Defiance of the Fall

But no matter where he looked he couldn’t see anything different . The opposing army was comprised of the same type of humanoids , and after repeatedly using his identification-skill he knew they were of the roughly same strength as well , mostly being between levels 15 and 30 . It truly seemed there was no hidden trick to the army in front of him .

He quickly spotted an area with warriors more richly decked compared to the average soldiers , and using Inquisitive Eye] found that there was one of them at level 44 , matching the general from his side . Since he’d found his target he started walking again .

Halt! - one of the captains shouted at him , but Zac didn’t care as he kept advancing .

The army wouldn’t let Zac approach unimpeded , and a few deterring arrows sailed toward him . These kinds of attacks didn’t have an effect on Zac anymore , and he didn’t even bother activating his defensive skills , instead simply waving the attacks away as he unleashed his aura to the fullest .

Fire at will! - the general immediately shouted with alarm after sensing the waves of power radiating from Zac .

The sky immediately blotted out with arrows heading straight toward him . If even a tenth of them hit he’d be turned into a porcupine , but Zac wasn’t worried . He simply kept walking toward the area where it seemed the leaders where stationed .

Waving away this amount of arrows would take quite some effort , so he finally activated his defensive skill . Emerald leaves started to quickly whirl around him as though he stood in the center of a tornado , each leaf blocking tens of arrows before it disintegrated .

Not wanting to waste such a gift zac simply put the bundles of arrows into his pouch as they fell one by one , and in just a few short moments he’d gathered over a thousand of them . It was clear that since the cosmic energy was so sparse in this world a lot of attention and effort went into augmenting their strength with tools .

The arrows were of high quality just like the gear he’d seen the soldiers wear , at least on the same level as those that were made in Port Atwood . They only lacked some inscriptions , after which they’d be fit to use by the Valkyries .

Initially , he considered farming arrows for a while but soon changed his mind . While none of the attacks individually was a threat to him , his cosmic energy was being depleted at a very quick rate due to the unceasing attacks .

He activated Loamwalker] and after just a few short steps found himself in front of the general , who backed away in alarm .

What are you? Why are you attacking us? - the general said with a shaky voice , barely able to stand straight due to the towering aura Zac emitted .

The surrounding soldiers were in far worse states , and everyone within 20 meters had simply fallen down unconscious . The other soldiers powerlessly looked on , not daring to attack anymore since their leaders were lying unconscious all around their assailer .

You could say I’ve been hired by the kingdom of Orrin to end this situation , - Zac said as he looked down on the general , purposefully making his voice heard by the whole army . - I will go and kill that beast that is occupying a large part of their army now . I need your army to stand down for a week . After that , I don’t care what you do . -

And if we don’t? - the general said .

Then I’ll go to your kingdom and kill your King , or whoever rules it , along with every high-level official and general you possess , - Zac said as he added the Dao of Heaviness to the aura he emitted .

Even the general couldn’t stand after the addition of the Dao , and he plopped down to his knees , only staying somewhat upright as he held himself up by stabbing a sword into the ground with shaking hands .

What happens after a week? - the general forced through clattering teeth .

After a week I don’t care what you do . The beast will be dead , and it’s up to your countries to decide what to do from there . I won’t interfere , - Zac said with a shrug .

How do we know you won’t turn and attack us anyway after dealing with the beast? -

In response , Zac only shook his head as he walked away . As he left the thick of the army he kept channeling his Dao into his aura , which also made any errant arrow that was still shot at him powerlessly fall into the ground like they suddenly weighed a ton . An order to cease attacks was soon shouted out by the general , letting Zac leave unaccosted .

They won't attack you for a week . Don't attack them during this time either . I'll go kill that beast now , - Zac said as he gave Dresdo a pat on his shoulder when he returned to his side .

The man didn't respond , and only blankly stared at Zac like he was some mythological beast .

Sometimes it was a bit fun to play the Demon Lord .

Chapter 198 - Competition

Zac was quickly running through the countryside , idly gazing at the alien landscape as he passed it by . It was a weird feeling seeing both normal things like leafy trees , followed by sights that he couldn't even explain . An example was an enormous flying beast that slowly drifted overhead that reminded Zac more of a zeppelin than a bird .

At first , Zac had thought it was the monster he was supposed to kill , but after using Inquisitive Eyes] on it he realized it was only level 18 . More interestingly he even spotted a small cottage on top of the animal with his binoculars as it flew away . He didn't think this was what the astronauts at NASA were imagining when they talked about space exploration .

He was surprised to note that the planet seemed to be in a state of perpetual gloom with barely any light to brighten the scenery . There was a sun in the sky , but it was so small and ineffectual that it almost might as well have been another star in distant space .

However , the weak light didn’t seem to have had an overly severe impact on the flora of the world , as he passed both farms full of crops and healthy forests as he sped through the country . Zac was guessing that while the energy in the atmosphere was sparse , it was enough to nurture normal unranked growth across the planet .

It made him wonder what would happen if the energy got any worse . Would the planet and its citizens simply die out? Was he walking on the dying carcass of a planet , or simply one that had always worked differently from how he was used to?

Still , all this wasn’t any of his business . He couldn’t get invested in some world that was placed god-knows-where . He simply kept his head down and kept running , every now and again stopping to ask for directions . Of course , every time he did so he caused widespread panic , as the general population was not aware of their army summoning some strange giant .

It was quite clear that this wasn’t a planet that often saw visitors from outer space , even though it was integrated into the multiverse . Then again , that was usually the case , as there simply were too many planets for the large forces to bother with all the small and worthless ones .

A planet of this level generally didn’t have the means for intergalactic teleportation , which meant the hassle of actually traveling here outweighed any value that could be squeezed out of the planet .

It turned out he had overestimated the distance to his target , as it only took him around ten hours to reach his goal . At least he was pretty sure he’d reached his goal . In front of him , a large medieval city stood surrounded by an army far larger than the one he was summoned to . A rough estimation put them at over 10 000 men , though it could be even more of them on the opposite side of the city .

The city itself was fortified by a wall that was mostly unscathed , except for a large breach that was around ten meters wide . Initially it looked like a siege was taking place , but Zac knew that wasn’t the case .

A large crash could be heard from inside the town , followed by an angry bellow that reverberated out into the countryside . The beast was inside , causing chaos and widespread damage . The army wasn’t besieging the town , but rather guarding it to keep the beast trapped , not wanting to release it out into the wild .

More surprisingly it seemed that the army was utilizing either an Array or a War-Array to cast a huge shield that sealed the whole town . Zac hadn’t expected to see techniques like that from this energy-starved world , where the armies seemed to exclusively consist of physical classes .

He knew just how expensive running arrays were , and he couldn’t imagine that there were Nexus Crystals aplenty on the planet . The country of Orrin was expending a huge amount of resources to seal the town and the beast .

Still , this wasn’t a long term solution . The beast was running rampant inside , causing widespread destruction . Structures kept getting smashed , but Zac was unable to get a good look at its shape due to the walls . However , he knew the beast at least as large as the Fiend Wolf , as he still caught glimpses of something black above the wall .

Zac wondered just what the plan was as he approached the army from behind . He could clearly hear the beast rampage inside , but the soldiers just stood outside waiting . He didn’t know what they were waiting for , but it worked out fine for him .

The appearance of a human cause quite a bit commotion among the ranks of the Solvim warriors , and they scrambled to set up a defensive front . Zac stopped for a bit , pondering what to do next . Technically he was on the side of these people , so he didn’t want to risk ruining his quest by forcing himself through .

Greetings traveler , I am Perav . What has brought you to the kingdom of Orrin? - a strong voice sounded as an elderly-looking male quickly approached , followed by a few younger warriors .

I was summoned to your world by Dresdo . I have come to kill that thing you’ve trapped inside , - Zac said , pointing toward the town .

The faces of the warriors who heard the conversations underwent a flurry of emotions , ranging from disbelief to elation . However , the leader who spoke with him and a few of the warriors who accompanied him were more measured in their response .

You are a champion summoned through the ancient ritual? - the old man said , looking a bit perplexed .

I guess , - Zac answered with a shrug - Can I enter now? -

Please go ahead , Champion . We are grateful for you heeding the call . Be careful , the beast is a formidable foe , - the old man said .

Zac only nodded and proceeded through the ranks who quickly opened a path for him that lead to the breach in the wall . Before entering he stopped next to the array , and as he touched the shield Zac noticed it felt similar to the one he possessed in Port Atwood .

It was one-directional , meaning he would be able to pass through it from one side , but as soon as he entered he would be trapped inside . He would either have to kill the beast or break through the shield to get out if he found himself outmatched by the beast .

The old man was both respectful and didn’t seem to contain any hidden killing intent toward him , but Zac still didn’t like the feeling of being trapped like he was entering the Thunderdome . Still , even though the shield was maintained by thousands of warriors , he felt confident that he could cause a breach if he truly needed to escape .

If he combined both his new skill and Nature’s Punishment] he would be able to exact an enormous amount of force , and nothing these Solvim threw at him should be able to impede that amount of power . So Zac simply took a deep breath as he steadily walked through the barrier .

The King of the Kingdom of Orrin silently gazed at the back of the alien warrior , until he turned a corner and disappeared from sight .

Father , what’s going on? - one of the richly-equipped warriors next to the old man asked . - I thought that the summoning circle didn’t work? Haven’t we tried it on multiple occasions in history? -

I am not sure , - Perav said with a sigh . - But he is the first off-worlder to come to our dying planet in eons . If he wants to fight that beast , let him . Our plan would sacrifice so many lives to ensure success . If he can solve our problems we are in his debt . -

And then what? - the man probed . - The alchemists say the horn of the beast might be the key for one of us to ascend . -

Perav sighed and shook his head . He knew how important it was to create an ascender . It was the first , and hardest , step in being accepted into the fold of the immortals . If their ascender then managed to come into the good graces of some Venerable their whole planet might be revitalized .

We cannot afford to offend an off-worlder . For one he dares fight an ascended beast alone , and secondly , we do not know what kind of force that he belongs to . You cannot imagine the power of some of the warriors of the great beyond . They could level our whole kingdom with a wave of their hands , - the old man answered . - Who knows , he might be just the person who can save our planet . -

The younger warrior didn’t say anything , but only wistfully looked up at the stars .

It wasn’t very hard for Zac to localize the beast . It was going berserk in the town , pummeling through one building after another . Initially , he had been a bit disgusted by the army , as it had seemed that they had locked their citizens inside along with the beasts .

But as he walked toward the beast the streets were completely desolate , telling of an earlier evacuation . He tried to walk as quietly as possible as he got close , as he still hadn’t seen the full form of the monster .

While the energy contained in the bellow earlier made it seem that the monster couldn’t have evolved too long ago , he wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks . If there was one thing that Alyn had made sure he understood was to never take anything for granted . There were myriad beasts in the multiverse , many who possessed weird and unpredictable attacks .

Finally , he got close enough to see it around a corner , as it had briefly stopped after destroying a large mansion . This close there was no question about it . The beast was truly E-Ranked , but recently evolved . As for the type of beast it was , Zac had no idea as he didn’t dare to use his identifying skill on it just yet .

At first Zac had thought it was a huge rhinoceros , but he soon realized that he was slightly off on that point . At further scrutiny , it felt like the beast was the result of a mutant bison ox mating with a unicorn . It’s back reached roughly four meters in the air and it had a stocky build covered with a thick black fur .

Just looking at its body Zac felt that its method of fighting should be somewhat similar to that of the barghest . The thing looked like it was built for devastating head-on charges . However , the huge muscles weren’t what gave Zac pause as he scouted the beast .

It was the huge horn that shot out of its forehead , reaching over three meters . It almost looked like the horn was made out of opal , as it was white and shimmered in a rainbow of colors . However , the colors weren’t refractions , but rather wild energies that were somehow trapped inside .

Just looking at the sharp horn from the distance was enough to fill Zac with some trepidation , and he had a feeling it wasn’t so simple that it was only used for stabbing . However , since the beast looked a bit unwieldy Zac felt confident he would be able to whittle the beast down while avoiding frontal attacks with the help of Loamwalker] .

But before he could put thoughts into action a blaring sense of danger entered his mind , and he unhesitatingly activated a defensive charge from his robes . Not only that but he also immediately used his defensive skill and had multiple layers of leaves superimpose from the direction he sensed the deadly danger .

The next instant a gloved fist came crashing at him , causing a sonic boom right before it slammed into the shield . The fist contained some sort of intractable force , and Zac immediately realized it was some sort of Dao . He didn’t want to risk facing the same situation as with the Corpse Lord , being afflicted with an unknown Dao , so he quickly rotated the Dao of Trees in his body as well in order to create a third layer of defense .

Zac’s eyes widened in alarm as the shield cracked like brittle glass , and the emerald leaves were ripped to shreds soon after . The only thing he could do was to use his arm as a shield , tightening his muscles while using his Dao for all he was worth .

The ground was ripped to shreds when the fist landed , and Zac was shot away like a cannon-ball , completely destroying a building from the impact . Stars swam in his eyes but he quickly refocused , ripping away the debris of the building on top of him and scrambled up to his feet .

His arm hurt like hell , but after a quick check he was relieved to feel that it wasn’t broken . He immediately summoned his axe and faced his new assailant with a grim face . When he saw who had punched him he completely blanked out for a second , as it wasn’t some hidden powerhouse of the small aliens as he’d expected .

It was a young human , likely around Emily's age . At least Zac assumed that he was human , though he’d never seen anyone with purple hair before . The youth was seemingly unarmed , apart from the gloves and large bracers he wore .

The two angrily stared at each other for a few seconds until they both spoke up at the same time .

Who the hell are you? -

Why the fuck did you attack me? -

Chapter 199 - Average

The youth was decked in a pair of loose pants lined with intricate fractals and a sleeveless vest that went all up to his throat , leaving both his arms bare . His body was of the wiry kind , like something that made Zac think of kung-fu masters rather than bodybuilders , but Zac knew only too well just how much power that was contained in his arms .

Just as Zac scouted out the new variable entering the fray , so did the teenager hesitantly look over Zac . Soon after Zac felt the fractal from Mental Fortress] flash , meaning he was getting probed or attacked by a mental skill . Looking at his opponent Zac guessed it was the former .

Why aren’t you answering? Just who are you? Did my siblings send you? - he angrily said , warily keeping his distance from Zac after his sneak attack failed .

Zac ignored the question , instead quickly using his skill Inquisitive Eye] just like the other guy did . But for the first time since he acquired it , it almost failed completely , giving even less information than when he scanned his sister .

A muddled row could be seen , only telling Zac the name of the enemy . If even that . Because the only thing that was legible was - Average - , with the rest being blocked . That meant one of two things . Either there was a huge disparity in Intelligence or Wisdom , or he possessed far superior means to block mental attacks . In either case , it indicated that he wasn’t a simple opponent .

Zac soon got his answers , as one of the teenager’s bracelets shone with a white luster that reminded Zac of the diadem Ogras used to protect from mental attacks . The teenager started and looked down on his arm , immediately raising his guards afterward .

Average? Is that really your name? I don’t know who you are , much less anything about any siblings of yours . Why did you attack me when I was about to fight that beast? Are you the one that unleashed it on these people? - Zac asked , taking note of every move with vigilance .

He couldn’t be completely sure , but it felt like the teenager was roughly as strong as he was . Not only did he move like a lightning bolt , but there was also enough strength behind his punch to hurt him . There also was the issue of the mysterious power contained in the punch , and Zac not being able to identify it properly was a bit unnerving .

I knew you were a liar! Everyone in this sector knows who I am . Who else dares to have hair this stylish? Only I , the great Average- - the teenager angrily said , but his introduction was rudely interrupted by the bellow of the frenzied beast .

There was no way the demon bull hadn’t been alerted by the commotion the two caused . It had barely restrained itself due to the enormous amounts of energy released from the strike of the teenager . But after observing the two small humans for a bit longer , it apparently felt confident in attacking .

To Zac’s surprise the teenager didn’t seem alarmed but rather elated that the beast was bearing down on him . The air around his fists started shimmering like stars as it distorted from dense energy gathering , and he actually seemed ready to meet the charge from the beast head-on .

Zac had a decent idea of what the brat was about to do , and he felt he couldn’t allow him to attack the beast . This so-called Average had muddied the water of his quest completely . Did the system expect this kid to be here? Was he the real challenge?

All these variables cropping up were a pain in the ass , but Zac could only fight for now . He instantly swung his axe toward the teenager , and as the edge sliced through the air a huge fractal edge from Chop] appeared . After a brief hesitation , he also imbued the strike with the Dao of Sharpness before launching it at the human rather than the beast .

Zac was afraid that the kid would simply shrug off the attack if he didn’t put something extra in the strike , and he couldn’t let the teenager kill the beast . He had a strong feeling that his mission would be a wash if he just watched someone else claim the head of the bison-monster .

The fractal edge flew at the pugilist with full force , slicing the cobblestones on the ground to ribbons on its approach . Average clearly had good battle awareness and immediately noticed an attack was incoming . However , even with the knowledge his eyes widened in alarm form the huge size of the incoming attack , and he threw himself down at the ground in order to avoid the attack that wanted to slice him in two .

Tp Zac's surprise Average moved like an acrobat , pushing off from the ground with his hands and flew up towards the head of the charging beast .

I knew it! You work for eleventh brother , don’t you! - the teenager screamed angrily as he kicked the beast with enormous force . - He always does things like this! -

Due to Zac’s strike , Average was out of balance and couldn’t properly utilize that dense energy that he had gathered in his fists , and the pugilist only managed to transfer some of it to his feet in time . But the effect still shocked Zac . It sounded like a bomb went off as the foot slammed into the side of the head of the beast .

Even though the attack had been interrupted there was just as much force in it compared with the sneak attack the teenager used against him , and Zac made a note to be wary when that odd energy appeared again . The bison was actually lifted up in the air and thrown into a neighboring building as well with a wail .

Initially , Zac was worried that the strike had actually killed the beast , but he soon realized more was needed to kill a true E-Grade creature as it got up to its feet with a shake of its head . This time it didn’t mindlessly charge again , and instead kept its distance as it emitted a low growl .

Since the beast looked a bit groggy Zac took the opportunity to scout it out and tried his luck with his ocular skill .

Moonpike – Star Ox – Level 79 – Strength]

The skill actually worked this time , and it gave a brief rundown of the animal . The level and its main attribute weren’t a surprise , but what made Zac a bit confused was the first two lines of information . It had a name . Did it mean that the ox was intelligent enough for the system to consider it a cultivator? Or perhaps it only meant that the animal had an owner that had named it , like the Heralds he had fought earlier .

Average landed a bit haphazardly , angrily glaring back and forth between his two enemies . He seemed to want to say something else to Zac , who could only shrug his shoulders .

I don’t know anything about your family circumstances . But I cannot let you claim the kill of that beast , even if we have to fight over it , - Zac evenly said , completely unleashing his aura .

What the fuck! I can give you the corpse , but I need to be the one to kill it , - Average angrily shouted back , seemingly shocked that someone didn't let him have his way .

No deal , - Zac said with a shake of his head .

You rogue cultivators are god damn lunatics . A thousand E-Grade Nexus Coins! That’s over 10 times the value of the horn . Leave me alone and it’s yours , - he said , not being able to hide an air of superiority .

That actually made Zac stop for a second . A thousand E-Grade Nexus Coins were equivalent to a Billion normal Nexus Coins . That was far more than the total wealth he had accumulated so far . Perhaps it was worth to fail the quest for that amount of money .

He soon steadied his mind though . Failing the quest wasn’t so simple as to only lose a Dao Treasure and an entrance ticket to the Tower of Eternity . It would also mean losing access to all future quests in the chain , and all the rewards they would bring . And a quest chain called The Path to Hegemony surely wasn’t something simple .

I am sorry , but I have an important quest to kill this beast . I have nothing against you , but you need to back off from this one , - Zac steadily said .

You think I’m afraid of you? I know you haven’t evolved , and I can count the worthy rivals to me in the F-grade in this sector on my hands , and you are not one of them . I offered you a peaceful solution , but you wouldn’t have it , - Average said , cracking his neck while glaring at Zac .

A monstrous aura erupted from the youth as well , almost matching that of Zac’s . It was as though the two forces fought for supremacy in the air .

By this point , the beast had gotten back on its feet , and it warily growled as it watched the youth . It clearly didn’t want to eat another of those monstrous strikes , and instead leveled its gaze on Zac . With a roar it charged at Zac , who frowned as he glanced over at the incoming animal .

Torrential amounts of killing intent , garnered from killing hundreds of thousands of beasts poured out of Zac on top of his normal aura , and the beast quickly stopped in its tracks . It was as though as it had seen an apex predator who wanted to feed on it , and it didn’t dare fight Zac either .

Instead , the beast seemed to have had enough of the situation and started to slowly back away from the two , careful not to make any hasty movements . Zac knew it was stuck inside the town for now and didn’t mind its actions . The youth warily stepped back a bit as well due to the killing intent , some hesitation finally appearing on his face .

Are you an unorthodox cultivator? There shouldn’t be any of you in this sector , - he said .

Unorthodox Cultivator? I don’t even know what that means , - Zac said with a shrug , which seemed to calm down the youth a bit . - Winner gets the beast . -

…Good! - the pugilist said , and immediately disappeared after .

This time Zac was ready , and after sensing the changes in the surroundings quickly swirled around and swung his axe straight down in a tremendous swing . A grating sound could be heard when the edge of the axe was deflected with the help of one of the bracers on Average's forearm , and immediately after a knee came flying toward Zac's gut .

Zac angled his body to avoid the blow , immediately trying to ram his shoulder into the chest of his youth afterward . However , a lightning-quick jab in his jaw stopped him in his tracks , forcing him to back away . With a grunt Zac shook his head , immediately getting back in the thick of it .

Both of them wordlessly agreed to not use any of their skills , as whoever won had to fight the beast afterward . Unfortunately , Zac quickly realized that the situation wasn’t really in his favor . Clearly his enemy had great combat experience , likely having trained in hand-to-hand battles since young .

With an angry glare Zac refused to give up and stubbornly kept going , trying every trick he had learned from his Axe Mastery skill and his countless battles . After having fought a while Zac felt that the two were quite close in at least Dexterity and Strength , though Zac guessed that Average had a closer balance of the two attributes compared to Zac’s 2 : 1 ratio .

At least Zac had a feeling his Endurance and Vitality were a notch above the teenager’s , as the youth didn’t dare use his body to block Zac’s punches and swings . He wasn’t like the Corpse Lord whose body had turned into a defensive treasure in other words .

Instead , the teenager mostly used deft movements or his magical bracers to avoid taking any direct damage by Zac’s various attacks . Zac himself was continuously hit with powerful punches and kicks , and he knew he’d be black and blue come tomorrow .

Initially , Zac’s goal was to break those bracers so that the kid would be forced to give up , but he soon realized his folly in that plan . The bronze hoops around his forearms were clearly high-grade treasures , likely far better than anything Zac possessed . Even after having intercepted tens of swings from Verun’s Bite] there wasn’t a single mark on them , though Average's arms were shaking a bit .

Zac’s body was getting beaten like a slab of meat , and he had a feeling he would pass out before Average ran out of steam . The pugilist was like a machine , continuously launching forceful attacks that made Zac wince . The fight had actually lasted less than a minute , but Zac was already starting to feel woozy .

Though the two only used their bodies to fight they caused widespread destruction in the town , pushing through the buildings like two intertwined tornadoes . He knew he needed to do something to change the situation quickly .

Besides , he didn’t want to let the beast roam freely too long . Perhaps it would actually manage to break through the array given enough time . Then he and the brat would truly look like fools .

Zac even started contemplating using Hatchetman’s Rage] to subdue the kid , but he was afraid that would escalate the situation into a true life and death battle . Normally he wouldn’t shrink away from that , but he felt the situation wasn’t as simple as two people fighting for some treasure .

Average , in spite of his name , seemed to come from a truly powerful faction from the small pieces of information that could be gleaned from what he had said earlier . And they weren’t on earth anymore where tools and other items were a bit limited . Since he could throw out a billion Nexus Coins like nothing he likely had some supreme defensive treasures , so an-all out fight would probably backfire on Zac instead .

Fortuitously , Zac soon caught on a small hint . Every time the youth dodged one of the brutal swings of his axe there was a brief hint of fear in his eyes . Between what Average said earlier and this lack of real life-and-death experience it wasn’t too hard to figure out what was going on .

The teenager was a greenhouse elite . He was given all kinds of advantages to boost his attributes and trained in combat with great instructors . But he was still young , and his power didn’t come from numerous bloody battles . He let his fear of being seriously hurt or killed affect him somewhat .

Since he had nothing to lose Zac decided to try a gambit . After blocking another punch with his arm Zac swung his axe overhead straight at the youth’s head , intentionally leaking some killing intent . It was a huge swing that would no doubt kill the teenager if it hit , but there was no way such a wide swing would go unpunished .

As Zac expected a lightning kick slammed into his wide-open side , causing a few ribs to crack . Zac groaned and dropped the axe , causing the eyes of the teenager to widen in elation . However , the next moment the now freed hand closed around the leg of the pugilist .

There was no dodging any longer as Zac held one of his enemy’s legs in an iron vise , which brought the two to a state of mutual destruction . Average wouldn't give up , and engaged Zac in a brutal close-combat melee . For every strike Zac managed to land on the locked-down teenager , he received two in return .

But Zac simply soaked up the damage with a stone-cold face , his eyes boring straight into the increasingly frantic eyes of the teenager . The strikes between the two sounded like continuous thunder throughout the town as knuckles met flesh . This kept going for a while until Zac was about to land his fifth strike in the face of Average , whose left eye was closed shut and nose crooked .

Suddenly a red shield sprang up and blocked Zac’s strike .

Shit! I give up! -

Chapter 200 - Star Ox

After taking a look at the swollen face of Average for a few seconds Zac let go of his opponent's leg and slowly got to his feet .

So the ox is mine , right? No interference? - Zac said after spitting out a mouthful of blood and cracking his neck .

It felt like every part of his body was swollen and pulsating , but he had work to do . He simply took out a healing pill and swallowed it to manage the pain .

I’ve been called many things in my life . Handsome , generous , dashing . But never a liar , - Average said as he got to his feet as well . - Besides , we have hundreds of Star Oxen back in one of our Mystic Realms , what do I care about this one? -

Then why the hell did you make this such a pain in the ass for me? - Zac angrily said .

Dad told me to find and kill this one , and if I did it he’d consider letting me change my name , - the youth admitted , looking a bit embarrassed .

Your name is actually Average? I thought it was some method you used to block your real name , - Zac said , not being able to stop a snort .

Average glared at Zac for a bit before he deflated .

It’s my crazy dad . He said he wanted to see if a bad name would spur a child to improve faster . - Greatness through embarrassment’ he called it . More importantly , do you truly not know who I am? - he said , a bit curious .

No idea . I’ll go kill that bull now , just stay out of the way , - Zac said .

See if I care when it stabs you in the ass , - the teenager muttered , but followed Zac’s word and sat down after eating a pill .

Zac only shook his head and headed toward where the beast slunk away . While he knew he wasn’t the best discerner of people , he felt that Average wasn’t lying . He wouldn’t likely interfere in the fight . Of course , Zac would still keep an eye open just in case .

It didn’t take long for Zac to find it , as it was currently dismantling the wall on the opposite side of the town . Large pieces of rocks were flying as it pierced the wall over and over , the rocks seeming like butter to the large horn .

Its senses were quite sharp , and it somehow noticed Zac’s approach from behind almost immediately . As though it felt pushed against a corner the ox bellowed and stomped the ground threateningly , its feet causing small earthquakes in the ground . Zac warily looked the beast over , not in a rush to make a move .

He had a feeling there was something special about the animal . He’d already killed an E-Ranked beast before , and that was when he was far weaker compared to now . Of course , that had been a desperate battle , but still , he didn’t think this would be a walk in the park .

But just looking at the beast didn’t tell him anything , apart from reinforcing the notion that something likely was up with the horn that crackled with wild energies . He summoned a large edge with Chop] , and the next moment disappeared .

Immediately after he appeared beneath its torso , the edge soaring up toward its stomach . Zac had already imbued his strike with the Dao of Sharpness . It was this very combination that had cleaved the Fiend Wolf in two , and it was a good measure to test the bison .

The edge slammed into the thick hide , but Zac was disappointed to find that apart from a few long strands of fur being cut , there seemed to be no effect from the swing . It didn’t even manage to penetrate the skin .

It wasn’t that the beast had an impenetrable skin , but rather it felt like there was a strong energy blocking the edge to cut through . Zac couldn’t be sure , but he guessed that the Dao of Hardness should have properties that worked a bit like this .

The beast angrily roared , and it appeared it felt truly afraid as torrential amounts of Cosmic Energy whirled about . It was planning something big , and Zac wasn’t sure what he should do , so for now he kept swinging . He tried to hit various body parts with his edge , this time after swapping over to the Dao of Heaviness .

The kick of Average seemed to have had an effect , so he instead went with blunt force damage . He focused on the joints of the beast , trying to immobilize it , but he simply wasn’t able to breach its defenses with Chop] .

Suddenly a sense of danger enveloped him , and he quickly backed away from the beast with his movement skill , only to see the bison simply plop down on the ground , causing the ground to shake . It felt like a weird decision for the beast , but admittedly it managed to force Zac away .

However , the next moment Zac’s brows rose as the horn started to shine with blinding light as it was leveled toward him . Acute danger flooded Zac’s mind as he quickly scampered out of the way , pushing his movement skill to the limit .

The next moment a blazing pillar of light ripped through the position where he just was , like a prismatic laser that destroyed anything in its path . The attack was instantaneous , and if it wasn’t for his high Luck he would have been turned into motes of light by now . Zac couldn’t even see where the beam ended , as everything it hit was completely disintegrated as far as he could see .

Zac’s brows rose in alarm , finally realizing why the cosmic energy had surged so much earlier . He really didn’t want to let it fire another of those devastating attacks , as he held no delusions that he'd walk away from one of those beams . This time he was able to get out of the way in time , but there was no telling if it could move the beam as well .

But just as Zac was about to charge toward the bison once more it was surrounded by large motes of multicolored lights , floating about all around it . Zac frowned and took out a stone from his pouch , immediately throwing it at one of them .

An intense explosion erupted from the light , containing enough force to throw Zac on his back even in the distance . His cracked ribs , courtesy of Average , made themselves reminded , as he slammed down on the ground .

The mote of light exploding wasn’t the end of it . It also caused a cascading effect amongst the neighboring stars , causing a concussive explosion blanketing a whole area . Even if he managed to avoid the first blast somehow in melee range , the other ones would have surely hit him .

Zac quickly crawled up on his feet again and spat out some gravel from his mouth as he surveyed the scene . The bison was a real cheat . It had essentially set itself up like a cannon , repositioning itself as Zac tried to move around it . Furthermore , to avoid being assaulted it summoned moving mines all around it , each containing enough force to hurt him .

Even worse it looked like the animal was able to control the motes , meaning he couldn’t simply dodge them , as they would follow him anyway . As soon as the area calmed down some of the remaining motes quickly drifted over , along with a few new ones appearing in short order . It took less than 5 seconds before the minefield had once again been reinforced .

The only good news was that it still hadn’t fired off a second shot from its horn , meaning it likely took a while to charge up to its full effect .

Zac didn’t relish the thought of pulling out his aces at the moment , as Average was still around . Zac honestly didn’t believe that the teenager would do something at this junction , but he didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks .

But something needed to be done , as the horn was gaining brightness at a steady pace . He looked down on his forearm and steadied his breath . The Cosmic Energy in the area surged as Zac activated his newly acquired skill , Hatchetman’s Rage] .

Boundless power coursed through his veins , and he had to suppress an urge to simply charge at the beast waving his axe like a madman . He felt like an agent of destruction but he forcefully steadied his mind and started to pour torrential amounts of it into his forearm , starting the charge of his own ace .

However , that wasn’t all , since he also summoned five enormous blades with Chop] , each almost ten meters long . As soon as the charge was almost done Zac let loose a roar and released one fractal blade after another at the minefield the beast had created .

The world turned white from hundreds of explosions going off in quick succession . This time Zac was ready and dug his heels in and summoned Nature’s Barrier] to withstand the shockwaves .

He was almost blinded by the cascading explosions , with lights swimming in his vision . A loud ringing rang in his ears as well , and it felt like he was under the effect of a flashbang grenade . However , he had accomplished his task , so he pushed forward his hand with a growl .

Reality cracked and the hand emerged , empowered by the Dao of Trees . A few things were different about it this time . First of all , it emitted a much stronger aura than before , and Zac attributed it to the increase in stats from Hatchetman’s Rage] .

But more interestingly the wooden arm contained red shining veins that coursed through the whole thing . It looked a bit sinister , but Zac didn’t have time to analyze it as he commanded the hand forward toward the sitting bison .

A few motes were spawned in the path of the hand and exploded on impact . Luckily , the hand was imbued with the Dao of Trees , and only some scorch marks remained after the hit . It might have been a different story if tens of the motes detonated on it , but Zac had already cleared most of them out .

However , Zac didn’t feel relieved as his danger sense kept building as the horn of the bison was nearing the same level of blinding brightness as when it fired its last shot . This time it was quickly swiveling its head back and forth in the direction of Zac , likely aiming to destroy a wider area .

Time was running out and Zac did the only thing he could think of . The huge wooden hand closed the last distance and gripped the huge horn . Searing heat was transferred from the wooden hand to Zac’s , but the feeling was nothing new to him .

Zac aimed to push its head to the side to avoid the incoming laser , but he had underestimated the power of his skill . An extremely loud snap echoed through the area , followed by a high-pitched screech as the horn was broken off .

Zac was shocked , but wouldn’t let the opportunity pass as there still was some time left on his skill before it ran out of steam . He pivoted the hand and with all the remaining force he could muster he drove the huge horn straight into the body of the bison .

A huge fountain of blood shot straight up in the sky as the animal essentially was impaled into its ground from its own body part . It let out a last desolate bellow before it stopped moving forever , its death infusing Zac with a huge amount of cosmic energy , bringing him clean to level 61 .

The remaining floating mines in the vicinity soon disappeared , turning into a dense amount of cosmic energy that spread through the town . It allowed Zac clear passage as he slowly walked over to the corpse , the adrenaline from the fight quickly turning to tiredness all over .

The axe in his hand started to gleefully vibrate as he got next to the bison , and Zac dutifully placed its edge at the still bleeding wound of the animal . A good deal of blood entered the axe , and Zac almost thought that he could hear a happy purr from inside it .

Not long after the effects of Hatchetman’s Rage] ended , and he was overcome with a wave of tiredness . Between his two fights and using both his aces he just wanted to curl up and sleep , but he wouldn’t lose his battle-readiness until he felt he was in a safe place .

Wow , that was pretty crazy , - a voice came from behind , making Zac straighten his back and turn around , hoping that his weakness couldn’t be discerned .

It was unsurprisingly Average , who likely had spectated the battle from somewhere closeby . The fact that he had stayed away from the battle from start to end somewhat proved to Zac that the youth might be a bit spoiled , but he was true to his word . There was a moment of opportunity to steal the kill after the animal was impaled , but Average didn't take it .

He also couldn’t sense any danger , so Zac didn’t mind him approaching .

I didn’t expect it to have such strong attacks , so I might have gone a bit overboard , - Zac said as ripped out the huge horn from the bison and put it in a pouch .

Star Ox are pretty well known for their star beam . Ahh , I'm so unlucky! If you didn't get lucky and caught my leg , I would have been the one to rip the horn off and stab the animal , - Average said with a sigh as he prodded the corpse of the Star Ox .

Luck had nothing to do with it , - Zac said with a shrug as he stored away the beast carcass as well . - In 100 sparring duels you would probably defeat me in most of them , but in a real battle , I would always be the one to walk away . You lack life-and-death experience . -

Average frowned and looked like he was about to argue with him , but was interrupted before he could start anything .

Haha , well spoken , brat! - a rough and extremely loud voice suddenly echoed through the town , making Zac warily look in all directions .

The fact that someone else was in the town without either of the two of them noticing wasn’t a great sign , giving Zac a sinking feeling .

That feeling only amplified when he noticed the abject horror on Average’s face .

Chapter 201 - Greatest

The teenager clearly knew the origin of the voice , and he obviously wasn’t happy to hear it . Zac warily took out his axe once again , trying to figure out means to escape .

He truly wasn’t in a condition to fight with someone who made Average this afraid . However , he soon realized the folly of any thoughts of escape as a pressure that felt like , unlike anything he’d ever felt before blanketed the whole town .

The next moment a man who looked to be in his forties appeared next to Average as if out of nowhere . He wore similar gear as the teenager , but comparing the two was as though comparing a matchstick fire to the sun . Zac knew the true aura of the man was restrained , but he barely was able to stand up just from being in his proximity .

This was a true old monster , someone far above anything he’d encountered so far , even eclipsing his realm of understanding . The only thing that had felt similar before was when he saw the axe-man in the vision , though the man in front of him likely wasn’t quite that powerful .

But there was a big difference between seeing something in a vision and with his real eyes .

The pugilists were clearly related , as they shared the same weird hair and many facial features . It didn’t feel like a mystery to Zac , the man was Average’s father . The dad’s build was quite a bit bulkier , but there wasn’t a shred of fat on his body . It was also clear that this man was no greenhouse elite like his son .

His whole body was crisscrossed with scars , much like Zac’s own body looked like by now . But more importantly , he radiated a killing intent that felt strong enough to drown the whole planet they stood on , and it was on a completely different scale compared to his own .

Zac wondered just how much slaughter one had to undergo to passively emit such an aura . If someone had told him that this man had destroyed a whole planet , he honestly would believe them .

Brat , why don’t you look happy to see your father? And you’re even calling me crazy? - the man said as he flicked Average on his forehead .

However , the power in that love-tap was enough to blast Average into a house , just like what happened to Zac when he got punched . But Average seemed fine apart from a quickly growing bump , and quickly scrambled out of the ruins of the house , albeit with some complaint on his face .

What father , you’re just a clone , - Average muttered , brushing some dust from his vest .

Shitty son , it’s still a wisp of my consciousness inside , no? -

Zac was shocked at that exchange . The monstrously powerful man was just a clone of the real thing . He already knew from Alyn that clones created from techniques were far weaker than the original body . To be this powerful with only a small part of the original’s body’s power , just who were these people?

And what was that embarrassing display earlier? I trained you for almost twenty years to be fearless and indomitable , yet you gave up after only a broken nose . Next time you better lose a couple of limbs before you give up , - the man snorted , and finally turned toward Zac .

Not bad for a little Progenitor , you show promise . I’m guessing you’re here on a quest? -

Zac was still a bit shellshocked from the aura the man emitted , but he forced himself to snap out of it . He didn’t dare to lie in front of this man . Somehow he knew Zac was a Progenitor , and who knew what else he’d gleaned . Zac wouldn’t be surprised if the man used some high tier observation skills that Mental Barrier] didn’t even notice .

I am Zachary Atwood , it’s nice to meet you . May I ask how you knew I was a Progenitor? - Zac tentatively said to him .

This old man has been around for 80 000 years . If I couldn’t see through some little brat I might as well throw myself into a sun , - he laughed . - I am Greatest , by the way , Average’s father . And don’t worry , your quest is probably completed . I’m simply shielding the area for a bit so we could talk without you getting whisked away . -

Zac’s mind moved a mind a minute as he tried to unpack the various things the man said . First of all , Zac understood where he got the naming sense , and he could only throw a pitying glance at Average , who only rolled his eyes in response .

The next shocker was his age , as anyone that old had to be at least C-Grade race as far as Zac knew . That , in turn , meant that the man in front of him was at least a D-Grade powerhouse . However , Zac had a feeling he wasn’t that simple .

He had no proper frame of reference yet of the powerhouses of the multiverse , but Zac would guess that the man in front of him was stronger than D-Grade . This was only reinforced by the last comment . It appeared that the man was able to shield the area from the System .

He already knew that it was possible to manipulate the System to a certain degree , as stronger forces were somewhat able to snag the incursion slots that were supposed to be randomly awarded . But he’d never heard about this type of manipulation .

It was extremely alarming , as it meant that it was possible that the man in front of him , or people of similar power , could lock down space around themselves . That would mean that using things as Coward’s Escape or Teleporters might be useless when fleeing from powerhouses .

You gave my son a valuable lesson , so I help you out in return . Wear this until you’re as powerful as me , - the man said .

The next moment something appeared out of nowhere in front of Zac , and he hesitantly took it . It was a bracelet that looked like those the two pugilists wore . Zac didn’t hesitate , and quickly put it on . He didn’t believe there was any malice behind the move . If Greatest wanted to kill him he would already be dead .

The Specialty Core you’ve managed to grow is both a blessing and a curse and will enable a miracle if it doesn’t kill you . Many wouldn’t even hesitate in cutting you open just to study it . This little trinket will hide it from the world , and at least no one in D-Grade will be able to sense it , ’ the man’s voice sounded in Zac’s mind .

Zac was truly alarmed this time . It was as though Greatest could see through everything about him . Not only that , he seemed to understand what the core was and called it a Specialty Core . Unfortunately , Zac had no idea what it meant , as he’d never heard anyone mention it back in Port Atwood .

He was both relieved and a bit disappointed after hearing Greatest’s opinion . Relieved that it was something good that many would want . But at the same time , it wasn’t something great to the point that he was interested in it . Initially , Zac had believed he had created some miracle of the ages , but perhaps the reality wasn’t quite that exciting .

For the first time , Zac didn’t look at the powerhouse in front of him like he was some sort of primordial beast , but rather a treasure trove of information . This man was no doubt far more knowledgeable about pretty much anything compared to anyone on his island .

The answers to so many questions he had lied with him , and perhaps even the solution to all the predicaments on Eart . There was no doubt that this man could singlehandedly destroy all the incursions and the dominators without breaking a sweat . He likely even had a bunch of underlings who could do so .

Nothing ventured , nothing gained , and Zac was about to ask the man for assistance , but before he had a chance Greatest started talking again .

Brat , let’s go . This was a valuable lesson for me as well . I’ve been too lenient with you due to your mother , seeing as you shrunk away from the face of death . You need some real battle experience , so I’ll ask The Red Emperor to accept you into the Eternal Legion for a campaign or two . If you survive I’ll allow you to change your name , - he said with a widening smile .

All color quickly drained from the face of Average , and horror even eclipsing that from earlier filled his eyes . But he knew better than to fight with his battle-crazed father , and could only stare at Zac like he wanted to cry but had no tears left .

Haha , little Progenitor , if you ever find yourself in the Red sector of the Allbright Empire , come and have a drink with this old man . If I’m in a good mood I might even let you try one of our Certain Death trials! - the man said , ignoring his son .

Wait! - Zac shouted , but it was to no avail .

The next moment the two simply disappeared , leaving Zac alone with a slew of questions . Only a few seconds later he got a prompt telling him that his quest was complete , and a crystal spawned next to him . The quest didn’t hand out the rewards though , and Zac guessed he would get them at his own Nexus Node back on Port Atwood .

Zac sighed as he looked up at the stars . Meeting Greatest had been eye-opening in more ways than one . He couldn’t wait for the day that Earth had braved the trials of the integration , and he didn’t have to fight tooth and nail for every advantage .

He also realized that it was a pipe dream to depend on others for help with his own problems . It was unreasonable to expect some random powerhouse to help out a place like Earth , making an enemy of the Undead Empire and the Cult of the Everlasting Dao in the process .

But it wasn’t all bad . He knew that the Allbright Empire was a vast force that had all kinds of opportunities . It wouldn’t be a bad place to travel to in the future . Having already made a sort of connection with such a powerhouse over there might open all kinds of doors .

One could even see it as the hidden reward for the quest since meeting Greatest might be worth far more in the end compared to some Dao Treasure . But that was all for later . He needed to focus on the present , and there was a Treasure hunt to reap some benefits from in two weeks .

Zac only took one last glance around the town , before he touched the crystal and disappeared . As for the fate of the warring states of the Solvim , that had already left his mind .

Unbeknownst to Zac , two people stood in the air , looking down at the town as Zac touched the crystal .

So he really was a Progenitor , - Average said with interest , seeing his new rival disappear . - No wonder I didn’t recognize him . I still believe I would have been the one to win in a life-and-death battle though . -

The only way you’d beat him is relying on treasures I gave you . Then it would have been me that defeated him , not you . Remember , items are only a crutch . Only our fists are eternal , - Greatest said with a snort .

Why did you give him that bracer? Didn’t you craft it for Lord Greenwood’s new personal disciple? - Average asked , knowing better than to argue with his unreasonable father .

I’ll just say the craft failed , - the man said with a grin . - It’s more important to sow the seeds of karma . -

Was he really worth it? That was tens of thousands of E-Grade Nexus Coins you threw away , - Average muttered .

We’ll find out in a few thousand years , - Greatest said with a nonchalant shrug .

But if he was so important , why didn’t you send someone to help him out? I’ve heard how messed up the situation on those new planets are . Isn’t he almost guaranteed to die? I know you would be able to send someone with him through the Nexus Hub . - Average skeptically asked .

If I did so then my gamble would have been truly worthless , - Greatest said with a shake of his head . - For now that brat was only a promise of greatness . But If I stepped in at this juncture he would likely never pass the second bottle-neck . Besides , I believe he is well on his way to solve those issues himself . He is quite impressive even by progenitor-standards . -

Average only looked down again one last time , before summoning a huge vessel . There was no network in this remote pocket of the Red Sector , and it would take over a week to get back home . He briefly wondered if he’d ever see that brutal guy again .

But he soon put it out of his mind , as he had his own things to worry about .

Chapter 202 - Specialty Core

As soon as Zac touched the crystal he once again found himself in front of the Nexus Hub south of Azh’Rodum . When he looked around he also noticed two boxes neatly placed right in front of him .

He took up the first one and opened it , finding a densely inscribed plaque inside . He picked it up and a stream of information immediately entered his mind . It was the entrance token to the Tower of Eternity , and there was quite a bit of information it provided .

He could use the token at any moment after reaching level 50 , so technically he could use it right now if he wanted . Of course , he wouldn't go just yet as he wanted to push as far as possible , reaping the maximum amount of benefits . Therefore he’d first do both the treasure hunt and the first step of the inheritance he ended up choosing before trying the Tower .

He also learned that the token was personal , and could not be sold or traded . Finally , anyone had two shots at the tower , after which they would be eternally looked out of it . However , to take the trial the second time another token had to be earned somehow .

Zac put the token away into his pouch and opened the second box . Inside was a small shimmering vial with a luminescent liquid splashing around inside . Zac sighed a bit in disappointment when he saw the content . The liquid was the Dao Treasure , and Zac knew the method of using it was quite simple .

He simply needed to drink it to obtain its effects . However , he didn’t do so just yet , as a Dao Treasure wasn’t quite as simple as an attribute fruit . The vial would place him in a state of enlightenment , somewhat like his state when he improved his Dao of Heaviness back at the auction , but it wouldn’t guarantee a new Dao Seed or improve one .

As far as Dao Treasures went , it was one of the more mediocre ones . But then again , he already knew it'd only be an F-Ranked treasure . Besides , while it wouldn't give him a completely new seed like some treasures did , it would at least give him a shot at improving a current one .

The best way to utilize this type of Dao Treasure was to first decide on which seed to improve and take the first steps on the type of insight he wanted for it . That would maximize the chance to gain something from the vial . Of course , using the vial to improve his Dao of Sharpness would be far easier than his Dao of Trees , since one was still at the low stage , whereas the Dao of Trees was just missing one step to reach its peak .

Zac had some difficulty in choosing which way he should go on the matter . For one he knew that improving the Dao of Trees would bring far more attributes than the others , but at the same time its usefulness in battle was a bit limited .

Conversely , it felt like a bit of a waste to use his treasure on the Dao of Sharpness , as he really should be able to improve it by himself since it still was only on the first stage . He wasn’t in a hurry since there still were roughly two weeks before the treasure hunt started , but he felt he would have to use it before then , to maximize his battle potential .

Having packed away both his treasures he walked north toward the demon town . Azh’Rodum was still somewhat deserted , as many of the demons lived in Port Atwood nowadays . But some people were walking the streets , humans and demons alike .

The simple reason was the Nexus Crystal mine . Those who worked the mine lived in the town , only sometimes heading to Port Atwood . However , those who lived here had special passes , and normal citizens of his town couldn’t get here unless they managed to pass through the sea of barghest and Gwyllgi to get here .

This was of course to protect the rich resources of the area . There were plans to sooner or later to turn the whole mountain into a restricted zone with the help of Arrays , but such an undertaking would cost over a hundred million Nexus Coins and wasn’t something he could prioritize at the moment .

Since he was here anyway he couldn’t resist heading over to his hidden cavern and was elated to find that the density of the Cosmic Energy in the air felt slightly sparser compared to before . Zac felt it was good news since that hopefully meant that the bead was absorbing large amounts of energy .

Still , he couldn’t discern any changes to the bead down at the bottom of the calm pond as of yet . He wasn’t surprised at that though since the Lotus was a D-Grade treasure after all . Even with the help of the pond it would likely take a long time for it to grow to the state he saw at the Abbot Everlasting Peace’s monastery .

Since everything seemed to be going according to plan Zac headed back to Port Atwood . He’d only been gone for a day , but he still went over to Calrin’s . The Attuned Nexus Crystals weren’t anything rare , and it shouldn’t take the gnome much time to acquire them .

Zac’s current venues to become stronger were at the moment slightly limited . There was still the island with the Mystic Realm , but even if he battled for two weeks straight he doubted he’d gain more than a level tops , seeing as he just gained level 61 . That would barely provide any benefits , and there were better ways to spend his days before the Treasure Hunt .

He felt that he needed to improve himself in other manners . Levels weren’t where he was lacking . That became quite clear from his fight with Average . The teenager had completely dominated him in the fight until Zac turned it around by taking a large risk .

Zac was simply lacking combat proficiency . He had learned some of it from battle , but battle with animals and Axe Mastery] could only take him so far . He had encountered the same problem with Rydel back in the final fight of the Demon Incursion . A large amount of attributes were worthless unless he could properly utilize them .

While he knew that he couldn’t get as good training as Average received as young , there should be something he could do . Zac didn’t know exactly what level Average was , but he guessed that the youth should be level 75 , at the stage of gaining as many titles and other advantages as possible before evolving .

Greatest had said that he’d trained his son for almost twenty years , making the youth older than he looked . It wasn’t anything surprising , seeing as Average likely reached E-Grade Race long before he turned 16 years old thanks to various treasures .

Since it only took Zac 6 months to reach level 61 he felt that someone close to being 20 years old from such a prestigious background should be max leveled by now , even if they went slow and steady . Gaining the levels were usually the easiest step in evolving , but it was rather other things that hold people back .

From what he understood some spent a decade at the bottleneck before advancing , though he still didn’t know exactly why . Alyn and Ogras had always been a bit diffuse about what happened in E-Grade , only saying that one would become a lot stronger . Until now he hadn’t really cared , but it was quickly becoming more and more relevant .

Resuming his training to improve his battle techniques wasn't the only option . Another way to get stronger was his Dao , and he was planning on spending some time on that . But in the end , Zac believed his Core to be the most promising venue to improve . Greatest clearly understood what it was , and mentioned it was a good thing . He quickly wanted to infuse it with more energy to complete its construction .

He felt he shouldn’t be too far off , as a large part of it was covered with fractals by now . Perhaps a final push was all that was needed before he could start to unravel its mysteries .

After a quick walk he found himself at the Thayer Consortia , sitting down once again with Calrin . The little gnome quickly produced 25 luminous crystals , each emitting dense and refreshing energies .

Twenty five E-Grade Divine Crystals , - Calrin said .

Great , - Zac said as he placed them in his pouch . - By the way , have you ever heard of the concept of a - Specialty Core’? -

Zac tried asking the Sky Gnome since he might be the most knowledgeable person on the island , apart from the Creators . However , while they came from an extremely powerful faction they were almost fanatical about crafting , caring little about other things . Meanwhile , Calrin did hail from a former C-Grade family after all .

Specialty core? - the gnome questioned as his face scrunched up . - I’m not sure… Wait! I’ve read about it in some of our old scriptures before we were forced to sell them . -

Oh , what do you know? - Zac enthusiastically asked .

Well , not much , to be honest . From what I understand they are quite rare , but they can enable things out of the norm , so to speak? - Calrin hesitantly said .

Huh? - Zac could only say , not feeling any clearer about what his core was .

Hmm… Say for example there’s a lightning mage . He is specialized to inflict as much damage as possible , but each strike costs a lot of Cosmic Energy , - Calrin began explaining . - He realizes that a good addition to his skill is the ability to create large clouds that can generate the lightning bolts for him , saving him a lot of energy . -

Sure , - Zac nodded along .

But his class is specialized , his pathways don’t work with those kinds of skills . So he gets a Specialty Core that is attuned to water and wind . Suddenly he can create the clouds through his Core , and his fighting style has gotten much more versatile . -

Zac felt he understood the concept , though he had some difficulty understanding exactly what it meant for his own core .

So the Specialty Core adds more elements you can use? - Zac probed .

Well , no . That was just an example . From what I understand the names come from the fact that they are created with a specific purpose in mind . Adding an element is just one example , - Calrin explained . - But they are very rare , I’ve never met anyone with one . Perhaps they are more common in the higher planes , I’m not sure . -

By higher planes , Calrin simply meant the sectors with higher tier planets . While there weren’t any strict hierarchy it seemed , planets were generally lumped together with other planets around the same energy , due to being placed in a part of the multiverse with a certain level of ambient Cosmic Energy .

Earth already was in a pretty good spot , seeing as it started as D-grade , though where on the scale of D-Grade still remained to be seen . But it also meant that there likely weren’t any high tier planets in the close vicinity , apart from perhaps a C-Grade planet being the core of the sector .

Conversely , it was possible that Earth was one of the main planets in a sector with mainly E and F-grade planets . Actually , that felt like an even more likely scenario , seeing as how energy-starved Earth was before the integration .

In the end Zac thanked the gnome for his help and left for his compound . While he still didn’t exactly know what his Core would do , he felt he had a clearer picture of the situation . And perhaps everything would become more apparent the moment his core was finished absorbing energy .

Zac couldn’t wait to try it out and only informed the guards to tell his sister he was back before he went into seclusion to start absorbing the crystals . Soon he sat in his courtyard with the arrays erected with a Divine crystal in his hand .

The Core greedily ate the energy the crystal contained , and it felt the fit was far better than any other life-attuned energy he had given it so far , except the pure energies contained in the lotus seed . The amount of energy was excellent as well , and it felt like he sat in a spring of life , every cell in his body vibrating with vitality .

After roughly two hours he started to sense some instability in the core due to the life-attuned energies overpowering the other side , and he quickly took out one of his E-Grade Miasma Crystals . Absorbing a Miasma Crystal was , as expected , the opposite of the Divine Crystals , and it felt like he was gripped with a cold hand of death as he absorbed its energies .

This process kept repeating for a few times until he hesitantly decided to hold one crystal in each hand and started absorbing again . The energies wildly clashed in his body , causing quite a bit of pain , but in the end it was manageable . The important thing was that his rate of absorption had doubled , and Zac didn’t move for day after day .

His mind was completely emptied , and he only focused on the vast amounts of energies that passed through his body on its way to his Specialty Core . After a few days , he had absorbed over a hundred times the energy he had available in his body at any given moment , clearly displaying the extreme amounts of power the small core contained .

It was only on the sixth day he felt a change . His core finally seemed satiated .

Chapter 203 - Duplicity

Zac was quite relieved when he put away the half-absorbed crystals . He had already expended most of his stock of Divine Crystals , and he was starting to fear that his core was simply a bottomless hole . But now he knew there truly was a limit to it .

Zac closed his eyes and focused his senses on the core , trying to understand what it did . It had undergone quite a change unbeknownst to him the past week . Before he started to absorb the E-Grade crystals it had been a chaotic jumble of gold interchanged with black , likely representing life and death .

Now the chaos had given way to order , and there was a clean line of demarcation , which each of the halves of the Core seemingly consisting of one of the colors . This only was the surface though , as Zac’s mental sight had no means to penetrate the surface of the Specialty Core .

Covering the core were dense patterns of inscriptions , but even after looking at them for half an hour he didn’t really find out anything of use . Calrin had said that Specialty Cores served a special function , but Zac simply had no way to discern what this one would do from his clues so far .

He knew that the fractals were created by the Apostate of Order to follow a certain ruleset , but as far as he was concerned it was all unreadable hieroglyphs so far . He had rather hoped to receive some sort of information burst to explain the core when it was done , but there was no such luck .

The core also didn’t respond in the slightest when he tried to infuse it with Cosmic Energy or his Dao , no matter how much he tried . It felt like he was staring at a treasure trove just out of reach . With a sigh he opened his eyes , admitting defeat for now .

The good news at least was that he probably wouldn’t be in any danger any longer when he traveled the Dead Zone . Since his Core was satiated it shouldn’t absorb any more miasma when killing Zombies or other undead .

The bad news was that his gambit to get stronger before the Treasure Hunt through the core seemed to be a wash . However , there still was a week to go , and he could at least work on his Dao . Zac opened up his status screen to take another look at his Seeds , but something odd made him stop in his tracks .

Name

Zachary Atwood

Level

61

Class

Hatchetman (F)

Race

Human (E)

Alignment

Port Atwood - Lord (Earth)

Titles

Born for Carnage , Ultimate Reaper , Luck of the Draw , Giantsbane , Disciple of David , Overpowered , Slayer of Leviathans , Adventurer , Demon Slayer I , Full of Class , Rarified Being , Trailblazer , Child of Dao , The Big 500 , Planetary Aegis , One Against Many , Butcher , Progenitor Hegemon , Core

Dao

Seed of Heaviness - Middle , Seed of Trees - High , Seed of Sharpness - Early

Core

Duplicity (F)

Strength

344

Dexterity

162

Endurance

231

Vitality

201

Intelligence

90

Wisdom

85

Luck

93

Free Points

3

Nexus Coins

20 853 653

There actually was a new row for his core , right beneath his Dao Seeds . The System had named his core duplicity , which felt like a clue . Zac didn’t think it meant that the core would help him become a better liar , but rather referred to the two halves of it .

Unfortunately , there was no menu for him to go further , such as his Dao Screen or Title screen , and that simple line was his only clue . But Zac remembered he actually had a title about his core , and perhaps it might give him some answers .

Core : Successfully form a Core . Reward : 5% Strength , ? ? ? ? ]

To his surprise the Title had actually changed , now giving out a pretty good reward . When he first received the core it had given him nothing , only displaying a line of question marks . The question marks were still there though , making Zac a bit confused .

As he saw it there were two possibilities . The first possibility was that the core simply wasn’t complete yet , and it being satiated with energies was just the first step in building it . That would explain why it was completely inert even though it was complete .

The other possibility was that the question marks showed that the Title could keep improving . In the status screen the core was shown in the same way as his Class and Race , with an (F) behind it , showing it likely could be upgraded in the same manner .

Or perhaps it was something else entirely , he was simply speculating at the moment . But seeing the title made him remember something he had forgotten in all the excitement , something that might spell trouble down the line .

Until he met Greatest he had been operating under the assumption he was essentially growing a normal cultivator’s core ahead of schedule . He based this on the fact that it was positioned right where a normal core would appear when reaching D-Grade , and it being tightly integrated with his pathways .

But from how Calrin explained it a Specialty Core was like an add-on to a warrior , rather than swapping out the core . What would happen to him in the future when the spot for his normal core was already occupied? Was it possible to move his new core?

Various thoughts and scenarios whirled in his head , but finally he reluctantly tabled the matter . He simply knew to little about the situation , and there was nothing he could do at the moment . In any case , a 5% boost to his Strength wasn’t shabby , making it well worth the week he spent on nurturing the core .

Zac put his three free points into Endurance and closed his menu . He was initially going to make a decision on his Dao Seeds , but he felt he needed to clear his head first . For the first time in almost a week , he stood up and stretched his stiff body before leaving his courtyard .

It was around midday , and neither Kenzie or Emily was at home . He was a bit bored so he decided to head to the Academy . He wanted to see his sister , and Alyn would perhaps have some helpful knowledge about Specialty Cores .

The academy had changed quite a bit the past weeks , forming a compound of its own . Before it had simply been a large field of gravel where the Valkyries trained , but now it felt like a real place of learning .

There were over ten structures that held either classrooms or training facilities , and the large training field had been turned into five fields , each with different settings for the gravity array . He was planning on taking a tour but stopped when he passed the field with the lowest gravity boost .

Emily was currently facing a demon warrior , holding a small tomahawk in each hand . The demon was unarmed , and simply blocked her strikes by redirecting their trajectories .

Your strikes still lack ferocity , - the demon said . - You and your attacks need to be indomitable . The axe is not like a sword , where there exist myriad techniques . The axe is a simpler tool , with fewer ways to attack . It is easier for me to block you because it's easy for me to guess your attack patterns . -

So what should I do? And don’t say change weapon , - Emily huffed .

Make it so that it doesn’t matter if I know what you’re about to do . Crush all resistance , break all defenses . Does Lord Atwood hide his intentions in battle? No , he simply pushes forward , crushing tactics with power , - the demon said , clearly with some approval in his voice .

Zac scratched his chin with a wry smile as he walked away . While what the demon said at the end sounded like a compliment , it also made him sound a bit like a simpleton who only charged straight ahead . He really needed to add some brains to his brawns .

It seemed that Emily hadn’t listened to either Alyn or Alea , swapping to a more magically inclined class . But Zac wouldn’t stop her from following her convictions . If she felt that strongly about using axes , it probably was for the best if she kept it up .

Zac didn’t interrupt the training and let her be since he knew that Emily was working extremely hard in preparation for her sixteenth birthday . She had been hungering to get stronger since Fort Roger , and she was almost there now .

Instead , he headed over to Alyn’s . The schoolmistress still chose to stay inside the academy , though her simple house had received an extensive upgrade . Recently he had learned that the reason so many demons helped Alyn out with various things . She had quite a few suitors .

It appeared that the combination of ruthlessness and graceful and intellectual demeanor made the schoolmistress quite a catch in the eyes of many of the demonic warriors . It was even to the point that a few of the warriors had mainly stayed behind on Earth because she did so .

Lord Atwood , what brings you here? - Alyn said with a smile as she opened her door and indicated him to sit down in a chair on the patio .

I simply wanted to take a look at the progression of the academy , - Zac said as he sat down . - It looks you have everything in hand . -

Everything is proceeding fine . It turns out that you stopping me from whipping the children did not lessen the children’s productivity . I still have much to learn it seems , - Alyn said .

We have also found a few islanders who were teachers before your world got integrated , and we are currently teaching them a revised curriculum along with the children . Within a year we will have operations running for children between 6 and 18 . -

That’s great . And the armies? -

Apart from the Valkyries there currently are around 2500 humans in training . Around half of them are cultivators coming from Refugee’s Harbor . However , they’re still mostly a hodge-podge group of people of various strengths and weaknesses . They lack structure and discipline , - Alyn said with a sigh . - Currently they wouldn't be any use in assaulting an Incursion . -

I’m sure you can whip them into order . No need to be as lax with soldiers as with the children , - Zac said with a small smile . - What about the beastmaster I sent you? -

You mean the pet caretaker? - Alyn said , raising an eyebrow . - Well , I think she should get some sort of class choices related to beasts . We are currently getting her acquainted with barghest and the Ayr hive in hopes to improve her choices before rushing her to level 25 . She was a bit reluctant at first but she came around after I explained about the bond between a beastmaster and its horde . -

Great , keep me posted on that , - Zac said with a nod .

The two kept conversing about various topics for a bit , and Zac even broached the subject of Specialty Cores . Unfortunately , Alyn knew even less about them than Calrin , only having heard that stronger forces sometimes depended on Specialty Cores for their advanced Heritages to work .

Where does Kenzie usually train? - finally asked , after having gone through everything he needed for the moment .

She’s over at the fourth quadrant . She’s quite impressive , you know . She has a mage-class , but I’ve never met someone with such amazing reflexes . She’d make a great swordfighter or pugilist as well , - Alyn said , her eyes brightening up . - Perhaps a hybrid Class at E-grade , like I’m pushing for with Emily . -

Zac was a bit confused , but then it hit him . Kenzie had never displayed any particular feats of athleticism back in the day , though she played a bit of basketball in school . But now she had an AI helping out . Perhaps it could provide her with similar features as his Axe Mastery] , except that it also worked in battles .

He realized his sister might even be able to help him train his close combat . From what he understood Jeeves refused to help others , but if the two sparred the AI would help both of them out whether it liked it or not .

Zac walked over to the field , and soon found Kenzie sit in a corner of the field . She was currently wielding a Fireball in one hand a floating Icicle in the other as she ran through an obstacle course . There were targets planted at various places , and it seemed it was set up so that she was supposed to shoot an attack of a specific element depending on the markings on the targets .

Zac let her finish her run , after which she came up to him , a slight sheen of sweat covering her .

Impressive , - Zac said with a smile .

You’re finally out of your hole? - she said with a slightly accusatory tone . - I thought you would stay in there until the treasure hunt . -

Honestly I’m only out to take a breather . There’s still a lot to do . What are you doing? - Zac asked , changing the subject .

He knew he hadn’t spent a lot of time with his sister since he saved her , and he felt bad about it . But at the same time , there was simply so much to do . He was desperately struggling to keep his edge in order to keep himself and the citizens of Port Atwood safe .

I’m training coordinations . Jar… My friend said that a big weakness for mages was adaptability and close combat . He designed this course so that I will get better at adapting my attacks , and to better handle myself while fighting . He says that standing still and shooting fireballs is the same as waiting to be killed , - she explained .

Zac had to agree with the AI after thinking back to his fights with mages . They were quite annoying and their attacks were often very strong , but usually when Zac caught up to them the fight was over . One swing or two and they were dead . It felt extremely prudent to learn some footwork in conjunction with the spells . If she could keep shooting fireballs while running to maintain her distance from her target she would be far safer .

Sounds like a smart idea , - Zac said approvingly .

More importantly , you should go see Hannah , - Kenzie said . - I tried to tell you three days ago but you were unreachable . -

Hannah? - Zac said with a frown . - What’s going on? -

I think she’s in trouble , - Kenzie said , looking a bit concerned .

Chapter 204 - To Forgive

She came to me a few days ago , wanting to speak with you . She looked pale and haggard , - Kenzie said with worry on her face . - I tried to ask what had happened , but she wouldn’t say . She only said she really needed to speak with you . -

Zac frowned , an unsettling feeling emerging in his chest . Was someone making things difficult for Hannah because she was his ex?

I went by her house yesterday , - she continued - It looked some had harassed her . The door was broken . -

Did you talk to her again? - Zac said with some agitation .

No , I couldn't find her since then . But I told Ogras to have people patrol her neighborhood , - Kenzie said .

I'll fix the situation , - Zac said , leaving without another word .

Anger was burning in his chest as he moved toward Hannah’s house in the residential district . He couldn’t help but believe that someone was harassing her due to her complicated relationship with himself .

It wouldn’t be impossible that it was someone doing things to Hannah in a misguided attempt to suck up to him , or perhaps it was someone who simply delighted in kicking people when they were down . But whatever the case was it had thoroughly enraged Zac .

Even if the feelings of affection had cooled over the past months , Hannah was still someone who held a place in his heart . She was someone who knew Zac , rather than the Super Brother-Man . Whoever was behind this would regret inserting themselves into his matters .

He soon arrived outside Hannah’s house once again , and it was just like Kenzie had said . The white door from earlier was actually cracked open , now resting against the wall . A new door had been installed , though it clearly was a makeshift solution as it didn’t properly fit in the doorframe .

That wasn’t all . Multiple windows were broken , and it looked like someone had thrown mud at the villa . Zac stood completely frozen for a few seconds , unbelieving at what he was seeing . Suddenly he saw a slight movement in one of the windows , telling him that Hannah was home . This time he didn’t knock , instead immediately entering in haste .

Luckily it was clear that no one dared to actually enter the home of Hannah , leaving the interior intact . A sound was heard and Zac could see a haggard-looking Hannah step out of a doorway holding a pillow in front of her .

Are you okay? What’s going on? - Zac said with concern .

Hannah didn’t say a word and only started sobbing . Zac moved over to her by instinct and placed his arms around her . Suddenly a slight prick of pain erupted in his stomach , and he moved away with some confusion .

To his shock , Zac saw that a dagger was firmly embedded in his gut . He couldn’t understand how he could be attacked like this without any alarm bells going off , or more importantly that Hannah would attack him . Zac furiously looked up at his ex , but before he had time to do anything a boundless cold erupted from the weapon .

You… - was all Zac could say as darkness took him .

A storm of emotions rushed through Hannah’s head as she looked down at the unmoving corpse of her former boyfriend . Adrenaline coursed through her veins , to the point that her hands couldn’t stop shaking .

She’d truly done it , she had managed to kill the strongest man in the world . She knew that meant she had gained the Lordship title , and that she was in control of both the huge wealth of the town and the Dao Repository . The path to becoming a true elite of the world was opened .

She thought she would be elated , but as she looked down on Zac she only felt empty , disgusted even . She had seen true anger on Zac’s face when he had stopped to see the damage she and David had orchestrated to make him run here in a hurry . An unsettling feeling was starting to rise in her chest , the scene of Zac arriving playing over and over in her mind .

I wasn’t sure you’d go through with it , - David said as he stepped out from his hiding spot behind a false wall , panting and pale .

When he saw her conspirator Hannah's chaotic thoughts quickly stilled , and she turned over to him with a frown .

I can’t rely on others to become stronger . It doesn’t matter if he slept with that bitch or not . I still have my goals , and he was in the way of them . And what’s with you? - Hannah asked , calming her raging emotions .

Do you think it’s easy to mask the killing intent from his senses? - David huffed . - More importantly , is he dead? -

Hannah’s eyes suddenly widened in a horrifying realization .

I haven’t received any energy! He’s still alive! - Hannah frantically said as she looked down on the knife that blazed in golden luster .

The knife she got from David was called a Purifying Dagger] for some reason , and it stole all the living energies out of a body to a certain extent . The knife would have no effect on a Zombie , but to a human it essentially was a death sentence .

It was the very dagger she received from David when they started hatching this scheme . He had apparently gotten it in the tutorial for completing a difficult quest and kept it secret until this day . Its weakness was that it could only be used once , becoming scrap metal afterward . David had multiple times exhorted her to make the stab count for that very reason .

Unfortunately , it seemed out that there was a limit on how much vitality it could absorb . But even with the enormous power of someone like Zac , it should at least have absorbed a large chunk of his life force since Zac was truly looking like a pale corpse at the moment .

As she looked down on Zac who blankly stared up on the roof , she knew he wasn’t long for this world even if they left him alone . It had probably passed a threshold where the lack of vitality would cause a chain reaction where one organ after another shut down .

However , David frowned and immediately rushed toward Zac , not wanting to take any chances . But before he had time to decapitate his former friend a shield of shadows appeared over the lifeless body of Zac .

In the next instant a spear penetrated David’s gut , lifting him up in the air . He screamed in pain but he was unable to extricate himself . He helplessly hanged in the air , blood freely raining down on the floor .

Now look what you have done , - a desolate voice said with a sigh as the demon leader stepped out of the shadows holding a spear . - You might just have doomed your planet . For what? Revenge for him dumping you? -

For power . I got a quest that gave me lordship if I managed to kill Zac . We did it , giving me complete control . I know you want The Umbra] Inheritance . Help me solidify my position and it’s yours . Anything else you need that Port Atwood has , you will be given , - Hannah quickly said .

This wasn’t what they had planned . The idea was to solidify their position and take control of the Arrays covering the town before anyone even found out Zac was dead , and from there negotiate from a place of power . That Ogras had somehow found out about them was highly unnerving , and it felt as though things were getting out of control .

What would it matter in the big picture if two pieces of trash like you got your hands on the inheritances? You would just squander the gifts anyway , and then get killed by the invaders , - Ogras said with a sneer as he threw the wailing David into a wall .

Besides , you seem to be under a misconception . You think you’re qualified to negotiate with me? - The demon continued , looking down at the unmoving body of Zac . - You’ve ruined so much for me , and you think I will let you live in peace? Your newfound lordship title won’t help you . The Ruthless Heavens respects power , and you don’t have it . -

The next moment the demon stood in front of Hannah , and before she had time to react he clutched her throat and lifted her up in the air .

Don’t worry . I will not kill you . Since I can’t be the lord , someone else will have to bear that burden . And you will just have to pray that we survive the coming years . Because you can trust me in this regard ; if this planet falls and becomes my tomb , no one shall suffer more than the two of you until I meet my demise , - the demon growled .

Let me handle it , - an abyssal voice suddenly said , making Ogras quickly turn around .

It was Zac , who was slowly getting to his feet , a black ichor trickling down his mouth . At first Ogras seemed relieved , but when he noticed the face of his friend his pupils shrunk to a needle-point , and he couldn’t help but take a step back .

Rage and betrayal were coursing through Zac’s mind as he slowly got to his feet . He knew that he might have been dead for a bit , but somehow he’d heard everything that was said . He couldn’t believe that his two former friends would conspire to kill him .

He also had to admit that he was shocked that they actually succeeded . He hadn’t thought many on Earth could harm him anymore , let alone kill him . But that horrible knife that Hannah used sapped all the life in his body .

He still couldn’t completely understand how he still was alive , as he clearly felt himself dying after he fell down on the floor . But soon after the core in his body went haywire , spewing out a torrent of miasma that still filled every corner of his body .

Perhaps the death-attuned energy had staved off true death , but Zac knew it would be a pain to get his body under control again . He remembered what an undertaking it was to cleanse his wound earlier .

The miasma also caused some odd reactions in his body , as his sense of sight and smell was all messed up . He could still see the others just fine , but it was as though as there was another filter superimposed upon his normal sight .

It took him a brief moment to understand what it was . It was life . The miasma somehow caused him to see pure life that made the others shine in an enticing light . Initially , he thought it was heat he saw , but after turning his head he saw that wasn’t the case . He could see the same effect on the trees through the window , and the flowers planted in the window sill .

It was a magical sight , and Zac wondered if this was how the undead saw the world . The same nactually went for his sense of smell , as he could actually smell the life coming from Hannah and Ogras . It was a sweet and refreshing scent , like a subdued perfume .

The effect also felt reminiscent of the energies from the skills that the purifiers used , though what he saw was more subdued and natural . He turned his head to the wounded David at the side and saw that small motes of life were leaving him from his wound . He was slowly bleeding out , his life leaving with him .

But more importantly , that wasn't the only different thing about him .

He didn’t understand why everything was so different at the moment , and could only attribute it to the deathly part of his core . Still , all these questions would have to wait for later , as he needed to deal with the situation .

Just because of a misunderstanding you tried to kill me? - Zac said with a sigh as he walked toward his former lover whose horror was evident in her eyes . - Or was it greed? -

He blankly looked at Hannah for a few more seconds , the silence only broken by the wheezings of David . Zac once again turned his eyes the man who was still huddled in the corner .

I wondered why you didn’t seek me out . I have been back for some time , after all . If you wanted to get stronger you could have just asked , and I would have helped you . But it turned out David was already dead , - Zac said with a sad sigh .

What are you talking about? - David spat out between grit teeth . - You shouldn’t be alive . -

Hannah looked quite confused as well , not understanding the exchange . Ogras’ brows rose however as he looked over at the wounded man in concern . Zac only evenly stared at the person in front of him . When David saw the faces of Zac and ogras his frantic face suddenly turned completely calm .

You didn’t die , but you have fallen . Purity will come for you , - David said , closing his eyes .

The next moment Cosmic Energy Gathered around David , his body starting to glow with a golden sheen .

But it didn’t get further than that as tens of shadow blades chopped his body into mincemeat in the blink of an eye , effectively stopping the self-destruction .

Zac coldly looked the lifeless body seeing the motes of light quickly disappearing somewhere . To his surprise , a few of the motes entered his body , and he sensed the life energy entering the golden part of his core .

God damn cultists , - Ogras only spat . - This was a tricky one . I didn't actually kill him I think , I received no Cosmic Energy . -

The weapon should have come from him , - Zac said with a frown , looking down at the shining knife . - We'll find him . -

The reason he was so confident was his newfound sight . As long as he didn't lose it he wouldn't need any Springroot any longer . It was clear as day to him that David was a shapeshifter , as a ball of golden fire emanated vitality from within his heart .

He must have been one of the true elites that came through the Incursion . Are you ok? - the demon hesitantly asked , bringing Zac out of his musings .

I will survive , - Zac said with a shrug , turning to Hannah .

Please , I- David tricked me , - Hannah frantically said .

I forgive you , - Zac said after a while , causing Hannahs's eyes to widen in surprise and hope . - You were manipulated by a foreign invader . -

Yes! It was David , no that thing , that kept telling me to kill you! - Hannah agreed , her head bobbing up and down .

But to forgive is not to condone the actions of others , - Zac muttered , mostly to himself , as he turned to Ogras . - Throw her in a dungeon for now , until I decide what to do with her . If we don’t have one , build it . -

Sure . Are you truly okay? - Ogras asked , knocking Hannah out cold .

Zac looked down on his former lover , whose face was in the middle of a transformation from hope to despair when she lost consciousness .

I am fine . Why do you keep asking me that? - Zac asked with a frown as he looked back up at the demon .

Well , for one I know it kind of messes with your head to be betrayed by those close to you . I should know , my personal maid tried to murder me when I was 8 , - the demon said with a shrug .

But I mostly ask because you’ve turned into a god damn Zombie . -

Chapter 205 - Draugr

What? - Zac asked with a sinking feeling , hurriedly walking over to a mirror in the house .

He was shocked at what stared back at him , and he finally understood the odd stares from the three earlier . Ogras wasn’t kidding around with his comment , it truly seemed that he was looking at an undead rather than himself . Of course , it was still his features , but he now looked deathly pale like he’d lost all his blood .

But the largest difference was his eyes . They weren’t the murky empty eyes of the normal zombies , and neither were they the balls shining a red sinister life like those of Mhal , the Corpse Lord . Rather they were like two black holes . The whites were completely gone , and only true blackness covered them . When he looked at them it felt as though he was looking down into the abyss .

It was such an unreal feeling seeing himself like this that he had to touch his face to make sure he wasn't dreaming .

What’s going on? - he said , his voice now a bit shaky .

It started to look like the purpose of his core was to give him a second chance at life , though as an undead . The dagger should have killed him , but instead he stood here completely fine .

That’s what I’d like to know . Are you living? Are you dead? - Ogras said from the side , still keeping some distance from Zac . - Its weird , even if you died and somehow turned into a sentient Elite Zombie you shouldn’t have retained any memories . Undead are completely different people just inhabiting a former person’s body . -

Zac quickly opened his status screen to see if he could glean any information .

Name

Zachary Atwood

Level

1

Class

-

Race

Draugr (E)

Alignment

Port Atwood - Lord (Earth)

Titles

Born for Carnage , Ultimate Reaper , Luck of the Draw , Giantsbane , Disciple of David , Overpowered , Slayer of Leviathans , Adventurer , Demon Slayer I , Full of Class , Rarified Being , Trailblazer , Child of Dao , The Big 500 , Planetary Aegis , One Against Many , Butcher , Progenitor Hegemon , Core

Dao

Seed of Heaviness - Middle , Seed of Trees - High , Seed of Sharpness - Early

Core

Duplicity (F)

Strength

344

Dexterity

162

Endurance

220

Vitality

188

Intelligence

90

Wisdom

85

Luck

93

Free Points

0

Nexus Coins

20 853 653

The sight made him completely befuddled . There were a few shocking changes to his screen . First , the fact that both his level and class were completely reset , returning him to level 1 . The next thing was that his race no longer was human , but something called a Draugr .

What was confusing was that while he might have lost his levels and his class , all the benefits remained . His attributes were almost unchanged as far as he could remember , and his Titles and Dao Seeds were still there . The only difference was that the boost to Endurance and Vitality that he gained from Forester’s Constitution] seemed to be gone .

He started to get an idea of what was going on , his eyes darting toward the line with his core . But to make sure he opened the ladders . As he suspected he was still in a comfortable lead on the wealth- and level ladder .

Zac could only assume that he was somehow split into two entities due to his odd core , each one possessing its own status screen . If he truly had been reborn as an undead he shouldn’t have all these attributes or still stay on top of the ladder .

He even knew of a few rankers who had fallen in the Dead Zone , turning into Zombies . They immediately were removed from the ladder , just like when anyone else died . That could only mean that the system still considered him to be alive .

Of course , this was only a theory tinged with desperation from his side , and he still didn’t know how to use the core . Even after it got satiated he wasn’t able to interact with it , and it was the same result now even after it had somehow awoken . It would take some time to figure everything out before he could decide his next move .

I am fine . I think it's just the miasma in my body that went out of control . It might take some time to get it back in line , - Zac said , hiding what was really going on for now .

Miasma? - Ogras said with a frown . - I thought you said you got better . -

Well , it’s complicated , - Zac evaded . - It’s like what you said with the unholy beacons . Destroying them is a waste when they can be useful . -

The demon leveled an even gaze at Zac for a while , finally shaking his head .

I don’t know what you’ve done , but you are playing with fire . The multiverse is full of people who have turned into abominations in their pursuit of power . You need to wield the power , not let it wield you . -

Zac could only grimace in response . He knew that growing an unknown core that was partly compromised out of miasma was a crazy gambit , but at the moment he didn’t have a lot of alternatives .

Don’t worry , I know what I’m doing , - Zac could only say . - Or well , I don’t really . But I’ll be careful . More importantly , how did you show up so quickly? -

Fine . But remember , if you die to some stupid experiment we’re all fucked , - Ogras said . - As for why I'm here? Your sister told me something odd was going on , so I checked it out . I found no evidence that this girl was attacked , making me thing she did this to her own house . I wanted to find out what she was planning , so I stayed in the vicinity . I didn't expect them to almost kill you . -

I still don't understand how it's possible , - Zac said as he looked down at the shining dagger . - Just what is that thing? -

Not sure , but I would guess it's an offensive array rather than an actual weapon . Otherwise , it shouldn't have been strong enough to almost kill you , - Ogras said .

Zac was inclined to agree . Not only did the thing slice through his robe , but it effortlessly pierced his body . Hannah simply shouldn't be strong enough to accomplish that . But if this dagger was something like the Thunder Punishment Balls still in his Pouch he understood why it was so dangerous . The one-time offensive arrays held extreme power .

He only didn't expect it to look just like a weapon . Clearly , the Church of Everlasting Dao held various means beyond the understanding of both Ogras and himself .

I'll look into the weapon . Please try to find out just how a shapeshifter could replace David , and if the real one is still alive somewhere . Perhaps he kept him for questioning . He did manage to trick Hannah for potentially weeks , after all , - Zac said .

Have they reached the archipelago , or was it just a cultist lying in hiding from the incursion? It even managed to block my danger sense and fake its death right in front of us , - Zac added with a frown . - How is that even possible? -

Nothing is unbeatable in the multi-verse . Any powerhouse has a good deal of Luck accumulated through the years , - Ogras explained . - But there are many means to trick it , at least temporarily . That’s a major part of the pure Assassination classes . You can’t let your Luck be a crutch for you . Always be vigilant . -

Zac’s eyes thinned slightly when he heard the demon’s explanation . What Ogras said made sense , but he wondered why such an important piece of information never had left his mouth over these past months . Was the lordling still planning things in the shadows?

As for the fake death , I have no idea . I think this guy must have been a second in command or a leader of the shapeshifters , he’s very slippery . It seems we will need to buy a lot more springroot . Be careful of anyone approaching you now . He might have more of those daggers , - Ogras continued with a frown as the shadows swallowed him and the unconscious Hannah .

Zac could only sigh and take out a hooded robe from his cosmos sack to hide his new appearance . He also picked up the weird knife that Hannah used on him , as perhaps it was a clue in all this .

Finally , he headed back home . He snuck over the wall when no one was looking , as he wasn’t ready to show his appearance to the guards . His mansion was empty at the moment , with both Emily and Kenzie luckily still at the academy . He quickly erected his set of arrays around it so that he wouldn’t be interrupted .

Zac sat down and started to ponder on his next move . The first goal for him was to turn back to a human , as he didn’t want to stay a so-called Draugr forever . However , he never received a shape-change skill or something similar from the core . And this was provided that he was correct about the function of his Specialty Core .

He could only turn his sight inward , looking at the core inside his body , trying to glean any hints . And to his surprise , he saw one . Before he turned to an undead his core was completely balanced , but now that balance was off .

The side with the miasma had shrunk by at least 10 percent . The intricate fractals still covered the core though , creating a fine mesh on it . Perhaps it meant that the core expended some of its deathly energy to transform him .

Zac could only guess that the clue was in the fractals on the core . He still had no idea where they came from or how they were formed , but there was nothing else that could explain the weird things that were happening to him .

He slowly went over them one by one with far more scrutiny compared to before , trying to glean any meaning from them . The minutes turned to hours as he scoured the small orb over and over again until he started to see a pattern . For the first time since the fall , he felt he had some use of his job as an animator for a marketing agency .

Just like he needed to look over his designs frame by frame , he looked over the inscriptions fractal by fractal , trying to understand how they fit together and what they meant . And he actually made some progress after arduously creating a mental map of what was going on .

While at first glance the two sides seemed to possess quite similar fractals , there was a startling difference between the inscriptions of the life-attuned and death-attuned sides . There were more of them on the life-attuned side .

And after slowly mapping out just what the difference was , he was realized that he recognized what remained . The inscriptions on the two halves of the cores formed a mostly closed network of pathways that were only connected at two places . After understanding the base framework he could see what was added on the life-attuned side .

It was his own pathways he got from the class Hatchetman . They were somehow added into the larger mesh on the life-attuned side , whereas the equivalent addition was missing on the death-attuned side .

While the phenomenon was weird , it wasn’t too surprising that it looked like that . He was currently level one without a class , and he had already realized that his pathways were already gone . That was a big reason he had first thought he’d truly turned , as the familiar routes for his power were missing .

But Zac felt positive after having discovered the fractals for the Hatchetman class . Together with the other facts it truly felt like the core only stored his class in the half containing the life-attuned energy . Now the next question was how to load it up again , so to speak .

But that wasn’t really what was on Zac’s mind at the moment . It brought to question something even more exciting . Was he able to gain two classes from now on? Just what would happen when he leveled up with this undead form?

The question burned in his mind but he restrained himself from doing anything drastic . At first , he just wanted to rush out into the woods and start killing barghest by the truckload , rushing toward level 25 .

But he also realized that this might be an opportunity . He knew far more about the system now compared to when he first was weak and alone on the island . Perhaps he could accomplish some amazing feats and gain titles with his status as a level 1 warrior .

The first title that came to mind was His Title chain that began with Giantsbane] and ended with Slayer of Leviathans] . He didn’t know where the limits to that title chain lay , but he felt there might be a final , ultimate title for killing a beast 75 levels higher than himself .

That was because it would mean that he surmounted an entire grade in a fight . He suddenly felt infinitely lucky that he wasn’t the one that killed the shapeshifter that had taken David’s form . Zac believed that getting the Slayer of Leviathans] quest shouldn’t be an impossible endeavor for many people , as a level 50 without any titles wasn’t very strong .

But killing an E-ranked being at level 1 should be extremely uncommon , even in the context of the whole multiverse , and should bring big benefits . It made him once again lament that he had no one like Greatest to consult about other opportunities like that .

All kinds of plans and opportunities flashed through his mind , and his worry was slowly being replaced with excitement .

Chapter 206 - The Correct Path

Suddenly Zac’s train of thoughts was interrupted by a familiar figure pacing outside his array looking fidgety . He blankly looked at her figure for a few seconds before removing the array with a frown .

What do you want? - Zac asked as Alea started at the shield disappearing .

I… Heard from Ogras what happened . I just wanted to see if you were okay , - Alea said with some hesitation in her voice .

I am fine , - Zac calmly said .

That’s great . I was worried , - Alea started saying , but was interrupted by Zac .

Until now I’ve looked the other way regarding your eccentricities , such as poisoning me and others , chalking it up to mostly harmless pranks . But we’re facing the reality of it now . All actions have consequences . I know you didn’t mean it , and there were other factors at play . But you have a part in what happened today . Your actions on the square helped push Hannah along her path of no return , - Zac said with an even voice .

I… - Alea only managed to get out , looking physically hurt by his words .

However , Zac didn’t stop .

I have decided to remove your title as Head of Security for Port Atwood . Hannah will spend an undetermined time locked away for her crimes , and I don’t trust you with her . You’re also no longer to come and go as you please in my restricted area . I need some space , - Zac finished and closed his eyes .

Alea looked at Zac with red-rimmed eyes for a few seconds before she turned and walked away , the courtyard once again turning deathly silent .

Zac silently looked at the departing back of the poison mistress . He didn’t regret what he said , as he’d felt it since she played him at the market square . He was , however , a bit surprised that he felt no internal turmoil or confusion .

It was as though his Undead form had put a damper on all his feelings . They were still there somewhat , but there was a sense of disconnect with them . He briefly wondered if this was the case with all undead who had evolved to regain intelligence .

Perhaps it was necessary , as the zombies had an inherent bloodlust . It would be impossible to build a society if the higher undead couldn’t control their urges , so the unfeeling state might be a result of evolution .

He didn’t get much further before approaching steps once again echoed in his compound . It seemed Ogras had rushed around to spread the news or something . This time it was his sister who rushed into the courtyard with worry in her eyes .

Are you okay? - Kenzie said as soon as she saw him .

However , Kenzie stopped a few meters away from him , looking at his new appearance with a frightened gaze .

I’m fine , - Zac said with a sigh as he once again erected the arrays around the two .

He then proceeded to explain the situation , covering both his core and the events that unfolded back at Hannah’s . Kenzie silently listened to the narration , except exclaiming in shock upon the fact that Hannah had been the one to stab him .

The two of them silently sat in front of each other , not saying anything for a while , until Kenzie spoke up .

What will you do with Hannah? - she asked .

I don’t know . For now , she’ll be incarcerated , - Zac said , looking troubled .

He knew that in most empires out in the multiverse the punishment for trying to assassinate a leader would be execution without a doubt . But he wasn’t willing to go there with his ex-girlfriend , even if she tried to kill him .

You know , - Kenzie said after mulling it over . - You said that David had been replaced with one of those shapeshifters . The thing could have used some mental skills on her . You know , she was hypnotized along with the others back in that town . I think I’ve heard that if you’ve been hypnotized once you get more susceptible to it afterward? -

Zac gave a start and looked over at Kenzie with surprise . That truly wasn’t something he’d considered so far . He had been busy with his own transformation so he simply chalked it up to betrayal because of greed mixed with anger .

I heard about the matter in Refugee’s Harbour . But I don’t think hypnosis can make you kill someone , as that would be against their base instincts , - Zac finally said with a shake of his head .

But it could make someone more paranoid , slowly make them crazy , - Kenzie retorted .

Zac silently thought it over . It truly was a distinct possibility that the shapeshifter did more than just provide the dagger . Still , did it even matter? The milk was already spilled , so to speak . And he didn’t believe that someone could be enticed to murder without there being a seed of hatred and malice to begin with .

So when will you turn back? - Kenzie suddenly asked , changing the subject .

Well , that’s the problem . I don’t really know , - Zac said as he scratched his chin .

Why did you turn in the first place? - Kenzie asked .

Well , perhaps the Core went haywire because I briefly died? - Zac hesitantly said .

He honestly didn’t know why the change happened at that moment , and could only guess it was some sort of failsafe built into the core .

Didn’t you say that the knife you got stabbed with sucked out all your lifeforce? - Kenzie said . - Perhaps you turned to a zombie because that’s the trigger , rather than a defense mechanism . -

It’s possible , - Zac said with a nod . - I also thought I might revert to a human if I remove all the miasma in my body . -

So why don’t you? - she prodded .

Well , for one it might actually kill me , I have no idea , - Zac said . - But I also believe that shouldn’t be the only way to trigger the change . I can’t die every time I want to shapeshift , and I don’t have any more of these cultist knives . -

So you’re going to stay a Zombie until you find another way to change? -

I’m a Draugr , not a Zombie , - Zac said , causing Kenzie to roll her eyes at him . - And I’ll try to revert before the Treasure Hunt at the latest . I can’t run around in there as an undead . -

Besides , don’t I look pretty cool now? Like a vampire or something , - Zac said and struck a pose .

No way , you look really scary with those eyes of yours , - Kenzie said , finally smiling a bit at the situation . - So what are you going to do? -

I want to try out a few things . Gain a few titles and see if I can get a new Class , - Zac said . - Who knows , I might even be a cultivator now? -

Dual-class , that sounds pretty cool! - Kenzie said , her eyes almost sparkling . - You should get a cool mage class , become the strongest hybrid . -

Well , first of all , I don’t know how it’ll work , - Zac said . - If it will work at all . -

However , Kenzie brought up an interesting point . What would be the best class to match with his Hatchetman class? A mage class would help shore up his currently lacking Intelligence and Wisdom , making him a truly balanced warrior .

However , a dexterity-based class wasn’t a bad idea either . Currently , he was forced to put a lot of points into Dexterity just to keep up with his growth in Strength . It had come to the point that he had decided to change to a 2 . 5 : 1 split from the original 2 : 1 so that he could focus more on Endurance and Vitality .

He arrived at this reasoning from his fight with average . His main attribute was Strength , and he needed to play to advantages . It didn’t matter if he was hit 10 times , as long as he got one big hit in the fight would be over . He only needed to be able to endure the 10 strikes , so to speak . That’s why he wanted to work more on endurance .

That also meant that an Endurance-based class , if there was such a thing , would be a good choice as well . Then he would be truly unkillable . Honestly , he felt either choice was good and had a hard time deciding what to do .

But it was still all speculation . He needed to reach level 25 first and see if it worked out as he intended . And he needed to see what options he got before deciding any further . There was also the issue of the Fruit of Ascension .

One of its effects was improving the choices in taking a class . But would that effect be expended if he got a class for his undead half? It felt more prudent to use its effects in trying for an epic class at E-Rank than getting a first class .

Or could he eat another one since he technically was a different person? There simply were so many things he didn’t understand . He needed information .

What are you thinking about , - Kenzie asked , dragging him out of his reverie .

I just feel that there’s so much I don’t understand , - Zac said with a sigh . - It’s hard to plan things out when everything is just guesswork . -

Why don’t you ask Brazla? - Kenzie said . - He’s super old and his creator was a top tier C-Grade warrior according to him . He might know . -

Zac’s face scrunched up when hearing the name of the crazy Tool Spirit , but he had to admit that Kenzie might be on to something . However , the only problem was whether he’d help . There were two other ways as he saw it . One was to buy an information package through Calrin , and the other was asking the Creators .

Unfortunately , he was unsure whether he could afford the information from the Pavilion of Myriad Eyes . Just some basic information cost him 15 million Nexus Coins . Advanced topics such as dual classes and Specialty Cores were probably prohibitively expensive .

Meeting Average and his dad had made him realize how utterly poor he was in the big scale of things since the teenager was able to throw out a billion Nexus Coins just to shoo someone away . As for the Creators , there was a risk for things leaking to higher echelons in the multiverse .

I guess I could try , - Zac sighed .

I’ll come with , I haven’t talked to him today , - Kenzie said with a smile .

Soon the two stood in front of the gaudy towers , drowned in cascading rays of divine lights . Its surroundings were still not very exciting , but at least the uneven forest floor had been swapped out with a proper and uniform square .

Of course , it was likely too bland for the extravagant taste of Brazla . Unfortunately , there simply wasn’t much he could do about it at the moment . His funds were mostly tied up in creating the contribution system .

Little chick , you have once again come to bask in the glory that is the Great Sage Brazla? This time you even brought a Draugr to showcase? - the familiar voice echoed when they entered the hallways lined with the huge statues .

Not long after Brazla appeared . It was only the second time they met , but Zac was surprised to see that Brazla was looking completely different . This time he was donned like some royal conqueror , though all equipment was made from gold and platinum rather than serviceable materials .

His armor was completely studded with various gemstones , each somehow emitting almost blinding glimmers of light . Zac felt helpless the moment he saw the spirit , but he held his tongue .

Hi Brazla , - Kenzie said with a smile . - You look like a real warrior today . -

The world should sigh in relief that The Great Brazla is confined to the interiors of this building , - the tool spirit said with a serious nod . - This one’s might shakes both the heavens and the earth . -

You remember Zac? - Kenzie added .

You went and turned into an undead , little Lord? - Brazla said , somewhat surprised . - Odd choice if you ask me . I would have thought a mortal would have preferred to die from old age , rather than getting taken by the Madness . -

The madness? - Zac asked confused .

The undead aren’t immortal , though they don’t grow old . They instead go insane , their bloodlust overtaking everything else . Finally , they turn too stupid to even move , withering in place into goops of miasma . Quite disgusting , - Brazla said , looking unconcerned .

Not everyone can be an immortal like you Brazla , - Kenzie said with a smile . - We were wondering if you know anything about Specialty Cores and Dual Classes? -

What doesn’t the Great Sage Brazla know? - the Tool Spirit said , puffing up his chest .

However , the next moment he looked suspiciously at the two of them .

But why should I tell you? You promised to fix my surroundings , but they still look like a pauper’s square . -

I’m heading into a treasure hunt into unknown lands in a week , - Zac said . - I’ll find something unique in there to improve your surroundings if you help me out this one time . -

Hmm . . . Well , alright , - Brazla said . - What knowledge do you seek , mortal? -

Dual Classes , - Zac said , ignoring the attitude .

What about it? - Brazla said , a bit disinterested . - It’s possible . Is that what you’re trying for by turning into an undead? -

Zac only nodded , not explaining any further . It appeared that Greatest’s tool was working as intended since the Spirit didn’t seem to notice anything off about him , instead thinking he simply was an undead .

Well , it’s extremely rare , - Brazla continued . - Far rarer than body-and-spirit dual cultivators were back in the Pre-System era . However , there is one race where all of them have dual classes . Of course , The Ur Wanderers are extremely few in numbers , born darlings of the multi-verse . Even The Great Brazla can’t help but be a bit jealous of them . -

Zac only nodded , not wanting to interrupt the tool spirit while it was actually being helpful . He could only assume that the Ur Wanderers were a powerful species in the multiverse . While species weren’t equal in the multiverse , one could say that they were balanced in a sense .

Humans were quite weak , usually at the bottom of the rung . But they were extremely numerous , and out of every billion of them , a powerhouse might rise . Other races had huge advantages , sometimes even becoming C-Ranking Class upon adulthood by default . But these kinds of races were always far scarcer in numbers .

So what do they do? Get two similar classes , or opposites? - Kenzie prodded .

There are no rules to cultivation , little chick , - Brazla said with some disdain . - Everyone has their own path . Finding the correct answer for oneself is half the struggle of becoming strong . -

Chapter 207 - Titles

Zac could only nod at what Brazla said , his own thoughts running along the same lines . He had started to believe that one wouldn’t become truly strong by brainlessly copying others . That’s why he never had any interest in checking out the heritages he owned .

That wasn’t to say that one couldn’t benefit from the knowledge of the previous generations . However , one first had to understand oneself and keep useful information , discarding the useless .

Have you also heard of specialty cores? - Zac interjected , satisfied in simply knowing Dual Classes was a possibility , though clearly extremely rare .

Of course , - Brazla said . - A few of the inheritances of this very building even contains the means to create one . Those I’ve studied extensively . -

Zac felt a bit troubled that the tool spirit somehow had managed to weasel itself into the inheritance zones to mess around . He could only hope that Brazla hadn’t destroyed anything inside .

What would happen if a Specialty Core is currently is taking the spot of where the Cosmic Core would normally go? - Zac asked .

Well , they’d probably explode when the Cosmic Core was created , - Brazla said . - Unless it’s a Modifier-type , I suppose . -

What’s that? - Zac asked with anticipation .

Brazla only snorted in response , and from somewhere got a golden nail file and started using it . Zac had to push down his rising exasperation . He knew that the tool spirit only acted like this to annoy him since it was just a hologram and didn’t even possess real nails . But that fact only made it more annoying , which was a source of frustration in of itself .

Great Sage Brazla , surely someone with your magnanimity wouldn’t hold back this small amount of knowledge from your admirers? - Kenzie said with a wink .

Hmm , true . This little information means nothing to The Great Sage of Ages , - Brazla nodded , putting away his file . - Modifier-cores are Specialty Cores that directly interact with a Cosmic Core in various ways . The most common example is the Specialty Core called - Shield’ , which simply acts as a shield around a Cosmic Cores to protect it from attacks .

But they can be much more integrated than that , - the tool spirit continued . - I’ve heard about one from my master that had the Cosmic Core grow inside it . The purpose of the Specialty Core was to extract energy faster than normally possible . It resulted in extraordinary firepower , but also hurt the cultivator’s body . -

Zac’s eyes lit up from the information . He didn’t believe that sort of core had anything to do with his own , but it told him that it wasn’t necessarily a problem with his position of his Specialty Core . If his real core simply grew inside his Duplicity Core , everything would work out okay . Perhaps it was even needed if he wanted to be able to switch between living and dead sides .

With the help of Kenzie buttering the megalomanic tool spirit up , they soon had the answers they needed . Unfortunately , it didn’t know of any other open titles that could be attained by abusing the discrepancy between his level and strength .

According to Brazla , there were a few titles that could be awarded to youths who showed great potential at an early stage , even before they were able to cultivate . It could , for example , attaining Dao Seeds or upgrading their Race , even killing cultivators .

These were the so-called Heaven’s Chosen who were able to blast out with awe-inspiring power right out of the gates , and accumulating more and more advantages through their great start , just like himself . But since he was already level 1 he couldn't get these titles since he was supposed to get them before turning 16 .

The rest of the titles were generally trials and hidden Mystic Realms with known rewards . But those kinds of things were all locked out of reach for Zac since the Nexus Hub would stay inoperational until he managed to unlock its functions with some quest .

After a particularly hair-raising tirade where Kenzie spoke at great lengths about the greatness of Brazla he was even so happy that he fished out a crystal containing a basic rundown of publicly known titles .

Zac threw a glance over at his sister , who only smiled mysteriously . Zac started to understand why she visited the tool spirit every day . Just what kind of valuables had she managed to squeeze out Brazla simply by throwing away any shame and butter him up?

The crystal confirmed what the spirit had said . There weren’t a lot of public titles , and Zac had pretty much all of them . He also had a few that weren't listed , such as Luck of the Draw . It did however show that the next attribute-linked title would come at 5000 points total points , but only if those were gained while still in E-Grade .

It also confirmed that there was a title higher than Slayer of Leviathans , which was great news to Zac . But otherwise , it was mostly mentions of various public trials or mystic realms , and a short comment about recommended strength before attempting them .

It seemed that his dream of cheesing a large number of extra titles wasn’t meant to happen . Still , there were a few of them . Not counting the Core skill , it was perhaps possible to gain another set of his Class-related titles , doubling up on the rewards . And perhaps there were additional titles for having two classes .

Judging by the title guide there wasn’t much of a reason to stay at level one , so the next goal would be killing the E-Grade beast . However , he honestly wasn’t too certain about his chances . Since his pathways were gone , so were his skills , leaving him only his Dao Seeds and his brawn .

The only thing that remained seemed to be the effects of Forester’s Constitution] , and Zac guessed it was because the skill worked like a title , giving a passive attribute boost .

It truly depended on what kind of monster lurked in the crater containing the entrance to the Mystic Realm . If it was something with roughly the power of the Fiend Wolf he wasn’t too worried . He was far stronger than he was back then , and he was confident he’d make short work of that animal as he was right now .

But it was another matter if he encountered something like the Star Ox . That thing was exceedingly dangerous , and if he didn’t possess Loamwalker] he would have perished from its devastating beam . Perhaps he would actually need to enlist a certain Demon for this excursion , just in case .

If you see Ogras , can you tell him I need to see him? - Zac said as he exited the towers with his sister .

Why don’t you call him? - Kenzie asked , looking a bit confused .

What? - Zac asked confused . - Are phones operational again? -

Kenzie only rolled her eyes at him as she took out a crystal .

It’s Kenzie . My brother needs to see you , - she said and put away the inscribed gem . - You two really are boneheads , you two haven’t even exchanged means to communicate? -

Zac could only awkwardly shrug and head back toward their home . It as a relief to leave the Towers of Myriad Dao behind , as he was afraid he would get blinded if he stayed much longer . Ten minutes later the demon appeared in Zac’s courtyard , immediately sitting down with a grunt .

Your girl has been put in custody , I have Janos taking care of the situation until we can get a Desolation Array in place . Janos said that she’s been subject to some mental manipulation skills , something far more skilled than what the bumbling hypnotist did at Refugee’s Harbor . Not even he can unravel it in a short while , - Ogras said .

Pain and shame filled Zac’s heart , as he had no idea such things had happened right beneath his nose . But he forcefully pushed those thoughts away , focusing on what he could do at the moment .

What about the Shapeshifter? - Zac asked .

Gone in the wind . The island is just too big , he could be hiding anywhere . The barghest in the woods won’t be a hindrance to him . I guess he never stayed inside the town for long periods in order to not be exposed . I asked around , - David’ was rarely seen after arriving in Port Atwood , - Ogras said as he took out a bottle of wine and took a swig .

Zac could only nod with some annoyance . He knew just how easy it was to slip by unseen on this huge island , as that was exactly how he’d survived for over a month with a demon army around . And this cultist was likely far better at sneaking around than he ever was .

But we did find the real David in a hidden basement beneath his home . He’s still alive , if barely . The physicians are working on him , and they don’t expect him to wake up for a few weeks . So , unfortunately , we won’t be able to get any real clues from him , - the demon continued .

Zac perked up at that . David was a good guy , and he hoped that he would pull through this calamity that had befallen upon him .

Good . We’ll take a tour of the town later to see if I can spot any other Shapeshifter . I need you to kill them , as I cannot gain any energy at the moment . But more importantly , I need you to accompany me somewhere , - Zac said .

Spot them? How? Just what’s going on with you? - Ogras said skeptically .

Zac hesitated for a while , but he finally relented . Ogras knew about so many secrets of his already that it didn’t feel like another one would matter .

Why don’t you just inspect me , and you’ll understand , - Zac said .

Since his pathways were gone his skill Mental Barrier] was no longer there either , which in of itself was a problem that needed to be addressed .

Are you playing with me? I can’t see shit , - Ogras said , a bit annoyed after a few seconds .

Zac was confused until he felt some warmth on his arm . It was the bangle from Greatest . It looked like hiding his core wasn’t the only function of the item . Instead , he shared the first rows of his status screens . Of course , it was only up to his alignment .

What the hell? - Ogras said , shocked . - Level one? Draugr? Miasma acting up my ass . -

Zac only snorted and shared the ladder next .

So it’s like this , - Zac started , and explained about his core and what he believed it meant .

Ogras only looked at him for a few seconds afterward , until he shook his head with disgust and took a large swig of his wine .

I should just strap myself to your back , and sooner or later a Divine Treasure will randomly land on my head . Your luck is just disgusting , makes me want to ram my head into a wall , - Ogras spat out .

Zac’s lips slightly moved upward . It was always fun to get a rise out of the demon .

Well , you can try getting stabbed by the Corpse Lord’s scythe if you want to try replicating it , - Zac said .

So , why are you telling me all this? - Ogras said , not wanting to entertain Zac .

I want to hunt an E-Grade beast while still level one , - Zac said .

Ogras’ eyes widened a bit .

You’re going to perform the Legendary Hunt? Shit , that’s a pretty good idea . -

Legendary hunt? - Zac asked confused .

That’s what it’s called among demons . I heard that some families try for that tile on the higher grade planets . No one on my planet was ever close to trying it though . It would be amazing if someone even managed to get a Dao Seed before embarking on the road of cultivation in Clan Azh’Rezak for example , much less fighting an E-ranked beast , - Ogras explained .

Well , what are you waiting for , let's go , - the demon added , actually looking a bit excited .

Are there any other advantages you can think of I should do before moving past level 1? - Zac asked , just to make sure .

There’s none I can think of . If you didn’t get any titles for having seeds or evolved race at this stage the other low-level Titles are likely not possible . The only other possible exploit I can think of is if you entering the Tower of Eternity after your main class already has evolved . You’d be able to run straight through it like a bull , - Ogras said .

Zac’s eyes lit up at that . As Ogras said , that might be the biggest exploit possible . Reaching the top floor of the Tower of Eternity should give insane rewards .

Well , let’s go then , I want to reach as high a level as possible with this class before entering the Treasure Hunt , - Zac said , heading to his private teleporter array .

Soon the two found themselves walking through the dense forest on Mystic Island , as Zac had decided to call the island with the entrance to the Mystic Realm . Zac had quickly found another use for his new sight upon entering the forest .

He could essentially spot any living creatures from a great distance away since they lit up the forest like a beacon due to their life force . It allowed them to avoid almost every battle as they walked toward the core .

Now and then Ogras was forced to quickly and quietly kill a beast though , as even with them avoiding beasts as much as they could they were still spotted occasionally . But soon they found themselves at the edge of the crater , looking down at the forest beneath .

Well , Mr . Hunter , - Ogras said , looking over at Zac with a grin . - Let's see if you have what it takes . -

The next moment the two were swallowed by the shadows .

Chapter 208 - Apex Hunter

The next moment the two found themselves at the bottom of the crater , both warily looking around . Ogras had already covered them in a sphere of shadows , hiding their presence and muting their sounds .

The cosmic energy here has an even higher density than the mountains of Port Atwood , - Ogras said with some surprise , his eyes shining with greed . - The Mystic Realm must be really thriving . Perhaps it’s a leftover herb garden of some powerhouse . We need to quickly need to stabilize it before all energy leaks out , ruining the treasures inside . -

Or it’s the home of a horde of D-Grade monsters , - Zac said with a snort as he took out his axe . - Do you think the beast is close to the entrance , or at the edge? -

Being too close to the field is extremely dangerous , with shifting cracks between the dimension appearing at random . If a crack opens where you stand you’ll suddenly be split into two without a chance to react . The beast you heard should be somewhere near the edge of the barren field though since the energy would be densest there , - Ogras answered after some deliberation .

Ok , let’s go , - Zac nodded .

The two warily made their way through the forest of the crater , but they were happy to note that it seemed completely deserted . There were some critters scuttling about , but they couldn’t find a single beast . Hopefully , it meant that the crater was the exclusive territory of the Lord of the island .

It actually was easier than they expected to find their target . A huge tiger was lazily sunbathing at a hill not too far away from the core of the crater , its snores making the ground shake . It was roughly five meters long , but apart from its size and slightly dark hue it didn’t look much different from a normal tiger .

Clearly it had grown lax after having the whole crater to itself , with no real rivals on the island . Zac hoped that meant that the beast simply was lucky to have had a good early start on the island , allowing it to capitalize on the best area to keep growing .

Please take care of it if something wants to join the fight . But don’t help me out unless I ask , - Zac said as he took a steadying breath .

Memories of his first real battle with a large beast resurfaced . It was his desperate struggle with Vul , the barghest alpha . The situation right now was a bit similar to that time , since he still didn’t possess a class when fighting the first Herald .

However , this time he didn’t feel ready to soil his pants from fear . Instead , Zac calmly looked the slumbering beast over for any clues to hidden aces . Since it was E-Grade it would have to have at least one Dao Seed , and Zac hoped it was an offensive one .

The natural defenses of E-Grade beasts were high enough , and Zac wasn’t sure he’d be able to kill the animal if it had something like the Dao of Toughness . He only had his body and this Daos at the moment , and no skills to amplify his powers .

Good luck , - Ogras only said as he receded into the shadows .

Zac hid for another few moments and observed the snoring beast until he started to push the miasma in his body down toward his legs . He knew that the amount of energy available to him at level 1 was extremely limited , but he didn’t want to ration it . His goal was to get in and quickly kill the animal before it could retaliate .

He slowly inhaled and adjusted the grip of his axe , before exploding into action .

He didn’t have Loamwalker] to push his speed to the limit , but he did have almost 350 strength to propel himself forward , each step creating an explosion of stone flying all over and leaving a crater in his wake .

He didn’t expect to be able to sneak up on the beast , as it was completely out in the open , and the aura he passively emitted was much too conspicuous . Instead , he chose to ignore any attempts at stealth , instead pushing forward with maximum speed .

The tiger woke up with a start as he approached , but before it could orient itself Zac was in melee range with his axe falling . A strike containing everything Zac could muster , and enhanced with the Dao of Sharpness , struck the throat of the tiger like a falling meteor . Over half of his available Miasma was contained in that strike .

The power was so great that the beast was slammed into the ground , and a large jagged rip could be seen . But to Zac’s disappointment the damage didn’t look deadly . He didn’t stop for a second , and followed the swing by forcefully kicking the throat of the beast with all his accumulated speed and his Dao of Heaviness .

It sounded like something was damaged in the throat of the tiger as it gave out a weird gurgling in pain . But while the beast had been too lax about its security since it was all alone in the crater , it wasn’t any pushover .

Weird cracks in space burst out from the animal , completely shattering the hill and the closest trees . Zac was affected as well , bloody wounds opening over all his exposed skin even before he could use his defensive gear . He was lucky that he had such a high Endurance , othwise he feared he would have been diced into small cubes by the attack .

He wasn’t sure what the attack did , but its effect was similar to The Dao of Sharpness . However , he couldn’t discern the attacks themselves , but only the results .

Even though Zac wasn’t seriously hurt he was briefly stopped by the weird wave , and the tiger capitalized on it to attack him with a fierce swipe . This time Zac used his defensive charge to block it , but it cracked in no time .

The strike almost made Zac black out as he flew across the air . He had wrongly thought Dexterity was its main attribute since it was a feline beast , but clearly it was Strength . To Zac's horror , he noticed he was actually flying toward the large field housing the Mystic Realm entrance .

Vicious cracks in space randomly spread all over the field , anyone able to cut him into pieces without any effort . He knew no defensive measure would be able to put up the slightest resistance against a dimensional tear , and he immediately started sprinting back toward the tiger the moment he landed .

Zac thanked the stars for his high Luck attribute as he bobbed and weaved going by his gut instinct , praying that a tear wouldn’t crop up right inside his body . Luckily the cracks weren’t too densely spread at the edge of the field , leaving decent wiggle room to get out . He kept running and jumping around until he finally reached the edge of the clearing .

However , Zac’s brows furrowed when he noticed the tiger standing in wait , just at the edge of the clearing . Their eyes locked for a second and Zac roared as he jumped straight at it . The tiger roared straight back , and it was clear that it wanted to swat him back into the lethal field .

The beast understood just how dangerous it was close to the entrance , and it tried to have the dimensional tears do its work for it . But Zac didn’t flinch at the incoming paw but instead unleashed his Dao Field for his Seed of Heaviness to the fullest just before he arrived at the monster .

The odd mental heaviness from his Dao froze the tiger for a split second , and that was all that Zac needed as he passed by the incoming paw and embedded his axe into the left eye . Immediately after he plunged a tomahawk into the other eye of the beast with his left arm , completely blinding it .

The tiger wailed in pain and started to trash all over , and Zac swiftly jumped out of the way . Its throat was still bleeding , but Zac knew it wouldn’t be enough . With a sigh he waited a bit for an opening , once again jumping in to attack the same spot on its throat as before .

Since he’d managed to blind the beast the fight was essentially over , though it took a couple of sneak attacks until the tiger finally bled out . It also managed to get in another decent swipe at Zac when he attacked , though this time he wasn’t punched into the field of dimensional tears .

Zac sat down next to the corpse of the tiger , heavily panting , letting the System drown him with a deluge of refreshing power from gaining multiple levels . Felling an E-grade beast at level 1 was no joke , even if many factors were in his favor . This tiger was on the bottom rung as far as evolved beasts went , but a kill was a kill .

He was pretty spent , so he took out a crystal as he opened his status screen , but he quickly threw the crystal away after it felt like hand caught on fire . Confused he looked down at it , only to realize his mistake . He had suspected this might be the result , which was why he also hadn't dared activate his Dao of Trees so far .

He had been occupied with checking out the results from his battle , and had forgotten to pick out the correct type . He quickly swapped out his nexus crystal with an F-Grade Miasma Crystal and once again opened his menu .

Name

Zachary Atwood

Level

22

Class

-

Race

Draugr (E)

Alignment

Port Atwood - Lord (Earth)

Titles

Born for Carnage , Ultimate Reaper , Luck of the Draw , Giantsbane , Disciple of David , Overpowered , Slayer of Leviathans , Adventurer , Demon Slayer I , Full of Class , Rarified Being , Trailblazer , Child of Dao , The Big 500 , Planetary Aegis , One Against Many , Butcher , Progenitor Hegemon , Core , Apex Hunter

Dao

Seed of Heaviness - Middle , Seed of Trees - High , Seed of Sharpness - Early

Core

Duplicity (F)

Strength

344

Dexterity

162

Endurance

220

Vitality

188

Intelligence

90

Wisdom

85

Luck

93

Free Points

42

Nexus Coins

21 533 653

The experience gain was extraordinary , pushing him straight to level 22 , just 3 levels shy of level 25 . He also sensed that he wasn’t too far off from gaining another level as well . It was just crazy to think that one kill was equal to all the pain and struggle he underwent the first month up until killing Vul .

But that was simply how things worked , the difference in Cosmic Energy gained between different level beasts was far higher compared to the difference in Nexus Coins gained . It was the same with the amount of energy needed to gain another level , as it increased exponentially .

However , Zac was a bit confused as he looked at his status screen . His attributes were exactly the same as before , his new title not giving him a single point . He quickly focused on his new title to see what was going on .

Apex Hunter : Solo kill enemy one whole tier above you . Reward : Effect of Attributes +10%]

Zac’s brows rose in surprise since this was something he hadn’t encountered before .

Nice fight , you looked very heroic jumping back and forth to avoid the cracks like a monkey , - Ogras said as he emerged from the shadows .

Whatever . It worked , didn’t it? - Zac snorted . - More importantly , take a look at this . What does this mean? -

He displayed his new title to Ogras , who whistled in surprise .

So it was a high tier Title , should have figured , - Ogras muttered .

High tiered Title? - Zac asked confused .

Of course he knew that some titles were better than others , but he never had heard of any classification like this .

Yeah . Low tier titles give static rewards . They are good in the beginning to help accumulate other advantages , but by the end of E-Grade class they are mostly worthless apart from those that give luck . The mid-tier gives the percentage boosts . These are what most people desperately try to gain , as they will always be useful .

Next are the high tiered ones , who also gives percentage boosts . But these titles work differently . Each one will independently boost your whole attribute after the other titles have been added . And they each do this independently of each other . The effect can get enormous . -

Zac understood what he meant . This was a top tier title that worked just like his Hatchetman’s Rage-skill . Instead of boosting his base attribute , it instead increased the effect of the attribute . This boost was far better , especially for him who already had a bunch of percent based boosts .

Not bad , - was all Zac said as he placed his axe in the wound of the tiger that still bled profusely .

It wasn’t a top tier beast , but he wouldn’t turn his nose at the blood of an E-Grade animal , and clearly neither did his axe . It greedily sucked in a good deal of blood , and it actually started humming and vibrating . But soon it calmed down again and the sounds stopped .

It’s almost there , - Ogras commented from the side .

Zac nodded with anticipation as he tucked away his axe . He would have to ask the explorers to keep their eyes open for more E-Grade beasts lurking on the islands they visited . Most of them in his territory were still unexplored after all .

So what now? - Ogras asked curiously .

I need to gain a couple of quick levels before the treasure hunt . You can go back if you want , - Zac said .

His goal was to attain a class first , then figure out how to turn himself back into a human .

Sure , but I’ll take a leg of this guy , I deserve a nice meal as compensation for acting bodyguard , - he said as a couple of shadows severed one of the tiger’s hind legs after some effort .

Zac only smiled as he stored the rest of the tiger . For the following two days there was a new apex predator on the island , sneaking from territory to territory like a deadly specter . When Zac finally left , it was as though a terrible pressure had left the island , and the beasts could once again go about their lives .

Chapter 209 - Classes

Zac eagerly walked rushed toward his Nexus Node , unable to contain his excitement . He was truly curious about what kinds of classes he could expect from his new race . It was , in a way , both a test run for his level 75 evolution , and a testament to his struggles so far .

If he had available Epic classes now it would mean he was on course for epic E-Grade classes down the road . Of course , he knew that the criterion for getting an E-Grade Epic class was much higher than an F-Grade one , but it was a start .

He soon found himself in the building containing his private Nexus Node , and opened up his menu one last time to see everything was in order .

Name

Zachary Atwood

Level

25

Class

-

Race

Draugr (E)

Alignment

Port Atwood - Lord (Earth)

Titles

Born for Carnage , Ultimate Reaper , Luck of the Draw , Giantsbane , Disciple of David , Overpowered , Slayer of Leviathans , Adventurer , Demon Slayer I , Full of Class , Rarified Being , Trailblazer , Child of Dao , The Big 500 , Planetary Aegis , One Against Many , Butcher , Progenitor Hegemon , Core , Apex Hunter

Dao

Seed of Heaviness - Middle , Seed of Trees - High , Seed of Sharpness - Early

Core

Duplicity (F)

Strength

352

Dexterity

200

Endurance

245

Vitality

188

Intelligence

90

Wisdom

85

Luck

93

Free Points

0

Nexus Coins

22 508 653

The boost of 48 free points was a huge gain for three days of grinding . He’d already spent them all , putting 5 points in strength , 27 into Dexterity , and 16 into endurance . The strength was to pass 350 , which might help unlock some special class , and the others were simply to keep his build balanced . It was just as well since he was running a bit behind on his Dexterity , something he was able to clearly feel in his battle with Average .

But before he could touch the crystal he sensed a familiar presence , and he turned around .

Just watching the excitement , - Ogras said with a small smile .

If you got the opportunity to get a second class , what would you want it to be? - Zac asked , curious if the demon had come to the same conclusion as he himself had during the past days .

Hmm… I would likely want a hybrid mage class also focusing on Shadows , - Ogras said after some hesitation .

Oh? - Zac said , a bit surprised .

It actually was somewhat different from what Zac had expected .

My shadow attacks benefit from Intelligence and Wisdom , even though I am mainly a warrior class . Two classes focusing on the same concept would also allow me to walk further the path of shadows , instead of splitting my attention , - Ogras explained .

Zac felt it was a distinct possibility the demon had thought it over since hearing of Zac’s opportunity . It was a well thought out answer that would have a high chance of having long term benefits , and somewhat of a low-risk choice .

But all theorizing was useless if he couldn’t get the type of class he hoped for . It was time to see what the system thought of him . Without waiting any further he simply touched the Crystal , and it immediately started the class choice . Zac let out a sigh of relief before checking the new window that appeared , since he hadn't been sure it would work until now .

Top 5 Class choices]

Reaver – F Grade , Rare . A roving army of one , filled with unrelenting violence . Upgradeable

Greenfingers – F Grade , Rare . Keeper of the grove . Defender of nature . Upgradeable]

Undertaker – F Grade , Rare . With only the trees and the dead for company . Upgradeable]

Undying Bulwark – F Grade , Epic . Unbreakable . Unflinching . Unrelenting . The Undying marches forward . Upgradeable

Big Game Hunter – F Grade , Epic . Dragons , Primordials , or the Abyssal Behemoths –They all look good above the mantel . Upgradeable . ]

Random F-Grade Class . 0% Common . 25 . 0% Uncommon . 44 . 2 % Rare . 30 . 8% Epic . Roll the dice

Zac couldn’t help but let a grin spread on his face as he saw the choices , making Ogras snort in annoyance from the side . The demon couldn’t see the available options , but he could likely make an educated guess . There wasn't even the option to follow Alyn's advice and pick a lower rarity class .

His options were clearly far superior to his first round , and he even had two choices for Epic classes . It was what he’d hoped for , and a sort of validation for his ceaseless struggles of the past months .

Still , Zac seriously looked through each and every class , since even the worst one was of Rare rarity , and none would be a garbage class . It was quite annoying that the System provided no proper clues for the classes , and he had to perform some guesswork .

Reaver sounded like a stronger warrior class , much like his Hatchetman class . It was likely awarded due to his consistent fighting style . While it clearly was suited to Zac’s attributes , it felt like it brought nothing new to the table , and he unhesitantly looked at the next one .

He was unsure of what the main attribute Greenfingers would be . But getting the option was likely based on his high Dao of Trees , which might mean it was a Vitality class . It should use nature to fight , and perhaps be useful in growing spiritual herbs . While it was an interesting option he had no clue how that kind of class would work with an Undead Race , so he passed on it as well .

Undertaker was the next choice . Zac felt it touched upon multiple parts of his skill set , and had some connection to death . The problem was that while it felt fitting , he had a hard time imagining what it would provide to him . The System really was too stingy with its explanation of its classes .

That left the final two choices , the Epic Classes . Big Game Hunter should come from him gaining the Apex Hunter title . Hunter classes were generally Dexterity-based , and would likely make a great addition to his Hatchetman class .

Currently Dexterity was the attribute he put most of his free points in , just so that he would be able to keep up with his ever-growing Strength . Getting a Dex-focused class was one of the main ideas he had , and getting an Epic one would be a huge help .

It would also likely broaden his arsenal for attacks , perhaps adding ranged capabilities through a bow . All in all , it would make him more well rounded , and the attributes would complement his Hatchetman class well .

It even had a somewhat matching theme with Hatchetman , as a hunter could be considered nature-related . That would be convenient in the future , as improving one Dao might benefit both classes .

The final choice was the Undying Bulwark class . From the description it seemed to be an undead-specific class that should focus on Endurance or Vitality . This was actually the second route he had formulated over the past days while hunting .

At first he had thought of gaining a mage class to balance out his low attributes in that area . That would also help with ranged attacks , just like a hunter class . But he reluctantly put that idea to the side .

He didn’t believe that there would be any synergy between his two builds if he did that , leaving him with two strong archetypes . But he would rather focus on one archetype and push it to its very limits . He therefore wanted to go with another warrior class that would complement Hatchetman .

Another strength-based class didn’t seem like a good idea , as it would add nothing and make his attributes too lopsided . That left either an Assassin class or a Tank class , to borrow from gaming terms .

Either of them would boost another of his important attributes , and leave him with free points to shore up his shortcomings , making him a monstrous melee fighter . If he picked Big Game Hunter he likely wouldn’t need to put any more points in Dexterity . That would leave him the freedom to either focus on becoming even more lethal or shoring up his defenses with his free points .

It was a very flexible path where he could adjust his build as he went . Conversely , the undying class would likely help with his survivability , but it would also mean that he would have to keep putting most of his free points into Dexterity to not become too slow .

Both seemed like good options , and he felt like there was no clear winner . As for the lottery option , he didn’t even consider it . There was no chance to get an Arcane class , which was the tier above Epic . And while the chance for an epic class was great , there was no point since he had two great options to choose from .

But after a few minutes his eyes turned to Undying Bulwark and he picked that one with determination in his eyes .

It came down to suitability in the end . Zac had his hands full just with improving his current fighting style . Learning to fight with a bow or sneak around wasn’t really his style and would take focus from his axe techniques . The meathead juggernaut battle tactics were already ingrained into his brain , and the Undying Bulwark class felt more appropriate for that .

Besides , he was making a gamble for the long run . Right now his two sides were completely separated , but who knew what would happen in the future . If he somehow managed to combine the two Classes , or at least use their skills simultaneously , Undying Bulwark should be a better choice .

A defensive class would complement Hatchetman far better than another Offensive class like a hunter as he saw it . It would also allow Zac to focus even further on evolving one side into pure offense , and the other into pure defense .

He might have made a different choice if this was his only class , as Undying Bulwark might not be the greatest offensively , which would affect his leveling ability . But with the help of his massive attribute pool he felt he would still be stronger offensively than most people . Furthermore , if needed he could get a great offensive skill from Brazla .

The familiar burst of cosmic energy inundated him , and his mind was filled with the schematic for the pathways that belonged to Undying Bulwark . He was about to check his gains , but Ogras interrupted him from behind .

So , what did you get? - Ogras asked from behind .

None of your business , - Zac said with a snort . - I still don’t know what class you have . -

Ogras only tsk’ed , muttering something about being stingy .

I need to fix my pathways , then we’ll try to hunt down the Shapeshifters , - Zac said .

Fine , - Ogras said with a nod and disappeared .

Zac remembered just how painful it was to draw his pathways , so he needed to seclude himself to make sure nothing went wrong . He immediately headed toward his courtyard so he could activate the arrays there .

As he walked he finally opened his menu to see the results .

Class : Undying Bulwark , Grade-F , Epic]

Endurance +10 , +10% .

Vitality +5 , +5% .

Level : +6 Endurance , +2 Vitality , -1 free point per level .

Skills :

Bulwark Mastery (LOCKED)

Deathwish (LOCKED)

Fields of Despair (LOCKED)

Zac’s brows rose in surprise . It actually stole one of his free points , rather than give out another one . But it still gave a total of 7 points per level , compared to the 5 from Hatchetman .

At least one thing was clear . He probably wouldn’t need to put any more points into Endurance in a long time , perhaps ever . Six points per level was an insane boost , twice what he got in Strength from Hatchetman . Add to that the point he got from his other class , and soon his enemies would tire themselves out before they could even hurt him .

It also gave three skills that were available right from the start , and he’d need to complete some quests to unlock them . He honestly had no idea what the two last ones would do . The first one was a mastery skill , just like his current Axe Mastery .

However , he wasn’t exactly sure what Bulwark meant in this connotation . But there was a real possibility that it might be a quest that would give him a new Dao Seed . Since he got an epic class he was guaranteed to get at least one new seed from a skill vision .

But before he could set out to complete his skill quests there was something else he needed to do . As soon as he arrived at his courtyard Zac closed it down with multiple layers of arrays before he sat down .

Next he started to arduously imprint the intricate pathway system that would cover his whole body . Luckily he hadn’t already imprinted a simplistic version of a pathway system that would be needed to be rewritten , so this time it wasn’t nearly as painful .

But even then the pathways took the better part of a day to imprint , as they were even more intricate compared to his other class . Early next morning he stood up , and happily studied the results of his efforts .

The fractals that passed through his whole body were reminiscent of that of Hatchetman , but they were also a bit different . The best way Zac could describe it was that they were like two abstract paintings , each conveying a different meaning to the subconscious .

As he inspected the results of his efforts his eyes couldn’t help but turn toward the Core . While he had engraved the fractals all night he didn’t want to split his focus so he didn’t check up on it . But throughout the night the core hadn’t given off a single response , staying completely inert .

But unbeknownst to him his Core had changed as well during the night , and the black side now also contained grooves for the pathways to his new class . Now his core was truly complete .

Chapter 210 - Masochism

Finally done with the imprinting process Zac checked out the status screen .

Name

Zachary Atwood

Level

25

Class

F-Epic] Undying Bulwark

Race

E] Draugr

Alignment

Earth] Port Atwood - Lord

Titles

Born for Carnage , Ultimate Reaper , Luck of the Draw , Giantsbane , Disciple of David , Overpowered , Slayer of Leviathans , Adventurer , Demon Slayer I , Full of Class , Rarified Being , Trailblazer , Child of Dao , The Big 500 , Planetary Aegis , One Against Many , Butcher , Progenitor Hegemon , Duplicity Core , Apex Hunter , Heaven's Chosen

Dao

Seed of Heaviness - Middle , Seed of Trees - High , Seed of Sharpness - Early

Core

F] Duplicity

Strength

352 Efficiency : 116%]

Dexterity

200 Efficiency 116%]

Endurance

284 Efficiency 116%]

Vitality

202 Efficiency 116%]

Intelligence

90 Efficiency 116%]

Wisdom

85 Efficiency 116%]

Luck

93 Efficiency 116%]

Free Points

0

Nexus Coins

F] 22 508 653

It was clear that his survivability had increased quite a bit due to the increase in Endurance and Vitality . But what he found a bit surprising was that his attribute effectiveness had increased by 6% . A quick look at his list of titles showed that there could only be two reasons .

He was a bit disappointed that there didn’t seem to be a title for gaining dual classes , but he soon understood a likely reason to this . His core-title had changed name and was now called Duplicity Core instead . He quickly opened it up to see if anything else had changed about it .

Duplicity Core : Successfully form a Duplicity Core Core . Reward : Strength +5% , Endurance +5%

It looked like he had been wrong in his assumptions earlier . The reason question marks were remaining earlier was that he still hadn’t received a second class to imprint on the core . Each reward corresponded to the main attribute of one of his classes , and there was nothing to reward until he had both of them .

Heaven's Chosen : Attain highest possible tier of class . Reward : Effect of Attributes +5%]

The second title was the reason for his increased attribute effectiveness . Zac knew that Epic wasn’t the highest grade there is , as there are multiple higher grades above it . The title rather meant that Epic truly was the highest possible tier for an F-ranked Class .

Bulwark Mastery (Class) : Mastery is born through battle . Block 5000 strikes . Reward : Bulwark Mastery Skill (0/5000) .

Deathwish (Class) : The body is but another shield . Receive 5000 strikes . Reward : Deathwish Skill (0/5000) .

Fields of Despair (Class) : Draw the ire of at least 1000 enemies at once . Reward : Fields of Despair (0/1) .

The next thing Zac checked out was the skill quests to see how hard they would be to accomplish . He could only blankly stare at the first two ones . He should have figured that the skills for a tank Class would mean getting hit . At first glance he thought the first two could be solved simultaneously , but he soon realized that might not be the case .

While the quest mission for Deathwish] might look like it could be accomplished while doing the first one , he believed that he would actually have to go get hit with his body . In any case , it looked like he would need to recruit some people to beat him up .

He felt the last one would be the easiest . Had he gotten this class before hatchetman he would have had a huge problem completing it , but by now it was only a matter of jumping over to the Undead Incursion . That brought up the question of whether the undead would even attack him while in this form though . But if he started to kill a bunch of Zombies they should retaliate .

In any case , Zac felt that he would be able to complete all of the quests in less than a day , as long as he got enough people to hit him simultaneously . He wanted to try it out immediately and headed over to his sister’s courtyard .

It was still around 4 am , so Zac assumed she still would be at home asleep . But to his surprise he found her meditating while facing the sunrise . Zac remembered how annoying it was to get interrupted in the middle of attaining insights into the Dao , so he silently sat down behind her and waited .

He soon closed his eyes as well , starting to meditate on the Dao . He had gained an idea while hunting at Mystic Island . He had been wondering just what that weird attack from the tiger had been until he realized it was a coarse mimicry of the dimensional tears .

The beast had likely been lying on its hill and observed the dimensional scars in the field for months until it finally gained some insight into it . That in of itself was an extremely impressive task , as the Dao of Space was one of the highest concepts according to Ogras .

Zac had felt that if a dumb beast could do it , then so could he . That’s why it took a whole day before he left the island . Most of it had been sitting and observing the everchanging cracks .

They were a truly fickle and random force of nature , popping up without rhyme or reason . Wherever they showed up space was simply separated , and anything that was there before was cut into two . Zac didn’t hold any hope in actually comprehending the concept of a void edge for his Dao of Sharpness , but something simpler .

It was the randomness and instantaneous speed with which the cracks appeared . He felt that speed was an important aspect of sharpness . If he moved extremely slowly he wouldn’t be able to cut a blade of grass with his axe , but if he swung his arm as quickly as possible he could cut a small hill in two without harming his edge .

Sharpness through speed . His blade would be like the dimensional tears , where his enemies would be cut in two before they knew they were attacked . This was the concept he kept pondering on as he waited for his sister to finish her morning meditation .

Shit! - Zac suddenly heard after an hour or so , making him open his eyes .

Kenzie stared at him aghast with her hand over her heart .

You scared the crap out of me , why did you sneak up here like that? - she said with a glare .

Sorry , I didn’t want to disturb your meditation , - Zac answered a bit awkwardly . - I’ll make it up to you , go ahead and hit me . -

I’m not going to hit you , - Kenzie said with a roll of her eyes . - Going by what a blockhead you are I’d just hurt my hands . -

Zac only smiled a bit , and then showed her the quest window for Deathwish] .

This is a one time offer , - Zac said .

What a weird quest . Just what kind of class did you get? - Kenzie asked with her brows rising .

Well , it’s an endurance-based quest to help with my survivability . Most of the quests seem to be centered around getting hit , - Zac explained with a sigh .

A tinge of something flashed in Kenzie's eyes before she reined it in .

Well , I am a mage so I can’t punch you . My hands would break long before I hit you 5000 times . Would spells work? - she asked , starting to look a bit excited .

Well , I’m not sur- - Zac said , but didn’t get further before a fireball slammed into his chest .

Zac grunted and took a step backward by reflex , but he wasn’t actually hurt . It was clear there was no real power in the strike .

Well? - Kenzie asked with a wide smile .

Zac threw his sister a glare before opening up his quest screen again . But to his disappointment the quest was still at 0/5000 .

Didn’t Work , - Zac said with a frown , taking out the club he used for non-lethal confrontations . - Try with this instead . -

His sister didn’t say anything , but her mouth curved even further upward as she accepted the club . She swung the bat at his chest like she was trying to hit a home run , but even that had no effect on the quest , as the progress was still at 0 .

Perhaps your robe is stopping it? - Kenzie hesitantly said .

Zac nodded and took off the top half of his clothes , leaving his chest bare . He felt Kenzie made sense . It wouldn't be much of a deathwish if his E-grade defensive gear soaked up all the damage . His sister swung the club once again , and this time Zac couldn’t help but grimace from the pain .

But luckily it worked , and it counted as progress . The two of them kept trying various things out for over an hour and found out that there were only two requirements to gain progress on his quest .

First , he needed to be hit right on his skin . Even if he only wore a t-shirt it didn’t count as progress . Zac really hoped that didn’t mean that he would have to walk around bare-chested to use the skill in the future . It was already a pain to walk around barefoot due to his movement skill . If this kept up he would soon be forced to walk around naked to have access to all his skills .

Secondly there needed to be a minimum amount of force in the strike for it to count . Just a small lovetap wasn’t enough . With Kenzie’s low physical attributes she needed to give it everything she had in a swing to make it count , and even then it was a crapshoot whether it was enough or not .

Spells did work though , and Zac’s chest was red and bruised from being blasted with ice balls as large as a fist . As for Kenzie , she sat on the ground looking a bit pale , absorbing a Cosmic Energy from a Nexus Crystal .

What’s going on? - a sleepy voice could be heard from outside , making Zac turn over to see a bleary-eyed Emily enter .

Zac quickly took out a pair of sunglasses from his Pouch and put them on . His pitch-black eyes were the most obvious indicator something was up with him , and he didn’t want to show the teenager his change just yet .

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Emily , but she was an obvious point of weakness to him since she still couldn’t cultivate and protect herself . Luckily she only went between the Academy with many warriors and his area that was long since protected with arrays .

Since the outer town didn’t really need any protection at the moment the Town Defense Array had stayed where it was . It covered the inner area so that no one would just jump over the walls and head to his compound or spy on the Creators .

It was a constant drain on resources , but not a large one as long as no one attacked it , but he felt it was extremely worth it . The whole reason he even created the town was to protect his close ones . Who knew , if it hadn’t been running it might have been his sister who was replaced by a shapeshifter rather than David .

We’re training , - Zac said , trying to modulate his voice to sound less ghastly . - I have a quest to get hit a bunch of times . -

Wow! Can I help? - the teenager said , immediately perking up .

No , Kenzie is barely able to hit hard enough for it to count , - Zac said with a shake of his head .

Damnit , why wasn’t I born in spring? - she muttered in annoyance .

Zac could only roll his eyes at the teenager .

Perhaps I can be of assistance? - a voice said as the shadows congealed showing a smiling Ogras .

Zac started to feel that all the people close to him had some sadistic streaks , each of them sporting an eerily similar smile .

Just get on with it , - Zac said with a shake of his head . - And you all don’t need to look so pleased about it . -

Three hours later Zac walked along the streets of Port Atwood accompanied by the demon , one looking sullen and the other having a refreshing smile on his face . Every part of Zac’s chest felt sore , but at least the quest was finished .

He wondered just how one was supposed to complete that quest without attributes like his . If he’d been hit 5 000 times with the same power as the last hours when he was actually level 25 he would have died ten times over .

Even with his current attributes they were forced to take a couple of breaks where Zac swallowed a healing pill . But at least it was done with . And he had to admit the skill he received was pretty interesting .

Deathwish - Proficiency : Early . Join your foes in a dance of death . Upgradeable]

Just like the quest the point of the skill was simply to get hit . Even then he would probably categorize Deathwish] as an offensive skill . The point of it wasn’t to decrease the damage he took , but rather retaliate in kind .

The skill was passive , costing some Miasma every second , and for every strike Zac received while it was active his assailer was hit right back . It looked pretty spooky with a shadowy copy of the attacker that was instantaneously created when Zac was struck , which struck right back .

Ogras had taken it as a challenge to dodge , but no matter what he did he couldn’t escape getting struck when he landed a hit on Zac . The only option to avoid getting retaliated was to stop the attack or simultaneously defend as he attacked . That's why the demon looked like he carried a grudge as they walked through the streets .

The bad news was that only a part , around 10 to 20 percent , of the original strike was retaliated . But the good news was that calculation was based on the original power of the attack , not the damage Zac’s received after his sturdy constitution had lessened the damage he took .

That essentially meant that if his Endurance got high enough he could just stand in a field of enemies , and let them kill themselves by hitting him . The skill also took very little energy to keep going and was something he would be able to run for the entire duration of the fight on top of using his normal skills .

All in all , it felt like a fitting start for someone slowly turning into a walking fortress .

Chapter 211 - Experimentation

Zac also figured out how to advance his quest for Bulwark Mastery] . There were various ways to block a strike , but the only one that seemed to work was using a shield .

Unfortunately only had an old rusty shield he pilfered when he hunted the Imp Herald in the tunnels . It only lasted for 5 blows at the required power before it broke . That forced them to stop grinding his quest for the moment and instead focus on the other tasks at hand . There were infiltrators to hunt .

By now it was close to 8 am , which was a good time to hunt for shapeshifters . Most people were starting their day , heading out toward either their work or the academy . The sight was almost blinding to Zac , as everyone on the street was lit up like a beacon of life-force .

But Zac inspected each and every one beneath his hood , not wanting to let anyone slip by . So far they hadn’t found a single shapeshifter , which was both troubling and a relief . The problem was that they had no idea just how many were still on the island .

According to Ogras there had been a mass exodus for the cultists when Ogras decapitated their leader . A good portion of them immediately ran for the Nexus crystal and teleported away . A few others , likely the more pious ones , had wanted to avenge their fallen leader , even to the point of self-destruction .

Ogras hadn’t stayed at that time , instead heading over to the undead incursion to pick up Zac . When the demon later returned to farm the stronger invaders for contribution points the crystals had disappeared , and only some stragglers were left .

They simply had no idea what happened between the moment the two of them fled , until when Ogras returned . For all they knew there might be a whole contingent of lizardmen hiding in the woods somewhere , though that seemed unlikely .

The remaining cultists had been swarmed by undead almost as soon as the Corpse Lord fled , and they were barely holding on when Ogras arrived . As for the black golemoids , if there were any stragglers they were killed by the uncountable zombies as well . But it seemed that their leader had already ordered his troops to fall back before heading over for one last try at Zac's head .

But since one shapeshifter was still skulking around on his island , there could be more . Zac and ogras therefore patrolled the whole town twice , including the commercial district and the academy . At least it appeared that no shapeshifters hadn’t replaced anyone else in the town proper , or any key personnel .

Zac also took the time to visit the unconscious David , and he couldn’t help but feel enraged when he saw him . Even after a few days of intensive care he still looked like he was on the brink of starvation , with his whole body covered in scars . The shapeshifter had thoroughly tortured the poor man , likely to gain the intelligence needed to keep up its charade .

After two hours of patrolling Ogras was clearly bored , and Zac could only give up for now . Since he had to prepare for the treasure hunt he tasked Ogras with devising some method to cleanse the island from any interlopers .

That left Zac to figure out what to do next . There weren’t too many days left until the treasure hunt , and he had a hard time deciding what he should do . He wanted to start experimenting to become a human again so that he could gain access to his offensive skills .

But at the same time he was unsure of how often he could change his form . If he changed now he might not be able to freely change back , which meant he wouldn’t be able to farm any more levels before the treasure hunt .

Since Undying Bulwark was an Epic class every level would come with a huge amount of attributes from now on , each one giving a great boost to his survivability . If he went all out for the following three days , leaving the last day to swap back to human , Zac expected that he would be able to gain between five and ten levels .

He’d already decided to skip getting the other two skills for now . He had no shield that could last him through the quest at the moment , and he honestly didn’t dare step through the teleporter to Mount Everlasting Peace as he was right now .

He was afraid those tens of thousands of scripts on the mountain would blaze to life and smite him out of existence if he appeared . He knew that the mountain itself had been instrumental in fending off and defeating the Undead armies that had tried to raze it .

After some hesitation , he first went to the Thayer Consortia to speak with Calrin . The gnome was shocked enough to fall out of his chair when he saw Zac’s appearance , and it took some time to calm him down .

Odd choice of a skill , transforming into an undead , - the Sky Gnome muttered .

I thought it would be a good skill to infiltrate the Undead Incursion , but changing back was harder than I expected , - Zac said with a smile as he took out the huge horn from the Star Ox from his pouch . - In any case , I’d like you to take a look at this . -

Hmm , pretty , - Calrin said as he looked at the horn with interest until he looked up at Zac . - What kind of beast is it from? -

It’s from an animal called a Star Ox . I got teleported off-world for a quest and fought the beast then . Apparently the horn was the most valuable part of it , do you know what’s it used for? -

No idea , - Calrin said with a shrug . - But it contains a lot of energies even though the beast is dead . I’m sure that it can be used for either weapon making or alchemy . -

I met a person over there who said it’s worth around a hundred million Nexus Coins , so it should be something good . See if you can find out more , - Zac said .

Sure . Anything else? - Calrin asked .

I need a shield , a real sturdy one , - Zac continued .

A shield? And I guess something that’s stronger than what can be made on our island? - the gnome probed .

Yes . Preferably a Spirit tool like my axe . Is it obtainable? - Zac asked .

Probably not . Defensive spirit tools are far rarer compared to offensive ones . And shields are even less common , - the gnome said .

Why? - Zac asked confused .

It’s more popular to have amulets , skills or inscribed clothes for defense compared to a shield . Of course , those are much more limited , but they also don’t slow you down at all , - the gnome explained .

No one really wants to waste the effort on creating a shield . They are extremely expensive and hard to make , since they need to be able to endure strong attacks not just once , but continuously . Very few materials can handle that , - Calrin continued . - So they are generally only made for order . You would need to visit a skilled blacksmith , but that’s impossible at the moment since we're stuck on this planet . -

Zac could only nod with some defeat . It was true what the gnome said . He’d only encountered two people amongst the demons who used shields as far as he could remember , and both were common foot soldiers .

Well , keep your eyes open , just in case , - Zac could only say as he stood up .

Sure . Remember to get some alliances while finding treasures . We need that extra income , - the gnome said with a wave .

Since he couldn’t get a shield at the moment he decided to focus on gaining a few levels before the treasure hunt . He walked back to his compound and took the teleporter to Mystic Island . He wasn’t afraid that he would run out of prey here , as the island was just enormous , and there should be millions of strong prey to hunt .

Even though time was of the essence Zac spent a good chunk of the following three days also looking at the rifts in space , trying to glean some insight into his Dao of Sharpness . He wanted to improve it before the hunt to increase his offensive power , but if he could evolve it naturally he could use his Dao Treasure on one of his other Seeds .

In the end , he spent 14 hours a day roving through the inner circle of the island , killing one powerful monster after another before he went down the crater and pondered on the Dao for 8 hours .

He gained three levels within the first day , but after that his speed slowed down , only improving with another two the following day and one final level the third day . It was partly due to the requirements increasing , but mainly that it was getting harder and harder to find any good prey .

Finally , after three days passed he had to call it . There was only one day before the hunt , and he needed to get ready .

His killing spree had pushed his endurance all the way to 349 , almost overtaking his strength as his highest attribute . Interestingly enough it also seemed that Verun's Bite] was finally satiated , no longer wanting to drink the blood of the new beasts it encountered . However , it still wasn't evolving , making Zac guess that he still needed to find more E-Grade beasts .

Unfortunately , he didn’t manage to make much headway on his Dao , and he knew he would have to use his Dao Treasure for it after he got home . Since he decided he was done he quickly headed toward the hidden camp to teleport back . Finally home he left a message for Kenzie telling her he was back and to come over after she woke up , before once again settling himself in his courtyard .

A large reason he dared to wait until the day before the Treasure hunt to experiment with turning back was that he had found some clues to turning during his fight with the tiger . That battle had almost completely exhausted all his miasma , and at that point he’d felt that the Duplicity Core was starting to wake up .

It was in line with how he turned the first time , with his life-force being stolen by the dagger . The only problem was that when he got close to running out of miasma he started to feel like he was about to die and that the remaining miasma in his body was all that prevented his true death .

It was a weird distinction Zac hadn’t realized before now . The miasma was not only the source of power in battle but also the source of life for the undead . If Zac ran out of Cosmic Energy in a fight he would feel weak , but he would be fine after resting .

But running out of Miasma for an undead seemed to be a death sentence . It gave a new meaning to the expression tired to death . He needed to find out if his theory was correct , but it would be crazy not to take some precautions .

It took an hour before Kenzie came to his courtyard after reading his note , and Zac immediately erected the arrays before taking out an E-Grade Divine crystal and an E-Grade Miasma crystal .

I am going to try to turn back into a human now , - Zac explained . - If it looks like I’m dying , try using the Divine Crystal first . If it doesn’t work , try the Miasma crystal . -

Are you sure about this? - Kenzie hesitantly asked as she picked up the two crystals .

Pretty much , - Zac lied . - I just wanted you here as a precaution . Here I go . -

The next moment Zac started to expel his Miasma though his whole body , and a cloud of death-attuned Cosmic Energy started to form above him . When he was reaching the last of his miasmic reserves the was overcome with a sense of dread , and he instinctually wanted to reabsorb the energy in the air before it dissipated .

But he ignored his instincts and expelled the last of his Miasma . As the last of the energy left him everything turned black , and the last thing he felt before losing consciousness was falling down .