess grabs him as she runs by, both of them keeping their distance.

    Gareth steps forth, his armor taking on more bulk as the silver light condenses around him. He lifts his shield just in time as a stream of water erupts from the fish¡¯s mouth, striking the shield as if drawn to it, though it¡¯s difficult to tell whether the effect originates from man or fish. Gareth holds his ground, using both hands to fend off the assault.

    Jean runs by him, and the fish turns to shoot that stream at him, but in quick succession, multiple lightning-charged javelins pierce it and make it miss.

    In one smooth movement, Jean reaches the body and strikes the fish, only to be thrown back with incredible force, his body skipping across the lake¡¯s surface like a stone.

    I immediately recognize the skill¡¯s similarity to [Reflection, and lift myself higher into the air before launching a few mana javelins at it, which hit the body. Does that mean it only works on physical attacks?

    Lily reaches the same conclusion, so the axe stays on her back and coats her fist in [Disintegration] instead before throwing a punch of her own. The attack would almost seem gentle were it not for the gray mana eating a huge hole in the fish''s body.

    Moving surprisingly quickly given its huge size, the fish turns to her, swatting at her with one of its arms, only to be struck by a series of lightning javelins moving at incredible speeds, throwing the attack off course as Lily''s punch takes a huge chunk out of that arm.

    The fish moves again, two arms moving, but they freeze mid-air, held by Sophie.

    Seizing upon the opportunity offered by the immobilized fish, Leticia showers it in a barrage of arrows, leaving some kind of corrosive effect in their wake, and Tess does the same with her javelins, both of them focusing on the eyes.

    The surface of the lake moves unsteadily, a huge wave rising in the wake of the fish as it moves, turning its jet-like stream on Sophie, only to be blocked by Gareth once again. This time I notice the attack bend slightly in the air as if pulled towards the man. That same stream eventually moves up, targeting me, but I form a shield to intercept the stream in its entirety.

    Having finished my preparations, compressing a projectile as long as a bus and as thick as a tree ¡ªwoven from condensed mana and kinetic energy.

    It erupts forth at high speed, piercing through the monster¡¯s skull, gouging out massive chunks of flesh, leaving a big hole in its wake, wide enough to see through.

    The creature¡¯s blood begins to drip onto the surface of the lake and for a moment the fish wavers, just before its six arms reach out to stabilize it.

    With incredible speed, the wounds heal¡ªexcept for those inflicted by [Disintegration]. The flesh sizzles and bubbles as it regrows, rapidly mending the damage.

    Two more pairs of arms emerge from the fish¡¯s back in an eerie sort of twisting motion. Then they clap, sending vibrations through the air along with a powerful disrupting wave, weakening any mana-based skills in the area.

    Not mine, though.

    [Mana Domain] protects my body, and [Eclipse] drains the color from the air, making the varied hues of mana even more vibrant by comparison.

    At that moment, Jean reaches the fish again, and I launch more projectiles its way, which pierce through its body, tearing the arms from its back.

    Then Jean punches it again in an even greater show of strength than before.

    This time, he isn¡¯t immediately thrown back. A wide grin spreads across his bloodied face as the fish¡¯s skin ripples at the point of impact, inflicting a fresh set of wounds¡ªbefore Jean is hurled away with even greater speed and force than before.

    As the fish regrows the arms and claps again, I release more of my mana, countering its attempts at disruption with [Eclipse], as more and more of the surrounding colors fade away under the spreading effects of my skill as it envelops the area.

    Six huge arms form from the mana surrounding me, each extending forth and reaching down towards the monster, reaching out to me in turn with the pair on its back.

    The six of my arms grab these two arms and pull them off, the blood exploding from the monster. Then the arms grab it to hold it in place.

    The water swirls around us as another wave prepares to wash over the group, but Sophie moves her arm, causing the water to follow the gesture and roil in place before bursting forth in a series of pressurized streams, bombarding the fish with a myriad of imitations of its own attacks.

    Three more javelins pierce its body, Tess''s primordial lightning seeming to slow the healing a bit.

    Striking from underneath, Lily attacks the head, her punches sending threads of gray mana through the body of the monster, stopping the healing fully.

    Then Jean is there again, delivering another punch and stripping a fifth of the monster''s body to the bone, blowing the flesh away in an explosion of blood. He isn''t thrown away this time either, apparently having changed something in his approach. A roar of satisfaction erupts from his throat, and he throws another punch, stripping more of the monster''s body spraying blood and flesh everywhere.

    Gareth and Lily are blasted away in the aftershocks, sent tumbling and sliding across the surface of the lake.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    One of the fish¡¯s arms moves to meet Jean''s fist, only to be blown away, with the second following close behind.

    The water that Sophie and Leticia have been holdng backstops spinning and drops back to the surface of the lake, falling like a quick summer¡¯s rain.

    As Jean moves to deliver another attack, two of the remaining four arms, connected to mostly bones and pieces of flesh, move and slap the surface of the lake. Like an enormous geyser, water under the monster explodes in swirling patterns, cutting into Jean''s skin and pushing him away.

    Then, behind the shroud of water, a light begins to shine forth.

    I notice Tess lifting her hand high towards the sky and pulling it down, and as if she had drawn it with the stroke of a brush, a huge red and white bolt of coiling lightning crashes down from the sky, assaulting the shroud of water.

    The fish runs from its cover, mouth wide open, sending a thick stream of water crashing into Jean. Three more jet-like attacks focus on Lily, who simply deflects them with her bone axe, and two of the monster''s arms grab Gareth.

    Luna starts running even faster, picking up speed as the water under her starts exploding into geysers, tracing her path as she does. Tess isn¡¯t doing much better.

    It seems like we''ve come to the final stage.

    Satisfied with what I have learned about the abilities of other members of the expedition, I pull my mana back to my crown. Mana starts spinning inside of it, ready to destabilize as I modify the frequency according to the fish''s mana.

    Then I notice the first expedition moving closer. All of them seem to be in tip-top shape, seemingly having had an easy job with their fish, which seemed much weaker.

    I don''t like the way they are looking at us, so I use one of my Ley Lines to appear between them and the fish.

    Our fish.

    <hr>

    POV Duncan

    "That should be as far as you go," Noname says as he appears in front of us. His voice projecting the permanent calm reflected in his expression.

    It''s dark down here, but his crown throws a bit of pale blue light across his face. It might just be me, but the colors in the area around him seem almost washed out, aside from the pale blue of his mana.

    Myrril, the leader of our expedition, steps forward, coming to a stop in front of him, and as he does so, I hear one of the other B-ranks snort in amusement.

    "We came to help you. Looks like you were unfortunate enough to attract one way too strong for you. We won¡¯t ask for much¡ª70 percent should be fair for our assistance in taking it down, right?"

    It''s unfortunate, but this isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve seen something like this. Attendees tend to get this way when they find themselves dealing with people from other planets and guilds. Especially now, granted, they seem to recognize the strength of Noname''s group, but at the same time, they won¡¯t hesitate to take advantage of their exhaustion from the fight. Myrril stands out as particularly strong, a cut above the other B-ranks, ranking somewhere in the lower mid-tier of B-ranks overall.

    The fish Noname''s group lured must be at least 200 years old, judging by the color. There is no way Myrril will let the opportunity pass, especially when it comes to a group of rookies with nothing beyond a few D-ranks.

    "It''s fine," Noname rejects him anyway.

    "You seem to misunderstand, human. It¡¯s only because we lured our fish that you got lucky." Impatience laces his voice¡ªtypical of Myrril. He is, after all, a demon, and demons have never been known for their patience.

    Even then, Noname doesn''t seem to hesitate or be worried, "I don''t know, man, you might just suck at fishing."

    Like most of our group, I can hardly believe this blatant provocation. I try to convey with my expression that he should stop, that provoking the demon like this is a bad idea. Noname, however, simply glances at me before turning his attention back to Myrril.

    "Your heart is weak, too," he adds.

    As he says this, his expression remains blank, only making the words hit harder.

    "I bet baby demons have stronger hearts. Yours is probably worse than the pets of the royal ladies."

    Ripples spread across the surface, and the fish being fought by the group battling in the distance is all but forgotten. Myrril¡¯s smile widens, his eyes glowing a darker shade of red as his black hair rises, fanning out around his head. A powerful thump echoing through the area, resonating from his heart.

    I take a step ahead, just to try, "Myrril, can¡ª"

    The words freeze in my throat, my movement held at bay, and I find myself unable to move¡ªnot to blink, not even to breathe.

    "Damn, the little baby demon got an ouchie. Did I hurt your feelings?" I would¡¯ve expected Noname to at least change his expression or even to smirk a bit, yet his face remains the same, and that only makes it worse.

    Myrril takes a step towards him, and incredible vibrations rumble through the area as his powerful heart generates an incredible amount of energy.

    "Human, I will enjoy this very much."

    "Sure. If you take another step, you will die."

    The confidence in Noname¡¯s words makes Myrril hesitate for a moment, but he simply smirks and takes another step. "What now?"

    Noname shrugs. "Kill him."

    Before anyone can react, another figure appears by Myrril''s side¡ªa human girl, slim with eyes peeking out from under her brown hair.

    That powerful demon heart only manages to beat a few times as Myrril turns towards her, energy exploding around his body.

    Then, it falters. The energy dissipates, and the demon stumbles. At that moment, his head begins to slide down his neck, falling toward the water¡¯s surface landing with a splash before coming to a stop. The light in his red eyes slowly begins to fade, surprise etched in his expression, and as the last glimmer of light vanishes, his head sinks beneath the surface.

    I lift my eyes to look at the woman once again, but she is gone.

    A panic ensues in the group as they stand in formation, skills deploying around them. The two remaining B-ranks separate from their formation, coming to a stop beside Myrril''s body and grabbing it before it can sink beneath the surface.

    Both of them are demons. The one who grabs the body is K''len, and the other, Janryc, activates his mana, leaving a tracery of blue tattoos in its wake as it crawls across his skin, eventually reaching his horns and illuminating them in its pale blue light.

    K''len stretches and looks towards the group still fighting in the distance. "Which member of your party should I kill first?" A lot of anger seeps into his voice. He and Myrril were close and he doesn''t seem to be thinking straight at the moment.

    Then Noname''s own heart releases a loud thump, much like the demon he just had killed.

    K''len and Janryc both take a step forward, their eyes filling with bloodlust as their mouths twist upwards in a pair of dangerous smiles at the obvious challenge.

    Wave after wave of kinetic energy radiates from Noname, along with his mana. It increases more and more, the crown over his head spinning slowly as a golden shine appears in his eyes.

    The amount of mana pouring off him is incredible, crashing over us in waves, flickering around his body, emitting its signature blue light as the pressure around us increases, and this time, I''m sure, the colors are losing their hues, making his mana shine.

    No more words pass between them, and K''len attacks first.

 Chapter 509 - Pale blue

    I hope I¡¯ll never be as easy to provoke as this guy. Now that their strongest member is dead, this should be doable without losses on our end.

    I sidestep using Wraith Dance, bringing myself in line with the path of the demon carrying the corpse of their leader. I switch to Breaker Style and release the kinetic energy I¡¯ve been collecting.

    He, in defense, thrusts the body he holds into the path of my attack, and with its lowered natural defenses it explodes into flesh and bones but blocks most of the force.

    The demon grabs a thigh bone and a rib bone into his hands, oscillating mana coating them in addition as he uses kinetic energy to move towards me.

    My crown releases a pulse, disrupting all his mana, and before he can reactivate his skills, [Eclipse] cancels them out. The bones in his hands find themselves colliding with a pair of daggers woven from my mana and boosted with his own kinetic.

    Two arms made of mana take shape, extending from my back and reaching out to grab him, but he moves incredibly quickly, avoiding them and attacking me again.

    I dodge with Pulser Style, and he takes the opportunity to pursue the group still fighting the fish.

    I teleport through one of my Ley Lines and then use Wraith Dance, catching up to him and absorbing the kinetic energy of his movement. But he modifies the field protecting him and pushes through, turning his attention back to me after launching one of the bones at Lily, who simply raises her axe to deflect it as I send her a warning through our link.

    I grab the demon''s wrist, kinetic energy roaring through my body as I pull him to me, and my knee crashes into the arm he lifts in defense.

    His fist becomes coated with violently oscillating mana, but [Eclipse] disrupts it again, just as it does with every other skill he tries to activate.

    Time after time, I forgo efficiency, disrupting his skills before they can fully form, my reserves showing no sign of strain.

    He hisses, and something pierces the hand I use to hold his wrist. There are sharp bones growing from underneath his skin, stabbing into my arm.

    I hold on tightly and pull closer, driving my knee into the arm he raises to block the attack.

    His skin ripples as sharp bones begin erupting from his forearms, knees, chest, and shoulders. He strikes again, using his own bones as a weapon, eventually managing to pierce the hand holding him in place.

    I slam my head into his nose, breaking it and drawing blood.

    But that makes his smile broaden as he licks away the blood pooling on his upper lip and spits it in my face, making me move to avoid it.

    He makes another desperate attempt to activate skills in a last ditch effort to unleash something powerful, at least going by the way he tries to manipulate the structure and flow of his mana. But I don''t let him; I ruthlessly push through his natural defenses, destroying them, obliterating them with the sheer amount of mana I use.

    And as for his kinetic energy, It''s nothing I can''t match. He doesn''t even come close to the white-haired demon I normally spar with.

    Gradually, armor starts to form around my body, woven from dense threads of mana that his bone attacks just can''t seem to pierce.

    His arms, pierced with extremely sharp and durable bones, keep slamming against me, breaking and healing, each attack showing incredible physical stats, regeneration, and bursts of kinetic energy.

    And yet I maintain my grip on his arm and grab the other as well. With a strong pull, I grab it and tear it off. His desperate attempts at activating whatever strong skill he may possess intensify. Even in this state seems to be cycling through all his options, running through every skill he has.

    But there¡¯s nothing he can do.

    [Eclipse - lvl 12 > Eclipse - lvl 13]

    His mana pool can''t compare to mine, and I''m drawing on it like a bottomless well, with no concern for efficiency, just to disrupt even the earliest sign that he might be activating a skill.

    I pull off the other arm as well, and he staggers back.

    Even now, he fails to show even the slightest hint of hesitation and continues to laugh, even with the situation. Instead of restoring his flesh and bone arms, he skips the flesh entirely, choosing instead to weave a web of bone from the ends of his stumps.

    He doesn¡¯t run; instead, he attacks me again to the same result as before. Before his arms can regenerate, I pierce a hole in his chest with kinetic energy, his own failing to counter the strike.

    As he stands there dying, he doesn''t lose that maniacal look in his eyes. "That was a beautiful use of kinetic energy..." he coughs up blood, "For a human."

    As his eyes glaze over and he falls, he steals a final glance at the remains of the demon Tacita killed, sinking into the lake. Fixating on that sight, he takes his last breath.

    [You have defeated Bone Reaver - lvl 315]

    [Lvl 298 > Lvl 299]

    I support his body with my mana so it doesn''t sink and look over at his group. The last demon stands back with the group of C and D-ranks. Even though he used his skills, he didn''t attack unlike the demon I just killed, and instead moved back to the group.

    And now he stands smiling shamelessly at me. "I didn''t like that guy anyways, but he and Myrril were pretty tight, so there was no way he wasn¡¯t going to attack you, human."

    "That¡¯s not the kind of behavior I¡¯ve come to expect from demons like you."

    "So what? Given the way, you guys killed Myrril so quickly, even if we did manage to wipe out your entire group. However, I¡¯d likely die in the process since you¡¯d target me, leaving these assholes behind me to get all the loot. Miss me with that shit."

    I can''t deny that logic.

    [You have defeated Fish - lvl 368]

    With that, part of my group moves closer, Lily joining me by my side, the axe threateningly in her hand. There are some parts of it that are damaged, but looking at it, it''s from[Disintegration]. She might have tried to channel through the axe rather than the fish.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    I don''t even have to check; I trust Tess to watch my back, and Sophie¡¯s probably making her own moves somewhere in the distance.

    Jean is doing his best to keep the body of the fish from sinking into the water with some help from Gareth and Leticia, who¡¯s created a set of chains from her mana mana for the men to use.

    Luna joins my side soon after, the biggest size I''ve seen on her yet. Her legs have grown longer, and her face has elongated into a gaping maw filled with teeth and covered in blood.

    Once again, I observe the group arrayed against us. A B-rank demon, who probably saw what I did and the way I fight, and another eight C and D-ranks.

    I don''t think we would lose; I''m even fairly confident I could take on this demon, maybe even easily and on my own if my skills counter his in a similar way to the demon before.

    "Human, don''t even think about it," Janryc interrupts, bringing my attention back to him. "I have no interest in fighting you or the girl, no, I¡¯ll simply avoid both of you, and trust me, one or two of your team members will die in the process, and what for?"

    His words still make sense, even though I think he¡¯s still underestimating us.

    But what for?

    Without saying a word, I simply turn around and head back to the others. He doesn''t say anything either; I sense his group leaving, returning their attention to their own fish.

    Meanwhile, I send the body of the demon I fought to the house we¡¯ve been staying at.

    Even as Gareth continues to help Jean pull the fish towards the bank, I notice him releasing that wide-area healing aura of his, increasing our regeneration. Jean is already fully healed, thanks to Lucien, who refuses to heal anyone else, so Lily starts making the rounds, checking on everyone and healing even the smallest of wounds.

    "Human, you might not be as crazy as I thought you were," Luna says by my side. "I expected you to attack them."

    "Well, we''d better leave here quickly in case they come back with reinforcements. I¡¯m guessing that this isn¡¯t the kind of fish that should be appearing out of season."

    "It''s our fish, human; we will defend it, for it was our prey," Luna growls with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

    Cute. The doggo likes her fishie.

    I reach out and give the side of her neck a scratch, taking advantage of her currently huge frame.

    She then rushes towards the others, grabs one of the chains in her teeth and starts pulling alongside them, her tail swinging excitedly, almost as if she were playing tug of war.

    <hr>

    We struggle to skin the fish for over an hour, looking all the while for any interesting materials we might use, but it''s a messy process all around, all of us clearly lacking the necessary experience. That''s why I go to the outpost and bring back Duncan along with a few of the other natives. Each of them pulls out a set of specialized tools, making us help all the while, given the way our skills allow us to make sharper tools and serve to make us stronger.

    First, they dig through the chest and head for the bulk of the innards, and soon, they pull something free.

    Pale Blue Core (Arcane) - A spherical core within a fish''s body that pulses with mana. This core serves as the source of its power, capable of amplifying mana fields or fueling high-tier constructs.

    Some of them shout in excitement, and the older ones start bickering about when the last time they saw such a big Pale Blue Core was.

    Apparently, there are even bigger ones, but they tend to be different colors. For example, one can also find Pale Purple Cores, Pale Golden Cores, and Pale White Cores, which seem to be the rarest.

    This one still has a lot of value, though, with Pale Blue Cores tending to go for around 200-500 thousand shards, depending on size, age, and other parameters.

    Not bad at all.

    There are also some upper epic materials¡ªmostly the flesh, tendons, scales, and bones, plus more besides¡ªbut there are a few more valuable ones as well.

    Pristine Mana Stones (Arcane) - Naturally formed gemstones found within a fish''s stomach and refined by its unique processes of mana consumption. They are highly sought after for their purity and potency.

    Reflection Membrane (Epic) - A layer of semi-transparent tissue near a fish''s torso that reflects physical and mana-based attacks. Ideal for crafting shields and defensive barriers.

    Energy-Hardened Skeleton (Epic) - The durable skeleton of a fish, laced with absorbed mana. Its fragments can be used to craft high-tier weapons and mana conductors.

    Overall, our fish is estimated to have a value somewhere between 300-700 thousand shards at most. For a converted value of 3-7 low arcane weapons or 1-3 mid arcane.

    For a fish.

    Sure, it took ten of us to take it down, but I''m sure we could pull it off with less, and if you could catch a few in a row, you would certainly end up with a decent amount of shards.

    And from what I¡¯ve heard, some of the more powerful B and A-ranks have been known to take out similar fish on their own with minimal effort and damage to the materials.

    The problem is that even Pale Blue fish are extremely rare, not to mention the higher ¡°tiers¡± of them.

    I want to see it. I want to fight more of those guys. I want to try hunting a fish on my own.

    And now we find ourselves standing around that loot, splitting the parts amongst ourselves based on their potential usefulness. I even got some Pristine mana stones and a few pieces of membrane out of the deal, and Lily got some more bones, as usual. She also got the body of the demon I killed, along with a few small pieces from the other demon¡¯s body.

    That makes me wonder if a lurker could still grow from the pieces left behind after we take our share with us when we leave. Is there a minimum amount of material required for the process to take place? Or does the process start the moment someone dies? I¡¯m not entirely certain it¡¯s the latter¡ªthat would probably be governed under the authority of the system, that means that whatever¡¯s in the middle of this floor probably needs some pieces left over to rebuild a body in the first place.

    As usual, the questions never end.

    Jean juggles the Pale Blue Core in his hand, it being as big as a basketball, and tapping on it with the tip of his finger. "So how do we sell it? I did my part, so I better get paid."

    Leticia takes it from him and holds it for a moment, seeming surprised by its weight. "If it sells for around 400 thousand, that means Noname gets 200, and each of us will get around 20 thousand. When we factor in the other items, it should climb to somewhere between 30 and 40 thousand each while Noname will get away with around 300 to 400."

    "He didn''t even help that much in the fight against the fish; he just floated there and attacked a bit! I saw him watching us," Lucien complains.

    I''m almost amazed by the degree of his shamelessness; this little shit barely did anything and basically just focused on healing Jean toward the end.

    Gareth steps forward. "We made a deal, and it would be dishonest to change the terms now. Think of it as an extra influx of shards you didn¡¯t even expect in the first place. As for Noname, without him, we wouldn¡¯t have even attempted this. He even held the other guys off while we fought."

    Lucien just snorts in response, but he doesn''t complain anymore.

    So this time it''s me who grabs the core and puts it into Duncan''s hands, but it falls to the ground as the native finds himself too weak to even hold it.

    He giggles nervously and quickly rolls it closer to him while checking for damage. "It''s nice."

    After that, he attempts to roll it to me, but I stop it with my leg. "You sell it and the other items. You can take five percent for your trouble."

    For a moment, a look of surprise flashes across his face, but then he smiles. "Ten percent, or you can do it on your own."

 Chapter 510 - Reanimated Remnants

    Duncan starts ordering some natives around and threatening them not to steal anything. He promises them bonuses paid in shards or materials, all drawn from his 10%, which will also cover various fees along the way.

    It all seems too easy. He smiles, he curses at them, he threatens and offers bonuses¡ªall while quickly reacting to anything the natives have to say. He even uses the presence of our group to his advantage.

    I think they might be scared of Lily, who is already digging into the body of that demon. Even so, extroverts sure have it easy. I think it was Tess who told me that some people actually gain energy from interacting with others rather than being drained by the experience.

    I can see it, I can understand the theory, but I don''t get it.

    "Does Hadwin¡¯s presence in the Beyond community mean trouble?" Gareth asks, moving in closer, scratching his well kempt beard as we watch the natives move.

    "Yup. But I''m also sure the First Beyonder is a lot of trouble, so what''s one more on the pile?"

    "I meant for us. For Earth."

    This is something I have already thought about for a while, yet even now I''m not sure. What if that crazy cockroach really does get out of the tutorial? What if she ends up on Earth?

    "I don¡¯t think she¡¯d go out of her way to kill the weak, but she probably wouldn¡¯t lose any sleep over it if something were to happen. It''s difficult to say."

    "I understand, but aren¡¯t we all on track to reach the same level of power? We¡¯ve all seen what Champions and Absolutes can do."

    "I guess. But she might be a bit of a special case. She¡¯s the kind of person you tell stories about to scare Absolutes and some of the weaker Rulers, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll be dealing with once she regains her powers."

    "Haaa," Gareth exclaims, letting out a noise somewhere between a sigh and a huff. "We better work hard to keep up with the others. It''s our planet, so it''s up to us to defend it, right, my friend?"

    My answer is somewhere between a nod and shaking my head.

    <hr>

    POV Myrra

    The tunnels are enormous and continue their downward path just long enough for me to start getting bored.

    "Little kitten, your orbs."

    Quickly, I refocus my attention in a rush to keep the terrifying things from exploding in my face. From previous experience, I know how rarely she gives warnings. And just how close I must have been to putting myself in a dangerous situation. Were they about to blow me apart?

    I feel cold sweat running down my neck.

    "I''m not so old that I don''t understand the youths¡¯ desire for excitement¡ªto discover something new, to fight, and to have fun. But such a loss of focus is inexcusable."

    "I''m sorry."

    "Don''t apologize. Do better. I promised that I would declare you a Champion candidate. A true candidate, not like the pathetic imitation you were before. And, little kitten, never in my life was I wrong when I made the declaration. You lynthari like to mess around, so you have to demonstrate the proper dedication before I give my approval."

    Knowing she will only get annoyed if I apologize again, I simply nod and return to my training.

    The monsters here aren¡¯t even bothering to attack us, or maybe they are and Lady Lissandra is just killing them before I can notice. But after what seems like days, we finally reach the bottom of the tunnel, and the area around us changes.

    We stop in front of a very long bridge, and she steps onto it, walking with confidence.

    I feel my heart beating; I can hear whispers and movement below us. I can feel vibrations rumbling through the hair of my ears and tail.

    Am I scared just because of some height? A bit of darkness?

    All of my emotions feel amplified, and my memory of them feels stronger, especially sadness, anger, and fear.

    I accept them all, I feel them, but I don''t let them control me. They are mine, and that means I have to control them. Eventually, I even begin to enjoy them. The taste of my fear, and that sense of desperation I felt when the matriarch died, and I knew my world would never be the same, or the beautiful expression of happiness on Nathaniel''s face when we fought juxtaposed with the despair of being left alone on my dying world until this human woman came along and saved me.

    The bridge comes to an end sooner than I expect, and she looks back at me and nods in acknowledgment. Then she reaches into the air and grabs a patch of pure darkness hanging in the space beside her.

    For a moment, something screeches, and then there is silence.

    A pulse of mana erupts from her, scattering the material darkness that once resembled smoke, leaving it lifeless and hollow.

    Without a word, she continues through another bridge until we reach a platform framing a deep hole at its center and find a blue skinned thylarin man, missing five of his arms, at the bottom.

    We find him down on his knees, head lowered, and he seems almost hesitant as he rises from his bow.

    "It is an honor to be in the presence of such power as yours."

    Even in this state, my instincts are screaming that he¡¯s still oh so very dangerous. I can see it in his eyes; all my senses are warning me to stay away from him. Even imprisoned as he is, he¡¯s still a threat.

    As always, Lady Lissandra dismisses his attempts at flattery with a wave of her hand, and after a moment, she opens her palm, letting a small handful of white sand drift down into the hole.

    ¡°No!¡± the thylarin screams, leaping to his feet and pressing back against the wall.

    The sand descends slowly, almost seeming to float, as Lady Lissandra channels mana downward. A portion of which charges the white sand, while another continues on towards the thylarin. He seizes it, using it to hold off the sand, activating a shifting field of mana in an instant.

    It¡¯s a breathtaking display of skill. With such a small amount of mana, he crafts something so remarkable. His field even manages to hold the sand back for a moment, frequencies shifting at a speed far beyond my comprehension. His arm moves frantically as he begins drawing symbols in the air and on the walls of his prison.

    For a moment, it almost seems like he might succeed. But then, a single grain pierces his field¡ªand his body.

    The thylarin Champion ignores the wound, ramping up his efforts as sweat beads on his forehead. Another grain passes through, then another, and another. The sand begins to swirl wildly, tearing into his body with relentless precision, driving him to his knees.

    Gradually, the symbols he¡¯s drawn start to weaken, their glow fading until they vanish entirely. When he collapses, the light in his eyes fades as well, leaving nothing behind.

    I tense, bracing for the entire desert to come alive and rush toward us, just as that man in Last Rest had warned. But the silence stretches on.

    ¡°So disappointing,¡± Lady Lissandra mutters, turning to leave. ¡°And don¡¯t be foolish, little kitten. Obviously, I stripped these grains of the function that would trigger the desert¡¯s protocols.¡±

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Are we leaving?¡± I ask, hurrying to catch up to her.

    "Yes."

    "I... I understand! Where are we heading this time?"

    "The central region. There are a few places I want to visit. And one more thing, little kitten."

    "Yes?"

    "Lately, you¡¯ve had too much free time to talk and let your thoughts wander. I¡¯ll be increasing the difficulty of your training."

    "Lady Lissandra."

    "Yes?"

    "I understand why Nathaniel kept calling you a ''cockroach'' and all those names."

    For the first time in weeks, the corners of her lips lift into a tiny smile. "The difficulty has increased again. Was it worth it?"

    Already stuck dealing with the orb, I barely muster the energy to nod. It might be just a play of the shadows, but she might have smiled even more at that.

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    Once we¡¯ve completed the bulk of the work of breaking down the fish, Tess takes it upon herself to help Duncan deal with the people of Lake City, though I still feel like calling it a city'' is an exaggeration. Apparently, the natives who do live here do so with the support of one of the top 50 guilds, and they handle the fish business mainly during the season, but a few remain even now. And they¡¯re perfectly willing to lend a hand with any trade in the resulting materials, and the guild¡¯s support generally means there shouldn''t be any funny business.

    Though they do take a cut.

    Of course.

    Truly an authentic Beyond experience.

    Part of me wonders how I would¡¯ve dealt with it on my own and how much energy I would need to spend. Part of me trains, and another part notices Lucien watching as I do. Little Spacewolf is suspicious, certainly more so than CarrotCake, who is a clear meathead but who seems to be the kind of person who just can¡¯t hide his intentions and feelings.

    But ever since Spacewolf mentioned it, I¡¯ve had to wonder what kind of skill he has for LissLiss to take an interest in him. Even though she ditched him, unlike me, there has to be something.

    Would he answer in exchange for an upper epic item made by the famous Tent Creep?

    Annoyed, I turn to Luna, standing nearby. "You said there was a mark on me, scent-based or something. Not long ago, two Champions said they felt a different mark on me, but they didn''t seem to sense the one you do."

    "What''s the problem, greedy human?"

    "I''m not greedy; I deserve all the shards for the fish. So, I tried and I couldn''t sense these marks myself."

    "Give me a bigger share of the shards; I fought hard. And how could you even hope to see something only Champions can see?"

    "No. And it''s a mark someone left on me; I should be able to sense it. I''m not some kind of marking pole. You didn''t answer my question."

    "I¡¯ll tell you for five thousand shards."

    "Thievery."

    "Leticia is terrible with shards, so I''m the one taking care of finances."

    "I can believe that."

    "Yes."

    <hr>

    Not long after that, we leave the safe zone, making our way through the slowly changing scenery.

    There is less damage to the surroundings, and it opens up more, with fewer ruins around. The land is mostly grassy flatland with hills once in a while and tall forests in between. The rock covering the ceiling changes as well, becoming lighter in color with enormous crystals giving gentle, pleasant light.

    Once in a while we encounter enormous stone pillars connecting the ground and ceiling which seem to provide support as well. The sizes range from the width of a football stadium at the smallest to truly incomprehensible monstrosities. Apparently, they often have caves and, rarely, veins of precious materials.

    Tess flies up in the air, trying to map our surroundings and compare it with our simple map.

    Like any other place in Beyond, the gravity here tends to be stronger than it is on, let''s say, the 7th floor. I also feel a constant pull on my mana, dragging it downwards towards something at the bottom of the First Dungeon. Sometimes my curiosity takes over, and I let it happen, watching the way my mana gets pulled away and study the effect that causes it. I compare it to other skills I''ve seen that were capable of absorbing mana and to the effects of my black mana.

    The black mana wins for the time being. That insane thing actually managed to nom on the mana of a quarter-Champion eye, so obviously it would. But how will it compare as we reach the lower floors of the dungeon?

    Looking at the rankings, it would seem that the only person to reach the 6th floor in the past millennia or so was that guy Adrien¡ªat least since the last reset. I have seen some of the memories Whitey had of the guy, but they only come in short flashes as the demon refuses to show me more of them. And even that much makes me very curious.

    It doesn''t take us too long to meet our first enemies: skeletons of monsters that used to live here and that millennia and millennia ago the first attendees¡ªmaybe even Rulers themselves¡ªkilled, and since then they are reanimating.

    [Reanimated Beast - lvl 326]

    [Reanimated Remnant - lvl 311]

    [Reanimated Remnant - lvl 320]

    [Reanimated Beast - lvl 310]

    [Reanimated Beast - lvl 291]

    They¡¯re all built from skeletons that clearly can¡¯t have belonged to anything friendly, even in life, and they move with unnerving ease, their bones grinding and shifting as if they still bore some semblance of intellect¡ªbut they don¡¯t. Whatever force animates them is giving them a strength far beyond anything those brittle bones could handle on their own. They charge with brutal efficiency, no hesitation, no fear¡ªjust pure, mechanical intent to kill.

    The beasts'' jaws snap closed with a terrible sound and enough force to crush metal, but it¡¯s not just raw power. Their movements are precise, almost too precise for something so clearly dead. I can¡¯t help but wonder¡ªhow much of the original monster remains?

    Remnants are different. They aren¡¯t whole monsters, not even close. Each one is a unique patchwork of skeletons, cobbled together like some child¡¯s nightmare of a puzzle. Each step they take is jerky, almost clumsy, but there¡¯s a disturbing unpredictability to them. A spine from one beast fused to the ribs of another, claws that don¡¯t match the attached limbs. It¡¯s like something threw them together in a hurry and still made them work.

    Fortunately, we learn about them long before they get close, so we¡¯re ready when they do. Gareth and Jean taking the front, while Sophie, Leticia, and Luna handle the defenses, and Lucien cowers behind Tess. That leaves Lily and I to do whatever we see fit, and Tacita... manages to be somewhere else once again.

    As the highest-level beast in the approaching group attacks, it tears through Jean''s body, freeing his organs and taking a piece of his leg with it before Gareth bashes into the monster.

    Jean heals incredibly quickly thanks to Lucien, but dark-red scars trace paths across his skin, gleaming wetly as the wounds reopen despite Lucien¡¯s efforts.

    As Gareth finds himself tossed aside, Sophie steps in to halt the monster in its tracks while Lily moves in with an incredible burst of speed, intercepting one of the beasts trying to outflank us, and Tess bombs each monster in turn. Stones are torn from the ground around her, each thrown at incredible speed at the monsters.

    Jean, having finally recovered, lets out a hearty laugh and rushes back into the fray with glee, muscles bulging dangerously under his skin.

    <hr>

    The fight takes much longer than expected, but after what feels like an eternity, the reanimated monsters finally lie dead, leaving our small group to lick its wounds which still refuse to close, the attacks of our opponents leaving behind red scars even with healing.

    Despite expectations, the bonk strategy seems to work, and Jean finished the level 326 Reanimated Beast all on his own without outside help aside from the healing he got at the start. I also went hard and helped to kill the remaining monsters.

    I can even happily say that without me it''s highly possible that somebody would have died. I even get recognition in the form of a word of thanks from Leticia and a happy tap on the back from Gareth.

    It feels awkward so I ignore it and they leave me alone.

    Another day passes, marked by countless clashes with the monsters. I push myself to kill as many as possible on my own, testing the limits of my mana and my new skill.

    There are a few things that give me an edge, but these creatures are formidable nonetheless. They''re incredibly durable, and their razor-sharp attacks easily pierce through barriers, plus, they have some kind of anti-healing effect and even employ their own scouts to track us.

    Still, after the first few battles, things do get slightly easier. We start adapting to their fighting patterns, and losing a limb or two feels like a small price to pay for such excellent progress.

    Though at some point, something inside me starts to wonder if Jean might be level 300, but I don¡¯t quite think he is. But it wasn¡¯t so long ago that I was saying level didn¡¯t matter much.

    Well, I might have lied a bit, because right now, I care a lot.

    For one simple reason.

    [Lvl 299 > Lvl 300]

    Well done! You have successfully reached level 300. You may now select a new Primary Class. Available classes and their rarity are based on your actions and performance up until now within the Tutorial.

    Specifically this system message and the five options it¡¯s currently presenting.

    Let''s see what the system has for me.

 Chapter 511 - Primary class upgrade

    It seems like arcane Primary classes are on the menu, and I''m here for it. I might have been hoping for something along those lines, but the fact that none of my options are below arcane means... Well, a lot of things, really.

    I relay the message through our link and ask Tess to keep an eye on surroundings while I look over my options.

    Mana Reforger (Arcane)

    An advanced class specializing in augmenting and transforming one¡¯s body and equipment through precise energy manipulation. Mana Reforgers push the boundaries of physical and magical enhancement, all the while forging powerful artifacts and refining themselves into dangerous combatants.

    Your dedication to self-improvement is extraordinary. You''ve modified and strengthened your body beyond your level and crafted multiple mid arcane items. You have modified your body extensively. Acquired Bone Knitting. With Mana Manipulation at level 60 and a mana stat exceeding 1,200, you''ve showcased exceptional skill in enduring and reshaping both yourself and your tools. Your fortified physique alone allows you to withstand attacks that would be fatal to others.

    Mindshield Guardian (Arcane)

    An advanced class focused on mental fortification and resilience. Mindshield Guardians possess unparalleled mental defenses and are therefore capable of resisting mental manipulation and enduring the strain of powerful abilities and advanced mental calculations.

    Your mind is an unbreakable fortress. With passive skills like Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) and Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane), you''ve strengthened your psyche to withstand any assault. Your level 60 skill [Focus] allows you to wield potent abilities without faltering.

    Primordial Kinetic Master (Arcane)

    An elite class specializing in the mastery of primordial kinetic energy. Primordial Kinetic Masters harness primordial forces to perform feats that defy conventional magic and physical limitations.

    Your journey through the study of primordial energies sets you apart. Under unique teachings, you''ve begun to master primordial kinetic techniques, demonstrating remarkable degrees of control and understanding. With skills like Eclipse and constructs such as Vortex Core, along with your mastery of [Mana Manipulation], you''ve unlocked a set of powers that few can comprehend.

    That already makes for a good start, and while they don''t compare to the latter two, I still like reading the descriptions. Particularly with the system being the way it is, even these small bits of information tend to contain some important clues.

    Though it leaves me wondering if it''s supposed to be this way, lining the offerings up from worst to best to hype me up as I read through the increasingly exciting list of primary classes.

    One of these days, the system is going to present me with three offerings and extort me for shards with the promise of more, lest I be forced to wait out a timer. In exactly the sort of vile cliffhanger, this asshole system seems to love.

    Anyway.

    It¡¯s easy to see how I wound up with Mana Reforger. The system must have really liked my body modifications and crafting experiments. As with every class I¡¯ve been offered thus far, I can¡¯t help but wonder what skills and passives I may be passing up.

    Then there¡¯s Mindshield Guardian, which is interesting in its own right. Seemingly an intensely specialized class built around straight-up mental enhancements. I don''t like the name very much, but the description clearly hints at a powerful mana-based class with extreme mental resistance. That also reminds me that I¡¯ll have to ask the others how many arcane classes, if any, they were offered when they reach level 300. With all the shit I went through to get here, it had better be less than me. Anyway, Mindshield Guardian very nice, but maybe next time.

    Primordial Kinetic Master sounds more interesting. Though I¡¯d probably like it more if I were Whitey. Hell, it even sounds interesting to me. Defy conventional magic and physical limitations? What kind of man wouldn''t be enamored with that description? I want to defy physical limitations.

    It would seem I have Whitey to thank for this one. For the system to acknowledge him that much... the guy must have had a truly incredible talent for kinetic energy, and so far, I haven''t met anyone close to him.

    And I still have two to go over. Options I never would have expected to see.

    Kinetic Mana Harmonizer (Unique Arcane)

    A unique class granted to individuals who have taken their first steps towards harmonizing kinetic energy with the manipulation of mana, enhancing their magical prowess through kinetic augmentation. Kinetic Mana Harmonizers utilize kinetic forces to refine and empower their mana-based skills, achieving feats surpassing conventional applications of magic.

    Your body is a lethal weapon. With your exceptional understanding of primordial kinetic energy and mana, you¡¯ve begun to grasp the potential of combining these forces while exploring the many ways kinetic energy can support and amplify mana based techniques and grasping at the vast array of possibilities for elevating your magic. You have acquired at least one unique epic passive allowing you to transform kinetic energy into mana, you¡¯ve used mana and body modification to create a core to store and compress kinetic energy, modified your heart to convert mana into kinetic energy, received teachings and techniques from a powerful kinetic user and received the teachings of an Absolute detailing mana control and manipulation techniques.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane)

    An unparalleled class for those who have harmonized their mana¡¯s wavelength to achieve ultimate control over its flow. Mana Weavers wield mana with such power that their very presence influences the flow of magic around them.

    Your unrestrained power is a sight to behold, and you''ve accomplished feats only witnessed by a select few. You have killed Champions. Have become a Champion Candidate before receiving a primary class upgrade. Have received a unique passive skill. Have studied under an Absolute. Have mana reserves far exceeding your level. Have a second stage, Mana Wavelength Iris. Have mid-arcane passive, allowing you to endure the strain of powerful skills and see mana in a way that few can match. Have reacquired the Mana Manipulation skill multiple times. You have used mana far surpassing your body''s capabilities countless times and survived. Through sheer determination and focus, you reign supreme over your mana.

    Unique.

    Rarely does the system use this word. The last time I saw it was when I combined two upper epic passives, creating a skill that, in certain situations, is the equal of an arcane skill. Which I¡¯m finally seeing confirmed in the description of Kinetic Mana Harmonizer.

    Unique means it was made for me, a new thing, modified, changed, or created based on my performance and stats. At least that¡¯s what¡¯s been implied.

    The same goes for these two Primary Classes. They¡¯re probably modified forms of more basic arcane classes, unique to me, and the related skills and passives will probably be the same.

    I think it was Lissandra who once told me the system doesn''t like to give you options to cover your weaknesses. No, the system strengthens and builds upon what you¡¯ve accomplished.

    Since then, I¡¯ve been thinking about the two starting skills I got: [Focus] and [Mana Manipulation]. It''s almost as if the system pulled them out of us rather than giving them to us, and we¡¯ve been building on them with the system¡¯s help ever since.

    Each of these skills feels important and telling and often reveals a lot about us. The twins, constantly seeking some form of [Connection], Tess gaining [Farsight] because of the way she liked to watch that group of friends play, Lily, gaining a healing skill despite all the anger she carries with her, twisting her wrath into [Disintegration].

    And me, acquiring [Focus], allowing me to ignore my emotions to a greater degree than I ever did before.

    Even now, almost two years into the tutorial, there is so much I don''t know. How the system came into being. Who made the tutorial, which even seems to predate the Rulers who learned how to influence it slightly. What is the First Dungeon, and why did the Rulers build Beyond over it? Why did they connect Beyond to the tutorial and the real world?

    Why, why, why, why?

    "Nat. We need to move. There is a group of twenty heading our way," Tess says, tapping my shoulder and pointing off into the distance.

    Obviously, I don''t see anything, but I believe her.

    "Need me to slow them down?"

    "There is no need for the moment, but be ready to defend, they seem to have long-range attackers as well."

    So we move, running as quickly as we can.

    Sophie leaves behind some of her webs to make us more difficult to track and does something to the air around us, making it more challenging to establish visual contact.

    I use [Eclipse], expanding its reach beyond our small group and dissipating the mana we leave behind.

    We don''t head back; no, we delve deeper, and the moment I go to reread the descriptions, Tess shouts a warning.

    Screaming through the air over our heads, a bone javelin two times the length of my body passes by with a red light glowing inside. The incredible amount of mana packed within begins to expand as cracks spread across its surface.

    A quick teleport brings me in range, and I grab it with my outstretched hand. The colors of the world fade around me as the red light shines ever so much brighter. But even that light starts to dwindle, pulling back and dying off as my [Eclipse] surrounds and suffocates it, as my Mana Wavelength Iris observes the whole process.

    When I finally let go, the javelin crumbles, mana potent enough to equal my tricolored orb explosions fading to nothing.

    My kinetic energy surrounds me, and another javelin slows to a crawl. I fly towards it, grabbing it, surrounding it in [Eclipse] once more, as the mana within fights back, threatening to destabilize around me, but in the end, even that dissipates into a mist of fine particles.

    When I grab the third one, the light simply blinks, slowly changing and beginning to glow a pale shade of blue. The javelin becomes mine, and I throw it into the air, boosting it further with kinetic energy.

    It only takes a few seconds for me to see the explosion rippling out from the place the javelin came from.

    Resonance Flow expands even further as I fly just behind our group, covering a wide area around us, slowing six more of the bone javelins slowing to a halt in mid air.

    More and more mana funnels its way into [Eclipse], and my eyes move to read the wavelengths of each incoming weapon. I modify my frequency, adapting to theirs, and then I take over, overriding the enemy¡¯s control and making them my own.

    Ley Lines connect to each of the weapons, pumping each one with an increasing flood of mana as I return them to sender, severing my connection in the process.

    Six more explosions ring out, still miles away, but this time, I can feel the vibrations of the explosions even without the kinetic senses.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Marauder - lvl 306]

    [You have defeated Reanimated Marauder - lvl 301]

    Seeing no more javelins heading our way, I boost myself in the direction of the others, catching up to the group after taking a moment to deploy some traps triggered by mana threads, along some extremely dense mana threads to cut through the weaker monsters while snaring the stronger ones for a bit. Landing near Tess, I boost my body with kinetic energy and break into a run at her side.

    "There¡¯s another group to our left and a smaller one ahead of us," she warns.

    "Is something attracting them like it was in the previous zone, or is this normal?"

    "I already asked Sophie, Luna, and Leticia to look into it, but they couldn¡¯t find anything, and Leticia said there shouldn''t be anything attracting monsters like we attract lurkers. It seems like they have scouts tracking us and sending them our way."

    Then, she speaks through our link to keep the others from overhearing. (Are you going to upgrade your class?)

    (To be honest, I''m already starting to get impatient. I already have my choice all lined up. But I don''t know if it won''t give me some stuff that could make me unconscious in the process, and I don''t need a new class to deal with these guys.)

    (So yes?)

    Damn it.

    (Yes.)

 Chapter 512 - Bye Bye Focused Channeler

    We hide inside one of the huge stone pillars connecting the floor to the ceiling. They turn out to be surprisingly durable, and it takes a great deal of effort to carve our way inside, with Sophie manipulating the stone to close the way behind us while I use one of my tiny black orbs to destroy any trace of our mana before allowing it to crumble away.

    With our signatures hidden and the area shielded by a multitude of webs and arrays, we take a moment to sit around the gentle light of a normal candle that burns surprisingly bright in the dimness of our hidey-hole, keeping our usage of mana to a minimum.

    The hideout is cramped, and the air within is stale and heavy, carrying faint traces of the dust shaken loose by our excavations. The walls, smooth yet imperfect, hold an eerie stillness, their muted gray surfaces serving to absorb the flickering glow of our single candle. It casts elongated shadows that stretch and twist across the stone in an unnerving manner.

    As we settle in, so too does the weight of our exhaustion. Every breath feels heavier, every sound rings louder in near silence. Even the candlelight feels fragile, as though the oppressive darkness might snuff it out at any moment.

    Put simply, the morale has never been better.

    After a day of running and fighting, we all seem to have leveled up, but after having to heal all that damage and disintegrate these unhealing wounds, Lily, now with short black hair, is running out of her mana. So, currently, we sit here waiting for her to recover.

    "I''m sorry, Grumpy," Gareth apologizes. "I¡¯ve been working on modifying my skill so I can do more to help you next time."

    "It''s fine! I can heal a lot; I just want to have some reserves in case things go to shit." She says, tapping her backpack.

    Thankfully, no one asks what she has in it; it would be difficult to explain. Also, what''s up with her language recently?

    (Will you keep watch for me?) I ask Tess.

    (Go for it,) she confirms.

    So I pull myself further into my corner and close my eyes, hoping that the process of upgrading my class won''t make me scream or anything. That would be awkward. I have an image to maintain.

    First, for good old times'' sake, I check my previous class. I know I haven''t been giving it a lot of attention lately, but it¡¯s served me well.

    Focused Channeler (Epic)

    Active Skill: [Mana Domain] - Establishes a limited area, granting the user a heightened degree of control and influence over the flow of mana, providing various tactical advantages.

    Active Skill: [Tether] - Anchors the user''s mana to a specific location, enabling quick return or other location-based effects.

    Passive Skill: Mana Reservoir (Epic) - Allows the user to slowly and gradually store mana beyond their natural maximum, effectively increasing their total mana pool.

    Bonuses:

    Constitution +20

    Mana +100

    I still have [Mana Domain] even now, and I¡¯m hoping to keep it because of the applied effect of Pride to it. I used [Tether] in a skill fusion to create [Ley Line], a skill I still explore and have great expectations from, and lastly, the passive skill Mana Reservoir, which I¡¯ve since upgraded into a unique epic passive.

    Well, thank you, Focused Channeler, and bye.

    Congratulations! You have chosen the Primary class - Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane). In the future, you may be able to upgrade your class or exchange it for a new one, befitting your actions at that point within the tutorial.

    Another window pops up:

    Congratulations! You have acquired a new Primary Class:

    Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane)

    Active skill: [Empyrean Lance] - A luminous spear of refined mana, charged with harmonic frequencies that resonate with both matter and energy. The lance punctures its target, releasing concentric waves of destabilizing force that disrupts the target¡¯s structure, causing a cascading breakdown as mana vibrations radiate outward. This overwhelming attack leaves a residual field of unstable energy.

    Active skill: No available slot detected.

    Passive Skill: Mana Wavelength Tyrant (Mid Arcane) - The wavelength of the user''s mana imposes itself on the surrounding environment, forcing ambient mana in the vicinity to harmonize with their energy, creating areas of heightened mana density. This synchronization creates a natural pull that gradually collects energy. This field expands outward, drawing ambient energy into a controlled and harmonious stream centered on the user.

    Bonuses:

    Mana +500

    Active skill slots fully occupied. Performance check initiated. Unique class classification confirmed. Champion Candidate status identified. Body modifications detected. Beyond attendee designation confirmed. Winner of the First Tournament, fifth round, detected.

    Additional personalization parameters unlocked. Four options generated for selection in place of the Second Active Skill.

    Passive skill combination token (mid arcane)

    Active skill combination token

    Active skill evolution (will not apply to high-grade active skills)

    Trait evolution (will not apply to high-grade traits)

    Note: Any of these options will be influenced by the Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane) Primary class.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Please remove one of your passives to apply the new passive skill or reject it.

    Well, first, bye-bye, Cognitive Fortress, and welcome Wavelength Tyrant! Also, minus 100 mana because I just lost my bonus from the old class, but then I get another plus 500 from the new class, so that''s an additional 400 mana. It might be a lot. Way too much, in fact, but I¡¯m not going to complain; after all the shit I got from the system, I¡¯ll take all I can get.

    However, I can¡¯t help but find it a little funny that I¡¯m not getting a bonus to the constitution this time. It looks like all my efforts have been rewarded.

    Damn.

    Why would the system do this to me? Please send help.

    It¡¯s probably going to hurt getting so much mana at once. For some reason, my poor body just isn''t built for it.

    I blame the system.

    As I brace myself, the pain envelops me, and I do my best to hide it. I absorb the movement of my shaking. I use a few of Lily¡¯s healing marks. I [Focus] my mind to better ignore the pain. And I observe the process.

    The process as my body accepts and changes to accept yet another mid arcane passive. And this time, I begin to notice hints of the ways my active skills affect it. Unlike the passive, the changes are much smaller, but at the same time, they feel much more important.

    Active skills are important, in fact, they¡¯re probably one of the most important features of the system. But the changes they bring aren¡¯t something I can observe all too deeply, not even with my eyes, not even with my passives working together to allow me to process the information. I think someone at the level of a Champion with the right specializations might be able to see and understand more. Assuming one doesn¡¯t need to be an Absolute to do so.

    As all of this changes are getting applied, my subclass is also active. Not in a way I can actively sense. I would think it¡¯s like it¡¯s having an effect on each of these new skill and the changes they bring. As a subclass, Pride seems to be pulling everything in a specific direction in much the same way active skills influence the body of the user.

    Then my mana pool expands by 400 points and then again by another 400 under the effects of my mana attribute upgrade. Even with Mana Cycling and Sneaky Mode working double time to help me contain it all, I fail.

    My mana radiates from me for a moment like a match igniting a large flame. It fills the small area around us. It pierces through our defensive arrays and seeps outside, announcing my presence to anyone who might be looking.

    A few seconds pass in silence before the dozens of presences lurking outside extend their senses our way, brushing against the pillar we¡¯ve hidden inside and finding us. I would swear Luna seems to be the most disappointed out of all the people here.

    Jean punches through one of the walls, and we leap out into the open before the first wave of attacks can crash into the pillar.

    A pain in my head and running through my body makes me furrow and twist my expression, but I surround us with Resonance Flow, all the material projectiles slowing down as if stopped in time.

    I activate [Eclipse] to stop them from detonating, as a huge surge of mana moves through my body, ruining all the fine control I¡¯ve worked so hard to master and ruining the fine balance of my skills and techniques, causing [Eclipse] to flare up violently before deactivating, only managing to neutralize half of the projectiles as they lose their shine.

    Already far away and noticing I have failed, Sophie''s shadow flows out around her, expanding and blending itself with the dust rising into the air. It blocks the shockwave of an attack that tears through the environment around us.

    At the front, Jean crashes his way through a group of skeletal monsters, and Tess uses her [Psychokinesis] to rip chunks of stone from the ground and fling them into the path of incoming projectiles to detonate them a safe distance away from us. Even then, the shockwaves from the explosions push us and batter our defenses.

    Once again, I move my mana to activate my skills, but I end up using way too much, ruining the carefully cultivated balance of mana in my body and leaving the excess mana to swirl within my body, tearing a hole through my chest near my heart.

    All my constructs strain, parts of them breaking, as the pathways fail to endure the heightened strain and movements of my mana. With my eyes and mind, I watch it all happen. The information flows through my mind with ease, failing to strain my focus even under the circumstances.

    It''s a funny experience, to be honest, and a strong reminder that even with all these free stats from training with the Restrictive Training Emblem, my body still relies on my fine control and my firm grasp on my mana. Increasing my body¡¯s reserves has affected me more than using mana from the crown or the reservoir¡ªeven if they do hold more mana. More than anything, it¡¯s the shift in the amount of mana being generated with each pulse of my heart and being sent coursing through my body that¡¯s throwing me off.

    When another attack pushes me to my knees, I boost myself to the side with kinetic energy and reach an arm out behind me, forming a shield to block yet another projectile. Before it explodes, my mana encloses it in a bubble.

    The red light explodes inside the bubble, stretching the tight membrane of mana before I actively compress it and launch it back at the attackers, where it finally bursts, causing another explosion.

    [You have defeated Reanimated Marauder - lvl 304]

    [Lvl 300 > Lvl 301]

    I quickly reinvest the stats, only to stop at it. A strong sense of amusement washes over me.

    Even with all the trouble I¡¯ve got on my hands right now, I have automatically invested these three stat points into mana. There is something extremely hilarious about that.

    With an improved mood, I straighten my back even with all that pain. A big part of my mind separates itself from the chaos and starts working on the task of temporarily fixing my constructs and strengthening the surviving pathways while repairing the broken sections. The another part turns to Mana Cycling, getting used to all that mana roaming through my body. Grabbing it and forcing it to move in the way I''m used to, with the occasional tweak to adapt to my increased pool.

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 60 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 61]

    The third part turns to the attackers, switching to kinetic energy and supporting the others as much as I can.

    But there is a tiny fourth part. A most curious one. That one opens my status, impatient to check it.

    Name: Nathaniel Gwyn

    Title: Champion Candidate

    Difficulty: Hell

    Floor: 7 - Battlefield

    Time left until forced return: 3y 99d 16h 36m 1s

    Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 2/3

    Lvl 301

    Strength: 189

    Dexterity: 181

    Constitution: 361

    Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1609 + 1609

    Primary Class: Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane)

    Sub-class: [Adept of Pride]

    Active skills (10/10):

    Focus - Lvl 60

    Perception - Lvl 55

    Redistribution - Lvl 58

    Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 57

    Mana Crown - Lvl 51

    Mana Manipulation - Lvl 61

    Ley Line - Lvl 44

    Bone Knitting - Lvl 25

    Eclipse - Lvl 14

    Empyrean Lance - Lvl 0

    Constructs:

    Reinforcement (Construct)

    Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)

    Mana Regulator (Construct)

    Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)

    Vortex Core (Construct)

    Passive skills (5/5):

    Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic)

    Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic)

    Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane)

    Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane)

    Mana Wavelength Tyrant (Mid Arcane)

    Tokens:

    Beyond 3 day stay token

    Beyond 3 day stay token

    Beyond 1 day stay token

    Beyond 1 day stay token

    Beyond 1 day stay token

    Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes

    Shards: 97,939

 Chapter 513 - I will crush your pride

    I rest against one of the huge pillars and apply pressure with my hand on the wound on my stomach with my hand in an effort to keep my organs where they belong. There aren¡¯t any more healing marks that I can activate, so I focus on cycling thermal energy through my body.

    One day, I will finally find the person who caused my healing passive to be left behind at only mid epic grade.

    The most annoying part is that I can''t even use proper armor at the moment or try to weave my mana due to the spike in my mana and the fact that my mid-arcane passive has yet to apply. I think I might have been warned about my absurdly high mana because of situations like this. Maybe all those people knew what they were talking about.

    "Healing?" Lily asks, moving closer.

    "No need."

    She takes a moment to confirm, then rushes off to heal the others, even reattaching a leg that Sophie lost during one of the fights.

    Gareth''s wide-area healing aura helps me enough for my passive to finish the rest. Plus, I let some of that pain reach me. It helps me to focus and serves an important function as a reminder.

    I want my mind and my body to feel what will happen should I lose control, which could happen at any time. I was fortunate enough to live through it this time. For the moment, most of my constructs are working properly. Well, "properly" might be too strong a word, but at least I¡¯ve gotten them patched up.

    My increased mana also causes fewer problems now, moving such big amounts of it feels somewhat familiar. There were always situations where I had a lot of mana flowing through my body or was using a lot of it at once.

    This is just an extension of that, I¡¯m just having to deal with it on a constant basis. My mind isn''t the problem, it¡¯s this body of mine, it¡¯s a weakness I know about and have traded in for all these things I can do that others cannot.

    (You might want to stop whatever you¡¯re doing there, Nat. Your mana affects surrounding mana too much.) Sophie says, sending a message through our link.

    (What do you mean?)

    (Your mana feels like it''s taking control of the mana around you, even the ambient one. I¡¯ve been feeling it for the past hour, and it¡¯s only getting stronger over time. I think Leticia can feel it, too, she¡¯s just not letting it show.)

    (I¡¯ll check on it, thanks.)

    With that, I take a moment to focus on what my passive¡¯s been doing until now, which I would have done before had I not had other problems to deal with, and it would seem that the passive involves more of a gradual application. Even now, I feel the pain serving as proof of that. As Sophie said, and as the description shows, it seems to be helping me impose a strange sort of control over the surrounding environment. It''s like a weird mix of [Eclipse], [Mana Domain], and my black mana. And while each of the new effects is much weaker than their active counterparts, it has the same sort of feel to it.

    It¡¯s something I¡¯ll need to play with when I have some free time, along with the active skill I still haven''t had the opportunity to use so far.

    Following Sophie¡¯s recommendation, I turn off my passive, knowing that I¡¯ll just have to find a more fitting time to explore its effects. With it turned off, the pain lessens, though it never truly fades as the skill applies.

    Then we have to move again as Tess issues another warning, catching sight of the monsters before even Luna can sense them.

    <hr>

    Two days.

    That''s how long it takes me to fully adapt to the changes and for the pain to fade. It seems like this passive is stronger than my other mid-arcane skills, plenty stronger if the pain is anything to go by.

    Tess''s scouting and Lily''s powerful healing are probably the only reasons no one died.

    I think every one of us has finally come to realize just how unprepared we were when we entered the zone between the 1st and 2nd safe zones. Confident after reaching the 1st safe zone with so much ease. Especially so after killing the fish. We thought we had all the information we needed and the numbers to pass through without challenge.

    The entire time, we haven''t seen a single lurker; they¡¯ve all been skeletal monsters. Extremely durable, possessed of a multitude of skills and mana, or whatever it is the creature¡¯s been using to slow our healing and leave such lasting wounds. Their attacks cause powerful explosions. Powerful at range, engaging in concentrated attacks, launching powerful bombardments, and possessed of an extreme sort of durability and sharp bones to act as claws at close range.

    I''m sure the next time I come through, it¡¯ll only get that much easier, especially knowing what to expect after getting used to my powers, but just for now, I¡¯m perfectly happy to enter the safe zone with others who think the same.

    Lily and Gareth are the most exhausted out of all of us. We are happy, but nobody¡¯s willing to let their guard down.

    The second safe zone we¡¯ve reached is called the Sphere and probably accounts for one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. The overall shape is that of... well... a perfect sphere made out of black stone with an amazingly smooth surface.

    The area surrounding The Sphere is incredibly striking, made even more so by its sheer size. The Sphere itself towers as high as one of Earth¡¯s tallest skyscrapers, and its spherical shape gives it a footprint just as wide.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Looking at it, it almost seems like one could just send it rolling with a push, and yet here it stands, unmoving. Even though it doesn''t manage to reach the ceiling and still can¡¯t compare to the height of the stone pillars bridging the ground and ceiling, it''s huge.

    Tunnels have been drilled throughout, leading to the safe zone within its hollowed out core, with buildings built out from the walls. At the exact center, a smaller sphere of water hangs, suspended in the air despite being the size of an apartment building. Red, white, and orange lights move through the sphere like sparks, emitting a gentle glow to be dispersed by the water.

    The first thing I notice are the attendees sitting on the small terraces of houses built into the walls, watching the sphere and the light inside of it. It doesn''t seem just like normal watching; it''s more akin to observing studying as if they are trying to learn something from it.

    Reaching this place finally solves the mystery of Tacita¡¯s disappearance. She sits on one of the benches that are below the sphere and watches it with everyone else, her head turned upwards. As she notices us, she stops and stands up, just a few quick steps, taking her near, totally not caring about Jean, who tenses up, ready to fight.

    Tacita passes by him and reaches Lily, who¡¯s currently resting weakly against Tess. After looking at her curiously for a moment, she shakes her head. She makes a circling gesture next to her temple with a finger and miming a deep sigh.

    And just like that, she¡¯s gone again.

    We each register our "spawn" point here and head to one of the empty houses. With this, our expedition ends, and there should only be a few hours left on each of our tokens.

    Gareth starts talking first. Even with his armor damaged and his silver crown gone, he continues to smile, full of optimism, "I''m sure we will do better next time! I can count on you, right, Miss Leticia?"

    Leticia nods, "Only if you do a better job healing the next time, as you promised. We can''t just have poor Grumpy handle it all."

    Lily waves it off, "It''s fine, I just need a bit of rest. My fights don¡¯t usually last this long."

    From a terminator like her, it sounds like more of a threat than an explanation.

    "I think Sset did an amazing job as well. Without her, we would probably have lost someone along the way," Gareth continues as the whole pack of extroverts seems to decide it''s time to compliment everyone now that we¡¯re finally safe.

    "Everyone did their own part. Sure there were some hiccups along the way, but our composition was good, and we were quick to adapt," Tess defends.

    "Everyone other than Noname, that asshole just kept luring monsters to us with his mana," that little shit Spacewolf complains.

    However, I immediately feel more comfortable once he¡¯s disrupted the flowery atmosphere the others seemed bent on creating.

    "With all your whining, I''m starting to think ''Spacepuppy'' suits you better."

    "You... what?"

    "Spacewhimper."

    "You..."

    "Spacewolf? Is that your gamer tag or your furry phase?"

    "Noname."

    "Did you name yourself Spacewolf because ''Crybaby Cosmo-Pup'' was taken?"

    "You asshole. Listen here¡­ I¡¯ll..."

    "Yes, I have been preparing them the whole time we were fighting, you little shit."

    "Did you pick Noname because ''No-Talent'' was already taken?"

    "Yes."

    The answer makes him hesitate for a moment, just long enough for Leticia to move closer and drag him into a hug. Which makes him blush as he tries to push her away while Luna comes to a stop in front of me, giving me a judging look in the meantime.

    I avert my eyes and recline in my mana-block chair while letting them have fun, theorize, and plan for the future. Tess has always been good at those kinds of things, so I just let her handle it.

    Gradually, the time approaches for everyone to return to their respective floors. Plans are made, promises exchanged, and pleasantries shared. And well wishes echo their way through the group, carried by the relief of a somewhat successful end to the expedition. The promise of the shards from the fish likely serving to lighten the mood further.

    After the goodbyes, people begin to leave, one by one.

    Luna and Leticia disappear first, followed by Gareth as if they had used their Stay Tokens to arrive before the rest of us.

    Then Lily, Sophie, and Tess disappear as well.

    But I stay behind, having just used a one-day stay token to extend the duration of my stay.

    Straightening from my leaned-back position, I return the chair to its original shape, fixing my eyes on Jean.

    He quickly picks up on it. I wouldn¡¯t call him the smartest, but there are definitely times when he can be surprisingly quick to catch on. So once Lucien disappears, Jean is still there, expending a Stay Token much the same as I did.

    Neither of us says a word as we finish healing our wounds with our regeneration and collect our strength.

    When the time feels right, I stand up and head out, Jean following behind. We pass under the water sphere, pass through the tunnels leading to the safe zone, and make our exit, jumping down to the grassy surface. After another minute of walking, I stop and turn to him.

    "I would declare a challenge and wager, but you rejected the Candidate title."

    "My word carries more weight than anything that could be enforced by the outcome of a challenge," Jean declares.

    And I trust him.

    "Good, then, if you defeat me in the future, I won''t stop you when you try to kill her."

    That makes him laugh, but at the same time, he is stretching, warming up his body, "Some friend you are. Are you saying you would just stand there and watch?"

    "Does it matter? I''m not going to lose," I tell him.

    He nods seriously, "Then one of us will have to die."

    "Maybe," I bring his attention to me. "If I win, you can''t go behind me to attack anyone in my group. But I will be happy to face you anytime you want. It doesn¡¯t matter if you decide to wake me up at midnight or if you challenge me at a moment when I''m missing half of my body. You¡¯ll still need to defeat me to get to them."

    He pauses for a moment, then shakes his head with a hint of curiosity in his expression. "You really mean it, don¡¯t you?"

    "Yes. Because you will never beat me, and if you¡¯re not careful, you will die."

    I let my mana flow through my body, the air around me seeming to hum with tension. "I will crush your Pride," I say, my voice calm but deadly. "I will fuck you up."

 Chapter 514 - Jean Durand

    Flashback Jean Durand

    A young man, no more than seventeen, victoriously thrusts both arms into the air with a loud, primal scream. His muscles tense as he basks in the exhilaration of winning, of competing, of putting everything on the line to push the limits of his body.

    That feeling of victory, the reward for all his effort, etches itself deeply within him. And he knows that he¡¯s found something to strive for the rest of his life just to have that experience again.

    Three white lights illuminate the judges¡¯ panel nearby as the referees confirm the validity of his final lift for the meet.

    His heart beating wildly, he steps off the stage. He doesn¡¯t even head backstage; instead, he takes a seat nearby, waiting for his only competitor to make their attempt to match his lift. He watches, a sense of elation flooding through him as he sees his efforts affirmed, watching as his opponent tries and fails to deadlift the weight, struggling to even pull it to his knees. As if the bar had been glued to the floor.

    Jean¡¯s brother and sister rush to him, hugging and congratulating him.

    It¡¯s not often you set a national record at a mere seventeen years old.

    <hr>

    The stage is bigger this time. The referees seem less friendly, the lights more revealing. Every step feels unsteady, and the weight that felt so light in training now seems unbearably heavy.

    But not for Jean.

    The ever-present big smile fades from the nineteen-year-old boy¡¯s face as he scratches at the beard he¡¯s just begun to grow.

    He adjusts his belt, applies a final dusting of chalk to his palms, and slaps them together, sending a white cloud of chalk bursting forth. The slap echoes sharply, and with it, all other sounds fade away.

    A few short steps. Pause. Adjust stance. Deep breath in.

    One last look at the audience, at his sister, his brother. The referees.

    Then, there is only the weight. And it moves. It moves so easily.

    His muscles tighten, his skin hugging them tightly. His grip on the bar remains secure, and in one smooth motion, Jean pulls it up, waiting for the signal.

    When it comes, he gently releases the weight.

    Three white lights.

    Jean raises his arms into the air in a triumphant gesture. But this time, his shout isn¡¯t nearly as primal or excited. He¡¯s a bit surprised. Was it supposed to be so easy? Why hadn¡¯t anyone else lifted it?

    He shrugs it off with a smile. It¡¯s time to celebrate, not ponder useless thoughts. There must be more opponents to draw his focus. More records to break.

    <hr>

    At twenty-four years old, Jean Durand retires from powerlifting.

    He built his body to compete in the open category and lift the heaviest weights. Every record he sought, he has broken. Every opponent he aimed to defeat, he has conquered. There is nothing left for him to accomplish here.

    Striving to relive that first taste of victory, Jean gives up the sport and turns his attention elsewhere.

    Strongman.

    Sports like rugby, hockey, football, and golf may get higher ratings, but Jean doesn¡¯t care. He never liked team sports to begin with, and he¡¯s declined offers from more teams than he can count.

    No, he relies solely on himself. Money doesn¡¯t matter; he¡¯s only interested in chasing that feeling of victory, even after all these years.

    And the title of the world¡¯s strongest man has a nice ring to it.

    <hr>

    At twenty-seven years old, Jean Durand becomes the World¡¯s Strongest Man. After three fruitful years of learning, adapting, and growing ever stronger. After mastering every event and facing an endless parade of strongmen. After losing his first strongman competition. After placing second in his second competition. He finally secures the win.

    Surrounded by cheers, Jean looks down at his hands. Covered in calluses, there¡¯s even some bleeding. He stares down at them as the blood mixes with the white chalk.

    That¡¯s it? Did he do all this just to end up in the same place as before?

    When his brother and sister rush to him again, he forces out a loud laugh and gently scoops them up, being careful not to hurt them.

    Next year will be different.

    It must be.

    <hr>

    At twenty-eight years old, Jean Durand wins and successfully defends his title.

    <hr>

    At twenty-nine years old, Jean Durand wins again.

    The crowd erupts as the cameras zoom in, capturing the sweat dripping down his face and the intensity in his eyes. After lifting the trophy, he steps down for the post-event interview, his demeanor calm while carrying a sharp edge.

    When the reporter asks what sets him apart, Jean leans into the microphone, his voice steady and deliberate. However, his usually friendly face reveals a strong dose of frustration.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "I don¡¯t do anything special," he begins, his words cutting through the noise. "But here¡¯s the truth. Winning isn¡¯t just about lifting the heaviest weights. It¡¯s about stepping onto this stage and leaving no doubt in anyone¡¯s mind who the strongest is."

    He pauses, scanning the room, his gaze piercing. "To my competitors¡ªask yourselves, did you really come here ready to take this title? Or were you just hoping to see me stumble? Because from where I¡¯m standing, it doesn¡¯t look like you were prepared to face me."

    Jean steps away, the trophy gleaming in his hand, leaving the crowd and his rivals behind.

    <hr>

    At thirty years old, Jean Durand wins again.

    As the cameras close in and the crowd surges with applause, he stands tall, trophy in hand, and addresses the reporters. His voice is calm but resolute as he declares, ¡°The next competition will be my last.¡±

    The announcement sends a ripple of shock through the gathered crowd. Gasps and murmurs spread like wildfire, and even his manager, standing at his side, buries his face in his hands in dismay. But Jean doesn¡¯t flinch. His expression remains steady, unaffected by the noise around him.

    Then, after a deliberate pause, he adds, ¡°If any of my competitors felt so much as a shred of relief when I said that, maybe that¡¯s the reason they¡¯ve never beaten me.¡±

    <hr>

    Later that night, after a long conversation, his manager, feeling he can¡¯t hold himself back anymore, shouts, ¡°A challenge, what do you mean challenge, someone to beat, to compare yourself to? So what? Jean, just take it easy, make some money, win competitions, get sponsorships, and retire to a nice villa by the sea. That¡¯s what normal people want.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not for me, Luis.¡±

    ¡°Damn it, man,¡± the manager sighs, downing another shot. ¡°You were born in the wrong era. A thousand years ago, people like you led armies and fought to their heart¡¯s content. But now? There¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡±

    For a moment, a new idea lights up his eyes. ¡°Martial sports? What do you think? I could get you some boxing matches, maybe MMA.¡±

    ¡°I would probably end up killing someone, Luis. I just want to compete and relive that feeling. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Damn musclehead. And what will you do if you meet someone you have no hope of defeating, no matter how hard you try?¡±

    Jean smiles brightly as he downs his shot. ¡°I will always win in the end, Luis. You know that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, but what if you really, really can¡¯t win?¡±

    Jean leans back, scratching his much longer beard as he gives it some thought. Finally, he shrugs with a faint grin. ¡°Then I¡¯d still be happy. It¡¯d mean I finally know what my opponents have been feeling all these years. And I¡¯d finally know if I have what it takes to rise above or if I¡¯d break just like they did.¡±

    <hr>

    POV Jean Durand

    Noname doesn¡¯t even try to fly his way into the air. He removes that sword he carries on his hip, the one I haven¡¯t seen him use even once, and tosses it aside like trash.

    Then, he surrounds himself in armor, forming it from a three colored mass of mana. It¡¯s simple but beautifully functional in design, and it grows until he stands as tall as me.

    Before the mask of his helmet covers his face, I notice the corners of his lips curling upward.

    I use [Regulator] and, for the first time since I left the fifth floor all those months ago, I let my full strength flood through my body.

    <hr>

    POV Nathaniel

    Even as we face each other, I continue to weave armor around my body. In the back of my mind, I prepare to weave Ley Lines into the mix, focusing on the immensely difficult structure so that I can deploy it at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Then Jean takes a step, and the ground beneath him explodes into a crater. A huge smile lighting up his face as stones are hurled into the air by the explosion. He grabs a few and throws them at me. They crash against my armor and crumble to a fine dust.

    I form a long spear and jam it into the ground, increasing its length as Jean throws another punch at me. The pressure alone blows away a shower of stones, grass, and even a boulder the size of a car, sending it rolling into the distance like a bowling ball.

    Then he stands before me, punching my armor. The kinetic energy of his punch flows through its structure as I activate Counter Flow and take the blow head on. The resulting flood of energy winds up being much higher than expected. Far more than anything, he¡¯s demonstrated so far, but I manage. I accept it, redirect it, and then I attack, throwing it back at him. His body is flung through the air, skipping across the ground like a flat stone on a lake.

    Wraith Dance brings me closer, and I maintain the stance until I reach him as he finally recovers and begins to stand.

    My fist meets his, and he punches me in the chest again. Counter Flow takes it all in, and my attack returns it. The forest behind him is torn, trees find themselves uprooted and sent flying, but he endures it, holding his forearms crossed in front of his body.

    He punches, and I absorb it again, but this time, it¡¯s stronger, and a crack forms in my armor. I restore it quickly, but before I can throw another punch, he hits me again, doubling the amount of energy I¡¯ve absorbed.

    My attack sends him flying and crashing into one of the pillars, burying his body within.

    Quick Wraith Dance brings me back into range. I slow into walking, rolling my shoulders to warm up as I clench and unclench my fist.

    Jean falls out of the pillar, covered in dust, scratches, and bruises. He moves his arm, and my head snaps back as he hurls a stone at my helmet, driving it with immense force.

    The man smiles at that and pounds his chest, the dust falling from his clothes.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like using these skills, but what else can I do if you¡¯re too scared to get close?¡± he smirks, reaching a hand toward me. ¡°Pull.¡±

    My [Eclipse] triggers multiple times, fighting the frequency of his skill, but my body still moves toward him at incredible speed. I cancel it and focus on absorbing my own inertia, coming to a stop right in front of him.

    I duck under his swing and punch him in the chest, releasing kinetic energy as I do. Then I dodge an incoming kick and punch again, moving to the side to avoid another strike, delivering two of my own in return.

    Each of his swings leaves a noticeable degree of damage in its wake. That incredible pressure would¡¯ve surely torn my body apart without my armor and kinetic energy to blunt the impact.

    ¡°Pull,¡± he repeats.

    This time, I¡¯m ready to disrupt the effect, managing not to stumble for more than an instant.

    All the debris he pulled in with me crashes against my body.

    Resonance Flow activates, absorbing the energy of their motion in midair. But Jean¡¯s already gotten a hold of my left arm.

    ¡°Got you.¡± He declares, squeezing down and crumpling my armor like tin foil, crushing flesh and bone in the process.

    ¡°It¡¯s always the left arm.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Before he can ask more, I compress multiple tricolored orbs inside it and cut it loose, then kick him away. Teleporting through a [Ley Line] and searing the wound closed with thermal energy and recreating the arm from mana.

    Something crashes against my armor at incredible speed, radiating a powerful mana signature.

    It''s my severed arm.

    The moment I recognize it and teleport again, my arm explodes somewhere behind us, the shock waves crashing over me in rapid succession.

    I allow my body to be pulled by Jean again and expand my armor around me, crashing into him at a speed boosted with kinetic energy. Two more arms form from my back, reaching out to restrain his arms while I press the attack with the remaining two.

    Even so, I can¡¯t hold him. That incredible strength swells inside his body, and he throws me off balance before punching me again, drilling a hole through my armor and body.

    I shrink my armor, make it denser, and form a sword in my hand, slashing at his arm as he lifts it. The blade pierces his flesh only to stop as it comes into contact with his extremely durable bones.

    A number of projectiles form above me and burst forth, each creating a booming shockwave as I boost them with kinetic energy. They pierce through his body, staggering him backward.

    But there is no look of defeat to be found on his face.

    None at all.

    In fact, he just seems to be getting warmed up.

 Chapter 515 - Tournament winner against Tournament winner

    Mana seeps out of my body, and for the first time in a long while, I let it, in fact, I even help the process along with Mana Cycling.

    Starting with my body¡¯s reserves, doubled by my attribute upgrade.

    Bolstered by my Reservoir, which triples those reserves.

    And further expanded by the mana from my crown.

    Jean isn¡¯t breaking easily as most people do, and for once, I don¡¯t need to be worried about any teammates who might get caught in the crossfire.

    My mana floods out in waves, swirling, radiating into the area, and crashing against his body in a display of raw force.

    And something about his body resists. Maybe there¡¯s something about his bones or some aspect of his psychology that¡¯s just different. It isn¡¯t a skill, it isn¡¯t the power of his stats, but something about him just seems inherently resistant to mana-based attacks, reducing the impact they have on his body.

    Jean pulls himself from the debris, and I send a tricolored orb through a [Ley line,] forming it right next to his head.

    He notices it and lifts his forearms to protect his face.

    Compressed mana expands, and that process generates heat and a shockwave, followed by a powerful implosion pulls everything toward the center of the orb, squeezing everything in the blast radius together.

    It damages his body, pulling him in and compressing him under the force of the resulting vacuum and stray debris, but when it falls to the ground, Jean climbs out of it.

    Under the artificial sunlight cast by the crystals in the ceiling, his exposed bones and bare skin reveal the powerful muscles beneath. He¡¯s wearing barely any clothing, and his terribly damaged body is already beginning to regenerate.

    He withstands the pressure of my mana with ease. Never mind that, I¡¯m certain that kind of force would¡¯ve driven Lily, Tess, or the twins to their knees, gasping for air and on the verge of passing out, and yet it barely seems to bother him.

    Jean takes a deep breath, lifts his arm, and then closes it into a fist before smashing it against his chest, sending a shockwave crashing through the area.

    He repeats himself, creating another shockwave to blows away the dust we¡¯ve kicked up.

    ¡°Is that all you have?¡±

    That¡¯s all he says.

    And so I reply in my own way.

    My hand rises, palm open, as mana gathers around me. The light surrounding us dims, the raw brilliance of my mana surging into form. Threads of luminous energy weave themselves together, layer upon layer, condensing into a single radiant lance that hums with immensely compressed mana.

    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 0 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 1]

    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 1 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 2]

    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 2 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 3]

    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 3 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 4]

    [Empyrean Lance - lvl 4 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 5]

    The lance manifests in mid air, floating over the palm of my hand, and the air surrounding it shimmers with a seemingly volatile charge. The lance¡¯s tip glows with blinding intensity, pulsing in sync with the resonance of my mana.

    Threads of energy weave together, glowing brighter with each layer, forming a luminous weapon that virtually seems to hum with mana. Its core radiates a deep, golden-white light, while its edges glimmer with streaks of pale blue and violet that ripple and pulse like the heartbeat of a star.

    I launch it forward with every ounce of focus I can muster, and the weapon streaks through the air like a comet, its path inescapable, leaving behind a prismatic trail of afterimages.

    The very space it passes through vibrates, the air bending and warping as if the spear itself were defying reality. The streaks of white, gold, and blue flare brilliantly as the spear hurtles toward Jean.

    Jean¡¯s body jolts as all that mana resonates through him, tearing at his structure. His skin ripples unnaturally, his bones vibrating under the assault, and for a moment, even his incredible regeneration begins to slow. The unstable field lingers around him in a chaotic storm of energy that continues to crackle and spark, leaving behind a scarred and fractured structure.

    Yet as the light fades, Jean still stands amidst the destruction, His body smoldering as steam rises from his skin and he steps out of the epicenter of the blast, his muscles tense and his expression unwavering.

    The left side of his body is nearly gone, only the bones remain, held together by whatever tendons and pieces of sizzling, bubbling, and flesh as his regeneration starts to kick in.

    He opens his mouth to speak, but the lower part of his chin is gone. Only the bone remains, his tongue and the surrounding flesh having been stripped away.

    Even so, he squints his eyes in a deranged form of a smile as wrinkles form in the corner of his eye.

    He reaches his hand towards me and Pulls. But this time, he pulls himself. His body launches itself at incredible speed toward me, but the moment he enters my reach, he comes to a stop mid-air, his arm reaching out, his bones showing even as his flesh continues its regeneration.

    I see, so that thing of his resists mana.

    Even held in place by my efforts, Jean starts moving his arm slowly, that enormous strength moving his body despite my hold.

    For a moment, we wrestle with each other. My mind and [Redistribution] doing their best to hold him while he does his best to generate as much energy as he can to slip through my hold. Before that happens, three tricolored orbs form around him.

    At that moment, he breaks free, curling his body as the explosion hurls him into the ground, inflicting even more damage.

    He doesn¡¯t even stop rolling when he Pulls again, this time keeping his legs on the ground so he can use them the next time I try to hold him. His pulls are shorter but more powerful, and by stringing them together, he finally reaches me.

    Another [Empyrean Lance] forms, and the skill levels as I hurl it at him.

    This time, he doesn¡¯t let it hit him; instead, he grabs it and attempts to break it, which releases the stored energy once again, the golden-white core flashing as it leaves behind yet another destabilizing field, which I make a note to examine.

    I take a deep breath, and the set of Ley Lines I¡¯ve been forming in the air around him materialize, just two threads, each only a bit longer than I¡¯m tall. Even with all my effort, it¡¯s difficult to do more. These pale blue shimmering threads move and coil around him before joining together and tying him down until he stops moving.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    With a step, I activate Wraith Dance and reach his body.

    ¡°I think this is¡­¡±

    [Ley Line] threads snap. The very threads I¡¯ve only ever seen damaged by [Disintegration].

    The most powerful pull I¡¯ve felt up to this point drags me to him and him to me.

    My body crashes against his, forcing the air from my lungs.

    At that moment, my eyes lock with his, he¡¯s missing half of his skull along with one of his eyes and large sections of his body. And the instant I make contact, I feel it: an effect emanating from him. Whether it¡¯s his body, his bones, or some other trait, it actively repels mana. I can sense it clearly now. Mana twists in the air around him, dissipating and weakening in his presence.

    Jean is made to fight mages.

    That incredible strength tears off my right arm with ease. Even all the kinetic energy at my command doesn¡¯t help me resist.

    I release a burst of kinetic energy toward his head in a blast of force, stripping away the rest of his flesh, skin, his skull alone in place, and his brain safely inside.

    For a moment his head starts to roll back, but some of the muscles in his neck reattach themselves, and he swings his head, smashing it into mine as he grabs me once again, coiling his arms around my body.

    My unique passive activates, weakening the blow as a huge amount of mana fills into my reservoir. Even so, I feel my skull crack.

    As his body works to weaken my mana, I push through, reforming my arms with raw mana and enveloping parts of my body in armor crafted from a set of Ley Lines I prepared earlier. The armor is a blend of dark blue threads interwoven with shimmering, pale blue Ley Lines.

    [Ley Line - lvl 44 > Ley Line - lvl 45]

    [Ley Line - lvl 45 > Ley Line - lvl 46]

    I endure another hit and switch to Breaker Style, slamming my open palm into his side, causing a geyser of flesh and blood to erupt against my armor.

    How absurd this man is.

    His body doesn¡¯t just reject and resist mana and mana-based attacks. No, it takes bits of any mana that does manage to damage it and uses it to fuel its regeneration.

    Jean¡¯s eyes come back, as does his mouth, emitting that quiet laugh anew, and he squeezes harder, cracking the armor around me As he ignores my golden flames burning him.

    I know I could withdraw my mana and stop using it for attacks. I could channel it all into my crown and send it elsewhere to counter his ability.

    But still.

    Just who does he think I am?

    Instead, I draw it all in, wrapping it around my body, flooding myself with it, and reinforcing my armor. Then, I keep attacking him.

    His regeneration speeds up to a ridiculous degree, and to show my point, I move that raw mana and oscillate it the same way I did back on the first floor.

    It damages him. It heals him. It damages me as well.

    With a body boosted by mana instead of kinetic energy, I punch him in the face, dissipating the mana in my arm in the process, only for me to reform the limb, punching him over and over again in the process.

    Jean squeezes harder, and my ribs crack. He opens his mouth to say something, but my oscillating mana tears his face off, it grinds down his skin and muscles, and I only keep increasing pressure. I keep compressing it until the mana surrounding us feels almost tangible, like I could breathe it in and swim in it.

    The air wavers and the colors around us start changing and growing hazy.

    I take a deep breath.

    And push.

    Jean¡¯s torn-apart muscles give in, his arms snapping open, and my knee buries itself in his belly. A barrier forms around my face, and I slam it into his head, making him stagger back.

    He pulls on me, but four massive arms form on my back, stabbing themselves deep into the ground and holding me in place.

    I take a step towards him, compressing my arm made of mana, weaving the mana within, I focus on the path of my strike. And I attempt to mimic the structure of [Empyrean Lance].

    Miserably failing, something that can barely be called an imitation takes shape. My mana prosthetic begins to reveal a faint glow, a pale shadow of the lance''s brilliance, as I drive my fist into his face once more.

    [Mana Manipulation - lvl 61 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 62]

    The explosions bloom towards him instead of pouring out on all sides. A stream of concentrated mana-generated heat throws the man away from me while blowing off my mana prosthesis. It explodes three times, each blast stronger than the one prior.

    Mana moves around me, pulled through my body and into my crown as I cycle it once again. My heart beats, generating thermal energy and burning everything around me, fighting hard to keep me alive. Wraith Dance erases the distance between us, and my armor reforms, and a sword forms in my hand as well, ready to strike.

    Just a palm¡¯s thickness from his body, I stop. Jean isn¡¯t moving.

    He isn¡¯t dead, his powerful heart is still beating, though his body is regenerating much slower, but he is unconscious and incapable of fighting.

    I¡¯ve won.

    I close my eyes, savoring the sensation as I replay the fight in my mind¡ªthe danger I faced, his abilities, the techniques I think I have a chance to replicate, and the things that could use testing and improvement.

    Then I look at him again. The winner of the 1st round, 1st tournament.

    I could kill him. I could ensure that he never threatens my group again. I even conjure a sword, aiming it directly at his head. His Community alias, CarrotCake, suddenly comes to mind, and I stop.

    Old me would probably do it. The 1st floor Nathaniel wouldn¡¯t hesitate, not too much. But the person I am now doesn¡¯t want to.

    Because I don¡¯t want to taint this beautiful sensation of victory.

    I¡¯m stronger now, no longer so afraid. I¡¯m confident I can face him, no matter how many times he comes after me. And I¡¯m certain he¡¯ll keep his word, if he tries to harm anyone in my group, he¡¯ll come for me first.

    Finally, I want to face him again. I want him to grow stronger, so that he can push me to become even stronger.

    My mana seeps from my body, and I surround him in it, aiding his regeneration while observing the process. Is it a trait? A unique passive? Surely, it has to be one of those things allowing him to recover like this. Plus, whatever strange aspect of his body makes him so capable of resisting all mana-based attacks.

    What a ridiculous base, and it will almost certainly grow stronger.

    I confirm once more that he¡¯s unconscious and cut off the tip of one of his fingers, slipping it into my pocket. It¡¯ll be something Lilly and I can examine later.

    Then, just to be sure, I cut off two more.

    He¡¯ll regrow them.

    Jean is also heavy as hell, so I strengthen my body, which is now, for the most part, entirely composed of mana, filling in for all the missing pieces just so I can function and move. Both of my arms, a piece of my leg, there¡¯s a patched hole in my belly and a missing eye.

    I carry him into the safety of The Sphere and throw him on the ground while I sit on the stone bench under the water sphere. My mana continues flowing into him, keeping his regeneration active while I feel like I barely have the energy to mana-manabloc a chair instead of this uncomfortable bench.

    Then, I grab the arm Jean tore off and Hold it to my shoulder, fueling my passive to get it to reconnect. It¡¯s just faster than relying on my passive regeneration, which seems to struggle with rebuilding bones. Especially after all the bone knitting I¡¯ve done.

    Tacita is still here, sitting nearby and observing the sphere in much the same way I saw before.

    Curious, I spare some of my mind to give it a look at it as well. I give it an hour, two hours, three, but there is nothing of interest that I can see. The group of natives and attendees that are watching it seem to be the types with low mana, so maybe it¡¯s something useful for someone with a build based on physical stats.

    For the remainder of my stay token¡¯s duration, I focus on regenerating my body and some light training.

    By the time I¡¯m about ready to leave, Jean is fully healed but still unconscious.

    As he disappears back to his floor and group, I look at Tacita one more time. Even now, she stares up, eyes wide, as her pupils track the movements of the particles in the giant sphere of water.

    Then I feel the pull of my return to the 7th floor.

 Chapter 516 - A mercenary group called Angry Kittens

    The setup of the 7th floor is fairly interesting, especially since we can leave at any time. Taking into consideration there are two ??? rewards in the floor quest it surely means these rewards may even end up being 1 shard, knowing the system.

    It¡¯s been a week since we returned from our Beyond expedition and we¡¯ve taken the time to gather enough information to know that we should be able to move and do stuff without much chance of a Champion rank monster popping up and killing us all in a single attack.

    The event here isn¡¯t even a Pairing, rather, a powerful Absolute grade monster apparently managed to move to this planet without the local Absolute noticing. And while I would like to bash the guy, this planet seems to be fairly new in the system and their Absolute hasn¡¯t been around very long. With the enemy being more powerful than him, all he can do is to protect what territory hasn¡¯t been taken by monsters and stop the monster Absolute from wiping it all clean.

    There¡¯s clearly more to it than that and I still have questions, but it¡¯s nothing that would be available to lowly chumps like us.

    Around 20-30% of the planet has been overrun by monsters, and that¡¯s where we come in. Mercenaries are being hired from the surrounding planets to help in the battle against the unending horde. This planet seems to be a member of a coalition, making this response possible.

    There are limits to it likely and the question comes to mind, why wouldn¡¯t an Absolute from a different planet just come by and fuck up the invading monster, 2 Absolutes vs one? Is it because something like that would run the risk of destroying the planet? If so, wouldn¡¯t that just make it easier for them to suppress the monstrous Absolute? Is there some rule forbidding it that the system enforces? Or would it be too much trouble for the average Absolute to bother?

    Damn it, I want to know.

    One day I will find some friendly Champion or Absolute and pull from them all the information I can. The kind of guy who would randomly spoil the ending of a book mid conversation without ever noticing. Then I will drag as much information from them as the system will allow.

    And then I¡¯ll be angry at myself for spoiling it all.

    Yup, that¡¯s how we roll.

    Anyway, we¡¯ve registered a mercenary group. We call it Angry Kittens.

    I don¡¯t have the energy to fight it anymore and sometimes I notice myself thinking of us as such. We made jokes, back on the 4th Floor, when we first created our guild, that Angry Kittens would rule over the Earth, but the more floors we pass the more likely it seems.

    Part of me thinks it¡¯s hilarious, but obviously, I can¡¯t let it show. I have a reputation to uphold.

    I¡¯ve actually been in a good mood lately. What with the satisfying fight I had with Jean, my new class, making some breakthroughs, acquiring a new active skill and a new passive skill, and now I¡¯ve unlocked another small reward just waiting for my decision. There are four amazing options waiting for me. This time, I won¡¯t rush. This time, I¡¯ll take my time to think it through and choose the one that elevates my build as much as possible.

    Though these options did take the place of the 2nd Active skill my class would have granted me - I do still have to thank my class¡¯s ¡°unique¡± feature for allowing me to personalize my growth a bit more.

    It also makes me wonder how the system will deal with the others when they reach level 300 if they don¡¯t get offered a unique class. Will it give them something else? Will it pick on its own - or will they have options based on the performance of the attendee?

    I know that even now there aren¡¯t a lot of people who have 10 active skills. The average for someone around level 250 seems to be around 6-8 active skills. And group 4 is no exception, despite their high performance compared to most of the other Hell difficulty groups.

    Is it just me collecting active skills like that? Are you supposed to be more careful about what you train to avoid filling your slots with unwanted skills? Do generations after the 1st, who have no idea what they¡¯re doing, follow a more focused path of gaining skills to reach certain builds?

    At this point, I¡¯m sure of it. Every generation after the 1st will have the advantage of our advice.

    We are the most talented people in our world, handpicked by the system to be future leaders, teachers, and protectors. Future possible Champions and Absolutes. With that come advantages - access to the system shop, more options to decide our paths. But there are also disadvantages like a lack of information and a higher potential to make mistakes that cannot be undone. Like filling slots with useless active skills, choosing unfitting traits, or opting for classes that don''t suit you.

    We¡¯re essentially forced to rely on our natural talent to push us through, but overall I would say I prefer this over having information and a clear path to follow. It¡¯s exciting, it¡¯s more fun that way, and there¡¯s always this great sense of exploration and adventure. Some of us even have access to Beyond where we have the opportunity to meet some of the people we share the system with, along with the chance to form future alliances, and take beyond quests to visit places out of the tutorial to collect these bits of information.

    The setup is well executed, at least in my opinion, focused on growth, but damn, we¡¯ve been here for almost 2 years, with the 2nd tournament just a few months away and I¡¯m still thinking about this stuff. There just aren¡¯t many clear answers.

    Glancing at my lap I pet Biscuit who¡¯s still pretending to be asleep anytime I¡¯m nearby. He only moves around when I¡¯m outside doing my training as if he thinks I don¡¯t know.

    I have no idea why he even bothers but I won¡¯t complain.

    Reaching down I boop his small nose and pull gently on his whiskers. I grab one of the ears and flop it around and then lean closer to blow into it weakly. Using kinetic energy I sense him trying to keep his hind leg from twitching in annoyance, so I repeat the action and give his belly a poke. The skin there is very soft, and it feels nice.

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    As I bully him, I can sense more and more signs of annoyance through my kinetic senses.

    Just when I have a feeling he will stop pretending and bark at me, I stop.

    Refreshed, I close my eyes and appear back in my mind space, once more finding myself on the desert planet. Whitey¡¯s already sitting at the top of the dune and looks down at the oasis below.

    There, a young crippled demon is getting beaten by a girl a head shorter than him. She moves incredibly well for someone so young, attacking an older demon who has his hands full trying to keep his broken heart under control while using kinetic energy to move his damaged body. Over and over again he takes his beating, as the girl refuses to hold back and inflicts him with a number of bleeding wounds.

    It takes five minutes, but she gets bored and leaves him there on the ground, unable to move, as the painful wounds cover his figure.

    ¡°You know what?¡± Whitey starts out of nowhere. ¡°I always thought Jaen was much more talented than me. I thought she was strong as fuck and though it may seem pathetic now, I looked up to that tiny girl just a little bit.¡±

    ¡°You should¡¯ve asked her to take you in as a disciple back then.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you think you¡¯re so funny, don¡¯t you, dickhead.¡± Whitey smirks, and I know I will pay for my comments during our sparing match.

    Looking after Jaen he continues, ¡°Seeing her now, like this, I realize how dumb I was.¡±

    ¡°Let me guess, she sucks at using kinetic energy.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Some of it can be forgiven based on her age, but it¡¯s irritating to see someone using the same two moves over and over and using them wrong. When our tutorial started she ended up in Hard difficulty and died in the 1st year. I never learned how.¡±

    "Does it make you sad?"

    "No. The weak die and the strong survive." Whitey says as he stands, brushing the sand from his clothes before settling into his stance.

    I know this will be a tough fight. Whitey has been a lot more fired up lately after witnessing my fight with Jean through my memories.

    Quickly sliding into a stance I face him.

    <hr>

    As has become a habit for Group 4, we find ourselves in our small, sitting room. It¡¯s a bit too cluttered for my taste with the twins and Min-Jae sitting near me on the couch and me in my manablock chair. The others have taken their own seats around the room and there are a bunch of mana stones loaded with information laid out on the table.

    ¡°So, every mercenary group received some form of pay even before they arrived on this planet - something to prod them into coming here,¡± Tess begins.

    ¡°Let me guess,¡± I ask, ¡°We won¡¯t be getting any of that because of the system¡¯s settings.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°Knew it.¡±

    ¡°We all did, Nat. That¡¯s just how the system works. So, starting at that moment it¡¯s up to mercenary groups to make themselves useful. Each gets registration and a 1 year entrance pass, with the chance to leave once a month during scheduled interplanetary teleportations.¡±

    ¡°I have a question.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Min-Jae?¡±

    ¡°Can we move to one of these planets? Stay there while ¡®waves¡¯ pass and reap the rewards?¡±

    ¡°There are a few ways that could play out,¡± Tess responds. ¡°In the 1st scenario, the floor¡¯s setup stops us from leaving that way. While in the 2nd we can leave but we can¡¯t return and possibly end up on a peaceful planet stunting our growth and forcing us to leave for the 8th floor.¡±

    ¡°What if we could learn more that way? Gain some knowledge, that kind of thing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but I personally would prefer to follow the default settings of the tutorial. So far it¡¯s helped us progress in a number of ways on each floor. But if any of you want to try, we can come back to it and go on from there, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°Sounds reasonable!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Min-Jae. So as I said, it¡¯s up to us to make ourselves useful. We can go to one of the fronts, we can enter monster territory on our own, and hunt while getting paid for each kill, we can stay in the outposts and do things here like trading, crafting, training, and the like

    She reaches out and picks up one of the mana stones, ¡°There are 6 fronts. The 1st and 2nd are not recommended, Champion grade monsters appear there pretty often. The 5th isn¡¯t really a good idea either, a monster of similar rank was spotted nearby. The 3rd front is doable but it¡¯s also one of the most dangerous and it¡¯s pretty close to the place where this planet¡¯s Absolute and the Absolute monster clashed for the first time. The 4th front is having a lot of trouble with a myriad of weaker monsters. As for the 6th, it¡¯s the newest so there¡¯s not much information to be had about it.¡±

    After looking through the stone for a bit longer, she sets it back on the table, ¡°Healers are highly valuable here, so we could become Lily¡äs bodyguards and make our way through the fronts while getting paid for her healing. We could do something similar with Nat and have him make items to sell. Or we could combine those strategies.¡±

    ¡°It sounds good, but I¡¯m worried that Nat didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t even try to suggest that we go to the 1st front to check out the Absolute monster or something equally ridiculous.¡± Dennis complains, pointing at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m focused on training and improving my skills, I can level up on the front later when the floor¡¯s difficulty increases and things go to shit.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that sounds more like him,¡± Dennis says, turning to Tess. ¡°You seem to have a plan.¡±

    Tess smiles. ¡°I do. There¡¯s a rumor that Champion Feroy is coming to this outpost on his way to survey the newly opened 6th front. I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind having a skilled healer as powerful as Lily and someone capable of creating mid-arcane items.¡±

    Oh my, that¡¯s more daring than I thought.

    And Sophie seems to mirror my opinion. ¡°Staying near a Champion? Like the ones we just escaped back on the 6th floor? You know, the assholes capable of destroying entire continents?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sophie, exactly - someone that powerful, with plenty of knowledge and resources to spare,¡± Tess says, tapping on the table. ¡°Apparently, he has a specialized team dedicated to maintaining his war armor. It¡¯s called Exoria, and some of the technicians responsible for its creation just died on the battlefield. And now the ones who remain need assistants to take care of the smaller tasks. Getting that information and a means of contacting one of the technicians cost me materials worth ten thousand shards, but I feel like it was well worth it.¡±

    My curiosity, which Tess had been carefully and deliberately stirring, finally reaches its peak, and I sit up straighter in my chair. ¡°Tell me more about this Exoria.¡±

    I know she has me right where she wants me, but I don¡¯t care. This is far too interesting.

 Chapter 517 - Lumorans

    There¡¯s no way a true man wouldn¡¯t get excited at the idea of a suit of fantasy mana/energy driven power armor. We¡¯ve even seen it before: in the Valorplate we encountered back on the 4th floor, the living suit of armor that took over the body of a dead Champion and used his damaged heart to power itself for hundreds of years.

    Even now, I¡¯m working on plans to create my own when I get back to Earth. Something capable of resisting Champions and the like. Not because I want it as a means to bolster my own power, but because it would be fun.

    And I will totally name it Regalia.

    Yes, I will shamelessly steal the name of my old skill to name the item, I don¡¯t care how much sense it makes. Or I will use Valorplate. That name was also fancy.

    But that¡¯s still far off in the future, for now, I¡¯ve got my eyes set on Exoria.

    Tess doesn¡¯t have much more info, unfortunately, just that the Champion wore Exoria into battle and the enemy waited until he was occupied to attack the base when they managed to kill the technicians responsible for helping him take care of the armor. Apparently, the remaining technicians are either too busy or lazy and therefore find themselves in need of more assistance.

    Not gonna lie, I would prefer being a Technician over serving as an assistant. Sure, I don¡¯t know the difference, but one certainly sounds more important while affording more access. Not to mention that I have my own theories regarding why the hell that Champion would need so many people to take care of his armor.

    So, we''ve decided to stay here for the next few days and keep close to the outpost while focusing on training. I¡¯m also using this time to study the natives. Strangely enough, the inhabitants of this world are lumorans, a race that was rare even in Beyond.

    Lumorans are humanoid, and their skin is black. Most of them have golden eyes. They have crystalline features embedded in their skin that look like half-transparent crystals.

    Usually, the more powerful a lumoran is, the more crystals form on their body. It varies based on the individual, but most of the time they tend to form around their shoulders and mark a trail down to their elbows, or travel along the side of their necks, or ring their collarbones.

    I haven¡¯t interacted with any of them yet, but from what I¡¯ve observed, it¡¯s clear they take pride in their crystalline features. Contrary to expectations these crystals don¡¯t tend to protrude; rather, they lay flush against the skin, resembling a thick layer of paint despite their crystalline composition.

    They might continue deep under the skin, but it¡¯s hard to tell. I have a very strong suspicion that they can serve as mana batteries, allowing them to store small amounts of mana, increasing in capacity the stronger the lumoran becomes.

    It¡¯s like a half-baked trait or some bizarre form of body modification, but if I¡¯m completely honest, it does fit a certain kind of aesthetic. In fact, the lumorans even seem to favor clothing that highlights these crystalline features.

    ¡°Nat.¡±

    I refocus my attention on Sophie and the proto-type Logic Core between us. We made it a few days ago. It¡¯s a far cry from anything as high-quality as the one connected to Fracture, but it¡¯s good enough to practice with before I start messing with that evil sword.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask her. ¡°I can still work on the practice core even with something else on my mind.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m just curious. How many parts do you have your mind split into right now?¡±

    ¡°Huh. Six.¡±

    ¡°You do realize how crazy that is, right?¡±

    "I don''t. It''s normal."

    Her shoulders drop and she shakes her head. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t. So what are they doing?¡±

    ¡°The first is managing my Mana Cycling. That one is probably the ¡®oldest¡¯, given that it has to be working at all times,¡± I say with a hint of amusement at the thought, ¡°the second one is speaking with you now, while doing most of the thinking, and dealing with people or helping the others fight when necessary. The third is working on the core. The fourth is running a constant scan of our surroundings, mana, kinetic, and heat. The fifth is working on arrays, building their structures in my mind, and keeping them there so I can activate them if needed. The sixth is handling my restrictive training emblem.¡±

    ¡°Can you make more?¡±

    ¡°I could probably manage a few more if I needed to, but each one would be weaker. Even though I can split my mind a lot, the problem is that my ¡®mental power¡¯ has to be divided as well, decreasing my efficiency. I can work around it a bit and strain my mind; my passives are amazing for that, but there are still limits.¡±

    "Totally normal group 4 behavior," Dennis calls out from somewhere in the corner, sprawled on the ground and unable to move thanks to the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions I created for him.

    ¡°We can split ours into two parts, maybe have five if we were to combine our minds,¡± Aaron adds, also lying nearby.

    Huh. They shouldn¡¯t even be able to talk. Is it time to raise the difficulty? They¡¯re getting good so they clearly think they can show off.

    While I think about that, Sophie asks them, ¡°Is there anything else you want to brag about?¡±

    "Remember when that vyssari Champion we met called me cute?" Aaron remarks.

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    ¡°She called me cute, not you,¡± Dennis corrects him.

    "We have the same face, you idiot, so her compliment applies just as much to me. It¡¯s simple logic."

    I gesture at Sophie to get her attention and ignore the twins, having grown accustomed to filtering out their bickering.

    "Do that thing you did to the core again, but twist the structure like this," I say, shaping a bit of mana in the air to demonstrate the structure I¡¯m describing.

    ¡°Nat, the practice core is simple and working. You should learn how it works instead of trying to modify it at such an early stage.¡±

    ¡°Just do it.¡±

    With an annoyed huff, she grabs it from the table and makes the modification. She was the one who made it, so it¡¯s filled with her mana, which should make it easier for her to make the necessary changes. As she applies them, the entire structure of the core breaks. A resonating pulse cascades through it until, piece by piece, it disappears.

    Sophie grins and gives me a look that clearly says, "I told you so."

    ¡°You did it wrong.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    "You applied the structure I showed you incorrectly and failed to adapt quickly enough after it started to destabilize."

    "What am I, some Easy difficulty attendee?! I did exactly what you asked for. That structure is terrible. It redirected the mana flow, disconnected a key structure from the loop, and increased pressure on a nearby connection node."

    ¡°In translation, you applied it wrong.¡±

    ¡°How the fuck do you translate it that way?¡± She raises her voice, annoyance clear in her tone.

    Maya, sitting in a chair next to the twins, so that she can kick them every so often, calls out, ¡°Tess, they¡¯re fighting over mana stuff again.¡±

    "Has Nat already started calling Sophie¡¯s abilities worse than a noble lady¡¯s pets?" Tess calls out from another room.

    ¡°Not yet, but it looks like he¡¯s about to.¡±

    With a groan, Sophie leans back in her chair and starts working on the mana stone, creating another simple practice logic core. Knowing from previous experience, it will take her a few hours.

    ¡°One day you will tell me what the fuck that thing about noble ladies¡¯ pets actually means,¡± she mumbles as she gets back to work.

    <hr>

    Today should be the day Champion Feroy passes by our outpost, so everyone¡¯s ready, all our stuff is packed so that we can either run or join him. Hopefully, Tess¡¯s conversation with that technician goes well.

    As I observe the outpost, I think about how well the others are cooperating. There are barely any fights between mercenary groups, much less clashes with the natives.

    This world is at war, and the Absolute here takes it seriously, his forces severely punish anyone who does anything that could cause problems on our side. Any kind of infighting is punished severely, and the other groups were informed even before coming here.

    Even demons, though rare here, seem to keep it together and favor going to the more dangerous fronts.

    There are so many fun rumors: an Absolute Candidate Demon someone spotted on the 1st front; a crazy thylarin Champion fighting on this planet for free; a nameless human man who¡¯s been in the war since day one, thus earning the nickname "The Immortal" for surviving countless battles; and the lumoran Champion Owain, a disciple of the lumoran Absolute, single-handedly hunting enemy Champions.

    It¡¯s the kind of rumors that people share to raise morale, whispering in quiet admiration, revered like legends. The kind of things that make you feel a touch of excitement, a hint of adventure combined with curiosity, and a healthy dose of fear somewhere far in the back of your mind.

    We haven¡¯t seen the invaders yet, we haven¡¯t clashed with the monsters either, so all these things may as well be a simple romanticization, like tales of adventure before reality steps in to slap us in the face. No matter what we go through, it always starts this way.

    It¡¯s with these thoughts that I wait in our house near the wooden wall. It¡¯s easy to spot the moment the Champion¡¯s people enter the city. The atmosphere changes in an instant, and they deploy multiple scans even before entering, detecting any and all powerful signatures, counting people, searching for monsters, checking the number of active arrays and barriers, and more besides.

    The speed and thoroughness on display are incredibly impressive. And it¡¯s on that note that just three lumorans enter the city, each one bearing far more crystalline features than any other lumoran I¡¯ve seen since we found ourselves in this outpost, each one has three question marks over their heads. Leaving them somewhere between levels 322 and 449, as I can only see the exact level of people up to 20 levels above me.

    One of them seems to take the lead and makes way for the building in the center, with another lumoran following him as a bodyguard as the other one splits off to keep watch while they walk through the city.

    They all wear simple clothes, but each one of them has a mark made on the inside of their left forearm. The mark itself seems to be made of a material not unlike their more normal crystalline features, forming a simple circle of white and pale blue surrounding an obvious thumb imprint.

    Tess waits outside the house the two lumorans entered, patiently waiting with Lily at her side. She waits for the leader of the outpost to finish his business with the Champion¡¯s technician, as they exchange information and requisitions for materials.

    She gets called in soon enough and enters the building. The rest of the group on the other hand snaps to full attention in an instant, but no signal comes.

    Just a minute later, Tess sends through the link: (Can you come here? You can teleport.)

    I do as I¡¯m told and move through the [Ley Line] connected to Tess. Inside I find her, Lily, and four lumorans, two of whom are newcomers and two who help form the leadership of this outpost. The one I take to be the technician looks at me, and for a moment his eyes pass through the air, tracing the path of the invisible [Ley Line] connecting me to Tess.

    He then looks at the Fracture on my waist. ¡°You made that?¡±

    From his tone, it¡¯s obvious he knows the answer.

    ¡°Yes, though I had some help,¡± I confirm.

    ¡°Good, we will be taking them. Take care of the necessary documents and share the information with HQ.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± the lumoran leader of the camp nods and bows. ¡°Should I note the destination as the sixth front?¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯ve had a change of plans, we will be heading to the second front. We¡¯re leaving in 5 minutes, so make your preparations, and we will have a contract ready for you.¡± He waves me and the others off, causing us to stumble out of the house.

    Oh boy.

 Chapter 518 - Exoria deployment camp

    Tess, Lily, and I return to our current base, where everyone is already waiting, packed and seated in my trademarked manabloc chairs v3.1. We join them too.

    I let a minute pass before saying, ¡°So, second front?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking, Nat.¡± Tess sighs, waving me off.

    ¡°What do you mean the second front!?¡± Sophie objects, to no one¡¯s surprise, ¡°You said we would be going to the 6th.¡±

    ¡°I know, Soph. It seems like something¡¯s changed on the 2nd front and they need the Champion there.¡± Tess explains, seeming exceptionally frustrated as she does; she always gets this way when things don¡¯t go according to plan. Her frustration making itself known as she begins to fidget, tapping on the back of her hand with the opposing index finger.

    ¡°We could still refuse, or just run away. I don¡¯t think they would hunt us down just to conscript us,¡± I remind her.

    ¡°I know, I know. Backing out would be easy too, I could just tell them we were expecting to move to the 6th front. But I¡¯m still trying to work out whether or not the danger outweighs the potential gain. It¡¯s entirely possible that we won¡¯t even need to fight, they might even ask us to stay on base because of the nature of the 2nd front. We could also register as non-combatants in the contract.¡±

    ¡°It would still be possible for a Champion-grade monster to attack the base,¡± Aaron points out.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Tess agrees, as she groans in frustration. ¡°I had everything planned out so nicely, we were going to start with the sixth front, and work our way up to the fourth front over the next few weeks, gathering more information, and going on some hunts in the process, all that.¡±

    ¡°We could always split up too. I could go out and help the technicians, while you guys can go somewhere else,¡± I say.

    Tess¡¯s reaction makes it clear she¡¯d already thought of that. She just nods. ¡°How about this: we all go and sign on as non-combatants for a few weeks. If we sense any danger, we leave. We can even bail for the eighth floor if it gets to be too much.¡±

    No one seems to have a better idea.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to sign the contract.¡± Sophie stands up. ¡°And I swear, Tess, if they try to push us into anything more, we¡¯re rejecting it.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    <hr>

    The signing goes smoothly, and they even offer us a salary, mostly in materials, items, and information. I leave the others to handle it, if only because it sounds boring.

    There isn''t much opportunity for slacking around as we leave the camp with the three lumorans and head out to meet up with the rest of the Champion¡¯s group. It winds up taking us 15 minutes to reach it, in what feels like the middle of nowhere.

    I sense around 100 mana signatures about half of which are comparable to ours, and in many cases they¡¯re even stronger. Ten in particular, stand out as especially powerful, likely approaching or just managing to exceed level 400. All gathered to support this one Champion, all these men and women placing themselves at his disposal.

    That one signature that shines the brightest within the camp.

    I don¡¯t touch anyone with my senses directly; mostly collecting this information from the air, and the lingering remnants of their presence.

    In the middle of the camp, we find a huge square tent with a pointy roof, tall enough to fit a large apartment building inside, and damn if it doesn¡¯t have some of the best defenses I¡¯ve seen until now. Just looking at it with my eyes activated makes my vision start to haze over at the edges. All these mana threads, circuits, nodes, spirals, arrays, layered reactive barriers, and other things I can¡¯t quite make out.

    There are two slightly smaller, if still big tents, with dozens of smaller ones filling out the surroundings, all with a similar set of defenses, though not to the same extreme. Much like the larger one, every tent is white and feels transparent despite my eyes telling me otherwise. It¡¯s a weird, and unsettling feeling. Leaving me to wonder if they¡¯re doing something to merge into the background. Like to hide themselves or something.

    As two of the Lumorans split off, the remaining one turns to us. ¡°I¡¯m Quent, level 8 technician and assistant to Exoria Overseer Ito, level 9 technician.¡±

    He points his finger at me, the twins, and Sophie, ¡°You, you, you, and you will serve as assistants under level 7 technician, Leth.¡±

    I force myself to start remembering the names and put the questions away, just nodding. The twins and Sophie nod after a while.

    Quent seems satisfied, ¡°Lady Healer Lily will join Lord Champion¡¯s healing squad, and the rest of your guild will serve as her assistants, companions, or protectors. As noted in the contract, none of you will be leaving the camp, and you will be registered as non-combat units under the Exoria deployment camp.¡±

    With that, we enter the camp, heading towards one of the smaller tents.

    ¡°I¡¯m Sarabeth, third in command and the one responsible for the defense of Exoria deployment camp,¡± a lumoran woman says, introducing herself as we enter.

    Great, yet another name to remember.

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    We introduce ourselves in a similar fashion, and wait as they get us registered with Quent¡¯s aid, giving us that same circular mark complete with thumb print on the inside of our left wrists. It burns like ice for a while, and I take the opportunity to examine the mark itself. It seems to take a bit of our mana signature as identification, and after confirming it, charges it into a circular crystalline structure, causing it to vibrate at a highly specific frequency.

    I¡¯ll need to examine it further, but I already like it. The way Sarabeth presented it to us is a clear display of skill. Not to mention that the fact that she¡¯s third in command, likely after Champion Feroy and someone else, speaks volumes as well.

    Level 400? Higher? A bit lower? Would it be too rude to ask? Most likely. That¡¯s unfortunate, I want to know.

    ¡°This will be your group¡¯s tent. Your identification marks will allow you to enter. Later, we will add more locations to the mark as needed. But if you try to enter any location you are not authorized for, you may be killed without question. Please make sure to remember that. Any modification to the tent¡¯s arrays is forbidden. You are not allowed to leave the camp¡¯s proximity and doing so could trigger reactive defenses leading to your death. You are free to take a short rest, and in a few hours someone will stop by to lead you to your tasks as required.¡±

    And with these words, Quent leaves.

    I look around inside our tent. Even though it seemed transparent from the outside, inside I can see that the walls are made out of a thick, canvas-like material, supported by metallic rods, while the flooring is made of polished, compressed stone, likely created by some stone manipulator.

    There are multiple rooms as well, so calling it a small tent might be an understatement. It¡¯s more like a small house. Even the furniture here is mostly wood, nicely shaped and looking as if each piece were made from a single section of wood without any nails or joints.

    I quite like the style, so like the others, I walk around, exploring our new living space. Pretend-to-be-sleeping Biscuit is obviously in my arms, and I notice him curiously sniffing away when he thinks I¡¯m not paying attention.

    When I reach out to pet his small head, his tiny tail twitches as if to wag from side to side, but he catches himself and stops mid-movement, his body tensing up.

    ¡°When they come to us to help with the Champion¡¯s armor maintenance, do you want to try taking it over to take it for a ride?¡± Dennis asks, striding up to stand my side and shower me with questions. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s in that huge tent? Is it a simple suit of armor? Or is it the size of a building? You can make something like that with your mana, so it must be at least that big if not more powerful, right?¡±

    His brother steps up to me from the other side, blocking my path so I can¡¯t escape, ¡°Nat, I¡¯m serious now. We need to learn how to build a suit for ourselves. I want my own Gundam.¡±

    ¡°It sounds fun, so why not if there¡¯s an opportunity and time.¡±

    ¡°Ha! I knew you¡¯d see it our way!¡± Aaron shouts, carelessly clapping my shoulder in an uncharacteristic manner with a happy smile on his face, ¡°What do you want in exchange?¡±

    I give that a bit of thought but can¡¯t come up with anything at the moment, ¡°We''ll cross that bridge when we get to it.¡±

    Sophie comes closer when I gesture at her, and we all put our heads together as I say, ¡°Remember as much as you can. Dennis and Aaron, collect and store as much info as you can. Sophie, make your memory pockets, or whatever you call them, and do the same. They probably won¡¯t show us the most important parts, but even the slightest bit of information will be helpful. For the Gundam for Aaron, for your golem and bond, Sophie, and for my Regalia.¡±

    ¡°Do you really want to call it Regalia? After the skill? don¡¯t you think that¡¯s kinda lame?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Soph, it¡¯s a perfectly good name!¡± Dennis interrupts, quickly rising to my defence and poking her, which gets an irritated noise from her. He turns to me, ¡°Does this mean we will be getting less training?¡±

    For that, he gets a look full of disappointment from Aaron, who knows exactly how I will respond.

    ¡°Hell no,¡± I reply. ¡°Since we¡¯re in camp and won¡¯t be fighting monsters for the time being, we¡¯ll be using this time to train even harder. I have a lot of things I want to test out.¡±

    <hr>

    As promised, they come to get us a few hours later, escorting us outside and over to one of the larger tents next to the big three in the middle.

    There are small entrances on either side, and we enter through one of those. As we enter, the bustle of movement takes the place of the eerie silence we heard outside, now unrestrained by the canvas of the tent, and we find ourselves bombarded with the sounds of powerful flames burning, metal clanging, people shouting at each other, chains rattling, and the rush of steam. There¡¯s also a lot of concentrated mana in the air, the temperature is higher, and the air smells like metal, oil, and something hard to describe.

    Our guide this time is a man introduced to us as level 7 technician Leth, the man we will be working under as assistants. Like all lumorans, he has black skin, crystalline features on the sides of his neck and across his shoulders. His hair is pale yellow, and his eyes are golden. He also likes to smile a lot, excitedly showing us inside the tent.

    ¡°You now have access to this site. We¡¯ve temporarily dubbed it Workshop Number Three! Workshop Number One is managed by level 9 technician Ito, and Workshop Number Two is currently for level 8 technicians only. This is where I work, and you will be helping me to the best of your abilities!¡±

    Sophie, the twins, and I just nod, much to his amusement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! The shyness will fade soon. There is no time for that kind of thing here when there is so much work to be done!¡±

    He gestures for us to follow, and so we do, quickly coming to a stop beside two other lumorans, each accompanied by a small group of their own. One of the groups consists of three thylarin¡ªtwo men and one woman with pale blue skin, and four very muscular arms, unlike most thylarin I¡¯ve seen.

    Leth, after taking a moment to greet the two lumorans, returns and explains in a quieter voice, ¡°The other groups here are mercenaries like you, each led by a level 7 lumoran technician like me.¡±

    He gestures at the thylarin group, ¡°That trio seems very interesting. They have experience working on armament-type equipment, and one of them even possesses a fragment of eternal fire, so that helps!¡±

    Our eyes move to the other group and Leth continues in a similar manner, ¡°That one is more experienced. We¡¯ve worked with them before, and even level 9 technician Ito took a liking to them.¡±

    The group in question consists of a vyssari woman, a human man, and a tall man who is probably several heads taller than even Jean was, clearly a member of that giant-like race I encountered before.

    I get a sense of competition whenever I catch the gaze of the thylarin party, but the second group seems disinterested and confidently follows their lumoran technician to their corner of the tent.

    We follow Leth as well until we finally reach a piece of metal that towers above us, reaching for the ceiling of the tent. It¡¯s as thick as I am, and the inside is plated in an entirely different metal than the surface. And there are inscriptions etched throughout, each one carved into the metal at the depth of my finger. There are even channels made of mana-conductive metals, leading to nodes of inscriptions.

    Most of all, it reminds me of a pauldron. A pauldron for something very big.

    ¡°This is just a spare, but let¡¯s see what you guys can do!¡±

 Chapter 519 - Cyclist Destroyer

    It¡¯s early morning the next day when I wake up from my usual few hours of sleep. Ever since the body upgrades and everything that came with them, going days without sleep hasn¡¯t been a problem. Still, I¡¯ve gotten into the habit of sleeping 2-4 hours most nights whenever I can.

    I¡¯ve noticed that I¡¯m less irritable, make fewer mistakes, and even find training easier when I get at least some sleep. Surprise, it¡¯s just like how normal people feel when they get enough rest.

    Still, when I wake up, I bring a few of my evil pyramids into existence and start working on my usual mana-shaping exercises. Another part of my mind checks over my body and Mana Cycling, only to ramp it up again.

    I know some Champions like to talk a lot of trash about the mark Lissandra left on me and on Mana Cycling as well. They even call her a fossil. An ancient being, As if she were just some old grandma insisting on driving a 50-year-old vehicle while other people use electromobiles.

    My thoughts pause there, and I give it some consideration. Did I come up with the perfect metaphor?

    Mana Cycling is dangerous, even I¡¯ve noticed that. The technique was clearly created by someone without the proper knowledge and time. I strongly suspect Lissandra created it during that war she was born into. She probably spent her youth on the battlefield, without the benefit of the time and knowledge to refine it further.

    For a moment, I imagine her at Isabella¡¯s age, constantly fighting for her life and hoping that some Champion-grade being wouldn¡¯t just come along and squash her.

    The technique feels like a true remnant of those times. Far, far from perfect, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s as simple as a lack of skill, no, nowadays she could easily make it better. Mana Cycling¡¯s drawbacks were left there on purpose, requiring effort many times greater than that of a more refined technique.

    It¡¯s just like the car metaphor: Lissandra¡¯s car would be a 50-year-old, rusty wreck¡ªa cyclist-destroyer held together by wire, duct tape, and a few prayers. Like the kind of machine that takes every trick in the book just to keep it running.

    Meanwhile, modern electric cars have features to keep you from running over cyclists. They give you warnings, sometimes they even park themselves, and come loaded with GPS and all manner of other fancy features.

    In this metaphor, my body is the cyclist. Mana Cycling allows me to harm my own body, sometimes even unintentionally. When I¡¯m not careful, it turn all by itself to run over a cyclist biking on the side of the road.

    Amused by my own silly metaphor, I lie in bed for another 30 minutes, waking myself up and preparing to interact with people. I try to drain as much energy as I can from the bed to endure the day.

    The tent isn¡¯t very big, so I share the ¡°room¡± with Min-Jae, who is already up. He has his eyes closed and sets his metal orbs to float around him on a strange set of erratic trajectories. After watching them for a while, I can see the rules of their movement. Just a slight mistake in positioning would probably cause the orbs to collide.

    For a moment, I release a burst of mana to scare and test him.

    He opens his eyes quickly and identifies the source. I¡¯m satisfied to notice that even then his orbs continue to move without being affected. Nice.

    ¡°It¡¯ll take more than that to affect my training!¡± he says.

    Not wanting to cool his excitement first thing in the morning, I nod and say, ¡°You really have gained a lot of muscle. You used to be so thin.¡±

    He¡¯s currently sitting on the edge of the bed with his shirt off. Even though he¡¯s still slim, his shoulders have gotten wider, and he¡¯s even begun to develop some tone in his abs. Looking closer, I even begin to notice that the contours of his face seem to be getting sharper.

    ¡°I know, right? I asked Maya for a training routine and, even though she grumbled about it, she gave me some pointers! Plus I¡¯m always using [Gravity Well] on myself, so that helps. Did you see that anime where the character took weights off his ankles and then moved incredibly quickly? That¡¯s what it¡¯s gonna be like when I finally deactivate my skill!¡±

    ¡°Possibly,¡± I say, turning to Biscuit sleeping on the bed next to me. ¡°What do you think, will it be like that?¡±

    The silly corgi, the best corgi of the six, no, now the 7th floor! He still pretends to sleep, and I sense his ear twitch as I talk to him. But he doesn¡¯t answer, choosing instead to continue¡­ pretending.

    It¡¯s incredibly silly, everyone knows he¡¯s awake. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s even heard us talking about it, and yet¡­

    With a groan, I reach out and pull him closer, gently tapping his soft belly.

    ¡°I refuse to listen to your belly rumble. Just. Stop. Pretending. To. Sleep. Go and eat something,¡± I say, tapping him after each word.

    Finally, he opens his eyes and nips at my fingers as I pull back. He sits on my bed and barks softly at me.

    ¡°Sure, sure. You did very well, I didn¡¯t notice until just a moment ago,¡± I tease.

    I notice his tail start wagging, so I reach out to pet him, prompting him to push his head into the palm of my hand. ¡°So sneaky, you got me there.¡±

    He barks again and then pushes my hand away, lifting himself into the air, probably in an attempt to surprise the others.

    ¡°Have you tried lifting anything really heavy?¡± I ask Min-Jae.

    He nods and, after a moment of thought, increases the speed of the orbs floating around him. ¡°For a while, I trained by lifting a bunch of really heavy stones and holding them in place for as long as possible. That was a few months ago. If I had to do it again, my max would be something like a small apartment building. Tess is better when it comes to raw power, so it¡¯s nothing impressive compared to her.¡±

    ¡°Want to bet it''s already better than what most Hard difficulty participants will ever manage?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think so? In the next three years, the right person from Hard difficulty could get pretty strong.¡±

    ¡°Not like us. We¡¯ll be like the apex predators when we make our return to Earth.¡±

    Min-Jae giggles, nodding seriously as I stand up, ¡°That has a nice ring to it. One of the few hundred most powerful people on Earth. Angry Kitten Island might not be a dream.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°I hope you mean a floating island; otherwise, I¡¯ll be disappointed with your small thinking.¡±

    ¡°Sure! We¡¯ll also put one in orbit and then get to work on your Moon base.¡±

    I nod in confirmation. "Gravity Emperor Kim Min-Jae, with his fleet of floating islands," I tease.

    His smile widens even further, and I can see just how much the thought delights him.

    With a dismissive wave, I settle down and focus, preparing to enter my mind space before heading over to workshop number three.

    <hr>

    Like the day before, the twins, and Sophie head for the shoulder guard. There¡¯s a damaged section where the inscriptions have been removed. Other technicians restored the metal, and our job is to connect the new section to the rest of the shoulder guard.

    We have blueprints, and this part shouldn¡¯t even be all that difficult. The problem is that inscriptions of this scale tend to behave differently.

    Sophie came up with a temporary structure for us to work and comment on through the twins¡¯ connection. All of us have access, but she¡¯s responsible for maintaining it relative to all the changes and modifications we¡¯re making as we prepare for the inscription process.

    ¡°There has to be a simpler way to do it,¡± Aaron notes. ¡°It¡¯s fine for this part, but what are we going to do when we need to handle bigger, more difficult structures?¡±

    ¡°Maybe there isn¡¯t,¡± Sophie says, shaking her head and gesturing toward the structure in our minds. ¡°What we¡¯re doing is a lot like creating a template for a tattoo, and the tattoo in this case is the inscriptions. You can store some parts of a template to reuse later, but you still need the skill to ¡®tattoo¡¯ it, to make it permanent, and even before that, you still have to modify it for each person.¡±

    ¡°Damn, Nat¡¯s ¡®explain like I¡¯m five¡¯ mentality has really rubbed off on you,¡± Dennis remarks, provoking her, as he is wont to do.

    ¡°How did these little trolls survive six months with you?¡± Sophie asks, looking at me with a sigh before turning back to Dennis. ¡°What we¡¯re dealing with is essentially a framework for mana inscriptions. The framework acts as a schematic¡ªa preliminary construct outlining the mana pathways and nodes. Portions of this schematic can be stored for later integration, but permanently inscribing it requires precise mana-weaving techniques to anchor it into the target¡¯s unique mana lattice. Moreover, the framework must be meticulously recalibrated to harmonize with the individual¡¯s mana resonance before it can be stabilized.¡±

    Dennis smiles even more. ¡°Perfect. So anyway, wanna try a practice run? Me and Aaron are ready.¡±

    ¡°Are we sure? Leth said to wait for him,¡± Sophie says.

    This is where I join in, ¡°It will be fine. Let''s do it for real. There isn¡¯t any need to waste that much time.¡±

    Upon seeing the life leave the twins¡¯ eyes, Sophie gives me a confused look, right up until Aaron explains, ¡°Something always explodes when he says that.¡±

    Putting away the blueprints, I jump onto the section of the armguard we¡¯ve been instructed to work on and give it a tap. The cool hardness of the metal feels nice under my knuckles.

    Then I reach towards the structure and ¡°pull¡± it closer, stretching it over the surface. I find the points connecting the section to the rest of the structure and check the blueprints again. I also make a set of preparations in the back of my mind and let mana collect inside my body.

    Sophie scratches out some of my changes and makes her own. I do the same, replacing them. She does it again, and this time I just modify them. She changes them again, and I modify them in turn.

    Each version gets better and better. I test it by sending a few pulses through the structure, nearly breaking it, but the mana still flows well.

    Then, using the twins¡¯ [Connection], we start work on inscribing the improved structure, using [Connection] to make everything work in harmony. There are a number of ways we could do this, but we¡¯ve decided on this method for now.

    After a few days of working in the workshop and plenty of preparation, the actual inscribing goes smoothly. As expected though, it requires a lot of mana to inscribe it into the section.

    There are also locks that prevent the inscriptions from fully connecting to the rest of the structure - something only a level 8 technician can handle. There are protections in place to stop tampering, and even the section we¡¯re working on had to be unlocked and stripped of multiple safeguards. It¡¯s fascinating. The more we work on it, the more I learn about how it all fits together.

    And we succeed, quite easily too, and earlier than Leth expected, judging by his face when he checks over the result.

    Ever in a good mood, he smiles and says, ¡°Great job! There are a few tiny missteps here and there, but that¡¯s fine for a replacement part. You guys did well. Still, I¡¯ll have to come up with a suitable punishment for your refusal to wait for me.¡±

    He hands us a few blueprints. ¡°Tomorrow, you¡¯ll be working on a section of the inner plating for the war armor of one of the Lord Champion¡¯s disciples.¡±

    <hr>

    When we get back Min-Jae is off training somewhere else, and I head back to our room, close the door, and take a seat on my bed. One last time, I stop and take a look at the trait that¡¯s been part of my build for all this time. Level 10? Or something like that? Time really does fly.

    Mana Circuit ¨C Integrates a network of mana channels throughout the user''s body, optimizing the distribution of mana and amplifying the power of their mana-based abilities without additional mana consumption. This enhancement allows the user to draw upon their mana more efficiently, resulting in more potent abilities while reducing overall mana expenditure.

    It shows its age though. Even strengthened, it¡¯s nowhere near as high-tier an option as Mana Wavelength Iris.

    So yeah, the decision is simple. I¡¯ve also been considering combining some of my active skills, given the way some of them are starting to lag behind, like [Mana Domain], which I¡¯ve been using to keep control of my mana. It¡¯s still very useful, but it¡¯s nowhere near as powerful as [Eclipse] and a few of the others. The same goes for [Bone Knitting], but that one is relatively new, and I always planned to use it as a foundation to create something better in the future.

    Evolving skills? I can handle that myself if I really really want to. But combining passive skills to create a unique passive? That¡¯s very enticing.

    The main reason I¡¯m going for the trait, though, is simple: so far, I haven¡¯t seen any options for trait evolutions. Not in the Floor rewards, not in side quests, not even once. I strongly suspect it¡¯s only possible through the advancement of my Primary Class. It even makes sense.

    Plus, the trait will likely stay with me for as long as I live, while I can always replace a passive with something stronger within a year or two, perhaps even while I¡¯m still in the tutorial.

    I claim my reward and a notification pops up:

    Your trait Mana Circuit has been evolved!

    The evolution has been influenced by your performance up until now and by your Primary Class: Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane).

    The number of trait strengthenings has been reset to 0.

    Mana Physique - The user''s trait evolves into a tightly woven network that resonates perfectly with their mana wavelength, transforming their entire physique into a finely tuned vessel for their mana. Mana circuits seamlessly integrate into every fiber of the user¡¯s being, amplifying the potency of their mana manipulation and enabling precise control and immense output.

    Let¡¯s see how much this is going to hur... I black out before I can finish the thought.

 Chapter 520 - Disconnected

    "Yo, Nat, you alive?"

    Huh. That sounds like Dennis.

    I open my mouth. "Fuck off."

    "He¡¯s fine," Dennis confirms.

    "He is NOT fine! He¡¯s bleeding all over, and I can feel how hot his body is even from here! I swear I can see something moving under his skin!" Kim shouts.

    "Kim, my boy," Dennis replies casually. "That¡­ is just Nat being Nat, this is probably his optimal state. I¡¯d be more worried if he¡¯d gone more than a day or two without hurting himself. Right, Nat?"

    "Dennis, my boy," I mimic him, voice dripping with sarcasm, "it hurts to talk. It hurts even more to listen to your voice. So, one more word, and I¡¯ll put you into my ¡°optimal state¡± for a week."

    Silence follows, and I sense the two of them leaving the room, only for their presence to be replaced by two different signatures: Biscuit and Noodle. Biscuit sits off to the side, feigning innocence¡ªso exaggerated it kind of feels suspicious.

    Examining my body despite the pain, I notice strange sensations on my nose and belly, as if someone has been repeatedly tapping on them. Even the hair at my temple feels slightly wet, as though something very small had been biting and tugging on it.

    Well played, Biscuit. Well played.

    Meanwhile, Noodle is lying on the ground near my bed, noticeably larger, his belly bulging significantly. His eyes are closed in a satisfied expression, and I half expect him to open his mouth and let out a burp.

    Keeping my eyes closed, I turn my attention inward, carefully observing my body without activating any healing marks. Damn. Who knows what could happen if my body started healing while my evolved trait is still applying? I can already imagine any number of horror-show scenarios. That also makes me wonder, how do people with his level of regeneration even handle stuff like this?

    As always, my racing thoughts distract me from the pain, dulling it bit by bit.

    I give myself half an hour to assess my still-changing body before stopping.

    As I thought, the circuits are still there, but now they feel like they¡¯ve been etched deeper into my being and there are a lot more of them. Where once there were pathways for channeling mana, there are now countless additional ones: reinforced for moving larger amounts of mana, and narrower for finer control. True to its name, this trait has evolved to reshape my physique, making it even more accommodating for mana than before.

    The fun part? Now I have to modify my constructs again. A lot of the pain and damage I¡¯m dealing with now Is a result of my changing physiology clashing with my damaged constructs. It looks like I won¡¯t make it to my shift in Workshop Number 3.

    I¡¯ll need to let Sophie know so she can come up with an excuse. Sorry, Leth, it¡¯s going to take me at least a day to optimize everything.

    Overall, it¡¯s exactly what I expected: an evolved version of my old trait, now heavily influenced by my Primary Class, which specializes in mana. I¡¯ll need a few more days to test things properly, but even now, I¡¯d estimate it to be at least on par with Mana Wavelength Iris.

    Slowly but surely, my body is adapting to channeling increasingly insane amounts of mana, while my mana pool grows to equally absurd levels. It reminds me of that Lord from the Bastion¡ªwhose heart was used to power the fallen floating island.

    Surely, I¡¯m not just turning myself into the best mana battery ever.

    <hr>

    A few days have passed, and it''s becoming pretty clear they have no intention of letting us anywhere near Exoria.

    We¡¯re just newbies, after all, and it takes at least a level 8 technician to get close. Even Leth doesn¡¯t have that level of clearance, and his boss, Quent, only gets access under the strict supervision of level 9 technicians like Ito.

    But damn, I want to see that thing. It¡¯s already been long enough, so it should be about time, right? Right? I need more access. I want to take advantage of this abundance of equipment and resources they have.

    While Sophie takes her time speaking with Leth I find myself standing off to the side with the twins, looking over the inner plating of a suit of war armor that belongs to one of Champion Feroy¡¯s disciples. As before, this is a replacement part.

    Apparently, Champion Feroy has two disciples. Someone told me their names, but I¡¯ve already forgotten. I just know they have their own suits of smaller, less powerful war armor than Exoria. Their names are Praxion and Ardenyx.

    The inner plating we¡¯re looking at is Praxion¡¯s. Judging by the scale, this armor is probably half as tall as Exoria and slimmer, likely focused on speed, though that¡¯s just a theory I have.

    As for the inner plating, it looks like a piece that would fit under the chest plate. It¡¯s like a mesh or web and made from a strange alloy of metal that¡¯s ever so slightly flexible, likely allowing for better absorption of any physical attacks that may bend the outer plating. I also give it a once over with my enhanced eyes, taking notice of the inscriptions. They seem to take some of the impact and redirect it somewhere else through a mechanism elsewhere in the armor.

    It¡¯s hard to say though since I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll see the full suit of armor anytime soon. We only get small parts, and even if we figure out what they do, we can¡¯t learn much about their full function.

    Lumorans are very patient. Even before the Tutorial, they lived at least twice as long as humans. This war has already lasted 10 years, and they seem to be taking their time with the mercenaries, getting to know us better before allowing deeper access.

    It says a lot, they¡¯re clearly not desperate enough to be more open yet. But with this floor¡¯s setup, I think we¡¯ll eventually get there.

    My plan remains the same: test [Empyrean Lance] and figure out what that skill¡¯s doing to mana to make it behave in such a strange manner. The same goes for my Mana Wavelength Tyrant passive, which I still activate every once in a while to run tests with help from the twins and Sophie. Even so, I think the Mana Wavelength Tyrant will remain deactivated most of the time to avoid interfering with my training and the surrounding mana. I''ve noticed that at a certain point, its passive ability makes things too easy and could even slow the growth of my skills. It''s just that powerful.

    I still have more tests planned for my evolved trait, but that¡¯s going to require Lily¡¯s help. In a moment of brilliance, I cut off my hand before evolving the trait, so now we can run before-and-after comparisons.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Sophie seems to be done talking with Leth and now she¡¯s heading towards us, holding a number of mana stones, likely containing blueprints.

    ¡°You are currently looking at the new leader of the Level 7 Technician Leth¡¯s assistants,¡± she declares smugly.

    I don¡¯t even have time to complain before she gestures for me to wait and, with that same smug smile, mimics Leth¡¯s voice: ¡°Assistant Nathaniel is talented, but he can be hotheaded, so I¡¯ll rely on you, Assistant Sophie, to lead your group.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit.¡±

    That only makes her smile more, as she continues the impression: ¡°What? No, even Level 8 Technician Quent told me to be careful with Assistant Nathaniel. That weapon he designed and made is proof of his incredible talent, but I¡¯m worried about what he would do with more resources and no supervision. So please, I will be relying on you, Assistant Sophie.¡±

    Huh. I find myself at a loss for words.

    She checks to make sure no one is listening and then sends through the link, where me and the twins are, (But you know what? Screw Leth and screw Quent. We¡¯ll play the ¡°nice assistants¡± for now, but later, when we get better access¡­)

    Sophie lets those words hang in the air, and I could almost swear I hear one of the twins whisper something about a Gundam.

    <hr>

    All of the hired personnel stand away from the base on a nearby hill. Only the lumorans remain in the camp, packing things up and making preparations to move us.

    It¡¯s been almost a week since we joined them, and now it¡¯s time to make way for the 2nd front where Champion Feroy is to be deployed. They¡¯re apparently preparing a teleportation array around the entire camp¡ªsomething pre-prepared and used to connect with another array elsewhere, moving tents, war armor, and people in the most efficient way possible.

    I think it¡¯s possible to move faster with less preparation, but apparently, they do it this way to hide our movement from enemy forces and reduce the chances of them interfering with the array.

    Long ago, I¡¯d have been like: ¡°Just teleport, bruh,¡± or something silly. But now I know the kinds of things that even I can do with the remains of a teleport structure, so a Champion-grade enemy could really do some nasty stuff. Maybe redirect the teleport somewhere into space, destabilize it, and tear people apart, or teleport us right in front of an enemy Absolute. Fun stuff like that.

    Even so, they finish fairly quickly. It¡¯s clear they¡¯re used to this. Between Angry Kittens, two other mercenary groups currently working as technician¡¯s assistants, and three more groups of stronger mercenaries set to join the fighting on the battlefield everyone¡¯s gathered to watch. It¡¯s funny¡ªthere¡¯s a kind of competition between the groups, especially between ours and the thylarins since we¡¯re both so new to the role of technician¡¯s assistant.

    I mostly just observe as they get into the occasional spat with the twins, trash-talking each other. It¡¯s especially amusing to watch the thylarin try to tease us for having only one pair of arms.

    We¡¯re called back once the preparations are complete. As we enter, I continue to observe, expanding my senses to probe the teleportation array linking us to the web covering the Lumoran territory, a web created and defended by their Absolute in an effort to ward off the opposing Absolute.

    For the first time, I see Champion Feroy as well.

    He steps out of his enormous tent which is practically a small skyscraper. Like all lumorans, his skin is black, and his eyes have a golden shine to them. His crystalline features are far more pronounced than any I¡¯ve seen on a lumoran before. Far too many to compare to the others, and none of them have been concealed by his clothing. Crystals adorn his shoulders, forearms, the sides of his neck, and even his thighs.

    But two stand out the most: a large, inverted pyramid-shaped crystal at the center of his chest. Unlike normal lumoran crystals, this one is clearer, with a pale blue light swirling inside, giving it an almost otherworldly presence. The second is a circle on the inner side of his left wrist, made of the same material, with that same pale blue light swirling inside. Its speed increases even more, shimmering light radiating into the area.

    He wears simple white clothes, and his hair is pale yellow. Standing in the middle of the camp, he lifts his left arm toward the sky. A pulse of mana explodes into the area, emanating from the circle on his wrist, lighting up the array and powering it with an immense surge of energy. He connects to the Absolute¡¯s web, and clears the identification checks, allowing him to use it.

    Another pulse of incredible mana radiates outwards and the ground under my feet shifts as the environment around us changes.

    The mild weather is immediately replaced by harsh cold and loud winds, threatening to blow us away, even with our powerful bodies.

    Champion Feroy pulses his mana again. And the lights of a defensive array flare up, drawing in even more mana. The wind quiets and the cold becomes bearable, though it¡¯s still chilling even to me with my thermal energy. The weather is just that extreme.

    We¡¯re sent to our tent to wait while they re-establish the workshops and defenses. On the way, snow begins piling up outside, gathering between the tents and on top of them. As far as I can see, there¡¯s nothing but snow falling from a dark, wind-blown sky. We¡¯re nestled against a mountain, the rocky wall serving to provide some shelter from the wind, but it remains relentlessly strong nonetheless.

    ¡°Izzy, heat the room, please,¡± Sophie asks before we even fully enter.

    No one takes their jackets off. Instead, we huddle up in the living area as Izzy gets to work generating heat and Sophie makes a barrier to insulate us. It¡¯s getting better as the camp heats up, but not enough to be comfortable, so having Izzy help is great.

    ¡°So I wasn¡¯t the only one who was cold,¡± Maya says, sitting next to Izzy and pulling her closer, to use her as a heating pad. Noodle, now smaller, coils closely around her as well.

    Sophie just rolls her eyes at her sister¡¯s antics. ¡°Lily, you have the highest constitution here. Could you feel the cold out there too?¡±

    ¡°Yes! I thought I would never feel cold again, but the weather outside is something else!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably the work of a Champion, either the lumoran¡¯s in an attempt to slow the monsters or it¡¯s coming from one of the monsters themselves,¡± Tess says, sitting beside me and gesturing as she speaks. ¡°I¡¯ll try to find out, but I¡¯m not sure how much they¡¯ll actually share with me.¡±

    With a sigh, I create a thermal pyramidal contraption with empty spaces for me to send kinetic energy through, and in this way, I can now almost perfectly mimic the sound of crackling firewood. Even the light has improved vastly, shifting in intensity rather than providing a constant radiance to give it a more natural feel. I expand it a bit more and pump more thermal energy into it, adding to Izzy¡¯s heat.

    ¡°Even if they are higher level than us, how do they plan to fight? Aren¡¯t most of the mercenary fighters here around level 350?¡± Min-Jae asks.

    Tess reaches her hands towards the thermal cube to warm them up, ¡°They¡¯re probably issued some kind of special equipment. And then they probably only fight for a few hours at a time. Do the war armors have built-in heating?¡±

    Sophie snorts. ¡°At this point, we¡¯re no better than boot polishers. But honestly, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised, it wouldn¡¯t even be that hard to implement.¡±

    ¡°But we are goddamn good boot polishers!¡± Dennis cries in an attempt to defend our team¡¯s honor as assistant technicians.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better this way?¡± Aaron says. ¡°We can learn gradually and improve before they set us to doing the fancier stuff.¡±

    Sophie doesn¡¯t answer, gesturing to me with a nod instead.

    Tess picks up on it, ¡°Nat, please don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±

    In response, I deactivate my Mana Wavelength Iris and lean back, ¡°We might have no other choice sooner or later.¡±

    I pick up Biscuit and put him on my lap, then extend a mana arm to retrieve his favorite blanket, wrapping it around him with only his small head poking out.

    ¡°The Champion just disconnected us from the Absolute¡¯s web and cut off all connections. Even my Ley Lines leading back the way we came are gone. At the same time, the Absolute¡¯s web covering this area started to disappear. Soon it¡¯ll be gone permanently, or at least until the Absolute decides to remake it.¡±

    ¡°Oh boy,¡± one of the twins mutters. I sense them and Sophie doing their own checks, confirming my words.

    I continue, ¡°Either they tracked us down and we¡¯re disconnecting to hide, or¡­¡±

    Tess finishes my words, ¡°Or we were always supposed to disconnect.¡±

    I nod and lean back, thinking of all the reasons that might be the case.