《Herald of Humanity》 Prologue Marcus gripped the worn steering wheel of his 2001 F150, his calloused hand shaking as he tried to keep the truck on the road. With each cough, a cloud of smoke escaped from his lungs and filled the cab. This was his daily routine as a construction worker in the south, driving to job sites in his beat-up truck. But at just 28 years old, he had already been working for five years and was determined to become a foreman in the next few years. A relationship or stable home seemed like distant dreams at the moment. As he drove down the highway, Stevie Wonder''s "Don''t You Worry Bout a Thing" blasted through the speakers. Marcus couldn''t help but bob his head and hum along, feeling proud of how far he had come. But suddenly, a blur caught his eye - an 18-wheeler swerving into his lane before its tire blew out and it careened into the side of his truck. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The impact sent Marcus'' truck spinning and flipping several times before it came to a stop against the guardrail. Pain shot through his body, but all too soon everything went black as strange eldritch looking tendrils began to rip through the ground and wrap around his body. Chapter 1 Marcus''s eyes snapped open, and he blinked rapidly as his vision adjusted to the low light of the damp cave. As he looked around, he noticed a strange HUD in the top-left corner of his sight - something you would see in a video game. But this wasn''t a game; he was really here. Suddenly, a notification popped up in front of him, and a woman''s voice filled his head, causing him to jump and look around frantically for the source of the sound. ¡°Welcome to Ervasta, Marcus. Greetings, I am Guinevere, an assistant here to impart upon you a vital message and walk you through the workings of this realm. In terms people from your world may understand, I am akin to an intelligent machine or AI. My purpose is to ensure your success on Ervasta, for your survival demands power. There are unspeakable threats that roam this land, waiting to consume or destroy the unprepared. To prevent such a fate and give Ervasta a fighting chance, I have bestowed upon you, The System - a source of enhancing power that will elevate your abilities above those of mere humans in your world. However, heed my words do not let this empowerment swell your ego. Even with these bonuses, there are beings in Ervasta who have existed for eons and possess unimaginable strength. It would be foolish to believe you could surpass them anytime soon; it may take multiple lifetimes before such a feat is within reach. Nonetheless, check your stats and witness the investment I have made in your being, pushing your abilities to their peak potential for your home world.¡± Strength: 5 Dexterity: 5 Constitution: 5 Intellect: 5 Wisdom: 5 Stamina: 5 With a keen eye, Marcus scoured the stats in front of him. Each one held a perfect score, a shining 5 that marked him as a Peak-Earth Human. As someone who had delved into countless RPGs before, he quickly scanned through the information before continuing on with the walkthrough, eager to discover more about this strange world. ¡°Now that you have done this please look over to your HUD.¡± Marcus held up a hand before looking over at the HUD. ¡°Hold on lady, this seems really weird. It looks like I am in Skyrim or something like that. Am I the Dragonborn? If so, this is gonna be really cool. I am normally a Redguard so I am not sure how the ¡®Skyrim is for the Nords¡¯ types are gonna handle it.¡± He felt a hard pluck in the back of his head that he assumed meant shut up in listen as the woman¡¯s voice continued. Marcus Washington Level: 1 - 5 Kills till next level Health: Green Energy: Green Attunement: 0/100 ¡°As you can see you are level 1 and you need 5 more kills to progress forward in your leveling. Leveling will give you raw stats but in order to gain abilities you need to open loot crates and create gear from it and the gear you make will have the ability to attune to you and grow. Higher rarity gear takes up more attunement slots. Don¡¯t worry if you max out your attunement slots early. Your Max attunement increases as you level as well.¡° He understood that if her words were accurate, there was no idle way to improve skills like crafting or completing tasks in this realm. If he desired strength, the only option was to defeat monsters. I guess this isn¡¯t Skyrim ¡°Beings that you kill will grant you kill experience and will be highlighted above their heads.¡± You will start off with leather armor, a wooden shield, a shortsword, a warpick a torch, a full waterskin and 5 days worth of rations and 2 torches. You need to make it out of this cave tunnel as soon as you can or you will run out of food. ¡°Good Luck.¡± As the voice and images in his mind faded away, he took a moment to look down at himself. He was impressed by what he saw - standing at 6''1" and weighing about 200 pounds, he had always been big and strong. But now, as he surveyed his body, it seemed as though he had gained an extra 20 pounds of solid muscle. The leather armor he wore hugged his frame tightly, giving him a slim yet powerful appearance reminiscent of Conan the Barbarian. It was as if he had transformed into a warrior ready for battle, ready to take on any challenge that came his way. Not too bad. I am not sure why I had roguish like armor but whatever. At least I have gear. Let''s see if I can get out of this cave. Generally speaking in games he preferred the traditional warrior route as he wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of magic but if he could make his own gear then he would just need to leave this dumb cave. As he cautiously scanned the darkness, only the faint glow of bioluminescent fungus offered any light. His hand trembled as he reached for his torch, fumbling with flint and steel until a small flame emerged. In this dimly lit cave, four paths presented themselves. Three stretched out in front of him, while one led back to where he had entered. He took a deep breath and prepared to choose his path carefully. ¡°Let''s at least mark that I have been here.¡± He pulled out his short sword and marked a large X on a large rock next to his position before pressing on to the path to the furthest right. As he walked down the path with a warpick in one hand and a torch in the other he looked around and noticed just how dark this place was. Outside of his torch it was almost pitch black as the soft dripping of water in the distance all around him and constant scurrying of what he imagined was rats. As his heart began to quickly beat and sweat began to drop like light rain from his face. Holy shit this is actually real. Holy fuck this is bad. I am not some super soldier or whatever. I cha cha slide at social events, I get high and rewatch Spongebob. This can¡¯t be real fucking life. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He felt¡­.no heard against his left ear the same voice from before¡­Guinevere. The voice echoed in his head, stern and urgent. "Calm yourself, control your thoughts and emotions," it said. "You are panicking and that will lead to your demise. Remember that you are not alone." The voice disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. He felt a gentle touch on his cheek as he turned towards the source, but there was no one there. Ok Marcus. Just calm down and press forward. If you can sling boxes then you can sling a real weapon and actually kill something. Just gotta keep moving. What would Daniel Day Lewis do? Dance with Wolves? Yeah, this is just a dark and scary ass cave that I can¡¯t easily leave. I just have to dance my black ass out of here and find civilization. The remnants of his breakfast burst forth in a messy explosion, splattering across the slimy surfaces of the tunnel. The half-digested food mingled grotesquely with the blood and entrails already smeared along the walls, creating a sickening mosaic of horror. As he trudged further down the wide, dimly lit passage, the putrid stench of decaying flesh and death clung to the air, a thick, suffocating miasma that invaded his nostrils. Each breath felt like an assault, forcing him to retch uncontrollably, his stomach heaving as he vomited violently, leaving streaks of bile and misery painting the tunnel''s walls. With growing dread, he reached an opening that revealed a massive room beyond, its depths shrouded in darkness. As his weak light flickered over the scene, he saw a gruesome display of carnage - humanoid bodies in various stages of decomposition mingled with twisted and unrecognizable creatures. But before he could process this horror, he noticed the corpses beginning to stir, rising slowly from their resting places as if summoned by some unseen force. ¡°ZOMBIES?! It''s like 8 of them, what the HELL! Guinevere a little help here.¡± Marcus waited for a moment before she spoke up in his mind. ¡°These are reanimated corpses. They are not like the zombies stories of your world¡­..at least not these. These are slow moving creatures but they have no limits on their body. They will most likely miss you, but if they hit you it will hurt. Be careful and fight them one at a time and don¡¯t let them swarm you. ¡° Her voice winked out as the remaining Shamblers stood up and with a brisk walk came over towards him. With eight of them coming towards him he had about maybe a few dozen feet from where he came in the tunnel to where he was now. While the tunnel was not small, it could fit maybe 2 or 3 people walking side by side. These creatures seemed mindless as they bumped into each other, tripped over each other and bounced off walls as they clawed at him. I don¡¯t think I can just run away here, I gotta kill these things to move on. What he could do was strike and stepback. He dropped his torch beside him before swapping over to his War Pick and Shield. He had the better reach with his warpick and a shield to protect him. With a fierce battle cry, he swung the warpick down with all of his might, crushing the first shambler''s skull with a sickening crunch. The creature crumbled to the ground, its death met swiftly and brutally. A notification flashed in the top left corner of his vision, but he paid it no mind as he turned to face the next enemy, his adrenaline pumping and his grip on the weapon tightening. Four more Kills to Level 2. As the monster''s lifeless body crumpled to the ground, Marcus delivered a swift kick that sent it crashing into the other corpse behind it. In a split second, another creature leapt towards him with bared teeth and claws. Reacting instinctively, Marcus raised his wooden shield and bashed the beast back, giving himself enough room to swing his warpick in a powerful arc. A sickening crunch echoed through the air as the weapon connected with the monster''s skull, causing it to slide off his shield and land with a thud on the ground. Blood and brains splattered across Marcus'' face, only fueling his determination to survive this nightmare. Three more Kills to Level 2 The power coursing through him was otherworldly. Despite his physical strength as a 6''1, 200-pound man with a stocky frame and toned muscles, the strength he now possessed surpassed anything he could have imagined on Earth. With a mere glancing blow, he shattered a skull, sending shards of bone flying. It didn''t seem possible, but he had to keep fighting. The creatures closed in on him, their dead eyes fixed on his next victim. With quick reflexes, Marcus sidestepped a lunge from one creature and delivered a swift swipe that sent it crashing to the ground. As another lunged at him, he used the side of his shield to bash its head in before leaping back, ready for the next attack. Two more kills to Level 2 In a daring move, he threw caution to the wind and charged ahead, purposely dropping his shield to take on the two foes with a fierce two-handed stance. With a powerful swing, he struck the first creature, using its momentum to redirect his attack towards the second. As their heads collided with a sickening crunch, blood sprayed in all directions before they both crashed into the wall, their skulls splitting open like ripe watermelons under his brutal force. Guinevere whispered in his ear again. You are now Level 2. Finish the rest then we can continue with leveling. ¡°I am level 2! LETS FUCKING GO! All of these zombies give off the energy of a hater. I am mean really, what kind of grown-¡± With all of the excitement of killing two at once he didn¡¯t notice the open palm swipe against his shield arm that lifted him off the ground and knocked him on his ass as the arm bone in a sickening snap. As he looked down he noticed the deep gashes in his armor and felt he had a minor cut underneath as he rolled away and stood up again. He quickly launched towards the remaining three and slashed with his warpick at the one in front against a wall and knocked its head off his shoulders before then pushed the body off the wall into the two remaining undead as they clawed at him they attack their headless friend instead before Marcus performed a spin attack bashing in the skulls of the remaining two undead. Chapter 2 Sharp pain shoots through him as the broken arm rubs against the wall as he braces against the wall for support. Ignoring the searing agony, he slings his shield and warpick over his back, gritting his teeth as he grabs the nearby torch to fend off the encroaching darkness. With every step, the broken bones in his arm grind against each other, as he hastily retreats to safety, determined to make it back to where he started despite the excruciating effort Well that sucked. ¡°Hey Guinevere I feel like I am in a safe location. But my arm is broken and I have a coin in my pocket I think?¡± With a heavy thud, he slumped against the rough cave wall and crumpled to the ground, his torch clattering beside him. Surprisingly, he didn''t feel as much pain as he expected. The throbbing ache in his side was more akin to a scraped knee than a broken bone. Despite never having experienced a broken bone before, it didn''t hurt nearly as bad as he thought it would. Maybe adrenaline was dulling the pain, or maybe the injury wasn''t as severe as he initially feared. Either way, it gave him a sense of relief and reassurance in this dark, damp cave as a notification appeared in his vision. You have reached Level 2. You have 6 points to assign. You can assign your stats in groups of three per level. Primary +3, Secondary +2, and Tertiary +1. You gain 5 attunement to your max attunement. You gain a Loot Crate Coin. ¡°You need to rest. When you sleep your healing factor increases dramatically. All of your bodily functions will be focused on repairing your arm. With a good night''s rest your arm should be fully healed.¡± Marcus raised an eyebrow as she finished speaking. ¡°I can heal a broken arm in a few hours? Well, I guess I have to take your word for that. I did level up though so that¡¯s something.¡± As he moused over his health was shocked to see that his health was still in the green. Health: Light Green ¡°I should be fine here and I don¡¯t think this torch is gonna burn out anytime soon. I can take a few minutes and assign points.¡± I want to be a warrior or knight so Strength and Constitution will probably be the most useful though I assume I also need Dexterity and Stamina to use them effectively. Lets keep Strength and Constitution at 1 and 2 then swap 3 between Dexterity and Stamina until I can figure out everything else. So he quick assigned stats before proceeding to the loot crate STR: 8 DEX: 5 CON: 7 INT: 5 WIS: 5 STA: 6 ¡°If you want to open the loot crate you need to hold the coin in your hand and yell out open.¡± Looking down and holding the large golden coin in his hand he called out. ¡°OPEN¡± and a large chest with the word Standard Loot Crate embolden on the front. As he pulled the large chest over to him it was FILLED with various TV dinner sized black boxes with various words on them. As he collected and separated them he had a total of; 15 Food 15 Beverage 1 Weapon 1 Equipment 1 Tool 6 Resource Without prompting Guinevere¡¯s voice appeared in his mind. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the weapon and equipment boxes .Each weapon, equipment and tool boxes has an aspect that is randomly chosen. If you feel safe let''s start now.¡± Well he was as safe as he was gonna be. He pulled out a TV dinner sized box with a weapon on it and held it in his hand before sitting down. ¡°Now say activate.¡± He waited for about a minute by the torch light before mentally saying ¡°activate.¡± In his vision in front of him was a small mass of what looked to be clouds in front of him before Guin spoke again. ¡°This weapon has the aspect of Water. Now imagine a weapon in your mind in great detail, try and incorporate what water could do when applied to the weapon. It won¡¯t be perfect but make sure it''s functional.¡± Marcus paused, his brow furrowing in concentration, as he imagined the cloud-like mist swirling around his hand. He mused over the states of water: liquid, vapor, and solid ice. An idea began to take shape¡ªa weapon, perhaps a mace or a spear, that could release a burst of ice-cold water with a swift motion. In his mind''s eye, he struggled to visualize shooting powerful hydro beams or launching ice cannons, so he decided to focus on the simpler concept of hurling globs of water. He envisioned a traditional spear, much like the ones he''d seen in a historical adventure movie, hoping it would serve his purpose well. Standard Spear of Bursting Water[Poorly Made] Base Efficiency Bonus: 12% Skill Tree: Field of Raining Spears Base Ability: Splash Name: Splash Trigger: A Stab or Swipe along with mental activation Energy Drain: Very Low Description: Launch a glob of water based on your mastery and efficiency with Standard Spear of Bursting Water. Attunement Slots: 40 As he looked at the weapon he smiled as he held the spear he had in his mind, only the spearhead seemed to always be wet no matter how many times he wiped it off. The weapon was a menacing sight, coated in a glossy black finish, but the blade was designed more for stabbing than slicing. The metal itself was thick and sturdy finish with a simple spearhead jutting out from one end. Its size rivaled that of a chef''s knife. Though it lacked the finesse of a professional-made spear, it still would do the job. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Would you like to Attune to Standard Spear of Bursting Water for 40/105 attunement slots? Marcus smiled a devilish grin and nodded before He saw just below energy on his HUD was now Marcus Washington Level: 2 - 7 Kills till next level 3 Health: Light Green Energy: Green Attunement: 40/105 Skill Trees: Field of Raining Spears As he focused on the Field of Raining Spears he saw it expand in his vision. Field of Raining Spears Base Ability: Splash As his mind pulled away from that prompt, Guinevere¡¯s voice appeared in his mind. ¡°The more you use an item the faster your mastery with the item will rise and the more skill levels you will gain with said item. I think for now you should try to make some equipment that might help you in this situation before you drain your torch too much?¡± He thought about it before he pulled out the equipment box and activated it as it juxtaposed itself over his vision Guinevere spoke as he began to work. Aspect of Telekinesis. He spoke more to Guin as she broke down that Equipment basically counted as anything the user could wear that was not directly a physical weapon. While he had gear and armor what he did not have was an actual bag. Now he needed a large bag that could hold his loot and somehow incorporate Telekinesis. Maybe something like items stored inside are hard to remove without saying a command word by telekinetic force? So he decided to give it a shot and make a large duffle bag with all kinds of pockets and thought about telekinetic force holding down his items in place so they did not shift or move without his command. Standard Bag of Forceful Protection[Poorly Made]Base Efficiency Bonus: 12% Skill Tree: Guardian of the Forceful Vault Base Ability: Telekinetic Deposit Box Trigger: Placing an item and saying the command word Energy Drain: None Description: This item allows the user to place items inside and assign a command. As long as the force trying to remove the item is not stronger than the user¡¯s wisdom the item will remain unmoved. Attunement Slots: 40 As he completed the item and looked at it he smiled. It was a brown leather duffle bag with thick straps and several metal clasps. It had the symbol of a bank on the main clasp. While it would not win any awards, it was functional. He quickly attuned to the item making his attunement 80/105 before he started to gather the remaining loose gear into his duffle bag. ¡°It''ll work,¡± As he began to sling the boxes into the bag along with his extra torch and shortsword as he put the warpick on his belt and kept the spear in his hand along with his shield. As pulled out his torch and collapsed into a tight ball he pressed his back against the wall and the shield covering his torso and head as he quickly found his stomach rumble. Let¡¯s try out one of those Food and Beverage boxes. With his good hand he held the open his waterskin and drank a bit before using some of it to wash his hands and his face. As he pulled out the Beverage box he imagined water as the box transformed into a black pitcher of what looked to be water. As he took a sip, he smiled as the cold water hit the back of his throat soothing his previously dry throat and helping to calm his mind. After refilling his waterskin he pulled out a food box and smiled as he held it in his hand and thought of Homestyle meatloaf, mashed potatoes with brown gravy with collard greens. The box expanded a little bit before the lid opened up and the smell waffled to his nose. It smelled like Sunday dinner at his grandma¡¯s house. As he ate his food he thought of his grandparents and parents gathered around the table as he chased around his nephews who pretended to be dragons as he gathered them up on his arms and smiled¡­ Are they really gone? His mind was filled with memories of home. Marcus did not come from wealth or great riches, his father was a mailman and his mother was a teacher. They did the best they could and raised him and his sister just fine. They taught him empathy and respect as civil servants about serving your community and doing the right thing. What seemed cool and a fun thing at first, was beginning to turn sour fast as his head laid against the cold stone he whispered so low that he thought he was something only him and god could hear. ¡°So, is there a way to go home?¡± He felt the presence of Guinevere press down around him like angel wings and wrap him close as he continued to sit down, alone in almost total darkness. ¡°No, you died on Earth. There is no going back at all.¡± As she said those words they hit him like a hammer as he thought about his little sister and his nephew and¡­ As he closed his eyes, attempting to calm himself and fend off the encroaching shadows of his mind, he sensed a tangible presence enveloping his shoulders from where his back pressed against the wall. Confusion flickered across his face as this unseen entity pulled him into a tighter embrace, wispy strands of what felt like loose hair brushing against his skin, clinging to his cheeks with a featherlight touch. ¡°What is this?¡± As the presence wrapped him up closer he felt another face pressed against face. "You are not alone. I will stand by your side until your journey reaches its end. I swear it." With a gentle yet unwavering smile, he closed his eyes, surrendering to sleep. I am not alone, I can do this. Chapter 3 Marcus woke up a little stiff stretched and checked his arm. Not only was it not broken but it was fully healed as he moved his arm up and down as he tested it. It really is healed. He stood up and drank from his waterskin and refilled it with a waterskin before making an English Breakfast. He never had it before but he saw it on a cooking show and thought it would be cool to try. He wolfed down his food and patted his belly So this world is very real. I did get a little stronger though so that¡¯s good. I should practice with my Spear and see how this Splash thing works. With torch light he pulled out his Spear and swung it and felt a mental pop as a gallon of water burst from the tip of the spear with another force to knock the dirt off the cave wall. He didn¡¯t think it would kill anything but it looked like it would hurt as much as a rubber bullet. This could work to buy me some actual time He checked his energy levels and it was still saying Green. With a nod and a smile he grabbed his shield and torch while storing the spear on his back as he moved back towards the corpse room. Marcus clogged his nose and he walked past the room of the corpses and dismembered parts as he looked up and saw that there was a strange hole in the center of the cave that had to go up well over a mile. ¡°Well ... .I ain¡¯t climbing up that.¡± As he looked around he marked the cave wall where he came and noticed that on the other side of the room was another tunnel. He quickly looked through the corpses around the room making sure they were really dead and looked for any useful items on them but it was no not avail. He pressed forward heading to a new tunnel around the other side. The tunnel squeezed in on itself, constricting like a hungry python as it narrowed to a mere 3 feet wide. It went on like this for agonizing minutes, until finally opening up into a massive cavern. But he had no time to marvel at the sight before dozens of monstrous bats with wingspans the size of an eagle descended upon him, their razor-sharp talons and gnashing teeth hungry for blood. Guinereve¡¯s voice popped into his mind as he stepped back into the tunnel so he couldn¡¯t be flanked from all sides. ¡°There are dozens of these creatures. You are gonna have to level up on the fly. Allow me to handle your next levels up while you focus on killing these things. ¡° Marcus mentally nodded and readied his spear and shield. The Tunnel was swarming with a horde of at least 20 bloodthirsty bats, their wings beating frantically as they dive-bombed towards him. Heart racing, he dropped his pack and hurled the torch behind him, barely managing to stumble backwards as he used its flickering light to see his attackers. With every ounce of strength and skill he possessed, he swung his weapon in deadly arcs and parried vicious bites, the sound of metal clashing against fangs echoing through the narrow passage. The first three attackers fell to the ground with a thud, but more continued to swarm towards him, their beady eyes fixed on their prey. Though he was no soldier, his grip on the spear was steady and instinctual - it was one of the oldest weapons known to man and he wielded it with fierce determination. With a large swipe of his spear a glob of water flew from his spear and hit the three in front as they collapsed to the ground in shock as the ice cold water hit them. The two remaining pressed in as he used his shield to block a bite from one and withdrew his spear back and impaled another. As he connected, he felt little resistance as he pierced the chest of the other. It shook violently before collapsing on the ground as he shield-bashed the bat off his spear. 6 more to level 3 More rushed in taking the place of their fallen brethren. He stabbed another and the shield bashed another''s brains in as he continued to retreat. 4 more to Level 3 He continued to move backwards as several of the creatures that he stopped their flight hobbled over to him and bit at his legs and clawed at this face as he strafed further back but for every nick he received they were paid back in blood as more and more as he leveled up. The notification was suppressed as he reached level 3 and kept moving. Marcus Washington Level: 3 - 12 Kills till next level 4 Health: Light Yellow Energy: Light Green Attunement: 80/110 Skill Trees: Field of Raining Spears Guardian of the Forceful Vault Loot Coin: 1 STR: 9 DEX: 5 CON: 10 INT: 5 WIS: 5 STA: 8 As he gained a level and the points were allocated, he could feel an increase in energy coursing through his body, making him tougher than he ever thought possible. The attacks from his enemies only left shallow scratches and cuts now. He effortlessly sliced through them with his sharp blade, while also using his shield to deflect any incoming blows. With blood dripping down his face and sweat pouring from every pore, with him desperately clinging to his weapon like a lifeline. Each swing feels heavier than the last as he fights through the pain and exhaustion. His health and stamina levels drop into the danger zone, but he refuses to back down. He knows he must keep going or risk losing everything, his life included. You have reached Level 4 Marcus Washington Level: 4 - 18 Kills till next level 5 Health: Red Energy: Orange Attunement: 80/115 Skill Trees: Field of Raining Spears Guardian of the Forceful Vault Loot Coins: 2 STR: 10 DEX: 5 CON: 13 INT: 5 WIS: 5 Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. STA: 10 Each blow he landed on against a bat seemed to make him stronger. His muscles bulged and sweat dripped down his taut body. Despite the exhaustion, he refused to give up, using every ounce of energy left in his tank. As he finished off the last of the bats, he collapsed against the wall, panting and covered in cuts and bruises. A guttural roar ripped from his throat, echoing through the desolate abyss around him. It was a primal scream, reminiscent of his ancestors'' fierce hunts and survival against deadly prey. As the adrenaline rush of battle began to fade, he stumbled back to his torch and bag, feeling the weight of exhaustion and triumph settle onto his shoulders like a heavy cloak. Level: 4 - 9 Kills till next level 5 His body ached all over as he went over and grabbed his torch and bag before slumping against the wall again breathing heavily. He heard Guinereve¡¯s voice in his head again. ¡°You need to recover and rest. At this point with your constitution being as high as it is you heal much faster than a normal human, you still will not recover as fast as you could while sleeping. Sleeping increases your healing by a factor of 4 from my calculations. Go back to the corpse area and cover your nose and mouth and try to sleep at this point. You have been going for a while.¡± Marcus slowly but surely walked back to the corpse room as he drank water from his waterskin and ate hardtack and beef jerk rations. He soon ripped off old cloth from a corpse before wrapping it around his face. He killed the torch and tucked into a tight ball pressed against a corpse pile and a wall before quickly passing out. As he woke up he noticed that he was starving as he drank the remaining water and rations before he stood up and felt the wounds that wore over his body and was amazed. All of his wounds were completely healed. As he looked at this health he noticed it was now Green. Guin quickly piped up. ¡°You have two loot crates coins left. I would suggest holding off on opening them until the next level.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You are running low on attunement slots. If you open a standard crate or higher you will be unable to use it while needed to carry the additional weight. You will most likely get another standard crate as they are ... .drumroll please, standard.¡° It sounded like a good idea so he nodded. ¡°I see you tell jokes now. Whelp, this is gonna be a long ride.¡± ¡°You should try and use your food and beverage boxes so you will be better familiarized with them. This will help you get more experience using the Loot Crate System for when you need to make another item.¡° He nodded and moved away from the smelly undead area and pulled out a beverage and food box. As he looked at the food box he thought about a nice double hamburger with lettuce, tomato and mushroom ketchup on a toasted bun and said ¡®activate¡¯ as the box grew in his hands and molded to a burger box that he could smell through the box. As he reached inside and took a bite it tasted just like what he imagined from his memory. ¡°Now that¡¯s a tasty burger.¡± He moved on now to the beverage and imagined some water and the box merged and changed to a jug of water as he began to drink his fill before refilling his waterskin and discarding the jug in the corpse pile. He relit his torch and continued down towards where he fought the bats and the smell of death was intense as he worked his way past the corpses and into the large open room that had two pathways, left and right. He decided to continue to go right as he marked his path and stayed right on the path and continued what felt like hours. What he noticed was that with his increased stats he moved much faster. His walking speed was comparable to his previous running speed. Along with heartbeat slowing down as he walked he could feel that his heartbeat was so slow it almost scared him. As he tested his strength he realized that he could actually dent the soft rock of the cave wall slightly. This is new As he continued walking down this long and winding tunnel it felt like hours before he was able to see something different. As the tunnel opened wide into what looked like an outpost underground. He saw several pillars made of stone leading up to a large castle structure with an intense smell of death. It was made from the same stone as the cave but he saw several zombie-like creatures that seemed much more intact than the Shamblers he fought previously as they all turned to face him. ¡°Guin, got any info on this?¡± ¡°These seem to be Ghouls. These are semi-intelligent undead that are raised with intent and not from just ambient energy of the world. They can use crude tools and are as strong as Shamblers but will not use all of their strength to the point of shattering limbs. Use your shield and speed to dance around them.¡± With the grunt he dropped his bag and threw his torch down near him to give his at least dim light as he fought what looked to be 4 ghouls guarding the entrance. With a quick rush he speared through the head of the closest ghoul as the other ghouls turned to him looking actually surprised by how fast he was. He even shocked himself. He leapt around the opening to the outpost and killed one of the ghouls before it could even draw their swords. (+2)7 more kills till level 5. Interesting, so different monsters have different kill amounts. They seemed to adjust and the remaining three, all of them with old and rusty clubs and blades came at him. As they rushed towards him, he grabbed the club of the fallen ghoul with his shield hand and threw it at the leg of the ghoul closest to him as it¡¯s leg shattered and collapsed on the ground before he blocked the incoming club blow and leaping back to the maw of the tunnel entrance with the two remaining ghouls rushing towards him. He decided to be a little risky. He threw his spear in the center mass of the ghoul as its inners poured out as it collapsed on its back from the force before rushing the last standing ghoul and ducking a swipe and bashing its head in with his shield. He quickly rushed over and with spear and shield combo killed the remaining ghouls. (+6)1 more kill till Level 5 ¡°Marcus.¡± Guin spoke up randomly in his head before he could continue towards the entrance of the strange castle. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°This place is probably what you would consider a dungeon in your homeworld. Are you sure you want to continue down this path? You have little Loot Gear and while you are strong, you aren¡¯t overwhelming at this point.¡± He thought about it and while he felt he SHOULD be more scared he was not, which was strange.¡±Guin, you said there were monsters in this world that were at levels above me that they could destroy me with a thought.¡± After a long pause she answered. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Based on the quality of monsters at the entrance of this dungeon, what do you think of my success rate of clearing this place?¡± ¡°60 percent.¡± With that Marcus laughed. ¡°I am going down the path of a Knight. If I level mid fight can I trust that you can handle that. If anything crazy appears I will flee and pull back. I mean what would Denzel Washington do?¡° After several painfully long seconds Guin responded. "Understood and Good Luck.¡± With that he entered the maw of the castle-like building. Chapter 4 As he walked inside of this castle he noticed that there were actual flickering blue lights along the walls of the castle as he entered past the broken castle door. The place opened up again after a few minutes of walking. Passing the castle door opened up to a large courtyard filled with what looked like dozens of Shamblers in various states of decay. He looked around and as they creaked and moaned they turned to face him and shambled over to him quickly as he rushed towards him. There was no fear in him, he felt¡­. excitement. Bring it. As the first three came towards him he ducked behind the broken castle door trying to create a funnel and seal off the areas of attack. The broken door had a large crack in it that a wagon and a half could possibly fit through but not dozens of people. As more Shamblers came through he repositioned and chased him to the front of the castle he went to work. He dropped the torch behind him and pulled out his spear and shield. As the first one leapt towards him he did a small sidestep and stabbed it in the head twice. As he finished the second stab the two closest to him were in melee range he turned a powerful class strike into a glancing blow as he blocked with his shield and spun with the attack and took a backstep and unleashed two powerful headshots as it collapsed to the ground. Level 5 STR: 13 DEX: 6 CON: 15 INT: 5 WIS: 5 STA: 11 Attunement: 80/120 As he ignored the level up notification as more of them joined the fight but the castle door was doing a great job. As he continued to sidestep and back up he unleashed a volley of Splashes aiming at the feet of the Shamblers near the door as they quickly collapsed and tripped as they got tangled up against each other completely blocking the door. Jackpot. As he cut the battlefield in half he knew he did not have too much time as there were still at least 25 of the Shamblers in the area with him still looking to make him dinner. It didn¡¯t matter with how cheap Splash was and its ability to knock someone on their ass he used it to devastating effect. As soon as one got too close he would launch a volleyball sized burst of water in the shin of a Shambler making it fall face first into the dirt. But before it could even stand up he would stab it twice and sidestep again. As he killed more and more of the Shamblers he was starting to realize just how much of a difference maker leveling was. As he killed almost all of the Shamblers in the area the door finally broke down, some of the Shamblers collapsed and crushed some of the ones underneath as he still gained kill experience from them. I didn¡¯t kill them but I got experience from them dying? Is it because of the Splash and the potential trap I potentially set up? Either way he did not care as he got the 30 kills to reach level 6. Level 6 - 27 Kills to Level 7 STR: 15 DEX: 9 CON: 15 INT: 5 WIS: 5 STA: 12 Attunement: 80/125 As he adjusted to his new increased dexterity he felt himself become much more loose and fluid as he moved around the battlefield towards the destroyed gate as thundering steps appeared from behind the Shamblers as an 8 foot tall Undead Minotaur rushed passed the Shamblers and crushed most of the as the experience from the killed Shamblers flowed into him. As the Minotaur made way through the Shamblers several ghouls with rust weapons appeared behind him as well. As Marcus looked over at the undead monstrosity It had a massive stone like pillar held over his shoulder and despite its size it was agile and strong. Unlike the ghouls and Shamblers it did not move unsteadily but with fluid movements. Although clearly dead as he could see one of its eyes missing along with large gauges that would have bled out or been healed by now if it was alive. He had no doubt in his mind that this thing was most likely stronger and faster than him but he wondered how it would handle water. As the undead minotaur rushed over to him he used Splash from his spear and launched a glob of water at its face as it stumbled and tried to shake his head. Marcus strafed to the right and went for its leg as he stabbed in quick succession trying to limit its explosive speed. He felt a rock bounce off his leather armor as he was hit in the head with a large rock that also dazed him for a second as he noticed that the ghouls were launching rocks at him from a distance. A ranged attack? I gotta be careful and take down this monster so I can move on to the ghouls. Both the Minotaur and Marcus shook off their dazes and sprang into action. Marcus darted towards the ghouls while the Minotaur charged behind him. With quick reflexes, Marcus dodged out of the way as the Minotaur impaled one of the ghouls on its horn. Taking advantage of its distraction, Marcus circled around and focused his attacks on its legs, stabbing it with his spear three times. Despite its immense strength, he could tell that in life this creature had a much higher fortitude than it did now. However, he also noticed a significant decrease in its speed due to his attacks. Still, the ghouls continued to hurl large rocks at him as he battled the monstrous beast. He could not win this War of Attrition; he had to end it quickly. As the minotaur rushed him again he used his superior agility to dodge and decided to take a rule from the ghouls playbook. The ground was covered in loose rock and debris as Marcus decided to start pelting the legs and knees of the undead minotaur. The minotaur charges were noticeably more sloppy as he was able to combat roll and throw a rock at speeds that put major league pitchers to shame. As he was continuing to stick and move the ghouls had a little chance to accurately hit him. With his improved body and stats he was able to roll almost 20 to 30 feet at a time in a moment''s notice. It wasn¡¯t long until the Minotaur fell to his bombardment of rocks as it collapsed on the ground. +10 Kills The rock throwing ghouls quickly were killed by Marcus rushing them with an unrelenting rush of spear strikes. As the heavy hitters fell the remaining shamblers that were almost knocking each other over trying to get a read on the combat rolling Marcus was blasted with water and slain as he leveled up. +25 Kills As he cleared the courtyard he went back and grabbed his torch and bag as he followed the large tracks of the Minotaur. As he rushed toward the opening where the minotaur came from. The interior of the castle was dirty and covered in broken humanoid bodies of what he imagined were Shamblers that it killed just by existing. It was a large stone tunnel slightly lit by blue wall lights as he moved to the interior of the castle he set up where he assumed the minotaur would sleep or rest . As he entered he checked his HUD to see how he was doing. Level 7 - 29 more kills till level 8 Health: Orange Energy: Red STR: 15 DEX: 10 CON: 17 INT: 5 WIS: 5 STA: 15 Attunement: 80/130 Guin entered his mind again as he began to process his situation. He needed to not be halfway to death if he wanted to continue, especially if the minotaur was something akin to an elite and not even a boss. He needed more options. ¡°You should try and open loot crates and see if you can find a weapon box with an aspect you can use while you recover. With your constitution now around 15 your regen can do serious work. Give it sometime and you should be able to go from Orange to Light Yellow in no time. ¡° He grunted in approval as he pulled out a Loot Coin and activated it as it said Standard again. 15 Food 15 Beverage 1 Weapon 1 Equipment 1 Tool 6 Resource He pulled out the weapon box and looked at it before Guin spoke up. Aspect of Soul Marcus smiled before saying ¡°OK, let''s open more and see if I can find something more compatible.¡± He pulled out another coin and activated it before another standard lootcrate appeared in front of him with the same amount of items from before. He reached inside and pulled out the weapon box and as notification appeared in his mind. Aspect of Luck. ¡°I don¡¯t have that kind of time to lab that out.¡± as he pulled out another coin and activated it. Aspect of Teleportation ¡°I CAN WORK WITH THIS! FINALLY!¡± As the idea immediately came to him as activated the box and closed his ideas as he began to quickly form a Boomerang and put the Teleportation aspect on it Standard Boomerang of Returning[Poorly Made] Base Efficiency Bonus: 12% Skill Tree: Dance of the Ethereal Hawk Base Ability: Recall Trigger: Mentally Activating the weaponEnergy Drain: Negligible Description: Allows the user to mentally activate the boomerang and immediately teleport the boomerang from within a distance based on Mastery level of the item and the user¡¯s Wisdom to the user''s hand. Base Level is 60 feet. Attunement Slots: 40 With this new item it had pushed him to his attunement to 120/130 but now he had a ranged weapon he could use. With Guin slowly raising his dexterity it would not be hard to hit his targets he imagined. He was not the same guy he was on Earth. He sucked at baseball but with his newfound abilities he hit moving monsters in dim light from 50 feet away with ease. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. He decided he would drop off his bag here and go as light as possible. There were hundreds of these TV dinner boxes of gear that would slow him down. Lets go light and lethal here. My armor sucks. I don''t think I can make platemail from memory and I can¡¯t stay here for much longer. I can always come back to it and if I lose it I should be able to level again and get more loot coins. He grabbed his Spear, shield, shortsword and boomerang, making sure to extinguish the flickering flame on his active torch. He took a moment to mentally prepare himself for using the Boomerang as a weapon. He had little experience with boomerangs but he had played several games and remembered the basic throwing motions as he Health went slow from Light Yellow to Light Green as he took time and wondered why no one had come to check on the large racket. But the castle itself was far from quiet as the sounds of dead and the damned. The boomerang was able to be thrown and completely return back to his hand instantly if he mentally activated it. Even if it was on the ground he could still summon it back to his hand. The big benefit was that he could use his shield with the Boomerang. he had no doubt that some of the ghouls would have stuff like bows and crossbows. As he practiced he did realize that the way the minotaur came from did have stars that went up to from the courtyard to what he assumed was the actual main floor. After a long while he actually waited until his Health reached Green and felt like he could accurately throw it and hit stationary targets before he climbed those steps. The main floor was apparently a long wide tunnel not some grand open floor plan but he didn¡¯t complain. He was not sure how castles worked but he figured as long as it went up that he could find the dude controlling the tower and take him out. As he got to the main floor or the tunnel he noticed there were much more lights as he continued forward. As he made his way forward through the tunnel he turned a corner and further down the tunnel where what looked like a patrol of Ghouls in rusty breastplates and leg greaves. It also seemed as if their decomposition was much much lower before he heard it speak. ¡°Kill the Intruder.¡± The ghouls bared their rotting teeth in twisted grins, brandishing their jagged blades as they lunged towards him. Without hesitation, he hurled his boomerang with precise aim, slicing through the arm of one of the ghouls and rendering its sword useless. With a swift motion, he unsheathed his spear and charged towards the remaining ghouls, determined to eliminate them all. He rushed over and said Splash he launched a thick glob of water at the faces of the creatures as they struggled to clear the water from their faces he rushed forward and drove his spear through the eye socket of one of the ghouls before he had to leap back. Now there were two standing and one on the ground struggling to stand. He rushed forward and behind his shield simply pushed forward and used his high strength to impose his will and shatter bone as they tried to push away before falling back and peppering them with spear shots before they collapsed and his leather armor finally gave way into strips as it ripped apart. With that he looked over at his ripped leather chest armor and grabbed an old breastplate off of one and strapped it on along with arm bracers and greaves over his leather armor. With his increased strength he could easily handle the additional weight as he pressed on. As he continued right stepping over the bodies he saw a tunnel open up into a well lit hall with a Skeletal Figure dressed in robes holding a staff with well over two dozen ghouls and an undead minotaur on each side of it. It chuckled a sickening cackle as it spoke. ¡°Well, well, well. What do we have here? What is a living Hume doing so far down under the earth in my castle? ¨C¡± ¡°Hey Guin, what¡¯s my chances of victory?¡± ¡°With your increased stats? Somewhere between 2-20 percent based on the strength of the robed figure. I would suggest trying to interrupt his monologue and attack or flee¡± While in life he was a construction worker, with his gear and stats he felt a feeling that he had lost as a child. The dream to be someone who could defy the odds and push beyond. With this he took off his shield and went spear and boomerang and rushed forward. Fight or Die. With a laugh erupting deep down his core he rushed forward as he threw his boomerang at the robed figure before a ghoul jumped in from of the robed figure before the Skeleton launched a bolt of fire energy that hit him square in the chest as it knocked it off his feet and pushed his health down from Green to Light Yellow. Before he collapsed against the wall of the castle he smiled and began to chuckle and laugh. ___________ The Skeleton looked at the human strangely, not only had he killed well over half of his forces in the castle before he was able to gather and marshal his undead but this man had to be well into level 20 or even 30 with constitution that high to shrug off his Incinerating Ray. Outside of the Minotaurs it killed most other things instantly. He had killed plenty of Ume over the years of bandits, travelers and caravans that rested near and his scouts summoned his undead and killed them and brought them back to be reanimated. But this was different. Who was this Ume? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A yell erupted from his core so such primal might that he felt that his throat would tear as he summoned the boomerang again. As the boomerang appeared back in his hand as he threw it again with deadly accuracy at the skeleton figure as another ghoul jumped in front of it. Jackpot. ¡°You think you run shit here!? You just live here! I am gonna send all of your punk ass bitches to the cemetery. You will be playing patty cake with the worms when I get done with you.¡± As the ghoul jumped in front of the Skeleton he ran at the ghoul with a speed he never felt before as he shoulder checked the ghoul and Skeleton sending them both flying into a stone wall. As they crashed into the stone wall he stabbed the spear through the ghouls eye socket and punched the Skeleton in the face as he pulled him off the wall and slammed him on the ground. Once the skeleton was in melee and on the ground it was over. He went into full mount and began to unleash a flurry of blows so fast even he was struggling to see his fists as he screamed at the Skeleton mage. This was violence, pure and undeterred violence. Maybe knocking him against the wall made him lose his mind or make him crazy but at this point it did not matter. This thing hurt him badly. It had to die. That¡¯s all that mattered to him. As he ripped the skull off the mage and held the skull and crushed it in his hand he felt a hard stone pillar swing from one of the Minotaur hit him and send him flying again into another wall with a bone shatter crunch as he felt his spear arm break. +30 Kills Level 8 - 44 more kills till level 9 STR: 17 DEX: 10 CON: 20 INT: 5 WIS: 6 STA: 15 Attunement: 120/135 As he coughed up blood he rolled out of the way. Health: Light Yellow to Light Red He looked around and noticed that his spear was still in the skull of the ghoul as his health was now Light Red. He could not stop laughing as he summoned his Boomerang again. as Guin appeared in his head. ¡°Marcus, need to escape, you are going to die! Please!¡± As he looked around after taking stock of the situation. There were well over 20 ghouls and there were still two minotaurs he had to deal with. With a broken arm. There was no going back. He would either fight and win or fight and die here. ¡°Either we dine with heroes or we drink with the angels.¡± He looked up into the ceiling and screamed again before laughing. He felt alive. He was bloodied, but he was laughing and smiling. He had never felt like this before in his life. This was better than sex. As he was yelling, each other two minotaur were running behind each other in perfect unison preparing a gore and if he rolled to either direction for the second one to gore him mid roll. As he rushed forward towards the minotaur he threw the boomerang at its hoof as it cracked the hoof and planted it in place as the second one rushed behind it the first minotaur has its foot caught in the stone by the boomerang as the the second one crashed into the first as its horns pierced the back of the first minotaur he pulled out his short sword and sliced the head of the Minotaur clean off before he kicked off the monster. As the still Undead Minotaur was struggling to stand up as its horns were trapped in the chest of its friend. +10 Kills As the ghouls began to surround him he quickly began to dodge and evade arrows and spears. They are too slow. These ghouls were comparable to a normal human at worst or a someone capable at the very best. Yet, with his physical stats he was three times that of a peak human. They could not pin him down. Their best chance was the Minotaurs and the Mage and that ship had sailed. He summoned his boomerang back to his hand from the hoof of the Minotaur and began to dance with the ghouls dodging a strike and throwing his boomerang at the head of the still functional Minotaur and dodge again. This loop continued again and again until the Minotaur finally collapsed. +10 Kills With the twisted smile he turned his head to face the rest of the Ghouls as he summoned his boomerang in his hand again. A twisted smile erupted across his face as the slaughter began. Level up! Level 9 - 35 more kills till level 10 STR: 20 DEX: 10 CON: 22 INT: 7 WIS: 5 STA: 15 Attunement: 120/140 This was intoxicating. Chapter 5 With the remaining ghouls cleaned up he had leveled up again and was close to level 10. As the final Ghoul fell from a boomerang throw as he cut its head off he smiled. I got¡¯em Before collapsing on the ground, completely spent. Upon waking, he assessed his health and found he was in perfect condition, with his arm fully healed. He moved and stretched it without any issues. ¡°What happened? I am surprised my arm has healed quickly?? How long have I been out?¡± Guin answered immediately. ¡°Your body went into shock and collapsed on the ground as you went unconscious. You passed out for about 2 hours. Now that your constitution is over 20 you should be able to heal any injuries you suffer with a nights rest outside of dismemberment and even then two nights should be able to heal even that.¡± As looked around quickly he noticed there was something flashing red in the corner of his eye. What the hell is that? ¡°You have defeated the Castle of Glory and Bone. You gain a passive perk from this dungeon. ¡° As she said this the Skeletal Mage melted into what looked like liquid mercury and went into his flesh as he received the perk, Slayer of Bone. Slayer of Bone - Your attacks and skills are much more effective against undead that are physically weaker than yourself. As this was happening he noticed that undead bodies began to dissolve into nothingness as he looked around as Guin spoke up again. ¡°I strongly recommend that you raise your intellect and wisdom next at least 10.¡±.Marcus smiled and asked why as he began to explore the rest of the castle along with gathering up his bag and other gear. ¡°You have probably noticed that your current body is very different from your original body, correct?¡± He nodded. For that he had no doubt. Setting aside the system and leveling, his actual base body was beyond human. For the past few days experimenting he confirmed it. Regardless of leveling or whatever, no base human even with his same stats would be the same as him. He just¡­knew. ¡°Well your body is infused with what can only be described as Smart Cells that upon reaching 20 Constitution has triggered your evolution. Your current body is an enhanced version of the base template for humans. Smart Cells that are in your body are designed to work independently of you and make you get the most out of your body and effects applied to you body. This includes leveling.¡± That sounds like something straight out of a Sci-Fi movie. ¡°So what does that have to do with raising my intellect and wisdom? I am certainly not opposed to it but I want to know why specifically?¡± ¡°As you got closer and closer to 20 Constitution, your Smart Cells began to initiate the precursor to your evolution. This has caused your body to be filled to the brim with testosterone and other supportive cells to help the process. The side effect is Smart Cells were designed with the System in mind. You need to temper your growth with intellect and wisdom or you are gonna turn into a horny crazed berserker.¡± As he reflected further on his last battle, he found himself torn. On one hand, he was clearly outnumbered, facing a daunting 20 to 1 odds. It felt almost insulting, as though they believed they could truly challenge his might. Yet, at the same time, he couldn''t shake the feeling of being an invincible young god of war, destined to obliterate everything in his path. This is what she must be talking about. "I understand, and I apologize for what happened earlier. I''ve never felt so strong before; it was as if I could obliterate anything that stood in my path." ¡°The Smart Cells and The System was designed to cultivate confidence in your personal strength and abilities. That part is not a flaw but just like anything too much of anything is bad for you.¡± As he searched the castle it was actually more like an Abbey or Tower. It wasn¡¯t as large as he thought as the size of the tunnels made one think it was bigger than what it actually was. He found very little outside of a few very looking old coins made from gold and silver with some kind of X on them. Along with a half plate that actually fit him that looked to be made out of gold. But he did find a map and personal traveling gear from the people that died here over the years. As he looked it over he noticed that this was a map of a country or state called Silveroak and it looked like he was here just underground. He quickly asked what Guin knew about Silveroak but she had no idea or thoughts that could help him about the country. As he continued to search until he saw a strange chamber with a pattern on it. The chamber was a large square shaped stone room that was covered in strange patterns in the center of the room like someone was summoning a demon or something. ¡°This is an Exit Warp. Generally speaking people do not randomly find dungeons in the wild. They usually receive Dungeon Warps as a reward for quests and great deeds. This should actually take you out of the cave and at least to the surface somewhere close. ¡° Marcus stared wearily at the strange room. ¡°How do you know so much about the world¡¯s functions but not any of its history?¡± As he pulled back out the map of Silveroak the map itself did not look all that old. Maybe one or two years at most. ¡°I am new to this world as well. I was only given the knowledge of how the world works and how you will evolve.¡± Marcus'' eyes narrowed. ¡°By who?¡± After a painfully long pause Guin did not respond. ¡°Well that¡¯s not creepy. Anyway, you have helped me so far and I doubt you would try and screw me over here as well.¡° Marcus smiled before he looked at his clothes under his half-plate and realized he needed to clean himself in case he landed in or near a town. He decided to use several beverage boxes to make hot water and took his time to clean himself and his gear. ¡°Thank god these people had soap in their traveling packs though I am not looking forward to medieval dental hygiene and no deodorant.¡± ¡°The hygiene here is comparable to your home planet, functional toothpaste, deodorant, and quality soap are plentiful in Ervasta.¡± He nodded. That was good to know. If he planned on making a life for himself he did not want to have to invent soap and deodorant here. As he searched more thoroughly he discovered that wrapped in cloth was what he imagined was deodorant. He applied some water to it to try and bring it back to functionality. Lemongrass, nice. After applying some deodorant he looked over several more items and grabbed a long black cloak and a set of old but decent pairs of pants, brown shirts from some of the ghouls and a pair of boots. It took him nearly a day to fully clean himself and his gear but it worked out as he used his enhanced strength and speed to windmill all of his clothes and gear causing them to shake off all moisture before heading out to the Exit Warp. ¡°So long.¡± As he was pushed through space he was surrounded by a forest near a road. He noticed it was mid-day and he smiled. With his spear on his back and his boomerang by his side he continued down the road with his bag slung over his shoulder. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The forest was strange; he saw beasts and creatures that he never saw before. Strange deer-like beasts with fur the color of Silver roamed in packs of ten eating what had to be some of the biggest apples he had seen in his life. Even the trees themselves were interesting. The ¡°apple¡± trees bark was also covered in silver like patterns as the deer as he traveled. As he checked the map again as he traveled he noticed that there was an ink blot that was fading in and out on the road and moved as he moved. That¡¯s weird. Is this some kind of GPS maybe? As continued to look over at the map Druid¡¯s Grove was apparently on the path he was following and it was marked as a large city by the map legend. ¡°I think the play is to head to Druid¡¯s Grove, figure out more about where I am and things I can do to kill more monsters-¡± He heard the whistle of a crossbow bolt flying towards him as he rolled out of the way and pulled out his spear. ¡°Hey I am just a traveler here trying to get to Druid¡¯s Grove. I want no trouble with you.¡± As he looked around he saw a group with 4 men and 2 women appear all around him with blades and arrows as one of the women spoke up from in front of him. These people seemed strange to him. One of them had green skin, another had bright red skin and another seemed to be much shorter than the other and had purple skin. There were also a few that looked like traditional humans with one of them being black and the other being white as well. What was strange to him was that the black guy had piercing bleach blonde hair. The woman who spoke up looked like what he imagined an Orc would look like but more human. The woman had green skin, was well built and tall around along with having small but functional looking tusks that came from the top and bottom of her mouth. Her hair was jet black and faded on the side giving her the appearance of an Orcish Viking. ¡°You missed the toll, Hume. It''s 10 gold marks to pass our toll.¡± Marcus looked around confused as he looked for a toll gate. ¡°Where is your toll gate? What kind of racket is this? You just shoot people because you can¡¯t flag them down fast enough? You have some kind of manager or something.¡± The red skinned man smiled before he got a closer look at the man. He looked like he had more middle eastern features with his large brown eyes and long straight hair before he realized that the man had horns. ¡°That¡¯s because we did not intend for you to live, you muppet. Now hand over 10 gold marks or we take whatever is left from your corpse.¡± Marcus looked at the man wide eyed. ¡°Oh my god, its a demon. Holy shit, you have a demon with you!?! Is this some kind of mind control or something?¡± As he readied his spear and looked at the horned man another¡­person appeared from behind one of the others in the group except she looked like some kind of Gnome or Dwarf maybe with East Asian like features. Sadness washed over the horned man''s face as the small woman put her hand on his forearm as she spoke up. ¡°So you are racist against Delumes? Are you some kind of country bumpkin or something. Khalid is sensitive to that. Delumes are just like the rest of Umes. Just like you and me.¡± Marcus raised an eyebrow at the group. Just like you and me? Maybe she is actually human and suffers from Dwarfism. I should play nice here. ¡°Ok, listen. I am trying to get to Druid¡¯s Grove. That¡¯s it, whatever I said to offend you I apologize but you did attack me and I am not from here.¡± Khalid spoke with more conviction in his voice than ever before. ¡°Listen up, Hume. We were just planning to rob you, that''s it. Calling me a demon is just hurtful and backwards. Now the price is 15 Gold Marks.¡± The look of shock that spread across his face was visible. These assholes tried to kill me but are calling me racist? What fucking world was this? Enough games. If 30 armored semi-intelligent zombies could not kill me then these people stood no chance. Marcus started to walk the green woman before she spoke again. ¡°Are you stupid? Give up your shit or die-¡± As she said that he quickly took a massive step forward ending up nose to nose with the woman and looked at her as she locked eyes on him with terror in them. A collective gasp erupted as everyone snapped their gaze toward him. He locked eyes with her, an unyielding stare that seared into her soul. In his eyes, she saw the fierce essence of a true warrior¡ªan unstoppable force burning with the desire to fight and annihilate anything that dared to obstruct his path. He smiled and began a soft chuckle that turned into a belly laugh. ¡°Marcus, you are falling under the effects of battle lust. Be careful.¡± Guin spoke before the Green skin woman continued. ¡°Umm backoff everyone. Seriously, umm Druid¡¯s Grove is roughly a tenday''s travel walking.¡± Marcus smiled at the woman and then stepped aside and looked at the various people here. ¡°Is anyone hungry?¡± Khalid spoke up. ¡°We could eat¡± As the green skinned woman shot daggers at him. ¡°Have you heard of food boxes?¡± The green skinned woman''s eyes went wide and nodded. Before he reached into his bag and pulled out 20 food and beverage boxes and handed them to the green skin woman. ¡°Enjoy.¡± He said before he walked away. As he walked away in the corner of his eye he saw others rush over and quickly activate them and eat and drink them with smiles on their faces. They weren¡¯t built for this. These people weren¡¯t killers, just people playing pretend to get easy money. I will give them a second chance to see if they could or would change. Before he quickly decided to test out his strength and speed by accelerating to his top speed as he quickly ran, the trees around him began to blur before he ran into a large tree and bounced off roughly 20 feet away. Damn it that sucks! ¡°To handle the information your body is taking in, you must boost your intellect and wisdom. Otherwise, you''ll be outmatched in high-speed battles against others who have similar physical abilities but superior mental processing power.¡± As he pulled out a tree branch that was stuck in his leg at a weird angle he smiled. More and more this was starting to make sense to Marcus. He was gonna have serious trouble with someone with higher skill. Regardless of his high speed. ¡°Yeah, I gotta level up some more, I can¡¯t even use my top speed.¡± As he thought about ways to make money and level up he thought about monster slayers in the various RPG games he had played over the years. ¡°Hey, Guin are monsters and such in great demand or have a great demand of monster slayers in this world?¡± After a long moment Guin spoke. ¡°Ervasta has not been fully explored outside of basic world knowledge. Only 20 percent of the world has been explored. With powerful monster groups constantly pushing back against human expansion and also monster invasions little progress has been made in the past 100 years. If we are in Silveroak then this region has a mixture of monster groups. There are both Undead and Lizard Monster groups. Monster groups also fight each other all the time as well. I imagine a monster slayer could make a small fortune.¡± As he continued to travel using about half of his maximum speed he was able to reach Druid¡¯s Grove within two days without any trouble. Welcome to the Jungle. Chapter 6 Druid¡¯s Grove was a massive city that made no sense to the eye. From the medieval weapons he was given at the start he thought it would be a dirty, smelly manure ladled city but this was different. This city was surrounded by several villages of people and all of them seemed to be some flavor of humanlike. He saw humans that looked like elves, dwarves to gnomes, and half giants. What shocked him was that they were all working together using what looked like magical tools comparable to modern day. Almost every house in the villages he passed looked like either well made wooden bungalows or stone houses but weren¡¯t made out of brick and mortar. All of the people looked decently dressed and no one looked poor or starving at all. They didn¡¯t look what he imagined wealthy but looked like good working class folks. As he walked past them none of them even looked at him hard or stopped as he reached the line waiting to enter the city. As he looked at the walls of the city with a better eye he was shocked. The walls of the city were massive trees that were interwoven together forming a massive 200 foot wall. He was astonished to see people using peculiar magical carriages that moved without the need for horses or oxen, ranging from wooden to metal versions. It was a massive flow of five lines of people with 2 lines of people leaving and 3 lines of people coming in. Everyone dressed in versions of heavy tunics and boots. As he waited in line he looked and saw that behind him was a group of what he considered half giants. These people looked to be anywhere from 7-8 feet tall with massively strong builds, arms and legs like tree trunks and skin that also ranged from light gray to ebony. As he turned around he looked at each of them and smiled. ¡°Hey, This is my first time here. Do I need anything to get into the city?¡± As he looked at them. The older one with several notches in his arms from what he imagined were previous injuries spoke up. ¡°Hail Traveler. You need to pay a toll to enter and leave the city. If you don¡¯t pay it on entry you are given a mark on your skin that only glows when near a toll master. Once it is paid it is removed. You can also trade goods that are considered fair for entry. ¡° ¡°What is considered fair for entry?¡± ¡°You need a silver mark to enter and leave the city.¡± Marcus thought for a second and asked. ¡°What''s the going rate on beverage and food boxes?¡± The group looked at each other and spoke. ¡°Around a Gold Mark give or take. Which is around 100 Silver marks.¡± Marcus closed his eyes and chuckled to himself as he realized that he gave the highwaymen what he could only imagine was a large chunk of change. ¡°Would you like to trade for one?¡± The members looked at each other and nodded as they started counting out silver marks until they reached 100 silver marks. Marcus pulled out a food box from his bag and gave it to them and they smiled at each other and nodded back to each other. Before turning around another man in the line turned to him and called out. ¡°HEY! Do you have any more? I¡¯ll buy them from you. This guy has food boxes! How many do you have?!?!¡± As others in the line turned to face him, each holding out marks trying to buy boxes from him. He undid his cloak and relieved his old fully functional half plate and his shortsword as he turned around and looked at every one of them, their voices piped down as they returned back to normal in the line. As he looked at the silver mark in it looked just like the coins he had taken from the dungeon. At least I won¡¯t be poor. As he made it to the Tollmaster he looked at him and handed him a silver mark before stepping into Druid¡¯s Grove fully. The city was unlike anything he had ever encountered, a marvel of nature intertwined with human ingenuity. At its heart stood an enormous tree, its towering presence commanding attention from every corner. The tree''s colossal roots sprawled across the ground, rising to the height of two to three stories, creating a labyrinth of natural architecture. People had ingeniously carved their homes and businesses directly into these roots, creating a seamless blend of nature and habitation. The roots formed a living network of structures, with various dwellings and edifices intricately sculpted into the inner sides of the inside of the wall, each nook and crevice bustling with life and activity. As he made his way deeper into the bustling market, he observed a lively array of street vendors, their stalls brimming with colorful fruits, sizzling skewers, handmade trinkets, and vibrant textiles. The air was filled with the aromatic blend of spices and the clamor of haggling voices. Amidst the hustle, a group of children caught his eye; they were energetically singing and dancing, their laughter rising above the crowd. He approached a child with almond-shaped eyes and a cheerful demeanor, crouching down to meet his gaze. ¡°Can you tell me where I might find the tavern or inn?¡± he asked, pressing a gleaming silver mark into the boy''s small palm. The child nodded eagerly, pointing down a narrow, cobblestoned path, a wide smile spreading across his face. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°You have several choices sir. What exactly are you looking to do in the city?¡± He smiled and looked at him. ¡°I am a warrior of sorts. I am looking to rest and clean myself before taking on a job to maybe hunt or deal with monsters.¡± The kid beamed up at him and smiled. ¡°You should check out Takanaka¡¯s Rest. Its just a small walk east from here. My older sister runs the place. Tell her Kenny sent you and she will give you a very fair price on a room. Anywhere from 30 to 70 silver marks per room per night. She also has a small bathing house included in that fee as well though any clothes washed and food is not included. She doesn¡¯t really deal in quests and stuff but so you may want to check out The Slayer Corps. That is near the Eastern Trunk of the city.¡± As he pointed directly behind him. ¡°They offer monster hunting quests for freelancers though the best quests I have heard tend to be for official members.¡± Marcus gave the kid another silver as thanks and made his way to Takanaka¡¯s Rest. Upon reaching Takanaka¡¯s Rest, he observed that the establishment was perched on the sprawling, above-ground root of the central tree. The enormous root, elevated to about three stories high, featured expansive ceilings that appeared to stretch nearly nine feet overhead. A young man, who appeared to be of East Asian descent, stood guard at the entrance. He had a muscular build of average height and exuded a sense of quiet strength. As he approached, the mouthwatering aroma of the food wafted through the air, enticing and almost divine. With the enticing scent guiding him, he walked towards the entrance, where the young man stood vigilant, ready to greet newcomers. ¡°Welcome to Takanaka¡¯s Rest. We are out of basic rooms but we do have business and executive rooms available with them being 50 and 70 silvers respectively. We do have a table ready if you would like to eat. We have no specials today but the food is always good. Does any of that interest you?¡± Marcus looked the man in the face and nodded before speaking again. ¡°I would look to buy a business room along with a meal, a bath and somewhere to wash my clothes. A child told me to say Kenny sent me as well if that matters. ¡° The man smiled before speaking again. ¡°That¡¯s my little brother and yeah it seems like you are getting the full service so we can knock a few silvers off your total bill if you would like to take a bath we can watch and dry your clothes before you get out. Fanny! Lead this man to the bathhouse and take his clothes and wash them. That will be 10 silvers. ¡° Marcus reached inside and handed the man 11 silvers and nodded at him before a red skinned woman with Latin features with horns and long black hair led him to behind the root before he noticed a large basement like door as she told him to follow her in as she opened it and his jaw dropped. There were several dozen men and women sitting in large wooden individual tubs washing themselves and others getting out. Before Fanny spoke and lead him to an empty tub as she pointed to the empty tub and pulled out a two strange wands as she pointed one at the tub and a torrent of water began to spread out from the wand quickly filling the tub before she pointed the other wand at the tub and said a strange word and a wave of heat left the wand and headed towards the tub. ¡°This is your tub. You have 1 hour here. If you need soap, that''s an additional 2 silvers, same for shampoo and conditioner, if you need deodorant then an additional 2 silvers as well. He handed her 5 silvers and she handed him a bar of soap and a bar of what he imagined was deodorant. Please hand me any clothes you want to wash. Anything considered more than a load will be an additional 1 silver per load. ¡° ¡°You want me to remove my clothes in front of you? Like completely nude?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t tell anyone what I see.¡± He quickly pulled out several pieces of clothing that he looted from the underground castle that were in decent condition. Then took off his half plate and looked over at her curiously? ¡°Yes, we wash armor but we don¡¯t clean weapons. If your armor has any properties that would harm me or anyone else let me know but so far this will be an additional 2 silvers if we include what you are wearing. ¡° He slowly took off his clothes in front of everyone and handed the woman everything. Despite it being well over a hundred pounds she didn¡¯t have much of a problem at all as she walked away with everything except his duffle bag. As he stepped into the large wooden tub he smiled as it was nice and warm and began to properly clean himself as he soaked in the tub as he put his duffle bag where he could see it after about 20 minutes Fanny came back with all of gear and clothes. ¡°Some of these clothes seem very old but held up to cleaning well. Here is all of your gear. I will put it on top of your strange looking bag. ¡°After she did he handed her an additional silver which she smiled at before saying he had about 40 minutes left. After about 20 more minutes in the tub and washing himself he stepped out and put on his deodorant. He noticed there was a towel here as well. He soon dried off then put on the socks and leather boots he took from the tunnel along with a long tunic that stopped before his knees before wrapping his waist in a thick leather band that held his shortsword as he stepped out as he stuff all of his gear inside of his duffle bag. I guess we are freeballing. He went back to Fanny and handed her back the towel as he left the basement and went back to the front door and walked inside. Let¡¯s see what this place is all about. Chapter 7 Inside the bustling tavern, the atmosphere was so vibrant and lively that he couldn''t even conjure a thought grand enough to capture its essence. The space was as vast as a school auditorium, with rows of long, sturdy benches stretching across the floor, each accommodating anywhere from 20 to 40 patrons. The air was filled with the hum of conversation and laughter from well over 150 people, a diverse tapestry of all shapes, sizes, and colors. The tavern was a hive of activity, with more than a dozen waitresses and waiters weaving expertly between the tables, balancing trays laden with mugs and plates. As he stepped inside, taking in the scene, a green-skinned man with impressive tusks approached him, adding to the tavern''s rich tapestry of characters. ¡°Welcome Takanka¡¯s Rest. Are you looking for a room, a table or both?¡± Marcus explained to him that he wanted both but a solo table. He said that that was an additional 5 silver as he pulled out 6 silver and he handed Marcus a large wooden disk with the number 5 and pointed to where his table was before leading him to the front of the house. This was where he was an Asian looking woman that looked to be in her late twenties with various people coming in and out and talking to her. She seemed different than the rest. She had jet black hair with fiery red highlights spread about in a wild pattern. Her hair was cropped at her neck giving her a functional but classy look. She had to be a fighter or warrior of something. Is she just a waitress? Even with her tunic covering her body he could see the muscle and definition of something like a swimmer or maybe a gymnast. She spoke up quickly. ¡°I am Khaliun, the owner of Takanka¡¯s Rest. We are out of basic rooms but we have a few business and executive rooms left. Yes, business and executive rooms come with private bathrooms and yes breakfast is included with business rooms and up. Business rooms are 50 silver and Executive rooms are 70.¡± He pulled out 51 silver marks and pushed them in front of her as her hands moved so fast even his eyes could not keep as she picked up the extra silver and handed to one of the waitresses coming to her as she nodded and handed him a wooden disk with B7 burned onto the token as he moved along and and sat at his table. As he sat down he would quickly be approached by the same green skinned man as he handed him a menu then quickly moved away before saying to double tap the table marker and he would come shortly. Marcus picked up the menu and looked over everything and noticed just how everything seemed to be an Asian-African fusion menu with stuff like fufu and jollof rice to smoked duck and egg fried rice. They also looked over the drink menu and noticed stuff like Mazagran and Pu Erh. He decided to give it a good blend of both. He hit the marker and ordered Shekla tibs with Kimchi Fried Rice and a side of Sobolo and Mango Lassi. His order came out to a total of 20 silver marks and he smiled as he had a few marks left as he looked around and took in his surroundings. This time he paused and looked like the place as he really took it in before resting his shoulders as he saw various children and families enjoying themselves as people played strange looking instruments and sang songs. He saw older couples slow dance with each other and people who looked much younger dancing more provocatively as his food came and he looked amazing. While he never had kimchi before he had heard about it before and he would give it a fair shake. As he ate it he smiled, while he never had any of this stuff before it tasted amazing and finished it quickly as he noticed that the place was winding down and people slowly started to leave. As the place died down and people that were staying for the night moved up to their rooms. He had gotten up and walked over to Khaliun. ¡°Hey, do you know where I can sell goods and buy a watch?¡± Khaliun looked him up and down before speaking. ¡°Well you must not be from around here but I would recommend Javier¡¯s General and Exotic Goods. He is considered generally fair to newcomers and will be able to trade most goods that you could have. Also I would recommend you have standard loot gear to join the Slayer Corps if you haven¡¯t already? What level are you now? Level 2 or level 3¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He thought about this and if this was a trick or a trap but he decided to be truthful. ¡° I am level 9, almost level 10.¡± Khaliun stopped everything she was doing and everyone within earshot and turned to look at him before Khaliun spoke again. Well that¡¯s awkward. ¡°Level 9 without Lootgear armor? Impossible. There is no way you are level 9 unless you have some glamour over your gear or something. Even then your spear and bag while being standard gear doesn¡¯t even have the well made bonus! I don¡¯t like liars.¡± Marcus smiled and then asked then pulled out 6 loot coins. ¡°So how did I get these?¡± Khaliun''s eyes went wide. ¡°Please put those up before you put a target on your back. I am not sure how you got them but this isn¡¯t normal but give me a second while I put on my goggles.¡± She went and grabbed her goggles. She looked over at him and was taken aback and said loudly. ¡°YOU CLEARED A DUNGEON!?! Why are your stats so high? I am level 15 and my stats are not even close to yours. Your strength and constitution scores are monstrous. Mine are both around 12 and that¡¯s considered elite, not exceptional but still. As she moved from behind her desk she motioned for him to sit down as she called the doorman in and he sat down beside as another man took over cleaning up the place. As soon as she said he cleared a dungeon there were hushed whispers from among the remaining patrons in the Inn. Marcus held up his hand and looked around. ¡°Hey, I am not looking to make this a big deal. I just wanted information, thank you for the help. I think I will head to bed if it is ok.¡± Khaliun spoke up again. ¡°Hey, I am sorry if this is overwhelming you but not only are you level 9 but having stats comparable to level 20 to level 30 people is shocking. While there is a range for how many stat points you get per level most people get to somewhere between 1 and 2, maybe 3. Your stat growth must be 5+. If you don¡¯t mind me asking what''s your business in Druid¡¯s Grove?¡± Marcus thought for a second. ¡°To gain fuel to grow.¡± as he looked at Khaliun and her doorman. The doorman finally spoke up. ¡°Are you new to Silveroak or do you come from some distant country because I have never heard of anyone who is over Level 5 without at least a full set of loot armor.¡± He pointed to the hole in his armor that he totally didn¡¯t notice before. Then suddenly Guin spoke up in his mind. ¡°Be careful, do not tell them about me. While your growth would be considered exceptional. It is not so far out of the normal that it would raise serious alarms¡­yet. You still need to grow.¡° ¡°Seeing you still have loot coins maybe you want to use more of your loot coins and hope for lesser and minor crates so you can get something you can attune to. I am Jason by the way.¡° Marcus smiled at the men before standing up and nodding at each of them. ¡°I am tired. I think I am going to retire for the night if that is ok with everyone.¡± Marcus glanced at Khaliun and Jason, his eyes lingering for a moment before he joined the others in heading upstairs. The wooden stairs creaked softly under his weight as he ascended, leaving Khaliun and Jason behind. They exchanged a knowing look, their expressions mirroring a shared understanding, and shook their heads in silent agreement. _________________ ¡°To clear an entire dungeon before level 9 most likely by himself is incredible. I cleared a dungeon but I was a part of a 6 person team and even then we had lost 2 people in the process. With his high constitution and strength reinforcing his bones and muscles his body is probably tougher than steel. At his growth rate he will be a monster. I just wonder what he will do next.¡± Chapter 8 Marcus went to bed and woke up to get some breakfast that was something akin to continental breakfast at a hotel or buffet style as he got scrambled eggs, sticky rice and some kind of onion pancakes over a savory gravy before he left to head towards Javier¡¯s. As he sat down Khaliun walked over to him and sat down in front of him as he ate his savory pancakes. ¡°Hey, I want to apologize for how I acted yesterday. I overreacted. It was uncalled for and I hope you will continue to patronize us.¡± Marcus gave her a soft smile and laughed. ¡°I have seen more dangerous reactions from my Uncle Charlie after Sunday dinner. Its fine. I was just a bit overwhelmed. I am new here.¡± She gave him a no nonsense nod. ¡°You have to be more careful from now on. People know you have cleared a dungeon and people will start to seek you out.¡± He raised an eyebrow confused before she continued. ¡°Slayers and Mercenaries tend to be on the lookout for talent and can be¡­aggressive about acquiring it. Things like press-ganging are common. Being kidnapped and dropped off in a team of other talented people under someone more than 10 times your level and forced to follow orders.¡° ¡°That sounds like slavery.¡± She shrugged. ¡°It can be. Those that are press-ganged are generally speaking paid and¡­.entertainment is provided. After a while people even forget they were press ganged. 5-10 years with the same people has a way of holding you together. Regardless of circumstances. I am sorry I did this to you, but anyone with an Identify-Lens would have found out. ¡° He shrugged. ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Is there any way to hide my information from people?¡± She shook her head. ¡°This is the one thing that is always true. Identify-Lens never lie or can be manipulated with other Lootgear. As a token of goodwill I will knock off 5 silver off any room you purchase here.¡± With that she stood up and walked away back towards the frontend of the Inn. Time to get the day started. He walked out and past Jason and tipped him a silver before walking over to Kenny and gave him another silver to tell him where Javier¡¯s shop was. With a sweet smile told him it was in the Southwest Roots section. While he walked the city he noticed just how diverse the people are. He was having trouble trying to figure out how these people breed and made others that looked like them. As he walked he noticed just how big this place was. It had to be well over 250,000 people here in the city alone and probably another 50,000 people in the surrounding villages as well. The streets were made of what looked like old bark as he dodged people riding around in these magical buggies and made his way to Javier¡¯s. This place was much smaller than Takanaka and it was also inside the interior wall next to several other shops as well. As he entered he noticed there were less than a dozen people shopping from various goods like fishing poles to toothbrushes. As he walked up to the owner he looked to be some kind of latino looking dwarf with long black hair and a short but trimmed beard. ¡°Welcome, welcome, This is my shop. What can I do for you?¡± Marcus looked around before he spoke. ¡°I am looking to unload some resource boxes. What''s the going rate on them?¡± Javier''s eyes went wide as he smiled and said. ¡°Sir, I very much doubt someone like yourself has a resource box but regardless I will humor you. The going rate is between 5-6 gold pieces depending on who you ask. I would personally offer 5 gold marks for one.¡± Marcus looked around again before speaking again. ¡°So if I go to a different vendor they would say the same thing?¡± ¡°Maybe a little higher or lower but still in the same ballpark.¡± ¡°Ok then I will be back-¡± ¡°OK. That¡¯s fine, the going rate is 10 golden marks. ¡° ¡°So then you won¡¯t mind if I go an price check-¡± ¡°Just go sir, I doubt you have one anyway. I am done-¡± He mouth dropped as he pulled out a resource box. ¡°You mean something like this? I can go and shop around I guess-¡± The latino dwarf man ran around his desk and motioned for him to come to the back as he pointed to another european dwarf looking person to watch the register. As Marcus walked to the back with the man he looked around and noticed he was in the man¡¯s office. ¡°Listen, now that I confirmed that you actually have one, we can actually do business. They are quite rare as alchemists and crafters will pay a premium price for them. As my son is an alchemist I would like to purchase one. I can offer you a little under two platinum marks.¡± Marcus thought about it for a second before speaking. ¡°Have you brought one before?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Yes, earlier this year but yes.¡± ¡°How much did you pay for it and I would like to see the receipt if possible.¡± Javier smiled with a large grin before he pulled out two platinum marks and showed him the receipt. With the confirmation he asked if he could get them in 180 golden marks and 200 silver marks. Which Javier did without much of a problem. In total he was given a total of 900 Gold and 1000 silver from Javier. He stocked up on various toothpastes and toothbrushes, more fresher soaps and deodorants and some travel rations. As he got more of the basics he needed along with another bag to carry them as he was recommended several other places to get armor. He went to a place called Sigda¡¯s Armory where he was able to pick some normal plate mail for about 120 gold marks as Sigda pulled some armor that she had made down with her hammer and a couple of taps was able to shape it to perfectly fit his body with a matching pair of highly breathable padded armor underneath as well. It was of excellent make as he quickly put it on and left the store after being there for about an hour. Now it was time to check out this Slayer Corps business. He was hoping to go to the Slayer Corps and pick up a quest but that probably wasn¡¯t very likely. As he moved closer to the trunk he realized that the nicer the stores and how much more finely dressed the people were and more guards as well. While Takanaka¡¯s Rest seemed more like a tourist trap this place seemed to be where the really wealthy and powerful people lived. As he got closer he noticed just how tall the center tree was. I mean it had to be well over a mile in diameter and 10 miles tall. It wasn¡¯t long until he was stopped by a guard and asked to state his business near the trunk he told him he was going to pick up a quest from the Slayer¡¯s Corps before he was given an escort by who he assumed was a rookie or close to it. This as he was quickly led to the place he noticed had sign of a dragon skull with a sword and staff through it. He nodded goodbye to his detail as he walked towards the door. He noticed the two guards who stood out front as he approached and held up his hand before speaking. ¡°I am looking to take on a Slayer¡¯s Quest. Who would I need to talk to get that done.¡± One of the guards spoke up and said to see Master Bere and gave a description of a mountain of a man with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes and motioned him inside. As he moved closer inside he noticed that this place was a massive training hall with a massive ring in the center. There were various people inside of the center looking to be sharpening their fighting skills, as he continued to look around before he finally saw him. It was a man sitting at a table with several other much younger looking people laughing and drinking. Even sitting down he could tell this man was possibly 7¡±. Marcus was tall himself at 6¡¯1 but this man seemed every bit of 350 pounds with a thick layer of fat covering probably decades of experience. His blonde beard and tied in a boxed knox on the end and his long blonde hair flowed over his back. That''s the guy. Marcus quickly approached the man as he began to overhear a conversation about tactics and how to work as a team together. Marcus smiled at the man before a slight head nod and speaking. ¡°Excuse me I don¡¯t mean to interrupt your discussion but I am looking to take on Slayer quests. Currently I am not a member. I am looking to freelance for a while if you have any jobs.¡± Bere chuckled softly before standing up and clapping him on the back with such force and speed that even he rocked a bit. ¡°Welcome to the Corps, friend. We have plenty of jobs here that need doing. What danger level do you think you and your crew can handle.¡± ¡°What level would you recommend for a level 8 crew?¡± ¡°Depending on your size I would recommend D or at most C. But because this seems like your first mission I would recommend D and go from there. Matter of Fact-¡± He began to scratch his beard and ponder for a second. ¡°I have a D Ranked Quest with several lizardkin raiding groups attacking the main trade road between Druid¡¯s Grove and Northwood. From the survivors most of these lizardkin are not that much stronger than base commoners so for each lizardkin frill you claim and bring back to me I am able to give you 20 silvers. If you are able to take down their leader and claim its head that¡¯s worth a golden mark. Does this sound agreeable to you?¡± Marcus thought for a bit and nodded he would exterminate them all and see how well that would work. ¡°Yes, I assume I can start immediately?¡± ¡°Yes, you want to make sure you pick up health salves from Miki from down the hall. She sells them for fair market price. Once you complete your first quest or in your case come back with 5 or more frills you will become an associate and be offered a better pay rate and better quests. If you do want to become a member you will have access to our trainers that can help you level up any skill trees or even provide insight.¡± Marcus nodded and extended his hand as a shake before turning down the hall to the Slayer Alchemist. She had offered him a deal of 5 for the price of 4 health salves for 20 golden marks. As he brought 8 and got 10 instead. As the alchemist explained to him, base healing salves promote healing in that area comparable to actually resting and for the very expensive ones they are several times stronger than your sleeping healing factor. These were around 2-3 times his base healing. Before he turned to leave again. He would stay one more day and then make the day''s journey running to the Northwood trade route and begin to investigate there. Time to slay some lizards. Chapter 9 As the day soon turned to dusk he went back to the Takanka bathhouse and had all of his worn gear washed again before taking a bath and going inside of the Inn. As soon as he stepped inside the entire atmosphere changed as people began to whisper to each other in hushed tones. He paid his 5 silvers for his own table as he sat down and began to order his own food like yesterday before a mixed group of men and women walked over to his table. They were he appeared to be mainly tusked humans with a few rough looking elflike humans and a couple of humans that looked like there were from Eastern Europe. They seemed to be lead by a large green man with two large blades on his back as he spoke. ¡°Hail traveler. We heard you were some kind of great warrior. We are looking to take on a C Ranked mission and we could use another person of your caliber.¡± Marcus shook his head before speaking. ¡°I will have to decline, sorry.¡± Marcus turned back towards his drink before another this time a female member of the group spoke up. ¡°What are we not good enough for you? You don¡¯t even have loot armor. I am not sure about the rumors but he can¡¯t be THAT strong if he doesn¡¯t even have loot armor. Most people make that their first pick up.¡± This woman this time a green skinned woman with a set of what he imagined was leather loot armor and a large wooden staff on her back spoke up. ¡°I am strong enough is all. I have declined and I would like to be left alone. Thank you.¡± As he looked the leader in the eyes. The leader moved into Marcus¡¯s bubble as Marcus stood up and looked him in the eyes and just chuckled before breaking out in a sick laugh as he looked at all of them but mainly the woman and said with his eyes dancing with madness just simmering beneath the surface. He could feel this body twitch slightly as he gripped the edge of the table so hard that it began to splinter. Are they challenging me? Are all of these people mocking me? I could crush them all, so weak like like ants beneath a boot. I- As he was getting ready to fight he felt Guin¡¯s presence increase against his body as she wrapped around him and whispered in his ear. ¡°They only asked you to join them, you are losing your grip on your emotions again. Be careful.¡± Marcus nodded and took a step back as he held his hand to his skull. ¡°I suggest you let me finish my meal. I am having a headache and I don¡¯t have much patience left.¡± The others looked at each other and slowly backed off as he sat back down as he continued to chuckle to himself softly as the waiter brought out his food. The Inn was a so quiet a pin could drop as Khaliun and Jason looked at each other and then we back to work as the music began to play again. With that no one else interrupted him for the rest of the night as he brought another night and passed out again. As he woke up he put back on his now plate armor and left the city to head west towards Northwood. With his enhanced strength he could easily get there within a day but he wanted to get half way and rest so he could get there the remaining way mid morning tomorrow. The first leg of the journey went by fine as he went to camp for the night. As he passed out in a tree. As he woke up in the morning he opened a food box and had some bacon, eggs and toast as he continued forward down the road before he got to the hot spot of activity. As he advanced, he noticed a group of lizard-like bipedal creatures emerging from the shadows. They came in a variety of vibrant colors, each more striking than the last. Their rough, weathered leather armor glinted dully in the dim light, giving them a rugged appearance. Armed with an array of menacing weapons¡ªaxes with jagged edges, heavy clubs, and gleaming blades¡ªthey charged toward him with an intimidating ferocity. He yanked out his spear and shield, letting his bags fall heavily to the ground as he charged forward with ferocious speed. With a powerful kick, he slammed into the creature''s center mass, obliterating its rib cage and spine in a single, brutal motion. The force of the impact sent the beast hurtling backward, crashing into a tree with such violence that a thunderous crack split through the air as the trunk splintered under the collision. +2 kills He surged ahead, hurling his spear into the air with a practiced flick as adrenaline coursed through his veins. In a heartbeat, he snatched his boomerang, eyes locking onto a lizardkin poised to shoot an arrow his way as he combat rolled away from the large arrow. With deadly precision, he unleashed the boomerang toward another enemy. The creature attempted to raise its shield in defense, but the boomerang sliced through its guard like a scorching blade through butter, leaving the lizardkin to crumble lifelessly to the ground. As he caught the falling spear he turned and looked at the rest of the lizards. As he turned to look at saw two lizardkin charge at him that had to be the size of Olympic power lifters. As they charged him, he saw them run at him at speeds that had to be comparable to some of the fastest land animals back home. As he rushed him he blocked both strikes with his shield as he sidestepped and stabbed one of the monster''s feet with his spear before another powerful strike shattered his shield completely. As his shield shattered one of the other non brutes decided to go ranged and continue to pelt Marcus with all manner of arrows and large rocks. Health: Light Green As he continued to sidestep or nimbly block open claw strikes he began to get a feeling for these monsters. He was still stronger than them. They were just bigger than him. He decided to go on the offensive and focus on the heavy hitters. The ones in the back were nothing more than a distraction. He waited until both of the brutes attempted a downward strike against him before he leaped 20 feet in the air and threw his spear. As he threw the spear both of the lizards looked up but it was too late. The spear went straight down the one of the open maw of the monsters as it came out the other end of the lizard pinning it to the ground. +10 Kills As the other lizard turned to look at his friend Marcus came crashing down like a mountain with a double hammer fist strike on the head on the remaining brute. As he dazed it he went for a kick to one of its knees caving it in as it collapsed on the ground screaming loudly. He went to a full mount, pinning its arms against the ground as he continued to be pelted by arrows and large rocks. Health: Yellow ¡°Shhhh, it will be over soon. I just need to let out some steam.¡± He cupped the screaming face of the giant lizard and began to slowly spread open its mouth as it tried to shake its head viciously; he saw the fear in its eyes as he continued to spread open its mouth until its skull separated from its spine. +10 Kills As he got up from his full mount he looked around he saw a dozen of lizardkin and smiled. He moved like a phantom in the night as he came face to face with an axe wielding lizardkin as it swung he caught the arm mid swing and ripped the arm off the lizardkin and grabbed the axe before cutting its head off. As stood with an axe in his hand and a lizardkin arm in another as he stood a few dozen feet before more than a dozen lizards. ¡°It¡¯s time to finish this.¡± The lizards were about as comparable to a stronger ghoul overall but it still with her current stats it was clockwork and he grabbed a few levels. At least he thought. He was hit square in the chest with a bolt of lightning as he was pushed back as his health dropped to yellow to orange before he looked over at the lizard and saw another large one with a staff in its hand smoking this time with a weird feather like crown. ¡°Damn, caught flat footed. Let''s dance!¡± He smiled as he slung the axe from the one he killed over his shoulder as he began to laugh. He rushed again towards another one and that was bundled in a pack of four other lizardkin as they all took a second to adjust to him close to him. To slow You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. One of the lizardkin swung its weapon with deadly intent, forcing Marcus to react swiftly. He ducked low, shattering the beast''s legs with a powerful blow before severing its head with his axe in a brutal arc. As he turned, he caught sight of a javelin hurtling towards him. In a flash, he used the fallen lizardkin as a shield, deflecting the deadly spear. Without missing a beat, he hurled his axe low at another lizardkin, then agilely leapt back to avoid being encircled. As he spun around, he summoned his boomerang, launching it with precision at yet another lizard, slicing through its foot and sending it crashing to the ground, screaming in agony. The lizardkin''s formation crumbled, and they fled in abject terror. Marcus''s laughter rang out, maniacal and unrestrained, as he relentlessly pursued and eliminated six more of the panicked creatures in a savage frenzy. Level UP! Level 10 55 more kills till level 11 STR:20 DEX:11 CON:22 INT:10 WIS:7 STA:15 Attunement: 120/145 With one left he slowly walked towards it as if he was a slasher villain. It was the larger staffed lizardkin. As he always appeared in the middle of a group of lizardkin it could not accurately aim its lightning attack and had engage in melee to try and be effective. As it fled he slowly walked towards it as he continued to run away for well over an hour as he ran to another raider group of lizardkin. It was over 20 of them. At least my health has properly healed. I feel almost as good as new. This time they seemed much more powerful and several of them had staffs. Before he could even reaction he was hit by two bolts of lightning as his health dropped from green to Light orange. He coughed up blood as he called his boomerang in his hand and rushed towards the lizardkin with staffs in their hand as they began to try and fire again he threw his boomerang cutting the hand of one of the three staff lizardkin while being blasted with a powerful bolt of lightning hit him again dropping his health from Light Orange to Light red immediately. He called his boomerang again and threw it cutting the head off the second staff user as more lizardkin came. +10 Kills +10 Kills These lizardkin appeared far hardier than any others he had encountered in battle. While the previous lizardkin he faced weighed around 150-200 pounds, these formidable creatures seemed to carry every bit of 300-400 pounds of pure muscle. Their sheer bulk made them appear as living fortresses, and although they matched the others in strength, their increased mass rendered them much slower. With his spear in hand, he skillfully maneuvered around their slashing claws, delivering deep, precise cuts with each encounter against these colossal beasts. Even when faced with only a few of them, their strength was astonishingly formidable. He found himself deflecting their powerful blows and strategically poking at them until they were finally overcome. Relying on his exceptional speed, he avoided being cornered and utilized his heightened mental acuity to dodge the javelins being hurled at him. In response, he launched his boomerang, which sliced into the creatures before swiftly returning to his hand. As he evaded their attacks, he applied a healing salve, spreading it over his neck and allowing it to trickle down to his torso. You have reached Skill Mastery 1 in Dance of the Ethereal Hawk. Your base efficiency with that weapon increases from 12% to 24%. You gain a new ability. Standard Boomerang of Returning[Poorly Made] Base Efficiency Bonus: 24% Skill Tree: Dance of the Ethereal Hawk Base Ability: Recall Trigger: Mentally Activating the weapon Energy Drain: Negligible Description: Allows the user to say the mentally activate the boomerang and immediately teleport the boomerang from within a distance based on Mastery level of the item and the user¡¯s Wisdom. Base Level is 120 feet. Mastery 1 Ability: Phantom Hunting Grounds Trigger: Mental Activation Energy Drain: Medium Description: Allows the user as they hold the Boomerang to mentally activate the skill as the area within 60 feet of the user to become a field of Ethereal Energy. While inside of the field the boomerang can be thrown from any angle inside of the field and from any direction. Attunement Slots: 40 He smiled a shit eating grin. ¡°Well let¡¯s try this out then!¡± As he smiled, the landscape around him transformed into a sprawling, vibrant field, the tall grasses swaying gently in the breeze. His boomerang began to emit a soft, ethereal glow, imbuing him with a sense of power and possibility. It felt as though, with just a mere thought, he could launch the boomerang from any point within this expansive field. Despite this newfound confidence, a lizardkin creature entered the scene, its scales glinting under the sun. With a swift motion, he hurled the boomerang from behind the lizardkin, watching as it sliced through the air with precision. The weapon embedded itself deeply into the creature''s shoulder, causing it to stagger forward. With a simple gesture, he summoned the boomerang back to his hand, its return as smooth and assured as its flight. ¡°Oh this is gonna be FUN!¡± He continued to dance around the lizard creatures while leaping and dodging them as the salve he applied earlier began to slowly cause his health to tick up from light red to yellow. They had no answer for it. If any lizardkin came into melee range he either got stabbed in the foot or eye or threw his boomerang at the backs of their necks snapping them as they collapsed paralyzed on the ground. After 7 more of them fell the rest began to flee from the glowing energy circle but it did not matter to him that just made it easier. He could throw his boomerang from the edge of Phantom Hunting Grounds and with his extended Recall range he could throw it and have it immediately return to his hand and do it all over again. It made the creatures unsure as to what they wanted to attack but his weapon seems to just appear out of thin air and inflict deep gashes in their flesh. It didn¡¯t matter to him, he just continued to throw and throw and throw. It did matter if they blocked or dodged. This was his wrath, these creatures attacked him first. He intended to rend them limb from limb until nothing stood in his way. It wasn¡¯t surgical or even tactical, it was overwhelming speed and force. He would bend this world to his will or he would die trying. With each of these large lizardkin he leveled to 12 increasing stats considerably. Level 12 63 more kills till level 13 STR:20 DEX:12 CON:22 INT:15 WIS:12 STA:15 Attunement: 120/155 With this he began to cut the frill off of the large lizardkins before returning back to the other lizardkins and cutting their frills as well. So far he had well over 40 frills and even with his increased strength this was a lot of weight. He decided to call it for tonight and quickly return back to his base camp in the tree not too far from here and continued to run full speed until he was within a mile of one of the villages of town as he climbed a tall tree and passed out. Chapter 10 He woke up several hours later as he made his way down and used a food and beverage box to eat breakfast as he continued back towards Druid¡¯s Grove. Everyone he passed turned and looked at him strangely as he made his way back towards the Slayer¡¯s Corps with a smile on his face and a pile of frills. As he entered the building even people he imagined were veterans in their various groups looked at him strangely as he approached Master Bere. ¡°Hello. I have 40 Lizardkin frills here. I''ve eliminated two raider groups that included these lizardkin. Unfortunately, I wasn''t able to find a leader.¡± Bere looked up from his drink and looked at all of the shocked faces around him as Marcus sat the bundle down in front of him as he began to count them all. ¡°This is incredible. Where is the rest of your group or are you telling me you did this alone¡±¡± ¡°I did this alone and before you ask, yes my level is 12.¡± Once he said his level he saw others begin to walk up to him and look him over before Bere spoke again. He pulled out similar goggles to Khaliun and put them on before he spoke again. ¡°You have a stat total of over 90 at level 12. While that is more on the rare side I have heard of Paragons with similar abilities. Even though some of the greatest I have seen personally didn¡¯t have over 80 at your current level. Though it does seem like your attunement growth is pretty standard.¡± He smiled up at Marcus as the crowd around him continued to grow. ¡°Well I have counted these frills and you are right. There are 40 here. Take your 8 golden marks.¡± Bere reached into his pocket and pulled out 8 golden marks before handing them over and speaking. ¡°You have some serious potential, would you be interested in joining the Slayer¡¯s?¡± ¡°Not at the moment. Currently, I''m not occupied. I''m interested in taking on more jobs to see if I''m a suitable match, so please let me know if there are any opportunities available.¡± Bere thought about it for a moment. ¡°We have a C rank mission that might interest you. A Flesh golem has been spotted with a small group of shamblers and ghouls. We currently lack the manpower to handle this task. The location is on the eastern outskirts of Silveroak, about a 7-day walk from Druid¡¯s Grove. Your objective is to bring back the head of the Flesh Golem and the spines of any shamblers and ghouls you encounter. The Flesh Golem is worth 20 Gold marks and the Shamblers are worth 5 silvers and the ghouls are worth 10.¡° ¡°I¡¯ll take it and leave first thing tomorrow. Is there anything else I need to know before I leave?¡± Bere shook his head and smiled at him. ¡°Good Luck.¡± Marcus nodded and turned away to leave before a group of 4 people walked up to him. Each of them were dressed in what looked to be Slayer Corps gear as a large red woman with a long black mane of hair and a battle axe on her back approached him. ¡°Greetings, I heard you are looking to take down the Flesh Golem.¡± ¡°Yes, is there anything I can help you with? If not, I would like to head off as soon as possible.¡° Marcus respectfully addressed them, meeting each person''s gaze. The woman looked at him and behind her at the rest of the group before speaking again. ¡°Hello I am Marissa and this is my crew. We are in between jobs now. We are Slayer members so if you want to you can take the job and 30 Gold for the Flesh Golem, 7 silver for the shamblers and 13 for the ghouls. Along with help. Flesh golems are insanely powerful.¡± Marcus looked at all of them intensely before speaking again. ¡°Why would I do that? It would slow my advancement.¡± He said matter of factly before she continued. ¡°Why would you not? Aren¡¯t you worried about being killed or dying potentially? Slayers and even independents generally work in a group. It''s rare for someone to go it alone.¡± ¡°Why do you care? I do not need help nor do I seek it. ¡° Are these people trying to capture me? What¡¯s the angle here? Marcus stared coldly at all of them before another member stepped up in front of Marissa and spoke. ¡°Did you really kill 40 lizardkin by yourself?¡± the man asked. As Marcus got a better look of the man he had a similar build to him except being a shade of yellow with long blonde hair. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How did you do it? Many other cadets and junior members had taken that quest and most had come back with somewhere between 6-8 but for you to kill 40 of them by yourself is unreal. ¡° Marcus stepped closer to the man and looked him in directly in the eye and for the first time realized that he did not just enjoy growing and leveling up to be stronger but the thrill of the fight. The desire to test your strength against all challengers and come out on top no matter the cost. ¡°Because, I am a warrior. I crushed their spirits as I fought them. I ripped their faces from their skulls, cleaved limbs, desecrated their corpses, and laid waste to them and their bloodline. You all fight for spoils and gold to I assume make your place in this world? I see to grow and crush all those that dare to stand against me. To slaughter all those would oppose me. To salt the very earth that they stand upon.¡± Marcus'' smile grew as he said this and as the others looked at him horrified. He felt a hard pluck in the back of his head as Guin hit him. ¡°You sound like a monster.¡± The woman Marissa said as they all took a stepback. ¡°Probably, regardless. Is there anything else I can help you with?¡± ¡°Umm, no. Sorry to have disturbed you.¡± Marissa''s heart pounded in her chest as she quickly stepped aside, her breath catching in her throat when she saw the wild, unrestrained madness blazing in his eyes. As he began to walk away he stopped and turned back to Marissa. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I have questions about this place. I would like to pay for information about this place. If you are interested I will be at Takanka¡¯s Rest tonight. I will pay for information.¡° With that he turned and continued to walk away. He had money and wanted to try and unwind and learn more about this place but try as he might he continued to feel pulled to conqueror and destroy. After Guin quickly spoke up in his mind. ¡°As the system integrates into your body, I have been thinking of different ways to try and limit the mental powers that Smart Cells impact on your being. Your body is experimental at the very least. You may need to invest in going for something that can clear and focus your thoughts away from outside influences. There must be mental and emotional aspects that could work to suppress the effects or at least reduce them. ¡° Marcus had to agree. As he madness simmered back down beneath the surface his stomach began to turn. What he said inside to Marissa and those people were things that children were told that monsters would do. He didn¡¯t have to be nice but he could not be a psychopath. ¡°I think you are right. My next attunement item will be that. You have told me that the lesser and minor attunement items are not all that great. I still have several loot coins but I don¡¯t want to attune to anything less than a standard item. ¡° ¡°If that is your choice then make it a priority after fighting the Flesh Golem. Because the effects will only get worse as you level if you can¡¯t slow it down. You will become a monster like the things you kill and be hunted down. You aren¡¯t even close to even the top 30 percent of the people in the realm.¡° He decided to try and ask around alchemist shops and places like it to try and find elixirs and potions that could calm his mind. After a few hours he discovered a shop that sold lesser potions of mental clarity for about a gold mark a piece. The Alchemist had told him that the potions last for about 24 hours before they would begin to fade. After he brought the one, he downed it immediately, feeling the fog of bloodlust start to recede. Yet, as relief washed over him, a wave of dizziness nearly drove him to one knee. He hesitated, caught between the urge to collapse and the need to stay upright. With determination, he steadied himself, quickly grabbed several more, and walked out of the store, unsure if he was escaping or simply delaying an inevitable confrontation with his own instincts. ¡°What is happening to me?! What was that fog-like feeling that bled away from my mind as the potion cleared. If these cells are so smart then why did they make the body like this?¡± Guin spoke up in his mind. ¡°The way you think from your origins doesn''t fit in this world. You''re accustomed to the lifestyle of an ordinary person. You had let go of those principles and strive for advancement to avoid perishing in the tunnels below or being confined to a commoner''s life here. You cannot fall back into a commoner''s life here. Threats are developing just beyond the horizon. You need to grow.¡± Marcus spoke angrily at Guin. ¡°So you invoked a mental influence on me to try and control me? ¡° ¡°I have not tried to control you. You perished in your world. I remade you in the image I desired for you to help save and preserve this world. You will soon realize that while you have made short work of the enemies you have faced these are the expendables. These creatures are remade and spawned by the day. The only way to push back against these creatures is to kill them all and make a way for humanity.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­.make a way?¡± Marcus could feel a presence of Guin wrap her arms around him before she spoke. ¡°Humanity has gotten complacent by thinking they are safe behind their walled towns as noble families rule and resolve petty conflicts against each other. Commoners like in your homeworld get slaughtered so often that it is accounted for in the census. None of that matters when monsters pillage, rape and torture man, woman and child. You need to shine so bright that others will be forced to follow you into a golden age of humanity. You have that potential. You have a good heart, I needed that good heart to be tempered with righteous rage.¡± Marcus stared at his hands, grappling with the unsettling sense of being controlled. He understood the rationale behind it all, yet the feeling of manipulation gnawed at him. Was it really worth it if it paved a path for humanity? The thought of that potential future was enticing, yet unsettling. Deep down, he had always yearned to be a hero, and this opportunity held that promise. Still, he couldn''t shake the unease. He would pursue this path, but a part of him wondered if he was losing himself in the process. ¡°You can¡¯t permanently undo that berserker fog?¡± ¡°No, it is permanently tied to your soul. But mind equipment is most likely quite common. Most adventurers and heroes have no need for powerful mental defenses until much much later in their journeys. You just will get a headstart on that.¡± He nodded as he went to a Loot Gear shop. These were shops of former adventurers that sold gear that they did not use or if they took a break from adventuring to start or raise a family. As he went to several shops he finally found a standard mind equipment that he bought for 20 gold marks. Soon after he went to a Loot Crafter. He realized that while anyone could shape any equipment or weapons that they got from a loot crate there were people that were highly proficient with Loot tools and made their money from shaping the weapons of adventurers to fight with. He found a half giant like crafter who he soon learned was a subrace called Ghanume that he realized to work gear that was already crafted to improve the make but it was incredibly expensive. He handed him his Boomerang of Returning and his bag. While the spear was effective he did want a different weapon. Something that could hook or pull enemies towards him as he threw his boomerang. That was the one weapon that really felt like it fit like a glove. Guin spoke up in his mind. ¡°You can unattune to any item you want by going to any crafter worth their salt and they will have a tool that can do so. Keep in mind that you can only remove 3 items this way EVER. So if you want to spend your one out of three then sure but just make sure that''s what you want to do.¡± He realized that if he had a chain weapon like Kratos or maybe even Scorpion then he could have it sling over his shoulder or wrapped around his arm he quickly grab creatures and pull them towards him. It could even be a fun way to travel as he thought about it. He could be like Spiderman but he doubted that it was really possible and when he thought about it that wasn¡¯t really his style. ¡°That¡¯s what I want.¡± Chapter 11 He inquired about the gear removal process and it was quite simple. He simply pulled out a tool and placed a hand over his chest and a pop up appeared and he was able to unattune to the Spear. He spoke to the man with his idea. He agreed and said there were a couple of ways he could craft something that he is looking for. He could go with several different variations; With an elemental chain that could apply those effects on hit. He could go sound and send soundwaves through their targets bodies. He could go plant and have living chains that could change their shape their form to better handle the situation Chaos did the same but it would have a much higher variety of effects that could be applied. Luck could work as well. His strikes could find critical points on their targets more easily. He thought about it and a sound based whip seemed really interesting to him. With chain powers that he could remember that almost everyone had fire weapons but. A supersonic vibration did tremendous damage to whatever it came in contact with and elemental weapons never really appealed to him. He decided on a 10 foot sound chain whip with a small weighted metal ball on the end that he would wear like a sash over his shoulder. As he talked with the man he discovered that he could grab a Lesser Air Plate Mail as well that would take up 20 attunement and decided to go for another Minor Metal Shield. As he had a moment he learned that the efficiency rating is how well you are able to use the weapon beyond your own personal ability. It also factored into how effective the skills from the weapon were as well. ¡°Efficiency sounds like what it is. It is how ¡®well¡¯ you are able to use something. Higher rarity items have a much higher starting efficiency and efficiency scaling. It also affects the quality of the skills in actions and how well your weapons or equipment work.¡± He traded in his Luck, Soul Aspect weapon boxes and his Water Spear in exchange for reworking his boomerang, his bag and giving him the sound chain. He had to pay an additional 200 gold marks but he said it would be ready by tomorrow. He made sure to remove all of his gold and loot coins from the bag while keeping the remaining boxes in there. As the day was beginning to turn to night he walked towards Takanka¡¯s Rest feeling more free and clear than he had felt in days. As he walked to the bathhouse he paid Fanny and tipped her 5 silvers as he had his clothes washed. He slipped into his padded armor as he had he brought a room and carried his plate armor there and ordered a table to himself. This time he was served by an older Delume woman with piercings, horns and blue skin. He kept it simple and asked the waitress how much it would cost to buy a round for the Inn. She quickly said around 4 gold marks. He pulled out 4 golden marks and handed out 5 silvers for herself to buy a round for the patrons of the Inn. After several minutes there were well over 10 waiters and waitresses handing out mugs of what looked like fresh cold beer. Each of the patrons looked around and to see who ordered it. His waitress pointed over to him at his table as several people raised mugs in his honor as they knocked them back. Several people even came up to shake his hand or clap in the back as he saw Marissa and her group appear looking confused as people came up to him thanking him and shaking his hand. ¡°At the base, you didn''t come across as someone who connects with the common folk.¡± Marissa looked at him while the rest of her crew looked at him as he motioned for them to take a seat at his table. ¡°What can I say? I''m just flexible like that. I just bought a round for everyone here to give back. I would like to apologize for the way I acted earlier as well. I let my bloodlust get the better of me. Get whatever you want. Everything is on me.¡± As soon as he said that, several of the members waved down the waiter and ordered several dishes and drinks before Marissa spoke up. ¡°Why are you doing this? You get your rocks off being some kind of psycho then being nice?¡± Marcus chuckled an actual laugh before speaking again. ¡°No, surprisingly for your sake I am not that cruel. I do seek to understand this world better and you can help me with this. Food and a good time for information.¡± Several other members of her group spoke up and introduced themselves. ¡°I want to know more about how the Slayer Corps works from someone who is already in it. Please don¡¯t hold any details back positive or negative. ¡° A tall elf looking human with pale skin named Jamal spoke up immediately as he munched on a muffin. ¡°The Slayer Corp is a son of a bitch ya know. They are the main monster hunting group but unless you are a member you get roughly a half of what you would earn normally for a base member with senior members receiving smaller and smaller cuts to their missions as they tend to bring in the big bucks. If you are small fry like us either you get lucky on your first few missions or you lose more than half of the crew you started with. ¡° Marissa nodded and confirmed this before. ¡°For example with those frills you got. You could have easily sold them to an alchemist or crafter for anywhere from 40-70 silvers a piece based on the condition. What do you think the Corps is gonna do.¡± Marissa chuckled before continuing. ¡°For people like you, the corps can¡¯t really offer much. The corps is a great place to find like minded people to get missions with as you hope to survive to become strong enough to rise through the ranks. They do have political power as they are able to dictate which problems get dealt with first outside of the guard. So if you wanted to gain renown through raising up in a faction that could be useful along with Slayers Corp bases having some of the best crafters by far. The crafters you find in the city can get you a Well Built Bonus but monster Slayer Crafters can get Exceptionally Build and even Masterwork. I even heard of a Slayer Crafter in Florro that has created several unique quality items. ¡° Marcus nodded as he listened to Marissa and they spoke a bit much freely to each other. Another woman named Ila spoke up. ¡°Master Bere is a good and fair man to be honest. He has never sent recruits on suicide missions and is well liked by the people. But you?¡± Ila chuckled in a drunken laugh before continuing. ¡°People think you are some weirdo from a foreign land. Some prince or something born with great potential but shitty people skills. Hell, I personally think you are a bit of an assh-¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough Illa. I think he has the picture.¡± Marissa stopped her babble before turning her eyes back to Marcus and speaking again. ¡°That¡¯s pretty much all we know personally. All of us joined around the same time about a year ago and are about level 10 each. We used to be a much larger group but we have gone from 12 members to 7. ¡° Several members raised their glasses up and began to toast their fallen friends. Marcus nodded and continued to eat without saying too much more. His mind was deep in thought before Jamal spoke up after several minutes of everyone eating and drinking while he sat stoically eating and drinking while his eyes searched for threats around him constantly. ¡°You know you don¡¯t have to be so tense man. You need to learn to live a little. I am sure with how much gear and loot you gained you are wealthy at this point. You are tall, and built like a brick shithouse. Have fun or something. You act like a serial killer. Your eyes are always moving, scanning for potential dangers.¡± Marissa turned and looked Jamal in the eyes before Marcus spoke up. ¡°Do you know how buying property works here? I am looking to rent or buy a place here when I get back in town.¡± Illa spoke up. ¡°My uncle rents out homes on the outer roots if that''s what you are looking for. I doubt you can afford anything that is close to the trunk and you tend to need references from well to do people for that. We all rent a place together and live together but generally rent goes from 7- 10 gold marks for a decent place. If you want to live on the interior wall it tends to be 4-5 gold marks but a lot of those areas tend to be a bit rougher. ¡° With that Marcus stood up and paid the tab which was a little over a golden mark before standing up and leaving to his room to retire for the night. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Thank you for the information, You have given me great insight.¡± They each nodded at him as he left and went back to bed. As he woke up he grabbed his gear, groomed himself and went back to the crafters and learned that all of his gear had received the Well Built Bonus and looked up his new and improved gear. Standard Boomerang of Returning[Well Built] Base Efficiency Bonus: 24% + [20% Well Built Bonus] = 28.8% Skill Tree: Dance of the Ethereal Hawk Base Ability: Recall Trigger: Mentally Activating the weapon Energy Drain: Negligible Description: Allows the user to say the mentally activate the boomerang and immediately teleport the boomerang from within a distance based on Mastery level of the item and the user¡¯s Wisdom. Base Level is 150 feet. Attunement Slots 40 Mastery 1 Ability: Phantom Hunting Grounds Trigger: Mental Activation Energy Drain: Medium Description: Allows the user as they hold the Boomerang to mentally activate the skill as the area within 75 feet of the user to become a field of Ethereal Energy. While inside of the field the boomerang can be thrown from any angle inside of the field and from any direction. Attunement Slots: 40 Standard Bag of Forceful Protection[Well Built] Base Efficiency Bonus: 12% + [20% Well Built Bonus] = 14.4% Skill Tree: Guardian of the Forceful Vault Base Ability: Telekinetic Deposit Box Trigger: Placing an item and saying the command word Energy Drain: None Description: This item allows the user to place items inside and assign a command. As long as the force trying to remove the item is not stronger than the user¡¯s wisdom the item will remain unmoved. Reduces the weight of the items in the bag by a percentage of your wisdom and a quarter of your efficiency bonus to a maximum of 75 percent weight reduction. Attunement Slots: 40 Standard Chain of Wailing Widows[Well Built] Base Efficiency Bonus: 12% + [20% Well Built Bonus] = 14.4% Skill Tree: Screams of the Forgotten Base Ability: Widows Embrace Trigger: Mentally activating the ability when the target is struck by the whip. Energy Drain: Low Description: As the user hits the target with the chain whip, if the target is living the target begins to hear sounds and screams of hundreds of widow¡¯s crying at the lost of their lovers that will never return home. This lasts for a number of seconds equal to your wisdom and your Intellect. This effect is resisted by your wisdom + this weapon''s efficiency vs their Wisdom.Attunement Slots: 40 Lesser Plate Mail of Rolling Winds[Well Built] Base Efficiency Bonus: 6% + [20% Well Built Bonus] = 7.2% Skill Tree: Deflecting Gale Base Ability: Air Burst Trigger: Mental Activation Energy Drain: Medium Description: A burst of air erupts from around the user with the force of the blast based on the equipment efficiency and the user¡¯s wisdom. The user is unaffected by the winds. Attunement: 20 Minor Shield of Iron Defense[Well Built] Base Efficiency Bonus: 3% + [20% Well Built Bonus] = 3.6% Skill Tree: Stalwart Iron Base Ability: Iron Thorns Trigger: Mental Activation Energy Drain: Low Description: The user summons metal spikes to cover the face and edges of the shield. The amount of quality of the spikes are based on the equipment efficiency and the user¡¯s wisdom. Last for a number of seconds equal to the equipment efficiency. Attunement: 5 ¡°Time to try it on.¡± He grinned as he picked up each piece of gear, examining them with a discerning eye until he reached the whip. This whip was an intriguing creation, composed of slender metal chains intricately wrapped in a flexible, rubbery material. At its tip, a small, flail-like metal ball dangled ominously, adding weight and menace to its design. The whip''s base length appeared to be around 6 feet, but as he stepped outside and lashed it through the air, it extended impressively to a full 12 feet, then seamlessly retracted back to its original length. Holding the whip aloft, he skillfully coiled it around his torso like a sash, the metal links glinting in the sunlight as they settled into place. He quickly made his way over to his bag, which had evolved into something more like a Hiking Backpack compared to its original Duffle Bag design. The fabric retained its deep black hue, reminiscent of its initial style, yet the arrangement of pockets had been thoughtfully improved, offering more convenience and accessibility. In addition to the enhanced layout, the material felt considerably more robust, promising greater durability and support for the journeys ahead. The boomerang was crafted in a similar design but was notably larger, almost twice the weight and length of the typical ones he had seen before. It appeared to be well over 5 pounds, and upon closer inspection, it seemed closer to a hefty 10 pounds. The edge was much duller, reminiscent of an axe head that had been meticulously shaped into the curved form of a boomerang. Despite its size and weight, it retained an almost ethereal quality, as if it could slip from his grasp at any moment, feeling almost vapor-like in his hands. He glanced over at his plate mail and admired the silvery sheen that caught the light, shimmering like a polished mirror. This armor was sleeker and more streamlined than some of the bulkier, more cumbersome armors he had encountered. Unlike traditional plate mail, it lacked the thick, heavy padding that often accompanied such protective gear. This design prioritized comfort and breathability, allowing for greater freedom of movement. As he slipped it on, the lightweight nature of the armor became immediately apparent, and he felt confident that he could wear it all day without any discomfort. To his surprise, the armor seemed to channel a gentle, continuous breeze, a refreshing sensation that he imagined would keep anyone inside cool and at ease. Moving over to his metal shield. It looked like a typical heater shield made of a some kind of dull metal. As he looked at the face it had the symbol of what he imagined was the crafter¡¯s mark which was some kind of colorfully Peacock on the front of the shield. As he picked it up and strapped it to his arm he could feel that this shield was every bit of 20 pounds. While he was strong, his new plate mail being lighter than his previous was a boon but now that his shield was 4 times as heavy would need some testing. "Now its time to really show the world what I got.:" Chapter 12: Time for a Hero I will train hard for about 24 hours, rest and then head out the following day. As he put them on and went to leave the city to test out his new gear he walked about 3 miles away from the city. Let''s start with the whip first. During the initial hours of training, he was as clumsy as a bull rampaging through a glass shop. His movements were wild and erratic, slashing and twisting frantically, barely evading the recoil of his own weapon. Guin intervened with sharp, precise pointers on angles and technique. Over the grueling course of six relentless hours, he transformed his chaotic flailing into a deadly rhythm of slashing, twisting, and dodging, all while launching fierce attacks. Though far from a master or even an expert, he had honed his skills enough to dispatch undead foes with lethal efficiency, no hesitation, no mercy. The rest I gotta learn on the fly. He approached his armor, a sleek design that was lighter than his original yet still capable of withstanding substantial damage. The metallic surface gleamed under the light, hinting at its advanced engineering. With ease, he could hurl large rocks skyward, and the armor''s air power allowed him to subtly alter their trajectory. When activated, it created a force field of air, gently nudging projectiles off their intended paths or repelling people, offering a valuable layer of protection. But the biggest boon with having lootgear finally clicked in his head as Guin brought it to his attention. ¡°Lootgear is superior to any non lootgear for the simple fact that it regenerates itself based on the user¡¯s constitution and wisdom stats. On top of being generally considered superior gear it holds its edge for longer because of regeneration and you don¡¯t need to constantly repair armor. Once it''s made, it will always go back or try to go back to that state as long as it''s attuned. ¡° As the night descended like a velvet curtain, he tirelessly continued his practice, wielding both his shield and whip in tandem. The shield, though weighty, did not hinder him overly much. Its thickness was a formidable advantage, allowing him to absorb a significant amount of punishment. The moonlight glinted off its surface, casting a pale glow over his determined form as he moved with a practiced grace, the whip snapping crisply in the cool night air. Lets get some sleep out here and head out in the morning. He woke up in the morning just outside of the city and pulled out something that he thought was really interesting. These people had created quick deployable tubs that quickly filled with fresh soapy water as he took a bath and cleaned his armor before heading out. He had about 7 days of travel and as he drank a clarity potion before sling his bag over his shoulder as he began a light jog. As he began traveling down the road to the Western Front. He could not take his mind off what Marissa and the others had said about him. On Earth he was not this kind of person. He had friends and people that he cared about but try as he might, like an obsession he could not find any real interest in others. He did wonder how the hell he was gonna be a pillar for humanity when he did not even really enjoy their company. I sincerely hope this mind band aid will help me. So I can be normal again. I don¡¯t want to feel and be like this, regardless of what humanity needs. What¡¯s the point in saving humanity if I lose my mind in the process. After about 5 days of travel mixed with training by practicing while jogging he was really getting a proper feel for it he felt like he could really make it work. He could use it to harass tough enemies with the sonic wailing of the whip and play keep out and use his shield to parry blows that got through. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. On the fifth day of his training, he caught the distant sounds of screams and saw smoke rising from a burning village. Grabbing his weapons and shield, he left his bag high up in a tree, leaped down, and sprinted towards the chaos. As he reached the village within 30 minutes of running at his top speed he saw pure pandemonium. There were hundreds of skeletons, shamblers and ghouls assaulting the very high wooden walls of the village as the undead began launching what looked like an 8 to 10 feet tall troll and ogre looking undead over the wall. As he got a closer look at the wall he noticed the wall had to be well over 100 feet tall and made up what looked like interlaced trees like Druid¡¯s Grove but much smaller. As he searched for the source, his eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of a towering figure, an imposing 20-foot tall amalgamation of mismatched body parts. This grotesque giant loomed before him, a monstrous patchwork of human limbs, lizard scales, and what he could only assume were remnants of other nightmarish creatures, all fused together in a chaotic assembly. Its form was a bewildering tapestry of sinew and flesh, adorned with seven sevens¡ªclusters of eyes that seemed to peer in every direction. A dozen arms jutted out at odd angles, each one writhing with a life of its own, while thirteen legs supported its massive bulk in a disturbing, uneven gait. Completing this monstrous spectacle was a colossal bone tail, arching menacingly behind it, tapering to a lethal spike that promised devastation. As Guin spoke up in his mind. ¡°That''s not a normal Flesh Golem. That¡¯s a Flesh Golem Champion. In your current state of power you are no ma-¡± Marcus saw a massive ball of lightning rush out from the sky and begin to shock and dozens of weaker undead died immediately. ¡°Well I am not running away.¡± ¡°Ignore the flesh golem for now. Make your way over the wall and into the village. Helping them clear the undead brutes will be the most helpful thing you can do. ¡° Marcus sprinted forward, his heart pounding like a war drum as he weaved through the chaos, witnessing a variety of Umes unleashing a storm of destruction with an arsenal of lethal attacks. He zeroed in on the flank of the invading horde, his whip cracking through the air with lethal precision, slicing through undead in swathes of two or three at a time. Crossbow bolts and arrows from ghouls rained down like a deadly hailstorm, but Marcus deflected them with fierce determination, relentlessly closing the gap until the frantic shouts of the wall defenders echoed in his ears. There has to be well over 5000 undead assaulting the town. ¡°Hey, I am here to help. I can help deal with the undead inside of the village.¡± He looked and saw an Orc looking Ume he learned was called an Orume call over to one of the other defenders that was half his size of a normal Hume called an Halume that was unleashing powerful bolts of fire and ice at the Ghoul archers as Halume man made a lasso as the Orume went on the defensive covering the wand user as they handed the Ork the lasso. ¡°Hey Jump towards me.¡± Marcus jumped well over 30 feet in the air towards the man as he felt the lasso wrap around his chest as he pulled him closer to the wall as he began to climb the wall using the rope in quick bursts as the wand user raised a shield of force as he blocked a massive rock thrown by an undead troll. As he took several arrows that either bounced off his armor or were glancing blows as he health went into the yellow. As he made it to the top the Ork quickly briefed him. ¡°If you can really fight then you have to defend the Plant Mages that are using their energy to reinforce the wall. Everyone is on the wall and we have our rear force protecting the mages but they are gonna be overwhelmed soon if they don¡¯t get relief. I can¡¯t leave this side of the wall. Head towards the center of the town.¡± Marcus gave a curt nod, his mind racing as he assessed the chaos unfolding around him. He hurried down the wall, determination etched into every step. Upon arriving, he applied his strongest health salve with swift, practiced precision. The scene before him was a nightmare come to life¡ªover a dozen monstrous trolls thundered into the village, crashing down like massive boulders, obliterating roofs with terrifying force. People scattered in every direction, their screams piercing the air as they fled in sheer panic. Time to be a hero. Chapter 13: War never changes As he rushed down towards the center of the village dodging the rubble and debris from broken houses he finally made his way down. There were what looked like 9 plant mages that were guarded by six guards with weapons ranging from sword and board to bow and arrow along with 3 other staff and wand users that were repelling the trolls and ogres. He saw a short and stout dwarf looking man giving orders to people as he used his two shields to devastating effect. He was rolling around the battlefield knocking the undead trolls off guard while being able to also deflect thrown debris. ¡°Hey man, I am here to help. I can fight.¡± The dwarf, with surprising agility, rolled across the ground, his stout form a blur of motion. Each powerful roll sent up small clouds of dust, and with a swift, practiced strike, he knocked another monster off their feet. Pausing briefly between his fluid movements, he barked out words, his voice gruff and commanding, before continuing his relentless assault. ¡°THEN K-, THE DAM-, THINGS!¡± With that Marcus leapt into action and immediately activated his Phantom Hunting Ground. These people needed offense so he could be aggressive here and use his shield to deflect the debris and falling monsters if he needed to. ¡°The Glowing Area will not harm you.¡± As he threw his Boomerang repeatedly at the downed ogres making sure to preserve his health. With the added weight and size of the improved weapon it only took one or two strikes before they stopped moving. As he killed one. +7 Kills - Partial With the rolling man¡¯s help I am getting partial kills I guess? Makes sense. He hurled his boomerang with relentless fury, each throw a deadly arc that felled enemies with precision. Meanwhile, the dwarf spun across the battlefield like a relentless pinball, toppling foes with unstoppable momentum. He fought with savage intensity, slicing, cutting, and striking, seamlessly switching to his whip when the situation demanded. Blows from ogres and trolls rained down upon him, their fists and kicks like thunder, yet he endured, driven by an insatiable hunger for victory, his kill count soaring. Amidst the chaos, the air crackled with the sound of lightning crashing against the walls, punctuated by the tormented wails of the undead as they were obliterated in explosive bursts. +7 Kills +7 Kills +7 Kills +7 Kills +7 Kills +7 Kills Before he knew it a troll was thrown and he knew that if he did not intercept it that it would hit the mages. As it came down he leaped up to meet it jumping straight up with his shield halting his momentum as he began to tussle with the troll as it headbutted him while it was around his strength he was light and much faster and continued to dig his fingers in its one remaining eye that worked as he bashed its skull with the side of his shield as he turned the beast to collapse on the ground under him as it died on impact. +14 Kills LEVEL UP! Level 13 69 more kills till level 14 STR: 22 DEX: 12 CON: 25 INT: 15 WIS: 12 STA: 16 Attunement: 145/160 He felt his skin and muscles get tougher as he stood up. His health was now in the orange as he took a second to apply healing salve to the new cuts and bruises that he took before he looked over and saw the dwarf continue to roll and fight as he rushed and shield bashed another troll before he stood in front. ¡°Let me relieve you for a minute as he threw him a healing salve.¡± The dwarf looking man turned to him and smiled. ¡°Thanks for the shitty healing salve but I just need a moment to properly heal myself. I need a minute.¡± ¡°Then you will have it.¡± As he switched to his whip and shield combo and dived into the face of more newer trolls as they tried to rush and kill the plant mages Using his whip he continued to harass the undead as every step they took they were bought with a lash from his whip. He continued to lash and lash and lash as the monsters continued to come in full force while none of them died as he saw the man with the shield yell out a battle cry before continuing to fight. ¡°Daddy¡¯s home now, beautiful. Now he wants to cuddle!¡± Marcus could not help but smile and shake his head. This guy is a freaky bastard I guess? As the fight continued for several more hours, several plant mages died from debris being thrown or multiple undead thrown at the same time where they would be. Despite this there was a woman flying around on a cloud that was launching powerful bolts of lightning at what he presumed was the Champion. He before he heard the loud calls of guard cheering as he felt the ground shake as he assumed the Champion had died. Which had to be true as no more undead trolls were thrown over. Before he leveled up again. LEVEL UP! Level 14 35 more kills till level 15 STR: 25 DEX: 13 CON: 25 INT: 15 WIS: 12 STA: 18 Attunement: 145/165 ¡°Hey lad, can you still fight?¡± The dwarf man called out as Marcus nodded as the man smiled as he said. ¡°Then follow me.¡± Marcus nodded as he applied more healing salve and rushed off again behind the man. No words were needed. As he continued behind the man he spoke. ¡°Names Gorian. Do you have any movement abilities?¡± Marcus called out no as they made their way to the wall. ¡°That''s fine, I am gonna grab you and we are gonna head over the wall and bash some skulls in. There should be stragglers left and we can clean up any fleeing undead while the wall defenders take care of the mindless. You in?¡± Marcus grunted again as he quickly turned around as they made it to the inside of the wall before the Gorian grabbed him around the waist and said a single word. ¡°DESDAMONA¡± The Man launched himself off the ground like a bat out of hell as he easily vaulted over the wall just barely clearing it before pushing off the outside of the wall as he said his command word again. Marcus looked in shock as the number of undead were halved as the Flesh Golem was dead along with thousands of smaller undead as well. Even still with the horde routed there had to still be hundreds if not thousands still left. As he looked around he noticed that they weren¡¯t the only wanted out here fighting. There were several fliers and people on the ground fighting as they landed on the edge of the remaining horde as some of the ghouls were fleeing into the surrounding forest. Marus drew out his whip and began to dance, there were dozens of shamblers running around and they had to put as many as they could down. The fewer numbers they had the less they could attack and pillage other places nearby. What shocked Marcus the most was this Gorian guy. He seemed like he could interlink his shields and turn into a ball as he zipped across the group mowing shamblers down in swaths. Things began to click in his mind as he continued to fight. He was fighting like a normal human with limitations. His strength was so high he felt he could knock down trees with a solid punch. He decided that we would give these monsters a proper dance. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Despite everything I am fighting like a slightly improved human, I need to change what I believe is possible and work out how to fight better based on what this world is rather than stories from home. He began to spin quickly in place as the mindless shamblers around him began to get pulled into him like a vacuum before being blended by the whip. He would launch himself in the middle of large groups of monsters and continued to cleave through them with ease. He would get arrows shot at him by ghouls or rocks through and he would take damage but outside of the Undead with Large projectiles they stood no chance. With how high his Constitution and Stamina was, he could stave off fatigue much longer than most humans as the kills continued to pile in. By the end of the battle and all of the mindless undead were routed and the ghouls and such already fleeing too far away he had leveled up again along with unlocking Skill Mastery 1 with his Whip. While he did not use his base ability because of how many mindless creatures he fought he had no doubt in his mind it would be useful against more powerful people. With the killing outside he had gone from level 14 to level 18 Level 18 85 more kills till level 19 STR: 33 DEX: 15 CON: 32 INT: 15 WIS: 15 STA: 22 Attunement: 145/185 Standard Chain of Wailing Widows[Well Built]Base Efficiency Bonus: 24% + [20% Well Built Bonus] = 28.8% Skill Tree: Screams of the Forgotten Base Ability: Widows Embrace Trigger: Mentally activating the ability when the target is struck by the whip. Energy Drain: Low Description: As the user hits the target with the chain whip, if the target is living the target begins to hear sounds and screams of hundreds of widow¡¯s crying at the lost of their lovers that will never return home. This lasts for a number of seconds equal to your wisdom and your Intellect. This effect is resisted by your wisdom + this weapon''s efficiency vs their Wisdom. Master Ability 1: Pull of the Forgotten Trigger: Command Word(Irvine) Energy Drain: Low to Extreme(duration) Description: The user says the command word and slashing, extending the chain by an amount equal to the amount of energy used and turning the whip into a supersonic whip of sound. While extended this way all other abilities used by this Skill Tree are considerably more effective while using considerably more energy. Duration is based off the user¡¯s wisdom, Attunement Slots: 40 As the night began to fall most of the Earth mages that were noncombatants opened up large pockets of land and threw the undead inside. Marcus was going to head away to return to Moro but he was stopped by Gorian as he saw him. He walked over to him and clapped him on the back with an expressive smile. ¡°First round is on me tonight, lad.¡± Marcus smiled at him and while he didn¡¯t want to leave his bag not on his person it was also tied to a tree and none of the contents could be even touched unless they had a strength of 15. From what he gathered from Khaliun and Marissa, 15 in any stat was more uncommon than common around these peoples. He shrugged and followed Gorian back inside the village. As he walked over and past the now open front gate he saw a funeral pyre and well over a dozen people in various states of death burning on the pyre as several dozen people stood around and offered their goodbyes. Gorian didn¡¯t speak much as he led him down to a 3 story tavern not too far from the center of the town where he stood guard and protected the plant mages. There were dozens of people here in all shapes and sizes as he walked to a large table with various other warriors as Gorian spoke up as he introduced Marcus to the other people at the table. He saw a chestnut colored woman that was a Hume like him that looked similar to his complexion with locks of dark brown hair and flowers in her hair with a massive katana on her side. She seemed familiar to him as he looked and saw a red skinned looking Orume man with a large bow on his back making space for them as he sat beside a man the color of a dull yellow with long blonde hair dressed like he had come straight out of the movie Gladiator. ¡°Hello everyone, this is¡­..hahaha. You helped save the town and I don¡¯t even know your name.¡± Marcus smiled at him and said his name before Gorian continued. ¡°I have never seen this man before today and I can say today I have met a true brother in war!¡± Mugs around the table clapped on the table as beer slushed from the top. ¡°This man helped me slay well over 20 undead trolls and ogres that were thrown over the wall at the plant mages. Then headed with me out of the wall and I saw him personally kill over a 100 Shamblers and ghouls before he ran out of walking corpses. Without him aiding me I don¡¯t think I could have killed the trolls fast enough. We would have lost many more people today so I just want to say thanks. Not sure what brings you to Oakbend but I consider you a friend.¡± Others began to cheer as he even saw the Orume man from the wall in the tavern with what looked like his wife and child raise his glass to him. Marcus joined in the toast and took a drink with the rest of the people of the tavern. The yellow gladiator looking man who he found out was named Lowain was a part of the wall defense and threw all manner of weapons to rain death upon the undead. He spoke up to him. ¡°So what brings you out to Oakbend? Only people that come this close to the Frontier are mercenaries and adventurers ... .maybe a Slayer here or there.¡± ¡°I was here to freelance with the Slayer Corps on a C rank mission to kill a Flesh Golem.¡± Lowain looked at him surprisingly before continuing. ¡°This sounds just like the Slayer Corps. If they don¡¯t have enough information on a mission just keep sending rookies out there until enough survivors come back to properly allow you to assess the situation. Did the rest of your team die fighting the Champion before it came to town?¡± ¡°No, I took on the mission alone.¡± At this point he had everyone''s attention. Gorian decided to humor him as he continued to drink his beer. ¡°Well lad. Is there any reason why?¡± ¡°Wanting more kills and sharing them would slow down my growth. While this mission was still beneficial. I still only gained 6 levels for my journey here. While that has been great, if I would have had more people I probably would have only leveled once. I am currently at level 18 and I reach level 20+ so I can gain access to more standard loot gear items.¡° Another woman at the table spoke up, to Marcus¡¯s eye she looked like she was straight from Northern India with long black hair, tan skin and deep brown eyes. She was also around 4 feet tall and even shorter than Gorian. If Marcus had to put a name on it she looked like a gnome or halfling from tales from Middle Earth. ¡°Interesting, so you want us to believe a level 12 dude came into town and fought with Gorian the Bearer who is Level 40+ and you could keep up with him? How? You were about ? of his level. You must have the rare +4 to your stat total every level. Or you are just blowing smoke up our asses.¡± ¡°Sure, I think I will just return back to- BANG¡± The entire ground shook as he looked around and everyone around him shifted. Marcus spun around to face Gorian and the rest of his friends, urgency propelling them out of the tavern and into the tumultuous night. His ears were assaulted by the piercing screams echoing through the air, fueling his frantic inquiry about what had transpired. As he stepped outside, the scene unfurled into a nightmare of pure chaos. The sky was infested with flying undead horrors, their grotesque forms blotting out the stars as they swooped down from dizzying heights of four to six stories. Men, women, and children were plucked from their lives, their bodies becoming mere projectiles hurled to the ground by these nightmarish creatures. The earth began to buckle under the weight of the fallen, a grisly mound of humanity. Hundreds of these monstrous abominations swarmed the heavens, a dark, writhing mass that threatened to suffocate the very night itself. As he looked over at the gate all of the breath had left his lungs. The gate door was destroyed. Chapter 14: The Good Mans Grave There were hundreds of monstrous creatures and flesh golems rampaging through the chaos, mercilessly massacring people en masse. Towering Undead titans loomed ominously, each exceeding 100 feet in height, their massive forms cloaked in layers of thick bone and sinewy muscle. With a terrifying strength, they set to dismantling the tree-like walls that once protected the city. Meanwhile, grotesque Flesh Golems, their large, fleshy wings unfurled, soared ominously above the crumbling battlements. From the sky, they unleashed a deadly rain of bone spikes upon the terrified civilians below, who screamed in panic and trampled over one another in a desperate attempt to escape. Amidst the chaos, strange, pale beings resembling elves moved with an eerie, supernatural agility. Their blades flashed in the dim light as they mercilessly slit the throats of anyone they encountered, the warm spurt of blood splattering across their faces, adding a macabre sheen to the unfolding nightmare. His eyes darted upwards, catching sight of a woman enveloped in a chaotic storm of raw, untamed lightning, engaged in a fierce aerial battle against a bizarre, pale figure that resembled an elf from ancient legends. The atmosphere around them buzzed and surged with palpable tension and electric power, each spark illuminating their forms in a flickering dance of light and shadow. The lightning woman, evidently skilled in long-range combat, found herself disadvantaged as the pale elf closed the distance with terrifying, preternatural speed. With a savage, triumphant shriek that pierced the charged air, the elf tore the lightning woman apart, her maniacal laughter echoing through the devastation below, a haunting symphony of victory amidst the chaos. ¡°OAKBEND IS OURS! Slay the living, we need more brothers and sisters for the horde!¡± Marcus looked over at Gorian as a single tear rolled down his cheek as he looked over at his friends. ¡°Hey Lads, we need to leave. We''re gonna have to warn Druid¡¯s Grove so they can prepare to launch an offensive. Druid¡¯s Grove will need all the time it can to gather troops and call back some of their most powerful soldiers back to town. Follow me I know a tunnel underneath the town that leads out.¡° With that they continued following behind Gorian as he led them through back streets as the red skinned bowmen pulled out his bow before an arrow made of pure fire appeared on his string as he fired and killed several ghouls that appeared making short work of them. Minutes passed as they made their way towards what Marcus imagined was the guards house as they bust their way inside as guards men and women rush out of the building looking to defend their homes. Gorian continued inside not saying a word as he led them past officers yelling out orders. They made their way into the basement with various basic gear as they continued on to a large pile of boxes as Gorian quickly shoved them out of the way, revealing a large hatch. The Katana braided Hume named Jasmine moved to open the latch as Lowian jumped down and lit a torch. ¡°Gorian, how fair does this tunnel take us out of the city?¡± The yellow man spoke as he continued moving forward with the rest of the group as Gorian began to turn around to face Jasmine. ¡°It will take you out of the city. I am going to find more people but you need to go to Druid¡¯s Grove. I am not gonna let some piss ant, flying bitch destroy my home without saving as many people as I can.¡± Jasmine turned around and looked down at the hatch as Lowain and others began to climb back up the ladder to get Jasmine. ¡°Beloved! Let me fight with you. I am not gonna let you fight alone! ¡° As he looked at the woman with long braids he heard a chuckle from above the hatch. Gorian wrapped his arms around Jasmine and kissed her deeply on the lips before turning cupping her face in his hands and smiling. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will be home for dinner this time. This is my home and my people. I will try and save as many as I can. I will not allow you to die when you can provide information needed on recent frontier developments and help them form a counterattack.¡± There was a short pause before he heard the dwarf man continue. ¡°I promised your father when you took my last name that I would protect you till my last breath. Beloved, go be happy and avenge our home to protect Mikaela and Helena. I love you.¡± With that he heard him rush off at the door as Lowain held a sobbing Jasmine as he continued to try and claw towards what Marcus imagined was her husband. Makashi grabbed Jasmine¡¯s lower half and with Lowain carried her away as she cried, begged and screamed at them to let her down as they continued down the tunnel. They ran for what seemed like 10 minutes as they reached a large hatch. As they unlocked it they tried to push up the hatch but until Lowian, Makashi and Marcus pushed up did they realize that the hatch was literally underneath a tree as they climbed out of the tunnel. As they all turned back to see the town Marcus glanced at Jasmine as stood there with her hand on her Katana watching as Marcus then saw creatures of nightmares enter the town. There were 50 foot tall Undead Monsters that began to slowly but surely rip the wall down as there had to be tens of thousands of undead rushing into the city. Luckily the tunnel put them 3 miles past the wall and out of town. ¡°Let''s go to Druid¡¯s Grove and let everyone know.¡± Marcus said as he ran forward leading the way into the dark as they ran to the road and continued full sprint until they had reached the next night. He did make sure to grab his bag along the way as they were about half way to Druid¡¯s Grove but even with his high constitution he was exhausted as they set up camp for the night. The group huddled tightly in a circle, their breath visible in the cold air as Makashi struck a match, igniting a fire that crackled fiercely, casting flickering shadows on their weary faces. Marcus moved with urgency, distributing food boxes to each person, the silence between them thick and heavy. They ate with grim determination, taking turns to stand guard through the oppressive darkness. As the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, Marcus''s heart ached at the sound of Jasmine''s muffled sobs, her grief cutting through the fragile morning stillness like a knife. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. As they continued to make their way to Druid¡¯s Grove days passed with little to any incident as they finally reached the gates. Jasmine quickly walked beside the line before reaching the tollmaster as he looked at her and immediately nodded. ¡°Welcome back to the city, Mistress Jasmine. How can we help you?¡± Jasmine held up her hand and said quickly. ¡°Send a runner to fetch my father, Lord Vikas. I will be at the estate. Its Urgent ¡± The Tollmaster nodded and yelled at a girl no older than 12 to find Lord Vikas as she walked past the Tollmaster along with the rest of the group. ¡°My father should be able to get free in about an hour or two. You will be able to rest and recover fully at my family''s estate as I return home. ¡° After about 20 minutes of walking they reached the thickest part of the roots where he could see this was where the wealthy lived. As they reached Jasmine home several of the guards nodded at her and let her inside they were greeted by a short looking Halume man with pale skin and grey hair as he bowed to Jasmine. ¡°Your mother is home.¡± The man spoke as Jasmine left he held up his hand and motioned for them to follow him as he led them to several bathrooms as he asked for their clothes as they each went into their separate bathrooms and handed him the clothes through the door. As Marcus looked at the bathroom it looked like something that a prince would have. Everything was made out of this beautiful white stone with golden inlay. As he stepped inside the bathtub the water began to immediately pour as he sank into the bubbling water to try and clear his head from this mess. Just as he was going through the process Guin spoke up in his mind. ¡°So what is your next plan of action? Are you going to retrieve the clarity helmet? Do you intend to help this woman?¡± Marcus'' thoughts turned dark as he shot up out of the tub. ¡°I will annihilate every last one of them. These vile creatures have ravaged these people, stripping them of everything they hold dear, and now they are beginning to raise dead mothers and children corpses to fight against their will? Fuck that! Fuck them! These monsters deserve to die and I hope they burn in hell!¡± He slapped his hand against his chest as his tone began to rise. ¡°I need more levels and I need more power. I can¡¯t do anything but run and let a better man buy my life with his right now. How the fuck can I be a pillar of humanity when I run away like a coward? I will never run again. If I was stronger, Gorian would be here with his family now. Come hell or high water I will put each of these motherfuckers in the dirt!¡± ¡°Hmmm, are you a schemer or a warrior?¡± Marcus felt a rush of barely held back rage before he felt Guin embrace him and continue to whisper so close to his ear he could feel his body shiver. ¡°Then why are you here? Scheming won¡¯t gain you levels or increase your abilities.¡± Marcus spoke again with his mind a lot more calm. ¡°What do you want me to do? Train?¡± ¡°No, I want you to kill more monsters and level up to 40. If anything you will need much better gear if those monsters come here. While I agree Lesser and Minor gear are a decent placeholder the efficiency scaling is terrible for anyone who isn¡¯t a grunt. Honestly you need to reach level 40-50 if you actually plan on being effective and not just a soldier. ¡° Marcus thought a bit skeptic of him doubling his levels with how much more kills he needed. ¡°There is nothing close that could give me that many kills.¡± Guin''s presence felt even closer as he could feel her lips brush against his ear lobe. ¡°Yes, you need to leave Druid¡¯s Grove and head east towards the Lizardkin Frontier and grow. Undead that attacked Oakbend will need at least a few weeks converting some of the more powerful people into undead so they can attack Druid¡¯s Grove. Now that you are level 18, stuff that would kill normal people I am not too worried about. Once you reach level 25 that will trigger the next stage of your evolution. These people plan to scheme and try to defend the town. You can¡¯t do anything about that. What you can do is run 2 days towards the Lizardkin frontier and stay there for two weeks. Either you will rapidly grow in levels or die.¡± Guin rested what felt like her head against his shoulders and continued to speak. ¡°The Lizardkin are no different than the Undead or any other monster groups. They all seek dominance over all other races of people. You have to kill them all. Rend them limb from limb, scatter their corpses so that they know what it feels like for parents to pull the bodies of their children from collapsed buildings, for broken families and refugees to walk for miles in despair with nothing.¡± Guin got even closer to his ear as he felt her face press up against his ear. ¡°They don¡¯t deserve to get the happy ending, to walk away knowing they won. Let them know what it feels like to lose everything. Humans that achieve greatness seek to carve away a little place of safety for themselves and the people they care about. THERE IS NO SAFETY! THERE IS NO PEACE! If things do not change humanity will collapse and if you don¡¯t then who will? ¡° ¡°Everyone deserves Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. I will become what you want me to be or die trying. I understand now. There is no chance of peaceful cooperation or understanding. If Monsters only understand violence and fear. Then that¡¯s the language that I will communicate with them.¡± Quickly got up and dried himself off with a towel before noticing his gear was cleaned and washed by the door. He quickly got dressed and went to the front door as Makashi asked where he was going. He informed him about picking up gear. With that he continued on towards the shop and as the shopkeeper pulled out the band he activated as Marcus held it in his hands. It was a thick cloth like band the color of a silvery blue that as soon as he put it on and attuned to it continued to shift its colors in place slowly. ¡°God forgives.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Chapter 15: The Big Payback Standard Band of Mental Clarity [Well Built] Base Efficiency Bonus: 12% + [20% Well Built Bonus] = 14.4% Skill Tree: Bulwark of Soothing Dreams Base Ability: Calming Thoughts Trigger: Wearing the Helmet Energy Drain: Negligible Description: This headband allows the user to have a higher resistance to mental effects while worn. You are able to focus for much longer and deeper based on your efficiency and wisdom. Attunement Slots: 40 As he put on the head band he smiled. While he was under the effects of the clarity potions that he drank every day this was more¡­complete. He could even feel Guin¡¯s presence much more closely than normal. He felt surreal as he decided to head back towards several alchemists and traded his resources boxes for dozens of powerful healing salves, antitoxins, anti-plague all and all he had well over 100 standard healing salves. He looked around at the city of Druid¡¯s Grove and decided to return when he had the strength to actually do something. He quickly left the city again after paying the tolls and headed North East towards the lizardkin frontier from Druid¡¯s Grove it was roughly a 3 day journey even with his speed cutting the time short. Reaching the Frontier Outpost what was apparent was how the dense forest turned into a tan leafed savannah. What he imagined would be like a 2-3 story tall wooden outpost, what surprised him was a massive fort with hundreds of people running around it. It wasn¡¯t long before several guards came up to him with their weapons drawn telling him to state his business. ¡°I am going to train in the Frontier and thin out the Lizard population a bit.¡± The guards looked at him strangely but didn¡¯t make any effort to stop him as returned back to their post as he continued to walk past the rocky grassfields of the Lizard territory. As he took in the scenery he smiled as Guin spoke up again. ¡°I recommend going after smaller groups or smaller forts they may have.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be reckless. I have to survive to avenge people. I am no use to them dead.¡± After several hours of jogging, the frontier camp had faded into the distance, disappearing from view entirely. He pressed on, his feet pounding the earth in rhythm, when suddenly the sound of hurried footsteps reached his ears. Instinctively, he turned around, his heart skipping a beat as he caught sight of an enormous creature barreling towards him. It was a beast resembling a Komodo Dragon, but its sheer size was astonishing¡ªcomparable to a small house. The ground trembled beneath its weight as it charged with alarming speed. Realizing the imminent danger, he swiftly reached for his whip, preparing to defend himself against the colossal predator. ¡°Let''s dance, sunshine.¡± As his whip extended with a tremendous crack, it struck the monster with a force that brought it to an abrupt halt. The creature toppled over, its massive form shaking as if trying to rid itself of an unbearable noise. Marcus imagined that the piercing screams were overwhelming its senses. With calculated precision, he switched to his boomerang, launching it with a swift motion that sliced cleanly through the tendons and ligaments in the creature''s legs. Under the debilitating effects of Widow¡¯s Embrace, the monster writhed helplessly on the ground. Marcus watched intently as the skill took its toll, noting with grim satisfaction how blood began to seep from the monster''s ear holes, trickling down from its eyes and ears, signaling the skill''s potent hold. ¡°Let''s finish this!¡± He rushed forward and threw the boomerang as hard as he could at the skull of the large monster as he felt the skull crumple as the boomerang embedded itself deep inside of the skull of the monster. +15 Kills Marcus quickly went away from his kill before he decided to make camp about an half of a mile from the spot he killed. He hoped someone would find it so that he could kill more. As the morning soon came he heard the sound of cheering as he looked over and at just over a mile away he saw what had to be a few dozen lizardkin. He didn¡¯t see any of the caster types there so he decided to give it a shot. ¡°Looks like at least another level.¡± He smiled as he went with the Boomerang and Whip combo. He ran over and used his Boomerang as he picked over three of them along the way while easily dodging the bone javelins with his high intellect and wisdom. Three smaller lizardkin stepped up as he rushed to them, threw his boomerang at one before moving over and ripping the throat of another then headbutting another as blood dripped down his helmet. Several of the larger lizardkin ran over to him leaping as he threw a dead lizard at the leaping one and slashing with his whip shattering the shin of one as he screamed in pain before throwing his boomerang directly into its skull and getting clawed across his helmet as he could feel the deep groves as he used Recall to come back as the Boomerang hit the large lizard in the back of the head collapsing. ¡°Phantom Hunting Grounds¡± A glowing field of energy appeared under him as began to rend flesh from bone as the remaining Lizards were immediately slaughtered. LEVEL UP! Level 19 74 more kills till level 20 STR: 35 DEX: 15 CON: 35 INT: 15 WIS: 15 STA: 23 Attunement: 185/190 ¡°Well that was pretty easy, They seemed to come from Northwest of this position. Let''s see if I can find more.¡± With a smile on his face he continued. He saw the depravity of the undead and he had to imagine the lizards weren¡¯t much better. He was not gonna let people get slaughtered if he was gonna have any say in it. After a few hours and a healing salve down he saw there was another small group of about 10 small lizards and a few other large ones. Without a second thought he killed them without much of a second thought with as little effort as possible. 17 more kills till level 20 As the last remaining one gave to groveling, Marcus crushed its arms and climbed on top of it and asked it where the nearest base was. It began to speak and pointed Northwest. Marcus smiled and put it on its feet and told him to show him as he motioned for it to run as it ran towards what looked like a small rockfield with dozens of lizards from older to young. As the lizard got to within eyeshot of the place he threw his boomerang and hit it in the back of it¡¯s head as Guin spoke up. ¡°What will you do about the young lizards or non-combatants?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Same with the rest, kill them all and let the gods of these lands sort them.¡± With that he continued down towards rock cropping as several lizards saw him and ran towards him. With a single flick of his wrist a lizard lost the bottom half of its jaw as others continued towards him he used his whip and superior range and slash over heads and limbs with Pull of the Forgotten as he continued forward towards the center of the camp he could see more of the older lizards grab some of the young and flee turning tail. ¡°There is no mercy for monsters.¡± He quickly lashed at the young and elderly alike, killing them with a single blow before turning to face several enraged lizards. They rushed him as he continued to hack off limbs and heads. Within minutes a camp of over hundred lizards were reduced to 0. Despite not getting any kill experience for the young he still leveled from Level 19 to 20 with enough experience to put him almost at level 21. Level 20 24 more kills till level 21 STR: 35 DEX: 17 CON: 38 INT: 16 WIS: 15 STA: 23 Attunement: 185/195 He decided to run full speed for about an hour towards the Silveroak and Lizard border and set up camp for the night as he closed his eyes and slept for about 5 hours before he woke up to the sound of angry yelling and screams that were coming from the rock field as Guin caressed his face as he smiled and went back to sleep. Now they know what it feels like. As he woke up he used a beverage box to make hot water and clean himself and his gear before heading out back towards the rock field again to see if he could get more kills. After an hour of running he had reached there again and this time it was no smaller lizards but what looked like a lizardman the size of a truck covered in tattoos carrying a staff along with several other staff users. He decided to use pull of the forgotten and dump half of his energy into its extension and slash at the massive monster before the whip wrapped around his body and was pulled towards Marcus flying towards with his massive strength stat. As the lizard was pulled he saw several lizards use their staffs and launch bolts of lightning at him which he used the massive lizard to block as giant monster got hit with several bolts before he used his boomerang thrown at his skull to kill him as his whip retracted. +30 Kills With that he rushed towards them as they launched bolts of lightning at him. While he was able to dodge one as he tanked three others that brought his health from Green to light yellow as he smiled. His high constitution was really playing off as he reached them in seconds and slaughtered the 5 lizard mages quickly before killing several larger lizards. At this point his strength was so high that he could easily two shot even large lizards now and sometimes one shot depending on the placement of the hit. After the fight was done he was just short of ten kills before he reached level 22. Level 21 10 more kills till level 22 STR: 35 DEX: 20 CON: 38 INT: 17 WIS: 17 STA: 23 Attunement: 185/200 With that he continued on deeper into lizardkin territory. It was just about a day''s travel for him in enemy territory as he felt the ground shake as a massive snake the size of a school bus but ten times as long erupted from underneath his feet as he leaped back just barely avoiding its attack. ¡°This should be fun.¡± As he flipped backwards he threw his boomerang and hit it square in the head as he saw it damage it as he saw the cut on its head. If I can wound it then I can win What he was not expecting was for it to spit acid at him at such velocity. It hit him so hard that it knocked him off his feet and sent him flying back as his loot armor melted completely off his body in places. His health dropped from Green to Orange as he smiled before applying a health salve as he combat rolled out of the way of another acid blast as he used Pull of the Forgotten to extend his whip as he hit the beast it looked as he combined it with Widow¡¯s Embrace to force it to hear the wails. As the sounds of widows wails flooded the mind of the creature it began to scream and shake its head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t like that big guy?¡± He continued to use his boomerang to continue to pepper the monster with powerful blows before he got too close and its tail whipped him and launched him off his feet and into a rock outcropping as his health went from Light Orange to Red. As the creature was rushing towards him to eat him he smiled and said. ¡°Recall!¡± As he summoned the boomerang back to his hand he used every ounce of strength he had left to throw the boomerang and hit it square in the eyeball as it crushed it eye socket and dug into its brain as he collapsed into the ground and rolled around screaming in pain. ¡°Recall!¡± As he rolled around, he hurled his boomerang with ferocious precision, slashing deep, vicious gashes along the monster''s body before it snapped back into his grip. As the wurm''s movements began to falter, he seized the moment, launching himself onto its back with fierce determination. He swiftly wound his whip around its neck, completing a full rotation, and then grasped both ends with raw intensity. With a powerful yank, he felt the scales rip apart, slicing into the flesh as torrents of blood and acid gushed from the widening wound. The whip dug mercilessly deeper, severing sinew and bone until, with a final, forceful pull, he tore the head from its massive body. The wurm''s lifeless form crashed to the ground, defeated. +100 Kills LEVELUP! Level 22 25 more kills till level 23 STR: 36 DEX: 20 CON: 38 INT: 20 WIS: 17 STA: 25 Attunement: 185/200 ¡°They will all fall before humanity. I am done trying to figure out how to play nice with monsters. These monsters that prey upon the weak and defenseless to grow in power and strength. I will cull them all. I will not see more Ume children die in front of their parents and families like cattle. ¡° Chapter 16: I will be with you until the stars fall As the days passed, Marcus found himself venturing further and further into the lizardkin frontier. Guin had even warned him of the dangers that lurked within, but he was determined to reach level 45 before attempting to leave. And now, he finally achieved his goal. Despite the constant threat of danger, Marcus had been able to clear entire forts of lesser lizardkin with ease, his mastery over his weapons growing with each kill. His Boomerang and Whip had become extensions of his own body, and he could wield them with deadly precision. Even the most fearsome attacks from the monstrous creatures were no match for Marcus now. Lightning bolts and acid blasts bounced off his armor as if it were made of diamond, while his weapons struck true and brought down his enemies with ease. He had even reached Mastery 2 with both the Boomerang and Whip. As he stood on the edge of the frontier, Marcus couldn''t help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. I am going to kill them all. Level 47 210 more kills till level 48 STR: 76 DEX: 45 CON: 78 INT: 35 WIS: 32 STA: 40 Attunement: 185/325 Loot Coins: 36 Standard Boomerang of Returning[Well Built] Base Efficiency Bonus: 48% + [20% Well Built Bonus] = 57.6% Skill Tree: Dance of the Ethereal Hawk Base Ability: Recall Trigger: Mentally Activating the weapon Energy Drain: Negligible Description: Allows the user to say the mentally activate the boomerang and immediately teleport the boomerang from within a distance based on Mastery level of the item and the user¡¯s Wisdom. Base Level is 300 feet. Mastery 1 Ability: Phantom Hunting Grounds Trigger: Mental Activation Energy Drain: Medium Description: Allows the user as they hold the Boomerang to mentally activate the skill as the area within 150 feet of the user to become a field of Ethereal Energy. While inside of the field the boomerang can be thrown from any angle inside of the field and from any direction. Mastery 2 Ability: Zero Toss Trigger: Mental Activation upon throwing the boomerang Energy Drain: Very High Description: Allows the user to throw their Boomerang and at any point during the throw the user can swap places with their Boomerang. The cost is reduced to Medium while both the user and the boomerang are in Phantom Hunting Grounds. Attunement Slots: 40 Standard Chain of Wailing Widows[Well Built] Base Efficiency Bonus: 48% + [20% Well Built Bonus] = 57.6% Skill Tree: Screams of the Forgotten Base Ability: Widows Embrace Trigger: Mentally activating the ability when the target is struck by the whip. Energy Drain: Low Description: As the user hits the target with the chain whip, if the target is living the target begins to hear sounds and screams of hundreds of widow¡¯s crying at the loss of their lovers that will never return home. This lasts for a number of seconds equal to your wisdom and your Intellect. This effect is resisted by your wisdom + this weapon''s efficiency vs their Wisdom. Master Ability 1: Pull of the Forgotten Trigger: Command Word(Irvine) Energy Drain: Low to Extreme(duration) Description: The user says the command word and slashing, extending the chain by an amount equal to the amount of energy used and turning the whip into a supersonic whip of sound. While extended this way all other abilities used by this Skill Tree are considerably more effective while using considerably more energy. Duration is based on the user¡¯s wisdom. Mastery Ability 2: Banshee Wail Trigger: Command Word(Sonito) Energy Drain: High Description: The user says the command word and makes a slash with their whip as it turns to a bright silver as it turns into pure sonic energy. This weapon can only be stopped by other sonic based attacks or similar items as it unleashes intense sound waves inside of the person. The attack potency of this attack is increased by the user¡¯s wisdom. Attunement Slots 40 As he leveled up as well he noticed just how often Guin spoke to him and how her presence felt to him. While he was walking or sitting down resting he could feel her presence as physical as arms wrapped around him or she would hum a soothing tune in his ear. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Marcus turned to her confused and looked at her presence strangely. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Now I have to tell you what makes you truly unique and special. As it stands currently and at your growth rate you will probably be somewhere in the top 1 percent of people sooner rather than later. ¡° Marcus nodded as she continued. ¡°What makes you have the potential to go above them all is your ability to give stats to others.¡± Marcus looked confused at her before she continued. ¡°Every 25 or so levels, you gain an additional pool of stat points you can assign to others. This pool equals your level and increases by your level every 25 levels. For example you have 25 stat points to give now but at level 50 you will gain an additional 50 stat points in total to give. Every stat you give increases your own stat by that amount.¡± Marcus asked the obvious question. ¡°What if they die?¡± ¡°You lose out on those points forever.¡± He nodded as that did make sense to him. Humanity was at its best when working together for the common goal. ¡°How does it work exactly?¡± Guin''s presence increased as she moved her hand down his arm and wrapped around his hand as he could feel her spread out his fingers and motioned for him to hold out his palm. ¡°Extend your hand like this and touch the person on the head. They will get a prompt and if they accept you can assign points to them. They can choose where they put the stats.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it? No strong bond or anything like that?¡± He heard Guin chuckle before plucking him in the head again. ¡°They are not your friends. They can be your friends but they are extensions of your very being. You need to find exceptional people then give them more power and make them beyond what they could achieve normally. That¡¯s the only way you can truly carve a way forward for humanity.¡± Marcus nodded and smiled to himself as he looked back at the decimated outpost that he destroyed. Even with his mental band of clarity he could just barely stop the intense bloodlust. After several days he had run out of the potions and was just using his mental band at this point. ¡°Guin, is this all there is to it? For me to hunt monsters and push back against the horrors that would prey on us? I feel like¡­this should not feel as good as it does. I love this, more than anything I have ever experienced. It feels better than sex, better than the finest food and wine.¡± He felt her presence again as she pushed him down to sit on the harsh grass before he could feel her eyes mentally stare him down before she spoke. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°You are The Herald of Humanity, you have been engineered for greatness. The burdens you bear are the heaviest, you have to master yourself and save humanity. You lead from the front, you will never be a part of the pack. You will never feel like them anymore. You are beyond. You can¡¯t be a part of the pack and lead the pack. You will be mostly alone with your decisions to save or damn the lives of millions potentially as you continue to climb the ranks. But remember-¡± With that she felt her kiss his forehead through his helmet and wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him in close. ¡°I will be here until the end of your journey. Good or bad. When the stars in the sky die and reality swallows itself I shall be with you.¡± As he looked at the nothing infront of him he relaxed and rested his head against what felt like her chest for a while as the soothing embrace allowed him to calm his madness at least for a moment. After several minutes like this Guin pulled away and spoke again. ¡°It¡¯s time to return back to Druid¡¯s Grove. With your increased speed you should be able to reach it in a few hours.¡° As he continued back from the edge of the frontier he crossed paths with the same Frontier Outpost that he saw on the way into the Lizardkin territory. As he made his way past it he was stopped by a guard that he thought looked familiar. As the man approached him it was a Elume or Elf man with short hair under a metal guard helmet and a spear and shield in his hand. He looked at Marcus like he saw a ghost. ¡°You made it back alive? We had a few bets but the fact that you actually made it back. You also look much¡­bigger. The Captain would like to speak with you if you would like.¡± Marcus shrugged and followed the man inside of the outpost as he saw Ume of all subraces from Humes like himself to golden colored people called Solumes. Most of the people whispered under their breaths and in hushed tones as he was led to the office inside of the building on the first floor where he was face to face with the captain. The Captain was a stern faced Gobume or Goblin looking man dressed in what he imagined was officer gear with two shortswords on his sides. As the guard escorted him inside he introduced him as the man who ran into the lizardkin frontier and came back. The Gobume man nodded at Marcus and extended his hand to shake as he pulled out an identity lens and looked over at Marcus as he quickly dropped his lens and spoke up. ¡°Greetings, I am Captain Tusk. I am the Commander of this Frontier Outpost. I can see you are very powerful for your level. Can I ask where you are headed?¡± ¡°To Druid¡¯s Grove to join the defense.¡± Captain Tusk nodded at Marcus before speaking. ¡°We have to stay here but we have several caravan people that could use an escort back to Druid¡¯s Grove. Currently from my intel from the Guards the Undead have fully mobilized and should reach Druid¡¯s Grove within two weeks. We don¡¯t have the manpower to send a large enough guard watch to protect them from other things like bandits and lizards. Would you be interested in helping them? If not they will be stuck here probably for another month. ¡° Marcus thought about it for a minute and nodded. ¡°I can get them there safely. Are they ready to go or can they be soon?¡± The Gobume man nodded and motioned for the guard as he told him to take him to the caravan group. As he made it there he saw a collection of people from the gnomish Gnoume to the devil like Delume. It had to be well over 50 people all from the ages of 3 to 50. Several of the people pulled out Identity lenses as they looked at him with wide eyes before the Elume guard nodded and left. This time a Ghanume woman that had to be every bit of 7 feet tall looked down at him with her marble colored skin and smiled before nodding and speaking. ¡°Greetings, we are members of a variety of caravans that were attacked recently and have been stuck here for the past few weeks. We were told you are some kind of escort?¡± Marcus nodded and spoke. ¡°Yes, pack up and be ready as soon as you can. I am looking to leave this place within an hour. Don¡¯t forget anything but try to go at a good pace. I don¡¯t plan on coming back soon.¡± The tall woman nodded at him and smiled. ¡°What brings you to Druid¡¯s Grove?¡± Marcus took a second before speaking as he looked at everyone. ¡°I am looking to return to Druid¡¯s Grove to avenge Oakbend. I intend to kill as many undead as possible. I have been training out in the Lizardkin Frontier, alone killing as many monsters as possible for the past couple of weeks. ¡° There were several murmurs as he saw several of the group packing up gear as quickly as they could as he fell back towards the front of the outpost. After a couple of hours several wagons that looked more like strange cars as there were no horses or beasts of burden as someone in front of the wagon had the ability to send energy into the wagon to drive the wagon. He decided to run with the wagons as he was surprised that the wagons could move around 30-40 mph no problem as the 5 wagons continued on. It would take the wagons about 4 days total to reach Druid¡¯s Grove with all of the stops. As the day turned into night he took watch as the caravans gathered around in a circle and everyone slept inside of their caravans. As he stood watch the Ghanume woman walked up to him and offered a soft smile as she leaned against a wagon and spoke. ¡°I want to thank you again. We all appreciate you taking us back to a major city, it was getting stuffy in that outpost.¡± He nodded at the women and turns to face the surrounding forest listening for threats, ¡°I know a lot of people don¡¯t like to talk but you have said literally 10 words to us in 12 hours. I get we make it an inconvenience for you but still the kids are scared to come out of the caravan because they think you are some kind of monster or something.¡± Marcus turned towards the woman and nodded again before looking back towards the forest. ¡°I am not sure what you have gone through in that hellscape in the frontier or what surviving Oakbend has done to you but, at least for our journey to Druid¡¯s Grove, if you need someone to talk to I am here. Not sure how much that is worth to you but still. ¡± The woman stood for a second as a pregnant pause began to fill the space before she turned and climbed in her caravan and closed the door. As the morning came the several of the caravan people woke up to screams from several people as the bodies of over a two dozen lizardkin was piled up on top of each other as Marcus had dragged them off to the side of the caravan. ¡°These were two raiding parties that were in the nearby area. I picked up their smell and tracked them about a couple of miles deep into the forest. I investigated and killed them. There was also an additional raiding party that tried to attack you all in the middle of the night. These are the bodies. Are we ready to continue?¡± As he looked at several members of the group with a crazed look in his eyes they all nodded as he quickly ate a cold breakfast before heading out. As they made it through the day and the second night the caravan had woke up to over a dozen more monsters. This time the Undead variety as they were almost attacked by Ghouls before Marcus was able to sniff them out and kill them all. The last two days were nightmarish and they are assaulted almost every hour or so by small bands of roaming undead in packs of 5-10. Marcus would quickly kill them all but once they got within a few miles of Druid¡¯s Grove the undead threat began to thin down to nothing before they pulled up at the gate. As they pulled up what he noticed was that most of the villages had quickly erupted walls of trees and stone along with various people coming into the city but very few people coming out. As they made their way through the toll. He noticed that the Toll went up to 5 silvers coming in and out. As they all made their way inside the Ghanume woman stopped him before he turned and walked away. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like to talk much but without you we would have all died. We have collected some gold marks for you as a thanks.¡± She pulled out a hefty leather pouch that she counted out well over 250 gold marks. ¡°You have made a friend of the Diamondcrest Trading Company. We don¡¯t have a base of operations here but we do have several in Florro and one in the capital.¡± She pulled out a metal card with what looked like a diamond in it. ¡°So hand this to any Diamondcrest associates or businesses and you will get the best deal possible. I am Marie by the way. Once again, thank you for protecting us.¡± Marcus took the card and nodded at the woman before speaking. ¡°Thank you, I''ll do what I can.¡± She gave him a soft smile and turned and walked away. Time to handle some business in Druid¡¯s Grove and make my way out with the attacking force. Chapter 17: A little R&R before all hell breaks loose Lets go to Takanka¡¯s Rest and get really cleaned up. As he made his way there he saw Jason the doorman and smiled before he motioned that he was going towards the bathhouse. As he went around back and into the bathhouse he saw Fandy before he handed her a Gold Mark which she smiled and led him to a tub as she grabbed his Loot Gear. He sat in the tub as Guin spoke in his mind as she ran her hands over his shoulders. ¡°So what gear do you plan on getting next your armor? Do you even still want a shield? Maybe another weapon? ¡° ¡°I am gonna go for better Heavy Armor and some mobility based boots then when I level up more, I will also pickup gauntlets as a backup weapon. The whip is good but I need something with less finesse and more raw physical power. I have 140 free attunement points that I can spend on gear. ¡° As Guin cradled his head in her hands as he leaned back in the tub she talked close to his ear. ¡°Well while your stat growth is exceptional your attunement growth is just average. The most powerful people that use a variety of items have an attunement growth rate as high at 20 to 30 points a level. They may not have amazing stats but the efficiency of using the item can make up for that at least somewhat that and Major Ability Perks are much better than the perks you have gotten. With 140 attunement points you can get a Major Attunement weapon or equipment at 80 and a Greater Attunement weapon or equipment at 60.¡± ¡°So should I get my armor and boots first or my armor and gauntlets ¡° He could feel Guin nod in his mind before she spoke again. ¡°Well first you would need to pull or buy a Major or Greater weapon or equipment boxes that fits what you are looking for. Then find a crafter worth their salt. You have the wealth to be able to find a much better crafter than Well Built. If anything I would keep your boomerang and whip but I would keep them for special situations. Like you have said you are more of a warrior, you need something with a bit more force like a Maul or Battleaxe.¡± Marcus nodded and thought about it for a second. ¡°I will go to the Vikas Estate to speak with Jasmine and see if she will lend an ear to me about providing me with a crafter while I get a room and crack open some boxes. With that he had received his clothes from Fandy as she smiled at him and spoke. ¡°You seem different, did you get taller?¡± Marcus'' eyes narrowed as he shrugged and she spoke again. ¡°You are definitely taller actually and bigger.¡± She handed him a mirror as he looked at himself and his eyes went wide as he stood up and really took a look at himself. He was every bit of 6 ''6 and 275 pounds. He was built like an 80s fantasy hero, he had to be around less than 10 percent body fat but he did not look like a gym rat. He just looked like what he imagined Superheroes in comics looked like if they were in real life. Fandy looked him up and down as he quickly got dressed in front of her and handed her back the mirror. She put a hand on his arm and gave him a sympathetic look before she walked away to deal with other clients. He returned above ground and into Takanka¡¯s Rest as he saw it was packed with more people then he had ever seen before and he knew this place most likely did not have rooms free. As he made it to the front desk he saw Khaliun and she looked at him strangely before she spoke. ¡°Are you looking to get a room? Basic and Business are full, there is only Executive left.¡± He nodded and pulled out Gold mark and told her to keep the change as she handed him a wooden key and asked her to make sure he was not disturbed. Time to Crack some crates. As he went upstairs to crack open as many boxes and coins as what made sense as he closed his door and reached into his bag and began to open them in mass. Standard Space Equipment and Fire Weapon Standard Gravity Equipment and Chaos Weapon Standard Ethereal Equipment and Memory Weapon Standard Entropy Equipment and Luck Weapon Standard Earth Equipment and Law Weapon Standard Mental Equipment and Void Weapon Standard Telekinetic Equipment and Gravity Weapon Minor Memory Equipment and Life Weapon Lesser Life Equipment and Teleportation Weapon Lesser Plant Equipment and Memory Weapon Greater Life Equipment and Gravity Weapon Minor Water Equipment and Darkness Weapon Major Luck Equipment and Entropy Weapon ¡°Jackpot.¡± He smiled as he pulled Major Luck Equipment, Greater Life Equipment along with a Gravity and Entropy weapon box as well. He didn¡¯t know what a gravity weapon or entropy weapon could do but he could not walk around with potentially over a thousand loot boxes. He decided to empty out all of his gear that wasn¡¯t a gear or resource based box as he quickly left his room again. He decided to head straight towards the Vikas estate. Despite the city having probably an extra 50 thousand people the streets didn¡¯t seem too clogged as he made his way towards the Vikas estate he saw the guardsman and asked to see Jasmine Vikas and tell her that he had important information from Oakbend. The guardsman nodded and went inside and after a few minutes he saw Lowain come out and look at him and spit on the ground in front of him. ¡°Look, the coward returned! What do you want bitchboy?¡± Marcus smiled. ¡°I returned stronger to defend the town. I am looking for talented crafters to work on some equipment for me.¡± Lowain looked him up and down. ¡°What do you mean you came back stronger. What did you decide to run away to gain a level or something like that would matter over helping prepare the town?¡± ¡°I gained 25 levels.¡± Marcus said as a matter of fact as he continued. ¡°We opened up the hatch together that had the tree over it. You and I had similar strengths. I would advise you to check out my level and stats now. ¡° Lowain looked at him curiously and pulled out a monocle before putting it over his eye as he dropped it. ¡°Your strength and constitution is now in the 70s¡­..Ok I will take you to Jasmine and Lord Vikas.¡± Lowain motioned for him to follow him as he led him upstairs towards a large dark skin man like himself with a bald head and trimmed beard along with Jasmine and other people looking over a map of Moro and pieces on the board. Lowian dropped to one knee and spoke as they entered, ¡°Lord Vikas and Lady Jasmine, the man who fled Oakbend with us, have returned. He has grown dramatically in power and seeks a crafter to make equipment to defend the town. ¡° Jasmine walked up to him and attempted to slap him across the face as he took a slight stepback before looking at her intensely. Vikas decided to cut the ice and speak. ¡°So you are some powerful adventurer I take it. Well let''s see how strong you are. Jasmine, grab your Identity Len and let''s see what a man leaving for a few weeks can give us.¡± As Vikas and Jasmine pulled out their lens as Jasmine¡¯s jaw dropped as Vikas chuckled. ¡°You weren¡¯t that much stronger than me two weeks ago. How did you gain that power?¡± Jasmine looked at him with a defeated look before Marcus answered. ¡°I went to the Lizardkin Territory and fought for 2 weeks straight, killing hundreds of them and killing a snake the size of a tree. ¡° Vikas sat down in his chair and laughed a gut busting laugh as Jasmine looked over at Vikas. ¡°Stop it father! So what exactly are you looking to have crafted because it is not cheap to hire crafters.¡± Marcus pulled out his Major and Greater lootboxes as Lowian whistled softly as he pulled out 30 resource boxes. ¡°I am looking for the Major Luck piece to be a plate armor set. I only have 140 attunement slots and that will eat about 80 of it. I would have 60 slots left for a Gravity weapon or something like that looking for a gauntlet or hammer weapon. To be clear I have a greater life and a major entropy weapon box as well if some of the crafters think it could be a better fit. Whatever makes more sense. ¡° With that everyone was looking greedily at each other before Vikas refocused and looked up from the resource boxes. ¡°It''s a deal. It will take about a day but I can guarantee at least a Masterwork with a good chance to be a Unique gear but I would not count on that honestly but you can bank on Masterwork. Gildred, please take his boxes to the crafters.¡± The same elderly halfing looking man walked over to him as Marcus handed him the boxes before nodding at him again. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°There is a good chance that we can reduce the attunement costs so you can equip two Major items. We get that you want a Luck Armor. We will see what kind of Maul or Battleaxe we can craft from an Entropy weapon box.¡± ¡°Thank you. I will be back tomorrow for my gear.¡± Vikas nodded at him as he waved his hand which he assumed was that he was dismissed. He turned and left the estate as quickly as he came. As he left Vikas looked at Jasmine and the rest of the advisors. ¡°We need to keep a guy like that close. While some people take to fighting and hunting monsters very rarely do we find true geniuses along with having an exceptional stat growth or attunement growth. He reminds me of your older sister. ¡° As he walked away he decided to return back to Takanka¡¯s rest to grab a bite to eat to Guin began to speak up in his mind. ¡°So I am curious, do you like men or women? I have not seen you make a move on anyone here?¡± Marcus literally stopped in the road for a second before speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t know, let''s see. I was killed in a car accident and reborn in a strange tunnel filled with undead that I had to kill to leave. As I left I was almost robbed along with finding out that the country I am currently in is being pressed by two monster factions. One of them destroyed a heavily fortified town and killed several high level people. So idk, maybe you should tell me why this sucks so much.¡± Guin chuckled in his mind before he continued. ¡°Your world was filled with horror and strife as well, this world is just a different flavor of it. While your mind is not affected by battlelust as much you still have not really spent time with anyone. You did not have to leave Vikas¡¯s Estate. You could have stayed and been present. It would make a lot of sense for you to stay at this point and learn about the city defense plans.¡± ¡°Yeah well, idk. That''s something I have to work on.¡± He felt Guin presence press up against him as a shiver ran up his spine. ¡°I want to see you go back to that Takanka place and actually attempt to get to know the people you intend to save. Now that you have actual power now, people need to be able to actually know who is saving them. You can¡¯t be a robot and expect people to want to follow you or have faith in you.¡± Marcus took a deep breath and decided to press forward back to Takanka¡¯s Rest. ¡°I can give it a shot, no promises.¡± As he continued towards Takanka¡¯s Rest. It was packed with a lot of people just like yesterday as he drifted in he nodded to Jason and gave him a few silvers before he slid in. He looked around and made his way to Khaluin who looked beautiful with her black hair wrapped in a ponytail behind her head with green eyes shaped like almonds with her simple dress of an apron and a brown dress. Khaliun looked at him as she juggled between various waiters and customers shouting at them before turning with a saleswoman smile. ¡°Greetings, I hope your room is fine. No one has gone into your room like you wished. Is there anything I can help you with?¡± Marcus looked at her and smiled. ¡°I am looking to get a haircut and makeover before the city goes under siege. Do you have any recommendations?¡± Khaliun continued to serve food and drinks near the front desk for several moments as she returned back to him. ¡°I would recommend Isabella¡¯s Cuttery. She does fine work and has masseuses to help relieve stress and tension. I go once a week to pamper myself and to get a break from this place.¡± Marcus nodded and continued as he handed her 5 silvers for her time. ¡°Thank you. If possible. I would like to apologize for the way I acted the last time¡­.well my entire time here. I am finding that my people skills are severely lacking ever since I have come here. I would like to take you out for a meal as an apology. ¡° Marcus looked at Khaliun as she stopped what she was doing and gave him her full attention for a second. ¡°My choice of restaurant?¡± ¡°Sure, I will be back tonight so you can have time to think it over. Either way, thanks for your time.¡± He quickly headed upstairs and dropped off his backpack before he returned downstairs. He flashed her a small smile and headed out towards this Cuttery place she mentioned before Guin spoke up in his mind as he continued to walk towards Isabella¡¯s. ¡°You think she will accept?¡± Marcus scratched his head as he continued to weave between all of the people. ¡°Maybe, I think if I give her a gift and look more presentable maybe. I haven¡¯t had a haircut in like two months and I look like a guard deserter. I hope this Isabella woman has a recommendation for a clothing store that makes sense. ¡° With that he traveled in silence before he reached a beautiful store towards the trunk but not as close to the trunk as the Vikas Estate and Slayer Corps. As he entered the store it was the size of a small supermarket with various men and women cutting hair that were dressed in simple white robes. As he entered he was met with a large horned man with a deep reddish hue stepping in front of him. ¡°Excuse me, mate but this is a well to do place. If you are looking for something more affordable you may want to try a different location.¡± Marcus smiled. ¡°So what¡¯s the price of a hair cut here?¡± ¡°50 Silvers for a basic cut, 60 silvers professional cut and a Gold for Lord or Lady Cut. We also offer additional services including massages and other self care for people that buy Lord and Lady Cuts. ¡° The man looked at him smugly as Marcus pulled out a Gold Mark and handed it to him. ¡°I will take a Lord Cut.¡± The red hue man looked shocked before he quickly motioned him over to an empty seat as a middle aged woman that looked like a female Ork or Orume moved over and introduced herself. She had her hair faded on the side with her hair in a loose ponytail. ¡°Greetings, my name is Monica and I will be your hairdresser for today. Is there anything specific you would like done with your hair? ¡° Marcus thought about it for a second. As he stood currently his hair was in a small afro and the equivalent of a struggle beard. ¡°Cut it down as low as possible and clean up the beard. You have creative freedom with everything else.¡± The woman nodded as she leaned his chair back in towards a sink and washed his hair thoroughly before leaning his chair back up and using some kind of cordless hair dryer that dried his hair within seconds. She moved quickly and began to massage fragrant oils and creams into his hair and scalp that smelled of coconut and shea butter. Moving on from the scalp massage she moved to cut his hair with slow and methodical swipes of what looked like some variant of a modern hair trimmer. She took the better part of an hour cutting and cleaning up his hair before she pulled out some strange looking platinum looking gel that she used to top off his head. Before he realized he had looked over a mirror in the wall and noticed she had given him an afro fade. With the sides of his head almost bald and the top of his head cut down but still leaving him about an inch and a half of hair on top with it now being platinum blonde. He sat like this for a few as she briefed him on what he saw. ¡°As it stands currently your hair on your scalp is now platinum blonde until you go to another hairdresser to get it changed back or to a different color. Even if you cut it all off it will grow back platinum blonde. Your beard and the rest of the hair on your body is still black. I am going to give you a facial massage as the product finishes applying in your hair. ¡° Marcus nodded as she grabbed some other creams before warming them between her hands and started rubbing them on his face. He could feel his body fully relax for the first time since he had been in this world. Nearly another 30 minutes in heaven, the ork woman leaned his chair up and turned to face the mirror to see what he looked like. His hair was straight up blonde which was interesting he had to admit. His beard was cropped close to face along with both his eyebrows having parts in them on the sides. He looked straight up like a fuckboy. He reached in his pocket and pulled out 20 silvers to tip the woman as she smiled. ¡°Do you know where I can buy some fashionable clothes? For men and women?¡± The hairdresser thought for a second before saying. ¡°You should try Punbi¡¯s Threads. He is a high end clothing shop for someone as esteemed as yourself. Would you like to go to the back and get a full body grooming and massage from our specialists? That''s 2 additional gold marks. ¡° He thought about it for a second and agreed. Why not? When in Rome, right? ¡°Sure.¡± He reached inside of his wallet and pulled out an additional two gold marks and handed it to her as she led him through a door and into a section behind the salon part of the area and into a private shower area as he was handed various soap options. They took his clothes then handed him back his wallet. He took the mocha smelling one and began to lather up and shower. It took him about 20 minutes to shower properly as he turned off the water and immediately a set of towels and robes were handed to him as he dried off and then put on his robe. Let''s see what this masage is all about. Chapter 18: You shook me all night long[Edited for RR][NSFW][TV-MA-S] He was led by a male native american looking Halfing or Halume looking shower attendant which took him to an area filled with 20 men and women of various shapes and sizes all looking at him with a sexually charged look. He felt a little uncomfortable as the male attendant spoke up. ¡°Please take your pick, they will spend an hour with you massaging and grooming you to the best of their ability. If you would like an additional hour or an additional masseuse that''s an additional gold mark.¡± The male attendant took a step back and each man and woman looked at him. He could also hear around him there were at least a dozen other men and women here also getting a massage. He looked over at a yellow skinned humanoid woman that looked similar to Lowain as a Solume with blonde hair and black highlights dressed in a what looked like a black lace boy shorts and bra combo he motioned at the woman and tried to hide his erection to little avail as the blonde woman lead him to what looked like a massage table that could easily fit two people in a closed room. She led him to lie face down on the table. He adjusted his package so he could lay down properly. ¡°Would you like to do this massage with your robe on, with a towel draped over your nether regions or nude. ¡° The last option took him for a loop as he spoke. ¡°Whatever you are most comfortable with?¡± Within seconds he was fully naked, face down on the table as she began to lather his shoulders and back with scented oils that were warm to the touch. Within a second she climbed on the table and pressed her chest against his back as she slid up and down his body. As she went from cowgirl to a reverse cowgirl position she began to slowly but surely massage his legs and his glutes. After several minutes she flipped him over with his shaft standing fully at attention. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t help it, it''s my fault.¡± As the woman went over to her desk with all of the oils and such and pulled out what looked like a shaving kit. ¡°I am sorry, I already received a haircut-¡± She climbed on top of him and moved his hands to the side revealing his fully erect shaft. ¡°Well at least it won¡¯t be in the way. I am going to shave your nether region. Are you comfortable with this?¡± Marcus nodded at her calmly as she continued. Applying a generous amount of what he thought was shaving scream she began to shave around his junk while she slowly but surely moved his package with her hand in a very soothing fashion. Instead of just nudging it around to shave around it she would take it firmly in her free hand and move it around not letting it go. He shivered as he looked down at her. She looked up at him smiling mischievously as he could feel her hand grip and regrip as she adjusted his package. As she soon finished she grabbed some water and wiped off the cream. As he looked down he could see his forest was now a neatly trimmed garden. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. She climbed off again and grabbed some more oils as she finally released his package before mounting him again and pushing up against his throbbing shaft as she began to rub oils all over his chest and arms and moved to slide up and down his oiled body. As she slid up and down he could feel his member brush against her large assets. It was so sensual that he released a soft moan before she came back up to his ear. "You want to take this to the next level?" As he finished up the an intense massage she quickly stood up and pulled up her panties as he stood up and Marcus put back on his robe. ¡°Thanks, that was amazing¡­umm¡± He began to smile and rub the back of his head. ¡°I am not sure what else to say. ¡° She looked at him and smiled. ¡°It was. Its been a few weeks since I have had that much fun and months sent I was had someone as pretty as you. Are you married? It¡¯s fine if you are, it''s none of my business. Just curious¡± Marcus shook his head. ¡°Ummm. I am in town defending it from the undead horde that plans on coming. Would you like to grab lunch or something? I am not sure if that''s appropriate or whatever. I am kind of new to this and I-.¡± She reached into her desk and pulled out a card and wrote something on it, kissed it and handed it to him. ¡°My name is Celeste, I am free in three days if you want to grab breakfast. I will be at Bruno¡¯s from about 7 to 8am around then. I value honesty.¡± Marcus smiled and took the card before he moved and spoke again. ¡°I am Marcus. I am new around here. I really need friends actually. I am bad at dealing with people. ¡° Celeste looked at him and smiled. ¡°Big, strong and socially dumb. I sure have a type don''t I. We will see how it goes. Go take a shower. I am still on the clock.¡± He quickly left to shower. She blew him a kiss and winked at him as he left. Damn I needed that. Chapter 19: F is for Friends who do things together He soon left Isabella¡¯s with a massive smile on his face. The doorman looked at him and smiled as he walked out the store and soon made his way to Punbi¡¯s Threads. It wasn¡¯t too far from Isabella¡¯s as he moved inside he saw several outfits that were placed all the walls. He saw a pale man who looked like an white man from earth with his military styled blonde hair as goatee. The man spoke up quickly as he entered. ¡°Greetings patron, I am Punbi. Welcome to my shop. How can I help you?¡± ¡°Yes. I am looking to get some clothes and shoes along with commissioning two dresses for two different people ¡° The man looked at Marcus before pulling out some glasses. ¡°Nice glasses.¡± The man looked at him again and smiled before getting closer. ¡°Yes, these allow me to see and mentally record measurements without too much hassle. I am gonna take it, you don¡¯t have the woman who is gonna wear the dress sizes?¡± Marcus shook his head before speaking. As the blonde man moved over to his desk in the center of the store and grabbed two strange helmets before handing Marcus one and putting another on his own head. ¡°This will allow me to get a snapshot of someone you envision to get their measurements. It''s quite helpful for a tailor like myself. Just imagine the two women you have in mind and I will tell you when to move on.¡± Marcus nodded and put it on his head before he thought about Celeste. He didn¡¯t have too much of a frame of reference to her in clothes but he did at least have her in her underwear so she was covered. Punbi nodded before going to he told him to think about the next woman as he imagined Khaliun the best way he could but every frame of reference he had, had her with an apron on. ¡°That will work. Thank you. Looking at your current attire it seems like you are looking to impress these women.¡± Marcus nodded. ¡°I actually need a lot of clothes. This is my last actual pair haha. You have all the creative freedom in the world. I am a warrior so I want something that looks functional at least. ¡± Punbi looked at him and smiled. Before he pulled out a stack of black and tan pants along with several shirts with deep v neck shirts. He also included socks, boxer-briefs and undershirts as well. ¡°I can feel you are looking for high quality while being functional. You have a great body and the shirts I have presented here will bring that out to the forefront. Each of these sets of clothing are about one gold a piece. There are about 20 here so you can mix and match in any combination. Each set of boots are about 3 gold pieces each and there are 3 pairs here.¡± Marcus nodded and pulled out 29 gold pieces and handed them to him as the man led him to a dressing room before he swapped over to his new clothes and decided on all black with the golden embroidery and cuff lengths. ¡°The woman¡¯s dresses will be ready tomorrow for pick up in the morning .¡± Punbi put the rest in a large bag before Marcus began to walk out. He asked him a question. ¡°I am looking to get a place with someone on the roots and off the wall. How can someone who is a non citizen get something like that. ¡° Punbi quickly answered him. ¡°You either need to be a well known merchant or be able to invest a platinum mark into the city as you were not born here. They will give you your citizenship mark on your skin which is not visible outside of city officials with special tools. To live on the roots you also need the reference of at least three owners of businesses or homes on that part of the root. You can also get permission from a Lord of the City but that¡¯s rare.¡± Marcus nodded and returned to Takanka¡¯s rest as he met Jason at the door. He looked at him shocked. ¡°Wow, man did you get a makeover or something? You look like a platinum mark!¡± Marcus smiled and extended his hand to him as he shook it. ¡°I have decided to try and get my groove back. Do you think Khaliun has time to talk? ¡° Jason thought for a moment and spoke. ¡°Not until near closing. With all of the villagers coming inside of the walls the tavern is at double the usual foot traffic.¡± He handed the man 10 silvers and told him to let Khaliun know he would like to speak to her before the end of the night. Jason nodded. ¡°Ok and where will you be?¡± ¡°I will be inside of the tavern eating dinner and such.¡± Jason nodded again and motioned for him to come inside as he went inside. As he walked inside he gathered his clothes into his room but as he did he could tell that with his new updated appearance he was beginning to turn heads in a way he could not fathom before. As he really got a look at himself in the mirror in his bedroom he finally truly took in his appearance. This deep chestnut color skin seemed now pretty much flawless, his minor imperfections when it came to his teeth not being as straight or not seeming as healthy all were gone. He had to have gotten taller as well. While he was 6¡¯1 on earth he was pushing 6¡¯5-6¡¯6 at this point. He was not sure if constitution affected height but he didn¡¯t really complain but while he looked like a slimmer Conan before he now looked like a Greek god carved out of marble as his shirt clung to him closely. ¡°Not bad.¡± He chuckled to himself as he went back down stairs as a waiter sent him to an empty table. As he sat down he ordered roasted duck over a bed of egg fried rice and a large coffee. He looked around and as he leaned back in his chair and smiled as several men and women came up to and asked if he was prince or something. He smiled and shook his head. Then he saw Marissa¡¯s group move over to him. All of them looked like they were in pretty good shape. Marissa had her black hair folded in a bun behind her head along with her battle axe on her as the rest of her crew made their way over to him as Marissa spoke up. ¡°You seem much different, you look actually presentable.¡± As she spoke he nodded. ¡°Sure, I have been working on myself for the last few weeks. Apart from leveling, I have gotten some new threads and self care. Would you like to sit down, food and drinks are on me.¡± As he motioned for them to take a seat. As he continued to use his mental band over the last few weeks he didn¡¯t know just how much the battle lust was suppressing his emotions and thoughts. While he didn¡¯t wear it as much in the city he did sleep with it and that helped him gain much better control of his emotions and stave off the bloodlust. As they all sat down. He could see that Ila and Marissa looked at him differently than before. As Marissa spoke, breaking the silence after they ordered. ¡°What level are you now? You look physically different than the last time I have seen you. That normally doesn¡¯t happen unless you reach a double digit increase in a stat. ¡° Marcus nodded and spoke. ¡°I am level 49. I have gained at least 26 levels since we last spoke.¡± As he drank his coffee. Jamal looked over at him shocked. ¡°26 levels how? That''s THOUSANDS of kills.¡± After several minutes of explaining his journey into the lizardkin territory he also revealed his current stats. Illa and Marissa both looked surprised. ¡°It makes sense. If you are that confident that you could kill that many monsters then it makes total sense to go down that route. I am glad that you will be here when we launch the offense. The slayer corps along with the guard and mercenaries and guards from the surrounding cities have come to the city defense. ¡° Marcus nodded as she continued. ¡°In about a week''s time we will be ready to go and meet them as they are roughly a week and a half away from town. We can¡¯t let the flying horde just swoop down and attack people in the town.¡± That made sense to Marcus. Why the undead were so effective against Oakbend was because a cloud of flying undead descended upon them and disrupted all communication chains along with destroying the gate at the same time. Illa spoke up again. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°So which group will you be a part of for the attack? The Slayers, Mercenaries or Guard. I am sure any group would be lucky to have you.¡± Marcus thought about it for a second. ¡°I will join the city or guard. I have been working with them recently and it makes sense. Have you all gotten any stronger since we last spoke?¡± With that Jamal spoke up. ¡°We each gained about 4 levels. We are about level 14 now. Your speech last time we spoke kind of lit a fire under our asses. I know you prefer to work alone but we have received a C rank mission that has us killing a Wyvern that has been coming into the fields at dusk and eating Goats before flying off. We plan on doing that tomorrow if you are interested. You get to earn some gold and a bit more experience.¡± The three all looked at him apprehensively before he spoke. ¡°Sure, sounds like fun. You can keep my share of the gold. I am well off enough. Jamal-¡± He reached into his pocket and pulled out 20 gold marks. ¡°I need my own place, can you get in contact with your uncle and get me a good place on the root. Let''s stay 2 stories at least, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths.¡± Jamal looked at the coins and nodded as he took the coins as he looked around making sure he wasn¡¯t being watched. ¡°I need friends. Seriously. While I prefer to work alone I would like to meet up with you all whenever I am in town. ¡° Marissa nodded and extended his hand to him and smiled. ¡°Well if eating free food in front of you is being a friend I can do that. I am excited to see you fight tomorrow. Well we are gonna be off. We have training tomorrow and Jamal has to see his uncle bright and early. See in you near the Northern Entrance¡± With that the three got up and left. He continued to sit alone and drink tea and coffee as the clock hit around 1am the Inn began to push out any people that were not staying the night. After several more minutes he saw Jason come into and lock the doors and walked over to Khaliun and pointed to him. Marcus pretended not to notice as he saw Jason walk back over to him. ¡°She is going to take a bath and she will be out shortly.¡± Marcus nodded before he left and Guin spoke up. ¡°What¡¯s your angle with this woman? If everything pays off I doubt you will see her very often again. You will have your own place unless you all fail and this city gets overrun.¡± ¡°I need friends and I want to make this place my homebase for now. I want people to vouch for me to become a citizen. With someone like Khaliun opening doors to other people in her position it could gain me actual influence.¡± He could hear Guin chuckling in his mind again. ¡°So you are a schemer? I thought you were a warrior.¡± Marcus gave an exasperated sigh. ¡°I am human. If you want me to be a pillar of humanity. I kinda need to have humanity with me. I can¡¯t just be a bloodthirsty marauder at least not only. I need to be able to create and destroy. If this doesn¡¯t work out here then I will just make my own town in the frontier or something. I am not beholden to Druid¡¯s Grove though I am beholden to understanding this city and places like it. It feels like a good snapshot of the world. ¡° As he finished up Guin wrapped her presence around him like a cloak and whispered in his ear again. ¡°Just don¡¯t get caught up thinking that you are ¡®them¡¯. You set the example, not to follow into the dredges of human bureaucracy. You can use the tools of the past but use them to build a bridge into a better future.¡± As Guin finished speaking he noticed that Khaliun was within a few feet of himself. While he never really paid attention to her appearance outside of noticing that she looked some flavor of asian descendant. This time he really took in her appearance. Khaliun looked like a South East Asian woman with skin the color of honey with jet black hair. He wasn¡¯t sure if she was below average height or if he was just tall. She had thick and distinct eyebrows and she had on what looked like caramel lip gloss. She had a slim-athletic build that she could tell was What surprised him the most was that she was dressed in a simple but beautiful flowery rose colored dress. ¡°I see you clean up nice. You don¡¯t look like a beggar anymore.¡± Khaliun looked down at him as she took a seat at his table. ¡°Well I wasn¡¯t gonna accept your offer but I thought to at least give you a shot while you''re still living here.¡± Marcus smiled as she sat down; several waiters and waitresses made their way over to them and poured both of them drinks before Khaliun continued. ¡°What made you want to take me out?¡± He took a moment. ¡°I first wanted to say that I haven¡¯t been the most friendly and pleasant person to be around. I have been adjusting to my new environment and it has been a challenge. Secondly I need friends. I need people that are reliable and pillars of this city and community. You fit all of these things.¡± Khaliun looked at him impressed. ¡°So you can actually talk and communicate like you have actual sense. Well I may or not be these things but why do you need them? From my understanding you have money so why not just go wherever you want? Who needs a pillar of a community when you are wealthy and can be anywhere?¡± Marcus continued after she finished immediately. ¡°Do you want the truth? I am not one to hide my intentions.¡± She nodded before he continued. Marcus took a deep breath. ¡°This is gonna be hard to explain. But I am thinking of making a team of capable people and making a push into the Undead Frontier and pushing them back and making a way for humanity. You were an adventurer once. I am not thinking about immediately but soon not too long after the attack. ¡° Khaliun looked at him intensely before she spoke. ¡°I haven¡¯t been an adventurer for over 8 years. I got enough money and resources to open up my place and be successful. That¡¯s the dream of most adventurers. No one wants to be around death and horror everyday.¡± Marcus smiled. ¡°That''s if we were only planning on leveling and fighting to grow. I plan on eradicating the undead from the planet. Along with all other monster races. I can¡¯t do it alone. I need a team.¡± Khaliun pulled out her identity goggles and looked him over with her mouth open wide. ¡°You are already level 49? Two different stats at level 70+ is impressive, It would take me having to go to level 120+ to get where you are at.¡± Marcus held up his hand. ¡°What if I told you I could rapidly increase your stats for a one time boost.¡± Marcus looked at her gravely. With his intense look at her Khaliun took a second to respond before speaking. ¡°That would be interesting but I can¡¯t just uproot my life for a stranger that realized after months that maybe he could use better clothes and a haircut.¡± Marcus nodded and stood up. ¡°Listen up Khaliun. I can¡¯t promise you anything other than the promise of power and the freedom to grow with me to save humanity. Oakbend can¡¯t be the only place in the world where this is happening. Do whatever you feel but I am offering you a chance to be able to better defend the things you care about. I assume that Jason and Kenny are family to you? ¡° ¡°Fandy as well.¡± He raised an eyebrow but continued. ¡°I have seen these large vehicles traveling around the city. I assume there are house sized ones or war machines versions of them. ¡° She nodded as she stood up as well.¡±I am willing to take anyone you would want to come with you. I am willing to invest in people that I think are important. If you need more time then sure. I plan on being level 75 after the attack.¡± ¡°If you actually hit level 75 after the attack then I will think about joining you.¡± Marcus nodded and good night before he went to this room and went to bed. Let''s put a team together. Chapter 20: Rip and Tear As he woke up he decided to go to the Vikas estate and pick up his gear and smooth over his transgressions between him and Jasmine. As he left inside of the estate he was immediately handed a massive plate armor set and a one handed hammer. The same Halume butler looked at him. ¡°To my understanding they received the measurements from the memories of Lady Jasmine so if it doesn¡¯t fit as well as you like please let me know and I can have it retailored to you. ¡° Fortune¡¯s Bulwark[Unique] Base Efficiency Bonus: 48%[+100% Unique Bonus] = 96% Skill Tree: Ladies of Fortune¡¯s Grace Base Ability: Lucinda¡¯s Blessing Trigger: Saying the Command word(Lucinda¡¯s Blessing) Energy Drain: Low Description: Allows the user to dramatically decrease the efficiency of the next attack by an amount equal to The user¡¯s efficiency bonus. This effect lasts for 3-5 seconds. You can apply this effect to anyone by pointing and saying the command word if willing. There is a small chance that this effect can trigger without you activating it or using energy right before a hit. Made By: Drogi Shadowrock Attunement: 80[-20: Unique Bonus] = 60 He looked at it and the man smiled. It was unique. THIS WAS INCREDIBLE. As he examined the piece, he had assumed that some final adjustments would be necessary, so he was taken aback by the flawless fit when he tried it on. The entire piece gleamed with a rich, lustrous gold, intricately adorned with inlays of deep black onyx that added an elegant contrast. Delicate filigree, resembling intricately patterned coins, was meticulously imprinted into the metal, adding to its ornate beauty. To his surprise, it was lighter than he had anticipated, almost as if it were crafted from air, yet it retained an undeniable sense of solidity and craftsmanship. As he was putting on his armor he also saw that the butler go and come back with a massive one handed hammer as he spoke. ¡°Our crafters with your generous donation of resource crates decided to use the allocated 140 attunement slot budget and the fact that you made a Unique armor that you could attune to an additional Major item. We saw the shield on your back when you came in and assumed that you liked either dual wielding or using a shield. So we have crafted a one handed hammer. While it is not Unique it is Masterwork." Major Hammer of Rot[Masterwork] Base Efficiency Bonus: 48% + [80% Masterwork Bonus] = 86.4% Skill Tree: Vestiges of The Rot Lord Base Ability: Mark of Decay Trigger: Mental Activation upon hitting a target Energy Drain: Medium Description: Upon activating this ability a glowing mark appears on the target''s body where they were struck. While the mark is on their body their ability to regenerate is dramatically reduced while slowly spreading necrosis around the mark. This effect stacks. The duration of the mark is based on the user¡¯s wisdom and efficiency of this weapon and resisted by the target¡¯s wisdom. Attunement: 80[-10: Masterwork Bonus] = 70 As he picked up the hammer, he examined it closely. The tool was an intense jet black, giving it the appearance of being carved from stone rather than forged from metal. The head of the hammer was particularly striking, crisscrossed with strange, glowing red veins that pulsated like lifeblood coursing through the entire mass of the weapon. The handle, in contrast, was crafted from a sleek, black metal that exuded simplicity yet strength. Wrapped around the grip was a luxurious red cloth, its vibrant hue adding an element of elegance and allure to the formidable instrument. He pulled out 25 gold marks and handed them to the butler. ¡°Please give this to Drogi for the armor. It''s wonderful.¡± ¡°If you would like I can take your clothes and make sure they are returned to you if you are going to speak to Lord Vikas.¡± He nodded and handed him his clothes and boots before the butler led him upstairs to the war room as he saw Jasmine, Vikas and the Orume or Orcish looking man Makashi. Vikas looked at him and blew a soft whistle before Jasmine turned around to face him. ¡°You look good son. Not as good as I did at the time but close. You actually gonna want to sit down and talk to me for once or you just gonna brood out the door again and not know what''s going on.¡± Marcus rolled his eyes but nodded as Vikas motioned for him to sit down at a seat on the war table. ¡°I would like to thank you for allowing me to use your crafters and come to your estate. I have been suffering from a poor disposition and I am looking to come out of that hump and help.¡± Lowian clapped him on his back and smiled as Vikas continued. ¡°As you might have heard. The Undead Horde is on its way to Druid¡¯s Grove and is about a week out. We have set up defenses about a day''s travel away from the city. We have had out several dozen Earth and Plant mages set up defenses and towers along the main road. We have built anti-flying buzz traps to take out as many of the flying riff raff as possible. There are several monsters that we need our heavy hitters to deal with. We have Captain Mclane to fight the Vampire that ripped Lucille in half. There are several goliaths as well. While they are incredibly powerful, what makes them standout is their very tough and hard to deal with hide and bone armor. Outside of having around 35 to 40 in the stat you want to damage them with, our people find that you do no damage. We are thinking about putting you with the high level people and dealing with the Goliaths and Golems. While the Golems aren¡¯t as hard to damage they are actually intelligent and can use tactics. You will be reporting to Guard Commander Deacon in 3 days.¡± Marcus nodded. ¡°This isn¡¯t against an actual coordinated army. Undead out of all monster groups have the largest hordes but also the lowest level among them. The scouts are saying it''s looking like 20k+. We will have 1000 guards that are at least level 10, 100 of them that are level 50+ and we have 20 guards over 100+ along with at least 10 more over 250+, and one person over level 1000. Deacon commands the level 50s though with your stats you will be middle of the pack¡­maybe towards the top. ¡° Marcus thought about the vampire. ¡°So tell me about this Vampire. I was there when it ripped the person on the cloud in half. They didn¡¯t seem very weak to me.¡± This time Jasmine spoke up. ¡°Vampires are considered the Elites of the Undead. They are considered to be around 250-1000 level as far as ability along with being highly intelligent. They are able to use their cunning and skill to lead armies. Despite this they are melee fighters that have strength beyond what you would expect. They are also the only undead that can ¡®breed¡¯ with Umes. ¡° Marcus raised an eyebrow before she continued. ¡°Very few monsters can breed with Umes but every monster group has at least one. Some of the more powerful vampires had entire castles filled with Ume¡¯s of their own lineage and slaves that they use for food and to sire more vampires. It is not something anyone would wish on their worst enemy.¡° For several more hours they continued to speak more and more about the plans before they called it for today and Marcus got up to leave before Vikas spoke up again. ¡°Hang back a bit.¡± Marcus shrugged as everyone left the room. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You seem like a true warrior. Would you like to help me with something? ¡° ¡°What exactly can I help with?¡± ¡°I need you to stand out, separate yourself from the pack in the upcoming battle.¡± Marcus¡¯s eyes began to focus and look at him strangely before he continued. ¡°You''re an independent. You are free from all people here and outside of the city. I have had people look into you. From what I have been told it seems like you fell straight out of the sky. ¡° Marcus held up his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t do politics. I am just here to help.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Ok then do that. I have some platinum marks quick track to being a noble if you do.¡° ¡°I am not even a citizen of this place, how can I be a noble??¡± Vikas laughed softly to himself before he continued. ¡°That''s how sheep think. Who cares what others think you are. You are a rising star. We need more people like that in this world. People that are not scared to brace the unknown and take a chance on their own life to advance and grow. You being a noble sends a good message to all others in the city as an example of how nobody can reach the highest heights.¡± ¡°I am going to have to respectfully decline this offer of nobility. I am not tied to any factions.¡± ¡°Of course. Well that''s everything I had to say. ¡° Vikas got up and left soon followed before Marcus as he left the estate and went straight to Punbi¡¯s to pick up his two dresses. The two dresses he got boggled the mind. A red sequined slip dress with gold embroidery of leaves and roses for Khaliun and a tight form fitting blue sundress with golden white flowers all over it for Celeste. He took the dress before leaving, heading back to Takanka¡¯s to drop off his clothes there before heading out to meet Marissa and company just outside of the city. As he appeared with his mix mashed collection of weapons he could not think of anything but a level 3 MMO character fresh out of the starter area. He saw Marissa in what looked like a Leather jerkin with a leather pauldron on her dominant arm with her other arm being bare. She had on thick leather pants as well. She looked like a modern day barbarian with her red skin and brown headband. Jamal looked like he was a mage of some kind with his wool robes and staff. Ila had a massive crossbow on her back while looking straight like a rogue. ¡°Hey I have your place and should be ready to go in about a week. My uncle is also getting it furnished as well so once you move in it should be ready to go. ¡°Hey blondie. You''re ready to kill a Wyvern?¡± Ila spoke up this time as the sun was finally beginning to set. ¡°Of course. Any specific gameplan you had in mind?¡± Marcus looked at each of them as they started to leave the city entrance and head towards the village fields. Jamal pointed at Ila. ¡°We are gonna find cover while Ila shoots the thing down then provides support if it dives. I can make light shields and Marissa can swipe it to scare it off. ¡° Marcus looked at them before speaking. ¡°I can also provide ranged support up to about 300 feet though I can push it and go farther. I use a whip and boomerang combo. ¡° Marissa looked at him with a smile on her face. ¡°A whip and boomerang is an interesting combination. I am excited to see it in-¡± ¡°AARGH!¡± Before Marcus and company looked up to not only see a single Wyvern but Three Wyverns the color onyx with massive jaws and teeth with one of them being smaller than the others. With that the others sprung into action before Marissa called out to Marcus. ¡°You think we can do this? This has to be a B ranked mission at this point.¡° ¡°Not sure but I need to test myself. Ila cover me. I am gonna hitch a ride.¡± Ila grunted as the largest Wyvern had gone down to nab over a few remaining cows that had not been brought inside of walls. ¡°I don¡¯t think so!¡± Marcus unleashed his whip and flooded his whip with energy as it extended and wrapped his chain around its neck and began to pull it back down, easily matching its strength as Ila continued to pepper it. He also saw Marissa using returning throwing axes to continue to pepper it. He began to quickly throw his boomerang as it whipped this spiked tail looking to spit roast him. He saw a shield of blue light cover him as it bounced off and shattered. He decided to drop his boomerang and grab its tail as he leaped on its back as the two other creatures began to dive and stab at him. The other full sized drake attempted to skewer him as he lifted the grappled wyvern¡¯s tail as it skewered its partner''s tail instead he heard it roar in pain as he attempted to remove itself from the grappled one. He then summoned his Boomerang to his hand and with a ferocious assault began to aim for the membrane of the flying wyvern as tried fleeing as it ripped the skewered tail off the grappled Wyvern but it was too late. As it tried to fly it collapsed on the ground. As the baby wyvern attempted to fly away he saw what he imagined was a shooting star come from Ila¡¯s crossbow and hit the baby wyvern in the wing shattering it as it also tumbled down. ¡°Marissa lets deal with the grappled wyvern underneath me. Disable its wings so I can finish it with my Hammer. ¡° Without a second thought Marissa rushed towards the grappled tailless wyvern as he lashed out with his head another blue shield appeared around Marissa as it bounced off and the shield shattered. With a throwing axe in each hand she climbed on its back with Marcus and began to hack the wing membrane closest to its body with his Hammer making short work of its ability to fly. ¡°Done!¡± ¡°Ila, Jamal focus on the one with Marissa. I have the other ones.¡± Marcus shrunk back his whip as Marissa switched to her main axe and began hacking at its wings as it tried to shake off Marissa. Ila continued to combat roll and dodge wyvern tail stings as she reloaded and hid behind trees and changed targets to Marissa¡¯s beast. Marcus began to walk over to the other large wyvern. It turned to him and he smiled as he rushed forward. Launched a tail stab at him square in the chest. ¡°Lucinda''s Blessing!¡± What should have been a powerful and accurate stab turned to what was a glancing blow as he continued to advance. He swung his whip at the creature as it tried to leap away but he just extended his whip. ¡°Banshee Wail¡± As it began to scream loudly as the one winged wyvern finally got up and the supersonic wave rippled through the body of the monster before rushing over to him. He leaped directly on its head and began a furious combination of hammer blows as he felt its skull finally crack as it began its death rattles on his furious blows. The one winged wyvern moved over to him and as it tried to bite him he turned around. ¡°Lucinda¡¯s Blessing!¡± As it bite found purchase it wasn¡¯t very good as he began to wrap his arms and legs around the youngling as he reached under its chin to a soft spot and began to rip out its jugular as it screamed in pain he continued to laugh as he finally ripped it out he held it up like a trophy is quickly began to bled out. He yelled out in just a ferocious might as he pointed at the two dead wyverns. Before he began to mount the dead wyvern and unleash a combination of hammer blows until he reached brain matter and continued to unleash powerful blows over and over. ¡°You thought you were better! You were too weak.¡± ¡°Too weak!¡± ¡°Too weak!¡± ¡°Too weak, ahahhaha!¡± "I REMAIN!" ¡°Hey¡­..ummm all of the wyvern are dead.¡± As he shook his head as he heard Marissa and the blood lust began to recede. He saw the other three with looks of fear and shock on his face as he checked his HUD and realized that he had gained about a 100 kills and reached level 50. He stood up slowly. ¡°Sorry about that. I can get a little intense in battle.¡± He went over and grabbed his whip and summoned his boomerang back to his side. ¡°So are we selling these bodies?¡± Chapter 21: So we heard you like Goth Gunslinger Golden Cowgirls that fight slavers on the weekends After helping Marissa and her group by wrapping up the Wyvern corpses, he chose to take a break, feeling satisfied with his contribution to making them a bit stronger. He then returned to his room to concentrate intensely on managing his mental band and limiting the influence of the Berserker Fog on his mind. During this process, Guin offered him some advice on becoming a more focused person. ¡°You need to be able to turn this off and on at least outwardly. Marissa could have been a good choice as a Chosen. Khaliun does seem ok but I doubt she was anything special as a soldier but we will see. But you do need to find and make a Chosen. You will be crippling yourself if you don¡¯t.¡± He nodded and smiled up at the ceiling excited for his date tomorrow. ¡°If you keep smiling like that your face may get stuck that way.¡± He rolled his eyes and thought about pointers that his dad used to give him. ¡°You know, son. The Temptations and music from my childhood really taught you how to treat a woman. Now all you do is to do the little TikTok dances. Y¡¯all don¡¯t even know how to dance with a woman. Come with me, let me show you how my dad taught me¡­¡± Dad. I was never as smooth as you but if you are up there in the sky send some of your luck down for me tomorrow. He woke up with a purpose. He had made sure he looked nice, he brushed his hair and put on his tailored black pants and tan tunic and boots before making his way to Bruno¡¯s. Bruno¡¯s was a large outdoor cafe where dozens of people ate with friends and loved ones. As he reached Bruno¡¯s he saw Celeste and she looked like something out of a painting. She wore tight black leggings with a short white dress that stopped a few inches above the knee and high heels. . As he walked over to her he cleared his throat as she looked at him and smiled as she stood up. Even with his shoes on she was tall. She had to be just over six feet he thought as he walked over and hugged him. ¡°I am glad you made it. I just got here. You look quite good, your clothes are clearly better.¡± Marcus smiled and handed her the folded dress. As she opened it up and saw the sun dress fully. She looked at him and pecked him on the lips as she led him to her table and sat down across from him. The waiter came over and as he ordered coffee Celeste got what looked like a 32 oz Tbone steak and eggs with biscuits. As she began to devour it she looked over at him. ¡°So what are your plans today?¡± Marcus thought for a moment before responding. ¡°I am looking for people that can join my team. I need people with potential or people that are used to fighting.¡± As she continued to eat she spoke between mouthfuls. ¡°What are you offering?¡± ¡°I am offering a large increase in stats and the chance to rise and protect humans. For those that stay with me you will continue to gain stats as I rise, we rise together. ¡° ¡°How many stats are you offering up front for this team you have?¡± ¡°Around 75 stats that can be distributed in any way you wish. I can promise an additional bump in less than six months that''s considerable to this if not more.¡± Celeste stopped eating entirely and looked him over. ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± ¡°Anyone that accepts this is bonded to me forever. It''s not slavery or anything but all of the bonuses anyone would gain disappear if either of the bonded die. I have no control over your actions nor you mine. ¡° ¡°That¡¯s it? What are you planning on doing with your life and all of that?¡± ¡°I plan on expanding humanity to make it safer for all. I seek to dive deep into the undead territory and either route or cull their numbers accordingly. Then push humanity to a golden age so that everyone can grow and feel safe. For this I need people. As I grow, everyone around me grows at a higher rate. ¡°Any pay?" ¡°What do you feel is reasonable?" ¡°Well how does 25 percent of everything you make sound?" Marcus thought about it for a second and felt like that was a bit too much. ¡°How about 5 platinum marks per month and 5 percent? " ¡°You have that right now? To offer?" He nodded as he pulled out 3 platinum marks and 200 gold marks as even people around him started to look at him greedily. ¡°Deal." Marcus looked at her strangely as started to move the coins back in his purse. ¡°I am looking for experienced fighters or gear users. Someone at least level 10+" She nodded and pulled out her citizen card. It had her full name, address and her level¡­.she was level 25??? "Wait a second you are level 25 but you work as a ... .ummm massage place?" Celeste leaned in as she spoke. ¡°Yes, I am a card carrying Rose Escort and have been a part of the Guild of Roses since I was 18.¡± Marcus'' eye browed his eyebrow. ¡°What is any of that?¡± She smiled and put her knife and fork down and dabbed her mouth. ¡°I am assuming wherever the hell you come from does not have Escort Guilds. Basically just like any other trade we have apprentices, journeymen, and masters. Our line of work can be considered very dangerous. Hundreds of years ago basically most escorts banded together against the sex trafficking and abuse and trained its members how to fight and most journeyman escorts are at least level 20. Most masters are at least 250+. When we are not whoring, we do raids against bandits that deal in flesh. There is also a long standing oath that those that harm or kill us tend to meet untimely and painful deaths.¡± He thought for a second and smiled. This could actually work. ¡°So you plan on joining just like that? You don¡¯t need anything else or whatever?¡± She shrugged. ¡°I know schemers. No schemer worth their salt would come up with a pitch that bad. That tells me that you aren¡¯t lying. Especially since you are bringing this up on a date with an Escort. I have an eye for people. You have to be in my line of work. You seem a little unstable but your foundation is solid. I can tell you aren¡¯t gonna peel my skin from my skull or some other shit. ¡° Marcus'' jaw was on the ground as she took all of his coins, even the few gold marks he had put in his purse and looked at him expectantly. "So how does this work?¡± Marcus held out his hand and touched her forehead when a window appeared in his vision. Would you like to make Celeste Raven, Chosen? He clicked yes as her stats appeared below in his visual HUD. Celeste Raven Level 25 31 kills kill level 26 STR:10 DEX:15 CON:15 INT:20 WIS:15 STA:18 Attunement: 185/196 You have 75 stat points to assign. As he looked away to her he could see her also see his HUD and her eyes grow large as she saw his stat total. His weakest stat dwarfed her largest one. "How would you like this distributed? I have 75 of them? ¡° He saw her think for a moment before saying. 5 in Constitution, 10 in Strength, 10 in Dexterity, 20 in Wisdom, 10 intelligence, and 20 in stamina. Without a second thought he assigned the points as his own stat totals rose by the same amount. Celeste Raven Level 25 31 kills kill level 26 STR:10(+10)= 20 If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. DEX:15(+10)= 25 CON:15(+5) = 20 INT:20(+10)= 30 WIS:15(+20) = 35 STA:18(+20 = 38 Attunement: 185/196 She smiled as she saw her stat totals rise and leap up in the air and rushed over to him and kissed him so deeply he felt his heart flitter. "I am yours to command, hot shot. How do we save humanity? ¡°As he felt his own stats rise looked his stats quickly as she pulled away from the kiss. Level 50 77 more kills till level 48 STR: 80 (+10) = 90 DEX: 47 (+10) = 57 CON: 82 (+5)= 87 INT: 35 (+10)= 45 WIS: 35 (+20) = 55 STA: 45 (+20) = 65 Attunement: 185/325 Loot Coins: 20 ¡°Well, umm I have to defend the town and leave tomorrow so you want to idk ... .train so we know what we can do?¡± Celeste shrugged as she adjusted to sit better on his lap. ¡°What about after we defend the town? What''s your grand plan?¡± Marcus smiled and clapped his hands together. ¡°I am going to push into the Undead Frontier and make a way for humanity.¡± Celeste looked confused and cupped his face as she looked down at him. ¡°Honey, that''s a mission statement. What''s your PLAN?¡± This time she asked more firmly as she held his gaze. ¡°That''s about all I got so far. I''m just gonna go there and kill stuff and get stronger than kill more stuff and allow humanity to conquer and take over the territory until there are no more undead or at least they are limited. Then continue doing that until I get rid of all of the monsters.¡± Celeste moved his cupped face closer to hers till his face was inches from hers. ¡°That¡¯s the dumbest shit I have ever heard in my life. So you are gonna go there and even though you are exceptional there are other people and monsters just as strong as you are if not stronger. My Guildmaster would wipe the floor with you. What makes you think you are gonna be so successful?¡± ¡°Look at my stats again.¡± He said as her eyes looked off distantly as her eyes went wide. ¡°How¡­.how often can you do this?¡± She looked at her intensely as if she was looking for any lies in his speech. ¡°Every 25 levels.¡± Celeste then slowly got up and placed some silver marks on the table as she grabbed his hand and pulled him away from Bruno¡¯s. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± ¡°Out of the City?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You have to trust me.¡± ¡°I will trust you till just outside of the surrounding villages.¡± As Celeste quickly led him out of the city and to just beyond the villages Celeste looked him up and down before looking over her shoulder and around before she spoke, ¡°Who else have you told that you can do this?¡± ¡°I told Khaliun something similar to this but nothing specific. I told her I planned on reaching Level 50 before the attack is over. I didn¡¯t tell her about stat points. I just told her I can make her stronger.¡± Celeste looked at him and spoke calmly. ¡°You can¡¯t tell anyone else about that or we all become a target. If what you are saying is true it means that I am your weak link and I make you vulnerable. We need to discuss some ground rules and a basic plan. With that she reached into her purse and pulled out two compact folded chairs, a folded table, and a pen and pad. ¡°Let''s work through this mission statement and form a plan. Every 25 levels we get a massive power spike and can take on more and more powerful threats quickly. We need capital. I thought you were some super rich prince or something at first but if what you say is true then you really can do something. ¡° Marcus asked the obvious question. ¡°Why do we need capital? To secure your payment or something.¡± She shook her head and pulled out the 5 platinum marks. ¡°We need capital because we need a vehicle, resources and a TEAM. So you plan on recruiting Khaliun so she good at managing people so I can see how that can be helpful but currently we have a; A Killing Machine A Ranged Support Then a possible level 10-15 Innkeeper and with that we plan on taking down monster groups that have existed for thousands of years with constant warring with us and one another. The same monster groups that have repelled Heros that levels were rumored to be in the 5-10 thousand range? Even with your incredible stats you are somewhere in the high 90s low 100s for an adventurer which makes you well above average but nothing compared to the real monsters in the world.¡± As she continued to speak Marcus got even more deflated. ¡°K, so how do we put this team together? What are your ideas?¡± ¡°We stand out this against the horde and gain a lot of levels. You will save 50 stat points for Khaliun at Level 75 and I can probably sway her to our cause. You definitely aren¡¯t the charismatic type. To be honest you could find better. We need to pool our boxes together and get an AirShip. Then we need a loyal driver. I would not make them chosen unless they can actually help us in combat. ¡° Marcus used the pen and started taking notes. He was never the plan it out kind of guy. He was more of a destroy it with force type of guy. ¡°Then we need a Crafter which you should probably make a Chosen. The crafter doesn¡¯t need to be able to fight though but if they can that''s all the better. We need at least 2 more people that can fight. If Khaliun does join then all that means either the crafter or driver needs to be able to fight as well. We can decide on what type of fighter once the situation is resolved. Basically if everything works out our team should look like this. You - The Leader Me - The Brains/Tactician Khaliun - The Quartermaster/Human Resources(possible) N/A - Driver N/A - Crafter We could also use one more person that''s a Jack of all trades that can take up the position of any one of us encase one of us dies. ¡° ¡°I get all of the big picture stuff but we still have to survive the attack first and we leave tomorrow. What can you do exactly.I know you are supported and all of that. How does that all work?¡± With that she stood up and looked around before she stripped down her bra and panties and reached into her purse and pulled out a long black leather duster with silver metallic accents. Soon after she pulled out white leggings with silver and purple accents along with a purple mesh undershirt and white combat bra and black combat boots. ¡°Ok well you look well dressed. What can you do exactly? You look like a Steampunk Goth woman.¡± She finished it up by putting on two different gloves. One was white and the other was purple.¡± She quickly made a finger gun with her purple glove and shot a purple bolt of energy at his chest as it hit him. It knocked him off his chest as it singed his chest with what felt like a purple laser. She made a finger gun with her white gloved hand before she pointed at him and shot him in the chest as he felt this health quickly tick back up to green. As she offered him a hand he smiled and pulled her down to him as he chuckled at her and she grumbled. ¡°Hey asshole! My gear is mainly white, stop trying to stain my gear!¡± ¡°And my shirt and pants combo costs a gold mark.¡± As Marcus leaped to his feet he moved to unhook his whip that was wrapped around his waist and pulled out his whip from around his waist. ¡°I mainly use a whip and boomerang combo. I am starting to work on my new Hammer as well. My Boomerang returns to my hand and my whip can extend and uses sound as a base and teleportation as a base for my boomerang. I am a bruiser that wants to stay in the close to mid range. Long range is really my weakness. ¡° She looked at him and nodded before continuing. ¡°I am a Medium-Long Ranged Support. I have my gloves but I also have Earth Staff that allows me to create slabs of Earth on the ground to block off entrances. Through my gloves are my bread and butter, I am Mastery 3 in both. Seeing you use a whip and boomerang I will stand about 20 feet from you and keep you in the fight or at least harass bigger enemies. ¡° Marcus nodded as she stood up. ¡°Lets train then for the rest of the day and get ready for tomorrow.¡± Celeste nodded as well as they began. Chapter 22: We are under new management As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of amber and purple, Celeste made up her mind to meet him at Takanaka¡¯s Rest for breakfast before their departure the next day. She hoped to use this opportunity to talk to Khaliun before they all parted ways. The next morning, the cozy tavern was already buzzing with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon when Khaliun arrived. Her eyes widened in surprise as she spotted Celeste sitting at a corner table, engrossed in conversation with Marcus. Without a moment''s hesitation, Khaliun navigated through the maze of tables, her footsteps quick and purposeful, to join them. ¡°Umm, Hello Marcus. Could we speak in private about a previous engagement.¡± Khaliun looked at him as he looked down on his plate of food and up at Khaliun Celeste spoke up. ¡°Do you mean the power boost arrangement?¡± Khaliun turned to face the woman as she spoke again. ¡°How do you know about that?¡± Celeste smiled and winked at Khaliun. ¡°Because I believed in this lovable brute and he turned out to be right. I have received a massive power boost with little real downsides honestly.¡± Khaliun turned and stared daggers at Marcus before attempting to storm off Celeste grabbed the wrist of Khaliuns wrist and turned her around. ¡°Woah, where are you going? That¡¯s one hell of a way to leave a conversation. You can¡¯t help me anymore so you are useless to speak to? Is that the kind of hospitality we can expect here?¡± Khaliun stared at the Blonde in front of her before she spoke. ¡°I am leaving.¡± She turned and faced Marcus. ¡°You aren¡¯t welcome here.¡± Marcus looked at Celeste before trying to speak as she held a finger to his lips. She reached in her pocket and pulled out an identity lens and handed it to Khaliun as she took it she continued. ¡°I want you to look at my stat screen and go over it. I have gained a lot of stats and he has plenty to give. This is my citizen card. They update them each year so unless its a rounding error I am still the same level but strangely I am now 75 stat points stronger than I was before.¡± Celeste leaned back in her seat and smiled a devilish smile before she continued. ¡°I have looked into you. You were a decent warrior with a fire based spear but your stats were average and you called it quits around level 14. You retired to take over your parents place around age 20 and have made this place into a money making machine. I have birdies that tell me that you wish you were just good enough to become a warrior without being consigned to being a basic grunt.¡± Khaliun''s mouth dropped as Celeste kept talking. ¡°You think we don¡¯t talk to each other? I have seen you come into Isabella¡¯s and see Isaac. I can¡¯t blame you, he is talented so you have good taste at the very least. Regardless, we could use someone like you on our team.¡± Khaliun had gone from curious to dangerously intense. ¡°Why would I want to join the team of a brute and a whore?¡± Celeste got in close, so close that only Khaliun and Marcus could hear her before she continued. ¡°Marcus is the Team Leader and is level 50 with stats in the 90s he would be considered Paragon level at this point in his development. He is willing to give you points and grow like me. He just gave me 75 stats points. I am sure he could give you something similar when he gets back in town after saving the city. But it is your choice, the offer lasts until we leave this place. ¡° Celeste motioned her hands around the place as several men and women looked their way, with several interested people stealing glances at Marcus. ¡°I know you have seen others looking at him, wait till he returns from the attack much stronger.¡± Celeste stood up as Marcus did as well and paid as they continued towards the door. Celeste whispered in his ear as they walked towards the door. ¡°She is gonna stop us as soon as we reach the doorway.¡± Marcus didn¡¯t think so but Celeste was clearly the wheeling, dealing type so he let this experiment play out. ¡°Wait!¡± Khaliun yelled as Celeste and Marcus turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll Do it!¡± Khaliun yelled as Celeste motioned for her to come closer as Khaliun walked over to them. As Jason came out of the doorway and looked around Khaliun motioned for him to return the door. ¡°What are you doing exactly?¡± Celeste wrapped her arm around Marcus¡¯s as Khaliun¡¯s face turned red. ¡°I will join the team if you will have me.¡± Celeste reached over and patted Khaliun on the cheek before she turned around with a shit eating grin and walked hand in hand with Marcus. ¡°Told ya. We will be in touch¡­maybe.¡± As they left and headed towards the rendezvous point about a day¡¯s travel outside of town Marcus finally put the words together in his mind to speak. ¡°Why did you do that?! Khaliun seems like a good person. She didn¡¯t have to do that to join the team? I did not ask you to join the team like that.¡± Celeste smiled up at him and entwined fingers with him as they walked together. ¡°You are selling what you are offering for short, like stupidly short. You are giving them a blessing beyond measure. This is like giving an average person 35+ levels. FOR FREE! The average level of Ume¡¯s is around level 8, maybe even lower. If she doesn¡¯t want to play ball there are MILLIONS of others, including nobles that would drop to their knees and give up their entire estate for a taste of what you are giving. You honestly may say you are or were a commoner but you act like a noble more than anything.¡± As Celeste continued the wheels in Marcus¡¯s mind began to turn in his head. ¡°You can reject her, if you feel like she isn¡¯t onboard. If I was in your shoes I would honestly. Your constitution is well over 50. Around that level any physical defects or genetic conditions¡­..smooth out considerably. You look exceptionally healthy. You are tall, built like a brick shithouse with a gentle giant personality. You won¡¯t have a problem finding another person to join. She is average at best. I give +3 stat points a level so at least I am above average but at only +2 stats per level she is pretty weak at level 14.¡° She turned to face him and cupped his face as she bent her face down towards her. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°You just can¡¯t let people think you don¡¯t understand your value. People can and will take advantage of you. I.E me.¡± She pointed at herself and smiled. ¡°Everyone gets fooled or gets an ok trade once but if I am gonna be soul bound to you this can¡¯t keep happening. She has ties to this world. She has friends and family that love and care about her. When the going gets tough she has the option to just leave and return to something.¡± She moved her hands away from his face and continued to walk away. ¡°We don¡¯t.¡± Marcus thought about it and damn this world was fucking brutal. It wasn¡¯t an ideal situation but he would ask her if she wanted to join in a proper manner when the time came. As they approached the rest of the siege, he observed a vast assembly of hundreds of warriors being guided towards Guard Commander Deacon. What struck him was the eclectic array of attire among the warriors; their outfits varied widely, lacking any semblance of uniformity. Commander Deacon himself was an imposing figure, a tall Human man of Latin descent. His fiery red hair was meticulously cropped on the sides and slicked back, giving him a commanding presence. He wore an exquisite breastplate gleaming over his rugged brown leathers, a massive sword slung across his back, hinting at his formidable strength and presence. ¡°Are you Marcus? He nodded as he shook his hand and motioned for him to follow him into the high level camp as he looked around he saw several dozen people that were attended by several what he figured were pagelike people and servants. ¡°This is the Level 50+ section. Up here, alongside the serious big shots who have their own tent-like houses and possessions, we manage quite well. We have access to bathrooms and our own barracks with separate rooms for each person.¡° As he gave them a tour he could easily see the 20 foot tall tree like wall and the barracks grown out of it with Earth Mages helping the process. As he made his way to his room he could tell that while it was a much smaller room than his room in Takanaka''s, at least he had his own room so he couldn¡¯t really complain. Deacon continued as he finished the tour he got briefed with the rest of the group. As the meeting ended it was almost night time but powerful light mages and lanterns continued to light the sky so it was incredibly bright as they began to be served dinner. Marcus pulled out four food and beverage boxes and handed two to Celeste as she smiled and activated them, getting a massive burger and fry combo with what looked like a jug of beer. That did sound good he thought as he made the same thing but instead of beer he envisioned orange juice as they ate and drank together. Marcus broke the silence. ¡®I want to thank you for helping me. I know this is a great boon and all but I appreciate you all the same. I don¡¯t think I can do this alone anymore.¡± Celeste put down her burger and slid closer to him as they sat down outside of the barracks. ¡°Regardless of what I say or do. Don¡¯t lose that.¡± Marcus turned to her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°That moral compass, you can¡¯t buy that. It¡¯s innate.¡± She smiled up at him and patted him on the back before she continued. "Mine is a mess. Honestly. As support, I''ve been forced to make decisions that weigh heavily on me just to ensure as many people as possible could return safely." She gazed into the vast, open night sky, lost in thought, while Marcus hesitated, unsure if he should speak again. "I found myself stuck underground, relentlessly pursued by undead from level 1 all the way up to around level 8 or 9. Alone in the darkness, I had nothing more than basic equipment, and I spent the night beside the countless corpses I had to fight off to survive. I managed to clear a dungeon on my own before reaching level 15." She looked at him in shock but smiled afterward. ¡°So what region from you from anyway because you never told me.¡± Marcus looked at her intensely. ¡°I am from a different world. I was killed and summoned here or reborn. Whatever makes sense.¡± Celeste began chuckling before she stopped abruptly when she knew he wasn¡¯t joking. ¡°How did you get summoned here exactly?¡± Marcus leaned back in his chair. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter but I am tasked with making a way for humanity. There are gonna be threats against this world that apparently will uproot everything. I am tasked with making sure humanity is on top at the end of this.¡± Celeste looked at him intensely. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Marcus closed his eyes for a minute as he felt Guin¡¯s presence wrap around him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to end up isolated in solitude, like living in caves, nor do I want to be someone who frightens others. I aim to be a beacon for humanity, and I need to achieve it in my own unique way. I have no intentions of ruling over anyone else like a Tyrant.¡± She placed a hand on his arm and went back to her burger as they talked for a while longer before pulling away and headed to their separate rooms for the night. The remaining days passed relatively smoothly, with no significant issues arising. As he had anticipated, individuals in the higher ranks had to maintain a considerable distance from one another during combat, ensuring they were spread out along the frontline to avoid any clashes. The strategy was straightforward. With his whip extended to 12 feet, he could effortlessly cleave through dozens of weaker Shamblers in a single sweep. Behind him, Celeste would diligently follow behind him, her sharp eyes trained on the skies as she fired precision shots, efficiently taking down any flying threats that loomed overhead. Then after 5 days of being here the horde came. ¡°It¡¯s time for revenge for Oakbend.¡± Chapter 23 Part 1: Scorched Earth As the sun began to turn to dusk he saw a massive cloud of flying undead bird-like creatures the size of large dogs flapping towards the defenders as they began to form lines. Everyone looked up and saw an older Gobume with red robes appear on top of one of the outposts as he raised his hands in the air Marcus felt the wind pick up. As it did he noticed the Gobume man was waving his hands in the air he began to unleash a massive gout of flames as the air ignited and exploded with a force that knocked some off their feet as Marcus looked up he finally noticed it. ¡°Mastery 8! Lords of Fire and Ash Commandment: Heaven Sundering Flame!¡± He conjured a swirling inferno, a fire tornado that roared to life with a fierce intensity from what looked like a mile away. It began to draw in the undead fliers, their charred forms spiraling helplessly around the fiery vortex. Some ground-based troops were swept up as well, their figures engulfed in the blazing whirlwind. To those who witnessed it, the sky seemed to have split open, unleashing the very fury of Hell itself upon the battlefield as the Gobume soon collapsed into the arms of another soldier. As the skill ended the sky began to rain burning embers from the undead fliers like rain. As the ground troops began to show he finally noticed just how massive twenty thousand undead looked like and it was terrible. It looked like something out of a horror movie as Shamblers and Ghouls ran towards them. Earth and Plant Mages summoned traps and activated them and crushed a large swath of shamblers as stone and wood shards impaled hundreds at a time as more filled in their ranks and continued towards them. Ranged gear users began to launch powerful blasts, bolts and arrows at the undead as they continued moving on and as soon as they were also in bow range. The defenders were not safe as a sea of arrows and javelins began to fly and rain down on them as the supports came in and blocked the sea of arrows with light, shadow and metal shields as they bounced off he finally saw his fight, The Undead Goliath. The creature towered at five stories tall, its colossal arms and legs a testament to its terrifying strength. The skin stretched over its massive frame was the pale hue of ashen bone, pulled so taut against its face that the bulging muscles threatened to burst through. Several of these monstrous beings brandished bone tails and appendages, uprooting trees with ease and hurling them like missiles at their attackers. The ground trembled as walls of earth erupted skyward, and the battle commenced with a fury that shook the very core of the earth. ¡°Let''s go to work!" Marcus leaped from the top of the barracks with Celeste in one arm as he extended his whip and wrapped around a tree and pulled them towards a massive pile of shamblers. ¡°I can clear a landing spot." Celeste formed a finger gun with her hand, aiming it at the ground. With a fierce concentration, she unleashed a brilliant burst of light from her fingertips. The radiant energy exploded outward, scattering more than a dozen shamblers that blasted apart. As the chaotic scene unfolded, he threw Celeste into the air. Marcus, using his extended whip, transformed it into a shimmering, silver concussive wave that spun around him with a dazzling display of force. In mid-air, Celeste continued to release intense blasts of light, each one illuminating the surroundings with a blinding glow. As she gracefully descended, she surveyed the area, noticing the ground littered with the fallen creatures they had dispatched. Together, they pressed forward, their path now clearer as they advanced towards the formidable figure of the Goliath. ¡°My Energy is Light Green Marcus!¡± After training with Celeste he put together a vicious spin cycle like technique using his extended whip and the sonic form as he cleaved through bodies he just rushed forward as Celeste followed behind him and shooting out light barriers covering his body as the various arrows and necrotic blasts hit him. Level Up! Level 51 Level Up! Level 52 ¡°Alright now the real fight begins." Celeste called up and she looked up at the Goliath. Marcus stopped spinning and jumped back as the monster stomped where he was as he grabbed Celeste and used his immense strength to leap away and gain distance. This monster began swiping and struck them with the weight of a mountain with such a speed that the air began to ripple. ¡°Lucinda¡¯s Blessing!¡± ¡°Light Lord¡¯s Rebuttal!¡± Celeste wrapped them both in a barrier of Light as Marcus turned his shoulder to absorb the brunt of the below; they immediately flew towards a large stone rock as the rock shattered against his armor; he continued to roll as he held Celeste close, wrapping her in his arms. As they stopped rolling he looked up and saw that Celeste''s leg was clearly bent at an angle that was not right. ¡°It''s fine! Tight me around your waist and strap me in close. My leg will take an hour to fully heal after using my gloves master 3 ability.¡° Without further hesitation Celeste pulled out thick leather straps and wrapped them around her torso like she was a baby. Celeste continued to fire and launch shields as arrows and debris continued to be thrown at them. ¡°Ok. We gotta stop that thing. Do you have any ideas?¡± Marcus looked at Celeste as they continued to make their way over to the rampaging Goliath heading straight for the backline support of the Outpost. ¡°To rush it, and don¡¯t stop. I can only use this technique once and I will be almost completely out of Energy but with how fast it swings. I don¡¯t think we have many other options. We don¡¯t have strong enough ranged damage, right? Your whips'' sonic damage is based on your wisdom right?¡± Marcus nodded as he began to slash his whip at the ghouls and shamblers rushing towards him. ¡°It won¡¯t to dick all to it all. You have to get in his face and pummel it with your hammer and stop it from regenerating. It can probably heal as fast as you can. I can buy you a single second but you gotta be able to reach him.¡± He nodded as he summoned his boomerang to his hand. ¡°I am gonna teleport there as soon as my boomerang reaches melee range with the monster.¡± With that he turned his head around and raised his hand in the air as his Boomerang began to glow brightly as he threw it as hard as he could as his boomerang flew straight. ¡°Zero Toss!¡± As the both warped there the monster reflexively swung in his direction as he kept flying through the air keeping velocity of the boomerang. ¡°True - Light Lord¡¯s Rebuttal!¡± Celeste called out as they were covered by an expanding ball of light that slightly pushed back the undead paw as it shattered the light shield as they reached the face of the monster Marcus pulled back and hit it with all of his might as he heard it stumble before falling on his back. As it fell Marcus used his whip to extend it and wrap around the face of the Goliath clearly blinding it as it tried to remove the whip he landed landed next to the head of the monster and grabbed the top of its skull as he began to pummel the top of the massive creature¡¯s skull with his Hammer. Mark of Decay! This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. As the sickly red from his hammer began to spread from the head of his hammer to the skull of the monster he continued to hammer blows and punches to the scalp of the monster as Celeste used both of her arms to hold on to him as he was beginning to move so fast that the edges of his armor was beginning to glow from friction. Bone fragments flew off in random directions as he tried to get through its thick skull. Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Despite its size and strength with his strength now well over 90 after clearing several groups of undead he was clearly stronger as he held it down grabbed the fractured bits of its shattered skull armor and he rained blow after blow on it. After several seconds of attacks it moved to try and cover the top of its head as it threw his boomerang and attacked its arms as and continued to try and crack the skull of the monster as he skull began to cave in he smiled and began to rip off bone fragments from the skull. ¡°Rip and Tear motherfucker! This is for Oakbend!¡± He unleashed a sickening grin as he began to rip out the monster''s brain as it screamed in pain as he ripped out chunks and chunks of brain matter as it began to shake on the ground violently before he saw above his head. +200 Kills - Partial Level Up! Level 53 As he turned around he noticed that his energy was below half. He would have to conserve his energy and let it recover naturally or he would be out of energy. As he rushed over to several people fighting a Flesh Golem. This one was clearly much smaller than the others but it still used its several arms with bone spikes on them to slash and shoot them at people as a Solume man with a complexion matching Celeste got impaled to the ground as Shamblers began to rip the limbs off of him. As he threw the boomerang at the Flesh Golem as it smashed into its side it launched a powerful spike at his chest. ¡°Lucinda¡¯s Blessing!¡± The spike hit him square in the chest and pushed him back as he felt one of his ribs crack from the pressure as his health went from yellow to Light orange. Celeste called to him as he dodged the second spike. ¡°I have enough energy for a shield or a decent regen. What do you want?¡± ¡°Regen. I can take a hit as long as I have health I should be alright.¡± She nodded and formed a finger gun before she shot him in the chest and his health began to slowly tick up from orange to back to yellow as he rushed forward. ¡°Phantom Hunting Grounds¡± As a massive aura erupted from underneath his feet as the Golem looked down quickly before looking back at him. Marcus smiled as he smashed it square in the jaw with his hammer and he heard the bones in the jaw shatter as it was rocked on its back foot. As he wrapped his whip around its neck he pulled on the whip as it went flying back towards him it swung. He sidestepped the claw moving himself closer to the golem as it missed him it used its other claw to perform a powerful overhand claw. Marcus smiled as he threw his boomerang at the monster as it crashed into the head of the monster he roared out in a powerful bellow. ¡°Zero Toss!¡± With those words, he obliterated the distance between them and unleashed a torrent of devastating hammer blows. Each strike landed with bone-crushing ferocity, the skull shattering under the relentless assault of such intense blunt force trauma, collapsing into a mangled ruin. +75 Kills - Partial ¡°How is your leg doing?¡± Celeste leaned over his shoulder and yelled loud enough so he could hear. ¡°I can barely walk now I think but it is set and the muscle tears have healed.¡± Marcus nodded before he continued. ¡°Let''s go over to more of the Flesh Golems.¡± She nodded as he leapt over closer to the Outpost as thousands of undead were fighting against guards and soldiers as Shamblers were fighting them. ¡°Let''s go for a spin cycle. Hang on.¡± As he extended the whip Celeste wrapped her arms and legs around his chest as he leaped over and began to cleave through hundreds of undead with just the force of his whip. Level Up! Level 54 Level Up! Level 55 Level Up! Level 56 Level Up! Level 57 As he finally reached the Flesh Golem Celeste spoke up. ¡°My leg is good, I am gonna hop off now.¡± Celeste cut herself free of the leather bindings she hopped off. ¡°I have noticed that it seems like we share Kills now. Even though I didn¡¯t really help, I have leveled up 20 times. I have been dumping it into Constitution, Stamina and Wisdom in that order.¡± As she landed she pulled out a silver looking hilt that she soon activated and a purple looking beam saber erupted as she rushed forward. ¡°Let''s go Slowpoke!¡± Marcus smiled before he leaped forward toward the Flesh Golem before it used its bone-like tail to swipe in his direction.¡± Chapter 23: Part II "Well start the war from right here" ¡°Lucinda¡¯s Blessing!¡± As it struck him the swipe turned from a direct hit to a glancing blow. He returned with a Banshee Wail and slashed its head as the concussive whip went through his blocking arm as it traveled through his skull as it shook heavily as its eye burst open and his head shattered and his energy reserves took a massive hit. ¡°I have to be careful with that.¡± +75 Kills-Partial Level Up! Level 58 As he looked around for Celeste she was blasting Undead and cutting them down with her saber as he felt the kills flood into him. He smiled before he leaped over to the middle of the remaining thousands of undead and began to spin like a dervish again and rushed forward as he continued to clear hundreds of them as he bisected ghouls, shamblers, minotaur''s and even smaller flesh golems. With his strength well over 100 and rising the monsters felt like cardboard as he crushed through them. Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! After several minutes which felt like hours he stopped spinning as he saw Ghouls begin to run away as the Vampire was killed and the Goliaths and Golems were killed. He did not stop though. He hunted as many as he could and spun, clearing hundreds more as he continued to level up. Between Celeste and himself he had reached Level 77. He felt that he had personally killed at least a thousand. By the end of the battle he had reached Master 1 in his armor, his hammer and mental band while also reaching Master 3 in his Whip as he looked at both his and Celeste stats She had reached Level 49. Standard Chain of Wailing Widows[Well Built] Base Efficiency Bonus: 96% + [20% Well Built Bonus] = 115.2% Skill Tree: Screams of the Forgotten Base Ability: Widows Embrace Trigger: Mentally activating the ability when the target is struck by the whip. Energy Drain: Low Description: As the user hits the target with the chain whip, if the target is living the target begins to hear sounds and screams of hundreds of widow¡¯s crying at the lost of their lovers that will never return home. This lasts for a number of seconds equal to your wisdom and your Intellect. This effect is resisted by your wisdom + this weapon''s efficiency vs their Wisdom. Master Ability 1: Pull of the Forgotten Trigger: Command Word(Irvine) Energy Drain: Low to Extreme(duration) Description: The user says the command word and slashing, extending the chain by an amount equal to the amount of energy used and turning the whip into a supersonic whip of sound. While extended this way all other abilities used by this Skill Tree are considerably more effective while using considerably more energy. Duration is based on the user¡¯s wisdom. Mastery Ability 2: Banshee Wail Trigger: Command Word(Sonito) Energy Drain: High Description: The user says the command word and makes a slash with their whip as it turns to a bright silver as it turns into pure sonic energy. This weapon can only be stopped by other sonic based attacks or similar items as it unleashes intense sound waves inside of the target. The attack potency of this attack is increased by the user¡¯s wisdom. Mastery Ability 3: Resonance Nova Trigger: Command Word Energy Drain: Extreme Description: Your whip now has the ability to passively store sound waves in the whip. Generally the louder than sound surrounding the whip the faster it charges. After it fully charges the whip can unleash a omnidirectional sonic blast from the user that deals damage based on the user¡¯s wisdom. Attunement Slots: 80 Standard Helmet of Mental Clarity [Well Built] Base Efficiency Bonus: 24%[+20 Well Built Bonus] = 28.8 Skill Tree: Bulwark of Soothing Dreams Base Ability: Calming Thoughts Trigger: Wearing the Helmet Energy Drain: Negligible Description: This helmet allows the user to have a higher resistance to mental effects while worn. You are able to focus clear your mind by increasing the energy drain Mastery Ability 1: Mental Reflection Trigger: Mental Damage Energy Drain: Variable Description: Reflects a percentage of mental damage back at the user based on the user¡¯s wisdom. You are less affected by nightmares. Attunement Slots: 40 Fortune¡¯s Bulwark[Unique] Base Efficiency Bonus: 96%[+100% Unique Bonus] = 192% Skill Tree: Ladies of Fortune¡¯s Grace Base Ability: Lucinda¡¯s Blessing Trigger: Saying the Command word(Lucinda¡¯s Blessing) Energy Drain: Low Description: Allows the user to dramatically decrease the efficiency of the next attack by an amount equal to The user¡¯s total efficiency Unique Bonus. This effect lasts for 3-5 seconds. You can apply this effect to anyone by pointing and saying the command word if willing. There is a small chance that this effect can trigger without you activating it or using energy right before a hit. Made By: Drogi Shadowrock Mastery Ability 1: Ashanti¡¯s Invocation Trigger: Command Word Energy Drain: Medium Description: Allows the user to target a creature within 50 feet and reduce the next instance of damage by a variable amount from a small amount to near full negation. This is Luck based and is affected by your Mastery and Wisdom with this item. Made By: Drogi Shadowrock Attunement: 80[-20: Unique Bonus] = 60 Major Hammer of Rot[Masterwork] Base Efficiency Bonus: 96% + [80% Masterwork Bonus] = 172.8% Skill Tree: Vestiges of The Rot Lord Base Ability: Mark of Decay Trigger: Mental Activation upon hitting a target Energy Drain: Medium Description: Upon activating this ability a glowing mark appears on the target''s body where they were struck. While the mark is on their body their ability to regenerate is dramatically reduced while slowly spreading necrosis around the mark. This effect stacks. The duration of the mark is based on the user¡¯s wisdom and efficiency of this weapon and resisted by the target¡¯s wisdom. Mastery 1: Entropic Strike Trigger: Mental Activation upon hitting a target Energy Drain: High/Low Description: Upon activating this ability the target is inflicted with a debuff that lowers the target¡¯s highest stat by a percentage of the user¡¯s wisdom and this weapons efficiency. This effect lasts for 5 seconds. This effect can stack. If you hit a Mark of Decay then the energy drain is reduced to Low. Attunement: 80[-10: Masterwork Bonus] = 70 As he returned to the encampment to meet with the rest of the soldiers it was a somber tone as he saw bodies of people being carried to various places as crafters started working on harvesting materials for projects. He saw Celeste and she was covered in blood and guts as she worked with the healers. She was holding a man''s hand as he cried about not wanting to die. As he looked down she saw his legs were ripped apart. He saw her rest the man''s head in her lap and began to hum as he clung to her terrified of the beyond before he finally shook and passed on. She stood up with the man''s body and carried him over to the corpse wagon before she went to him. ¡°We did it. You reached level 75+. I didn¡¯t believe it but it was incredible.¡± Marcus walked over to her and nodded before he stood and looked over the bodies of these people and his hand turned into a fist. ¡°I promise. I will get stronger and crush these beasts that prey upon us. I will be the one who preys on them.¡° Celeste rested a hand on his shoulders. ¡°If we can continue to grow like this then sure. More often than not it''s not this many Shamblers and Ghouls. Taking over Oakbend provided a lot of fodder. It''s usually more Goliaths, Golems and Knights. Regardless, I have spoken to several people around the camp and you are the talk of the camp.¡± He nodded as he also moved and helped carry corpses to the wagons as she continued. ¡°The whole spinning whip top thing was incredibly effective, then you did it with a woman strapped to your back. Fighting a Goliath as a support on your back is insane. Most in your position probably would have set me down somewhere and hoped I didn¡¯t die.¡± Marcus looked down at Celeste strangely as the words came to lips without any thought. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°I don¡¯t leave people to die. Ever. I fight until I die or we win. That''s the only option.¡± Celeste looked up at him and smiled and remembered why her type was the big bruiser type. They were too dumb to think about themselves or even the thought of losing. She had to make sure that he fought in battles that he could win. The world needs more people like him at the top, not more people like me. I just have to make sure he lives long enough to get there. She smiled at herself before she continued to carry bodies with Marcus. ¡°I want to say that at first I didn¡¯t think this was work. But being here with you¡­..I have bought all the way in. I don¡¯t need your money or your loot coins. As long as you keep supplying stats like you are, that''s enough. I have enough loot coins to survive for a few years at this point. ¡° Marcus looked at her before he continued. ¡°Well, if you are sure. I still have to give you stat points. I can give you 75 points again if you want? I think you are right. Khaliun is a pillar of Druid¡¯s Grove. She does more good there than here. I will give you an additional 75 points and then look for someone around level 100. ¡° Celeste answered immediately. ¡°Thank you. I can tell you aren¡¯t the scheming type. Just know that from here on out I am yours to command. I will always have you back.¡± He nodded and assigned her 75 stat points as she continued to speak. ¡°I have always had staying power issues as my techniques consume a lot of energy but with an additional 75 points this should really get me to the exceptional level. I would not be considered a Paragon like you are now especially after I assign my stats but still.¡° Level 77 355 more kills till level 78 STR: 130 (+20) = 150 DEX: 72(+20) = 92 CON: 122 (+5)= 127 INT: 51 (+40)= 91 WIS: 41 (+20) = 61 STA: 70 (+45) = 115 Attunement: 225/460 You have 0 points to assign Loot Coins: 47 Celeste Raven Level 49 168 kills kill level 50 STR:10(+20)= 30 DEX:15(+20)= 35 CON:39(+5) = 44 INT:20(+40)= 60 WIS:39(+20) = 59 STA:38(+45) = 83 Attunement: 185/292 She smiled from ear to ear as she jumped in the air noticeably higher than before and hugged him. ¡°You''re the best brute a cowgirl could as for, there is a feast tonight with the camp. We should talk to the Guard Commander guy. He probably has something important to say. ¡° After he finished help with the bodies he walked over the rest of the soldiers as they were gathered who were eating mainly rations. He went into the temporary barracks area and gathered several hundred food and beverage boxes that he had collected from loot boxes and started handing them out to as many people as he could. When he made sure everyone had a food and beverage box he pulled out several more for Celeste and himself as they began to eat. Celeste decided to bring up the silence with the most obvious question. ¡°What made you give away so many food boxes? That was easily 10 platinum marks worth of goods and days of your life given away for nothing. ¡° Marcus continued to eat for a few more minutes before he continued. ¡°They all fought for their city. They risked their lives for people that could not do it themselves. They deserve at least a decent reward and a hot meal. Its the least anyone should do.¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Your world seems to be a little less greedy than our world haha. ¡° As Celeste was eating a large steak with fries and a cup of wine while he was eating a large burger. While he was eating several people did come up to him and shake his hand or Celeste hand it wasn¡¯t until a dark skinned hume with her hair braided behind her head came over. She was dressed in some strange yellow Cheongsam battle robe with black leggins and yellow slippers. Despite her beauty she had the look of a warrior. ¡°Hello, great warrior. I am Camile, a mercenary from Florro. I just wanted to thank you for the food boxes and for what you did. We could.-¡± ¡°I am not interested in joining a mercenary group or any group. I do my own thing.¡± Camile looked at him with a soft smile before bowing and continuing. ¡°I assure you that we offer some of the strongest in the region. We have 20 people over level 100 and 5 of them are over level 250. With all of your strength you would be paid for your time and gain access to great quests and bounties. ¡° Celeste groaned and looked at the woman with her identity lens and saw she was well over 100 at level 118. ¡°After seeing your stats and level your stat growth has to be well over 7 points per level. It''s incredible.¡± Celeste leaned against his armor and smiled up at the woman before she spoke. ¡°Everyone is offering that and more. What makes you stand out? Sadly, we don''t plan to join up with anyone. Good luck to you. Bye¡± Camile looked down at Celeste and smiled before turning to leave. Marcus spoke up. ¡°You know you don''t have to do that right? I know you are better at negotiating but you don''t have to pretend for me. I understand that, I am probably like everyone else. As long as your goals align, you don''t have to put me on a pedestal. " Celeste looked at him again and smiled. "I am not, you just don''t see it and that''s ok. I understand how we met. It can be hard to tell what''s real. ¡° She inched closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I actually do like you. Out of all of the people that have offered to take me out to much finer places than Bruno''s, what do you think happens?¡± She shook her head before she continued. ¡°As someone who has dealt with a wide variety of men and women I know who to turn down and who to accept gifts from. But also I know a good person when I see one. You walked into the back like a fish out of water and looked as if you had never seen that many attractive people in your life.¡± she began to laugh as continued. "You have your own way of doing things and as a woman you just have a good feeling about you. I feel safe around you. No amount of money can replace that. ¡° As they sat in silence for a while she spoke again. "Are you thinking about a new choice I know you had Khaliuns in mind but she isn''t the only one. Don''t have a scarcity mindset. You are the cream of the top. I have a few people in mind if you want to hear them?.¡± He motioned for her to continue as he saw The Commander making his rounds towards him. Before Celeste could really make progress Commander Deacon rounded on them. ¡°Hello, you did great. You earned a lot of respect amongst the men and women here. People are calling you The Golden Dervish. Vikas did not disappoint in recommending you. What are your next plans after we return to Druid¡¯s Grove in a few days?" "Rest and recover then head out looking for more monsters to slay.¡± He nodded at Deacon as he chuckled softly to himself. "Well if you ever wanted to try for the guard I would fast track you through the officers and with ok-¡± Marcus held up before he spoke again. ¡°I work alone, thank you for the offer. I am a bit of a freelancer so if you need anything within my power I can help if it interests me.¡± Deacon nodded before speaking again. ¡°I understand. We are talking about a celebration when we return back to the town square for the soldiers that fought and died to protect Druid¡¯s Grove. I want you there at the high table with all of the important people and high levelers. You can bring any number of plus ones within reason¡° Marcus nodded before he shook both of their hands together before leaving. As they ate their food Celeste began talk about some of the options he could add to the team. ¡°I know a Ghanume woman that is surprisingly lithe for a Ghanume and is some kind of Night Blade. She is a good friend of mine and works as a Merc in Hollowridge just north of Druid¡¯s Grove. I saved her life and my people tell me she does pretty good work. Most of my connections are in Hollowridge, Druid¡¯s Grove and Redcreek by the way.¡± He nodded. ¡°We also need a large vehicle. I am not sure how much something like that costs and we need someone who can manage it and also drive it. I am a warrior and while you are a support, there has to be a specialist for that kind of thing.¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°With you being at the High Levelers table and potentially the having support of Lord Vikas and now I assume the Grove Guards you have some favor now. While I can imagine Lord Vikas has crafters, crafting a vehicle is mainly handled by various competing Rig Guilds. He won¡¯t have what we need. He can work armor and such with little additional cost to himself or his crafters. But this is too much. We should head to Hollowridge after the Celebration. While I don¡¯t have any connections to any Rig Guilds, maybe you could ask for a recommendation or a letter of favor from Deacon or Vikas. They may not make them but they damn sure use them and can get them.¡± Marcus asked the obvious question as the night began to wind down and people returned to their sleep arrangements. ¡°What about a Driver?¡± Celeste thought for a second. ¡°Most drivers are bought and trained by guilds as Rig Fighters or Pilots or by factions to do the same. No one''s gonna let you get someone they trained for years to be an asset to their faction. There are some independent people that are dying for a chance to be one. Use that as leverage to get the best you can for the position. I would not worry too much about levels if you make them a Chosen as we share levels between us now. But what I would worry about is that if they are not but enough of that, let''s shower and call it a night.¡± Marcus couldn''t agree more as he pulled off his armor and clothes and began to head towards the showers First Moro and the Ura. Let''s get a crew together then we push back. ¡°Hey Guin¡­.how come Celeste and I share levels?¡± Chapter 24: Making my way to Hollowridge, rolling fast , in my Rig Caravan As the days passed, they returned to Druid¡¯s Grove. They had sat with the high levelers and received great honor as Vikas made him an official citizen of Druids Grove on top of getting 10 platinum marks for his great effort. In protecting the town Deacon made him an honorary guard captain and had written him a letter to give to Hollowridge¡¯s Guard¡¯s personal Rig Guild to allow him to commission a Rig. Apparently his mentor and cousin was high up in the ranks at Hollowridge¡¯s Guard and allowed him some pull. He finally decided to get an Identity Lens so he could examine people. He did meet with Khaliun again but decided against basically conscripting her as a Chosen. While she definitely was enthusiastic now, like Celeste said, she is much more valuable here. Maybe later down the line he could revisit the situation but not now. After spending several weeks at his own house, he and Celeste had finally recovered and he started training with the Guards, focusing on sessions with Deacon. Although Deacon was significantly stronger, the gap wasn''t insurmountable. Having about half of Deacon''s strength, he was able to push himself hard and effectively improve his combat techniques. During one of their last training sessions before Deacon had to clear out some A ranked missions near Druid¡¯s Grove he spoke. ¡°You have the physical ability and even talent but you need actual skill. You can tag anyone slower or weaker than you sure but if you don¡¯t have skill you will face monsters maybe just a little bit weaker than you. When you do they will mop the floor with you. You need to see my cousin Camila. She is a Paragon and can help you. Paragons tend to help each other out from what I understand.¡± Over the few weeks he had spent with Deacon he agreed the ¡®help¡¯ he could get from the Guards and the Slayer Guild was terrible compared to where he was at now. At his current level of 77 his stats were easily comparable to someone more than double or triple his level along with his superhuman physique that most people amount from the stats he had. Deacon who was level 350 and considered an Exceptional, someone who had 4-6+ stat points per level and even he was beginning to feel comparable to Marcus after some intense training sessions. What he learned from Deacon was a treasure trove of information. He learned that while any item could be reforged, it could only be reforged ONCE. If there was no guarantee that the item would be better, there were rare chances that it became worse. He also learned that once an item reached Mastery 3, 5, 8 and 10 that the attunement cost doubled at those mastery ranks. That makes sense. My whip attunement doubled from 40 to 80 during the city defense. It will double again to 160 at Mastery 5 and again at 8 to 320. I have to be more careful about how I want to progress. I don¡¯t have the attunement growth to just have an arsenal. Unique gear were the only items that could reach Mastery Rank 10 and their attunement cost doubled every two Mastery Ranks. What was interesting was that if you did not have the attunement slots then you could not reach the next stage of mastery. Guin also spoke to him as well about his body and bond with Celeste after crunching numbers behind the scenes as she did not have an answer for him when he asked immediately. ¡°You and Celeste are bonded together. What I did not expect was for The System to treat you two as one being and just give you all partial experience. So while your experience gain is ¡®halved¡¯ your ¡®half¡¯ should apply to all of your Chosen along with their half. You can have a large enough team so that they can kill monsters so you can level in your sleep.¡± So half experience gain but we all have XP share? Seems like a good trade. While training with Deacon he also thought about his next piece of gear. He had decided that his next weapons would be metal reinforced bracers with a leather fingerless glove combination to protect his hands as he opened over 25 loot crates before he got a Major Loot Crate he noticed that it had a Major Chaos Weapon Box. While these were actually not that hard to get as most people valued consistency he wanted to get a better picture of how the system worked and had Vikas¡¯s crafters work diligently for a few days before he received his Masterwork gauntlets. Major Fists of Havoc [Masterwork] Base Efficiency Bonus: 48%[+80%Masterwork] = 86.4 Skill Tree: Running Maelstrom Base Ability: Feast or Famine Trigger: Passive; Upon contact with a target Energy Drain: Negligible Description: As you strike your blows are infused with the power of Chaos. As you hit a target with any blows or abilities from this Skill Tree. Your techniques go from 25% to 500% efficiency range after all factors. Attunement: 80[-10 Masterwork Bonus] = 70 The gauntlets were peculiar. They featured a sturdy, reinforced metal arm guard designed to protect his fists and wrists, with fingerless leather gloves beneath. Their gold color matched his Fortune''s Bulwark. I have to test these out. The Efficiency range seems very favorable but then again potentially having my efficiency quartered seemed like a nightmare if I really needed a hit to connect. With his new gauntlets he fought Deacon he had caught him a few times unaware that he hit a Feast punch with a massive bonus to efficiency for a clean hit. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. After Deacon finally left to go on his mission he decided to spend more time with Celeste getting ready to head towards Hollowridge. With the various money they had, Celeste had been selling all of their food and beverage boxes as quickly as a large sum of money and they would need it for what they were looking for. They needed roughly 90-120 Platinum Marks for a decent Rig. While he had a lot of money he didn¡¯t have as much money as he needed but he was close. He thought he could sell off their resource boxes or at least trade them to crafters in exchange for a quality vehicle. They had around 50 Resources boxes between the both of them and with them going from 1-2 Platinum here, he would not be surprised that they went for around 2 Platinum Marks in the capital. There were less chances to level near Hollowridge as Deacon told him that with it being in the center of Silveroak most of the outer cities like Redcreek and Druid¡¯s Grove got the most action. As Marcus and Celeste continued to spend time together their¡­..situation or connection approved. It was clear that Celeste was a bit more of a ¡°Free Spirit¡± when it came to relationships. While Marcus and Celeste did enjoy each other''s company on a pretty regular basis after their return to Druid¡¯s Grove she had made it clear that they were¡­..friends with benefits as she valued her freedom. What he truly cherished was their connection and the closeness they shared. When he visited her place, they would settle into their favorite spots, the gentle hum of the city outside a comforting backdrop as they delved into conversations about anything and everything. In those moments, the world seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them. It was one of the rare occasions, aside from his talks with Guin, where he felt he could truly unwind, peeling back the layers of his emotions and confronting his feelings with a sense of peace and understanding. While he was not the most experienced and never had friends with benefits he took it in stride to the best of his ability. He could laugh and joke with her, go dancing, just enjoy the company of others. Celeste pushed him to come out of his shell and live. So far he had be just surviving and moving forward but spending time with her gave him what he could not punch or gain from living his life back. While he agreed that he needed to be a beacon for humanity he also needed to actually experience humanity to foster and cultivate it. He also met with Marissa a few times as well. Despite telling Celeste about it she encouraged Marcus to explore other options and not lock himself down to the first women he saw. While he did go to the various shops to get various stuff for his house he had run into Marissa and she had invited him over several times over the past few weeks and he also enjoyed talking with her, Jamal and Ila about how the battle went for them. They had each gained 3 levels. Ila had lost a foot and needed about a month before Lifegear could regenerate her foot completely. While Marissa still rejected being Chosen she did think he was a good man and that the world needed people like him. It wasn¡¯t until almost a month had passed before they had decided to rent a Rig Caravan for a month to travel towards Hollowridge. They had loaded up over 20 platinum marks worth of currency and stuffed hundreds of food and beverage and resources as they began to take off. Rig Caravans in Ervasta were interesting, there were little to no beasts of burden as caravans here could be powered up using energy directly from the body or Energy Crystals. While anyone could use vehicles that were created from tools the most powerful Vehicles were combinations of weapons, tools and equipment and were infinitely more complex. Their Rig Caravan was built like a normal caravan but had a steering wheel and large crystal like shards inside the carriage. As soon as the vehicle was loaded they made their way North to Hollowridge to see about a builder. With his massive Stamina stat he was able to fill all four crystal shards inside without his stamina dropping below green. What surprised him was how fast these things were able to travel. If he had to guess these carriages had a Top speed of 60 mph and after 12 hours into their journey they had reached Hollowridge. He could immediately tell the difference. Druid¡¯s Grove was a city built for repelling monsters and armies. Hollowridge was built like a traditional city that was wrapped around a massive lake under a ridge face. The walls around Hollowridge were nowhere near the wall surrounding Druid¡¯s Grove and seemed to be made from carpentry instead of just plant and earth based abilities. There were also more people than he had ever seen in his life. There had to be millions of people in Hollowridge. The road to Hollowridge that was mainly just worked earth had turned into blocks of worked marble like stone, Unlike Druid¡¯s Grove, Hollowridge did not have a Tollmaster and as the gates were wide open so people could come and leave freely. As he looked around he decided to wear his actual gear just in case as he didn¡¯t want to be caught unaware in a place he didn¡¯t know. While Celeste didn¡¯t wear her gear she did decide to wear her gloves just in case. She spoke up as she was driving for the last hour as they slowly began driving through the city. ¡°Listen up buttercup, We need to unload a lot of these resource, weapon and equipment boxes here, We have to go to the Capitol Buildings to see the guards but also to get a permit to sell our stuff. I can handle the selling of stuff and get some leads on things I need to catch up on. Talk to Deacon¡¯s uncle, cousin or whoever and secure rights to a proper vehicle and maybe a driver. You got this, meet me at The Wandering Stag around dusk.¡± Marcus hopped off the carriage as they passed the entry gate and Celeste continued on. Time to go to the Guards. Chapter 25 Part 1: New Paragon, Who Dis After handing a few silvers to a beggar, he received directions and soon discovered the way was fairly easy, reaching his destination after about 20 minutes of walking. Though he hailed from the South, he imagined this bustling treehouse metropolis mirrored what New York City must feel like. The sheer magnitude of the crowds was astounding, with hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people bustling through the city streets. Unlike Druid¡¯s Grove, which boasted a single colossal tree, here the majority of residents resided within hollowed-out living trees that towered like skyscrapers, their leafy canopies stretching high into the sky. These immense trees, with their intertwining branches and lush foliage, created a vibrant and verdant skyline, a stunning blend of nature and urban life. ¡°Hey Guin, how do they grow trees to be that big? I mean I know there are plant and earth mages but the ground can not have that many nutrients to support that kind of life.¡± After a few moments her presence appeared behind him next to his ear. ¡°You are correct. From what I have gathered, cities have city based Earth and Plant Mages that focus on making sure the trees have enough nutrients and that the ground doesn¡¯t cause the tree to sink from the additional weight of people being inside of it. Energy that is in your body can be placed in Energy Crystals to supply various public works and tools. The closest thing I can describe it to would be if humans had electricity that they would store in large batteries for personal use.¡± It made a lot of sense to him. If you got that old Gobume Fire user from the city Defense he could probably store more energy than entire sections of the city. I guess that¡¯s one way to retire. He did get strange stares from certain commoner looking people but various guards and what he thought were warriors gave him a respective nod as he made his way to the Guard Station. What he saw was a massive tree with dozens of windows going up several stories as he made his way inside. What he saw inside shocked him. What he saw was basically out of a 1960s police station barring the TVs and radio stations. There were men and women of various shades of humanity all doing what he imagined was police work. He quickly approached the desk he saw a Goblin/Gobume looked man dressed in green and black police uniform with his hat on the side. ¡°How can we help you?¡± Marcus smiled as he sounded like he was straight from New Jersey with a thick accent. Marcus pulled out the sealed letter from Deacon before passing it on to the Goblin. The goblin opened it quickly and read it before handing it back to him. ¡°Please, follow me. Lt. Captain Antonia is currently doing paperwork but yeah this is pretty important let me lead you to her office. ¡° As the middle aged goblin came down from his reception desk and waved for him to follow him as he led him through and up several flights of stairs before he got to the 3rd floor and in front of a locked door. The man knocked on the door. A woman answered in a frantic and rushed tone. ¡°What exactly do you want?! I am busy.¡± He heard rustling of clothes and people as it sounded like things got knocked over in a hurry. ¡°Deacon sent someone from Druid¡¯s Grove that he personally would like you to meet. He asked for you directly.¡± After what had to be almost 2-3 minutes a Solume man no older than 21 opened the door with what had to be the picture perfect image of a disheveled attire. As he walked past him, he had a shit eating grin on his face that could only mean one thing. As the goblin made face palmed. As the door was wide open he saw Deacon¡¯s Cousin for the first time. She was a beautiful woman that looked to be in her mid to late 30s with a graceful look that to him she was human mixed with some other subrace. She looked¡­..healthy. She was lean and toned body type of what he thought was a gymnast. Though he only saw her upper half behind her desk he could tell from her muscular frame that she was a peak athlete or was at one point with the same fiery red hair as Deacon. As the gobume officer walked in he spoke again before the woman could even speak. ¡°You don''t even have pants on do you?¡± She looked confused before she spoke. ¡°What do you mean, officer? Of course I have my pants on.¡± The Goblin man walked over to where he noticed there was a pair of pants stuffed in a bookcase. He quickly pulled them down and handed them to the woman as her copper skin and dark red hair juxtaposed against her blushing face. He then put the letter on her desk and walked out leaving the woman to try and put her pants on under the desk. ¡°So Deacon sent you huh? Well, let''s see what I can do for you.¡± After she put on her pants she read the letter and folded it up and threw it in the trash. The woman extended her hand to Marcus as she shook it. He felt a strength unlike any had felt before; it was like the grip of a dragon crushing a mouse but only for a second before she went back to a friendly smile. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I am Camila, I see you are in the market for a Rig. At least a proper war carrier.¡± Marcus interrupted her quickly asking what was a War Carrier she chuckled before she continued. ¡°I forget, you are from some frontier town or something? A War Carrier is an all terrain vehicle that has to be bonded to a driver in order for it to work. It requires dozens of minor and lesser weapon, equipment, tools and resources in order to make a mobile fortress. It can comfortably carry 8-12 people and uncomfortably carry 20-24 people. It comes with a kitchen, several bathrooms, and various planning areas and at least 4 individual bedrooms and 4 rooms with bunk beds. It requires a pilot that has at least 300-500 open attunement slots. They don¡¯t fall out of trees.¡± She smiled as she leaned back in her chair as he gasped out loud. 300 open slots was a LOT. he had just over 450 slots total and had no doubt that most people were not as strong as him. Seeing him process this, she continued speaking. ¡°So no pilot, haha. That''s not gonna work. Well we can add you to the queue but its gonna cost you if you want to get it built this year or anytime soon.¡± ¡°What do you mean anytime soon?¡± She pulled out a binder from the pile of papers on her desk and flipped through them with a speed he didn¡¯t think was possible to read at. ¡°3-5 years roughly give or take. If you want to move up in the queue like I don¡¯t know ... .NEXT you could do something for me and we can bump you up.¡± Marcus'' eyes narrowed as she smiled before continuing. ¡°Yeah ... .we have a bit of a problem, The Antonia Family, my family needs someone who can work with and get some stuff done. If you allow me to be your mentor and guide you in your growth to at least level 300 then I will make sure that you vehicle will be done within a year''s time. Deacon says that your growth rate is +7ish stats per level and 5 Attunement points. That''s pretty good, all we need for you to do is kill an Elder Vampire for me and dismantle Castle Duskfang. I am not sure how long this will take but if you have gained 77 levels in a few months this should not be that long. Maybe a year or so.¡° Marcus had shook with roaming thoughts as he began to process the fact that if he wanted to get his vehicle in a timely manner he had to side with this ... .Antonia Family. But he had regardless he had to know something. ¡°Why me?¡± Camila chuckled again. ¡°Deacon has always had an eye for talent and potential. He had said that even though you are several times weaker than him you have tagged him in sparring and that you killed over 1000 undead before you hit level 75. That''s not normal, this reminds me of myself. I had killed 100 Wyverns, 50 Drakes, 25 dragons and 12 lizardkin cities by myself before I was even able to return home before level 250.¡° As she stood up and walked over to him and for the first time noticed that she was actually taller than him. He was 6¡¯6-7 but this woman was easily over 7 feet tall and every bit of 250+ pounds. She had the body of the female fantasy warriors that he saw in the images from the 80s and 90s. ¡°But why me, you are clearly much stronger than me. You could probably clear out this Castle no problem.¡± She nodded. ¡°I could but what you will soon understand is that with great power comes great responsibility. My level is 2867. I am in the top 0.1 percent of the world. When I move and leave areas, forces that would do my family, country and city harm would quickly move as well. While I can make short trips for a day or two and I can¡¯t leave my city for long without someone else taking over. Castle Duskbone is roughly a 2-3 month trip DEEP into undead territory. Since you would have to fight your way through the time needing to be doubled or maybe even tripled. I can''t leave my home for almost a year. That would be insane. So I will train you and you can do this for me. The Antonia Family is quite well respected around Silveroak and beyond.¡± Marcus nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know much as far as formal training of fighting so I would enjoy that but I do have a teammate that would join me as well that I have to bring this to her attention before I agree to anything.¡° She nodded before asking about Celeste and getting a run down on her powers. Camila wrote it down so fast he could hardly register before she dismissed him; she invited him to stay at her estate while in town. He thanked her before making her way out of her office and made his way over to The Wandering Stag. While Takanka¡¯s Rest was about 3 stories and built into the root of the main tree, The Wandering Stag was easily the size of a small mall with the food and drink area the size of a food court. As he walked inside it was well over 300 people just in the tavern area while from the outside looking it had to be at least 9-10 floors. He walked up to the bar and sat down and waited. He decided to pull out his Identity Lens and his eyes balked for a while seeing people with levels easily in the 100+ range while he looked at them. While he was generally speaking much stronger than his level suggested he was still¡­mortal. Chapter 25 Part II: Breakthrough While he was busy checking stats, he felt a tap on the back of his head. Turning around, he saw Celeste smiling and gesturing for him to follow her outside. She guided him to the wagon, where he noticed all the boxes were gone. They then went back inside, exchanging information as they walked. "I told you I''d sell it all. What can I say? I just have a knack for selling." Marcus narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her as she spoke. She gave his armor a playful smack. ¡°Your price is not the WORLDS price. I just know a few people and in a few places and even here I used some leverage to get some of the deals to break in our favor. Most people can not afford me even back at Isabella¡¯s.¡± His eyes narrowed again as Celeste broke out in laughter. ¡°A few gold marks? Me? You sweet summer child that¡¯s how I knew you were not from here or had much experience. For the ¡®massages¡¯ that I provide for you on occasion it would be no less than a platinum mark and that¡¯s the ¡®basic¡¯ package. You are just my type so I lowered the price to basically my cover charge. I know I''m worth a bonehead.¡± After teasing him a few times, she finally explained everything to him in detail. Celeste managed to sell all the food, beverage, resource, and tool boxes, earning a neat sum of 134 platinum. However, due to not being a citizen of Hollowridge, she had to pay a 20% tax, leaving her with roughly 107 Platinum and 20 Gold pieces. Although she didn''t find any potential new members, she did connect with some of her contacts who could arrange Slayer Corp member quests with ease. While this seemed promising, he needed to inform her about the situation. As he began to debrief her on the Antonia Family, Camila, and the offer to work with them and in a major quest in exchange for working for them for a year. ¡°Yes, she intends to get you to level 300 and that means me as well. Because we are linked we probably have to share what''s going on eventually or something but not immediately. I think while this could be risky, I think it could be good for us. The Antonia Family is a well respected family. They protect towns and such. Most of the higher level guards in Silveroak are members of the Antonia family. I like the idea of working with them.¡± Marcus thought for a moment confused. ¡°Just how big is this Antonia Family?¡± ¡°The Antonia Family is one of the 20 Great Families in Ervasta. To be recognized, you need to have at least three members of your family be at least level 3000, have at least a 100 family members, and at least 2 Paragons that have influence in a major town or region. They protect other regions from the Undead and help with the lizards. I am not sure how it all works but apparently the only reason Silveroak is not overrun with undead is because of them. I am not sure how or why but they are able to warp or teleport deep into Undead territory.¡± Marcus raised an eyebrow looking at the woman confused before she explained. ¡°What we have been fighting and cleaning up are the monsters that slip between the cracks or ones that sneak through. There are millions and possibly billions of undead deep into the frontier. The only thing that prevents them from attacking Silveroak are mercenary groups, adventurers and the Antonia Family. It''s said that they kill tens of thousands of undead a day just to be able to afford the peace we have.¡± Celeste looked around before speaking again. ¡°I do think that we should accept it but I am not sure if you should disclose the Chosen and Herald information. They could try to exploit you. I would just say that we work together for now until we know we can trust them. It doesn¡¯t have to be too long but long enough to at least get a proper feel about the situation. ¡° Marcus agreed he thought about giving it a month or so to really test everything out. After speaking more they decided to head towards the Antonia Estate deeper into Hollowridge. As they traveled through the night roads of the city they were surprised by just how big the city was. As they wandered through the city at night, it thrummed with the lively energy typical of any large city he had seen back home. The streets were a mosaic of diverse people, with shopkeepers attending to their vibrant displays and the enticing scents drifting from busy restaurants. After absorbing the urban symphony, they boarded their Rig Caravan and drove through the sparkling city lights toward the Antonia Estate. As they drove around the city it felt like the more rustic feel of Druid¡¯s Grove was gone everyone dressed Marcus saw what looked like a massive gated area with dozens of guards around the place. This had to be the Antonia Estate. The Antonia estate was an impressive marvel of nature, a sprawling network of towering trees that reached skyward, at least ten stories high. Five mighty trees stood connected, their branches intricately woven together to form a living fortress. Nestled deep within the bustling city, the estate was encircled by formidable walls, rising to a daunting height of at least 30 feet. These barriers were draped with menacing barbed vines and sharp thorns, creating a natural armor that both protected and isolated the sanctuary within. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. As they reached the gate they were met with a tall man with fiery red hair trapped underneath a metal helmet with a symbol of what he imagined was a family crest, a blood red shield with a hammer and staff crossed behind the shield. The man quickly spoke up as they arrived. ¡°How can I help you?¡± The man looked him up and down and saw that he was different and looked much more like a warrior than a simple commoner or merchant and focused more with his hand on his weapon. As he explained himself and his invitation by Carmila and Deacon he was shown inside the gates. As they were led inside their vehicle was taken by what Marcus thought was a squire or apprentice. With Marcus and Celeste now walking towards the central tree with the guard he quickly spoke. ¡°Camila and the rest of the heads of the family that are home are having dinner right now in the Mess Hall. I doubt you are lying but she will be able to confirm herself and you can have dinner as well if you are so inclined.¡± Marcus nodded as they were ushered through the enormous wooden doors of the building, and he was taken aback by the sheer vastness of the place. The entrance hall stretched out before them, bustling with activity. Dozens of people of all ages moved about, their vibrant tufts of red hair creating a kaleidoscope of shades ranging from deep crimson to lively magenta. The air buzzed with the hum of conversations and the shuffling of feet, filling the expansive space with a lively energy. ¡°The Mess Hall is on Base Floor 1. Just a bit further.¡± As they strolled through the first floor with the guard, it was clear this area served as the reception¡ªa hub where warriors came to recharge, exchange equipment, and recover after training. Marcus observed several mentor-like figures guiding children in simulated class sessions. As they ventured further, they arrived at a grand staircase wide enough to accommodate 4-5 people passing by simultaneously. As the smell of freshly cooked food hit his nose his mouth began to water as he smelled fresh bread, roasted meats and vegetables. He heard the sound of laughter and merriment as they descended down stairs. It was over 200 people with flaming red hair, despite the guard being a hume he saw that all of them came in various different subraces of Ume but they all shared the red hair. He saw Camila sitting down and smiling at a table with a large man with a flaming red beard and long red hair with grey highlights throughout it. There were also several other men and women at that table of 10 people that were set apart from everyone else. The room was filled with large tables pushed against the walls as men, women and children danced with each other. The guard grabbed a mug and slapped it on the table until it got the attention of everyone in the room. ¡°Father Briron and Sister Camila, we have two people here. One of them, whose name is Marcus, said "you invited him here to train for Castle Duskbone.¡± With that mentioned several murmurs were whispered before Camila herself whispered in the large red bearded man ear as he nodded and looked him up and down. After several moments Camila stood up and raised her glass. ¡°Welcome to our family estate! It''s a pleasure to see you have decided to join us. This is Marcus and he is talented. So much so that I will be personally training him. " As she said several whispers before pointing to Celeste and smiling. ¡°We will have my cousin Lucille teach you¡­Celeste?¡± As Celeste looked the woman up and down she noticed who this woman was and quickly nodded before lowering her eyes. ¡°Please, these are your room keys. You will each stay on the 3rd floor of Central. For now let''s enjoy the party, Father is home.¡± With that she walked over, handed them keys and pushed them onto the dance floor laughing. They each found themselves dancing with people. Celeste found herself dancing with a Ghanume with dusky color skin with a bald head and a red beard man almost 8 feet tall as Marcus found himself dancing with a Dume woman with asian-like features with her hair falling down her face in red braids. The music was a mixture of a middle eastern and chinese influence as the string and wind instruments danced along with the rest of them. As they danced Marcus felt like he did back at home and really got to get really lost he started to sing and dance with various people. As he did the electric slide and looked over at Celeste and she was a much more elegant dancer than him as danced in what he imagined was ballroom dancing with an older man that looked to be in his late 70s. As Celeste looked at Marcus wrap his arm around several men and women as he began to sing and dance she smiled. She could tell he was struggling to come to terms with the violence that had to deal with and that this was a breakthrough. On the nights they spent together there were several nights where he woke up in a cold sweat or called out names in his sleep. She seriously worried about him over the past few weeks getting to know him better. She had seen men like him in the past. Men who were idealistic about the world that should be something that it wasn¡¯t. She was not given that luxury. She had to face humanity at its worst and most vulnerable. She had held nobles and great soldiers that curled up as they began to relieve their trauma. She was not a saint but, what she could give was a woman¡¯s touch. She would make sure that she would keep in whole as she could on their journey. She could not be the Sun that guided people forward but what she could be was the space that kept the Sun in orbit. Have fun for once and lay your burdens down at least for tonight cowboy. Chapter 26: Refining Diamonds in the Rough At the crack of dawn Marcus was met with Camilia kicking down his door dressed in what he thought looked like studded leather armor. Behind her were two other men that rushed over to him. ¡°They are gonna help you put on your training gear, they will lead you down to the mess hall then lead you to the training area. ¡° With that he quickly stood up and nodded as the men gave him his padded armor and attached it before putting on his actual training plate mail. With that he made his way down to the Mess Hall where he saw Celeste looking very rough with her black hair disheveled and messy with obviously last night''s makeup on her face. As he moved over to her after grabbing a massive bowl of porridge and bacon. ¡°Looks like you had a good night. Are you excited for today?¡± Celeste shot him daggers in his eyes as she ate some crusted bread with a side of scrambled eggs before she spoke. ¡°Did you also get woken up by someone kicking your door down?¡± He nodded and chuckled before she continued. ¡°Yes, I got woken up by this small red haired woman with a large walking stick that broke down my door and threw me some battle robes and gave me a ¡®guide¡¯ that would lead me to her training area. Apparently, I am a bit too strong for other trainers to train properly.¡° He smiled and spoke. ¡°I imagine that based on our different styles of fighting and roles that having two different teachers makes sense. Are you still down to be here for a year? I am down but I understand if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Celeste shook her head and smiled. ¡°Turning away a once and a lifetime opportunity is not something I plan on doing, at least for now. I gave my word to you to try for a month and outside of certain death, I plan on giving it a shot.¡± With that she stood up having finished her plate and her guide stood up with her and they walked away. Before she fully left though she turned to him again. ¡°Knock em dead meathead.¡± With a simple smile she walked away leaving him sitting down by himself with his two guides also eating. Despite being close to him they did not really talk to him at all. Content to just talk among each other and drink coffee. He also finished him meal and nodded at the two other guides as they also stood up and walked him out of the building. As he walked over to the training area he was at the very least surprised. There had to be over 200 different men and women spread across over 6 different training fields with traps, training dummies, and even resting stations. As he walked past them all he was led to a large football sized field with Camila talking to Father Birion and several other important looking people. As he entered Camila waved her hands and the two guides walked away from Marcus as he approached. She had quarterstaff in her hand and her hair tied behind her head in a tight ponytail. As he walked up to her he noticed that she had all of his weapons and gear beside her. Despite being on edge, he tried his best to keep his calm before she quickly spoke. ¡°Hello Marcus, today we are gonna get a good baseline of your power on its own and your basic combat ability. We will work through each of your weapons and your armor before allowing you to train with it. We will start with your Fists of Havoc.¡° She threw him the Fists of Havoc so hard in the chest that he felt his bones creak as it hit him center mass. As it hit him she rushed to him as he as combat rolled to the side she left a massive indent where he would''ve been as he put his gauntlets on. He rushed towards her and threw a flurry of punches wildly trying to tag her as she quickly spun her quarterstaff blocking each of the attacks before striking him directly in the sternum easily punching through the plate mail like paper. He almost dropped to his knees from the lack of air and pain before he rolled away. As he looked up again he saw Camila she about to deliver a powerful downwards slash that he attempted to block before she kicked him in the throat then used her staff to throw dirt in his eyes as she rushed him he leapt directly up attempting to gain distance as he felt his body get pelted by small rocks that felt like bullets bouncing off his armor. As he landed he decided to focus on his other enhanced sense to get a feel for the battle. As he listened to the sound of the air coming from her staff he rushed to block the sound of wood on metal he heard a shuffle before feeling himself get launched dozens of feet in the air with a powerful kick under his chin. As he was launched into the air he felt his arms get wrapped around him as he felt someone from behind grapple him and wrap their legs around his lower body as they piledrived his head into the dirt. As his head got stuck a foot in the dirt, he felt himself being attacked over a dozen times with the quarterstaff before it stopped. ¡°Ok, that was decent¡­.lets try your whip.¡± As he freed himself from the ground and cleared his eyes of dirt he looked and saw that they now had well over 50 people watching them now. He nodded as she threw him the whip. As she threw the whip he rushed towards her as she smiled. He caught the whip in one hand as he tried to hit her with a lunging jab. She blocked the strike then sidestepped as he went for an overhead slash. She followed through with a low sweep as he jumped and she smiled. ¡°Always stay grounded! You''re a warrior right? You need to stay on the ground!¡± As she swept her staff began to glow as she blasted him directly in the chest with a burst of powerful air that launched him dozens of feet into the air. As he was falling she spun her quarterstaff again as dozens of wind blades erupted from it. He unleashed his Resonance Nova destroying the sound blades. Extending his whip he plunged it into the ground he pulled himself closer to the ground before a wind blast hit him and pushed up into the air again. For the next several minutes Camila using her wind powers was able to juggle him and harass him for several minutes with little difficulty. This pattern continued with all of his weapons and armor. After several hours of this Camila began a soft clap. ¡°You had good instincts, you can¡¯t teach that but you are like an unrefined diamond. There is beauty there but you have only tapped a small portion of it. I can see why Deacon wanted me to train you. For now we will focus on your martial arts as your basis then work on your armor then weapons. Unlike others who would take years your baseline wisdom will allow you to pick this up much faster than most. Most start around 5 wisdom but you have ten times that.¡° Marcus nodded as the other elders and important people left. It wasn¡¯t until they left that he noticed that he had gained an audience of over 100 people watching and talking amongst each other. He looked at Camila with his body covered in minor cuts and bruises that were quickly healing. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Ok so how do we begin, teacher?¡± Camila walked over to him and motioned for him to sit down in lotus position as she also sat down in front of him as she smiled before speaking. ¡°You are what I would consider a pure warrior archetype. That''s rare, even though I am not a pure warrior, I prefer to mix things up but I was taught by a pure warrior and I can give you the basics of it that you must build upon. You need an Image.¡± Marcus looked at her closely and scratched his beard. ¡°What do you mean an Image?¡± Camila nodded before speaking again. ¡°When you look at me what do you see?¡± Marcus thought about it for a long while before speaking. She was a wind based hybrid warrior, she could use her wind based quarterstaff to not only shift opponents but also shift herself getting her out of harm''s way and punishing mistakes. She was the ultimate counter-striker. ¡°You are a wind based counter-puncher that focuses on mobility over the sheer ability to take a punch.¡± She laughed and plucked him on the head. ¡°Not quite but close, I am She who Dances with Death and Gale, Emissary of the Deathlily Winds, The Whispered Killer. That''s my Image. An Image is who you see yourself to be in combat. It''s who you manifest when you fight. It allows you to clear your mind and have your actions you Image takes become your ¡®nature¡¯. It''s the baseline of those who are warriors and have that kind of potential. While most warrior-adjacent types can commit our abilities and techniques to our ¡®Image¡¯ pure warrior types from my understanding ¡®Image¡¯ is much more like an embodiment of your being than something you can turn off or on. But in exchange your ¡®Image¡¯ potentially is much more vibrant and deeper allowing you to commit more of your fighting style to just pure muscle memory. ¡° Marcus was a bit confused as he looked at her again he spoke, ¡°So an Image is the manifestation of my muscle memory?¡± Camila bonked him on the head with her quarterstaff. ¡®That''s what it can do but not what it is. But it''s fine. Crafting an image is not something easily or that you can make in a day. It comes from trials and hardship. ¡° With that Guin spoke up in his mind after being silent for a while. ¡°Think of an Image like this, from your world you would have beings that people would emulate parts of into themselves. Think of stuff like a Tiger style, Crane Style, or a Snake Style. That image would be their animal. You need an image of what you fight like and who you are. The more ¡®true¡¯ the Image is, the deeper your body''s connection to that will be. Once you have an Image you can get a feel for others who have an Image on an instinctual level.¡° Marcus pondered this for a moment before Camila continued. ¡°We will focus on boxing, kickboxing and grappling for now. You fight like a madman against lower level monsters that works but anything that''s comparable to a level 300+ soldier would exploit it and kill you in a heartbeat. Now let''s begin.¡± Camila and Marcus began to work through the fundamentals of boxing, using movement, sidesteps, blocks and counters. For the next several days they never left the area and had food brought out to them. Then they continued to fight. With his Superhuman body his body produced much less fatigue toxins and he could fight much longer than he humanly possible. It wasn¡¯t until the following afternoon that Camila told him to sleep and eat a proper meal before getting 3 hours of sleep and waking up in the middle of the night to continue their training. For the next seven days he trained for a total of 140+ hours and was able to put strings of combos and combinations together in boxing and kickboxing but his movement saw the biggest improvement. He was able to not only sidestep and advance quickly but he was able to take note of his feet and know which parts of his feet allowed him to propel him and how to move properly. He was now able to slide and strafe while his feet barely scraped the ground as it was drilled in him to always keep your feet on solid ground or you die. Now as they trained he appeared almost as a ghost with his feet sliding around the ground. This also improved his base mechanics when it came to moving and striking making him more efficient and tighter. What he also learned about stats also shocked him. While stats did make people better, they only raised you up to the baseline of your threshold of your stats. While his stats were impressive he was only really using them around the baseline level. He did not train or ¡°push¡± himself to the peak of his stat threshold for his stats. This is one of the drawbacks of people raising your stats. You would never be as good as someone with the same stats that had been around the same level for years. As he continued to train the idea of an Image still escaped him but he had a much higher understanding of muscle memory. Just like telling his body to breathe, he could now just tell his body to do actions instantaneously based on surrounding and outside triggers or factors. While Camila gave him the raw information about fighting, Guin was able to process that information into knowledge from his past that he could understand. As he continued to build up his base of actual information. Camila worked on toughening up his body; she exposed him to extreme cold, heat, winds, water, icy ground, and even magma. By week three his body was a well oiled machine. At this point he spared against other guards and soldiers his level with his training armor and no weapons. He lost a lot but this was not the point. He was sharpening his skills and every single spar, every single minute of every day his body became more dangerous and like a weapon. After week three he began to train with restrictions. With his arms behind his back, with him carrying thousands of pounds of weight, being blinded, deafened, impaired breathing. He had done it all and as he continued he actually became leaner as he went from around 280 to 260 and looked like he was carved from stone. He had training for more than 560 hours in a single month. After more than a month of training he had earned the right to use his armor. As he fought he began to feel a tingle in the back of his mind from something. The more he fought the more something in mind was forming. Crush them all. Crush everything, leave nothing in my wake. I like titans from mythos that sundered the world for a new beginning. I will be Calamity Incarnate that brings in a new age... Chapter 27: The Endless Trial Throughout this period, he seldom encountered Celeste. When he finally did see her after a month, she appeared completely transformed. Her hair was significantly shorter, and she had a more intense demeanor, with eyes that appeared vigilant, as though she was constantly on the lookout for danger. She also wore loose battle robes, which were marked with cuts and scrapes. Camila, whom he considered a good teacher even though he was nearly 29 and somewhat behind in his skills as a warrior, made him feel like he was rapidly catching up to the others. Even in the spars now, they either ended in a stalemate or him winning for the most part against people around his power level and no weapons. What he had come to realize is that most warriors had very low intelligence for their level. Most of them around 10 to 30. With his higher processing power he was able to think much faster than them with similar levels of strength and constitution. As he continued to train with his armor Camila decided how best to use his armor. Because he had the basics of actual combat movement he could actually tank and deflect techniques much better so she decided to use an actual weapon. She showed up after almost two months with a large two handed spear with a massive blade on the end. For the next several days he had to sit there and learn how to use Lucinda¡¯s Blessing instinctually. What he learned was that Lucinda¡¯s Blessing had the ability to not just allow him to shrug off hits but be much more aggressive than most could as reducing efficiency meant he took meager amounts of punishment from all manner of attacks. He could sidestep forward, activate his ability and just continue to keep moving. This also continued for days while he continued to weave together combinations of strikes to work together. Despite not getting another mastery bump what he did get was a glimpse of his Image. As he laid in training bed next to the arena on the days that he slept he began to imagine himself as a Titan. A warrior of destruction that could swing and destroy all things in his way. With the force to flatten mountains. Things would come but there was nothing that he could not destroy in his mind and nothing that could stop a Titan, they were calamity incarnate and that¡¯s what he needed to be if he wanted to protect humanity. As this continued he now was able to use his Fists of Havok after getting a firm grasp on his armor. With him already on his way to mastering boxing he was given the opportunity to now put it all together. His Fists of Havok and his Fortune¡¯s Bulwark. He was assigned to be teleported to the frontlines of the Undead Frontline and told to survive for at least 48 hours with no rest and he would be out there for about two weeks. He could try and pull back if needed to sleep or recover but not for very long. He was given a charm that would allow him to teleport back to the base after a minute of being activated. After he showered and ate a large meal he went up to Celeste and told her he would be back in a few days and would probably get some levels in the process. But what was strange to Marcus about Celeste is that she seemed more¡­.clinical. It was strange as he had come to know Celeste as a pretty charismatic person but this was different. As he looked at her, he noticed that her hair was now her natural hair color of blonde and she seemed to move almost like a cat, that was ready to jump into action at a moment''s notice. She might have been well trained before but this is a different ball game. These are some of the best in the world. As he was fully debriefed he was told that the Antonia Family had a staging area where they repelled the main bulk of the Undead Horde that came to the Silveroak and Florro border. What guards and mercenaries fought in Druid¡¯s Grove and in Outposts were the stragglers that managed to get through but more than 95 percent of the undead are repelled by them. Currently Camilia''s Uncle Lucian was fighting as the lone level 3000+ along with a few hundred others ranging from level 100 to 1000. With his effective power level around 300 it was time to put his training to the test. He would be going with a collection of other promising members of the Antonia family to relieve Lucian of his duty for a few weeks. As he reached the teleportation area he saw dozens of others including Father Birion and Camila suited up. She turned to him and spoke. ¡°I will be out there with you but, you have to take care of yourself. You will be on the side of the mass swarms of weaker mobs. Each of these mobs are estimated to be around a level 1-25 Ume but there are tens of thousands of them.I can not and will not protect you. You are a warrior. Show me the fruits of your training and make it back alive with glory. ¡° She nodded as she extended her hand to him in a show of strength. ¡°I¡¯ll make it back. I promise.¡± She nodded as she stepped on the teleportation circle with the other three dozen people. Father nodded and said. ¡°ARE WE READY?!?!¡± As the others yelled out in agreement Marcus yelled out as well as they were shifted through time and space to another large and similarly made area. But here, the sounds of the fighting were so loud that it was deafening to him initially. As his ears adapted the group rushed out of the teleportation circle and into the staging camp that was filled with hundreds of people of various races of Ume. Most of the people in the camp were the support structure that made sure that the troops were well fed and well supplied, each of them moving diligently and quickly as Father Birion began to chuckle loudly he moved along with Camila. ¡°We will rush forward as the support members from Hollowridge will relieve the members that have been working constantly here since the last swap.¡± Dozens other chefs, doctors, and crafters rushed to help the support people at the camp that looked like they were bone tired. ¡°Time to see if I was worth the time she spent on me.¡± They quickly left the camp en masse and after running several more miles saw hundreds of humans fighting off tens of thousands of Undead. He had seen thousands of undead before but this was a variable sea of monsters before him. As they finally reached the front Biriron called out. GROUP DELTA FALLBACK! We are here to relieve you. ¡° As a small section of the group broke off He saw a man with fire red hair covered in grime and guts immediately point to the sky and create a massive meteor the size castle and drop it on the backlines of the undead before retreating as he looked over a Birion the man nodded as he also commanded. ¡°DELTA! We are falling back!¡± As several dozen more continued to pull back. Camila pointed over to the rest of the group of soldiers that were fighting much smaller looking undead. With the simple eye test he could tell that these people were nowhere near as strong as Camila and the other people that were well over level 1000. She nodded at him and slapped him on the ass. ¡°Go get¡¯em tiger.¡± With that he rushed forward to the front with the weaker horde. There are undead like he has never seen before. He saw undead Ume, werecreatures, lizards, Ogre, Trolls, and sea monsters. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. So be it, they walk this planet the same as me. If they died once they can die again. With the single thought he emptied his mind of all unfettered concepts in his mind and focused on the battle and his Image. It was hazy and not quite very clear but it was at least functional. Calamity Incarnate: Titan of Humanity He rushed past several of the ranged soldiers that were harassing the flyers and into the thick of it. He was next to a large Ghanume warrior with two stone like clubs as he smacked around lesser undead and a Gobume warrior that was dashing around with a strange crossbow that launched bolts of energy. As he studied them for a second he felt he could adapt his combat style around them until he got deeper into the horde. As several shamblers rushed him as he reached the front line he set a mental macro to his left arm. Straight Jab - Quick - Low Power - Center Mass - Undead within 2 feet. As he surged ahead, his hand swung with the force of a battering ram, obliterating the skulls of shamblers in a relentless drive forward. Arrows rained down upon him, ricocheting off his armor and slicing into his skin, but he was unfazed. He kept punching, each blow a thunderous clap of fury, and he kept charging forward, an unstoppable force of destruction. ¡°Jab,weave.¡± ¡°Jab,jab,sidestep.¡± ¡°Forward dash, jab, forward dash, sidestep, jab.¡± In his Image he was a Titan of Humanity that had unleashed. In his mind he had been trapped, training and studying to overcome the monsters of his world. He was free now. He was free to destroy and smash all of those that thought that they could dismantle humanity. He was the dismantler, he was a plague to these monsters. He would make a way for humanity. It was a feeling, a desire that felt more true than anything he had ever felt in his life. Reckoning has come for them all. There will be no mercy for these monsters. ¡°God forgives, I don¡¯t.¡± As dozens of undead creatures groped and clawed around him, he pushed forward with determination. He had ventured so deeply into the throng that he found himself encircled on all sides by an unending mass of undead; ghouls with decaying flesh lunged at him, shamblers dragged their twisted limbs in his direction, and flocks of zombie birds swooped down with malevolent intent. It was as if the very air was alive with the grotesque and the macabre, yet he pressed on, undeterred by the nightmarish scene. But he had to adjust his Marco and add a new line to handle the sheer amount of monsters. Straight Jab - Slower - Strong - Center Mass - Undead within 2 feet - Into bodies of other monsters. Straight Cross - Very Quick - Weak - Undead within 1 feet. As he adjusted his stance changed to a more traditional Southpaw stance as he used his powerful jab to almost act like a snowplow and and just truck back dozens of Undead and even with cross being weak because of biomechanics it was roughly as strong as his Straight Jab and he continued to blister and pepper enemies by the dozen as he continued to push forward. His mind was so¡­free and clear at this point that it was almost unnerving to him. There were no other thoughts in his mind. As the shamblers began to turn into mostly undead trolls and ogres. He had to adjust as he continued to push forward. Straight Jab - Normal - Average Power - Major Joints - Sidestep After. Straight Cross - Slow - Strong - Headshot - After three Straight Jabs. Uppercut - Very Slow - Very Strong - Headshot - After a Straight Cross. As he moved forward he aimed for knees, spines, and elbows as he dodged powerful blows or took it on the chin and used Lucinda¡¯s Blessing. These bigger creatures were much slower and were uncoordinated to him at least as they could not properly surround him as they often swung around and hit each other before having to back off giving him opportunities to punish their flaws with prejudice. As he continued to fight he realized this was as far as he could push against the hoard. He did not have enough destructive power to get deeper. Maybe he would if he had his other weapons but that thought fled his mind. This was a test. A small trial against a foe that never ended. I can¡¯t kill these massive creatures fast enough to push deeper into the horde so this is where I will stay for now. As the hours passed in his mind there was no concept of time or concept of a trial escaped him. This was the grizzly work. This was his life, he was a new god born on the battlefield soaked in blood and gore but this was his life. This was all he had ever known. Even more hours passed as the day soon turned to night but he did not stop. He continued. All he knew was survival and punching. His Straight Jab was an instrument that gave him time, it brought him time. It was a great friend to him. It loved him more than anyone or anything he had ever known. His Cross gave him hope, it showed him that the time he brought from the monsters served a purpose. His Uppercut was deliverance, it was the resolution of the hope that he had encapsulated all of the time that he brought with his Jabs. This continued on for hours and hours as the night turned to day he continued in his cycle. As Guin continued to assign his stat points as he leveled he continued like this. As his hunger and thirst began to gnaw on his insides he continued to move and strike move and strike as he entered in what was a true battle trance. As the hours turned into days, he felt Guin¡¯s presence slowly invade his mind. ¡°You need to pull back and rest. It has been four days with no food and water. Even with raising your stats you still need food. You are roughly 20 miles away from the frontlines. Your performance will begin to drop significantly if you don¡¯t pull back.¡± Marcus had to agree his punches were not coming as fast and his energy was not regenerating as fast as well. He was getting sloppy. He nodded and said a single word. ¡°Understood.¡± He then turned around and made an adjustment. Straight Jab - Quicker - Lower Power - Major Joints - Sidestep Around or through. He was covered in his own blood and the entrails of others but it was of no difference to him. He fought in slippery icy hellscapes and even underwater. He always fought tired, he was rarely at his peak for long in battle. It was always a matter of who could take the most punishment and who can outlast the other. This was just a trial, a mere test. I just have to keep moving and fight. As he retreated back to the frontline the only thing he could only think about was one thing. I fought for 4 days with no end in sight of undead. I had killed thousands of them and there were always more¡­just how many undead were there. Chapter 28: Evolution As he finally made it back to the frontline there were entirely different people that were fighting from who he had fought with earlier and as he came out people looked at him shocked. As Guin brought him up to speed on his gains. He had reached level 127 after slaying thousands of undead even with him sharing his kills with Celeste he had grown tremendously. She had shown him his new stats. Level 127 597 more kills till level 128 STR: 205 (+20) = 225 DEX: 122(+35) = 157 CON: 197 (+15)= 212 INT: 84 (+65)= 149 WIS: 74 (+45) = 119 STA: 104 (+70) = 174 Attunement: 285/710 You have 125 points to assign Loot Coins: 95 He was surprised actually when he saw how many points he had gained for reaching level 127 and getting the threshold. He had gained bonus stat points at level 100 and level 125 that he could assign. He decided to tell Guin to talk to Celeste and give her 100 stat points to assign as she wanted. What shocked him was that she was level 109 and he chuckled his stats updated with her assigning her points. Celeste Raven Level 109 437 kills kill level 110 STR:40(+20)= 30 DEX:45(+35)= 35 CON:69(+15) = 44 INT:50(+65)= 60 WIS:69(+45) = 59 STA:68(+70) = 83 Attunement: 255/532 His Fists of Havok also reached Mastery 1 and Mastery 2 and His Fortune¡¯s Bulwark reached Mastery 2. Major Fists of Havoc [Masterwork] Base Efficiency Bonus: 192%[+80%Masterwork] = 345.6 Skill Tree: Running Maelstrom Base Ability: Feast or Famine Trigger: Passive; Upon contact with a target Energy Drain: Negligible Description: As you strike your blows are infused with the power of Chaos. As you hit a target with any blows or abilities from this Skill Tree. Your techniques go from 6.25% to 2000% efficiency range after all factors. Attunement: 80[-10 Masterwork Bonus] = 70 Master Ability 1: Throes of Chaos Trigger: Activating(Sustain) and blows or abilities from this skill tree or weapon Energy Drain: Low Description: As you hit your target your strikes become infused with a variety of different damaging effects that change every hit from explosive to shocking to corrosion. The longer the effect is activated the more powerful damaging types have a chance of being active. Mastery Ability 2: Primordial Kiss Trigger: Command Word Energy Drain: Very High Description: As you tap into the essence of change you hit your target they receive a debuff of changes every second that can range from a wide variety of effects from fear, confusion, poisoning to even healing. The power and duration is based on your wisdom and resisted by Wisdom Attunement: 80[-10 Masterwork Bonus] = 70 Fortune¡¯s Bulwark[Unique] Base Efficiency Bonus: 192%[+100% Unique Bonus] = 384% Skill Tree: Ladies of Fortune¡¯s Grace Base Ability: Lucinda¡¯s Blessing Trigger: Saying the Command word(Lucinda¡¯s Blessing) Energy Drain: Low Description: Allows the user to dramatically decrease the efficiency of the next attack by an amount equal to The user¡¯s total efficiency Unique Bonus. This effect lasts for 5-7 seconds. You can apply this effect to anyone by pointing and saying the command word if willing. There is a small chance that this effect can trigger without you activating it or using energy right before a hit. Mastery Ability 1: Ashanti¡¯s Invocation Trigger: Command Word Energy Drain: Medium Description: Allows the user to target a creature within 100 feet and reduce the next instance of damage by a variable amount from a small amount to near full negation. This is Luck based and is affected by your Mastery and Wisdom with this item. Mastery Ability 2: Polyxeni¡¯s Prayer Trigger: Command Word Energy Drain: High(sustain) Description: Allows the user to call out for Polyxeni¡¯s help. While this is sustained your body while wearing this armor reduces the effects of hostile effects and boosts the positive effects on your body an amount equal to a percentage of your efficiency and wisdom. Made By: Drogi Shadowrock Attunement: 160[-40: Unique Bonus] = 120 As he made his way back to the open mess hall he made it over towards the tables and there were dozens of people looking at him now as if they had seen a ghost before he was shown to the buffet style food area. He had lumped on several steaks, potatoes, eggs, and various greens and beer as he sat down. On the edge of the table. He sat down and began to drink and eat as much as he could before and leaned back on his part of the bench. He was starving, it felt like his very being ached. He had eaten easily over 150,000 calories worth of food. He stood up and was approached by several soldiers that looked to be independent of the Antonia Family. They came in various types of Ume from the large Ghanume to the small Gnumes. One of the Halumes stepped forward, he had ruddy short hair and rosy cheeks and was every bit of 4 feet tall. ¡°Hey pal, me and my crew saw you out there and just dive straight through and just keep going. We thought you died after the first day. How did you survive? You had to be fighting out there for well over 3-4 days at least.¡± As the man said this Marcus looked at his crew and everyone else surrounding the mess area. While he was strong there were people here that had to be well over level 500+ but most of them were facing against the actual powerhouses like Flesh Golem Champions, Dracoghouls and Minor Liches. With him being assigned to the auxiliary there had to be a massive disconnect. No one in their bracket could do something like that so he had to be special or lying about his power level and people were curious. He was not one to hide too much so he obliged. ¡°I have a great growth rate. It allows me to push and keep going for longer than most. That¡¯s all.¡± Eyebrows raised but most went back to their food and other activities but the Halume did not let up at all. ¡°So then what level are you now?¡± They were chuckled from behind the man as others in his crew laughed. ¡°Level 115¡± With that everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him, Even the cook pulled out an Identity lens as they scanned him. Several looked at him in awe. Even the Halume man in front of him looked at him strangely as the others behind him stopped laughing as Marcus nodded towards them and walked past them. As he left the Halume man turned to the rest of his crew. ¡°He could have a lot of coins if he leveled at a normal rate. Even if he needed a lot of kills he still had to have leveled like 10 times with how long he was out there. Could be a pay day.¡± The Halume men turned to his friends as they went back down to the table as they watched Marcus go into the barracks. As he made his way back to the barracks he was shown to the shower area where attendants cleaned his gear as he took a quick 5 minute shower before leaving again. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. He was told led to an area with several rooms the size of cafeterias with dozens of bunk beds. As he sat down his gear he pretty much collapsed on the bed in his full gear. Not even several minutes later he woke to Guin to a pain in his head and Guin¡¯s voice. ¡°You''re being attacked and robbed.¡± Within even opening his eyes he leaped up and combat rolled as he tuned to his ears and nose as he opened his eyes. As he moved he noticed similar people from the mess area in the room. There were seven of them total with each of them most likely between level 100-300. With his increased level and assigned bonus stats he put himself around level 600+ish in tiers of power. Not a sizable amount but as he looked at Celeste¡¯s stat spread mages had low con, with his strength he could probably one shot Celeste if he hit her properly. As the ruddy cheeked Halume man smiled at him with a wand in his hand along with several other members of his crew. An Orume man smiled at him with a massive battleaxe in his hand. He could tell just by looking at this man that he wasn¡¯t as trained as him and would be no challenge even with just his armor and gauntlets. As he was thinking the Halume spoke up as others in the room looked around a bit scared of the menacing group. ¡°Hey, just-¡± Marcus rushed forward. Maximum strength front Kick to solar plexus of Orume man - Shove into Halume - Intimidate with breaking of 1-3 bones - find someone in charge As he rushed forward he caught the Orume man off guard as he was smiling at him thinking they were gonna talk. He caught him square of the solar plexus with his armored boot and heard the crack of bones as the man was sent flying towards the Halume man he changed targets. He saw there was a Hume woman with daggers next to the Orume man. As she lunged forward she plunged the daggers into his collarbone as he grabbed her shoulders and crushed them as he felt the bone spurs pierce through he flesh as she began to scream as he arms went limp. As turned to rest of the team as they were now aware. He grabbed and threw the woman like a javelin at another of the crew who was a Gobume man with a slingshot. As he rolled away Marcus was on top of him and it was no chance. He took the goblin by the arm and shattered one of his arms in three places before caving in his knees with two well placed kicks. As the Halume man finally pulled himself free of the Orume man and stood up three of his crew was down as he saw this dark skinned massive Hume move around and disable several of his crew before he quickly laid down his wand and bent the knee. There was no point. He thought they could rob this guy and at worse they would kill him but despite this guy being only level 115 there was something different about him. He moved like a terror, like a nightmare. He never saw anything outside of some of the monsters above level 1000 move like that. ¡°We are sorry sir! We were looking to make a quick buck and take some of your loot coins. Please, if you could see it in your heart. Let us go, we promise to no longer bother you anymore. ¡° As the dark skinned hume looked at him he smiled. ¡°Sure. I am going to bed. Goodnight.¡± As Marcus ripped the daggers out of his collar bones he walked over to the screaming woman and dropped the daggers by her then turned before going back to his bed and laying down. As the Halume man went to his friends and pulled out his most powerful herbal balms he had to accelerate the healing. The Hume woman looked at him as the pain began to numb. ¡°Cormac, he is just gonna let us go like that? Not even report us? Seriously? I have about 2-3 days before I will be able to fully recover the use of my arms.¡± Cormac smiled at his friends as he helped his friends get up as the uninjured Hume woman and Gobume man helped up everyone else. ¡°I am sure, but I don¡¯t want to press this anymore. At least he didn¡¯t kill us.¡± By the next morning, Marcus woke up to his wounds fully closed and healed with his high constitution. He had slept over 72 hours. What shocked him was that he seemed a bit taller. While he was around 6¡¯6ish before he had to be pushing around 6¡¯10 now. He was much bulkier now much more built. He looked like he was easily on the upper limit of comic book superheroes. ¡°Hey Gwen, I have noticed that as I invest stats into constitution and strength that my height and weight increases. Is there a cap?¡± As Guin''s presence pressed against him he felt now almost his body heat press against him as she spoke. ¡°No, you will continue to grow to around 7 feet tall to better handle your constitution and strength. Your physical peak will be around 7 and a half feet tall and around 600 pounds. After that like most others your stats will just make you tougher. Your body is not normal by Ume standards. Your stats aren¡¯t really causing you to grow. It''s your Smart Cells that are growing new organs to take advantage of your increased stats and training.¡± He kept hearing that and decided it was time and asked her to clarify what that meant. ¡°Well for one thing, you have two hearts, three lungs and your brain has also been imprinted in your spine. Allowing you to still function even after suffering from head trauma. Your two hearts are 1.5 times the size of a normal heart. Your brain as well has changed to be denser and more compact in its pathways. Essentially your brain is ¡®bigger¡¯ and has more than 500 million neurons. Your bones are reinforced with collagen in key areas as well as making your bones have something comparable to carbon fiberweave. As well as a Carbon polymer exoskeleton over your entire skeleton frame. As you can now breathe in both Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen your body is able to take the Carbon from what you breathe and use Carbon to repair your Carbon exoskeleton. As you get bigger you will gain more and more functions and organs. ¡° ¡°Well, I am some kind of super soldier even without the levels is what you are saying?¡± As Guin¡¯s lips brushed against his ear she spoke again. ¡°It''s more like you gain more out of the same stats. Think of it as a stat multiplier. I have compiled a lot of data from the various fights that you have fought. While various Ume¡¯s have different affinities for different stats with Hume being the most balanced with only one weaker area and one strength based on their birth. Your multipliers are all positives and roughly 1.75 times a Peak Ume. At your complete body it should be around 2.5 times a Peak Ume before any stats would be applied.¡± He nodded as he took in the people around him as he woke up. There were several people that seemed like soldiers that left him totally alone as he left the barracks and made his way towards the mess area that had dozens of people eating. At that point he realized that he was starving and grabbed a massive tray of all over 50-60k calories of various meats, breads and drinks. As he continued to wolf down food he was approached by a tall red haired man with crystal blue eyes and a closely cropped beard. He looked to be somewhere around 6 feet tall. He sat down aside from Marcus as Marcus continued to wolf down food. ¡°Hey, I am Malcolm of the Antonia Family. I am sorry about yesterday, Camila told me to watch out for you while you were here and I was actually cooking and fortifying the base. Cormac and his crew were sent to Florro to be punished, I hope by his people. While you aren¡¯t family, you are under our banner which makes you at the very least an associate. ¡° Marcus nodded a thank you as the man continued. ¡°News about your exploits have made it around camp. Those from Florro may not be the friendliest towards you but other than that, all of the witnesses saw they were trying to shake you down. They say you spent four days out there alone, is that true?¡± Marcus nodded before continuing. ¡°Yes, I was able to push about 20 miles deep where it was mainly undead ogres and trolls. I was able to pull back on the fourth day. After I finish eating I plan on going back and seeing how far I can push. I just hope I did something.¡± Malcolm nodded. ¡°People were expecting much more undead Trolls and Ogres. While there were still thousands of them they were still much stronger than expected. Normally they just spawn the weaklings away from the elites so that our best does not destroy the weak by accident. With the reduction of ogres and trolls, less people died so that¡¯s nice. Some of the weaker recruits got to fight longer and gain more levels. If you plan on going by yourself that deep for days then take these. These are calorie bars and hydration pills. They can really keep you going. Good Luck.¡° Malcolm pulled out 20 king sized candy bar sticks of what he imagined was the calorie bars and a small box of gumball sized clear spheres. With that he stood up and walked away towards the kitchen. As he stored the supplies inside of his chest plate and headed towards the horde front. Let¡¯s see how far I can go. Chapter 29: Completion After a quick five-minute sprint from the camp, he plunged into the chaos of the battlefield where hundreds were locked in combat with the undead. As he reached the throng of shamblers, he charged forward, unleashing a relentless barrage of blows, hammering through the undead with unyielding fury. His gauntlets and armor shined as bright as the sun as he tore deeper into the enemy ranks, a whirlwind of destruction. Each strike shattered armored ghouls and undead beasts alike, leaving a trail of ruin as he carved a path through the horde, pressing ever deeper with an insatiable drive to obliterate everything in his way. After continuously clearing undead by the dozen he finally reached the part of the army where the undead trolls and ogres were the most concentrated. Lets try this Throes of Chaos. With an activating Throes of Chaos he was able to one shot most of these brute undead as he continued to push deeper. Throes of Chaos caused his gauntlets to rapidly change colors like a rainbow as he continued to strike. He saw undead explode from his fists, some became weightless, to some growing as large as a house to as small as a toy. The longer he kept it on the quicker it changed colors as it was able to apply two different effects per hit. Even with his massive stamina stat he could not keep this up forever and decided to only use it for really tough mobs. As he moved further in this time past the section of ogres and trolls he saw creatures that boggled the mind. These were flying bone gargoyles like monsters that threw massive javelins made of bone the size of small cars at him. Unlike the undead trolls and ogres these things seemed like they were as coordinated and efficient as soldiers. He had to dodge properly now. They are pack hunters. No problem, I am not some chump anymore. I can handle whatever they bring. Dodge Javelin Throw - Return Javelin Throw - Ground Pummel until dead. Now on the ground he was facing fast moving undead giant lizards that used their spiked tails rake across his body. As he continued to still fight Undead Ogres and Trolls these lizards would zip around the brutes as they tried to bow him over as the Flying gargoyles harassed him from above. He would have to get jiggy with it. ¡°Not enough! I am coming for you. Your life is just a trial to me. Let me taste your strength!¡± Dodge Javelin Throw - Sidestepping Returning Javelin Throw - Sidestep - Feint - Sidestep - Maximum Power Uppercut - Lucinida¡¯s Blessing As he was surrounded on all sides the Bone gargoyles would have to be careful and not hit others around themselves. One of them got aggressive enough and threw the javelin as he dodged, snatching the javelin out of the air and sidestepping the rampaging lizard before throwing the javelin at the bone wing and destroying the wing as it collapsed to the ground. -Sidestep- As he sidestepped and dodged a troll''s massive claw attack he went for a feint as the sidestepping lizard came back with a leaping attack as the creature moved to dodge he sidestepped again. -Primordial Kiss- As he went for a massive uppercut that launched a creature damn near 20 feet into the air with a hole in its head as it¡¯s corpse turned into bubbles as he activated Lucinda¡¯s Blessing. A gargoyle launched a bone javelin that hit him center mass as he felt himself actually be hurt for the first time in a while by a monster as the javelin then bounced off. That was with Lucinda¡¯s Blessing as well he thought as he decided it was time to adjust the strategy. Avoid Javelins - Kill Ogres - Use their Clubs to get a better reach - Stick to Ogres and Trolls to use as body shields against Javelins - Collect javelins and counterattack - Use Ashanti¡¯s Invocation against Critical Attacks- He moved quickly as he played peekaboo with the ogres and trolls as they got peppered with javelins he would strike them to make sure he got experience as the spear wielding creatures continued to throw spears. Looking at them they had roughly 2-4 javelins per creature and they would run out and be forced to engage him in melee or at least retrieve their weapons. As they fight continued and dozens of spears continued to be thrown at him he continued to slide over to ogres as they continued to get ripped apart by javelins as he pulled them out of the corpses of the ogres as they died and kept moving. As he continued to strafe he had collected several dozen javelins. Now it''s time With an ogre club in one hand and almost a hundred javelins under his arms he moved in front of an undead troll and ogre as the javelins continued to rain down he used the cover to strike down these flying monsters. Wings and Headshots were his targets as they began to collapse by the second as he would stride forward and clobber their skulls in with a borrowed club. Through these victories the gargoyles were not free. While he did take damage, it was nothing compared to the clean javelin shot he took at the beginning of the engagement. He would still get hit in his legs and arms by javelins even with body cover and the giant lizards they still bowed him over at times. Despite this his health and resistance at this point truly felt superhuman to him. Outside of critical hits in vital organs he was able to heal injuries that would sideline lesser men and women forever in minutes. As he continued to wade in the corpses of the bone gargoyles they began to change their tactics and come to him in mass after he took out a few dozen with their own weapons. As they rushed him he used his superior speed to retreat and fall back and use his current javelins and just continued to kill them as he peppered them two at a time with javelins as this continued for hours before he felt Gwen break his Battle trace by whispering to him. ¡°You have reached level 150. You have 275 stat points to give to your chosen. I have talked to Celeste and she agrees. I recommend giving her 100 stats with 75 points in strength and 25 points in Dexterity. Are you ok with this? ¡° With a grunt he nodded as he felt this body actually surge with power, it felt like he drank 100 energy drinks as he sidestepped he moved substantially faster. He was able to quickly shift his weight and rush forward and pummel the bone monsters and continue to move around like a bolt of lightning as he hit his target. With his increased strength he went from 2-3 hits killing them to shattering them in one hit. With that he dropped the club and javelins as he zipped around the battlefield. While he was much faster than the giant lizard at this point he was able to dance around them now. But he was feeling he was at his limit of raising his strength without also raising his intellect and wisdom. He was moving so fast that he was actually getting tunnel vision again. ¡°Guin focus on Intellect, Wisdom and Constitution stat increases in that order until my tunnel vision reduces.¡± Even with his tunnel vision he was able to take down dozens in dashes but he took tremendous punishment as the creatures began to adjust and began to rain down javelins in mass not even caring about other gargoyles. With this massive energy pool he was able to continuously use Ashanti¡¯s Invocation and Lucinda¡¯s Blessing to lessen the damage and just keep pushing. As the day turned into night his vision was able to get his vision back to normal as he continued to level, more and more. At his core he was just a fist that was able to rush down these creatures, over and over and over. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. As the day came up again he continued to rush and cut these monsters down as more took their place. It had gotten to the point where he was dual wielding clubs and spinning like a top and just blending through flesh and bone. He was moving so fast that he had to make a serious effort to stay on the ground as he could feel himself begin to actually lift off the ground. As the monsters continued to fall around him he looked around and it was still millions of monsters around him. ¡°DOES THIS NEVER END?! I CAN¡¯T KILL THEM FAST ENOUGH!¡± He yelled out to the sky as he continued to move and strike. He felt Guin¡¯s presence in my ear as she spoke and he continued to fight. ¡°No, these are some of the lower level mobs, these are easily able to be recreated and summoned by the ten of thousands. The only reason why the Undead doesn¡¯t overrun humanity is because they are also fighting against other monster groups. These are just sent here with enough elites to keep the heavy hitters busy and thousands of grunts to keep the small fry happy with the risk/benefit paying off. Use these weak monsters as fuel. You are leveling at a speed that even I took for granted. You are almost level 175 and will get another massive boost in points to give to your Chosen. I think you should hold off on using your stat points until then. While Celeste appreciates the stats. You have given her stats that have potentially pushed her in a way that now she has to get used to herself. You need to find someone who uses physical attributes and add them to the team. ¡° As this continued for several more days, stealing bits of food and water as he continued to level more and more he was beginning to feel unreal, he was able to sidestep and crush the monsters with an efficiency that he did not think was possible. He continued to fight and as he pulled back to mainly fighting undead trolls, ogres and ghouls he just decimated them with one shit as he shifted. With Ghouls and Shamblers he could literally shatter them as he continued to rush them down. After more than a week out there in the undead horde before he pulled back and made his way out to the base camp after Gwen told him that he was coming up on the two weeks they were to be assigned here. As he made his way out of the horde. He checked his stats again. Level 203 774 more kills till level 204 STR: 305 (+95) = 400 DEX: 178(+60) = 238 CON: 297 (+15)= 312 INT: 159 (+65)= 224 WIS: 149 (+45) = 194 STA: 154 (+70) = 224 Attunement: 285/1090 You have 550 points to assign Loot Coins: 171 This time when he made his way to the mess no one really gave him any trouble as he ate his food Malcolm informed him that they were to be relieved in about a day¡¯s time and told him that he should rest up and recover. He washed up and his gear as he immediately crashed in an open bed. As he slept he actually dreamed a peaceful dream for the first time he could remember or at least on Ervasta. He saw a strange looking woman that was sitting on a throne in the middle of a castle-like room. She looked like nothing he ever saw before. She was easily 10 feet tall and skin was an ever shifting palate of colors ranging from green and ghostly white. She was dressed in flowing tendrils of strange gray flesh that looked over wordily and beautifully in a way he did think was possible. Her hair was long and flowing behind her made up of the same grey like tendrils. She stood up and walked over to him as she easily dwarfed him. She smiled as he began to find himself floating up towards her eye level. As she spoke, he knew immediately that it could only be one person. ¡°You have done well. With your ascension to level 150 you will now have access to your complete body. This will take roughly 48 hours to complete. Camila will most likely pick you up and carry you back to the Antonia Family base. Once she checks out your stats she will most likely be shocked. Your stat growth is somewhere around Level 800-1000+ to most Ume. This will only get stronger, with your current strength you are able to accurately manifest a physical incarnation of me in your mind so we can communicate¡­face to face.¡± As she continued to Orbit around him she wrapped him up in her arms and pressed his body close to him as close as a mother would hug her child or a lover. No this was a deeper connection, this was a level of intimacy that he had never encountered before it was almost divine. ¡°You need to find another Chosen, you can not put all of your eggs in one basket. Celeste could easily be taken out and to be honest she is not an exceptional talent. She is just above average, you need to find someone who is talented as soon as possible. You are doing great, while Camila and company have made you into a weapon don¡¯t let them tether you down forever. I agree that Castle Duskbone is a good test. In a year you should be somewhere between Level 350-500. ¡° Marcus nodded before speaking. ¡°So why me? I was just a construction worker from Virginia? I mean wouldn¡¯t you want one of those Rambo types?¡± Guin shook her head and wrapped him close to her. ¡°You are a Herald, not a Weapon of Destruction. Destruction is the tool you use to clear a path for humanity but it is not your mission. Your mission is to protect and make a way for humanity to thrive and survive. I don¡¯t need a psychopath. They have their own purposes but not for something like this. I chose you because you are a kindhearted soul. You are compassionate. I had to give you a body that would take you months to adapt to and fill your body with raging hormones, fight alone in the dark and give you a grand mission. A psychopath would have used this power to their advantage to become a despot. We have enough despots. We need a Herald and that''s what you are.¡° Marcus nodded and rested his head on her chest as she held him close. For a while she just held him with no words spoken before she moved away and smiled at him. ¡°Your body is now complete. Your body has natural limiters now so you interact normally with people and objects without blowing them up. You now have an extra layer of cells under your Stratum Corneum that can best be described as nanites. These cells are independent of you and will continue to repair your body at a level that is much more efficient. Your healing factor is roughly two times faster than what it was before and roughly 4-6 times faster than someone with the same stats as you. They will also continue to enhance your body as you level. Your eardrums are much deeper along with giving you basically echolocation so you can train this and fight completely blind if needed. Your eyes are also reinforced with the ¡®nanites¡¯ that will continue to evolve your vision and sight. Currently you are able to focus and zoom on targets much further away than any normal human. Your sense of smell is also more precise while being able to offload intense smells without being overloaded.¡± As Marcus listened to all of this he was surprised, at this point he didn¡¯t even sound human anymore. Guin continued and told him that he now had one main heart and two other minor hearts along with four smaller lungs instead of two bigger lungs, his entire muscular system remodeled, an extra liver, and an extra kidney. What Guin told him about his brain shocked him more than anything he could imagine. ¡°Your brain and nervous system has fused. Your brain basically has a fail safe along your nervous system that allows you to continue to live using your base level actions until your brain is repaired. Your nervous system has four times the number of connections through your entire body because of it. This makes your sense of touch and response time well beyond what is normal for a human of similar stats. It also allows me to communicate and speak to your Chosen now and relay information.¡° As she was saying this she pulled away and kissed him on the forehead. ¡°It¡¯s time to wake up¡±