Defiance of the Fall

No manners , spying on a private conversation , - Ogras retorted with a straight face .

Wait , where’s Smaug? - Zac said with a frown .

I knocked him out when I saw this demon approach you with greed in his eyes and deceit in his heart , - Verana said . - I had no choice but to listen in to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid . -

Be careful , I don’t want to turn the guy into a vegetable . I’ve already knocked him out once , it can’t be good for you for that to happen over and over , - Zac said with a shake of his head . - What’s your proposal? -

Twenty percent to my clan , ten each to the demons and the merchant , - Verana said .

Negotiation comes from a place of power . You’re barely bringing anything to the table and want twenty percent? - Ogras snorted .

Do you? - Verana retorted . - Your people won’t fight against the demons . My people are arguing about who gets to be the vanguard . -

But the beasts of your soldiers will be limited in the underworld . Besides , this isn’t just about how much effort each party exerts in the underworld . The citizens of Port Atwood has slaved away for months with hundreds dying . The resources of this place will be used to repay those who have bled for our force , - Ogras retorted .

Zac sighed as he listened to the two bicker , and things only got more chaotic when the Sky Gnome joined in . In the end the Demons went victorious from the battle , largely thanks to Zac’s support . They would get 25% of the shares , with Verana getting 10% and Calrin 5% .

Calrin wasn’t happy , but he would still make a lot of money from the Underworld since he would become the sole trading partner for the Underworld Venture , while also setting up a network of Thayer Consortia shops through the Underworld to rid all the wealthy Cultivators of their Crystals .

Verana was less than enthused with the results as well , but what Ogras said was true . The demons had risked their lives for Port Atwood over and over without any payment apart from getting to pick a skill . They were long overdue to reap some benefits for their work .

So , what’s the plan? Are we heading straight to this Union? - Verana asked .

Get Smaug first , - Zac said .

Soon the merchant was dragged over , and he sat down opposite Zac after throwing Verana a sullen look .

Isn’t it a bunch of merchants without a license to protect them? - Ogras said after throwing Smaug a dismissive glance . - Just kick down the front door and kill everyone who disagrees with the change in management . -

No! They might kill my sister if you storm their headquarters like that! - Smaug shouted with worry . - Their Arrays will be able to hinder you for a minute or two , who knows what they will do in the meantime? -

Fine . I’ll save the girl first , then Mr . Black and Snake Girl will kick in the front door , - Ogras said with a roll of his eyes .

Snake girl? - Verana said with a frosty tone . - Just , keep it up . -

We need proof what you’ve said is true , - Joanna cut in before the two leaders started bickering again . - Do you know where they keep slaves , and where your sister is kept? -

Yes to both! - Smaug nodded enthusiastically . - I have created a private network , I can bring us within an hour’s travel from one of their transit camps where they keep slaves before they are sold off . My sister is likely kept at their headquarters . -

Fine , we’ll take a look at the camp before taking down their headquarters . This group is enough for that , no need to bring the soldiers . They’ll be sent to stabilize the various mines and subsidiaries after we’ve made our move , - Zac said . - Agreed? -

The others nodded in agreement , with Ogras and Verana adding a few suggestions . Zac closed down the array and the group immediately walked toward the teleportation array . Suddenly their group grew with three people as Emily and two helpless Valkyries joined in . He down looked at the teenager for a second , and only got a stubborn look in return . He sighed and nodded slightly , drawing a wide grin from the girl .

Less than an hour later the group stood in a cave mouth , overlooking a large encampment twenty meters below them . An illusion array had already been installed by the exit , obscuring it from the people walking along the streets in the transit camp .

Animals , - Joanna growled as she looked at the scene with wide eyes .

Zac slightly nodded in agreement , anger burning in his heart as he listened to the cries from the shackled people below .

We proceed . The Union will cease to exist today . -

Chapter 330 - Transit Camp

The scene below was even worse than Zac had feared when he first heard Smaug mention the slave trade . There were long rows of people kept in place by fetters , placed like cattle in small enclosures . All four races could be spotted amongst the slaves , though humans were by far the most common .

Groups of slavers patrolled the area , and there were robust fortifications at all the exits to prevent any slaves from escaping from the cave . There was also a pile of corpses lying in plain view in the encampment , just a few meters from the pens where the slaves were kept . Perhaps they were left there as a deterrent , or perhaps they simply hadn't had time to throw the corpses out to the beasts in the open Underworld .

The Underworld was quite different from how Zac had imagined it , and it was only after traveling for the last hour he realized that the Underworld wasn’t an intricate network of tunnels and caverns . Most of the Underworld was actually an open expanse .

The prevalent belief amongst those who were teleported here was that the underworld was between two layers of tectonic plates or just between two rock sediments . It created a continuous subterranean landscape that sometimes had a ceiling height of thousands of meters , and sometimes it was so narrow that one had to crouch to move forward .

There were even forests and arable farmland , though the things that could be grown were generally different types of edible moss or mushrooms . Rivers ran across the hilly grounds , and it if wasn’t for the utter lack of sunlight , one might have forgotten they were underground . Instead , everything was illuminated by luminescent plants , creating a mesmerizing display of colorful spots that lit up the boundless darkness .

Most towns were constructed in caves like the one they were spectating through , as the open world was quite dangerous for most people . Enormous packs of mutated bats roved in the sky , and all kinds of subterranean beasts walked the ground .

Even the insects had mutated and turned into monstrous creatures in the underworld , perhaps due to the massive amount of Nexus Crystals boosting the energy in the atmosphere . Getting caught in ten-meter tall spiderwebs or skewered by a scorpion pincer were both real risks in the underworld .

The extremely solid rock walls of the caverns made for a natural defense against the horrors of the underworld , and people only had to fortify the cave exits to create a safe space . Top tier caves were the ones who possessed a natural ecosystem to sustain them , like the cave the Underworld Nexus was built inside , with its own lake .

It was this reliance on caves that the Flame Golems exploited in with their ruthless tactics . They simply blocked up the few exits in the town before flooding it with lava . A few of the citizens had time to rush to a teleportation array , but most towns didn’t possess one and could only helplessly wait to get swallowed .

The tunnel they stood in was something that Smaug himself had created to spy on the slaving activities of the Union . It ran for hundreds of meters from a hidden spot in the open underworld , with both sides hidden by arrays . The walls of the tunnel looked oddly melted , and Zac guessed that Smaug had used some treasure to somehow melt the extremely hard stones .

Being reminded that the mysterious fellow might be useful during the fight Zac released the energy restraints that shackled Smaug . Of course only after giving him a stern warning to not mess around .

But any interest in finding out Smaug’s hidden means was long pushed to the back of Zac's head as he looked down at the misery beneath them . He was just about to jump down and start a rampage when the energy in the camp started to fluctuate .

The teleportation array just activated , - Ogras commented as he looked down with curiosity .

This transit camp was located close to the human incursion since the invaders they traded with weren’t able to use teleportation arrays . This also meant that whoever was arriving was not an invader , but rather someone from the Union . The fluctuations soon ended and a small group of people emerged from a building not too far away .

Here , use this , - Smaug suddenly said , producing yet another ball from nowhere .

A temporal destabilizer? - Ogras said with surprise . - Where did you get your hands on this? -

A what? - Zac asked with confusion as he looked down on the thing in Smaug’s hand .

The teleporters transport people through subspace or whatever the fantasy equivalent is , - Smaug said . - If you crush this ball within 50 meters of the teleporter subspace will be made unstable and safeguards in the array will make it impossible to activate for 10 minutes . -

Zac shot a glance at Ogras who nodded in confirmation .

Can you get your hands on more of this? - Zac asked .

It was an extremely convenient item that could change the course of a battle . It would make sure that his target wasn’t able to escape , or that his activities wouldn’t leak .

This is my last one , I got it as a reward for a quest , - Smaug said with a shake of his head .

Zac looked into Smaug’s eyes for a few seconds , but he couldn’t tell if the man was lying or not . In any case , there would be time to find out more after the situation in the underworld was stabilized . So he grabbed the ball with a nod , and Zac leaped straight out from their hiding spot immediately after , with Emily throwing a fiery axe into his back .

Zac soared straight toward the large stone building the group of people emerged from . It was likely the place that housed the teleportation array , as it was guarded by a squad of soldiers armed to their teeth . With Zac’s power , he had no problem jumping all the way to the structure , and he ripped through the air toward the soldiers like a falling star .

Attack! - one of the guards shouted with panic in his eyes as he spotted Zac in the air , but the next moment he was crushed by the massive weight of Zac’s shield as it slammed straight into him .

Zac’s landing killed three of the guards and threw the others in the air from the kinetic energy in his landing . He immediately crushed the orb in his hand before taking out his sword . Hunger] keened as it turned into a grey streak , dismembering the remaining seven guards in a flash .

With his attributes , it didn’t matter that he barely possessed any offensive skills in his current class . Against random warriors on Earth he was essentially an unkillable monster . The commotion alerted the soldiers stationed in the camp , and they streamed toward his location . There were actually over a hundred of them , most having stayed out of sight .

Zac didn’t mind that as he instead turned his attention toward the group who had just arrived . It was two middle-aged men dressed in some sort of defensive gear , but it was clear they were not warriors . They had no weapons and they did not emit any dangerous aura , making Zac believe they were businessmen from the Union .

This belief was only strengthened by the four bodyguards who accompanied the two . The moment Zac had arrived they created a protective barrier in front of the merchants , and they didn’t care in the slightest that Zac dismembered their presumptive allies . They were only interested in protecting the two VIP's .

Yet another idealistic fool trying to rescue these wretched people? - one of the merchants sneered .

Zac didn’t answer , instead unleashing both his aura and Fields of Despair] . The insidious energies from the splinter in his mind were already magnifying the rage in his heart , and it somehow entered his aura as well . It made his killing intent almost palpable , and a few soldiers actually started to bleed from their noses or ears when they were buffeted by his aura .

The soldiers were obviously not part of some elite force , and the hastily erected line the warriors just formed immediately collapsed , with over half heedlessly fleeing from the towering killing intent that radiated from Zac . The four bodyguards were better off , but they still slowly backed away , likely looking for an opportunity to escape as well .

Activate the array! - one of the merchants screamed in fright , the arrogant demeanor replaced with abject horror .

An immense weight immediately descended upon Zac , but how could some random restrictive array stop his onslaught? He had ripped through even stronger arrays when he was looting summit palaces during the hunt , and since then he had only grown even more monstrous .

He took a step forward with a grunt , and a loud snapping sound could be heard as a shockwave was released from his body . The sound came from the array collapsing from brute force , and the sight was so shocking that one of the merchants fell to his knees in despair .

Wait! - the still standing merchant screamed when Zac started to approach them . - We can pay you! One hundred million Nexus Coins! Just let us leave with our lives! -

Zac was completely indifferent to the pleas , and he steadily took step after step toward the group . The stationed soldiers of the town had given up any idea of sticking their noses into the battle , and one after one they started to flee toward the various exits .

But long before anyone managed to escape through one of the tunnels they fell over with large holes in their bodies , caused by some unseen attacks . Zac noted the shadowy spears that appeared and quickly disappeared though , and he realized that Ogras and the others were containing everyone .

He didn’t care that Ogras killed these soldiers at all since they had been complicit to the horrors of this place . If he had been in his human form he would have already mowed down that rabble with a few fractal edges . But he was currently out of ranged attacks since his shield’s spike attack still hadn’t recharged .

Two hundred million! And precious cultivation pills! - the merchant screamed when Zac ignored him .

You forfeited your lives the moment you betrayed humanity , - Zac said a hollow voice . - I do not need your blood money . -

The four guards disappeared the moment Zac finished his sentence , but they immediately appeared all around him . Their weapons were already sailing toward his body the moment they reappeared , and it looked like they tried a surprise attack as a last-ditch-effort .

The four guards were likely around level 40 to 45 from their auras , just a handful of levels shy from entering the ladder . But Zac also sensed that their auras were , for a lack of a better word , hollow . He hadn't sensed anything like it before , but he had learned from Alyn that it likely meant their levels were mostly propped up by pills and crystals rather than battle .

All four of them were sword wielders , and it even looked like they possessed the same skill . The swords lit up in blue flames as they sailed toward Zac’s body from four different directions , but Zac opted to not even respond to the attacks , instead only activating the Dao of Hardness across his body .

Four specters appeared and launched attacks the moment the swords landed on his body . It was Deathwish] that activated , starting the dance of death . Zac could easily have intercepted the attacks with his sword , but he wanted to see the effect of his skill against cultivators since he hadn’t sensed any real danger from the attacks .

The results were surprisingly different even though each attack was the same . One of the guards was taken completely by surprise and didn’t even react when a spectral sword slit his throat open . He fell down on the ground , and Zac knew the man would bleed out in less than a minute unless he got immediate medical attention .

The second guard managed to react in time and angled his body as he was being attacked , changing the trajectory of the blade as it entered his body . Instead of getting his heart pierced he only got a lung punctured . It was still a pretty bad wound , but not lethal with the existence of healing pills .

A golden shield appeared around the last two warriors , completely blocking the reflected attack . The shield came from a bracer they both wore . They originally had four crystals inlaid , but one of them cracked when the shield blocked the attack .

Pleased with the result of Dethwish] Zac killed the man on the ground with a stomp as he decapitated the wounded guard with a swing of Hunger] . His own wounds were negligible , and he only needed to pat his robe a few times to snuff out the flames . A small amount of black ichor ran down his throat from one of the swords hitting his neck , but the swing had barely managed to break his skin .

The remaining two guards looked at Zac with despair , knowing that they never would be able to kill Zac even if he didn’t put up any resistance . Zac's body was already far sturdier than that of the Corpse Lord he fought during the beast waves , and only the strongest warriors on Earth would be able to wound him by now .

The two immediately started to run away , they were soon rebuffed by two lightning-quick stabs from a long spear . It was Joanna who had joined the battle , and Nenothep’s spear was a blur in her hands as she unleashed a barrage of attacks at the two guards .

Zac stopped in his tracks when he saw the Valkyrie take over , and he looked with interest at how deftly she handled her weapon . The two bodyguards assaulted at her like rabid dogs since she was standing in the way of their escape , and flames danced around them as they tried everything to cut her down . However , she was like an impenetrable spear wall , not budging an inch .

The remaining defensive charges on the guards’ bracers were expended in less than 20 seconds , and a few seconds later the last guard fell , his throat torn open by a quick stab from Joanna . The Valkyrie's skills weren’t flashy but they were direct and lethal , without any frills or unnecessary motion . Every move she performed was to kill or maim with as little energy expenditure as possible .

When the last of the elite guards fell a suffocated silence spread through the camp , with no one daring to speak up . There was a small group of soldiers who stood rooted at their spot , neither daring to retreat or advance , and the merchants looked like their souls had left their bodies , blankly staring at their downed bodyguards . Even the slaves were completely silent , peeking at the proceedings with sunken eyes .

But suddenly the silence was broken by a shocked scream from Emily .

Millie! -

Chapter 331 - Truths and Lies

Zac , who was about to head over to interrogate the two terrified merchants stopped in his tracks when he heard Emily’s cry . He turned over with confusion to see the teenager clawing at the manacles binding a malnourished teenager .

Don’t let those two move , - Zac said to Joanna , who nodded in confirmation .

He walked over to Emily and with a tug ripped the chains apart , freeing the young woman .

What’s going on? - he asked as he turned to Emily .

This is Millie , Camilla . She went to the same school as me . She’s from Allentown! - she said with some panic in her eyes .

Zac understood the thoughts running through her head . If one of her schoolmates had found herself captured by the Union , then it wasn't a great sign for the well-being of her siblings . They might even be in the large pile of corpses .

Calm down , we’ll get to the bottom of things , - Zac said as he took out a healing pill .

Millie wasn’t truly wounded , but she was clearly malnourished and it looked like she had been whipped judging by the tears in her tunic’s back . But mostly she seemed to have shut down from trauma . She looked at Zac with a blank stare and only took the pill when he directly put it in her hands .

This is a healing pill , - Zac said before taking a step back , aware of the immense pressure he had just released across the whole town .

Millie , it’s me , Emily Larkin from Southfield High , - she said as she handed Millie a canteen . - Hurry and take the pill to regain your strength . -

The mention of the school seemed to wake the girl out from her stupor , and she rapidly blinked at Emily .

Emily? From class B? I never saw you in the tutorial , what’s going on? - the girl asked , making some of the close-by slaves surreptitiously look over .

I was too young to enter the tutorial . We come from the surface , - Emily explained after receiving a nod from Zac . - We work for the Super Brother-Man , and we have come to close the incursions in the Underworld . But when we arrived we heard about the Union capturing people and selling them to the invaders , so we came here first to free you . -

The words were like a match igniting a fire , and a wave of clamors for help rose from the captives . The situation felt a bit annoying , but when Zac looked around he couldn’t find the demon or Verana anywhere . Both were keeping a low profile as to not spread any rumors about invaders before their position was completely solidified .

What about the other cultivators of Allentown? Where are they? - Emily pressed on . - Do you know where my siblings are? Oscar and Johanna . -

The town we were dropped off in was destroyed by the flame golems four months ago , - Millie said with a sigh . - But most of us managed to flee since it had so many exits . Some of us settled in various towns , others joined the Union or the Council . I think your sister joined the Council to fight the invaders . -

And my brother? Do you know what happened to Oscar , Oscar Larkin? - Emily hurriedly asked .

He . . . Died… - Millie said , looking down at the ground . - He joined the town guard after the tutorial ended . The flame golems killed all the guards to cause chaos and slow our response . -

Emily slumped down on the ground when she heard the news , a blank stare in her face . Zac sighed with a pang of sadness in his heart . He knew had been the most likely outcome from the start with how few that were still alive after the integration .

Let’s find your sister . She’ll know what happened for sure , - Zac said as he crouched down next to Emily .

The teenager quickly perked up , desperately grasping on to his words .

You’re right! Millie , you never saw Oscar die , right? - she said , getting a hesitant nod in response . - He might have survived! -

Zac personally wasn’t so sure , especially considering the actions of her sister . Joining the Council to fight the invaders sounded like something a person looking for revenge would do . But he didn’t say anything , not wanting to dash her hopes . After giving the teenager a comforting pat he walked over to Joanna , who still kept guard over the terrified merchants .

Emily’s words had been heard by quite a few people in the camp , and the clamors from the slaves were getting louder and louder . Conversely , the guards had turned even more subdued , looking like they wished they could simply sink into the ground .

Can you handle this? - Zac asked with a wave toward the ruckus when he came back .

Sure , but could you silence them first? - Joanna said .

Zac nodded , and another burst of his aura erupted through the camp , immediately cutting all conversations short . Joanna winked at him before jumping up at a rooftop , making her visible to all the captured slaves .

I am Joanna Thompson , Ranked at the 96th spot of the power ladder , - she said , her voice echoing across the camp . - As some of you heard , we come from the surface . Zachary Atwood , also known as the Super Brother-Man is currently busy closing the Incursions on the surface , leading humanity in the battle against the invaders . But after hearing of the plight of the Underworld he spared no expense to find a way to reach this place . We have come to liberate you all , and rebuff the underworld invaders . -

Another wave of exclamations immediately erupted in the crowd . Some were jubilant while others were confused . There were also a decent number of people who suspiciously looked at the proceedings , perhaps not trusting such a fantastical tale .

You might be skeptical , but let me show you something , - Joanna said , and the next moment a System screen appeared in front of her .

It was the quest that she and the other Valkyries received after closing three Incursions , where they were supposed to assist in closing as many Incursions as possible within a month . It already showed the progress of four , meaning that golem incursion she assisted in closing before she received the quest was counted as well .

As you can see I have personally assisted the forces of Port Atwood in closing four incursions , just one shy of the total number of Incursions in the underworld . The Super Brother-Man has closed even more , sometimes only relying on his own power , - she explained . - I only show you this to prove the truth of my words . -

However , when we finally arrived at the Underworld we quickly learned of the despicable acts of the Union , enslaving our people and siding with our enemies . The Super Brother-Man wouldn’t stand for such a thing , so from today forth the Union will cease to exist , - Joanna said , looking like a heroic general with the spear in her hand .

So please be patient . We will help everyone here , but it will take some time , - she finished .

Zac felt a bit embarrassed by the grandiose speech , and he didn’t really know what to say when the Valkyrie jumped back down on the ground .

Lord Atwood works so hard , but never claims any credit , - Joanna said as she pointedly looked at Zac . - Someone needed to speak up for him . -

He coughed and nodded in thanks before turning to the merchants .

You- The Union are no traitors! We have worked hard to protect the people in the underworld! - one of the men said , but his eyes were skittering and the fear was clear on his face .

Zac didn’t bother responding only taking a pointed glance at the rows upon rows of captured slaves .

We are facing an extinction event , - the merchant said . - If we didn’t provide people to the incursions they would start raiding our settlements , resulting in a far larger loss of life . Besides , these people are convicted criminals! -

Lies! - one of the slaves roared in anger . - We were only too poor to pay the protection fees of the Union . -

After calling over Smaug and questioning both the merchants and a few of the slave's Zac finally got a full understanding of the situation . In the beginning , the Union truly only sold murderers , rapists , and other heinous criminals to the Incursions . It was a simple solution to get rid of dangerous people while also appeasing a very strong enemy .

But the Incursion’s demands for slaves were insatiable , and the Union ran out of criminals soon enough . So eventually they started to capture anyone that didn’t provide any benefits to them or was unable to pay the fees to live within their cities , convicting them with fabricated charges .

When that wasn’t enough they started to target whole settlements that wanted to relocate to the Union for safety . The slaves in the transit camp , including Emily's schoolmate , were almost all of the latter type , with a few enemies of the Union thrown in .

Both of the merchants were just middle-management sent to inspect the latest batch of slaves before delivery , and they knew nothing of the inner workings of the Union or the situation of Smaug’s sister . They were also only level 35 , their strength completely propped up by Crystals .

Zac knew just how many crystals were needed to reach such a high level . The Nexus Crystals were a good boost for recovery , but they were only really useful for leveling right at the beginning of a stage . Even the E-Grade crystals he got his hands on were only enough for a scant few levels , and Zac had already confirmed that E-Grade crystals were still quite rare in the underworld as well . They were not something that these two people could get their hands on .

Soon enough there was nothing else the two merchants could divulge , and Zac ended their lives with two quick swipes of his sword before turning to Smaug . The merchants had already been doomed the moment they started to dabble in slavery , and the kills didn’t even register in Zac’s mind .

How do we get to New London? - Zac asked Smaug who looked down at the two lifeless bodies with some shock .

I own another hidden outpost an hour’s travel away , - Smaug quickly explained after he roused himself . - We should hurry . They have likely already realized that this place has been conquered . Hopefully they'll assume the invaders got tired of paying for the slaves and raided the place . -

Couldn’t you have placed your teleporters closer? - Zac muttered with some complaint .

It’s not possible , don’t you know? If I placed it any closer a quest would start where only one town could remain within a month , - Smaug said with a shake of his head . - Towns of competing factions can't be too close . -

Oh , there’s such a thing? - Zac said with some surprise .

It’s true , and the distance only increases as the rank of the town is upgraded , - Verana said as she walked over . - Lower-ranked towns can be pretty close , but capitals requires over a week of travel , limiting the number of kingdoms on a planet . -

Zac nodded in understanding before dragging Smaug over to the building with the teleporter . The spatial disruption had already dissipated , which allowed Zac to bring a squad of soldiers over to handle the situation in the camp . Of course , the demons still stayed behind as to not expose their identities .

The slaves would be transported to the Underworld Nexus for now , since staying at the transit camp wasn’t an option . The camp was placed extremely close to the Incursion , and the invaders could come knocking at any moment . Zac felt there was no need to expend resources to defend it either since it held no strategic value .

The group of Ogras , Verana , Joanna , Smaug , and Emily once again joined Zac and left through the teleporter after the soldiers had taken charge of the slaves , quickly freeing them and sending them away . And thanks to Smaug they managed to quickly and effortlessly infiltrate New London . Smaug clearly had all kinds of contacts and confidantes , as they entered the large city through a hidden passageway that led into the cellar of a bar . When the owner noticed the group walking up the stairs he pretended to see nothing and simply went about his day .

Soon the group stood in an alley some distance from the sprawling headquarters of the Union . It was actually the Admiralty House of London that had been randomized to the Underworld along with a large section of downtown London .

New London was the central hub of The Union , and it was one of the few large settlements that were placed in the open Underworld rather than in a town cave . This had benefited the Union quite a bit when the Flame Golems went on the offensive , flooding one cave after another . Hundreds of thousands of settlers had wanted to relocate to New London , rather braving the Underworld beasts than the Fire Golems .

The large conglomerate had claimed a large number of former Government buildings and turned them into their own . The old world government itself had quickly fallen with the return of the cultivators , and after a couple of tumultuous weeks , the Union became the premier force in the town . And with the help of the resources they got from the slave trade their grasp of the town was rock solid .

I’ll go fetch the girl , - Ogras said without any preamble , holding a picture of a young girl in his hand .

Are you sure you can do this? - Smaug said with worry as he took out a handful of things from his hidden space . - I have a few items- -

Ogras immediately snatched all of the treasures , though Zac suspected that the demon wouldn’t need help to infiltrate some old-world structure with no real powerhouses standing guard . And just as Zac suspected the demon was back just twenty minutes later , with a squirming sack over his shoulder . Smaug immediately ran over to release his sister , but Ogras suddenly summoned his black spear and used it to keep the man at bay .

We need to have a little chat . This brat has been a captive for weeks , not a few hours as you said . -

Chapter 332 - New Management

We’ve been used as a tool from the start , - Ogras snorted as he glared at Smaug , some killing intent leaking from his body . - I knew something was off about this brat . -

Zac glared at the young man as well , quickly putting two and two together . Smaug had mixed truths and lies in order to push Zac and his group into a collision course with the Union . The fact that the conglomerate sold people as slaves to the invaders had already been proven , but whether they ever pressured Smaug to attack his party was another matter entirely .

Why? - was all that Zac said with a cold voice , somewhat regretting they had removed his shackles so that he would be able to keep up with them as they traveled .

My sister is innocent in this . I saw an opportunity . I couldn’t be sure how you would act in the underworld , so I needed to create a conflict with these assholes . But they deserve to be run to the ground , - Smaug said , some ruthlessness flashing in his eyes before his face returned to that of a hapless youngster .

You asshole! - a muffled voice came from within the sack . - You’ve been tricking people again? You’ve already got me kidnapped , now you’re going to get me killed . -

Ogras glanced at the sack with some humor before putting the girl down on the ground and untied her cover . A beautiful girl in her teens emerged , and her energetic emerald eyes were an obvious sign she was related to Smaug . She had long black hair with a thin braid running down her side , and she wore a hipster ensemble from the old world . A glance with Inquisive Eye] showed that her name was Rima and that she was level 25 .

She was a completely different sight from the dirty and bedraggled slaves they had just emancipated , and it looked like she hadn’t suffered any injustice in captivity . She glared at Smaug for a second before pushing closer to a bemused Ogras .

I’m sorry about my useless brother , Mr . Knight . He’s an idiot and a liar , but he’s a good guy , - she said , looking up at the demon with adoring eyes .

Mr . Knight? - the demon echoed with confusion .

Well , you’re my handsome knight in shining armor . You broke into the stronghold of the bad guys and saved me , - she explained , showing no inclination to walk over to her brother .

Sorry girl , you’re a bit young for my taste , - Ogras said with a snort , but after a brief pause looked her up and down once more . - Come back in five years . -

Animal , - Joanna and Verana echoed in unison , but the demon was completely unaffected by their ire .

Rima , don’t be like that , - Smaug entreated , looking a bit embarrassed . - I did what I had to do to keep us safe . -

Stop using me to justify your shady business practices , - Rima said with a roll of her eyes . - Do you know how it feels to be mentioned as the reason for you turning into a drug lord? -

You’re a drug dealer? - Zac said with a frown . - Is that why you’re so rich? -

I worked in , uh , pain management before the integration , - Smaug said with a cough . - I haven’t dabbled in that since the world turned crazy though , even though there is a massive demand from people who want to escape reality . -

Mr . Mask , is it true you work for the Super Brother-Man? - Rima said , looking at Zac with interest . - I heard from Mr . Knight . -

I’m Mr . Black , - Zac said . - And yes . -

Mr . Black? How is that any better? - Rima muttered , before perking up again . - Is the Super Brother-Man handsome? How old is he? Is he single? -

Already abandoning me , girl? - Ogras grunted , though he clearly was just messing around .

Enough , - Zac said and knocked the girl unconscious with a burst of his aura before taking out Hunger] . - You attacked us , using arrays that would kill most people . I was already considering what punishment you deserved when I thought you acted under duress . Why shouldn’t I kill you right now? -

I am useful! - Smaug hurriedly said , some fear appearing on his face . - I can provide all sorts of information on the Underworld . I possess riches , and know where to find more . -

We can get information from the Union and the Council and we already possess more wealth than you , - Ogras laughed . - Try again . -

I… I’ll work for the Super Brother-Man as well! - Smaug said . - You should understand I’m good with money from my Ladder ranking . -

People willing to work for The Super Brother-Man would be able to fill a country . Why should we risk letting a shady person like you close to our business interests? - Joanna asked .

I’ll sign a contract of servitude! I’ll make you money to the best of my abilities for 50 years! - he said , finally starting to panic .

Sounds annoying to have you around . Who knows what hidden troubles you would cause , - Zac shrugged , lifting his sword as if he wanted to decapitate him just like the two merchants .

Wait! I have an incomplete license with a limited product line! - Smaug screamed as he backed away .

Five hundred years , - Zac said , the sword frozen mid-swing .

Wh- - Smaug was about to exclaim , but forcibly stopped himself . - Five hundred , happy to be on board . -

Good . Joanna will be your handler , - Zac said , - She is under a contract of servitude as well , so signing with her will be like signing with the Super Brother-Man . -

Smaug sighed , and soon enough he had entered a 500-year contract with Joanna . Smaug clearly had a complicated relationship with the truth , and Zac didn’t want the man to know of his real identity . Having Joanna sign the contract still counted toward his contract limit though , and with all the Valkyries he only had four spots remaining .

Luckily the contracts to keep silent about his identity was a simple agreement between two parties , and those one could enter as many as one pleased . However , since it was a contract of reciprocity he needed to give something in return , which in his case was a monthly stipend for as long as the contract was active .

Zac looked at Smaug’s forlorn figure with some humor , knowing things were not really as they seemed . It might have appeared as though the man was forced to sign the contract , but that was simply impossible .

Unless the man wanted to form a contract and work for him the contract wouldn’t even materialize , proving that it was all a ploy . Zac guessed that the only thing that Smaug hadn’t planned was to share the fact that he had an incomplete license .

In the end , he got his hand on a helper that he sorely needed . He had wanted to find someone to manage his business interests while he focused on cultivation . As time passed his ventures only got more numerous , and someone needed to take charge . Zac himself didn't know exactly what he owned any longer as his empire kept expanding through conquest and development .

What’s an incomplete license? - Zac asked when the contract was signed .

I have a mercantile class as you already know , - Smaug shrugged , his sad demeanor already gone . - I got a quest to rise as high as possible on the Wealth ladder , and the license was the reward . I think I would have gotten a real license if it wasn't for your boss keeping the first spot for himself . Uh , our boss . -

What's the difference? - Zac asked , and even Ogras perked up in interest .

Calrin had been pretty fleeting in his explanations about the mercantile system since the start , likely wanting to keep details vague so that others wouldn't know when he was scamming them . Ogras had no idea either , only knowing it enabled intergalactic trade as long as you fulfilled certain criteria .

The Mercantile System is like a hidden website where you need to unlock every ware one by one . A Mercantile License is your login to the main website , but it is only the start from what I understand . You still need to perform various tasks to upgrade the license to give access to better wares and rates . My license is limited , meaning that it only lasts for 100 years , and I can only buy wares from a corporation called Stumpbugle Bombs] , - Smaug explained .

That’s some name , - Ogras whistled .

It’s a goblin company , and they make weird arrays , like the ones I… presented to you earlier , - Smaug coughed . - They only sell consumable weapons , from simple arrays to weapons of mass destruction . I can’t access those though . -

We’ll find some work for you . Remember , if we find you’re working against the interest of Port Atwood… - Zac said , lifting Hunger] again .

I know , I know , - Smaug said with a disarming smile .

Zac would look further into that Smaug could bring to the table at a later date , but for now he wanted to focus on the Union . He saw no reason to change his plan just because Smaug had been lying . The Union still needed to be stopped .

Ogras had already made some preliminary reconnaissance while scouring the Union headquarters for Rima , and as luck would have it the top brass of the Union was holding an emergency meeting in response to suddenly losing the transit camp .

Since the hostage was saved Zac felt there to be no need for any subversion as he walked toward the main gate of the newly erected wall that ran around the headquarters . It was guarded by over twenty cultivators , and the Union had even got their hands on some nasty-looking turrets placed upon the wall walk .

Halt! This is a restricted area , - a guard shouted as the large mounted weapons turned toward Zac .

The Super Brother-Man has judged the Union to be working with the foreign invaders . Stand down and you will not be hurt . We are only interested in the leaders , - Zac said as his aura billowed out .

The guards were shocked by the unexpected turn and looked at Zac like he was a primordial beast . It was no surprise since the strongest warriors of Earth could barely release an aura by now , whereas Zac’s aura was heavy enough to almost feel like solid matter . Worse yet , it was rife with killing intent he had accumulated through his constant battles .

A few of the cultivators immediately ran away , not giving their companions a second look . But a few stood still with indecision on their faces . Seeing the guards not stand down Zac rolled his eyes and took out two metal balls from his cosmos sack , and threw them at the two turrets in quick succession . The balls ripped through the air and the weapons instantly turned to scrap metal .

The display of might was all that was needed to sway the last few guards who remained , and Zac was able to push open the gate without having to kill anyone . But a shimmering wall suddenly stopped him in his tracks , and Zac frowned when he realized someone had activated a defensive array .

Zac quickly realized it was just a standard array bought from the Town Shop , and his right arm started swelling from infusing it with Unholy Strike] . He didn’t even deign to push the skill to its limit before he punched out with enough force to make the air distort around his fist .

The barrier shuddered and large cracks started to spread , but the barrier held fast . However , Zac only snorted and punched out again , making the shield completely crumble this time . Ogras , now completely shrouded in shadows , and the others walked through as this was the most normal thing in the world , leaving a shocked Smaug behind .

Monster , - Smaug muttered from behind as he carried his unconscious sister .

The group ripped through the building without any resistance . Any time a guard or an employee saw their approach they needlessly ran away , no one even pretending to muster a resistance . It proved how fragile a force like the Union was in the face of true power . There were many weaker forces around , but many would put up a far fiercer resistance against invaders .

Zac followed Ogras' directions , but it was barely needed as he could sense a clump of weak auras gathered together at the same spot . With their superhuman speeds , it took them less than 20 seconds before they barged into a large hall , where almost forty people were seated .

These were the leaders of the Union , and behind them stood just as many warriors with somewhat impressive auras . But both hesitation and unwillingness to act was clear on their faces as Zac , Verana , and Ogras all released their auras . It submerged the whole building in oppressive might , and most immediately threw their weapons on the ground in hopes of being spared .

A few tried to unleash desperate attacks on Zac's group , perhaps knowing their sins were too heavy to be spared if they were captured . But they were quickly and ruthlessly dealt with , leaving a dozen corpses on the ground .

Some of the seated leaders tried to flee in the commotion , but between Ogras’ shadow spears and Zac’s oppressive aura they found themselves trapped . Zac looked over the group of fearful people , noticing that people from all races apart from Zhix were represented .

Is this them? - Zac asked with a sighed as he turned to Smaug .

Yes , a few people are missing , like Little Treasure and Copperfield , the Ishiate at the 11th spot of the wealth ladder , - Smaug said as he looked across the room . - But this is over 80% of the top brass of the Union . -

It was a bit disheartening to Zac to see this diverse ensemble . This group represented some of the best and the brightest of the underworld , bringing together not only strong warriors but skilled non-combat cultivators . The group even transcended the racial barriers , something the surface still hadn’t accomplished . But instead of working together to rebuff the invaders , they had sold their souls for riches .

Starting today , the Union and all its subsidiaries are under new management . -

Chapter 333 - The Underworld Council

Things went quite smoothly after the bodyguards were subdued . The leaders of the Union were swiftly captured and imprisoned as the forces of Port Atwood were called over . Ogras wanted to summarily execute everyone to make an example , but Zac decided on a proper investigation and trial .

The Union was a huge enterprise , and it soon became obvious that not everyone was aware of the slave trade , even at the top . In fact , in the meeting that Zac interrupted , it wasn’t obvious that it was a slave camp they lost , but it was rather called a mining camp . Everyone had known about the trade with the invaders , but many thought they were using raw materials rather than people as a currency .

When Zac explained the situation with the slaves , everyone professed their ignorance of the matter , staunchly arguing that they only dealt with traditional business ventures . But as the days passed Calrin and his gnomes easily unraveled who was guilty and benefitted through the revenue streams , and with the interrogations that a shrouded Ogras led they soon had a full picture of what was going on .

As for the normal employees of the Union , things went even smoother than Zac could ever have expected . Verana had been proven right . The moment they started to release the news that they only wanted to deal with the brass because of the slave trade , the normal workers quickly calmed down .

There were a few that fled and disappeared among the large population , either for fear of the unknown , or perhaps because they had done something they were afraid would be unearthed . But most happily went about their days , especially after Zac increased the general salaries by 25% .

But taking charge of the sprawling entity that was the Union wouldn’t take just a day or two . There were so many businesses with complicated relationships , and dozens of strategic resources to inspect . Luckily they had the whole network in their hands already .

The Union had used the same type of system as the New World Government , with one Lord creating a hub for all the mayors in the network . It wasn't clear who the true Lord was , but many believed it to be Little Treasure who had fled before Zac made his entrance . And since he even didn't stay behind to defend his domain when their headquarters was assaulted the whole system was immediately awarded to Zac as the assaulting Lord .

Zac himself was mostly uninterested in the practical proceedings and rather focused on the massive archives of intelligence that the Union had gathered the past months . Their secret intelligence dossiers on the demonkin and human Incursions were probably even more thorough than the Council’s due to their frequent encounters .

He knew he had to deal with the Demon Incursion as quickly as possible , but he was a bit unsure of what to do . The reason he came here in his undead form was to level up his Undead Class , but after his recent battles he felt there were some clear limitations to his Undying Bulwark Class as it currently stood .

Most of his skills were aimed at keeping himself alive , with Deathwish] being his only offensive skill along with his learned skill Unholy Strike] . He still kept training his utilization of the Dao every day with the trinket , but it would be some time until he could activate Cyclic Strike] .

The lack of offensive and movement skills made his impact on a battlefield limited . It was not like a video game , he didn’t have any taunt skills that forced all enemies to attack him . The moment the invaders realized he was a tough nut to crack they could simply assault his allies , completely circumventing both Deathwish] and Immutable Bulwark] . His whole plan was for naught if his gained levels came at the cost of the lives of his friends .

But as he read through the stacks of intelligence of the Underworld he found a possible solution to his problem in one of the scouting reports . But before he had time to send for the person who submitted this report a Valkyrie knocked on the door to the office he had commandeered for himself .

I am sorry to disturb you , - the Valkyrie said after entering . - Some ambassadors from the Underworld Council is here , what do you want to do? -

So they came after all . Took them longer than we expected . Have Joanna and Sap Trang join me in Conference Room C , - Zac said as he donned his mask .

He had kept his modified appearance throughout the visit , but he only wore the mask when in public . As he walked through the richly decorated halls he sighed in wonder . Most of the original interiors remained , but most electrical functions had been swapped out with day crystals . It was an interesting mix of the old old world and the post-integration era , and it actually meshed quite well .

The old fisherman and Joanna joined him soon after he sat down at the ornate table , and just minutes later three warriors entered the room . It was two humans and one of the molemen , each of them radiating even stronger auras than the bodyguards of the union . And it was clear that this power came from battle rather than absorbing crystals and eating pills .

The female moleman especially gave off the aura of a powerhouse , and Zac realized that she might be at the same level as someone like Thea . It was to the point that he was a bit tempted to use Inquisitive Eye] , but he knew that it would likely fail or even backfire . The other two were likely rankers as well , or at worst just shy of making the cut .

One of the humans was a middle-aged man that was built like a bear with a large sword on his back . With his large bushy beard he gave off the aura of a brute , but an intelligent light in his eyes indicated he wasn’t all brawn . The other human was an old lady with graying hair . She didn’t have any distinguishing items on her , but two snowballs slowly rotated around her , meaning she was likely some sort of ice mage .

The moleman had two large daggers fastened to her waist , and from the aura they emitted Zac realized they were actually one Spirit Tool . Spirit Tools that were split into dual items were far harder to create from what Zac understood , making them as rare as defensive Spirit Tools , or perhaps even rarer .

That this rogue had gotten her hands on such a good item proved once more she had survived some trials and found her lucky encounters , just like him . The only way she could have gotten such a good item was if she completed some harsh quest from the system .

It was clear that the Underworld Council hadn’t sent some middlemen to meet with him , but rather some of their core warriors .

Welcome , - Sap Trang said with a kindly smile . - I am Sap Trang , ambassador of Port Atwood . This is Joanna , leader of the Valkyries , and lastly Mr . Black . We apologize for not getting in contact with the Underworld Council sooner , our time down here has been a bit hectic . -

I’d say , - the large man said with a wry smile . - I am- -

Wait , - the moleman interjected , looking at Zac with animosity . - You are no human . You are not one of the four founding races . You reek of death , and not like a warrior . -

Zac was a bit surprised that his origin was immediately exposed by the moleman . Not even the people of Port Atwood knew he wasn’t human . They just thought he had gotten some odd class like Death Knight , which gave him such a spooky aura .

After hesitating for a second he removed his mask , exposing his deathly pale skin and pitch-black eyes . The burly man couldn’t stop himself from twitching when he saw the eyes that seemingly led into an endless abyss , and the old woman frowned in consternation .

Your senses are sharp , - Zac said , not surprised about the reactions . - I am undead . -

So The Super Brother-Man gobbles up the Union because they work with the invaders , while himself working with invaders , - the moleman said , some anger burning in her eyes .

Lara- , - the man said , but was stopped by a glare .

Zac smiled slightly at the accusation , not angry at the questioning . If anything it proved that at least the Council hadn’t gotten their priorities mixed up , and truly tried to stop the invaders .

Lord Atwood recognizes that the world is not black or white , - Sap Trang explained . - The Incursions are a problem that needs to be dealt with , but it doesn’t mean he can’t recruit talents from the various factions that have invaded our planet . It helps us to gain all sorts of information , allowing us to adapt to this new reality much faster . Just like the Council have benefited from the Union's trade with the invaders . -

But what we’re doing is different from the Union . The aliens working for Lord Atwood have already had their Incursions closed , making them dependent on Port Atwood . Lord Atwood would also never sell or sacrifice our own people , - Joanna added . - You should understand , the moment an invader uses a teleportation array , it means they have truly given up on invading Earth , meaning everyone here works for Lord Atwood . -

The moleman didn’t seem completely satisfied with the explanation , but she didn’t press the issue further as she sat down with a harrumph .

I am sorry about the questioning , - the man said with a smile . - We have been isolated down here , constantly fighting the invaders for months . I am Gregor , and these two are Oksana and Lararia . We are three of the 11 seats of the Underworld council . -

What brings the Underworld Council here today? - Joanna asked .

First we simply wanted to make your acquaintance , but we also wish to inquire about your future plans , - Gregor said .

We cannot divulge any specifics , but suffice to say our goal is to close the incursions of the underworld , which would allow us to focus on the real enemies of Earth , - Joanna said .

Real enemies? - Gregor said with confusion . - Who would that be? -

You should have heard of two of them . Inevitability and Harbinger , the two top positions on the ladder for the hunt , - Joanna said . - But what you might not know is that those two are under command of someone far more dangerous . -

From there Joanna proceeded to explain the situation about The Great Redeemer and the impending threat he posed . The trio mostly listened silently , sometimes interjecting with incisive questions .

We learned about the existence of these people from the Zhix down here even before the hunt , - Gregor said with a frown . - And we have heard about the Dominators from their old world as well . But who would have thought that was just the beginning of the conspiracy? -

Not even Lord Atwood is ready to fight against the Dominators just yet . They are monstrously strong and possess hidden means provided by their master . But he’s desperately cultivating to gain the power to stop them , and we hope the Council will join us in that battle when the time comes , - Joanna said .

This topic is far beyond our expectations , and we cannot speak for the whole Council on this matter . But I joined the battle to protect Earth and secure a position in the multiverse . I won’t shy away from any battle to protect our home , no matter if it’s invaders or Dominators , - Gregor said , and the old lady nodded in agreement .

Zac internally breathed out in relief , as one of the most important goals of the Underworld was somewhat accomplished . The discussions went on for a while , and it became clear that one of the biggest worries of the Underworld Council had been that Zac wanted to gobble up the whole Underworld . That he was only using the fight with the Invaders as an excuse to get his foot in the door .

But the fact that they could easily prove that they had closed multiple incursions through Joanna’s quest quickly warmed the council members , and discussions rather moved to the topic of cooperation . Zac eventually decided to send over a group of ambassadors to get a better understanding of the battle with the Fire Golems . The squad would also act as Emily's protectors while she looked for her sister since he didn't have time to go himself .

A large problem with the golems was that they were the only force seemingly unencumbered by the extremely hard rock in the Underworld , allowing them to freely create new paths , and flood the ones the Council used with Lava . The council could only perform quick raids against the golems nowadays , afraid that their path of retreat would be cut off .

So the fact that a group of extremely powerful people had entered the Underworld brought hope for the Council that they could finally launch a decisive strike against the core of the Golem Incursion , Stopping the threat for good .

Can we ask when Lord Atwood plans on moving against the Fire Golems? They are the largest threat to the survival of the Underworld , - Gregor finally asked .

Neither Joanna or Sap Trang dared to speak up regarding this subject , as Zac still hadn't made his decision on how to proceed . There was the issue of the demon Incursion , and also that report that had caught his eye . After mulling it over for a few seconds Zac looked up at Gregor .

There are some things we need to deal with before we turn our eyes toward the Fire Golem Incursion . But we hope to launch an all-out strike within three weeks at the latest . -

Chapter 334 - Hidden Wealth

You wanted to see me , sir? - the young woman said with a shaky voice , clearly afraid to enter the large room where Zac had been training with his shield the past day . - I'm Emma . -

Zac looked over with some confusion , not recognizing the girl by the entrance . But he quickly realized who it was , and stowed away his shield .

Are you the scout I asked for? - Zac asked , trying to not sound threatening .

Y-Yes . I was in charge of a scout team looking for valuable veins within the Unio- ahem , Lord Atwood’s domain , - Emma hastily explained , keeping her eyes at the ground .

Great . Come with me for a bit , - Zac said , leaving the training room and the group of Valkyries who had been his sparring partners .

The councilors from the Underworld Council left yesterday along with a group of ambassadors led by Tylia and Joanna , taking the impatient Emily with them . Zac himself had decided to follow up on the idea he had while waiting for things to get sorted out , and called for the person who had written it up , which was the girl currently following him .

Unfortunately she had been out on a mission and it looked like she only returned just now . So since Zac had some time to spare he decided to work on some of his undead skills . All of them were still at the Early Stage , and he hoped that one way to improve his battlefield impact if he upgraded them .

Bulwark Mastery] was the easiest , as it only required him to learn and incorporate the movements with the shield . It took him less than an hour to upgrade the skill to Middle mastery , and another 10 hours to reach late mastery . But just like with Axe Mastery] he found that there were something missing to push it toward peak mastery , so he could only stop there .

Upgrading Bulwark Mastery] did not improve his attributes or allowed him to unleash some new power , but it did help a lot in utilizing his shield , and the fractal equivalent in Immutable Bulwark] . It even showed him how to properly fight with a weapon in one hand and shield in the other .

Until now he had been a bit clumsy and limited in that department , but he quickly learned how to use both his weaponry to their full potential . The shield was not only a large plank to block out damage , but it was a tool that would also create the opening for him to finish his enemies with his weapon . His other skills , unfortunately , weren’t as easy to level up , but he didn’t despair . Hopefully he would be able to push some of them forward in the following weeks .

Don’t worry , you’re not in trouble or anything like that . I have read some of your reports . You were the one who wrote this , correct? - Zac wanted to confirm after the two entered his office , handing Emma the report he found the other day .

He could understand Emma's nervousness . She had worked in the department under one of the leaders who were found guilty of human trafficking just this morning . Almost two-thirds of the leaders of the Union had been found complicit to the slave trade , and they were executed as punishment . It wasn't unthinkable that the minions would suffer for the sins of their boss as well .

Wha- Oh? Yes! - she stammered after glancing over the first page . - I was the one who wrote it . I am the only survivor from that excursion . -

Large vein deposit . Unknown resource . Quality - Highest . Danger level – Highest , - Zac said , listing the main points from his memory . - Infested by , and I quote you , an insane number of mutated bugs . But no location? -

Leonard , the department head , did not want us to write the location in the reports of very valuable things . He was afraid competing departments was spying on him . I only told him in person , - the scout said .

Tell me about this place , - Zac said .

The vein is three day’s travel from a remote outpost , hidden in a huge cave system at the bottom of a lake . We found it by accident when looking for valuable resources underwater . When we entered we realized there was some odd crystal that was emitting a really mysterious light , but we didn’t have time to excavate even one before we were overrun . -

By what? - Zac asked .

Insects , each about as large as a large dog . But they were so strong! We barely managed to harm them , but they slaughtered everyone in seconds . I only managed to use my identification skill once before I fled . The insect was level 68 . That was one month ago , - the scout said with horror in her eyes .

Have you seen anything like that before? - Zac probed .

No , there are really some strong insects down here in the Underworld , but they are usually solitary . We saw thousands of peak F-Rank beasts , and we didn’t even really enter the vein . I’m sure it’s teeming with E-Grade beasts further down , especially now that so much time has passed , - she said .

How did you survive? - Zac asked with some suspicion . - You’re only level 42 , and I am sure you were lower at that point . -

I have a good movement skill , - she said , - and the beasts stopped when I jumped into the water to get back to the surface . -

Zac slowly nodded . He wasn’t disappointed when he heard how dangerous the mysterious cavern was , but rather the opposite . A place crawling with extremely strong beasts was exactly what he needed .

His plan was simple . He wanted to throw himself into the thick of it , and with the help of Deathwish] and Fields of Despair] grind all the way to level 60 . Normally such a thing might have taken over a month , mainly because beasts strong enough to provide a nice boost of energy were few and far between .

But this cavern was for some reason overflowing with powerful beasts that would each be able to control their own region on Mystic Island , turning the cave into a cultivator’s paradise as long as one was strong enough to survive . Not even the rabid beasts in the hunt would be able to compare to the massive amounts of beasts in there .

Depending on how much stronger the beasts had become in the past weeks it would only take a week or two to get to level 60 . If the skill he got at that point would allow him to confidently fight the invaders in his undead form without risking the lives of his people , great . If not , then he would turn into his human form to fight , even if that would result in a loss of cosmic energy .

Besides , there was undoubtedly something interesting in that cave if it had turned it’s inhabitants so powerful .

Why do you think the insects are so strong at that place? - Zac asked .

I don’t know… But if I had to guess? I think it’s those rocks somehow evolving the insects , - she said with some hesitation .

Zac nodded and asked some follow-up questions about anything that might be useful in his expedition . When he felt confident in finding the place he excused the scout after having her sign a temporary contract of confidentiality .

Personally , Zac believed there was another possibility to the one Emma provided . There might be a great natural treasure at the bottom of the cave , which was the source of both the mysterious crystals and the powerful beasts . He already knew that the planet was given a handful of great treasures by the System , items that normally shouldn’t appear . His Tree of Ascension was such an example , and the Abbot’s lotus was another .

Each such item could bring a great boost to the one who managed to seize it , but so far Zac had only gotten one even though he was so far ahead of the others of earth . The odd place in the report might be his chance at a second one .

Since he had everything he needed he didn’t waste any time . He immediately set out after informing Mr . Trang about his decision . Zac knew this somewhat messed with the quest the Valkyries received , but he needed to focus on his own development at this point . He needed to improve as quickly as possible to be able to match the Dominators .

He immediately teleported over to the small town cave that the scout mentioned and immediately rushed out into the open Underworld . The scout had mentioned three days of travel , but Zac didn’t want to waste almost a week on travel for the round trip .

Instead , Zac changed into his human form for the first time in a while and rushed across the subterranean landscape with Loamwalker] , and he found himself at the lakefront in less than a day . The fact that he didn’t have to skirt around the domain of powerful beasts saved him one day , while his movement skill saved him another .

When he stood by the shore of the crystal clear lake he once again changed his race with the help of his transformation skill and quietly entered the depths when his change to his Draugr form was complete . Remembering the scout’s description he swam down twenty meters and ripped apart some moss at the wall to expose the entrance to the cavern .

He swam in the pitch-black water-filled tunnel for almost five minutes before finally finding air , and he couldn’t believe that the scouting party dared to enter a scary place like this . Even with his massive pool of Endurance he felt it was a bit unsettling , like a beast of the depths could crop up at any moment to swallow him whole . But he managed to exit the tunnel without any problem , finding himself in a massive cave system .

The cave itself was a large and open area illuminated in green , but not by the usual luminescent moss and fungi . It was rather some crystals embedded in the walls that seemed to have green fireflies fluttering around inside . Zac immediately understood those crystals were what Emma was referring to , but he couldn’t sense any special energy from them .

Zac wanted to excavate one of the crystals to take a closer look , but incessant clattering echoing in the cave stopped him in his tracks . It looked like he was getting the same reception as the scouts , as a tidal wave of insects frenziedly rushed toward him .

All of the insects looked the same , though they were of slightly varying sizes . They most closely resembled a giant Weta or cricket , with three pairs of legs where the hindmost set was extra long . But they also possessed enormous mandibles that looked strong enough to bite a human in two . Finally they had a pointy stinger at the back , though the scout didn’t know if these things possessed any venom or not as she had to immediately flee .

Their bodies were covered in layered shell , but they looked much thinner compared to the Ayr ants that he fought during the best waves . But in return they were much quicker , jumping toward him with greater speed than a charging Barghest .

Each one of them looked like a decent foe for any cultivator , with their combination of natural weapons and a pretty high speed . But what was truly intimidating was the wave of killing intent that pushed toward him upon their approach . Zac quickly used his eye skill before things got too hectic .

Lower Crust Battleroach – Insect – Level 73 - Strength]

The result of Inquisitive Eye] proved that the beasts had improved a couple of levels in the short month since the scout was here , making Zac even more confident there was something in the cave that pushed these things to evolve .

However , there was no time to do an in-depth analysis as the tidal wave of insects was upon him . He took out Verun’s Bite] as the miasmic haze from Fields of Despair] spread through the cave . The change in energy made a few of the insects stop in confusion , but they were quickly overrun by frenzied brethren .

A fractal shield materialized behind Zac as his axe turned into a blur . Green liquid splattered in all directions as Zac felt a steady stream of energy enter his body , both through Fields of Despair] and the quick kills from his swings .

The shells of the insects barely hindered the upgraded Verun’s Bite] , and even Deathwish] steadily killed one insect after another as they threw themselves at him from every direction . Specters kept popping up around him to retaliate any strike against him , his shield , or the fractal bulwark protecting his rear .

Mists of miasma rose from the air as the corpses started to transform into fuel for the fight , and Zac started to slowly push forward as to not get buried in insect corpses . His whole body was already covered in green goop , but he didn’t care as he saw every disgusting insect as a burst of energy to progress his levels .

Zac resolutely kept moving downward in the cave , and between the increasingly thick haze of miasma and the constantly appearing specters , it looked like an Undying Legion was trying to break into the underworld . And in the middle of the carnage a system prompt appeared , telling him he had received a quest .

Chapter 335 - Ascension Breaker

Zac froze in the middle of his rampage when he noticed the screen in front of him . The momentarily lapse in concentration allowed one of the animals to leap up at him , clenching its mandibles around his throat while trying to scratch open his chest .

The bite wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to cut off his head , but it did draw some black ichor with its bite . The pain woke Zac up and he destroyed the Battleroach with a swing of his axe . Battle lust roared in his mind , but he forced himself to stop in his tracks and curl down on the ground with Immutable Bulwark] covering his whole body .

It was his self-invented turtle stance that allowed him a breather in return for an increased expenditure of miasma . The roaches kept their assault going , desperately trying to claw or bite through the thick shield , which only got them whittled down by the specters of Deathwish] . Zac didn’t hunker down to catch a breather though , but rather to be able to read the quest without interruptions .

Ascension Breaker (Unique , Limited) : Stop the Battleroach King from Evolving into a Primordial Warroach . Reward : Primordial Breath Amanita] , Death Attuned Skill 03 : 06 : 23 : 54] .

Zac slowly read through the quest to not miss any details , but it seemed quite straightforward . Somewhere in the cave the insect boss was located , and it seemed that it would evolve in three days . It reminded Zac of the image of the monkey Herald silently cultivating under the Tree of Ascension . But Zac's eyes were mostly glued to the rewards , both of which were quite tempting .

He had no idea what a Primordial Breath Amanita] was , but it surely wasn’t anything useless . Anything referring to the Primordial Chaos probably had a great origin . This was because it was generally accepted that the two great Daos of Creation and Oblivion were born from the Primordial Chaos , meaning primordial items might have a connection to the highest of Daos .

Of course , sometimes things were named after the Primordial Chaos simply to sound overbearing or more valuable than things truly were .

The Death Attuned Skill was an even greater lure for him , and he knew what it was a reward tailored to his current needs . The whole reason he entered this den was to gain another skill , and with the help of the quest he might actually walk away with two skills rather than one .

He had already been meaning to explore the depths of this place for any potential reward , but this made him even more eager to head down . Besides , if things proved too dangerous he could always jump into the water and swim to safety . However , as if hearing Zac’s thoughts another line of text appeared next to the quest .

Note : Exits closed . Exits will remain sealed for 1 year upon failure of quest

That’s the System I remember , - Zac sighed with some helplessness .

It looked like he had no choice but to give it his all to stop the battleroach boss from evolving , and he had a decent idea of what that meant . By traveling with Verana and the beastmasters of the Tal-Eladar the past days he had learned quite a bit about beasts and their cultivation system . While titles and classes were the two largest factors for differences in power between two warriors , the deciding factors for the power of a beast were their bloodline and its purity .

Something that had confused Zac for a long time was the fact that pretty much all the beasts he had met , from the Barghest to the wolf waves , were equally strong as their brethren . This was because beasts didn’t have any titles , and they didn’t possess classes either .

Their bloodline was their class , and their levels came with a higher number of raw attributes to compensate for the lack of titles . A strong bloodline would give more attribute points , whereas a weak bloodline would give fewer . Greater bloodlines would also provide a greater number of bloodline skills , like the terrifying beam the Star Ox released at him during the hegemony trial .

But the type of bloodline was not the only important factor to consider . there was also the purity of the bloodline . As generations passed the bloodline of a race might get diluted , pushing the race further and further from their powerful ancestor . In fact , Vul , the Barghest Herald , was not a different race than the other Barghest even though it was far more dangerous . It was simply a talented Barghest whose bloodline had been purified by Clan Azh'Rezak .

Beasts could also purify their bloodline on their own , by slowly rotating their energy to expel impurities . This process could be drastically sped up if the beasts stayed close to natural treasures . The herbs or metals continuously emitted excess energy while they grew or evolved , which was why almost all treasures had beasts guardians close-by . They were using the treasures to essentially cultivate , and losing the treasure would mean losing their chance to evolve .

A skilled Beast Master spent most of their wealth and efforts on purifying the bloodlines of their contracted beasts . It would not only drastically increase their power and longevity , but the bloodline also dictated how far the beast could reach on the road of cultivation . Some of the more intelligent beasts even voluntarily entered contracts with Cultivators in order to get help with improving their bloodline .

But apart from purifying the bloodline there was another , but far rarer possibility ; bloodline evolution . It was possible to ascend to a higher tier of being , which usually brought a tremendous boost in power . It was akin to a housecat evolving into a saber-toothed tiger . This was something that might happen through mutation , but it mostly required a great treasure or some other rare opportunity .

Zac was suspecting that this was the type of evolution he needed to stop , rather than simply stopping an F-Grade to E-Grade evolution . Since the weakest beasts at the edge of the hive were almost at the peak of the F-Grade , there was no way that the Battleroach King hadn't already evolved to E-Grade . Since it was much too early into the integration to talk about evolving to D-Grade , then Bloodline Evolution was the most likely scenario .

Zac closed the menu with a sigh as he got back up on his feet , and with a wide swing created some space form the densely packed battleroaches . He had initially planned on pushing downward step by step , grinding for over a week if need be , but now he felt the clock ticking .

Zac also couldn't stop some worry from creeping in , making him second-guess his decision to come to this place . His experience with most quests so far was that he had been pushed to his limit , barely surviving the trials . That was simply how the System worked . If it was too easy the System wouldn't provide any good rewards . If it was impossible it wouldn't give out the quest since its purpose was to train , not to kill .

Before he kept descending any further into the cave system he first fought his way back to the water . It was the waterline that had allowed Emma to return alive , but when Zac arrived he noticed with some helplessness that a shimmering shield covered the water . It was the System blocking any escape , and he knew better than to try to brute force it .

Instead , he turned back and started making his way down the cavern . The onslaught of battleroaches was relentless , and Zac had killed over a thousand by the time his area was wiped clean . There were still swarms of the roaches remaining further down judging from the incessant clattering echoing from the depths , but it didn’t look like they were interested in coming up to his floor .

Cleansing the first floor had taken a bit over an hour , and the short burst of intense carnage had almost given him two full levels . The speed would shock anyone else , but Zac was actually a bit disappointed . While killing the battleroaches provided a steady stream of energy , each kill provided just a fraction of what he would receive from killing a cultivator at the same level .

But the situation was still pretty great since the roaches were completely berserk . They didn’t try to avoid the insectoid specters at all , making it possible for Deathwish] to continuously kill targets even with its limited power . The battle had proven pretty easy , with the only issue being the somewhat high energy consumption . Less than half his miasma remained , as the returns from Fields of Despair] couldn't match the expenditure from constantly utilizing multiple skills .

He initially wanted to head straight down to his next floor as to not waste any time , but since he needed to rest up he first walked over to the wall with the shimmering crystals . Inspecting the wall proved he was correct that there definitely was some relation between the crystals and the insects .

At a closer look , he saw that there were quite a few holes where crystals had been extracted , and scratch marks around a few other places indicated that some insect had tried , and failed , to rip out crystals . It only increased his curiosity about the green energy inside , because no matter how he looked at it he didn’t sense anything special .

He gingerly touched one of the crystals , and after nothing happened he ripped it out of the wall for further study . The lights kept buzzing inside the crystal even after getting extracted , but no matter what Zac did he couldn't figure out the purpose of these things . However , when Zac accidentally held the crystal close to Verun's Bite] the slumbering spirit inside stirred .

Zac felt some hope that he had finally found something else that Verun wanted to absorb . One troubling realization after he had evolved the axe to E-Grade was that it no longer used blood to evolve . It still consumed the blood of evolved beings to charge up it’s fractal , but it didn’t do anything to unlock the other four fractals on the haft . Zac had a feeling that he needed to find treasures that would unlock each of the five fractals before evolving it to D-Grade .

Truthfully he had been worried that the axe had become such a picky eater that it would only drink D-Grade blood to evolve , but perhaps Zac simply hadn’t found the right materials . If the axe liked these crystals he would evolve verun in no time , since there were thousands of them in just the room he was standing in . But unfortunately the axe grew disinterested after a few seconds , no longer giving the shimmering crystal any attention .

It was disappointing , but Zac knew he was still on the highest floor . Perhaps the crystals around him were something that Verun wanted , but they were F-Grade when the axe needed crystals of a higher grade .

Greed shimmered in Zac’s eyes as he looked at the crystal-studded walls . He truly wanted to pick each one since the crystals were something good enough that even the picky Verun woke up . But he was currently working against the clock , as getting locked inside this place for a year would spell disaster for not only himself but Earth as a whole .

The crystal was put into his Cosmos Sack since Verun wouldn’t eat it , and Zac headed over to the entrance to the next floor . It was a large hole straight in the ground , and looking down into it was like looking down into the abyss . There were no crystals in the hole , and the only clue there was something beneath was the incessant susurrus of innumerable insects moving about .

Zac sat down next to the hole as he took out two E-Grade Miasma crystals . Luckily he had stocked up on crystals through Calrin before entering the Underworld , and he would be able to fight non-stop for weeks with the help of his reserves of Miasma Crystals .

His stores of death-attuned energies were filled up in four hours , and Zac stood up to look down into the abyss . Nothing ventured nothing gained , so Zac simply jumped down into the hole , placing his shield beneath himself as he imbued his body with the Dao of Heaviness .

The air screamed around him as he shot downward like a bullet , reaching the next level in just a few seconds . The whole cave shock from the shockwave of Zac’s landing and even the impossibly hard foundation showed some cracks . A surge of energy also welcomed his arrival as at least fifty battleroaches died from the impact .

Zac got up to his feet and shook his head . His ears were ringing , and even he was a bit discombobulated by slamming into the extremely hard ground . But his axe was already moving through muscle memory , and the sounds of pitched battle erupted once more .

Chapter 336 - Refined Skills

As Zac once again started up his slaughter he shot a glance at his surroundings . The second floor looked mostly the same , though slightly larger . The same green crystals studded the walls , and the same frenzied critters were already charging him . He even noticed the same type of hole leading to the next floor on the other side of the cave . It almost felt like he was in an illusion world because of the similarity , but the fact that he kept gaining energy was undeniable .

The miasmic haze once again spread out as Zac methodically killed one battleroach after another . He had three days to complete the quest , and he believed the easiest method was to simply rush down and kill the Roach King . But he had no idea how strong it was so he wanted to gain as many levels as possible before confronting it .

He also had no idea how many floors this place had , but if he started to run out of time he would skip killing the beasts and jump down one floor after another until he reached the bottom . Worst case he would have to fight a bunch of extra battleroaches along with their boss if they jumped after him , but better that than getting locked in this cave for a year .

As he kept fighting Zac started to enter a rhythm , almost a dance based on the moves he had recently learned from Bulwark Mastery] . His feet moved across the cavern following a precise pattern as he weaved a trail of carnage with his axe . His shield was quickly becoming an extension of his body , allowing him to control where and when he was attacked by the rabid beasts .

Order was quickly being forced upon the chaotic swarm of battleroaches and Zac realized that he was steadily decreasing his Miasma consumption without lessening the pace that the insects died . As he started to incorporate the teachings of his skill in battle he also started to more actively work with Deathwish] .

It was possible to simply keep the skill running , but Zac realized his way of using it had been too wasteful . Not every strike against him warranted a retaliation , as the reflected attack would sometimes bring fewer benefits than the cost of Miasma warranted . So he started to control which strikes to counter , and which one to simply endure . It reduced the number of specters appearing around him by half , but the number of kills was almost the same .

Efficiency was something that Zac once excelled at , something forced upon him due to overindulging on cosmic water before he knew any better . But as his powers grew he had slowly forgotten this important lesson , instead opting to fight like a brute because of his massive pool of attributes .

But Zac realized that such a mindset stifled growth , and stopped him from pushing himself to the limits . It also wasted a lot of time . Perhaps not through the battle itself , but most of his time on the last floor had been spent recuperating his expended Miasma . He was not a Cultivator who could rapidly restore his reserves , so he needed to make use of every smidgeon of Miasma in his body .

He slowly got the hang of splitting his attention between striking the weak spots with his axe and manually controlling Deathwish] . But he felt his work still wasn’t done . He started to change the way he moved slightly , forcibly stopping the impulses to avoid getting hit in certain spots . Slowly the attacks from the battleroaches started to center on his belly or his head more and more .

Zac’s idea was simple . The spectral projections from Deathwish] assaulted the attacker in roughly the same area that Zac was attacked in . That meant if he made sure to get hit in the areas that were weak spots of the roaches the lethality of the projections would increase without any increase in Miasma consumption . It did require more precision though . He needed to make sure his thick skull was hit rather than his vulnerable throat or eyes for example .

More wounds dripping ichor soon adorned Zac’s body , but he was slowly getting hang of it . And his efforts were quickly rewarded as a prompt told him that Deathwish] just reached Middle mastery . The effect was immediately obvious , as the continuously appearing spectral projections turned slightly grade more corporeal , and hazy fractals adorned their bodies .

They had also become stronger , noticeably so . Zac had already measured that the power of the specters from Deathwish] was roughly around 10%-15% of the original strike’s power , meaning that it usually took a couple of tries until they managed to kill or grievously wound their enemies . Zac couldn’t be sure exactly how strong the specters were now , but after using the skill for a few minutes he felt that the power had increased by at least 50% .

But that wasn’t the most interesting change in the skill . After upgrading Deathwish] he realized that he suddenly had limited control of the specters as they appeared . Each time a ghost was summoned he felt as though he had grown a new appendage , and with some effort he managed to manipulate the specter .

The effect was extremely limited at the moment though . He only managed to slightly alternate the trajectory of their retaliatory strike . But that slight adjustment could be the difference by hitting a thick chitinous plate or a weak joint , and if Zac could learn to naturally control the specters as they popped up he would truly increase the lethality of the skill by a notch .

Flush with success Zac immediately started to investigate means to improve his other skills as he whittled down the number of battleroaches in the cave . But finding other quick upgrades didn’t come as easy . He didn’t have any control over Fields of Despair] , so he couldn’t figure out any means that might help him move to a higher mastery .

The same went for Indomitable] that he kept running just in case something down here could use mental attacks . That only left Immutable Bulwark] , the fractal wall he currently used to block out all attacks from behind . He knew that he wasn’t using it to its full potential since currently it only worked as a blockade , rather than utilizing the large spikes that covered its front .

During his rampage in the caverns beneath the Eastern Trigram Sect he had used the bulwark like a bulldozer , putting it in front of his body as he rushed forward . The more vulnerable of the beasts had been crushed into meat paste from his charge , turning the skill into a competent offensive Skill .

But after a few tries he had to give up on that approach against the battleroaches . While the shells of the insects weren’t as sturdy as some other species , they were still quite durable . That’s why Deathwish] rarely finished its enemies in one swing , and why he had to utilize Verun’s Bite] to properly cut the critters apart .

The large bulwark slowly swirled to Zac's front , and with a grunt he started running forward . The roaches screeched in rage as the large shield slammed into them , and nothing they did could stop his progress . Dull thuds started echoing through the caves as the roaches slammed themselves into the incoming wall .

Sadly the collisions of Immutable Bulwark] proved insufficient , and only a scant few of the insects actually died on the spikes . The rest bounced off the shield to the sides , immediately getting back up on their feet to assault Zac from the sides . But Zac suddenly got a burst of energy when he rammed straight into a wall , crushing all the roaches between the bulwark and the cave into a wet mess .

But even when he used the bulwark as a meat press the speed that he killed the beasts was worse when utilizing the combination of his axe and Deathwish] . Zac soon gave up on that tactic , even if it might be the key to upgrading the skill , and once again returned to methodically decimating the roach population with the combination of Deathwish] , and his axe . His bulwark was once again relegated to stay behind his back to block any strikes from the rear .

But Zac suddenly had an idea , and the wide fractal wall rose into the air as it started to turn until the spikes were pointing at the ground . Since there was no longer anything blocking the roaches that tried to attack Zac from behind they immediately flooded toward his back to claw at his neck and legs . The moment Zac felt a painful swipe on his back the bulwark fell down like a trap roof in an old movie .

He had gotten the idea after witnessing how easily the bugs were crushed against the wall . Since he had control over the fractal shield he could move it around in any direction as long as it wasn’t too far from his current position . That gave him the idea to use the large thing as a hammer , crushing everything dumb enough to walk beneath it .

Unfortunately , the bulwark shared an annoying similarity with the movies . The falling bulwark was too slow , to the point that most of the frenzied roaches managed to scuttle out of the way just before they were crushed .

Zac glanced at the large fractal wall with some reluctance , and it once again rose into the air . This time it started emitting a mighty pressure , to the point that the air around it shuddered . Zac had imbued it with his peak stage Seed of Heaviness . The Bulwark once again slammed into the ground , this time with almost three times the speed .

The whole cave shuddered from the impact and the unlucky roaches that were caught beneath were turned into a paste in an instant . Zac was elated with the result and started to move the shield up and down as he focused on the enemies in the front . Loud thumps started to echo through the cave every 5 seconds , making it sound like an industrial press was constantly running .

Using Immutable Bulwark] like a huge hammer was a bit stupid , and it certainly wouldn’t work against an intelligent opponent , but it did increase his killing speed while only consuming some mental energy . Another downside was that some quick roaches occasionally reached his unguarded back to attack his neck .

Luckily he had enough control of the situation in the front to give him the freedom to avoid most attacks from the rear any time his danger sense warned him . But wounds still started to accumulate at a higher speed , making the layers of green goop on his back get intermixed with black ichor .

Soon enough the fighting abated , and Zac stood amongst the sea of destroyed battleroaches . A quick inspection showed that the crystals that studded the walls were no better than the ones on the floor above , so Zac immediately sat down to absorb Miasma as he went over the results of the battle .

The second floor had housed roughly 20% more battleroaches compared to the first , yet he had taken less than ten minutes longer to completely decimate everything . This was a decidedly better grinding speed , especially considering that he had spent quite some time adjusting to his more refined fighting style and experimenting with Immutable Bulwark] .

He had also reached level 57 , meaning that he had already gained three levels in one short day . Even his optimistic calculations had him taking at least a week to reach level 60 , but as it looked now it might only take two days unless he ran out of battleroaches to kill .

But the most exciting difference in clearing out the second floor was that he had consumed even less miasma than the floor above . This was even though he both utilized Immutable Bulwark] more actively and killed a lot more roaches . It was a testament to the fact that he had wasted too much energy the way he originally fought .

The restoration took a bit over four hours , at which point his mental energy had completely restored itself as well . He had spent over 10 hours in the cave already , so Zac immediately headed down to the next floor .

The sounds of battle kept echoing as Zac turned into a stoic killing machine , knowing no retreat or surrender . He kept working on perfecting his battle coordination , constantly trying to kill the roaches faster and faster without wasting any unnecessary energy .

The roaches on the third floor were a bit larger than the second , with many proving to be level 75 , true peak F-Grade beasts . But apart from a decent boost in power and speed they didn’t have any new abilities , so Zac kept fighting as usual . Soon enough the third floor was cleansed , and he only kept going resting as short a time as possible between fights .

After completely decimating the sixth floor Zac realized had been constantly fighting for over 30 hours , and the results were astounding . He had already reached level 60 , and as expected he received his next Class Quest .

Chapter 337 - Profane Dominance

Zac’s leveling speed was shocking , taking just over one day to push from level 54 to 60 . But he also knew that his way of going about things would only be possible for someone extremely overpowered like himself . The roaches didn’t pose any real threat to him , but he was still covered in shallow wounds from their sharp mandibles and serrated legs .

The fact that the insects were able to hurt him even though his effective endurance was over 1000 proved that almost everyone else on Earth would be ripped to pieces in seconds from the rabid assault of the beasts . Even he was feeling the strain , so he quickly ate a healing pill before opening his status screen .

Name

Zachary Atwood

Level

60

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 , Scion of Dao , Omnidextrous , Eastern Trigram Hunt - 1st , Tyrannic Force , Achievement Hunter , The First Step

Limited Titles

Frontrunner

Dao

Seed of Heaviness - Peak , Seed of Trees - Peak , Seed of Sharpness - High , Seed of Hardness - Middle , Seed of Sanctuary - High , Seed of Rot - High

Core

F] Duplicity

Strength

718 Increase : 60% . Efficiency : 140%]

Dexterity

320 Increase : 45% . Efficiency : 140%]

Endurance

827 Increase : 60% . Efficiency : 140%]

Vitality

432 Increase : 50% . Efficiency : 140%]

Intelligence

174 Increase : 45% . Efficiency : 140%]

Wisdom

248 Increase : 45% . Efficiency : 140%]

Luck

140 Increase : 65% . Efficiency : 140%]

Free Points

6

Nexus Coins

F] 295 264 610

Zac hadn’t bothered to allocate his free points while pushing down the tunnels , but now he put them all into Strength before opening up the quest screen . The Ascension Breaker quest showed that he had just under two days remaining , but he was more interested in the new quest he had just received .

Profane Dominance (Class) : Kill 1000 peak F-Grade beings within 3 hours OR Defeat 1 being at least 30 levels above you . Reward : Profane Discharge] OR Profane Seal] . (0/1000 - 0/1)

Zac was surprised to see that it was a forked quest , just like the time he received Nature’s Punishment] . At that time he had the choice of whether choosing a nurturing path or a path of destruction going by the quest requirements , and this time there was a clear indication of what he would receive as well .

It was quite clear that no matter which option he chose , it would still be an offensive skill that he would get . Profane Discharge] was likely an area skill that would help him kill large packs of weaker enemies , whereas Profane Seal] was meant as a skill to take down powerhouses .

Indecision plagued Zac as he sat down to restore his depleted reserves of Miasma , and he went over the options over and over . It would be effortless for him to complete the first option , as he had killed battleroaches at a far higher rate until now . But it would have been an extremely daunting task if he didn’t have his massive pool of attributes given by his titles and second class .

In fact , if he kept going as he did he wouldn’t be able to avoid getting Profane Discharge] even if he wanted to since there were more floors beneath with more battleroaches . The only way was if he drastically slowed down his killing speed , but that might cause trouble with his other quest .

The other skill , Profane Seal] , more troublesome to complete for the current Zac , but not because of the difficulty . He had confidence in defeating most level 90 beings in his current form . It might take some time to whittle it down with Deathwish] , but he was sure he would be able to outlast almost anyone in his current state .

The issue was whether he could even find a level 90 being apart from the Dominators . All the E-Grade beasts he had encountered so far were between level 75 and 80 , a far cry from level 90 . His only hope was either the Warroach King or the Leaders of the incursions .

Furthermore , if he wanted to aim for this skill he couldn’t gain too many levels either . Each level he gained would push the required level of the kill forward as well . Finding a level 90 enemy was hard enough , but if he grinded another ten levels he might not find a target for months .

Both skills were things that he wanted for his current class , and they would help him tremendously during the underworld incursions . This would be the first truly offensive skill for his Epic Class , and he couldn’t imagine the skills were anything but amazing . The hours passed as Zac restored his miasma , and he slowly decided on how to proceed . When he was finally topped off , he jumped down to the next floor and was immediately greeted by another wave of battleroaches .

This time there were actually several battleroaches that were over twice as large as their brethren , and their outer shell had a mysterious pattern the same color as the lights in the crystals adorning the walls . Zac immediately realized these were battleroaches that had reached the E-Grade and received a large boost in strength .

Zac would normally have been elated to see the even juicier targets , but he couldn’t help but frown in irritation when he saw the battleroach captains . He only shook his head with a sigh as the large wall of Immutable Bulwark] appeared .

Enraged screeches echoed through the cave as Zac steamrolled everything in his path toward the hole leading to the next floor . Insects were thrown in all directions , and even the larger evolved roaches could only stop Zac for a second before he inevitably kept pushing forward .

There was a simple reason he didn’t unleash another wave of destruction on everything around him . He had chosen to go with the second skill , Profane Seal] . Since he didn’t know whether the Battleroach King had a swarm of underlings surrounding him he didn’t dare to kill any beasts to inadvertently get the other skill .

He had briefly considered killing the E-Grade roaches at least , reaping the huge amounts of energy from killing evolved beings , but in the end he decided against it . He immediately realized that one or two swings wouldn’t kill those sturdy-looking insects , and he didn’t want to waste too much energy on a bunch of underlings .

He was confident to complete the Class quest without any hiccups , but the quest called Ascension Breaker was another matter . Zac had a feeling that the system wouldn’t award him the quest with such nice rewards if the Battleroach King wasn’t a formidable foe . He would probably need everything in his repertoire to take that thing down .

Since there were no other exits in the cave system he would head down to the bottom floor to fight the boss . Afterward , he would slowly work his way up through the battleroaches he had passed . That would allow him to get the skill he wanted while wasting almost no time .

There was a simple reason he chose to go for Profane Seal] . Getting the area skill might be more convenient for the current him if he wanted to farm out his levels , but Zac looked at it from a longer perspective . The choices he made would perhaps affect what Class choices he would get when upgrading his class , which made him think of Yrial's tips .

He would no doubt try to get a more offensive class when evolving , one that fit better with his personality and set of Dao insights . But that didn't mean he needed to get an identical class as his human side . His hatchetman had already proven to provide great area skills , especially with the addition of Deforestation] . There was no need to head in that direction for his undead class as well .

Perhaps it would be possible to get one class that excelled at large scale battles , and another that would allow him to fight powerhouses and survive . That was at least the goal of Zac . Hopefully it would also allow him to quickly kill , or at least occupy , any Incursion leaders before they could set their sights at his allies .

Zac was unstoppable with the help of Immutable Bulwark] , and with a final push he soared out over the large pit . A dozen screeching battleroaches were also pushed down , and they all fell toward the next floor . Zac landed with a thud , and crunches could be heard around him from legs and shells cracking when the battleroaches landed all around him .

A glance up at the hole proved that apart from a few overeager battleroaches the others stayed on their floor , impotently screeching down at him . Zac sighed in relief as he kept pushing forward to the next pit and he kept moving further and further down , only killing when absolutely necessary . Each floor had stronger and stronger enemies , with the evolved battleroaches taking up a continuously larger share of the population .

This many E-ranked beasts would spell disaster almost anywhere on earth , but they only served as bowling pins at this moment . But even Zac was shocked by the sheer number of evolved targets , and he knew that he would be able to gain at least five more levels in this place after dealing with the battleroach king .

There was finally a change when Zac reached the 11th floor , as there was no new pit to jump into . Instead there was a tunnel leading into the dark , out of which a green mist slowly emerged . The tunnel entrance was completely crammed with E-Grade battleroaches , though none of them dared to enter the tunnel itself .

It looked like they were inhaling the green haze , meaning it was probably something beneficial to their cultivation . Zac looked around the room and saw there were more than a thousand battleroaches in total , with at least 200 of them being evolved . He hesitated for a bit before taking out his axe .

He slowly started to take down the roaches on the last floor one by one , forgoing to use Deathwish] completely . He instead only used his axe to finish off the beasts and his shield to block out attacks , trying to perfect his coordination . But even then he was forced to slow down his speed by quite a bit to not inadvertently complete the wrong quest .

Frustration started to well up in his heart , and he felt the urge to go on a rampage , cutting down everything in his path , feasting on the blood of his enemies . But a shake of his head soon had him back in reality . It was the splinter acting up again , pushing him to unleash hell in the cave .

Zac forcibly ignored the violent impulses , but as the minutes passed he started to feel worse and worse . It was as though his whole body was itching , and he felt like he was starting to go crazy . His mind screamed for blood , and every second he felt like he was about to lose control . Zac’s muscles shivered as he desperately held himself back from activating all his other offensive skills .

It was a shocking realization , how big of an impact the splinter had on him . When he went all-out it was just a small whisper in the back of his head cheering him on , but now he felt just how large the impact was . It made him wonder just how much the thing was affecting his actions and personality without him noticing .

Finally , the head of the last battleroach in the cave was crushed with a slam of his shield . Zac had repressed his urges for over four hours , and he slumped down on the ground more exhausted than from all his other battles combined . Every cell in his body was screaming at him to rush into the pitch-black tunnel to unleash a storm of violence at whatever was hiding inside , but he instead took out a Miasma Crystal with shaking hands and started to absorb it .

He had kept Indomitable] going through the whole ordeal , but the mental defense skill seemed to be completely ineffectual against the insidious urgings of the Splinter of Oblivion . The effect slowly ebbed over the next hour though , finally allowing Zac some peace of mind .

Zac got up on his feet after another hour , finally completely back to normal . At least he hoped he was . His Miasma was topped off , and he hadn’t expended any mental energy cleaning out the last floor , so he was ready to press on .

He quickly opened up his status screen since he had gained another two full levels from the cave . He put his free points into Strength again before walking toward the tunnel . The green mist was still floating out from the tunnel , and now that there wasn’t a swarm of battleroaches to gobble it up it started to spread through the cave .

Zac hesitantly entered the mist and stopped , but he didn’t feel anything bad was happening , and his danger sense didn’t warn him either . He even felt a bit energized from staying in the mist even though he didn’t breathe at the moment .

Since the mist didn’t seem to be poisonous or have any adverse effects he immediately entered the tunnel . But Zac only walked two steps before he stopped in shock , as he was blinded by a blazing emerald light . No matter where he looked he saw huge crystals that were radiating a dazzling luster .

Zac frowned and looked back toward the cave where he came from , but it still looked completely normal . The only answer Zac could arrive at was that something was blocking the sight from outside .

But who would have erected an array at such a place?

Chapter 338 - Breaking Out

What’s the status? - Alea asked with a tired sigh , looking over at Ilvere .

The rugged warrior didn’t have his usual boisterous attitude after entering the town hall that had been turned into a temporary command center for the war efforts of Port Atwood . He rather looked a bit helpless as he scratched his hair , with multiple new scars adorning his arms .

They keep pressing forward , - Ilvere said . - They’ll be here in a day or so if they keep their usual pace . No matter what we do they won’t be deterred . -

Alea shook her head and looked down at the map with confusion . The last week had been a true exercise in futility .

Initially , everything had gone as planned . The combined forces of Port Atwood and Sino-Indian Alliance met the sea of zombies at the predetermined location and slowly started to whittle down their numbers from the flanks .

The horde didn’t seem to care about the losses and kept stumbling forward in the direction of the Zone rife with human and Ishiate settlements . For every ten meters they progressed they left dozens of destroyed corpses behind as the living continuously peppered them from the sidelines .

Of course , the horde wasn’t completely helpless . Now and then large groups of elite Zombies would break out of the swarm of low tiered undead , charging straight into the ranks of the two armies . These Zombies were not intelligent like humans , but they weren’t like the braindead zombies that only mindlessly stumbled forward .

They were like a pack of wolves , and their bodies were extremely durable . They shot into the ranks of Port Atwood and the other humans , causing some murder and mayhem before rushing back into the safety of the horde . Port Atwood was generally able to rebuff these raids with the help of the powerful demons and superior equipment . But losses were unavoidable , with hundreds of soldiers already having fallen .

Of course , that was nothing compared to the losses of the Sino-Indian Alliance . They possessed large squads that mainly relied on their old world weaponry , so when the elite zombies pounced them they were like foxes let loose in the hen house . The alliance suffered disastrous losses until they rearranged their ranks to protect the normal soldiers with cultivators .

But even Port Atwood was starting to feel the pressure . Gear was getting destroyed and defensive treasures expended at a rapid rate . For now , only recruits had fallen , but their core warriors would start dying soon as well unless they turned the situation around .

But the most baffling thing had happened two days ago . The large horde suddenly changed course and was currently heading in a direction that would lead them dangerously close to their base camp . When such a thing had happened until now there would always be a swarm of zombies that splintered off from the main horde to cull the population of the nearby town . It was a way to bolster their numbers while they marched , or perhaps just have an outlet for their blood lust .

She didn’t believe the reason was to bring the fight to them . They would teleport out long before the slow-moving horde managed to reach them . Besides , even if they managed to take down this place there were mostly non-combat personnel and logistics based here . Most warriors were already trailing the horde .

That wasn’t the only odd thing . While the horde that the Marshall clan fought kept their original direction apart from a few odd detours , the third horde had veered off-course as well . It was now heading into a mountainous region that was almost completely devoid of people .

That whole sector had long since become a haven for strong beasts , and there weren’t just one or two evolved beast kings prowling those mountains . Heading there with a bunch of dumb Zombies would simply turn a large number of them to food for the animals .

Their scouts had also spotted dozens of smaller hordes of one to five million zombies leaving the Dead Zone , and their initial fear had been that they moved to bolster the larger swarms just as they started to reduce their numbers . But the smaller hordes moved in irrational patterns as well , and less than a fifth of the smaller hordes had joined up with the three large ones .

Start packing up . I don’t know why they want this place , but let them have it . We’ll relocate to basecamp two , - Alea said .

Ilvere nodded in confirmation , leaving the command center to make preparations . Alea stayed behind and looked at the map as though she was in trance . She needed to figure something out to turn things around . If they just kept nipping at the sides of the swarms they would slowly expend their people and resources , creating a pyrrhic victory .

So far no matter how hard they had pushed the horde just wouldn’t splinter , and they unhesitantly sacrificed any small groups that were separated from the flock . If things continued in this manner they would never be able to starve them out , since the innumerable zombies kept spewing out a storm of miasma that tainted everything and obscured their vision .

That cloud of miasma , in turn , stopped them from daring to push too deep into the hordes for a decisive blow . They still had no idea what lurked in the middle of the sea of Zombies . If they cut too far into the horde they might find themselves without a path of retreat .

Her lithe fingers slowly ran across the map as the minutes passed , following the paths the hordes had taken during the past weeks . When her finger reached the small wooden soldiers representing the separate horde’s current positions she started again with a different group , over and over . But suddenly she froze , and she quickly got a thick marker to draw out the paths they had walked .

They’re drawing an array! - she blurted out with some terror in her eyes .

It was still in the early stages , but judging by the paths of the hordes the Undead Empire was drawing a massive fractal with their pathing . The three larger hordes were the main veins of the fractal , with the smaller parties creating assisting pathways .

Her thoughts immediately went to the fact that the huge horde stopped for an hour or two every now and then . They had assumed the leaders of the hordes let the weaker Zombies rest , but what if they only stopped to plant array flags into the ground under the cover of the miasmic cloud . With millions of zombies stomping the ground afterward there would be no way to tell that they had dug up the ground and left something .

She blankly looked down at the map for a second , her mind reeling at the concept of just what kind of effect such a monstrous fractal would have . If it was completed it would span a greater area than most kingdoms , its lines running thousands of miles .

She needed to report this to Lord Atwood and Ogras immediately . This was too terrifying a prospect , something of this magnitude could never be allowed to be unleashed on a planet . She was no expert on arrays , but judging by their pathing she guessed that they would have drawn out the whole fractal in just a month . There was no way they would be able to grind down the main horde within that time .

The worst thing was that she had a pretty decent idea of what the goal of the undead was . The Undead Empire always aimed to take full control of any planet they encountered during an incursion , turning the world into a land of death . But how would that be possible when they faced the constant oppression of the planet itself , which was constantly generating new Cosmic Energy?

Perhaps the goal of the massive array was to kill the very planet itself .

Alea hurried out of the town hall and immediately headed for the teleportation building . But she stopped in her tracks when she saw the large group of people standing in line outside with confused faces .

What’s going on? - Alea asked the nearest demon with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach .

Something is wrong the array , - the demon warrior said with a slight frown on his face . - We got the instruction to start moving the base , but the array suddenly shut down again just a few minutes after it was activated . -

Alea immediately nodded in thanks before she hurried into the building to find out what was going on . She didn’t have Lord Atwood’s supernatural sense for danger , but she grew up fending for herself , which awarded one an instinct for survival . And her instincts were currently screaming at her that something was terribly wrong .

What’s happening? - she asked when she found Ilvere , standing together with a few non-combat personnel .

I was just about to call you , - Ilvere said with a somber face before he walked closer and continued with a soft voice that only she could hear . - Our array is being blocked . -

How is that possible? - Alea said with shock . - Those siege tools shouldn’t be available on a baby planet . We haven’t prepared any countermeasures . -

I have no idea . What do you want to do? - Ilvere asked .

Ilvere was a strong military leader , always fighting in the vanguard to bolster the troop morale . But he wasn’t the best-equipped demon to handle this sort of unclear situation . Alea bit her lip for a second , before looking up with determination .

Get everyone ready and immediately recall the army . Have them return within 6 hours even if they have to run until their feet bleed . Also , send out scouts to investigate in all directions , - she said . - We need to get away from here , something is wrong . If the teleporters are down we can only leave on foot . -

Ilvere nodded and walked out , immediately starting to bark new orders to the gathering crowd . Alea also left the teleportation room after asking the stationed guards to keep trying . They had no experts in arrays so there was no one that she could ask to figure out a work-around or a way to dispel the blockage . They were currently at the mercy of whoever was running interference .

Various thoughts swirled in her mind as she walked back to her own residence . She quickly put away all her possessions before walking down into the massive room in the basement . It had once been a luxurious spa with two pools , but Alea had turned it into something else completely .

The larger pool was half-filled with a deep green liquid that emanated small puffs of smoke at regular intervals . Alea sighed when she looked at her creation . She was lacking time , and the purification wasn’t completely done . But her specially modified Corpserot Poison] should at least be concentrated enough to make most of the elite zombies fall apart in seconds .

Her mood improved noticeably when she walked over to the smaller pool , whose jets kept the liquid inside in constant motion . The electrical pool was truly a marvel , and she had already decided to get her hands on one of these things for her house after the war was over . Imagine watching the stars in one of these things , perhaps even with a companion .

Alea quickly snapped out of her daydreams and put her hand into the warm golden liquid . It was as though her hand was a vacuum or tear in space , as the potent poison rushed into her body without leaving a drop behind . After the first pool was cleared out she did the same with the second pond .

The hours passed as a subdued atmosphere spread across the small town and its 3000 temporary residents . The human barkeep had tried to enliven people’s spirit by offering his energized concoctions , but it barely helped . They all knew that something was truly wrong .

The teleportation array was still out of order after four hours , proving that it was not just some odd coincidence . But worse yet , their scouts had recently found out that their retreating army was harried by a swarm of almost a million elite zombies . The undead had kept pace with them since the soldiers of Port Atwood left the main horde of the zombies .

Have everyone returned? - Alea asked as she stood in the command center once more for a final meeting .

Three scouts haven’t returned . They were all supposed to scout northwest so I fear they have met some trouble in the passage , - the scout leader said with a sigh . - There’s nothing else in the other directions , apart from the beasts . -

Alea looked down at the map with a frown . Northwest was the direction that she had wanted to move in . Northwest had a reasonably safe path between two mountain ranges that led to a large settlement after a week’s travel .

If they moved north or east they would have to travel twice that distance in extremely hostile terrain before reaching any town with a teleporter . And even if managed to get through to the towns they would face catastrophic losses during their flight . Alea and the other leaders weren't like Lord Atwood . They couldn't keep the whole army safe from the continuous onslaught of rabid beasts .

South and southeast were right in the direction of the Zombie horde , and that was to head straight into the maw of the beast . Especially now that the undead seemed to actively fight back for the first time since the conflict started .

We’ll head northwest , - Alea said as killing intent started to leak from her body . - Someone wants to trap us here , but the people of Port Atwood are not so easy to contain . Prepare for all-out war , we're breaking out by force . -

Chapter 339 - Battleroach King

Zac stared at the mouth of the entrance with confusion , not understanding who could have placed an array there . He couldn’t imagine anyone managing to sneak all the way down to the bottom of this roach-infested cave system in one piece and not leave a single trace behind .

The effect of the array wasn’t limited to simply blocking out the light from the crystals , but it was also hindering most of the green gas from escaping . Judging by the density of the green mist in the tunnel Zac guessed that only 10% of the gasses escaped through the array , if even that .

He carefully looked around the entrance for any array flags , hoping that the design would give a hint of the origins of whoever had placed it there . However , no matter where he looked he couldn’t find a hint of the source of the array , making him wonder if this thing might actually be one of the natural formations he had read about .

But a clattering from further inside the tunnel quickly caught Zac’s attention , and he slowly moved forward with his axe and shield at the ready . The radiant tunnel turned out to be less than 50 meters long , and he immediately reached another large cave after turning around a bend .

The whole cavern was filled with a green mist , reaching all the way to the ceiling tens of meters in the air . But even with the thick haze he had no trouble seeing what was going on inside . The cave was blasted by the emerald light of the large crystals , and the light pierced through the mist without any trouble .

His eyes only lingered on the surroundings for a fraction of a second as there was something that immediately commanded his attention . A huge hulking battleroach lay unmoving close to the center of the cave , seemingly asleep . The layered carapace along its back slowly moved up and down as though they were fans , but Zac noticed that green mist was continuously being sucked into the gaps beneath the shells .

It was the Battleroach King that commanded the center of the cave , and there were quite a few differences between the king and its subjects . The Battleroach King was completely emerald for instance , rather than the brownish-black of the normal battleroaches . It was also huge , spanning over five meters in length .

Its long legs looked a lot sturdier compared to its brethren , and short serrated blades ran along their length . A casual swipe would likely bisect most people without effort . Its mandibles were enormous , spanning over a meter as well . Finally it even had a large horn , reminding Zac of some beetles .

The presence of the huge battleroach was so intense that Zac didn’t notice the other object in the cave for a few seconds . But soon enough he spotted the large stubby mushroom that grew just a few meters away from the large beast .

It was almost a meter tall and had a fat bulbous stalk and a spherical cap . All in all , it looked a lot like a supersized fly agaric , apart from its colors . The stalk was a deep purple while the cap was emerald and studded with black spots . It looked extremely toxic , though Zac had a feeling that actually wasn't the case .

It was the first plant that Zac had seen inside the cave system since entering . More interestingly it looked like the mushroom was the source of the massive clouds of green mist . After putting two and two together he quickly realized that the mushroom was the Primordial Breath Amanita] .

Zac frowned when he saw that the treasure was out in the open . A battle at his level would cause pretty massive shockwaves if he went all out , and he was afraid that the precious mushroom would get ruined .

Then again , the cave was quite massive , a few times larger than the outer caves where thousands of battleroaches had been crammed together . He would simply have to move the battle away from the Amanita . Seeing how close the beast was to the mushroom it should be quite important to it , so it would hopefully comply immediately .

There was nothing else for Zac to do at this moment apart from getting on with it , so he stepped out into the cave and immediately used Inquisitive Eye] . Zac breathed out in relief when he saw that the beast was level 94 , just 2 levels above the minimum required to complete the quest .

Luckily he had only cleared out the last floor to avoid any reinforcements during the battle . If he had slowly made his way down while killing the roaches on each floor there was no way he would have been able to finish the quest for Profane Seal] .

A piercing screech suddenly echoed through the cave as the roach king woke up . It had noticed the prying and it was enraged that someone had encroached upon its domain . Zac wasn’t surprised that he had been exposed because his observation skill was truly basic . He immediately ran into the cave , wanting to move as far away from the mushroom as possible .

Zac only had time to take a few steps along the edge of the cave when his danger sense screamed at him . He quickly summoned Immutable Bulwark] to protect his front , but the next second a huge force lifted the bulwark with lightning speed . The battleroach king used its horn to wedge beneath the shield , and had yanked it up with superior power .

It was the first time his skill had been so effortlessly circumvented by a beast , and Zac barely had time to move his real shield as well before the beast slammed into him with tremendous force . Zac was thrown into the wall with enough momentum to make his head spin , and a few of the crystals embedded in the wall painfully dug into his back .

The attack wasn’t over though as the enormous mandibles closed in around him , aiming to split him in two . Zac’s brows rose in alarm as he quickly pushed his large shield upward to use it as a wedge , and he immediately infused it with the Dao of Hardness .

But Zac’s couldn’t believe what he was seeing when the top of the sturdy E-Grade shield was being slowly pincered , the metal starting to twist and bend as the large mandibles cut into it . Seeing that the shield wouldn’t be able to hold for much longer he ducked down and forcibly twisted the shield with all of his power .

The move allowed him to drag the shield out of the battleroach’s grip before it was ruined , but ducking down put Zac in clawing distance of the front legs and their sharp blades . A burning pain erupted in his shoulder as one of the legs raked a bleeding gash with its first swipe . The other leg tried to cut open another wound as well , but Zac slammed into it with Verun’s Bite] .

A sharp clang echoed across the cave as axe and leg met , and Zac looked with dismay when even his axe barely left a mark . This was a swing empowered by his huge Strength and the Dao of Sharpness , not a random swing from some middling cultivator . At least the collision allowed Zac a breather as the leg was pushed back .

Zac didn’t want to stay in such a place surrounded by bladed legs , but he had a feeling that the belly was his best bet if he wanted to cause any real damage to this thing . Miasma surged in his arm as he rushed forward two steps . He blocked another swipe from one of the beast’s legs as his arm kept swelling from Unholy Strike] , and with a roar swung upward in a ferocious swing .

The air screamed as Verun’s Bite] went in for the kill , but the huge target above Zac’s head suddenly disappeared . Zac looked in all directions , but the roach was nowhere to be seen . But the roaring mists quickly gave a hint as to where the huge beast had run off to ; the skies .

A set of huge magical wings spread out from the back of the emerald battleroach king . Their span was only a few meters , but it was obvious the set of wings didn’t follow the laws of nature to keep the huge beast afloat . The wings were made from pure emerald energies , looking extremely similar to the lights in the crystals .

What the fu- - Zac groaned , but he suddenly had to jump out of the way as the flying roach dove for him with terrifying speed .

The ground trembled and gravel shot in all directions when the battleroach king slammed into the ground where Zac had just stood . The shockwave from the collision threw Zac a few meters away , and he shot a glance at the mushroom with alarm .

Sometime during the battle a golden shield had encapsulated the natural treasure , and Zac recognized the System’s handiwork immediately . He nodded in relief , knowing that nothing would harm the Amanita even if the two tore the whole cave apart .

The fact that the battleroach managed to crack even the rocky foundation in the cave was a testament just how powerful it was . A level 94 beast was closing in on the level that Inevitability had when he fought it during the hunt , and Zac really felt the pressure . But constant battle had turned Zac’s nerves into steel , and he unhesitantly rushed toward the beast as it tried to extricate its mandibles from the ground .

The green mist swirled around him as he jumped forward , his axe swinging down with terrifying momentum . The weapon was once again infused with the Dao of Sharpness as Zac aimed down at a joint in the beast’s neck . But a green radiance flashed as a shield appeared right above the joint , stopping Zac’s swing in its tracks .

Zac couldn’t believe what a cheat-like existence the battleroach king was , even possessing defensive skills on top of its abnormally hard shell . But he refused to give up and jumped up on the back of the beast as he stowed away his shield to grab hold to a shell for balance .

Terrifying swings rained down on the head of the battleroach king , and Zac alternated between the Dao of Heaviness and Dao of Sharpness to crack open the thick plating to kill the beast . If that didn’t work he hoped that he would at least be able to cause some blunt force trauma with his powerful attacks .

The roach roared in rage , but no matter how many swings Zac unleashed he couldn’t seem to break open its head . But it did start to stumble around , proving that the force was starting to have an effect . Zac resolved to keep slamming down at it , sure that his Spirit Tool would last longer than the brain of the beast .

Suddenly a searing pain erupted in his side , and Zac looked down to see green beam shoot straight through his body and into the wall beyond him , causing a huge scar . Zac screamed in anguish , feeling like his insides were boiling . But he forcibly ignored the pain and quickly looked back to see that the massive wings had changed form to instead form two large arrays , one of which had released a massive beam at him .

The attack had been instantaneous , and not even his danger sense had been able to give a warning in time . Worse yet , it looked like the second array was charging up a similar beam . Zac knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge in such close proximity , so he quickly took out his shield and summoned Immutable Bulwark] .

Just a fraction of a second later another terrifying beam hit the bulwark , causing a tremendous impact . Luckily the shield held , but a large amount of Miasma was expended from the blast . But since he had taken out his shield for protection he had let go of the beast , and between the bucking battleroach king and the shockwave he was thrown off from the beast .

A spectral projection looking like the battleroach king bit down at the emerald array hovering above beast’s back as Zac was flung away , but it was as though Deathwish] tried to strike a cloud and it ripped right through . Zac sighed in disappointment when he saw the specter slam down on the extremely thick backplate instead . It looked like destroying the arrays was not an option either .

Zac groaned in pain as the wound in his side made itself reminded from the impact of landing on the ground , but Zac forcibly got back up on his feet . He was unwilling and unable to give up , knowing that if he didn’t destroy is insectoid tank he’d be trapped down here for a year .

Chapter 340 - Battle of Attrition

Just as Zac was unsure of how to proceed against the seemingly impenetrable battleroach king the two arrays above the beast lit up once more . Zac immediately moved the bulwark to his front again , but his brows rose in alarm when he saw dozens of small emerald embers rush out every second , each flying toward him as though they were alive .

The moment he saw the quick turns and amazing speed of the small motes of light Zac realized that he never would be able to block them all , and he wouldn’t be able to flee either . Instead , he could only infuse himself with the Dao of Hardness while getting his defensive treasures ready just in case .

The first ember flashed around the large bulwark to slam into Zac’s chest , and Zac was relieved to realize that while it was painful the attack only caused a superficial wound that would heal by itself soon enough . Another specter appeared again in response to the attack , once again swinging down at the tough back carapace , though with far less power compared to the last one .

Zac realized that his skill considered the array as the source of the attack , rather than the battleroach . Otherwise it would have aimed for the softer belly instead . But as he saw Deathwish] once again failing to cause any damage he had an inspiration .

The next moment one light after another slammed into him , each causing a small wound on his body . The area above the battleroach was immediately filling up with scores of specters that charged its impervious back plating . However , the appearance of some of the specters soon started to change , taking on a murky green tinge .

Elation flashed in Zac’s eyes as he endured the energy barrage . His idea had proven successful . While Deathwish] was still in early mastery he had no connection to the projections that were created , but now things had changed . Since there was a connection Zac realized he might be able to infuse the ghosts with his Dao to empower the strikes .

His idea had proven correct , though Zac only managed to infuse some of the rapidly appearing ghosts . His control of mental energy was still not too impressive , and the window to imbue the ghosts seemed to be shorter than a second . He tried to utilize his earlier lesson about only retaliating to some of the attacks , but his mind was already too occupied with the Dao infusion , so he could only let the skill keep running .

The reason the ghosts turned a murky green was that Zac had chosen to imbue all the specters he could with the Dao of Rot . He realized that if he couldn’t even break through the shell while wielding Verun’s Bite] , then there would be no way to do it with the far weaker attacks from Deathwish] . But what if he could whittle down the beast in another way?

Zac had already learned that the effect of the Seed of Rot was stacking , and he hoped to accumulate enough rot on the shell to affect the beast . The rapid-fire attacks of the arrays were luckily an excellent way to apply the Dao of Rot over and over , and in just moments the emerald mists around the battleroach had turned a shade darker from Zac's Dao .

Of course , this didn’t come without a price . His whole body was covered in flesh wounds and black ichor , and his Miasma was getting drained at a terrifying rate . It was starting to get to the point that Zac was getting unsure whether he would still be standing before his plan would even come to fruition .

However , the exchange seemed to not only drain Zac’s reserves . The two arrays soon dimmed down and sank into the body of the battleroach king again . Zac’s eyes tried to glean any change in the beast’s demeanor , but from what he could tell it was the same as before . The shell still looked as imperious as before , apart from having a slightly darker tint .

The beast looked at Zac as well and its layered protection once again started to slowly fan up and down . Zac glared back at the beast before taking out a healing pill . The two reached a stalemate of sorts , each party perhaps surprised at the power and resilience the other exhibited .

But the stalemate only lasted for a few seconds before both once again exploded into action . Zac slammed his shield into the ground , causing a wave of sharp spikes to erupt in a wave toward the incoming beast . The battleroach didn’t falter the slightest , and rushed into it headfirst , crushing the spikes without any trouble .

A few spikes managed to topple its balance , but it was soon upon Zac once again . This time Zac didn’t try to block its mandibles with his shield , and instead weaved beneath the beast . The legs’ razor-sharp blades flashed all around him as he desperately blocked as many attacks as he could while retaliating with a rot-infused axe over and over . Now and then he tried a surprise-strike at the joints , but the emerald energy shield kept appearing to block any damage .

The brutal melee kept going for minutes as the two unleashed a storm of blows at each other that would render most people crippled . But Zac had truly met his match in endurance this time . The glistening emerald carapace held steady against Zac’s assaults , even though Zac mostly tried to hit the same spot over and over .

Soon twenty minutes had passed Zac and was forced to consider means of escape . He was running dangerously low on Miasma , and his head was already pounding from constant use of multiple Dao Seeds . He was even considering using his Void Ball] in a bid to end the fight , even if he was certain that would mean failing his class quest .

But a change finally took place in the battle as the battleroach king wildly swung its head to impale Zac on its horn . But the aim was completely off , and Zac was surprised to see that the beast started to stumble as though it was drunk .

His gambit seemed to finally have taken effect . The Dao of Rot might not have worked very well against the inorganic carapace of the battleroach , but mists of putrefaction still covered the area around the strike . This mist got mixed up with the emerald haze stemming from the treasure mushroom , which the beast constantly absorbed . It looked like the compounding effect of Zac's rot finally eclipsed the beast's natural regeneration .

The battleroach screeched in anger as its legs buckled and it desperately tried to get back on its feet . But the effect was only getting worse , and soon green liquid started to leak through the gaps in the shell as the beast's innards were rapidly rotting away .

Perhaps this was enough to kill the beast in due time , but Zac ran out of patience after waiting another 10 minutes . He walked over with his axe as his arm slowly swelled to ridiculous proportions . The battleroach feebly tried to bite down at Zac , but its coordination was completely ruined by now .

Zac easily passed its large head to reach the insect’s neck , and with a roar swung down his axe with all the strength he could muster . An emerald shield appeared above the joint as before , but it had lost its luster and was incessantly flickering . The white head of Verun’s Bite] ripped through the shield like dry wood , and Zac finally managed to land a true strike .

A flood of energy entered his body almost immediately , and Zac sat down a few meters from the killed beast in exhaustion . He immediately took out two Miasma crystals , too tired to even move . He sensed the impartment of a new fractal on his body , but he was in no state to look into it at the moment .

It was only two hours later he opened his eyes . He was still extremely tired , but a somewhat pressing matter had interrupted him . The large carcass of the battleroach king kept leaking a nauseating goop through the cracks , and by now it had created a fetid pool around it that almost reached Zac's resting spot . Zac put the large carapace away with some disgust before moving over to the mushroom .

He still hadn’t received his reward from Ascension breaker yet , but he guessed it would complete when he harvested the mushroom as it was still protected by the System’s defensive shield . Just as he expected the golden shield disappeared when he got close , but Zac’s eyes widened in alarm when there was nothing inside . The spot where the mushroom had been rooted was empty , apart from a hole reaching into the ground .

But Zac soon breathed out in relief when he saw the two boxes right next to him . They had appeared completely noiselessly without a single energy fluctuation just like his rewards from earlier quests . The larger of the two boxes was made from light-grey stone and inlaid with golden fractals , and it was almost as tall as Zac was .

There was no doubt that the box contained the mushroom , and Zac was more than happy that the System had packaged it for him . Properly harvesting and storing spiritual herbs was a skill in of itself , and he was afraid that he would ruin the mushroom if he simply ripped it out of the ground .

The other box looked like a small jewelry box made out of pitch-black wood . Zac stored the larger box in his Cosmos Sack , instead focusing on the smaller one . As he expected a small crystal was placed inside and Zac immediately took it up to scan its contents .

Zac had been worried that the System would award him something that didn’t suit his needs , but it looked like he had been too suspicious . The skill was called Winds of Decay] , and Zac didn’t hesitate to learn it . It sounded like something that would be a nice addition to his current class , and perhaps he even got this specific skill because of the way he managed to take down the battleroach .

The fractal found a position at the top of his lungs , right below the area that was being occupied by Thousand Faces] . Having already gotten a few skills from outside sources he could tell that while the fit wasn’t amazing , it wasn’t too bad either . He believed the new skill should be able to display at least 70% of its true power when he used it .

Zac had restored less than a third of his energy the past two hours , but he couldn’t stop himself from trying out the skill . Miasma effortlessly entered the fractal , but there was no effect apart from the miasma changing somehow . He tried to move the energy to his arms to release the skill , but the energy wouldn't budge . Zac frowned as he looked down at the small crystal in his hands until he had an idea .

Fresh air entered his lungs for the first time in days , as he took a deep breath even though he didn't need to breathe in his undead form . The energy from Winds of Decay] entered his lungs as well , making Zac certain he was on the right track . A dark gust billowed out when he exhaled , immediately covering an area of over fifteen meters in no time .

Zac was happy that the skill worked , but he couldn't stop himself from grimacing . Did the System really give him a bad-breath skill? Zac shook his head with a wry smile and instead turned his attention to his class skill , Profane Seal] . He needed something to cleanse the proverbial bad taste in his mouth after getting the last skill . A burst of information entered his mind when he focused on the other fractal , but Zac didn't even have time to celebrate before a change occurred in the cave .

A sudden sound threw any thought of experimenting with his other skill into the back of Zac’s mind , and he whirled around with his axe ready . What entered Zac’s sight wasn’t one of the remaining battleroaches having found it’s way down from the floors above . It was something else entirely .

A small humanoid stood in the inner corner of the cave , almost on the opposite side of where Zac entered . It was roughly a meter tall with large two black eyes on a head that looked pretty large for an otherwise lithe frame . If it wasn’t for the small horns and the tail Zac would have classified the being as a traditional alien , for lack of a better name .

There were other strange things with the alien apart from the fact that it had somehow found its way down into the cave without him noticing . Two small drones of clearly technological origin hovered above its head , and it looked like he was holding some sort of device in his hand that was more akin to a tablet than some system-approved weapon . Its clothes also didn't follow the style of most battle-gear , and it looked a bit like a modern Chinese Tang suit .

Zac was frozen in shock seeing the unexpected arrival , but the same could be said about the alien . It stood unmoving a few meters into the cave , looking back and forth between the center of the cave and the battle-worn appearance of Zac .

Finally the silence broke as the two spoke up at the same time .

Draugr? -

Technocrat? -

Chapter 341 - Firmament's Edge

Zac wasn’t too surprised that the alien could identify his origins . He hadn’t worn his mask during his time in the cave , which exposed his pallid skin and signature pitch-black eyes .

Technocrat is imprecise and reductionist . I am a member of Firmament’s Edge , something greater than what a miscreation like you can ever imagine , - the alien arrogantly exclaimed . - Were you the one that ruined my experiment? More importantly , how did you get here? -

Zac mutely stared at the arrogant little alien , unsure of what to make of the situation . He had never heard of Technocrats participating in invading newly integrated planets , yet a member of them stood in front of him . He had no idea what Firmament’s Edge was , but he guessed it was one of the many factions within the Technocrat Alliance .

The appearance of a true Technocrat caused a storm in Zac’s heart as it dragged up the subject of his mother . Was the appearance of this thing linked to her? Or even worse , was it linked to the item in Kenzie’s mind? But Zac forcefully calmed down his fraying emotions and gave the alien an impervious stare . He needed to act the part if he wanted to get some information .

The Undead Empire goes where it pleases , - Zac said with matching arrogance . - I’m here because there were a lot of things to kill . -

You! My poor roach . I spent so much money to infuse it with the genes for energy control! It might have caused an unseen evolution with the help of the Amanita , but you ruined it all! - the alien said with gnashing teeth .

Zac shrugged his shoulders without a care , though he was internally boiling with rage . Was this little prick the reason that the battleroach king had such annoying skills like the energy wings and the defensive shield? It made his life a lot harder than it needed to be . But he pushed down his annoyance since he truly needed to know what was going on .

Your kind should know better than to encroach a planet under the Undead Empire . What are you doing here? - Zac said .

Pah , Firmament’s Edge doesn’t fear you . Even if a few of your old undyings crawl out of their sealed cultivation graves we have people to meet them head-on , - the alien snorted , but he suddenly froze in alarm . - Wait , what do you mean under your control? -

We came to this baby planet through the Incursion , so naturally the planet belongs to The Undead Empire from now on , - Zac snorted , stilling his fraying nerves .

The fact that the Technocrat wasn’t backing down against a monstrous existence as the Undead Empire was pretty telling that Firmament’s Edge wasn’t some backwater faction . His thoughts went to the story that Karunthel told about the Technocrat who had no problem blowing up planets . Even Earth had the technology to ruin their world before the integration . What about a faction of hyper-advanced aliens?

Shit , have you lunatics already started the terraforming?! - the alien gasped . - We need to speak with your leaders immediately . And how the hell did your people find your way down here so quickly? We have been drilling for months . -

Why would I arrange a meeting like that? - Zac asked with feigned disinterest , ignoring the question of how he got down to the Underworld .

We have no interest in the planet , kill all the natives for all I care . But we need to do a quick sweep of the planet before you terraform it , - the alien said . - We are even willing to compensate you for the trouble . -

What’s so important that you came all the way here? - Zac probed .

That’s private , - the alien immediately responded with a frown .

Well , if you don't tell me what it is you're looking for , I don't see a reas- , - Zac pushed the alien , but he was suddenly interrupted mid-sentence .

For some reason his Cosmos Sack had started to vibrate , making Zac look down with confusion . When he infused his mind into the sack he was horrified to see that it was his mother’s necklace that was moving around in the bag’s subspace , something Zac thought was impossible .

He quickly looked up at the alien again , since what happened clearly wasn’t a coincidence . The amulet had been completely inert until now , and it only started to act up the moment he got close to a Technocrat . And as he expected the little alien had taken out some ball that emitted out a barely discernible wave at regular intervals .

You have it! It’s on this planet! We actually found it! - the Alien screamed in shock and excitement as his eyes were glued to the ball . - The traitor has been found! -

A towering killing intent suffused Zac’s mind as he glared at the exhilarated alien . He had been wary of the Technocrat’s stance since he learned of his mother’s origin , but the alien’s last comment seemed to cement a disappointing reality that he had been dreading for months .

The Technocrats were enemies .

If his mother had been branded a traitor there was no way that things would end well if his and his sister’s origins were exposed . They were barely holding on as it was when the largest threat only was a vagrant D-Grade cultivator . They couldn’t handle being in the crosshairs of one of the universe’s most powerful factions .

This alien could under no circumstance be allowed to live . The danger to his sister was just too big .

A storm of energy swirled around Zac as he immediately activated almost every skill in his repertoire . He wouldn’t take any risks against the Technocrats , especially not when his sister’s safety was at risk . A large swathe of miasma billowed out from him in an instant as Fields of Despair] activated , but Zac held off on summoning the large barrier .

The alien immediately noticed the change , and he looked up at Zac with a scrunched-up face .

So you have already found it! You should never have meddled in the business of Firmament’s Edge , - the alien growled , and the two drones above the alien’s head started to hum as they shone with a sinister red light . - Die! -

Zac couldn’t sense any energy fluctuations from the increasingly blinding weapons , but he knew that they were charging some extremely strong attack . However , Zac still wasn’t worried as he kept the alien within his sight until the moment his danger sense warned him of something bad was about to happen .

Zac stomped down into the ground just before two huge beams shot at this position , causing a wide path of destruction . Even the air itself seemed to be immolated by the terrifying beams , and they even managed to carve holes in the walls that were so deep that the ends of the newly created tunnels couldn’t be seen .

But Zac suddenly appeared straight in front of the alien , completely unscathed , as waves of death radiated all around him . The little grey man looked up in shock at Zac’s sudden appearance , but he immediately started to disappear through some unknown means . However , Zac still wasn’t worried as he once again stomped down his foot .

Seal - Zac growled , and the area around him drastically changed once again .

The miasma from Fields of Despair] congealed into five large towers that formed a circle with Zac as the epicenter . On the top of each tower an azure fractal shone like a cursed lighthouse , and hazy fractals ran along the length of the spires .

The towers weren’t truly corporeal like the hand that Zac summoned with Nature’s Punishment] , but they were much more real than the specters from Deathwish] . They were slightly reminiscent of the Unholy Beacons , but they emitted a far more arcane aura , as though they had been summoned from the true Underworld .

The sudden appearance of the towers wasn’t the end of the skill , as each tower shot out a ghastly chain that moved like a lightning bolt to converge at the same spot . A shrill shriek echoed across the cave as the alien appeared twenty meters away from Zac , completely chained down .

Four of the chains had fettered his hands and legs , and the final chain snaked around his neck . The technocrat desperately tried to break the chains with all his might , but it was like they were wrought from divine iron and didn't budge the slightest . A bracer on the alien's arm even shot out two radiant beams at the restraints , but it only left a small mark .

The technocrat only had time to unleash one attack before he started to howl at the top of his lungs as his whole body spasmed uncontrollably . At the same time a haze started to pour out from the chains , once again filling the area with miasma . They were currently forcibly converting the energy inside the small alien into miasma , just like Field of Despair] did with corpses .

Zac grimaced as he looked upon the horrifying torture , but he made no move to stop it . This was , after all , a person who not only had tried to kill him , but also one that had been completely indifferent to the death of his whole planet .

But soon enough the alien managed to focus enough to command the two drones to help out , and they started to charge up new blasts . Zac couldn’t let that happen , so immediately hurled two daggers at them . But a red shield sprung up to protect them , making Zac remember the extremely durable forcefield that had protected Kenzie at King’s Crossing .

He couldn’t allow the two drones to attack the chains or the towers , as even they wouldn’t be able to last too long against the terrible blasts those small machines could unleash . The technocrat saw his approach , and he glared at him with hatred . Zac ignored the stare and got ready to destroy the two things with a swing of his axe , or at least make them miss their targets .

Blinding light suddenly stole Zac’s vision as a blast hurled him into the distance , almost knocking him unconscious . But Zac refused to let his mind fill with darkness , not when the stakes were so high . He shook his head and immediately got back on his feet with a groan , and looked up at the fleeing form of the technocrat .

The small alien had actually sacrificed a hand and a leg while the self-detonations of the two drones had destroyed the three other chains . He was currently flying away in the opposite direction of Zac , somehow ignoring gravity . But his escape was immediately stopped the moment he tried to escape between two of the towers as an azure wall appeared to block him .

The alien screamed in frustration and launched a beam of light at the wall from his remaining hand . Zac couldn’t tell whether it was a skill or another gadget , but he quickly got his answer as an alien ghost appeared behind the technocrat and gored him through his chest .

Zac wanted to run up and take down the technocrat before he could do anything else . But his legs stopped listening to him after a few steps , making him fall over once more . Luckily Zac wasn’t out of cards just yet and took a deep breath .

This time he didn’t simply exhale , but rather blew out a gust empowered by Winds of Decay] with all the force he could muster . A black storm expanded from his mouth like a hurricane , and the whole cage created by the five towers were completely engulfed in a second . Screams could be heard from the other side , but Zac didn’t stop and kept blowing and blowing , drowning the area in decay .

But even a minute later the screams didn’t abate , and Zac frowned as he took out a healing pill and started to drag himself over toward where the screams came from . His sight had been blocked by the dense cloud he released , but when he finally reached the location even he couldn’t help but blanch . The state of the Technocrat was beyond pitiful , and Zac almost instinctually killed him to take him out of his misery before stopping himself .

Half the alien's body was in a state of putrefaction , looking like a corpse dragged out of the sewers . But a mysterious force continuously restored his body and expelled the dead cells in a form of rapid regeneration . Zac couldn't see any machines , but he guessed it was some advanced technology at play .

But this process was clearly extremely painful judging by the alien’s screams , and worse was that the moment his new cells were formed they immediately started to rot again due to the lingering effect of Winds of Decay] . The alien was constantly dragged back and forth in a tortuous cycle of life and death , being both and neither at the same time .

It looked like he had lost all body functions since he couldn’t move a muscle , he only looked up at Zac with despair .

Kill me , - the alien cried when with a shaking voice .

Give me answers first , - Zac said , fortifying his heart . - What are your Firmament’s Edge after? -

Chapter 342 - An Easy Gig

I am not really part of Firmament’s Edge , - the alien wept . - My company was just one of many contracted by them to scan newly integrated planets . I just wanted to use their name to make you back down . -

Zac couldn’t help but shake his head at the Technocrat’s bad luck . Perhaps Firmament’s Edge was a terrifying existence in the multiverse , but unfortunately for the alien Zac was perhaps the only Draugr who had never heard of them before .

Who is the traitor you mentioned? What were you looking for? - Zac asked .

I don’t know , - the Alien wheezed , but his eyes widened in horror when black smoke started to emanate from the corner of Zac’s mouth . - I swear , I don’t! We were all given scanning equipment before being transported . We were simply supposed to immediately report back if the equipment found whatever they were looking for . -

It was a huge relief to Zac that it seemed as though the true leaders of the Technocrats hadn't been warned off by the silver ball that was lying next to the alien . Zac gazed at it for a second before he reached over and crushed it in his fist , twisting it beyond redemption .

Then why did you mention a traitor? - Zac asked with a scowl after turning back to the dying Technocrat .

It’s a rumor my boss heard . A top person in Firmament’s Edge stole something extremely valuable and fled to unintegrated territory . But small people like us have no way of finding out the details . If we did , our home planets would get incinerated in a heartbeat , - the alien winced .

Zac kept pushing for more answers , but the alien started to become rambling and incoherent in less than a minute . His brain was breaking down like the rest of his body , and Zac ended his life with a merciful swing .

He did , however , manage to find out a few more tidbits . The hidden incursion in the underworld was truly a Technocrat Incursion , and it was controlled by a small corporation attached to the Technocrat faction . They only possessed five E-grade warriors , the foreman of the company along with four cultivator bodyguards .

Better yet , it seemed that The System truly had it out for the Technocrats because it essentially confiscated any and all advanced technology that they tried to sneak to Earth . Only minor items without destructive capabilities or components that needed massive amounts of refinement were allowed through , but at exorbitant cost .

Most of their time had been spent building their base since they essentially needed to produce everything from scratch . Of course , the Technocrat’s name wasn’t just for show , and they already had production lines for all essentials they needed for their mission .

They had created an arsenal of weaponry with the help of the plentiful minerals and crystals in the underworld , creating an impervious defense . Even the two dangerous drones had been created almost from scratch on Earth , proving how great their capabilities were . Luckily they required a few hard to make components that limited their number . But still , rooting them out would be far harder than their low levels indicated .

He also learned that time was of the essence . The technocrats had been arduously digging toward the surface the past three months , not resting a second after they finally managed to manufacture a monstrous machine that was strong enough to rip through the reinforced ground . They expected to be able to reach the surface in less than two weeks , at which point they would set up some massive scanning device they had brought .

Zac couldn’t let them reach the surface . His amulet was spotted even though it was inside a Cosmos Sack , proving the quality of the scanning devices Firmament’s Edge possessed . Unfortunately , the alien had no idea how the tools worked or the limits of their capabilities .

He only knew that they couldn't send transmissions through space since the System blocked them . But they might be able to find anything that Leandra had ever touched . Or even worse , they might find Kenzie even if she stayed within the Mystic Realm .

The Technocrat company that had arrived on earth hadn’t expected to find anything and only saw the Incursion as an easy gig . They would arrive at the planet , scan it with the items , steal some resources , and then return to get paid by Firmament’s Edge .

They had only brought a small crew of mostly non-combat personnel , wanting to keep their costs as low as possible . But that would all change if they found signs that Earth actually was the planet that Firmament’s Edge was so desperately searching for . The Great Redeemer would be the least of Zac’s problems if that happened .

Zac looked down at the dead body of the technocrat , but he still held off on deactivating Profane Seal] . Keeping the towers around did drain a decent amount of miasma , but there was a good reason for keeping it . A towering aura billowed out from Zac's body , causing the air to shudder as Zac kept changing between infusing it with the Dao of Heaviness , Sharpness , and Rot .

It was his Dao Fields , and he unleashed them to the fullest in hopes of catching and destroying any hidden machines . The technocrat turned delirious before Zac had the opportunity to ask anything about the items he possessed , so Zac was afraid to release the cage . What if a hidden spycam found its way back to the technocrat incursion?

A smattering noise drew Zac’s attention , and he looked over in the direction of where the sound came from . Dozens of small detonations took place in the air , looking like flies getting zapped by electricity . Zac looked at the spectacle with confusion until he managed to snag one of the flies as it exploded nearby .

The thing was as small as a grain and seemed to be made from platinum , but Zac couldn't be completely sure of its original form since it was pretty torn . It was covered in cuts so minute that Zac could barely see them , and bent and twisted as though it had been subject to extreme pressure .

It appeared that the thing was immune to his Winds of Decay] skill , but it was helpless against the Dao . It wasn't surprising since the Dao wasn't simply increasing the power of skills , it was attacking with the fundamental truths of the universe . It was hard to block out and even harder to heal from when wounded .

Zac’s mind was pounding like he had a bad headache , but he pushed himself to the limit to drown the area in his Dao Fields for a while longer . With his current level of insight the area turned into a field of death , something far beyond the area around the Fiend Wolf during the first beast wave . Even cultivators who had already got their class would likely be turned to mincemeat if they came within 50 meters of Zac at this moment .

Luckily it only took a few seconds before the smattering stopped , meaning all the microscopic machines in the air were destroyed . He didn’t know what the purpose of the small machines was , but leaving them intact couldn’t possibly end in anything good .

All the gadgets on the alien’s body had been destroyed as well , and the two drones were beyond salvaging . But Zac wasn’t disappointed by that since he doubted he could do much with them in any case . While he was somewhat tech-savvy for an earthling he could only be considered a caveman by the standards of the far more advanced Technocrats .

Zac couldn’t be sure whether there were still some machine spying on him , but by this point there was simply no way for him to be sure . But between his Dao Fields and Winds Of Decay] the area had gone through multiple sweeps , allowing Zac to finally relax somewhat .

Since there was nothing else to trap he could finally unsummon the five majestic towers . They immediately started to dissipate , once again turning into miasmic clouds . Zac gave the towers once last marveling look , completely satisfied with his first test run of the skill .

His new skill Profane Seal] had been beyond anything that Zac had hoped , and he felt he still hadn't discovered all of its marvels . It was comprised of two parts . The first past was a short-distance teleportation , allowing him to move even faster than when using Loamwalker] .

If Zac wanted to the skill could be ended at that point , meaning it would only act as a movement skill . But there were limits to that since the skill seemed to have a cooldown . But it would allow either escape or a rapid charge if needed .

The second half of the skill was the cage he just dissolved .

Zac could create a sealed space the size of which he could control to a certain degree . The only ways to get out was to either destroy the towers through brute force or to kill Zac . But any attack against the towers would be met with the retaliation of Deathwish] , meaning the cage protected itself from attacks . It was a flexible skill that could let him trap a group of powerhouses or even lock down a large section of an army .

There were still some details he needed to figure out through experimentation , but Zac was completely satisfied with his choice . He had a feeling that Profane Discharge] would have worked in a similar manner , where the first half of the skill was the same teleport , with the second part being a large scale eruption of force .

But Zac much preferred the cage . With his massive pool of attributes he would be able to whittle almost anyone down before they managed to break out , especially now that he had Winds of Decay] to turn the whole cage into a field of death . He only needed to figure out a way to imbue the breathing skill with the Seed of Rot to turn it even deadlier .

Unfortunately , he had tried that in the heat of battle , but there was no response . Perhaps the skill needed to be upgraded before it could carry the Dao , just like how it was with Deathwish] .

All these things together had immediately spelled the end for the Technocrat .

Of course , he knew that Profane Seal] wouldn’t always be as effective as it was this time since it wasn’t without its weaknesses . The alien had actually only been level 48 , mostly relying on his gadgets for survival . A stronger opponent would be able to not only largely resist the drainage of the chains , but might even be able to rebuff them completely .

The cage also wasn’t impervious to interference . People from the outside could destroy the towers with enough force , allowing their allies to escape . So when he managed to trap his target he had to act quickly before it all was for nothing , because he would only be able to use the skill once or twice during a battle .

Zac sighed and looked down at the half-rotten corpse of the Technocrat before taking out a vial with a green substance inside . He poured the viscous liquid down over the body , and a cloud immediately rose to the sky . Less than a minute later the body was completely gone , not even leaving the bones .

The liquid was a common item among vagrant cultivators in the multiverse . It was all too common that you were left with a corpse you didn’t want to explain , so the best thing was to make it go away . The liquid completely destroyed any remnants , which would hopefully erase any evidence of what you had done .

One item that had withstood the corrosion was a cosmos sack though , and Zac was a bit surprised that a Technocrat even used an item like that . Perhaps spatial devices were still out of reach through technology even for the Technocrats . But Zac didn’t immediately pick it up , rather opting to take out an inscribed box to put it in inside .

The box was used to isolate treasures that emitted strong auras , but Zac hoped it would be able to block out any potential distress calls from the items the alien possessed as well . He would bury the box later , only picking it up again when he had a better grasp on the Technocrat's capabilities . For now , it would have to stay in a backpack that Zac took out .

The cave was once again starting to become visible as the mists from Winds of Decay] and Fields of Despair] were dissipating . The emerald smoke originating from the Primordial Breath Amanita] had already mostly dissipated between the battleroach king’s absorption during their battle and the mushroom getting sealed away .

The dispersion of the haze left the cave in full display , allowing Zac to finally grasp how the alien managed to sneak inside .

Chapter 343 - Priorities

Just a few meters away the gem-studded wall was flickering in and out of existence , intermittently displaying a well-lit tunnel leading into the distance . Zac wasn’t too surprised the alien was able to create a back entrance . If the technocrats possessed the capability to drill through the fortified rock in the Underworld all the way to the surface , then this was a cakewalk .

The alien that Zac killed had been one of the researchers for the Incursion , responsible for finding and identifying valuable resources . The two drones he commanded were likely able to get the job done .

Parts of Zac just wanted to rush through the tunnel into Technocrat territory , killing everything in sight . But he knew he had to act smarter , so he instead sat down to replenish his once again depleted reserves . He wasn't too worried about being interrupted by another Technocrat since what the alien had done down here was a private experiment he hoped would pad his own pocket .

While Zac slowly absorbed the death-attuned energies from the crystals he tried to go over the battle with the battleroach . It had truly pushed him to his limits , and he hoped that he would be able to use the battle to push his insights forward .

But any time he tried to ponder on the Dao the splitting headache only got worse , and he had to give up any idea of improving his Seeds for the time being . Zac wasn’t too disappointed though as there would be time for meditation later . Besides , there were other gains to go over .

The battle with the battleroach king had awarded him another three full levels , pushing him all the way to level 65 . It felt a bit crazy , but he would have possessed both the first and second spots on the Power Ladder if it listed both his classes .

There was no comparing his own leveling speed with that of the average cultivator by now . Each battleroach in the cave would have been able to push most rankers to their limits , but Zac had killed them by the thousands , gaining more in a few hours than most would in a month .

But Zac knew that the final ten levels would be tough . He had gotten most of the final levels for free through the hunt last time , but this time around he would have to grind them out himself . Luckily he would face a lot of high-leveled enemies soon enough .

Most notably there were the caves teeming with battleroaches above that would give him a good start .

Zac opened his status screen and allocated all his free points into strength . He also checked the quest screen for any changes , but it was now empty of any tasks . After that there was nothing for him to do apart from calming his mind while restored his energy . He still felt some of the effect of the splinter as it had acted up a bit during his last two battles again , but by now it was fully under control .

Five hours later half his Miasma had been restored while all the wounds in his body apart from the one in his sides were completely healed . His head was still pounding a bit , and he knew he would have to avoid using his Dao for a day or two . But it wouldn’t be needed for what he was about to do , and Zac didn't want to sit around any longer .

He got up on his feet with a groan and started walking toward the tunnel he came from , leaving the passage the technocrat used where it was . Zac had no idea what waited for him if he entered that path of the unknown , and he feared there would be some hidden surveillance in the cave .

Zac even considered using his Void Ball] to destroy the passage , but he decided against it in the end . There was not much to gain from doing so , and he was afraid that the spatial chaos would destroy the whole cave with him inside .

Instead , he chose to go back the same way he came from in order to return to New London . But before he left he extracted the most radiant crystals of the final cave . It didn’t take long as he only needed to rip them out of the wall after slightly boosting his strength with Unholy Strike] .

Verun's Bite] once again shuddered and woke up when presented with the radiant crystals , but Zac realized something was wrong after half a minute . Verun hovered between hunger and confusion as Zac held a crystal to the axe head , but the Tool Spirit eventually gave up on absorbing it .

It looked pretty odd , making Zac unsure whether Spirit Tools were unsure themselves what they needed to evolve . Or perhaps Verun had confused itself with an actual beast , believing that the crystal would help improve its bloodline just like it helped the battleroaches . Zac could only stash away the crystal and refocus on farming the best two hundred or so crystals .

As for the less precious gems , he would figure something out later depending on their value . For now he left them where they were as he slowly climbed up toward the 10th floor . He knew he would have to waste some precious time fighting his way out , but it was better than using the trap door who might lead in the wrong direction . But Zac started to frown as he climbed through the hole in the roof .

It was way too silent .

There had always been a constant clatter of the battleroaches during his time in this cave system , often intermingled with aggressive screeches . But now there was a dead silence , where the only sounds came from Zac himself . After dragging himself up to the crest of the tunnel he quickly saw the reason . A sea of corpses littered the whole floor . The carapaces of over a thousand battleroaches were dismantled and destroyed almost beyond recognition .

Zac quickly crawled up on the floor , readying himself for another battle . But he breathed out in relief when he saw that the wounds weren’t caused by any energy weapons or the like , but it rather looked like they had been caused by the other battleroaches . The only explanation that Zac could find was that the roaches had whipped themselves up in a frenzy for some reason , entering an all-out melee .

Perhaps they could sense the death of the battleroach king and immediately started to fight for the role of the new alpha . Or perhaps they had never been a pack species and were only kept in check by the much superior roach on the bottom floor . In any case , it saved Zac a lot of time , though he sighed in disappointment in the missed opportunity . The corpses on this floor alone would probably have given him another level .

A sudden clattering in the distance drew Zac’s attention , and he spotted a wounded E-Grade battleroach getting to its feet . It was far larger than any battleroach he had spotted on his descent , making Zac unsure what was going on . Had it grown almost to twice its size simply by killing the competition?

Unfortunately there time to ponder before the beast was upon him . It frenziedly tried to grab Zac with its mandibles and rip him to pieces , but Zac effortlessly slammed its head to the side with a swing of his shield .

After fighting the battleroach king in a pitched melee for almost half an hour it felt like a joke to fight against this large , but ultimately common , battleroach . Its carapace had become a lot sturdier , but after a few well-aimed strikes the beast lay dead with brain leaking out from a deep cut .

However , just as he downed the supersized battleroach a few more rose as well , each of them sporting various degrees of wounds . Zac realized they probably were playing dead to recuperate , but perhaps felt forced into action from Zac's arrival . Altogether there were 8 more of them , all of them E-Grade .

During the fight Zac had ample time to use Inquisitive Eye] , and he found out that the beasts were only around level 79 , which was perhaps one or two levels higher than they were before . So it seemed that the increase in size hadn’t come from levels , but rather a purified bloodline .

It took less than a minute before the 8 battleroaches lay dead on the ground , their heads either broken or missing . Zac quickly stowed away the enlarged bodies before heading toward the next floor . The carapaces were nowhere near as good as the emerald shells of the king , but Zac thought they might be worth keeping since they were definitely a step above the Ayr Hivebeast shells .

The same scene played out in the next couple of floors where there were a few surviving battleroaches , each of them substantially larger than they were before . Zac made short work of them all , which wasn’t too hard as all of them were pretty wounded . Some of them were even at death’s door already , requiring only a simple swing from Zac to end their lives .

Unfortunately their ragged state also meant that they only gave a small part of their original energy , but Zac didn’t care in the slightest as he rushed up the floor at the highest possible speed . Fighting his way to the bottom almost took him two days , but getting back up required less than half an hour .

The shimmering barrier was gone as expected , allowing Zac to effortlessly swim through the pitch-black water and resurface in the secluded lake . He was back in New London a day later , once again donning his signature mask . He had dug down the box just outside the small outpost he teleported from , giving him some peace of mind .

Zac's initial instinct was to head back to Port Atwood before rushing the Technocrat Incursion , but he quickly realized that he might need help . So instead of teleporting away again he rushed over to the former Union Headquarters and went to the secluded chambers that Ogras had made his own .

The demon had kept his identity secret all this time as well , always donning a large hood and obscuring his features with a shroud of shadows . But Zac hadn't made any effort of hiding his arrival , so the demon hadn't bothered with his disguise when Zac entered his quarters .

Good , you’re back early . There’s a problem , - Ogras said the moment Zac entered his office .

I was just about to say , - Zac sighed as he sat down opposite the demon . - What’s going on? -

We’ve lost contact with the Port Atwood army , - Ogras said .

What? - Zac said with shock . - They’re dead?! -

No , calm down , - Ogras said with a roll of his eyes . - They’re probably alive . But two days ago the whole sector of the Dead Zone where our army was stationed went dark . All the teleportation arrays in the area , including the one where our war outpost was , have been disconnected from the network . -

How is this possible? Is someone targeting us? - Zac said , scrambling to get a grip on the situation .

Zac had been keyed up to launch a scorched-earth assault on the Technocrats as soon as he got back , but it seemed that the universe had once again thrown a wrench into his plans .

No , I think it is the Undead Empire that’s finally rearing its fangs , - Ogras said with a sigh . - We have underestimated them . The resources needed to do something like this is unimaginable . I think they are making a statement because three of their generals have already fallen . -

Can Thea’s people help us? - Zac asked with a frown .

They have their hands full , the Zombies are pushing hard , and they are too far apart to send scouts , - Ogras said with a shake of his head . - Besides , all neighboring arrays that we know of have gone dark as well . -

Do you have any ideas? - Zac asked .

You have the flying disk . We can use it to scout a much broader area than running on foot , so we should be able to find them within a week or two if we leave immediately . It only seats a few people , but the two of us are enough to handle most things , - Ogras said .

One or two weeks… - Zac muttered , blankly staring ahead .

Spending one or two weeks to scour the wilderness for his people would mean that the Technocrat incursion would manage to reach the surface . From the way the alien made it sound they would send out some drones that moved with extreme speed at that time , and those drones would scour the whole planet with their scanners . It would be too late to stop them at that point .

It meant that he would have to choose . Either let the Technocrats dig to the surface , which would have unknown consequences . Or ignore the plight of his people until he could close the Incursion .

Kenzie or Port Atwood .

I… I can’t go , - Zac sighed , unable to meet Ogras' incredulous stare .

Chapter 344 - Heretics

You can’t take time to rescue your people? Most of our elites are in that army . My three generals are there . What the hell is going on?! - Ogras growled causing the shadows in the room to shudder .

I can’t go until I close an Incursion , - Zac said as he shored up his resolve .

The flame golems? They might be a problem , but not to the point you should abandon our army . Worse case we can simply make our surface teleporter public , allowing everyone to escape . Besides , there’s not enough magma in the core for the golems to flood the entire Underworld , so they can only slowly destroy town after town , - Ogras said in disbelief .

It’s not them . It’s the hidden incursion . It turns out it’s the Technocrats , - Zac sighed . - I met one of them while grinding in that cave I found . -

What? The Technocrat heretics have joined the fight for baby planets? They usually stay clear because the Ruthless Heavens is more hands-on with places like this , - Ogras muttered before he suddenly froze and looked up at Zac with thinning eyes . - Wait . Technocrats as in the guys whose insignia you just happen to walk around with? The one you - accidentally picked up’? -

Zac didn’t answer , but he knew that that the demon had figured out at least half of the story already . If he hadn’t then he wouldn’t be Ogras any longer .

And the only reason you’d act this obstinate is if it was about your sister , - Ogras continued , proving Zac’s hunch . - Don’t tell me? -

Zac scratched his neck with some helplessness . He hadn't planned on cluing in Ogras to this secret , but it looked like he had left too many breadcrumbs to the truth . But at least he could which parts to expose and which parts to keep hidden to protect Kenzie .

I don’t know the truth either . But my mom might have been one of them , and these Technocrats might be looking for her . I am afraid Kenzie , and even this whole world , will be caught up in something that has nothing to do with us . Leandra disappeared twenty years ago , probably leaving earth , - Zac said . - We can’t get caught up in whatever mess she created . -

Ruthlessness flashed in Zac’s eyes as he looked up at Ogras , who frowned then he sensed the killing intent leaking out from Zac’s body . Just the thought of his sister getting caught by the Technocrats because their mother forced Jeeves into her head made Zac furious .

So I can’t go to the Dead Zone yet . I cannot let a single one of the Technocrats leave this planet alive , - Zac said with finality .

Ogras silently looked at Zac for a few seconds , before sighing with a shake of his head .

Fine , let’s go kill some heretics . -

Zac was surprised at the ease of which Ogras agreed , and he couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious . The demonkin army and his generals were half his claim to power in Port Atwood , and if they fell he would be almost isolated apart from his friendship with Zac .

How about you take my disk and head to the Dead Zone while I deal with the Incursion? - Zac probed to see his response .

No point , - Ogras said with a wry smile . - As much as I hate to admit it I am not sure if I'll be enough to change anything in the face of the Undead Empire . We need the human netherbeast to mow through the zombies like you did with the silver puppets . -

Zac slowly nodded his head , feeling it was a good enough reason .

I have to go prepare something back at Port Atwood first . We’ll meet back up in an hour or so at the border town I came from , - Zac said before hurrying out of the office toward the teleporter , leaving a befuddled demon behind .

Zac made his way through the chain of arrays before finding himself in Port Atwood . He didn’t find Kenzie in either the cultivation cave or his compound so he hurried over toward the Mystic Realm instead . However , he did change to his human form and clothing first , because he might run into some people who didn't know about his Mr . Black alias .

There was a new array in the network that led straight to the center of Mystic Island . It wasn't too long since he came here last time , but it had undergone drastic changes . The chaotic swirl of spatial tears was gone , and in the desolate space that they occupied a small encampment stood instead . The array he arrived at was placed some distance away from the small town , likely as a safety precaution .

There were less than fifty structures , but it had a wall that was even sturdier than the one he had around his own wall . Not only that , but there were also multiple arrays creating a thick layer of defense , stopping any possibility of sneaking inside . Zac was suitably impressed as he walked toward the encampment

Lord Atwood! - someone called , making Zac turn toward a vaguely familiar woman .

On a second look , he realized it was one of the more recent additions to the Valkyries , a girl who had joined after the first round of casualties during the final beast wave .

Kaitlin , right? - Zac asked with some hesitation .

That’s right , - the girl said , some worry evident in her eyes . - I'm sorry , but have you found our people yet? -

Not yet , - Zac said , guilt welling up in his chest . - We’re working on it . Is my sister in the Mystic Realm? -

The Valkyrie nodded in confirmation before Zac hurried away . He couldn’t look the girl in the eyes , considering the decision he had made . Because it was an undeniable truth that he had chosen his sister over the rest of Port Atwood , even though it wasn’t even sure that she was in any danger . He could make all excuses in the world , but that was the gist of it .

But keeping his sister , his sole surviving family member as he saw it , safe had been his main goal since the start , the reason why he fought so hard . She was the only reason he had erected Port Atwood . If that meant that people would die , so be it . Zac would have to live with those sacrifices . Besides , everyone knew that they risked death when they joined the fight against the Undead Empire .

He stepped through the teleporter in the center of the settlement , and the next moment he stood in a cave , peering out into the supersized garden that Ogras mentioned . As he walked out he saw the majestic trees lining the horizon and the silver borders crisscrossing the sky , but he didn’t have time to marvel at this place . He would have to explore its mysteries at another time .

Beneath the small hill another walled settlement stood , looking almost identical to the one outside . Zac hurriedly looked around until a demon warrior pointed him toward one of the larger buildings , which turned out to be a study filled with books and crystals .

You’re here? - Kenzie said with surprise when she noticed Zac’s appearance . - I thought you were in the Underworld . -

She had been sitting on a comfortable sofa with an information crystal in her hands .