Defiance of the Fall

This is a communication crystal . The other end of the tunnel is a hundred meters in . We believe it’s the core room of the Queen . There are four more things walking around in the room according to Herod , the smallest of them almost as heavy as the Titans judging by the vibrations caused when it’s walking . These things seem very vigilant , they started running around when we spoke earlier . We believe that they are the Royal Guards .

Rivea is dead . We fell into a vat of acid and she didn’t make it . We found this place through Herod , and he also sensed your footsteps approaching . Everyone apparently has a unique vibration , and he recognized yours . I was planning on heading further into the tunnel to scout it out before we found you . Stay here and I’ll check things out . -

Zac opened his eyes and after mulling the information over a bit nodded his head toward Ogras , who melded into the shadows . As he waited for the demon to come back he properly looked over the teammates . Apart from Herod the other two looked mostly okay , though they both sported somber expressions .

Zac couldn’t help but agree the situation wasn’t ideal . When they made their plans before the assault , they had escape as an option . That was pretty much the only reason they managed to get Rivea and Herod to join , as they both were clearly unwilling to enter the belly of the beast .

They thought that while the structure was large , in a panicked rush where Zac and Ogras didn’t hold back they could be out in a minute or two even if they were forced to mow through an army of ants . They didn’t expect the inside to be this gigantic . Now that they also had fallen who knows how far down he wasn’t even sure how to get out . Their backs really were against the wall .

Soon Ogras came back and took out another crystal . This one actually displayed a window , but different from the one he borrowed long ago with the information , this window was actually visible for everyone . Zac started looking at the pouch of the demon , wondering what other goodies he kept for himself in there . He already knew that the space inside should be huge since he could throw a whole fishing vessel into it without any problem .

Zac quickly refocused and studied the screen . It was a still image of a large cavern . The whole surface was riddled with tubes that emerged from various tunnels much like the one they were in . They covered the ground and the roof , leaving almost no space free . The tubes converged in the middle of the cave and were latched to a huge green crystal .

Zac had never seen a core of a monster before , but if that wasn’t it then he’d be extremely surprised . The core was guarded by four monstrous ants as Ogras already explained , and they each covered a direction . Interestingly enough they all looked somewhat different from each other .

Two of them looked like supercharged versions of the Mantis and Titan respectively . The titan was the closest to their tunnel and was a huge hulking thing much larger than an elephant . One of its arms was a gigantic shield , and the other looked like a large mallet . Distinctively from the normal ants this thing actually had at least ten pairs of short legs . Perhaps only three pairs wouldn’t be able to carry its weight .

The mantis-looking ant had long serrated blades for front arms , and its long and graceful build seemed built for speed . It was nowhere as large as the hulking centipede-ant , but still larger than the normal Titans .

The other two Royal Guards were a bit different from any ants they’d seen so far . One of them seemed barely mobile , as it almost exclusively consisted of a head . It did have a body , but it looked small and almost shriveled , and Zac didn’t understand how the small frame could keep the head floating , as the head alone was as large as the mantis guard .

The size wasn’t the only odd thing about the head , as it also had a great number of eyes . The one in its forehead was enormous , and Zac guessed that it was at least as large as himself . The other eyes were generally placed along the main eye , but some seemed to be looking in different directions . He felt it was lucky that Ogras was the one doing recon , as this thing would probably have noticed himself even if he made no sound .

The last guard was mostly hidden behind the crystal , but Zac felt that it almost looked like a spider rather than an ant . It was comprised of a large bulbous torso , with long legs sticking out from it . He couldn’t see any head though and had no real idea of how it looked .

Ogras made a motion toward Zac and with a start he handed over the communication crystal . Ogras once again closed his eyes for a few seconds and then handed it over to Zac .

The green crystal obviously is the core . I say we try an ambush where we destroy the crystal before the guards can react . Zac and I both blast it with the strongest strike we can instantly summon . Me from left , and Zac from the right . We’ll bypass that huge bugger by both sides . Alea and Janos try to delay the guard's reaction time as much as possible . Herod , stay in the tunnels , try to sense whether reinforcements arrive .

We stay silent until the first attack is finished , and depending on the outcome we take it from there . Hopefully , the attack will destroy the core , and we can choose whether to kill the guards as well or flee . Each of them should net quite a bit of Contribution points , so we should kill them if possible -

We only have one shot of this , nod if you agree and are ready , then hand the crystal to the next person , - Ogras voice echoed inside Zac’s head .

Zac thought it over as he looked at the still displaying image of the core room for a few seconds . The huge tank-ant was the one closest to their tunnel . The plan meant that Zac would go to the right of it , which would place him between the tank and the large-headed one , whereas Ogras would rush in next to the sword-wielding ant . He mulled it over and felt that it was a decent proposal .

Ogras was more suited to dodging quick swings from a sword than Zac was with the help of his Dao and Class . Zac himself was pretty nimble nowadays with the help of Loamwalker] , but it was nothing compared to the demon and his shadow dancing . The large head was likely some sort of mage if he had to guess , and between his huge endurance and defensive option on his armor he should be able to withstand at least one blast without problem before he reached the crystal .

All four of those things looked quite dangerous , but he was already mentally prepared for a tough fight . He nodded and passed the crystal to Alea . After a while , everyone had listened to the instructions and agreed with the plan . They slowly made their way forward until they were just ten meters away from the exit into the core room .

Everyone steadied their breaths for a few seconds before Zac and Ogras nodded at each other . Ogras already held his black spear and Zac was tightly gripping Verun’s Bite] . Ogras started blending into the shadows as he speedily moved forward , and Zac unhesitantly activated his movement skill and moved toward the exit as well .

Footsteps behind them told that the others were following in tow , but Zac had no time to think about that .

The tunnel exit was two meters above the ground , and Zac immediately dropped to the floor and started rapidly moving forward . The Royal guards were obviously alert as a deep penetrating screech erupted from the large one that was the closest . The huge armored centi-ant felt even larger as Zac saw it in person , towering even higher than the Fiend wolf .

The Royal Guard immediately started moving its throng of small chubby legs as it rushed toward him , as it seemed it didn’t notice Ogras in his shadows . Zac kept infusing cosmic energy into his feet and luckily his skill worked inside the hive queen as well , even though he was technically standing on a body part of a supersized insect rather than the ground . He quickly moved forward through the huge cave , and as he did a blazing cacophony of colors and sounds erupted above him , pushing like a wave toward the guard .

It was Janos who clearly held nothing back as he pushed out a blanket of distraction . A sweet smell in the air that almost made Zac giddy was a sign that Alea had released something that added to the confusion air as well . Suddenly a huge pressure slammed into Zac as he ran , and he almost stumbled and fell . A quick glance showed that all the numerous eyes of the gigantic head ant were glaring at him .

The pressure wasn’t physical , but rather a mental pressure . Only the stare made him feel like he was carrying a mountain , but he could also see that the eyes were starting to shine with a green luster . Luckily the crystal was close , and he pushed an extreme amount of cosmic energy into his legs . He pushed away and shot like a cannon toward the core . From the moment he exited the tunnel until now only a bit more than a second had passed , and the huge guards barely had time to start their attacks .

Zac charged up a five-meter edge with Chop] and flooded the fractal edge with the Dao of Heaviness since he wanted the crystal to crack . Ideally , he’d have wanted to use both his offensive Daos , but he still couldn’t infuse both of them into a single strike yet .

The large edge slammed into the crystal with the force of a runaway train , as the growls from the teeth on his axe menacingly echoed in the cave . Ogras materialized at the other side almost at the same time , and with a furious stab slammed the spear straight into the other side of the crystal . As he did a beam of darkness erupted from the spear and also hit the target like a laser .

A crackling sound was heard , but Zacs eyebrows rose when he saw that the crystal was completely undamaged . The crackling sound came from the huge tank , who had gotten two wounds on its torso as it stumbled and almost fell .

SHIT! Life-bound protection! The core is shielded with the lifeforce of the guards , we need to kill at least the large fucker before we can damage it , - Ogras screamed as he quickly distanced himself from the crystal as the mantis-guard was rapidly approaching .

Zac was about to do the same , but a terrifying force slammed into his back and shot him forward straight toward the descending scythe of the mantis guard .

Chapter 108 - Fighting the Royals

Zac frantically lifted his axe to meet the incoming swing , and with tremendous power the two weapons clashed . Since Zac was airborne he had no real force behind the swing and was ruthlessly slammed into the ground , creating a small crater and ruining any tubing that covered the area .

Zac spat out some blood but quickly scrambled to his feet even though he felt like every bone in his body broke from the impact . Another swing was already upon him , but this time he dodged with his movement skill and moved under large guard . He didn’t hold back and infused a Chop] with the seed of Sharpness , aiming to tear a large gash all along its belly .

The mantis’ speed wasn’t a joke though , as it almost teleported away from the swing . But the velocity of Zac’s swing wasn’t anything to scoff at either , and with a roar one of the insect’s legs was lopped off , causing a torrent of green blood to pour out from the guard . It screeched in anger and backed away a few steps , using one of its sword arms as a crutch to keep itself stable .

The brief respite let Zac take a glance around . The huge tank-looking thing was still occupied by the combined distraction of Alea and Janos , and Ogras was fighting the fourth herald that truly looked a bit like a spider , apart from its head that reminded him of a Vomitor .

But instead of acid , small pitch-black ants were pouring out of its mouth , looking absolutely horrifying . Tens of lances were erupting out from the shadows between the tubes on the ground to stab the spider-looking guard and its spawn , but the small things seemed almost endless .

The guard was also conjuring netting toward Ogras , but the nimble demon was deftly dodging any attempt to catch him . Zac felt that Ogras could handle himself for now , which left two of the guards for him . Before he could decide which one to attack next he realized that they were trapped inside .

The tunnels with the tubes were all closed , not even providing enough space for at hand to push through . Blood was streaming out of the exit they used earlier , and Zac realized that Herod was crushed to death . The only upside to the situation was that it hopefully meant that they wouldn’t have to handle a horde of small ants as well .

Two elite warriors of his demon army were dead in under an hour , and Zac was reminded of the harsh reality of this new world . Not even powerhouses were safe . A quick glance at the mantis showed that it still was a bit distracted from its missing leg , and its lethality was likely impacted . It clearly was focused on speed and offense , but missing a leg would take away much of the danger .

Zac’s eyes turned to the final guard and saw that its eyes were glowing again . He didn’t know what kind of skill it used to hit him last time , but it hurt quite bad and he was in no mood to take another one of those shockwaves . Besides , if it hit Alea of Janos he wasn’t sure whether they’d be able to keep fighting .

He unhesitantly charged up a Chop] and infused it with the Dao of Sharpness as well , giving the fractal blade a silver sheen . Without any break he sent the five-meter edge right toward the main eye of the large-headed royal guard . But as the edged ripped through the air it suddenly changed color and turned into the normal pale blue .

At the same time Zac felt a heavy atmosphere descend upon the cave , like another type of mental pressure . It was as though he had lost one of his senses , but not one of the normal five . The fractal blade kept moving toward the large eye through , but the eyes blazed into light for an instant , and the attack was smashed into smithereens .

Zac planned on sending a stream of blades toward the eye , but to his shock noticed that he wasn’t able to infuse the skill with his Dao anymore . The mental pressure was persistent , and it somehow blocked him from empowering his skills . He quickly looked around and saw that the core of the hive-queen was shining in a brighter light compared to before , emitting a huge amount of energy . It appeared the queen was somewhat sentient and helped her guards from the sidelines .

My Dao is Blocked! - Alea shouted , telling Zac that he wasn’t the only one affected .

He grit his teeth and used Loamwalker] toward the large-headed mage . He might not be able to use his Dao , but skills were still possible to use . He ran around the huge tank-monster who was wildly wailing its thick arms around , trying to hit whatever was blocking its sight . But Janos and Alea simply kept a safe distance , and mainly kept their eyes on the mantis and the eye-monster .

With his speed , he was upon the large-headed guard in no time and felt that he was almost physically punched by just the eye’s glare . He didn’t understand whether it was some sort of mental pressure or actual air-pressure , but no matter how he struggled he couldn’t move the last meter to reach it . As all the eyes stared at him he was even starting to get pushed away , no matter how much he strained his muscles .

Two huge spears slammed into the side of the large-headed guard , eliciting an enraged screech , even though they barely seemed to penetrate the hard shell . Many eyes quickly swiveled toward Ogras , and Zac temporarily felt the pressure disappear . He didn’t hesitate and with a roar pushed himself right onto the head of the beast , wildly swinging Verun’s Bite] into the large central eye .

A quick glance toward Ogras showed that he was currently beset by both the mantis and the spider , and the attack on the large-headed one put him in dire straits . The mantis was swinging down one of its swords on him , and he was receding into the shadows to dodge . However , the blade somehow pulled him out from safety , and tore a large gash over his chest , blood freely pouring in all directions .

Zac wanted to help out , but he first needed to finish off this one . He took a deep breath and actually pushed himself into the large eye , frenziedly swinging his axe around . The ant was spasming and pushing all around , waves of energy flying in all directions . Zac didn’t let up though and kept hacking further into the head until a huge surge of cosmic energy told him his work was done .

He was completely covered in brain and eye goop by now but had no time to clean up . He rushed toward Ogras who was in big trouble at the moment . He was desperately dodging the nets from the spider and the sword swings from the mantis . There were also three small pitch-black ants latched onto his body , and he seemed to be trying to get them off .

Zac rushed toward the mantis and was about to commence an attack when a deluge of small spiders started skittling toward him .

Don’t let them touch you! - Ogras wheezed out , but it was too late .

Two of them instantly latched onto Zac’s legs , and it felt like he suddenly was in a gravity array . The spiders were emanating a gravity field in some way , and their effect seemed to be stacking . He tried to rip them off while dodging the other small spiders who ran toward him , but it was to no avail . It was as though they were fused to his leg , and he was unable to remove them with force .

They are stuck , I think we need to kill the spider to get them off! - Ogras shouted as another sword swing was descending on him .

The demon grit his teeth and a blue sheen enveloped him from a necklace . The sword smashed into the shield , and Zac almost tumbled away from the shockwave the strike created . Luckily it cleared most of the small spiders from the area , as they were blown away from the force . The blue force field was the type of shield that returned the force back to the attacker , as cracks appeared on the arm of the guard and it stumbled back from the recoil .

Now! - Ogras shouted as shadows were starting to gather around him .

Zac activated his movement skill and sped toward the mantis . With the two spiders attached to his legs it felt like he was slogging through waist-deep water , but he could only endure and push through . He appeared next to the hurt mantis and started swinging towards the insect’s side with a Chop] .

The first swing was intercepted by the sword-arm of the mantis , but the huge force of Zac actually destroyed it . It was already cracked by the recoil of the shield , and Zac’s power did the rest . Now the mantis only had four legs remaining , and it was forced to choose whether to stand up or attack , as it needed to use its second sword to maintain balance .

It quickly made its choice as it swung its sword toward Zac while it was tipping over . The air was rippling with power from the swing , as it clearly pushed all its remaining energy into it . Shadowspears rose up to meet the falling body and pushed into its torso using the momentum to its advantage . It screeched frenziedly but completed the swing .

Initially Zac was intending to dodge it , but unknowingly another two spiders had attached themselves to him , making him almost keel over . The Dao was also still blocked , and he couldn’t use Seed of Trees to increase his resilience . He could only activate his armor , and a green shield enveloped him . The sword of the mantis slammed into the shield , and Zac was launched like a rocket into the wall .

However , just as he was readying himself for a follow-up he felt another stream of cosmic energy , this one quite a bit smaller compared to the last . It looked like Ogras took the main contribution from the kill . That left just the tank and the spider alive . Unfortunately , Janos and Alea were clearly struggling by this point , even though less than a minute had passed since the start of the fight . Alea was carrying a deathly pale Janos on her back as she dodged the huge monstrosity .

Janos is out of cosmic energy , hurry! - the demoness shouted as she scrambled away from the ant .

Each slam from its huge arms created tremors in the ground as it tried to crush the two into meat-paste . It looked truly irate from being confused for a minute from illusions and hallucinogenic poison , only to wake up to two of the royal guards dead .

We need to take out the spider first . If Alea gets a gravity ant on her both of them will die , - Ogras said , and Zac could only grit his teeth and agree .

The spider was clearly focusing on entrapment , spawning both the gravity-minions and shooting out waves and waves of thread that was starting to turn a large part of the cavern into a sticky trap . However , both of the offensive guards were dead , and its own lethality wasn’t too high unless it managed to stack enough spiders onto someone , simply crushing them from the weight .

When there were no more interruptions from the other guards Ogras had no trouble avoiding both the spiders and the sticky webs , and gracefully moved toward the large body of the guard . It screeched in alarm but the huge armored guard actually ignored it , intent on killing the two pests next to it .

Zac didn’t have the nimbleness of the demon and could only do a more simple approach . He launched a large blade that flew toward the head of the spider , ripping any webs or spiders into pieces that were in the way . The attack essentially created a path for him , and he quickly moved through the passage with his movement skill . It took less than ten seconds for the two to finish off the third royal guard .

Zac and Ogras were breathing heavily , but they couldn’t stop yet . Ogras was still bleeding from his wounds as well , but he somehow was reducing the blood loss with the help of shadows that tightly twisted around his torso . Zac’s whole body was hurting from being slammed by various attacks and shockwaves , but he still got on his feet with a sigh and started charging toward the fourth royal guard .

There was still one to go .

Chapter 109 - The final push

Alea was in dire straits , dodging and movement weren’t her strong suits , and she was further impeded by carrying Janos around . The mage was weakly trying to confuse the last royal guard with illusions after having absorbed enough energy from a Nexus Crystal , but it was as though the huge armored ant was locked onto them .

Zac saw with some surprise that the cracks that appeared when both he and Ogras assaulted the crystal were already closed up , making the chitinous armor look as good as new .

He has regenerated the damage already , - Zac said , and Ogras only nodded in response .

Zac sighed and readied his axe , but Ogras held up his hand .

What? - Zac asked , anxious to help Alea and Janos out .

When we kill this big guy all the Royal Guards will be dead and we’ll be able to attack the Queen’s Core . But we don’t know if the Hive Queen will be able to unleash some sort last desperate attack when the guards are down and the shield is removed . The queen is a true E-Ranked being , while the guards only seem to be elite F-Grade beings on the cusp of evolving , - Ogras said while looking over his wound .

We should instantly destroy the crystal the second the last guard dies to avoid any unexpected things . If I kill this big fucker , do you have a finisher to use against the crystal? - the demon continued .

Zac thought it sounded like a good idea , and after some hesitation nodded .

I need ten seconds of time to charge the attack , - Zac said . Actually , he barely needed half that , but the attack he was about to unleash was his current ace in the hole and he didn’t want to give out its details . It put Alea and Janos in danger for an additional five seconds , but he could only make it up to them later .

Ogras nodded and readjusted the grip of his spear .

Start charging , - the demon said as shadows were starting to gather around him and his eyes turned completely black . Shadows were soon covering every inch of his body , turning him into a being of darkness . Ogras started emanating a sinister pressure that gave even Zac a hair-raising feeling . Whatever the demon was doing was something Zac had never seen before , and it was likely his strongest attack .

Zac didn’t hesitate and started pouring huge amounts of cosmic energy into his right forearm . It was time to unleash Nature’s Punishment] . The eleven days of mindless killing was more than enough to finish his quest to decapitate 10 000 enemies . Luckily the System considered his kills solo battle even though he was part of the demon army , as long as he was fully responsible for the kills of the insects .

The fractal on his arm was like a bottomless hole , and after seven seconds he already had poured 80% of his remaining cosmic energy into it .

Get ready , - Ogras hissed in a raspy voice , currently looking like a true denizen of darkness . Two ephemeral black wings had sprouted on his back , softly waving back and forth , each reaching over three meters in length . The spear in his hand was throbbing like it possessed a heart , and as the last seconds passed the heartbeat quickened to a frenzied thumping .

Just before ten seconds passed Ogras punched off from the ground , a wave of darkness flooding out from him . He turned into a large black beam that shot straight toward the chest of the last Royal Guard .

There was no impact and no sound from the clash .

Suddenly there simply was a hole spanning three meters in the last guard’s chest , going straight through the beast . The guard’s head was only attached to its body with a small string , which broke and fell down onto the floor with a thud where Ogras appeared once again . He stabbed a four-meter long lance of darkness into the head to make sure it was dead .

Zac didn’t hesitate and put Verun’s Bite] into his bag . He pushed his hand forward in a grasping motion as though he was trying to grasp the huge crystal from a distance . It felt like he was trying to push through solid matter with his arm , but he only roared and pushed forward with his arm as he poured the last of his energy into the fractal .

With a large dissonant sound a huge crack appeared in the air , as a gigantic rough brown hand emerged out of nowhere . It was quickly evident that the hand was not of a humanoid , at least not one of flesh and blood , as the hand was wrought from tree and roots .

The fingers didn’t have any nails , and only got thinner and ended in sharp spikes . Its size was huge , each finger being roughly five meters long , and if one looked closely one could actually see that many of the roots formed what looked like fractals all across the limb .

The wooden hand mirrored the movement of Zac’s hand , grasping toward the crystal . The translucent shield that earlier was somewhat visible around it just gave a bright flash before it winked out of existence , showing that the protective layer that stopped them earlier was gone .

The Core wouldn’t simply lay down and give up , as it started to emanate an even greater pressure from before as its green light turned painfully bright . The energy emitted was so great that Zac was starting to get pushed back even though he stood almost fifty meters away , but Nature’s Punishment] kept moving forward . As the wooden hand pushed toward the crystal it started smoking and steaming due to the light . It looked like the light from the core was burning it , and simultaneously Zac’s hand stared to blister as well .

Zac only grunted and pushed his hand forward , and the enormous hand gripped the Core like a vise and squeezed . A weird screeching echoed throughout the cavern and the whole structure started to shake , while the large hand actually caught a green fire . However , the power in the hand was enormous , and cracks quickly started to appear on the crystal until it completely crumbled with a huge explosion .

The hand dissipated as an enormous shockwave slammed Zac and his party into the wall of the core room , the force almost enough to knock him unconscious . He shook his head , dizzy from the impact , and looked around . His whole body felt broken and a stinging pain throbbed from his right arm . When he looked down at it he saw that it was completely scalded , looking like he had put his arm into boiling water .

The Nature’s Punishment] worked out really well , apart from his blistering hand . The Core gave out a force that kept even Zac away unable to approach , but it managed to push forward without any problem . It was a shame that the Core somehow was able to obscure the Dao from him as they fought since Zac had wanted to try the skill with its full power .

He was pretty sure that the attack would be strengthened with the Seed of Trees since the hand was made of wood and roots . Perhaps the attack would be even stronger , or perhaps the hand would have been more resilient , and he wouldn’t have ended up with a burned hand .

At least he gained another level from the fight , as a huge surge of cosmic energy entered him the moment the Core shattered , a far larger amount compared to when he killed the fiend wolf . That was the third level he gained during the ant waves .

It wasn’t the same speed he had during the last waves , but it was still apparently an enormous speed according to Ogras . The others on top of the ladder hadn’t leveled at all , or maybe gained one level during the same period . He was currently level 54 while Salvation was on the second spot with level 43 .

Ten levels might not seem like a lot , but Zac knew the horrifying amount of wolves and ants he killed to bridge that gap . It would probably take months for the guy or girl to reach Zac’s stage , and by then who knew what level Zac would be . He put those things aside and took stock of his surroundings .

The others were in bad shape as well . Ogras was out of his shadow-form and coughed some blood as he tried to get back on his feet . Alea and Janos were lying unconscious , blood dripping out of their ears and mouths . One of Janos’ legs was in a weird angle as well , clearly broken .

Zac sat up with a few coughs while he fished out his last E-Grade nexus crystal and started absorbing . He only managed to absorb a smidgeon before he was interrupted though . The whole cavern was shaking ominously , some small cracks already starting to appear on the walls .

He hastily got to his feet with a grunt and stumbled to Janos and Alea , and flung them over his shoulders . He was only running on fumes at the moment , but with his attributes it was no real difficulty carrying two people .

What's going on? - Zac croaked at Ogras who finally had got to his feet .

It feels like the hidden space is cracking , we need to get out of here NOW . We don’t know what parts will remain and what parts will be sucked into oblivion , - Ogras answered while he popped a healing pill into his mouth .

Luckily the tunnels they entered through once again were opened with the hive queen’s death , and they scurried out through one of them . The shaking started to get worse , and there were even cracks in space itself appearing , making the air look like a broken mirror . The two didn’t dare go near any of those widening rifts , afraid to be thrown into the void .

They encountered some ants during the mad dash out , but they were completely immobile , blankly standing still unaware of the surroundings . The two simply ignored them and kept going , the greedy demon not even contemplating stopping to kill the free targets . Ogras usually was in charge of deciding the path , but when he found no clues what to do they simply trusted Zac’s Luck stat , letting him choose at random .

As they ran the cracks in space only got wider and wider until they were starting to get afraid they might not make it out in time . Luckily they finally felt the wind and fresh air in the distance , and reinvigorated they increased their speed . As they turned a corner they were met with the light of the outside , and heedlessly ran out .

The duo stumbled out of the tunnels next to each other , overlooking a vast field of dead ants and panting demons . To Zac surprise , he also saw Sap Trang among the fighters , bloodied but alive . Ilvere and Namys came running up to them and took care of the two unconscious generals , with Namys throwing Zac a baleful glare after seeing Ogras’ state .

Finally safe Zac opened up his quest screen .

Incursion Master (Unique) : Close or conquer incursion and protect town from denizens of other alignments for 3 months . Reward : 5 E-Grade Nexus Crystals , Town upgraded to City , status upgraded to Lord . (2/3) 20 : 02 : 32 : 25]

The second part was completed , though the huge carcass of the hive queen remained . The system never teleported away the corpses of the wolves , so Zac guessed that they would have to deal with the huge hive somehow . That would have to wait until a bit until later though , as Zac was completely spent . Besides , entering that thing right now was to toy with death .

Zac was in no mood to help out with the cleanup and slowly started making his way back to his camp . He had already eaten a healing pill , but his arm was still hurting quite badly .

Good work , young man , - a voice said from his side , and Zac looked up to see Mr . Trang standing some distance .

He was currently using a spear to make sure that the insects on the ground were actually dead . Zac guessed that the experience would be a pretty decent boost if the old fisherman found some live ones still around . Zac didn’t have the energy to chat with the old man and only nodded at him as he continued on .

Zac made his way past the wall and the small town and soon found himself in the comfortable stillness of his camp . There were very few who dared to approach this area without invitation , giving it a stillness . But lately , this stillness was starting to get interrupted more and more .

You’re the Super Brother-Man , aren’t you? - a voice came from the movie-viewing canopy . It was Emily who was watching a comedy series with a blank face .

Zac sighed and sat down next to her .

Chapter 110 - Exploration

Why do you say that? - Zac simply asked , taking out a piece of pre-grilled meat from his pouch .

I have been going over things since you started fighting those insects . There are many things that don’t make sense . You’re so strong . Like crazy strong . I have never seen or heard anything like it while I traveled with mom and dad , - she answered as she stared at him .

And while you fought like a madman the Super Brother-Man gained two levels , and a third while you were inside fighting the boss , - Emily continued .

Zac said nothing and only continued eating , tired in both body and mind .

Besides , these demons are weird . They know way too much . Not even the cultivators in the cities know many of the things Alyn explained . And they’re way stronger than normal humans . They’re not a race that got newly integrated like us . I think you have captured them from an incursion or something , -

Noone can capture this man , little brat , - a voice said from behind as Ogras materialized from the shadows . - We simply came to an agreement with Zac and ended the incursion . -

Whatever , - she said with a roll of her eyes .

What are you doing here? - Zac asked as he turned back to the demon . He didn’t bother trying to refute the demon who essentially admitted to being a foreign invader . It was their problem after all , not Zac’s .

I am here to tell you that I’m buying the fruit and will be in seclusion for a while , - Ogras answered . Clearly the healing pills that he ate earlier were quite good since the wound on his chest was largely healed .

Ok . I might be heading out again soon just so you know . Take care of things if I’m gone after your seclusion is finished . If you think it will take a longer while then inform Alea and the others , - Zac answered .

Ogras only nodded and disappeared with the shadows .

It’s true isn’t it? -

…Yes , - Zac simply said . - Do the other humans know? -

Maybe not those idiots with Megan , they’re too scared to think straight . But I think that old grampa knows , - Emily said with a pout .

No one said anything , but as the silence stretched on Emily’s eyes reddened and two streams of tears started falling down her face . She quickly wiped them as Zac ignored his weary body while getting on his feet , and walked over to Emily . He didn’t say anything , but only patted her head .

I was really worried , - Emily said with a small voice .

I know . I’m sorry , - Zac sighed .

He sat down next to her as she kept blankly watching the television . He tried to stay up but between the soft chair and finally being able to relax he soon fell into a deep slumber .

He woke up some time later and found that Emily wasn’t around anymore . There was a package on the coffee table with some bread and meat . The farmers had actually started up some temporary fields within the wall to provide the army with some other food apart from meat , and it looked like it finally had started to pay dividends . Zac was amazed at the speed of the growth of the produce , and couldn’t wait to set up proper farms as soon as the waves were dealt with .

He had been afraid that the apocalypse would bring with it a lack of food and drink , but it obviously wasn’t the case . The beasts were getting more numerous , and farming was getting more efficient . Noone should starve to death as long as they controlled some land . Besides , as long as people had access to a System-run shop , they could feed a family for just 10 Nexus Coin a day .

Zac sighed and opened up his status screen .

Name

Zachary Atwood

Level

54

Class

Hatchetman (F)

Race

Human (E)

Alignment

Human (Earth)

Titles

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

Dao

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

Strength

279

Dexterity

140

Endurance

186

Vitality

113

Intelligence

69

Wisdom

57

Luck

77

Free Points

3

Nexus Coins

21 675 103

Fighting the ant wave the past eleven days gave him ten million Nexus Coins , covering the cost of building the Teleportation Array earlier . It hadn’t given any titles or Dao upgrades either , apart from finishing the quest for his new attack skill . He was very curious about how his new skill would improve when the skill got stronger in the future .

Nature's Punishment - Proficiency : Early . Awaken the wrath of the world . Upgradeable

At early proficiency a huge hand emerged out of the void . He wasn’t sure whether he was summoning a living being , or whether the hand just was a copy of his own . Perhaps as he and the skill got stronger he would be able to summon a huge avatar that could fight in his stead .

He put one point in Strength and two points in Endurance and closed the window . With his Race boost he wouldn’t have to worry about attribute caps for a long while , and now that his other stats were in order he felt he could focus more on his main one once again .

He ate the food left for him by either Alea or Emily and got up and headed to the town . He met a few demons who nodded in respect to him as he walked , and gave a simple nod back . His reputation kept increasing among the former invaders as his achievements increased .

As he entered the town he saw Megan and another tourist scurry about , each carrying a hoe . It looked like they were on farm-duty today . They saw Zac’s approach but after a brief hesitation turned their eyes down and kept moving .

The humans had been horrified when they were taken to the battlefield . Zac’s intention was to let them see the reality of the new world and made a few warriors escort them to the advance wall while he battled during the fourth day . The sight of a battalion of demons fighting tooth and nail against a horde of mutated ants made them realize that their trials and tribulations on the last island were nothing compared to what they were witnessing .

Since then they never said anything about fighting or getting stronger and stuck to their daily tasks instead . A few started working on the temporary farms and others helping with cooking and other tasks around the village . Zac was a bit disappointed but he also knew that not everyone could become a warrior in this new reality .

The only one from the group of twelve who still wanted a combat class was Sap Trang . Unfortunately for him he was just too far behind in power at the moment , so he couldn’t really partake in the grind fest of the monster hordes . At least it looked like he managed to get some kills in at the end of the siege , which should have been quite a boost since each of the ants gave as much cosmic energy as a couple of Barghest .

Zac found Ilvere sitting under a canopy playing an unfamiliar instrument close to the larger tent where they usually held their war meetings . It was a stringed instrument that reminded Zac a bit of Guqin , though the notes generated from the crystalline strings sounded closer to a violin . It was an odd sight , seeing the burly warrior playing such a delicate instrument .

The triumphant Lord returns , - the warrior said as he stopped playing .

Did you hear about Ogras’ seclusion? And what are you doing? - Zac asked after greeting the general with a nod .

Yes , he will likely be gone for some time , - Ilvere answered . - I’m simply relaxing . It’s important to properly rest body and mind after an intense battle . Sometimes the tranquility after the battle can give as much or even more insight than the fight itself . -

Zac nodded , as it made sense . People couldn’t always have a breakthrough in the middle of battle , even though it squeezed out their potential . Sometimes some reflection afterward was all that was needed to take the final step in pushing through a boundary .

How was the fight yesterday? - Zac asked .

Four casualties . With Rivea and Herod it makes six , the worst day since the hordes started , - he answered with a sigh .

Zac could only nod , feeling a bit bitter . His army was continuously shrinking . When the wolf hordes started roughly two hundred warriors manned the wall , and today only 160 remained . Twenty percent of his army had died during the last forty days . Of course , some were killed by Ogras and Namys , but the majority died in battle .

Zac had been quite despondent in the beginning losing one warrior after another , but he was starting to get used to it . People dying while trying to get stronger was the most normal thing in the multi-verse , and no one held any real regrets over it . To cultivate was to defy death . Some did it for the increase in longevity , others for power and wealth . But what all had in common was the knowledge that any day might be their last .

I plan on sending out expeditions to map the surrounding islands . Please assemble four teams . The goal is reconnaissance , but at least one competent fighter in each team . The team members will be compensated in crystals or Nexus Coins , - Zac said .

You should know that none of us know anything about sailing or naval warfare . There aren’t any oceans on our home planet , - Ilvere said as he rose to his feet to get to work .

I know , I will send one of the sailors from the humans with each group . So at least one in each team needs to know the Book of Babel] skill . You people should take advantage that it’s available in the contribution store , you are stuck on a foreign planet after all , - Zac answered .

Many have actually bought it already . Some are just like you , getting antsy from staying on this island months on end . Most came through the incursion to gain insight and wealth , and that can’t be done while staying inside some walls , - Ilvere said with half a smile . - I’m sure there will be many willing scouts . -

Zac nodded and headed off to find Sap Trang and his fellow villagers . After explaining the situation the four fishermen agreed to help out after some hesitation .

If we find some of our lost villagers , can we bring them back? - Mr . Trang asked after some silence .

Yes , that’s ok . You cannot say anything about the situation on the Island though before they are here . The situation here is… Special . If you do the soldiers have orders to silence you and everyone who heard it , - Zac answered . It was extremely strict rules , but he simply couldn’t allow any information about his island to leak yet .

He learned some things about Lordship from Alyn and Ogras while he rested during the Ant-Waves . A Lord held various benefits in controlling a town or even a country as they gained access to a so-called Lord-System . Originally the system was used as a method for generals of the Ancient Empire to control their armies , but with the Apostate of Order the system became generalized and gained a host of new features .

As the system evolved over time various functions were added , and today many benefits existed . For example a Lord could automatically enforce a tax on his empire . There were no loopholes either , as the System was in control of the taxation . The only downside was that The System itself took a cut of the taxes .

Lords also got access to more functions on their teleporters and could even get invited to grand happenings such as auctions and special events in the multi-verse that commoners did not have access to .

Other humans will have to stay put even if they want to come over . Come back and report their situation to me and I’ll decide what to do about it . -

Very well . We understand the importance of discretion . Those who left before us were mainly the younger generation from our village . They risked their lives to find help for us , but we never heard back from them . If we can find them and bring them back here I’m sure their future will be better than in most parts of the world , - the fisherman answered .

Good . Start preparing , I want the four teams setting out within three days . I’ll provide the ships for you , - Zac said as he turned to leave .

One minute please , I was wondering if I could consult you about my class , - Mr . Trang said quickly .

Zac was a bit surprised as he turned around and inspected the fisherman , only to see he actually was level 25 . He must have worked quite arduously since he was only level 21 when he arrived at Port Atwood . Zac remembered how much work he himself put into finishing those last levels .

What about it? - Zac asked , a bit curious about what Class the fisherman chose for himself .

Chapter 111 - Wave Whisperer

I haven’t actually chosen yet , but I’ve seen which options I have . They are Fisherman , Dockhand , Marine , Acolyte , and Wave Whisperer , - the fisherman began .

The first two were pretty straightforward non-combat classes , whereas the next two were classes Zac knew himself . The old fisherman likely got the option for Acolyte since he bought the Water Spear skill earlier . Wave Whisperer was the only one that was unclear to him . It sounded like a water-based class , but more than that he was unsure .

I am wavering between Marine and Wave Whisperer . Both are uncommon classes connected to the sea . The Wave Whisperer is connected to taming and controlling aquatic wild-life that might be very convenient in this new world . We saw fish as large as sharks while sailing here , and who knows what else lurks in the depths . Controlling the giants of the sea might both help with scouting and protection , - he continued .

However , my stats are all toward strength and endurance so far , it might be a waste to take a mage class after this . What do you think? - he asked Zac .

The stats you get before your class are insignificant on the road of cultivation . If you believe that Wave Whisperer will be more beneficial , take it . You can make up the missing stats with natural treasures and training in the future , - Zac said .

Sounds reasonable , I will do just that , - Sap Trang said with a nod .

Zac nodded and left the living quarters of the fishermen . He knew that the wily old fisherman actually didn’t require help but just wanted to show his sincerity to Zac by divulging his future class . He already tried to show his worth before the ant waves , and after seeing Zac and the other’s power his desire to pave a path for his villagers only grew .

Next , he went to the Creator’s shipyard and ordered four of the small exploratory vessels for a million Nexus Coins each . Karunthel , the spider-foreman , was not around , as Rahm explained that he was currently occupied with some experiments . For people like Karunthel and the Creators experimentation was in a way cultivation . If they created something functional and new they would gain a huge surge of experience , maybe to the point of gaining multiple levels .

It was generally the same with many of the non-combat classes . A farmer who reaped a whole field after tending it for months could gain a handful of levels . The higher the difficulty and grade of the herbs or vegetables that were grown the more energy would be awarded . That was why many blacksmiths and other crafting professions preferred to craft hard and high-grade items , rather than mashing together an endless stream of low-grade items . The benefits , both in wealth and levels , if the craft succeeded far outweighed anything low-grade items could compare to .

Other non-combat classes were more of the slow-and-steady type , such as Adran’s Administration class that consistently gained cosmic energy while handling town matters . There were certain events though that could award large sudden boosts in experience , such as a town upgrade .

Next , he walked over to the small house that Alyn resided in . He found the demoness sitting on the porch in the same comfortable chair she used down in the mines .

How is Emily doing? - he asked .

She has started following the methods to attain mage classes , but she still insists on training with an axe for a few hours every day , - she said as she put down her book with a sigh .

Well , it’s her decision , so let her proceed . Who knows what class she’ll be able to get from the combination , - Zac said with a shrug .

I’ve read that cultivators of newly integrated planets are far more likely to choose unique and unknown classes , but that is a dangerous game to play . You humans will soon see the folly in your ways . I wouldn’t be surprised if more than half the people on your so-called ladder right now will be stuck at F-class forever . If breaking through to the next levels was that easy then Clan Azh’Rezak wouldn’t only have a handful of D-rank ancestors after thousands of years of accumulation , - the teacher said with a serious face .

You need to have your people choose sensible and common classes so that you can get some guaranteed E-Rank Uncommon underlings . Who knows , perhaps some of them might even be able to evolve into D-Rank in the distant future . -

I am not going to tell people what classes they choose . None of the people on the island are really my subjects . Of course , it might change in the future when you create your Academy , - Zac answered .

Actually I have a question about class rarities , - he said as he changed the subject to the old fisherman .

He is a normal fisherman but he got multiple uncommon skills to choose from when you said that barely one out of a thousand got uncommon classes after studying at an academy , how is that possible? -

The first class is mainly based on achievements and experiences since people rarely are in contact with the Dao at that stage . Someone old will have more of those than a youngster who’s only 16 . However , that doesn’t mean one should wait with choosing a class , - the demon answered . - The older one is the harder it gets to improve one's race . I am not sure if Mr . Trang will be able to evolve his race even with the medicinal baths . The optimal time for evolution has passed . Even if he managed to evolve it will involve far more resources compared to someone normal , - Alyn concluded .

What about me? - Zac asked curiously .

Your prime age for evolution had passed , but you side-stepped that with the Fruit of Ascension . Now you’re a thirty-year-old whose lifespan is 500 years , that’s almost a baby , - she said with a slight smile .

But generally its better to evolve as soon as possible , it will be cheaper and you will avoid any risk of your body simply not being able to withstand another evolution . If it takes too long your body might not be able to take that last step , precluding you from evolving . So as soon as you reach E-Rank Class you should start working on your Race again , - she added .

On another note . We do not have any cultivation manuals at the moment . Emily is turning 16 in a month and she should be using a cultivation manual from the start . It will help her immensely , as reforming pathways at a later date can be quite painful and dangerous , - Alyn said .

Zac could only grimace while nodding , remembering his own harrowing experience when he improved his pathways from his initial rudimentary ones . That was likely his first large mistake , and it almost got him killed .

Since there were some pretty good cultivation manuals in the Contribution Stone he decided to purchase a few of the cheaper ones . It was not only for Emily , but it would be needed if he wanted to create an Academy in the future . There were not many other things that grabbed his interest in the shop anyway , and the expenditure seemed acceptable .

There was only one thing he was planning on buying before heading out again , a skill called Mental Fortress] . It was a skill that both protected him from skills like Eye of Discernment] , and also boosted the defense against mental attacks and illusions . It cost ten million contribution points , which made it one of the most expensive skills , but he could afford it . The battle against the ants almost gave him as much as the whole wolf horde , and he currently possessed roughly 34 million points .

Feeling done with everything he needed to do he walked back to his camper and spent the rest of the day recuperating . His arm was still hurting quite badly , while his feet still had blisters from the acid bath .

Emily came back later that evening , preferring to stay at his camper rather than her assigned housing close to Alyn . He didn’t know it was the familiarity of the camper or the presence of him that made her more comfortable , but he didn’t mind as he had gotten used to falling asleep outside under the moonlight in any case .

You know , I’m wondering what the world would think if they knew the strongest and the wealthiest man after the apocalypse lives like a hobo outside a camper in the woods , - she said with a grin , obviously having recovered from earlier .

Zac only rolled his eyes and motioned her to sit down . He took out his kit for grilling meat and started preparing some food for the evening . Emily sat down and took out something from her backpack . It was a covered tray , and when she lifted the lid Zac noticed a couple of long pieces of dough .

Give me two spits , - she said and Zac curiously complied . - Mom made these during the summer , its really only water , flour , and salt , but it still gets pretty yummy when grilled . It’s a shame we don’t have butter though . -

She took out one of the pieces of dough from the tray and wrapped it around the spit . She did the same with the second spit and then she placed them some distance from the fire .

I think it’s called caveman bread? I don’t remember anymore , - she added as she kept an eye on her spits .

Zac only smiled and salted the large slabs of meat . He made a mental reminder to get some stock of various things when he left next time .

You’re leaving the island again , aren’t you? - she said as she kept spinning the spits .

Yes , in a few days , - Zac answered .

Let me go with you! - Emily immediately burst out , looking up at him .

You know , I can’t go back through the beastman village . They closed their teleporter the moment after we used it . The portal I will use might lead to the opposite side of the planet , far from wherever your siblings might be . -

You don’t know that . They might be right where you end up , and you will not be able to recognize them , - she retorted , starting to work up a huff .

It was true . One of the things he learned from Emily about the tutorial was that the end-point of the tutorial sometimes was randomized . Well , not really randomized as much as some were lucky and others weren’t .

As the cultivators were undergoing the tutorial the world was rearranged , and the system dropped off the cultivators at a spot of its choosing when it was over . Some were lucky that the system chose their own turf when they got returned , like the villagers of Winterleaf village . But most were dumped at a completely unknown place .

Zac asked the demons about it and they thought it sounded like a test . Many would start traveling home , braving dangers to find a way back to their families . Most would likely die , but some would emerge stronger from the experience . Others would give up and hide behind walls , becoming despondent shut-ins like the people of Fort Roger .

That explained why Hannah and the others were never returned , and also meant that Emily’s siblings might be anywhere .

Come on , I will be very helpful . I have visited many towns and know how to find information . I will be useful to you . If you go alone you might just make a scene and get in all kinds of trouble , - she quickly said . - Besides , I’m turning 16 soon . Traveling might help me get a better class . -

Zac kept slowly spinning his spit , mulling things over . He wasn’t sure what to expect from his next excursion , and it was a bit troublesome to keep her safe since she couldn’t use the defensive gear yet . However , she might actually be useful .

During the ant waves there were actually two new choices that cropped up . One was called Cradle of God , and it seemed a bit too weird for Zac’s taste , and not somewhere he’d even consider bringing Emily . He actually had a suspicion that it was the home of Salvation , the second-place holder of the ladder . Judging by the Pseudonym he chose , it wouldn’t be too far-fetched he’d name his town like that . He knew nothing about that person , and he wouldn’t teleport there since it might get extremely dangerous .

The second option made Zac far more hopeful , as it was called New Washington . It wasn’t very imaginative , but it clearly was an American town . The name implied it was government-run as well , and it might be the best bet for him to gain information . He realized it might be a trap , and that was another reason he was hesitant in bringing Emily .

The people who possessed access to an array would generally be elites , and you had to have some balls if you planned on doing something untoward . Besides , he already knew the system restricted the use of the array as some sort of deathtrap . He couldn’t place any offensive arrays around it or place it far underground for example .

Still , he had a very clear goal , and bringing Emily would likely slow him down in addition to putting her in needless danger . He wasn’t heading out on a stroll after all .

I am sorry . You will have to stay here until you have started cultivating . At that point , you can use defensive treasures and protect yourself . I don’t know what I’ll encounter when I step out of the teleporter , - Zac finally said with a sigh . - But I will ask around for you about your siblings . My main goal is to find my hometown just like you , so I understand your feelings . -

Emily didn’t seem to care about the promise and angrily huffed as she ran toward the camper , completely forgetting about the bread .

Chapter 112 - Back to the Scene of the Crime

The next few two days went by excruciatingly slow for Zac who just wanted to get up and leave . However there were more and more things to do in order to keep his town running . He couldn’t wait for finishing the third horde in a few weeks . When he became a lord he’d get a system-trained administrator , perhaps Abby , who he could leave most of the work to . Adran was a competent worker , but Zac felt it was much too early to start giving the demons real influence in his future town , especially since their alliances mostly lay with Ogras .

Ogras was someone who would take a bit of advantage and run away with it . Zac still believed that the demon would do his best in order to improve the state of Port Atwood , at least for ten years , but he wouldn’t lower his guard until he found some real assurances . Therefore Zac still felt the need to personally oversee some details .

He met up with Alea and Janos who were mostly fine , with the exception of Janos’ leg . The poison mistress looked a bit annoyed upon hearing Zac was leaving once again but didn’t say anything . Zac also talked with a few of the mages , who promised to start work on an improved home for him . Emily’s comment the other day made him realize he’d forgotten about actually improving his camp . He remembered Ogras’ lush palace over at Azh’Rodum , and even a tenth of that would be a nice upgrade to his own living situation .

The second thing he did was to travel to the mountains . He brought only Alea with him this time , pushing his speed to the limit . It wasn’t some romantic reasoning behind it , he rather needed her to spot any leftover poison .

Earlier when he traveled this distance he usually had to be careful and moved in a normal walking speed , but now he ran , ignoring the occasional barghest . The trip would take over a day back in the day , but now it only took a couple of hours . Surprisingly Alea seemed to have no problem keeping up either .

The mountain valley had finally cleared out enough for him to start collecting everything of value from his killing spree . He didn’t want to leave this treasure trove as he left the island again . And it was an especially nice timing since Ogras was occupied with absorbing the Fruit of Ascension . Zac learned that it could take weeks to absorb a treasure of that magnitude . A big reason he almost died in the pond was that the mix of Cosmic Water and the Fruit of Ascension made the absorption only take minutes rather than days , which overtaxed his body .

He didn’t set about collecting it all in order to hoard the wealth for himself . He planned on using much of it as rewards and salaries for the demons and other citizens in the future , or even stocking stores with the weapons that lay about . Besides , who knew what secret treasures all the elites of the demon army had pocketed for themselves .

They arrived at the mountain slopes at lunch , and after making sure that there wasn’t any poison around , they scaled the mountain from the same side as the demon army once did . From there the two followed along the path of the battle , picking up any armor and weapon that seemed useful . The corpses were quite decayed , but at least the scorching sun and blowing winds had caused them to dry out rather than rot , so the stench wasn’t as bad as Zac had feared .

Many of them lay in pools of dried but putrid-looking liquid though , and Alea explained that the poison he threw out would cause them to vacate from every orifice , completely drying them out , as the victims were dying . From that it was pretty clear which ones died from poison and which ones were dead from the battle before .

The number of demons lying in a pool of waste was quite terrifying , even out at the rim of the valley . Zac mentally shut down and wordlessly kept collecting items . Even Alea seemed subdued by the sight as she helped him out with the collection . They kept moving about for most of the day , finally reaching the epicenter of the poison , the scarlet tree .

The tree still stood up , even though many of its branches were destroyed in the battle . However , its trunk was no longer red , but purple , reminiscent of the poison cloud . The once pristine white leaves were also changed , now having purple veins covering them .

It made a bit of sense as the closer they got to the tree it was obvious that the corpses were even more dried out . Perhaps the tree absorbed the poisoned warriors to heal itself in the same way it absorbed the trees earlier . From all the poison it seemed that it mutated somehow .

How magical! I wonder what kind of fruit a poisoned Tree of Ascension will sprout . I hope it survives its current ordeal , - Alea said as she stared at the changed tree in wonder .

Can we cure it? - Zac asked , more interested in growing normal Fruit of Ascension instead of any weird mutated ones .

Maybe a skilled botanist could , but the poison has reached its core from absorbing too much of it from the area , it might cleanse it by itself over time , or it might mutate . Or it will simply succumb and die , we’ll have to wait and see , - she answered with a shrug .

If it makes a poison version of a Fruit of Ascension I want it , - she added as she stared at him with serious eyes . - It might even give me a poison constitution . -

We’ll see what happens with the tree before deciding on any allocation . There is a lot of gear to collect , - Zac answered noncommittally .

It was true , the area was packed with elite warriors . Many of those who fought close to the tree even owned their own Cosmos Sacks as well , making it easier to collect their wealth . They methodically went through the central battlefield as well , and by the end of it Zac had another Seventy pouches in his possession .

Finally the two walked over to Rydel , lying close to the tree , a large grisly hole in his chest and a broken arm .

This wound… Did Ogras do this? - Alea asked with surprise .

I thought the four of you knew? - Zac retorted , equally surprised . - I battled Rydel and that monkey over there , but I only managed to break his arm and expend most of his aces . He was about to kill me when Ogras attacked . -

Zac bent down and grabbed a pouch attached to his belt .

Wait , check within his clothes as well . Rydel was the unofficial leader of the invasion and a scion of the Azh’Rezak main branch . He should have more than one pouch , - Alea interjected .

Zac nodded and with a grimace started reaching around within the corpse’s clothes . After a while he actually found another pouch .

Zac inspected the two and was shocked by their quality . The one Rydel wore on his waist was quite large , comprising roughly ten by ten meters of space , far larger compared to his own ones which only had two-three meters of space . It mainly contained daily items , such as some foods and clothes . It also contained a couple of thousands of crystals and a few other assorted items .

However , the inner one was on another level completely , to the point that Zac suspected that it was an E-Grade pouch rather than F-Grade . It had a cubic space of roughly fifty meters , meaning it had a whopping 125 000 cubic meters of space . He would be able to fit a small airplane in it if he found one .

The pouch was mostly empty , but there was a small mountain containing tens of thousands of F-Grade crystals . There were also neatly stacked weapons and a huge supply of food . There even were a few siege weapons , looking far more sophisticated compared to the ones the demons built back at Port Atwood . Another corner held a bunch of vials containing pills , labeled and ordered . There also were a couple of ornate boxes , and Zac guessed those things held the real prizes .

The inner pouch held the backup resources of the whole demon invasion Zac realized as his heartbeat sped up . It was a huge amount of wealth , even for him . He recognized a few of the pills by now , and many of them cost tens of thousands Nexus Coins per pop . There were over a hundred of each type of those pills .

Zac took out the various boxes and things one by one and together with Alea categorized them . There were certain fruits that could improve the constitution far more efficiently compared to the medicinal bath , and Zac gave a few of them to Alea after seeing her hungry eyes . He didn’t need them for himself and felt it was a decent reward for having fought two horde bosses with him . He put aside most of the rest for Janos and the others though .

The contribution board clearly was an effective method of motivating people , and Zac was thinking of establishing something similar after the beast hordes . If people contributed to Port Atwood , they’d gain contribution points , and with those points they could buy various things from him .

He immediately consulted Alea about it and to his embarrassment learned that such a thing was pretty standard in the multi-verse , and not some novel new idea he concocted . Many of the things in the huge pouch were likely even meant for just that purpose during the invasion .

Done with the looting they started heading back toward the camp . The amount of wealth he collected was enormous , and including all the armors and tools Alea and he estimated the value easily surpassed a hundred million nexus coins . It was no surprise that war was so common in the multi-verse , it was extremely lucrative .

Finally all preparations were done and Zac prepared to set out . During the return he transferred most of the wealth to the large pouch which he now carried hidden under his E-Grade Robe . He left some of it to Adran so that the warriors could get new gear . Many of the demons were starting to look pretty ragged after battling two beast hordes , so they needed to swap out some of the broken items .

He actually brought a total of ten of the smallest cosmos bags with him as well , which he hid in a small travel bag . The reaction from Selas when he realized Zac possessed a Cosmos Bag was quite large , and Zac thought he might be able to sell them for quite a nice profit in a human settlement .

He learned from Calrin and Alea that these smallest cosmos bags were worth roughly a million nexus coins . Most people in the multi-verse possessed at least one , unless they were young and still needed to spend all their money on medicinal baths . They weren’t overly difficult to create for an experienced inscription master . The higher-grade ones required insight into the Dao of Space to create though , making them far more expensive .

Emily was still angry with him , but she still tried helping out in the end . On her insistence , he carried a large backpack to make it look less suspicious . Zac also wore a new pair of boots , which was actually starting to feel a bit uncomfortable after having adapted to the free feeling of nothing trapping his feet .

Zac gave some final instructions to Adran regarding the scouting missions and some other details before he walked toward the teleportation array . He inserted the crystals and paid the fee , and once again he disappeared from the island .

From the distance , a pair of eyes were observing everything , before receding into the shadows .

Chapter 113 - New Washington

After a minute of darkness a flash of light appeared in Zac’s eyes as he appeared in a large room . Zac’s brows immediately scrunched up when he saw roughly ten serious-looking soldiers aiming automatic rifles at him . He immediately got ready for a fight as he looked around while he activated Mental Fortress] and the Dao of Trees . A fractal briefly appeared on his forehead , but it soon disappeared into his head .

His new skill was quite convenient as it kept running automatically after activating , barely using any cosmic energy . It would take something like a day before he ran out of cosmic energy from its consumption , unless someone actually attacked him . Then the consumption would drastically increase , much like with an array .

It was a bit unfortunate that it only had a decent fit with his fractal pathways . His other skills were mostly class skills who could completely merge with his pathway system , allowing him to bring out their power to the fullest . With Mental Fortress] he guessed he could only bring out roughly 50% of the skill’s potential due to the average match . Still , it was far better than nothing , and together with his high stats and mental fortitude , it made for extremely sturdy protection .

There was only one exit to the teleportation room , and it was guarded by the army men . The rest of the interiors gave no clues as to where the house was located since there were no windows . Still , he wasn’t overly worried since there were humans in front of him . That meant there was a path to leave , and no door would impede him since he learned the Dao of Sharpness . He could simply cut metal like butter and walk straight through any restrictions .

What is going on? Do you welcome all guest through the barrels of your guns? - Zac asked with a glare .

The people in front of him looked like proper soldiers , but Zac had no real way to tell . If they were just pretending in order to lure him into a trap he would simply destroy them , but if they were actual government personnel he would tolerate their behavior even though he didn’t like the feeling of having guns pointed at him . Besides , with his erected defenses and his E-Grade garments he wasn’t in any real danger , so there was no real need to act hastily .

Please stay put for a bit until we receive orders , - one of the guards simply answered .

Zac contemplated pushing through the group but stopped himself . Who knew what else lurked behind the door . They might launch an actual rocket at him if he started attacking the guards , and he wasn’t sure he’d survive that . The seconds dragged on and the tense silence became heavier and heavier .

The guards looked hesitantly at each other but didn’t lower their weapons . As almost a minute passed even Zac was starting to get antsy as he considered whether he should bring out his axe just in case . But just as he was about to reach for his Cosmos Sack the door opened , and another group of people entered , showing a brief glimpse of a nondescript hallway behind .

Please excuse our safety measures . There was an… incident recently . My name is Julia Lombard , cultivator liaison of the New Government Initiative , - a female in her thirties said as she entered the room accompanied by two men .

She had a forgettable appearance , looking a bit like an office drone at a large corporation . She even wore a pantsuit , which felt quite out of place in this new world of theirs . The two men looked more like warriors , each having a sword strapped to their legs .

Since the group had already shown some discourtesy by aiming their weapons at him for a full minute , he decided he’d make things a bit even . He scanned the group with Eye of Discernment] and found that the army-guys were only level 15 . The two warriors were actually level 29 and 30 though , just falling a few levels short of entering the ladder . The office lady was almost as strong , reaching level 28 , which Zac guessed would be a respectable number anywhere .

The stronger group clearly sensed the scan and frowned as they reached toward their weapons . They stopped however after a glance from Julia . Zac hadn’t been sure , but it seemed that these people considered a scan pretty rude , same as with the rest of the multi-verse . Ogras had told him long ago that scanning people in a bar or the like was a sure-fire way to get into a fight unless you were a true powerhouse .

I understand your reaction , but please understand that anyone who steps through a teleportation array at this stage is likely a dangerous individual , and we have to take some precautions . The incident I mentioned earlier was when a few Zhix-warriors entered and immediately went berserk when they saw us humans . Fourteen people died before we were able to annihilate them , - she said .

Zhix? - Zac asked .

It’s what the government call the insectoid beings , while the Ishiate are the beastmen . We’re not sure if that is their actual name , but a scout with identifying skills got that name using the skill on them , so that’s what we call them , - Julia answered .

May I ask who you are and what force you belong to? - she continued .

Port Atwood , - Zac simply said , not deigning to hide the name of his town . They had no method to get there in any case , and he didn't have any plans of hiding its existence from the government in any case . He actually was interested in some cooperation with them , as long as they didn’t get too greedy for control . He already scheming demons to worry about , and didn’t want to add any more headaches to the mix until his position was completely solidified .

And you can call me Monk , - he concluded with a sigh .

He needed an alias that wasn’t his real name nor Super-Brother Man . He didn’t want to give out his real name since he might be forced to show his might , making it pretty clear that he was a ranker . That might put his family in danger if they managed to match him with his hometown or some old internet profile that they might have access to . Who knew what things the government had stored , even after the apocalypse .

Besides , his name was a clear indicator that he was the sole ruler of the town , something he was not ready to disclose yet . Since Emily sometimes called him Mr . Monk due to his appearance , he thought he might as well go with it for now .

When he mentioned the name of the town a few of the soldiers visibly relaxed . Zac guessed that all things were not harmonious even amongst the humans . He’d hoped that they would band together against the new tribulations , but he guessed that was too much to hope . Humanity had always been splintered and their own worst enemy , why would a simple apocalypse change that?

Monk is it? Pleased to meet you . Port Atwood is not a city we’re familiar with , may I ask who is running it? - the liaison asked skeptically .

It's run by a council , we’re an isolated town by the ocean . Since we couldn’t find any humans by foot we built a teleportation array to reconnect with humanity , - Zac answered .

How interesting . As we keep mapping the world we keep getting surprised how large our new planet is . Even with our tireless work we still only have a decent understanding of some parts of the world , but even that area is far larger compared to the old Earth , - she sighed .

How come your array is private? - one of the warriors gruffly interjected .

We have a limited understanding of the world and do not dare to open up the teleportation array to the public before we’re confident we won’t put the villagers at risk . My job is to scout out the situation and gather intelligence , - Zac answered .

I see , let me take you to a meeting room where we can discuss things further . I am sure there are many things you are curious about . Sharing information and creating a support system to restore order is the goal of the government after all , - Julia said as she motioned Zac to follow her .

Zac felt that a government wasn’t that benign to just do all this work from the goodness of their hearts . People of the multi-verse were first and foremost cared about their own empowerment and in some cases their Clans or Factions . Ogras often said that a freely outstretched hand usually hid some barbs , but Zac still followed the liaison , curious what she wanted to talk about .

As they exited the door and went through the corridor they exited the building housing the portal . Zac looked around and found they were in a large compound . It looked it was some old government or military facility that had been repurposed into a headquarter . The teleportation array was placed alone in a smaller fortified building , and there were even manned turrets close to it .

Soon they entered the main building that looked like a large office building made of stone and glass . It looked like a real security risk unless they placed some arrays on it , since a casual chop from him could destroy a large part of the structure . In general , he thought that any skyscrapers or anything similar were deathtraps by now unless they got some magical reinforcement .

As they entered the building they found themselves in a large high-ceiled lobby . However , only after taking a few steps Zac felt a prickling sensation from his newly acquired skill . Someone was using a mental skill on him . Without hesitation he took a small rock and chucked it like a bullet toward where he sensed the intrusion came from .

He still wasn’t sure about the power of his newly acquired skill , or what kind of skills cultivators from the tutorial possessed , and his reaction came from a fear of his identity being exposed . If someone got both his name and his level they would not only know his full name but also that he was the Super Brother-Man . It would be quite obvious from his extremely high level , and that turn could potentially put his family in danger .

The stone hurtled in almost supersonic speed toward a young woman who inconspicuously stood next to a pillar . She tried to hide behind the pillar , but her speed was nowhere enough to dodge a strike from Zac . The stone punched a hole in her gut and she was thrown a few meters back , a pool of blood quickly pooling beneath her .

The sudden caused quite a few people in the lobby to become highly alert , some even brandishing their weapons as they surrounded Zac and Julia’s .

That girl just used a mental attack on me so I reacted on instinct , - Zac commented as he looked at Julia who couldn’t hide her angered face before she managed to smooth out her features . Zac saw that the girl was still alive and felt slightly relieved . Between skilled army doctors and the new world’s high regeneration speeds and miraculous pills , she’d be fine . Things might have gotten more complicated if she died , judging by the irate crowd .

He thought he was being nice for not killing the girl . If she’d done something similar to someone like Ogras or most of the other demons she’d be full of holes by now . But obviously , the government workers didn’t consider his actions benign , as they looked ready to retaliate .

The sight made Zac feel tired and rather than afraid . Months and months of ceaseless slaughter had definitely changed his personality , making him more ruthless , and he was ready to fight everyone in this building if it came to it . It was just a shame that he’d create an antagonistic relationship with the government from the start .

Zac’s attack caused widespread anger , but obviously more with some . A young man in army gear brandished an average-looking sword and charged at Zac with a roar . The sword looked about the same as the ones that were carried by the two men next to Julia , and Zac guessed that the army was in the process of switching over to cold weaponry in order to gain Cosmic Energy from fighting .

Wait! - Julia shouted , seeing that the situation was turning south , but it was too late .

The angered man charged at Zac and did a wide swing that aimed to decapitate him . However , the clumsy and slow attack seemed like a joke to Zac who had gone through innumerable battles by now . The swing was all show and no substance , and with a quick jab he punched the blade at its flat side , making the strike miss its mark by quite a bit .

The strike left the soldier completely exposed , and Zac once again struck out with a punch , this one hitting his ribs . A sickening crunch could be heard as the man flew a roughly ten meters away , creating a heap on the floor . He was still alive though , as Zac didn’t really put any real strength in the strike .

Your - New Government’ has an interesting way of greeting travelers , - Zac said with a frown .

He was quite relieved he didn’t give in to Emily’s clamoring to bring her along . Even though hadn’t been too optimistic about the government he thought that they’d at least maintain some order and discipline , and hadn’t expected to be in a battle with them within minutes of arriving . Of course , it was his fault as well to a certain degree , but the mostly hostile greeting apart from Julia had made his survival instincts kick in .

Your teleportation array is starting to feel more and more like a trap rather than an invitation , - he sourly added .

Everyone calm down! Sergeant Miller and Private Smith will both be fine , but I need people to escort them to the infirmary . The Cultivator Special Branch Will handle this incident . Everyone back to your posts! - Julia shouted as she and the two bodyguards pushed an opening in the irate mob . She didn’t wait to see if her order was followed , as she ushered Zac into a corridor and from there a secluded meeting room .

The room looked much like any of the conference rooms he’d sat in before the apocalypse , with an oval table seating at most twelve people , with a TV and whiteboard at the side . The walls to the corridor were frosted glass , so he didn’t worry about it being a cell .

As they sat down she actually turned on a laptop that sat on the table and next turned on the TV . Zac was a bit surprised that the two actually worked since there didn’t seem to be much technology at work down in the lobby .

How are you getting electricity? - he asked curiously , already having forgotten the incident earlier .

For the humans at this it might have been a large incident , but for Zac who’d been bathed in blood for months , it barely registered .

Chapter 114 - Intelligence

A mix of diesel generators and solar panels . We have gathered panels since the fall , and they are actually working better than before , with there being two suns and all . Our goal is to build solar farms outside New Washington and provide the whole town with electricity , but for now it’s only for critical buildings such as this , along with a few charging stations in the town , and we use it sparingly , - she answered , seemingly taking some pride in their ability .

Once again I would like to apologize about the disturbance earlier . But I’d like to remind you to not resort to violence in New Washington . The rule of law still holds and criminals will be sentenced and jailed , - she said . - Some… confusion might happen while forces are reintegrated into society , and luckily no one died . The army will simply have to take the events as a lesson to conduct themselves better . I have prepared a small presentation about the current situation and our goals . I’m sure that the leaders of Port Atwood would be interested in this . -

Zac was about to protest that he was attacked first in both the cases , but in the end decided against it as he was more interested in hearing what she had to say .

Humanity is currently beset on multiple fronts , and we need to band together to survive , - Julia began her presentation .

We have both the other natives and the incursions to contend with . The Ishiate have generally been amenable for peaceful negotiations , but any attempt to open diplomatic channels with the Zhix or the foreign forces has been met with unrelenting violence . Luckily there is no Incursion close to New Washington , but many areas have already fallen , - she said .

Which areas have fallen , and how come only our government is up and running with a teleporter? - Zac asked , wanting to drag out as much information as possible .

Our situation is a bit unique . To be perfectly honest , we got lucky . There is no incursion close to us , and together with our high supply of weaponry , we managed to secure the area around this town quite quickly . There were even two battalions of the army that got randomized to close proximity of the town . There are no species of beasts we would categorize as highly dangerous nearby , and we even have some good areas for leveling up our military .

All this gave us a good head start , but many other areas are coming along . The Scandinavian countries have banded together , creating a new capital called Asgard . They are mainly led by cultivators though as they didn’t have very strong governments . We’ve also been in contact with London , Paris , and Berlin . Their situation is worse since they have an incursion in their area . Many others are progressing as well . - Julia narrated .

However , we should be clear that we no longer consider us an American government . We’re a world government that consists of a network of decentralized hubs , intent on integrating with the various powers , - she added after some thought .

How many incursions are there? - Zac asked next .

Most prolific is the Undead Empire that already spans an area close to the size of the United States . Luckily the horde is mainly made up of weak zombies that can be killed , and concentrated efforts by multiple forces have impeded their march , some considering it a farming haven . Furthermore , their control of their area isn’t really strong . There are multiple pockets of resistance within the sphere of influence fighting as we speak .

The problem with that force is that every death weakens us and simultaneously empowers their ranks . An even bigger problem is that the Undead spawned in the area of New Asia , decimating their huge populations . That’s how they’ve grown so quickly . They got hundreds of millions of fodder in just the first months , - Julia answered with a sigh .

But the undead are only one among many . There are rumors of a rat-incursion far to the east , an incursion in the middle of the ocean that some coastal cities could see in the distance on clear days , even two incursions with humans . The latter seem to consider us earthlings unclean and are among the cruelest enemies . They have built an empire founded on slavery , and are one of our prime enemies . All in all , we have located 11 incursions , but we’re sure there are more .

But progress is being made . The New Government's first goal has been to establish order in core cities such as New Washington and start mapping out our new planet . Our current continent is simply named Pangea , as from its size it should be at least the size of the ancient global continent of Earth .

Forces such as the one you’re part of is an important piece of the puzzle . Many towns and individuals , such as the rankers , have risen up to meet the challenge of this new era , and our goal is to connect these forces and enable us to fight the common cause . I would therefore sincerely wish to invite Port Atwood into the New World Government , - she said , her eyes shining with enthusiasm .

Zac was mulling over the information . To be honest the situation seemed better than expected , with various governments working to restore order . However , he knew that it was just a façade . Unless something was done about the incursions these reborn governments would be crushed one by one when the invaders started expanding for real .

I can’t make any decisions like that for Port Atwood at this moment , besides I would like to tour this city to see what type of society you are building before reporting back , - Zac said noncommittally .

I have another task , - he added as he took out a note from within his cloak . - I have this list of towns that our citizens are from . Many are anxious to find out the fate of their families , and I am wondering if you know any information about these cities . Both how the cities themselves are today , and where their cultivators ended up . -

On the list were a few American cities , a few Vietnamese ones , and a few random coastal cities Zac added in order to not give a too clear picture of Port Atwood’s composition . But really , there really only was one of the towns he cared about , the fourth entry ; Greenworth , his hometown .

Another town of interest was Allentown , where Emily was from . He knew where the actual town was , but not where the cultivators went . Zac them silently looked at Julia who scrutinized the list , trying to not show how eager he was .

Soon she opened a program on her laptop and started typing away .

Allentown’s closest government outpost is Fairfield , but the distance between the two is around a week by car . And when I say that I mean driving a car with the current conditions . In the old days , it probably would only be a couple of hours . There is currently no teleporter array in the area . It is not viable to travel there at the moment from New Washington , as it’s an enormous distance , - she said .

His heartbeat started to increase . It looked like the government wasn’t just for show , they truly had some decent intel .

There should only be one cultivator group from a town of that size , but it has yet to been located , - she added , making Zac grimace .

He felt bad for Emily , but his main focus was on Julia’s fingers as she looked up towns . She kept typing on her laptop and writing down the answers one by one . She seemed to know of roughly half the information , either where the cultivators were or where the town was located . As for the Vietnamese towns , the information was way more sparse .

Greenworth was split up due to the size , and part of it is actually only a week’s travel away from here , - Julia said . - As for the cultivators , some are here or still in Greenworth . The town itself is jointly run by the government and a coalition of cultivators . There is one group reportedly at the other side of the Undead Empire . It’s likely fastest to wait until someone close builds a teleporter if you want to visit there . -

Zac’s heart was threatening to jump out of his chest when he heard his family might only be a week’s travel away . If that was by her standard he could likely get there far quicker . He forced himself to calm down and properly listen . He had waited for months , and another few minutes wouldn’t matter , especially if there were still important information to be gained from her .

The last cultivator group of Greenworth is still unaccounted for , - she finished the report on Greenworth .

If the group is unaccounted for , how do you know it exists? - Zac couldn’t help asking .

We have learned some rules to the Tutorial and the randomization . Our theory is that the System superimposed the four worlds in the merge , and picked citizens around the same coordinate on respective worlds and placed them together in a tutorial . That’s why some tutorials were only humans , and some were overrun with Zhix for example . Some coordinates would only hold humans , whereas others held all races .

As for the size of the cultivator groups , they are limited to roughly 10 000 humans per Tutorial instance , as you should know from your own experience . Our census indicates that roughly 7% of the human population was teleported , meaning that roughly 150 000 citizens generated one tutorial group . Larger cities like Greenworth would generate three groups based on their population . That’s how we know there’s another group out there somewhere .

Since the other group seemed largely fine with only a 55% casualty rate we can deduce that Greenworth’s Tutorial was one of the human-only Tutorials . This was also confirmed by the cultivators in our neighboring town . That means there was no Zhix hive that eradicated the third group like with many other tutorial villages .

When us cultivators were returned we believe that we were returned to the same - coordinates - as before . For example , I was working in Washington before the fall , and I was placed back right here afterward . That’s how we managed to start rebuilding work so quickly . However , which world’s coordinates seem random . Some returned to Old Earth’s same coordinates . Other were placed on the Ishiate coordinates instead , which could be anywhere on the new planet after the randomization , - Julia narrated .

Zac was having an emotional rollercoaster as he listened to the explanation . Zac had thought that the people in the tutorial were lucky , but a 55% casualty rate was considered one of the safe ones? Some groups were completely eradicated? Being a normal mortal left in a city seemed far safer in comparison .

Zac had somewhat hoped Kenzie and his father were Cultivators before , as that would help them protect themselves . But now he rather hoped they weren’t . The shock from the information almost made him miss an important piece of information , but after a while he finally noticed it .

Four worlds? I thought it was three of them that got merged? - he asked skeptically .

There might only be three , as we don’t know for sure . However , our theory is that there are four . That’s from looking at the larger cities we have mapped , such as New York , London , and Paris . A quarter of the cultivator groups are simply missing , as though they weren’t returned after the tutorial .

Our theory is that there is a fourth planet in the mix , likely an uninhabited one , whose landmass is on another continent . Perhaps due to a different type of climate or some other difference , making the System separate it from the rest . A quarter of the cultivators likely were placed there . So far we have had no luck finding this continent or contacting these groups , though . -

This type of speculation is supported by the fact that the System has put similar topographies together . When it randomized the world it didn’t put a patch of desert next to a glacier for example , as that would make no sense . That’s why many of our old continents are randomized , but still somewhat together . A good part of the United States and southern Canada are meshed together with some of Europe , while the more tropical Southern America has meshed together with southern Asia and some of Africa . -

Zac was relieved to hear that there actually was some order to the chaos , which would aid his search . However , the information also contained some pretty bad news . Both Emily’s siblings and one of the cultivator groups of Greenworth were unaccounted for , meaning they might actually have been placed on another continent . If that was the case he wasn’t even sure how to begin looking . His small exploratory vessels might not do the trick since the distances on this new planet seemed pretty huge .

Still , he had two places to check before it came to that , and the government was clearly still mapping everything out . The lost groups might be found before he had to start looking for a mysterious continent .

Zac’s eyes turned toward the laptop in front of Julia . The thing clearly held all their progress in mapping out the new continent so far .

I would like to purchase that computer . The map and accompanying information would be very beneficial to Port Atwood , - Zac said . - What is your price? -

There’s no need for that . The program with the information is public domain , and you just need to buy a computer in the town and connect to the WIFI and download it , - Julia answered with a smile .

Zac was completely surprised by the convenience . His life on the island and with the demons had made him think in more primal ways , the fact that New Washington Possessed a city-wide WI-FI hadn’t even crossed his mind .

Is the internet still around? - he asked hopefully .

Unfortunately no , - the government worker answered with a sigh . - I am no expert on the subject but the internet was made from a vast network of companies and servers spanning the whole world . When the world was randomized the network was destroyed . We only have a local network available . -

Very well , if it is alright with you I’d like to visit the town now , - Zac said .

Of course , take this identification card , it will give you access to this compound . It is a temporary measure while we keep the teleportation array at a guarded area . Oh , and there will be an auction in two weeks held by us and a few other governments . There will be many valuable things appearing that might not be extremely useful to the government , but a huge boon to any individual cultivator . -

Chapter 115 - Going home

Thomas Fischer looked down toward the sprawling city of New Washington from the window of his large office .

What is your opinion , Julia? - he asked as he turned around to the two people sitting by his desk .

The man calling himself Monk is clearly a high ranker . It might be bluster but he looked at our warriors as though they were jokes , and that was after he used Eye of Discernment] on them , - she reported .

My guess? He’s actually the Super Brother-Man , - she concluded .

Bah , the Super-Brother Man is a true monster . We still don’t understand how he is increasing in power that quickly since he’s in the top of all the ladders . That man was strong , but he clearly knew very little , to the point that he might not actually be a cultivator , - a sturdy-looking general next to Julia said with contempt as he looked at a TV that showed the meeting between Monk and Julia . - You just want to finally get a high ranker to join to validate your little experimental department , even if you have to make things up . -

Julia frowned but looked stubborn .

He gave off the feeling of blood and barely restrained power . Besides , we suspect that Salvation is staying put in Cradle of God . He punched away John like he was a ragdoll , and never seemed overly worried about his situation in the middle of a military compound , - she retorted .

Anyone in this room could do the same with John , and besides he was agitated and didn’t have proper form . I heard he was riddled with openings , so the feat was nothing special , - the general said with a harrumph .

As for blocking the investigation skill of Sargeant Miller , a fractal flashed on his forehead during the test . He likely possesses a skill to protect his identity . Our conclusion is that he might actually pretend to be the Super Brother-Man or some other top ranker as a protective measure .

And look , it worked . You let him walk scot-free after committing crimes in broad daylight . That kind of favoritism will make the government lose their footing and respect , - the general concluded .

Thomas only sighed and mulled it over .

For now it does not matter whether he is Super Brother-Man or a fake , he is here now and it’s an all hands on deck situation . If our plan works he and the others will be at the auction in two weeks , and we will find out more at that time - he concluded , and both the advisors nodded in agreement .

Do we still know the whereabouts of the other parties that have arrived through the teleporter? -

Zac walked along a wide road of New Washington . It was an interesting town , as it felt it was either undergoing extremely rapid industrialization or a real degradation . The old , but modern , buildings were partly dismantled , making room for thick spiked walls and fortifications . The occasional car actually zoomed past him but seeing it was a rarity .

Zac doubted that the government actually had managed to start pumping for oil already , so gasoline should be finite . But it might actually last surprisingly long it would last with a large part of the population missing and dead , and fewer people driving due to safety concerns .

Since he learned the news of his hometown he was itching to move , but Emily had told him about the importance of information brokers so he was currently on the way to an information market , just to compare the info they got from the government liaison . Julia seemed to have been upfront , but Zac wasn’t the best judge of that . After having asked around in various shops and from shady looking people he entered a non-descript office building some ways off from any main road .

There was no electricity in the building and the first four floors were deserted . However , as he reached the fifth floor it was cleaned and manned . A beautiful young lady sat at a reception desk , smiling at him as he entered , almost giving the feeling that this was a normal corporation . The gruff-looking and armed guards to the side , and the fact that it only was dimly lit from candles , somewhat ruined the feeling though .

Welcome to the House of Whispers , - the lady said with a smile .

Uh… Yeah , - Zac said a bit hesitant , feeling that the owner of this information dealership was trying a bit hard with a name like that . - I’m here to buy some information? -

Certainly , we take payment in either Nexus Crystals or Nexus Coins . Unfortunately , we do not accept Union Credits , is that all right? - the receptionist answered .

Union Credits was a new global currency that the government was trying to introduce . They were unwilling to let go of control the financial system and tried quite hard to give it credibility . They maintained a 1 : 1 exchange ratio with Nexus Coins , and even had exchange station set up across the town . However , their success seemed limited , as even in New Washington many places seemed to prefer the System-run currencies .

Zac only nodded and was shown to a small room where a clean-cut looking man in a suit soon entered . What followed wasn’t any stealthy meeting where secret notes were passed , but a surprisingly unexciting transaction . Zac listed the information he needed , and the information broker simply quoted a price if he possessed the information .

After Zac agreed upon the price , a text document was shown containing the information . Apparently , they usually put it on an USB-drive , but since Zac didn’t have one at the moment he bought one for five Nexus Crystals from the broker .

All in all Zac paid roughly 6 000 Nexus Coins to confirm all the information he learned earlier . He also had the broker download a copy of the government map onto the USB drive .

We also have a missive on the Rankers in case you are interested . Some of the data is acquired from the government and some from our own investigations . It even has the names of the Top Ten on the Ishiate ladder . Only Ten thousand Nexus Coins , - the broker added with a smile .

It sounded pretty interesting to Zac and it wasn’t very expensive , so he nodded and the broked added another file to the drive .

Finally he bought some information about the rulers and the state of Greenworth . Since the town was somewhat close to here the report was pretty detailed , and as Zac read through it his eyebrows scrunched up .

According to the missive there were five decently powerful people that held control over roughly half the city , whereas the New Government was in control of the other . However , the government officials in Greenworth were essentially corrupt puppets for the cultivators , giving them almost a complete grasp of the town .

According to reports things were in a far better state compared to how they were like in a place like Fort Roger , but it was a place where many died ignoble deaths . Zac was in no mood to continue buying any information , and simply took the USB drive and made to leave .

Since you’ve spent a fair deal of coins at our establishment I’ll give you a freebie . There is something going on with the Auction in two weeks . The government seems to be luring strong people there . Your party is only the 5th that has arrived through the teleporter in the last week . Do with that information what you will , - the man said with a smile .

Zac stopped for a second and nodded in thanks , after that he left . He wasn’t soo surprised they knew he came through the teleporter . They clearly had some men on the inside in the government providing them with information .

He made a beeline toward the south , only briefly stopping to purchase a laptop from a street vendor who had them piled on the road . Zac guessed that they were simply taken from empty homes and reinstalled .

After that he finally left town , preferring to run rather than finding some vehicle . He felt he was likely faster compared to a car anyways with the roads being gone . The first hour or so was pretty uneventful , but soon he was starting to get accosted by beasts .

Some were mutated versions of anything living in forests , from snakes to boars . Even a few large birds tried to snatch him up . Some were things he’d never seen before , likely additions from the other planets . Still it was clear they were beasts from their behavior .

It was far more chaotic than he was used to on the island , where the barghest were everywhere , and the biggest surprise you could get was the occasional imp . On the mainland , he was sometimes attacked by level ten boars and the next hour a level fifty eagle . Zac was starting to understand why he barely saw anyone after he left the town .

He thought he would see far more humans out hunting to gain levels , but he barely saw anyone after traveling for a while . But it made sense since it was just so random out here . For Zac it wasn’t very dangerous , but for most people death lurked behind every corner . If he was in a town when the integration happened he’d likely have stayed within the safe walls and done various tasks to gain Nexus Coins . And with those Nexus Coins buy Crystals that could be used to level up .

But that very mindset had put humanity in a passive state . The government was more concerned about consolidating their power , rather than combatting the real threat . The undead incursion was already as large as a country , and the others were growing as well . He heard no news of any incursion except his being defeated , but there were some rumors going about the city about some Marshall Clan being about to fight one .

The undead situation was one of the most troubling ones , as they were one of the forces that simply unceasingly devoured everything until a planet was sucked clean and all its inhabitants were killed . He still remembered their description from the information crystal he got from Ogras long ago .

Still , Zac was only one person , and he possessed no means to stop the invasion at the moment . Even if he went running over there and started swinging away it would barely make a dent since they already had created millions and millions of Zombies .

Zac put those depressing thoughts out of his head and refocused on his journey . The first step was to find his family , after that he’d have to figure out how to keep them safe . He knew that he’d have to get involved with the incursions sooner or later , but not today .

He kept pushing forward for a few days , following the guidance of the information he bought . He had long since learned how to charge electronics with his energy , and could essentially keep a laptop going indefinitely if he held it in his lap . After the first day the town was marked on his Automatic Map though , so he could put away the computer .

Along the way he saw some small towns . Most of them seemed deserted by now , only empty husks remaining . Zac didn’t know whether the inhabitants were killed or just moved to larger towns for security , but it gave a very eerie feeling . But after three days on the road he started seeing some familiar architecture .

He had finally reached his home .

Chapter 116 - Family

It was an odd feeling to walk the highway into the city . It was almost completely empty apart from a few odd cars , a bit different from how it looked in apocalypse movies . Zac guessed that most people drove home if they found themselves on the highway when the world turned crazy . He didn’t know how the restructuring actually looked since he was passed out while it happened . Perhaps some people didn’t even notice and just kept driving until the road abruptly ended in a forest .

Soon he found himself in the town proper , and it was completely surreal . It wasn’t just the run-down nature of the town that was jarring , there were multiple small details that were subtly adjusted . For example it looked like the topography was actually different in the city from how he remembered it . Where once was a hill it was now flat , making the houses look a bit odd .

There was no large wall that surrounded the town like the one that was erected around New Washington , and it seemed the population was a lot smaller compared to before since he still only had seen a few people scurrying about . Certainly , it was clear that this was only a part of the original town , but it was still there was barely a soul on the streets .

And those he saw looked like scavengers , going from house to house looking for anything useful or valuable . Most of the buildings at the edge of the town looked completely deserted , and Zac could also see marks from fights and beasts marring the pavement and walls .

It wasn’t until he got closer to the center of the town that he saw a wall being erected . It actually looked like they possessed at least one earth mage in the town , as the wall was a bit similar to his own , albeit far more rudimentary . Zac couldn’t see any gates or entrances and was in no mood to look around . Instead , he simply scaled the four-meter wall like it wasn’t there , and found himself in the inner city .

Greenworth looked a lot better inside the walls , with quite a few people walking the streets . Zac had been worried from the missive he bought , but it at least looked food wasn’t an issue in the town as most people were fed .

The aura of the villagers itself was a bit different from New Washington , as far more people wore different types of leathers and armors instead of old-world clothing here . If the government headquarters held on to the past then the villagers of this town rather embraced the new .

As he kept pushing forward he could finally confirm that his old neighborhood was included in this section of Greenworth , and wasn’t teleported somewhere else . His footsteps sped up along with his heartbeat as he moved through familiar streets , both anticipation and fear filling him .

Soon he was just a blur for any onlooker as he sped toward the house where his father and sister lived . He moved out almost a decade ago but Kenzie still lived at home since she was ten years younger than him , and he hoped he’d find both of them there . Finally he found himself on their street and it felt like his heart would jump out of his chest at any time .

He stopped outside a nondescript one-story house with a decent sized yard . A dogwood tree stood proudly on the front lawn , and Zac saw it had grown noticeably bigger since the integration . However , as he looked upon the house he felt some trepidation . There was no movement within , and it was quite clear that no one had lived inside for some time .

The door stood ajar and a few windows were destroyed . No smoke came out of the chimney either . With a sinking feeling , Zac found his courage after a bit and walked inside .

Dad? Kenzie? - he tentatively asked , but only silence greeted him .

The ground was covered in dust and mud . Someone had walked through his home haphazardly dragging dirt everywhere . Clearly , the house was looted in the same way he’d seen before , and he couldn’t stop a flame of rage blazing up in his heart .

He quickly scanned the whole house and found no trace of either Kenzie or his father . Some things such as clothes and computers were missing , and the gun safe in his father’s bedroom was cracked open as well . However , most things were as he remembered .

As a last resort he went down to the basement and lifted a floorboard under a mat . It was his father’s secret compartment where he put important documents . To his surprise he found a box inside he didn’t recognize . He opened it up and found a small notebook and a necklace .

To Zac and Kenzie’ was written on the front , and Zac’s eyes immediately started reddening . With unsteady hands he opened it up and found it was a small diary apart from the first page .

If you found this I might not be around anymore . I pray that you are safe and sound in this crazy new world , and that you take care of each other . You were my light and my dream . Love , Robert .

Ps . The necklace is a memento from your mother . It might help you find her if you wish to do so .

Zac had to close his eyes and take a few steadying breaths before he opened his eyes again . This wasn’t a good sign , but he wouldn’t give up hope just yet . The notepad might have been left here long ago .

However , as he read on that hope was dashed as the diary detailed what happened after the integration . Everything had turned black after a voice said - Welcome to the Multiverse - in his father’s mind . When he woke up he found that Kenzie was gone .

In just a few days he found out that a lot of people , especially youth , simply disappeared when the world got integrated . He kept searching all over Greenworth after Kenzie , also hoping Zac would return from his trip .

They discovered the system and levels , and slowly started to power up . The weeks passed and people were starting to get attacked by crazed wildlife . They formed groupings , and Robert became a leader of a group who strove to keep the area safe for civilians . He tried to keep his town protected as he kept searching for his children , until one day people suddenly returned .

With a flash they stood there , people who simply disappeared earlier . Thousands of the missing ones . They looked different , wearing medieval weapons and armor , and they emitted a dangerous air . I couldn’t find you among them . But I heard there is a leader called Thom Sullivan who might know more . I am heading to him tomorrow with a few other leaders who have protected Greenworth . Hopefully , we’ll learn more then .

That was the last entry in the book . Zac felt completely empty inside , subconsciously knowing what it meant . He sat completely motionless for minutes , just staring at the last entry in the diary . Finally he refocused , refusing to give up until he had proper confirmation .

He placed everything in the compartment into his Cosmos Sack and immediately left the house . He would make a quick stop at his own apartment first just in case . It was on the third floor and much safer than living in a house with beasts lurking about , and he hoped his father had moved there .

The diary gave most of the information about what happened . It turned out that Kenzie was a cultivator , but his dad wasn’t . The troubling thing was how the diary simply ended with dad visiting this Thom Sullivan . Months of accumulated anxiety was quickly turning into rage as Zac hurried toward his apartment . If that Thom guy had done anything to his family he’d better pray for a quick death .

He quickly arrived at his apartment complex , and like a gust arrived in front of his door . He still carried his key in one of his pouches , so he took it out and opened the door up and walked inside .

He only took a few steps before his eyebrows furrowed and he sprinted forward . A gangly youth in his late teens was standing in his apartment , wearing his clothes , gaping in shock at Zac .

Who the fuck are you? - Zac growled as he held the youngster up in the air by his scruff .

Please don’t kill me! I’m Ryan! I just squat here , take anything you want! - the guy screamed in fear .

Zac calmed down a bit and used Eye of Discernment] on him . His name truly was Ryan , and he was level 19 . Zac let him down on the ground and he collapsed in a heap on the floor .

Why are you in my apartment? - Zac simply asked

Your apartment? Wait… You’re Zachary! I almost didn’t recognize you at first! - Ryan answered , quickly getting excited .

Do you know me? - Zac asked skeptically , as he’d never seen the youth before .

Well , yes and no… I’ve lived here for two months . I saw a window was open so I climbed up and got in . Then I found a spare key . I’ve sort of… gone through your things? - he said , his voice getting a bit lower at the and as Zac’s brows furrowed .

Wait wait , don’t get angry , you know how it is . No internet , no electricity , no TV . The days get slow . So I started looking through everything . Like your mail and photo albums and stuff , - Ryan said . - I even visited your dad's house . I’m sorry about him . He seemed like a good guy . -

What do you mean? - Zac spoke through grit teeth , the foreboding feeling in his chest just getting worse .

You don’t know? Ah… Well… I’m sorry , but he was… Killed , - the youth said with some hesitation .

It felt like an explosion went off in Zac’s mind but he forced himself to refocus on Ryan .

After we returned from the Tutorial a few cultivators wanted to seize power over the Town . There’s a chance to become lord if you do that , and people want to be the ruler cause you apparently get all kinds of benefits . So Thom and the others killed the mortals who had started organizing people , not allowing any other factions to crop up . Those guys are crazy , and the government is only looking the other way , - he explained with fear mixed with disgust .

Zac’s breathing was getting heavier and heavier , but there was another question that needed to be answered before he turned to action .

I have a sister , - Zac said as he took out a picture he had taken from his old house . - Do you know where she is? She’s a cultivator . -

Mackenzie? I think she’s in one of the other cultivator groups . I never saw her in the Tutorial . We were quite a few people , but we were stuck together for a month . I’m pretty sure I’d have seen her if she was there , - Ryan quickly answered , inching away from Zac , clearly still afraid .

Zac only glared at him for some time , and even took out Verun’s Bite] .

I swear I’m telling the truth! She really wasn’t there . You should thank god for that , since young beautiful girls don’t have a good time in this town , - Ryan stuttered from Zac’s oppressive sature .

Zac could at least breath a sigh of relief that Kenzie might still be alive . But relief soon returned to a burning rage that kept growing with every breath of his .

Where is Thom Sullivan now? - he asked between grit teeth .

Thom? What are you planning? - Ryan asked skeptically .

What I’m planning? You’ll soon see for yourself , - Zac tersely answered as a monstrous aura filled with bloodlust flooded out from him , shaking the very foundations of the structure they stood in .

Chapter 117 - Judgement

Zac walked barefoot through the streets looking like a thundercloud given human form . The air was distorting around him as torrential amounts of cosmic energy ran amok through his pathways . He was making a beeline for the core of the town , where a second wall was erected around what was formerly a posh neighborhood .

His mind was of a singular purpose as he moved forward , guided by the description from Ryan . There were no what-if’s moral conundrums at the moment , only a seething rage . The thought of his father being cut down by some cultivator as he was trying to find Kenzie and him was almost enough to drive him insane with anger and he had trouble concealing his aura at the moment .

In the distance the gates appeared , guarded by a small group of what appeared to be soldiers each armed with an assault rifle . Zac didn’t stop as he moved forward , which alerted the guard who lifted their guns as they closed the gates .

Halt! This is private government property , entrance is prohibited , - one of them shouted at him , but Zac’s mind was clouded by rage and he pushed forward .

The guards didn’t hesitate and opened fire at him when he came within 30 meters of the gate , but Zac simply activated his movement skill . He was pretty sure he’d survive the weapons , but didn’t want to try it out at the moment . He moved like a phantom , and within a second he was right among the guards with Verun’s Bite] in his hands .

A few quick swings left a pile of bisected corpses and a pool of blood as he turned toward the large wooden gate . Zac simply walked up to it and infused his fist with the Dao of heaviness and cosmic energy , and with a guttural growl punched it .

It was as though a bomb had exploded as Zac’s fist hit the gate . The force destroyed the hinges and pushed the door , or rather the splinters that were left of it , inward . Shrapnel flew tens of meters in all directions like a fragmentation grenade .

Zac’s anger was still at its peak as he walked through the wreckage and found himself on a mostly clean and well-maintained street . A quick glance around let him see a fleeing middle-aged man , and with a few steps he caught up and grabbed him by the neck .

Where are Thom Sullivan and the 4 other councilmen? - he asked with a growl .

Don’t Kill me! They should be at the meeting with Mayor Whitfield at his mansion , - he hurriedly said .

Mayor Whitfield was the highest government official in the town , and according to both Ryan and the information missive , corrupt through and through . As long as the cultivators provided him with a lavish lifestyle he let the cultivators run rampant in the town , shielding them from any repercussions .

Lead me there and you can live , - Zac said , still holding the man by his neck .

The man was eager to please and immeadietly pointed the direction . Zac continuously used his movement skill , which seemed to almost make his captive pass out . A quick walk later led him to a huge compound , composed of three sprawling mansions .

The house to the right is for business meetings , and they should be in there . The middle is his home , and the left one is… For his activities , - the man said hesitantly between heaves .

Zac nodded and threw the man away after knocking him out . With a few steps he was at the right house , but just as he was about to destroy the door and walk in he was fired upon by multiple hidden soldiers .

A stinging sensation on his neck finally confirmed that he was bullet-proof . Still , the bullets from the AR-15’s hurt almost as much as a bee sting when they hit his bare skin . Zac quickly incapacitated the soldiers with a few throws with daggers from his pouch . Since he looted the mountain he had hundreds and hundreds of throwing knives , and he didn’t even bother to gather them up .

He had somewhat regained rationality by now , and tried to avoid causing any more undue casualties . These soldiers weren’t the real perpetrators and perhaps didn’t deserve a death sentence . Still , whether they survived or not would likely depend on how quickly they got medical assistance , going by the damage he caused .

There were more soldiers inside the house , but Zac was unstoppable . After a short while it was clear that the soldiers had had enough and weren’t about to throw their lives away , so they started to avoid him instead . Zac welcomed their retreat and kept moving through the building , and it was as though like a storm swept through the house until he found a large ballroom that was refitted into a meeting room .

Just as he slammed open the door and entered a sword imbued with freezing energy wooshed toward his head as an arrow flew straight toward his heart . Even the floorboards deformed and turned into spears aiming toward his guts , and some heavy mental pressure descended on him .

Zac was relieved since the attacks meant that his targets still hadn’t fled . He readjusted his grip of Verun’s Bite] and slammed it at the incoming sword . The sword was immediately cut in two , and the axe continued unimpeded right into the head of a dour-looing man hiding right around the edge of the door . His scalp and brain went flying as the axe finished its trajectory , blood staining an expensive-looking painting hanging on the wall .

Zac simply ignored the other three attacks as he proceeded into the ballroom . They couldn’t even impede him or leave a mark on his clothes , as Zac knew that none of the leaders in the town were even rankers . He looked around and saw seven men with either fear or anger on their faces . Four of them were the cultivator councilmen , with the fifth lying dead behind him . Another man was the Mayor , accompanied by was looked like two deputies .

There were also about a dozen young girls in various states of undress who had fled to a corner . The table was laden with all sorts of foods and liquors , and by all accounts Zac felt he had walked into a bacchanalia rather than a government meeting .

From the descriptions he possessed of the council every one of his targets was accounted for , which was a great relief to him . From his quick scan he knew this would be a quick and dirty slaughter . He was a bit disappointed as he’d almost hoped for an epic battle to vent his anger . But crushing the council like dried twigs worked as well .

Zac’s slowly walked through the room , each of his step causing a deep thump that echoed through the room . Each step was as though a hammer forcing a nail into everyone’s chests . It only got worse as an inhuman aura started emerging from Zac’s body , the very air around him distorting . Waves of power billowed out and inundated the room in suffocating murderous intent . The large windows in the room shook as it felt like an earthquake .

Most of the girls could barely remain standing and the faces of the men visibly paled . Zac slowly moved forward like inevitable doom , and his eyes stopped on a swarthy black-haired man with a large beard and a thick hammer . Thom Sullivan . Zac was just about to go to work when someone finally managed to speak up .

Who are you? Salvation? Why are you doing this? - one of the cultivators squeezed out through clattering teeth .

Zac only looked into his eyes for a few seconds , remembering his father . Perhaps he stood in this very room when he was killed by the men in front of him .

Salvation? No , I am Judgement . -

Judgement? You are making yourself an enemy of the government with your brazen actions . If you surrender yourself now th- - the fat middle-aged mayor managed to wheeze out , but was abruptly interrupted by a dagger slamming into his gut , throwing him into the wall next to the scared girls .

The government won’t mind me killing trash like you all , - Zac said as he looked over the perpetrators of his father’s death . - Every debt has a debtor . The day you slaughtered innocent civilians to take control of Greenworth you accepted the fact that one day someone like me could arrive . -

He said no more as he winked out of existence as he pushed Loamwalker] to its maximum . A growl and whooshing of air was heard , as one of the men by the table was cut in two , his upper torso slamming into the wall with a wet thud . The growls of Zac’s axe kept echoing in the room as body-parts kept getting chopped off , Zac’s figure barely registering in the eyes of the helpless onlookers .

The rulers of Greenworth desperately tried to flee or mount resistance but it was a joke in front of Zac’s wrath . It was not a battle , it was a slaughter . Their attacks were even weaker compared to the ants back on the island , and as soon as someone moved to flee they were instantly bisected into multiple pieces .

In less than a minute only Thom Sullivan and the mayor were left alive , though the mayor was barely conscious due to the dagger . When Zac entered through the door there had been some fight and brutality left in Thoms eye’s but that was long gone , replaced with abject fear .

Take the town , it’s yours! And I have treasure the townspeople and government have collected over the month . You can have it all . Just let me go! - the leader said , any semblance of might long gone .

Zac simply snorted , as he charged up Chop] far beyond his limit and swung down . The edge tore straight through the whole building as it fell down upon the leader of Greenworth .

In a last-ditch effort to survive Thom erected a defense that almost looked like a prismatic diamond , but it was like paper in front of the enormous edge . The axe pushed down and completely destroyed the man , leaving only bits and pieces intact . The strike continued into the ground , tearing a huge jagged scar through the whole building .

There was no satisfaction or emotional relief from the deed , only a deep and soul-crushing emptiness . He was too late . If he’d left the island immediately he might have been able to stop this . There was a small voice in him that told him that it wasn’t true , but it was scant reprieve to his current pain .

New Washington and Greenworth were located almost in the heartland of Pangea , the new continent . Any body of water that could hold Zac’s island was an insurmountable distance away . Still , his feelings weren’t about logic .

Strained wheezing interrupted his train of thought , and he turned around with a frown . It was the mayor , who had managed to remove the dagger from his abdomen . The man had a surprisingly high vitality , as he was still holding on , even with the huge pool of blood beneath him . However , he was sweating and panting , his face completely pallid .

Help me . I have strong connections , I can tell the officials these men were corrupt , and I hired you to bring justice . You will become a government-sanctioned leader of the town , - he wheezed out .

He was considering what to do about this man . He did not care one bit about his offer . He had no plans on taking over this town , as it would likely completely make him fall out with the government . Besides , he wasn’t sure if some sort of quest would trigger if he took hold of the Nexus Crystal , such as a test of sorts . He had no time or desire to fight beast hordes on two fronts .

He was planning on leaving the town to the army , and have the government decide a new leader . He had no desire to stay on here since his father was dead and his sister somewhere else . That still left him with the mayor . From the man’s actions Zac felt he should be killed with the rest of the cultivators , but he was a high official of the government .

He had already got off to a slightly rocky start with the leaders of New Washington , and he was reluctant to keep killing their people . There was still a hope that Port Atwood could cooperate with the rest of the world , and he felt that the government was a good tool for that .

Though they hadn’t really tackled the invader threat as of yet , their progress in just four months was startling . They had created a network of towns , such as Fairfield , and was slowly starting to adapt to the new world . Perhaps their speed was too slow as Zac knew the invaders weren’t lazing around .

The invaders were simply preparing and accumulating while they waited for the limiters to lift , after which they would explode in violence . The reports he read in the information crystal from Ogras was truly horrifying , and humanity wasn’t really prepared .

Still , with the help of him and the demons , humanity’s odds of surviving and reclaiming the world would be a lot higher . With him and a few other Rankers taking the lead they could keep the leaders under control . Zac knew that none of the Invaders would be able to break through to E-Rank yet due to the System still restricting them .

That gave the defenders a window of opportunity to clear out the incursions before their power started to get out of hand . Zac finally decided to keep the man alive and bring him to the government . Their handling of this criminal would also be a good gauge of how they did things .

However , fate has a sense of humor as just a second after Zac decided what to do one of the scared girls in the corner leaped forward with a piece of broken-off piece of wood in her hand . With an almost feral snarl she stabbed it straight in Mayor Whitfield’s throat .

The man tried to defend himself , but between him losing most of his blood and the boundless anger of the girl it was to no avail . She kept slamming the wooden spike down into the body creating grisly wounds , most centered around his groin . There was no coming back from that , pill or no pill , and he simply bled out in a matter of seconds .

Uh… - was all Zac could think of saying as he looked at the panting woman in front of him .

Chapter 118 - Recruitment

Zac was stumped , even forgetting his pain for a second as he saw the heaving girl standing over the mangled corpse of the Mayor . It looked like turning him over wasn’t an option anymore . The other girls in the room were also staring blankly at their companion and the man who likely had been the source of no small amount of grief .

Not sure what else to do Zac sighed and walked over to the government worker and put the mangled corpse into his Cosmos Sack . The girl warily looked at him , her eyes widening a bit at the magical display of the pouch .

When these cultivators returned from the Tutorial they killed a group of townspeople who defended Greenworth after the integration . Do you know what happened with the bodies? - Zac asked as he looked up at the girl still wielding a piece of shrapnel .

She appeared to be somewhere around her twenties and was quite beautiful . In fact , all of the girls in the room were , and their skimpy clothing did nothing to hide their curvaceous bodies . However , their eyes quickly told anyone that they were not willingly standing in this house , as they were hard as stone , marred by whatever they had experienced the past months . No one said anything for a while , until a small voice from the back row of women could be heard .

They… They were buried to the north side of the inner wall . There was a park there before , but it has turned into a cemetery for those the council had killed , - a young girl finally answered .

Zac nodded and turned to leave .

Wait! - the woman with the makeshift weapon suddenly shouted after him .

Zac didn’t really want to deal with these girls , as his mind still was on his father’s remains .

You can all leave . I will talk to the leaders of New Washington and have them send a proper Mayor here , - he said .

That’s not it . Take us with you , - she said with a somber expression .

That made Zac stop and turn around with a serious face . His once again looked over the group , this time using Eye of Discernment] . As he suspected none of the girls were strong , the highest being level 14 . If they were powerful they would not have been in their current situation , dressed as belly-dancers or courtesans of a harem .

I am sorry , but you are of no use to me . I need warriors , not more refugees , - Zac immediately shot her down .

But you can train us! You must be a high ranker from your aura and what you did in here . Thom was over level 30 , but he was helpless against you , - she refuted .

Train you? You are all barely level ten . Helping you attain a power that could contend against the forces of the world would take an immense amount of resources , why should I do that? -

Joanna wishes to enter a Contract of Binding . Time : Indefinite . Accept?]

Zac’s brows rose as he saw the prompt appear in front of him . He knew about the Contracts of Binding from Calrin . None of the demons actually mentioned it to him , even though they usually were his main sources of information . Zac assumed that they were afraid he would try to impose it on them in the future .

A Binding Contract contract was more accurately named an employment contract . It made a person a subordinate who couldn’t betray their employer . His orders would to a certain degree become compulsions as well , unless giving a detrimental order , such as committing suicide or ruining their cultivation . That of course only was true for the type of employment . If he contracted this woman as a soldier he couldn’t order anything about her private life .

Furthermore , one essentially had to enter the contract willingly , and you could set the duration yourself . It was a normal method for Clans in the multi-verse to make sure of the allegiance when hiring people , such as external warriors for war or exploration of a mystical realm .

But could also be a tool to permanently bind a person to a force , as was the case with the prompt in front of him . The time was set to indefinite , and only Zac could rip the contract and free the girl . The only other way for her to get free was to reach a higher level than him . Zac had thought about forcing this type of contract on the demons after hearing about it , but he learned that it was impossible for the same reason .

Apparently it was impossible to use on people of a higher level , and pretty much all of the demons were higher level than him . It was simply that the restrictions on the invaders were still in place , making it easy to forget that almost all of them were at the bottleneck , working at either their Dao or their Constitution in order to evolve . The System wanted to promote the strong , so it wouldn’t allow the strong be in servitude of the weak . Of course , Zac’s power level was actually higher than the demons’ , but his situation was a bit unique .

Zac stared for some time at the woman who apparently was called Joanna . She had a steely determination in her eyes that he hadn’t even seen in Emily , who herself craved power .

… Are you sure about this? You will likely be sent to bloody battlefields fighting both humans and aliens if you follow me . And that is if you even survive training , - Zac said as he stared her down .

An idea was forming in his mind as he looked at Joanna and the others , but she alone wouldn’t cut it .

As long as you give me power nothing else matter , - she said , not flinching the slightest from Zac’s stare .

Zac finally accepted the prompt , feeling a mental connection forming . It was not like gaining another limb , just an additional awareness in the corner of his mind . He took out a spear and slammed into the ground in front of her , and then took out a female’s leather armor from his pouch .

Don’t lose these . If you do you’ll have to purchase new ones with your own money , and the amount of slaughter needed to afford them will probably kill you , - Zac said .

Joanna eagerly looked at the gear , and without hesitation took off the little clothes she had on . Zac unashamedly looked on , reminded that it actually had been months since he’d been with Hannah . He forced himself to refocus as Joanna equipped the gear , and after some struggle managed to pull out the spear from the ground .

With demon armor and a spear in her hand her aura completely changed . She already had the steely gaze of a warrior , but now she had the appearance to match it . Of course , some weaponry didn’t change the fact that she still was a level 13 weakling , but she did look quite heroic .

I am leaving Greenworth in two hours . The offer Joanna received stands for all of you . But let me make it clear . I am not offering you freedom . I am offering you power . You’re welcome to choose freedom instead and stay behind . Though you should know that things might get chaotic with both the Mayor and the Council dead . Those who wish to follow me , gather with Joanna outside these mansions in two hours , - Zac said as he disappeared with his movement skill .

He quickly exited the house and found some soldiers hesitantly standing in the distance . They should have heard the commotion , and unless they were blind they should have seen Zac’s final strike where he almost ripped the mansion in two . Zac frowned , not in the mood to start killing the soldiers . He wanted to avoid further bloodshed , already regretting massacring the warriors at the gate in his rage .

We mean you no harm , - one of the older soldiers shouted from the distance . - We just need to know what’s going on . Scouts report of a beast horde arriving within the hour , and we need to prepare . -

The council members are dead . The mayor is dead , - Zac simply said . - I will eradicate the horde for you , but after that you’re on your own . -

None of the soldiers looked overly surprised by the news . Their captain simply nodded .

There are over a thousand boars heading our way from the north . The council usually gather outside the town to fight in order to avoid the destruction of property , - he simply said .

I will join you in an hour , - Zac said as he disappeared , once again moving with Loamwalker] .

He kept speeding away and soon reached the park that one of the former slave girls mentioned . The area was filled with mounds of overturned earth , some graves old and some clearly made within the last week . All in all there had to be hundreds of bodies buried across the area , giving it a gloomy atmosphere .

Zac had no idea which one of the mounds contained his father so he could only walk along aimlessly . He noticed a large boulder lying some distance away and walked over to it . With six quick swings a towering monolith was created that Zac lifted up with a grunt .

He walked over to the center of the park and placed it by an intersection of two somewhat overgrown paths . Using his inhuman power he pushed it some ways into the ground , securing it in place . Seeing it was stable he carved two simple lines in the monument .

Gone but not Forgotten

Rest in Peace

Afterward he simply sat down , reminiscing about the past . The park was empty except for himself and his thoughts , and there was a heaviness in the silence . It was as though it blended with the heaviness in Zac’s heart , and became a palpable thing around him . If a human walked close to Zac at this moment it wouldn’t be surprising if they would be physically impacted by the mood .

Zac didn’t move as one memory after another flitted through his mind . Finally he opened up his eyes after roughly an hour . He sighed and got to his feet , and took one last glance around .

I promise I’ll find Kenzie , if it’s the last thing I do , - he said as he lightly touched the monolith .

With that he pushed north , to help out his hometown one last time . With neither his father nor sister around , he honestly didn’t care too much about Greenworth . He didn’t really have any close friends anymore , rather co-workers and acquaintances . His closest friend died 4 years ago , long before the integration , and he never really looked for new ones after that .

Still , it was the town he grew up in , and where most of his childhood memories were . Even if it wasn’t really the same town any more he didn’t want to see it fall to some boars . He knew that the soldiers likely could take care of it , but it cost bullets . By now it should take quite a few munitions to destroy a horde of wild animals , as their endurance kept increasing . He didn’t know how much reserves the army still possessed , and he didn’t want the townspeople to suffer due to his actions earlier .

After running for about ten minutes , he saw the battlefield ahead . There were simple defenses erected , but from experience he saw that it wasn’t really enough to impede a beast wave . He walked up toward the man who spoke to him back by the mansion , who nodded at him .

The beasts should arrive in five minutes , we’re making our stance here . There’s luckily is no high-level beast amongst their kind , the largest boar is roughly four meters high and level 43 . We will likely have to use grenades on it , as bullets seldom work against the ones that size , - the soldier reported

No need for all that . Just stay here and I’ll be back in a bit , - Zac said .

With that he pushed out toward the forest in the distance , using Loamwalker] to increase his speed even further . After one minute of rushing he saw the horde approach , and he relished the chance for some no-holds-barred unthinking carnage .

Chapter 119 - Army

The soldiers looked on horrified as Zac returned just five minutes later , covered in head to toe in blood . He still wore the cape above his usual robe , and it didn’t have the self-cleaning option .

It’s done , - Zac tersely said as he passed the captain without stopping .

Are you staying in Greenworth? - the captain hesitantly asked Zac who kept moving toward the town .

No , I am heading to New Washington in an hour , - he answered .

The soldiers looked both relieved and troubled at the same time as Zac disappeared . There were a few things he wanted to do before leaving . First he went to a deserted home and cleaned up and changed clothes .

After that he went back to their old house and put everything of sentimental value into a pouch . He also left a note for Kenzie under the floorboard , explaining what had happened here and where she could find him . For all he knew Kenzie might be trying to get home as well , and this note would hopefully send her to Port Atwood if she passed by .

Next he went back to his own apartment . Ryan was still there , fretfully hiding . When he saw Zac walk through the door he looked quite startled .

You’re alive! It’s a good thing you came back . Those guys are extremely dangerous , you better not do anything rash , - he said with a sigh .

They’re all dead , the council and the Mayor . We’re leaving Greenworth , going back to my hometown , - Zac answered as he put most of his belongings away into the pouch .

Dead? Wait , what? What’s going on , what do you mean WE’RE leaving? - Ryan said , seeming he had some trouble understanding the burst of information .

You are the only one who knows my actual identity . That could be a risk for my sister . So either I kill you here and now , or you come with me to my home town , - Zac answered as he stopped , turning toward the gangly man .

Your place sounds great , a change in scenery is just what I needed , - Ryan answered , his head quickly nodding .

Zac rolled his eyes and threw one of his empty Cosmos Sacks over to the man .

This is a Cosmos Sack , its value is around a million Nexus Coins . Take it as compensation for forcibly being relocated , - Zac said as he kept storing away his items . - Is there any place that has good terrain vehicles , such as jeeps? -

I think those were mostly confiscated by the council and a few other powerful cultivators . It’s pretty much needed if you want to get to New Washington in one piece , - Ryan distractedly answered as he was fiddling with the pouch .

Right . Do you know if anyone of my neighbor is still alive? - Zac asked .

I’m not sure . This apartment complex is within the outer walls now , but before the wall was built monsters roamed freely on the streets . I think only something like a third of the whole town is still alive , if even that , - Ryan answered with a sigh .

The answer gave Zac a start . He had been preoccupied by his quest to find his family , but now that he thought about it there seemed to be quite a few people missing , and it wasn’t something that missing cultivators or the randomized missing areas could explain .

Only the core of Greenworth was walled in , while the outside was exposed to all kinds of beasts . As he sped through the outer part it was mostly abandoned apart from the occasional scavenger . Less than a third of the population could actually fit inside the walls judging by the area it encircled . But it didn’t seem cramped at all , rather the opposite .

It was a sobering feeling knowing that so many of the people he had seen growing up were just gone . Old classmates , co-workers , even random people on the streets . Most of them were simply dead , many likely suffering terrible fates . Zac could only sigh as he finished packing .

Let’s go , we’re picking up some more things before we leave , - Zac said as he made for the door .

Ryan didn’t really seem to own many possessions as he was still dressed in Zac’s old clothes , so he quickly scampered behind him after safely tucking away his Cosmos Sack . Zac simply knocked on the door of some of his neighbors he was closer to , but only silence answered . He could only shake his head and move on .

They turned toward the core area with the inner wall , and Ryan started to get fidgety as they approached .

Hey , buddy , I know you are powerful and all , but the army is up there . You might be able to dodge the bullets like some action hero , but I can’t , - he hesitantly said .

What did you do in the Tutorial anyway? You got this huge opportunity to gain power and survive , but you’re spending your days hiding in my apartment , - Zac scoffed with a roll of his eyes .

Hey! I’m still decompressing from that nightmare . You know the horrors we had to go through . I’m just happy I made it out alive . Besides , I’m still thinking about my true calling , trying to find my way , you know? After that I’ll start leveling again . -

Zac could only snort in response . Ryan’s excuses sounded much like the ones he heard from many in the old world who didn’t want to work but only play around .

Of course , there was no guard that challenged his approach this time , and they freely entered the posh neighborhood . The army was clearly uncomfortable to just let him go about as he wanted , but also unwilling to get too close out of fear of getting bisected , so a few people shadowed them but kept a respectful distance .

Zac used them for directions , and with their help he snatched up a group of vehicles that would be able to run in rougher terrains . He simply threw them into his larger Cosmos Sack that had no problem accommodating them . He planned on bringing them back to Port Atwood .

His town had the advantage of housing the demons who had far greater experience with crafting . He hoped that perhaps they could refit the vehicles to run on crystals rather than gas . If the refit was somewhat simple it could become another export of the town .

Soon it was time to meet up with Joanna so Zac went straight to the open space in front of the mansion . To his surprise it was filled with women , far more than the dozen or so that were at the meeting . A quick count put them at over one hundred people . All of them wore wretched clothing and had haggard expressions , but it was clear that all of them were young beautiful women .

The regret that the Mayor died was quickly fading away as he looked out over the victims of the apocalypse with a frown . Who knew what humiliation they had been forced through the past months . Besides , his little sister might have been one of the victims if she hadn’t been whisked away , and he could only pray she had found the power to protect herself in the tutorial .

He really felt that his plan might work out as he looked at the group .

He needed a private army . Everything looked fine with the demons on the surface , but he knew that he couldn’t trust the protection of his town to them alone . There needed to be a counterbalance apart from just himself on the island . The demons possessed their own interests , and Ogras was a duplicitous character .

Besides , even if these girls entered a Contract of Binding with him it wasn’t like he could or would use it for some nefarious purposes , and he’d release them when his force was stabilized . He looked at it the same way as most powers of the multi-verse , just a contract to make sure that he didn’t get stabbed in the back after pouring large amounts of resources on their training .

It was becoming increasingly clear to him that women were generally having a worse time in this new world compared to men . Neither gender really had any advantage or disadvantage when it came to cultivation or getting stronger , but scum like the Mayor was simply far more common among men .

He doubted that there were too many female powerhouses who were catching hundreds of young handsome men to trap in their sex dungeons . These girls weren’t useless when it came to cultivation or fighting , it was just that they got left behind in the early race for power , which left them helpless against people like Thom .

Their eyes reminded him of himself when he’d been stuck alone on the island , feeling weak and hopeless as he fretfully huddled in his camper while listening to the roars in the woods . Hopefully , they could turn that helplessness and anger into a desire for strength , turning them into a real force with the right training .

The main problem with a lot of people was that many didn’t seem to keep pushing themselves after an initial burst of activity , after which they started to feel safe again . However , safety was just an illusion . He had already seen multiple ghost towns while traveling through the area to Greenworth . They were small encampments with basic fortifications just like in Fort Roger .

One or a few cultivators simply didn’t have the power to contend with the increasingly hostile wildlife unless they went out of their way to grind levels in between the beast attacks . Just idling around like some kings in between short bursts of monster hunting would only work in the short run . Some of the citizens would be able to migrate to larger and safer towns , however many would die during the travels .

At least these women in front of him seemed driven enough to keep pushing themselves forward if they were given the chance now . And if they started slacking off he had the contract to push them forward . He walked over to Joanna who looked very conspicuous with her spear .

Who are all these people? How come there are far more people compared to before? - he asked as he looked around .

Half were kept by the mayor , the rest were split among the council , - she answered with smoldering anger barely concealed beneath her calm façade . - When they heard about your offer they wanted to join . -

Is it true you can make us powerful? Strong enough to slaughter assholes like Thom? - a girl , looking about the same age as his sister , asked skeptically .

Zac looked over the field , and the same skepticism could be seen on many of the faces looking at him . He looked over to Joanna who silently stood beside him .

Are these mansions empty? - he asked her . She looked confused but immediately answered .

Yes . No staff dared stay there , and all captives were freed , - she said , after which she pointed at a pile of sacks - We also removed anything of value as well . -

Zac nodded and walked over to the pile , and with a flourish put them all into a Cosmos Sack , which elicited a few surprised gasps . But he wasn’t done here , as he felt he needed to display some of his power if he wanted to recruit these people .

He unleashed his aura in its entirety , and it billowed out among the onlookers . By now he had calmed down and it only contained his power , and the murderous intent was far less discernible . Screams and gasps echoed across the square , and many even fell on their knees clutching their heads . With two quick steps he arrived at the gate of the old Mayor’s mansion and Charged up three fractal edges with Chop] .

In a lightning-quick manner he made three wide horizontal swings , and just before the fractals flew off he imbued them all with the Dao of Heaviness . The fractals flew toward one of the mansions each , and with the help of the Dao Seed completely destroyed the buildings from the impact . It looked like a terrorist attack , where a few bombs were simultaneously set off . Rubble flew in all directions and many had to take cover to avoid the falling debris .

He removed his aura and once again glanced at the group whose skepticism was not replaced with fear .

I will tell you the same as I told Joanna . I can give you power . But power comes through walking over the corpses of your enemies , if you don’t believe me , take a look at this , - Zac said with a loud voice reaching across the square , as he opened up his title page and shared his Butcher] title , which showed he’d killed over a hundred thousand beings .

Another round of gasps was heard , and Ryan even edged away from him with horror in his eyes .

Since the world turned to shit I’ve been attacked in all kinds of ways . I’ve been stabbed , maimed , mauled and suffocated . I’ve been blasted with fireballs and mental shockwaves and struck by lightning bolts . But I’ve survived , and I’ve become strong .

You all have the potential to become powerful , but you need the willpower and determination to fight , and keep fighting . The second you stop struggling someone like Thom will pass you in power . I can only provide you with an opportunity , but your effort will decide whether you will become a hunter or the hunted , - Zac said .

If you decide to follow me you will become a part of my army , and we will immediately set out to New Washington . From there we’ll teleport to the home base of the Force I belong to , and there your training would begin in earnest . If you can’t keep up during the walk , I’ll leave you in the woods .

I won’t force anyone to follow me . You have five minutes to make your choice ; Power or freedom , - he finished as he summoned a chair and sat down .

There was a subdued silence as he looked upon the women . The silence stretched to a minute until it finally was broken by the young girl who questioned him earlier . She walked right up to him with steady steps .

I choose power , - she said with determination in her eyes , as a Contract of Binding popped up in front of Zac .

He nodded , as he took out another set of gear and a spear and handed it over . With the first person walking forward it was as though a blockage was removed , and the former slaves walked forward one by one to pledge allegiance and get a set of gear .

With that the first battalion of the Atwood Valkyries was born .

Chapter 120 - The Return

Zac kept the lead as he pushed through the woods , his battalion of hapless recruits behind him . Altogether 80 of the women signed up , and were now walking behind him through the wilderness . The last 30 or so decided to stay behind in Greenworth , and Zac wouldn’t waste any more energy on them .

Luckily the gear he pilfered from Rydel and the dead warriors was enough to fit everyone to look essentially the same , with leather armor and a spear . Some of the gear was bloodied or had some scratches , but there was nothing to do about that at the moment .

He was quite surprised to hear that 9 of the recruits actually were cultivators who possessed experience from the tutorial . However , they had been in the bottom-tier and emerged with even lower levels compared to Ryan . Being a cultivator didn’t guarantee safety , and they’d been captured soon after they were returned . Apparently there were safety measures against that in the tutorial , but it disappeared immediately after it was over .

The fledgling soldiers had the willingness but lacked the skill as they stumbled along . Many were already panting from the trek while carrying their weapon . Zac could have put them all in a pouch , but he saw it as an opportunity for them to train and learn to struggle . They should be able to get a few stat points on the way to New Washington this way .

He was also accompanied by Ryan , who for some reason looked the most wretched of the bunch , even though having both the highest level and a Cosmos Sack to carry his things .

This is torture , why don’t we take a break? - he coughed out between pants .

Just how have you survived until now? - Zac asked , part despising , part curious . The man truly seemed to have no survival skills apart from some quick wits .

I mean I loved reading and watching Zombie stories before the world turned crazy . So I treated the merge like that , you know? Gather cans of food , scavenge while making no sound , things like that , - he answered with some pride .

The world will keep getting more dangerous . We got upgraded to a D-grade world . Sooner or later a bunch of E-Grade monsters will roam about , perhaps even D-Grade behemoths . How are you going to survive if you run around at level 18? - Zac asked .

Well , I’ve got people like you for protection , right? - he answered without hesitation .

Zac was about to refute , but with a start he actually realized Ryan made some sense . It was the job of people like him to protect the town so that the non-combat classes could work and make the area thrive . He also realized that he had developed somewhat of a harsh attitude to those who couldn’t battle lately , and it was something he needed to work on if he was going to lead a Force that likely would consist of more non-combat personnel than warriors .

He glanced back at the troop and saw that they should be able to keep going some more . He’d gotten pretty good at understanding the limit of endurance after battling the hordes . If people were sweating and panting they had more to give , but if they were glassy-eyed and robotic in their movements they were at their limit .

He was also happy to see that they seemed to be quite united . When one stumbled someone close by would help her up . Unity in a troop was extremely important . It was true before the fall , and perhaps even more so now . A soldier needed to be able to rely on their squadmates . Now with the system there also were the issue of war-arrays .

Alyn had explained the reason there were armies in the multi-verse . Zac had some problem understanding before since he felt that a D-Grade old monster was enough to decimate an endless amount of F-Grade soldiers , making them worthless . But there was such a thing called War Arrays . They were part array and part skill . A troop would combine their power , and exhibit a strength far above their individual power , even eclipsing ranks sometimes .

He didn’t possess such a thing at the moment , but the simpler ones shouldn’t be too hard to get hold of , especially with his cash infusion from the pouches on the mountain .

With such a large group moving they were almost constantly beset with attacks . Zac kept using Eye of Discernment] , and if the beasts were low-leveled he let the girls fight them . He only put his finger on the scale to make sure there were no deaths .

However , after half a day of walking most of the new recruits had bleeding gashes and bites hastily wrapped with some cloth or even leaves . There were even quite a few who leveled up during the day . The first levels were quite quick , and thanks to Zac maintaining vigil they could keep fighting without worrying that some high-level beast would arrive .

There were a few of those huge beasts that attacked the group , thinking they were easy pickings . Zac simply crippled them with a swing or two , and let someone from the army finish it off . Zac still got over 95% of the cosmic energy , but even 5% of a high leveled beasts gave quite a boost to the women who were barely level 10 .

Finally , after what felt like an eternity for everyone except Zac , they stopped for dinner . Zac threw out two of the huge carcasses of the higher leveled beasts and bisected them with a few quick swings .

Everyone gather up , - he said .

The women were tired but moved up to him .

There’s 80 of you so we’ll create eight squads for now , ten per group . One squad will take care of the camp every time we stop , such as cooking , and the group will rotate . The rest of you will use these , - Zac said as he took out a small mountain of Nexus Crystals .

What the HELL! Just how rich are you? - Ryan couldn’t help shouting as he saw the pile of wealth .

Zac ignored him as he looked over his new soldiers .

My goal is for you all to gain one level every day during our march , it shouldn’t be too hard since you’re all so low leveled . For those who don’t know , these are Nexus Crystals . You can absorb the energy inside to gain levels . I want everyone except the squad in charge of the chores to use these every time we rest as a supplement to the battles while we walk , - he said .

What about me? - Ryan said with some greed in his eyes .

You want crystals? Join the army , - Zac simply said . Honestly , he had more than enough crystals to hand out a few , but he wouldn’t do it right after the 80 women in front of him essentially got drafted to get this chance .

Uhm… Nevermind then . I’ll just have something to eat , - Ryan muttered and slunk away .

Zac let the women divide themselves into groups since he knew it was all temporary in any case . He was pretty sure Alyn would rearrange it when they came back to the island .

He helped the chore group clean the large carcasses , as they generally still were too weak to cut through the tough hide of the high leveled beasts . They could do it on low leveled ones , but it was better if they all ate stronger beasts . It gave no cosmic energy , but it was far more nutritious compared to the normal animals .

As he was cleaning everything Joanna walked up to him .

Um… Sir? - she tentatively asked Zac who looked up at her .

Yeah? -

Well , some of us were wondering… Who you are , - she asked with some embarrassment .

Zac simply stared blankly at her for some time , realizing he still hadn’t introduced himself .

It’s not really important , really , - Joanna said a bit flustered from Zac’s blank stare .

No , it’s ok . Wait a second , - Zac said as he flashed next to Ryan . - Sorry about this . -

Ryan barely had time to register his words and let out a screech as a chop on his neck knocked him out cold . The sound woke up the people who focused on absorbing energy .

My identity is a bit sensitive , so I had to knock this guy out . Since you all have signed a contract with me there’s no point in me hiding it . My name is Zachary Atwood , and I’m originally from Greenworth . My other nickname is… Super Brother-Man , - he said .

If Zac had to be honest he expected some shock and awe , but was pretty disappointed . Some looked skeptical , some were surprised , and some looked like it was an obvious thing .

Cough… well . That’s about it , - he said with some embarrassment . - Keep both my identities secret , I’m known as Monk to the government . We’re leaving in an hour , rest up . -

Wait , why do you have that weird name? - one of the girls suddenly asked .

Zac told them the story of the origin of Super Brother-Man , and got many looks of approvals . He still felt a bit embarrassed about the lackluster reaction earlier , so he sat down and closed his eyes as he took out another Nexus Crystal for himself .

He wasn’t really focusing on the crystal , rather the feeling he had earlier at the grave-site . The hour he sat reminiscing gave him an insight into another facet of heaviness . He would treasure the insight , even though he didn’t love the way he gained it . He wasn’t sure , but he felt it was the first clue to take the next step to upgrade his Dao Seed .

He knew that his seeds needed to improve quite a bit if he wanted an Epic class . Some low or medium ranked seeds wouldn’t be enough according to Alyn . He had already asked Calrin to be on a lookout for treasures that helped with the Dao , but those were among the most sought after treasures in the multi-verse . They were always in low supply but high demand and the huge consortiums snatched them up long before people like Calrin had a chance to even see the listing .

As he was meditating he sensed some light steps moving his way , and he was just about to open his eyes when he sensed more movement . Three of his new guards moved to intercept the person . He sneakily opened one of his eyes and saw one of the younger girls trying to approach him with a water bottle . Her efforts were foiled by Joanna and two of the girls who were cultivators though .

Zac felt the whole thing worked out pretty great . He was in no mood for some girl trying to woo him for benefits . Besides , he knew he wouldn’t get too close to these people . They would become soldiers , and many of them might be dead in a year or two . To defy fate and grasp for power was to dance with death , there was no getting around that .

Soon the hour was up , and Zac opened his eyes and got up . The recruits still weren’t rested , but they got up to their feet with no complaint . Ryan was still knocked out where Zac left him , so he splashed some water on his face to wake him up .

Wha- whu? What the hell , man? - he groggily spluttered .

You must have passed out , it’s time to go , - Zac said , hiding some embarrassment , as he started walking again .

The days passed as the girls went through a baptism of fire and blood in the forest . Some even managed to attain a few of the solo kill Titles while fighting some of the weaker beasts . When they followed Zac out through Greenworth the only thing strong about them was the determination in their eyes . But now they exuded an aura of warriors . Zac knew that they still were only paper tigers , and not someone who would be useful in the third wave , but their progress was impressive .

After roughly a week on the road they reached the area of New Washington , and Zac sighed as he saw a group waiting for him by the gate . He wasn’t surprised as he spotted a few scouts in hiding earlier . He didn’t do anything to intercept them , as this wasn’t avoidable .

This was going to be a pain in the ass .

Chapter 121 - Thomas Fischer

Stay here . If they start firing at you , scatter and hide until I’ve incapacitated them . Joanna , Riley , and Tamira with me . Ryan too I guess , - Zac said , not wanting to give the man an opportunity to slink away .

Um I can keep look-out from over here , no need to bother you , - Ryan said as he nervously looked at the armed soldiers lined up , but after a glare from Zac sighed and followed .

The other three , each a leader of one of the squads , followed Zac expressionlessly . They were the first to sign up to his employ , and among those who had improved the most during the death march back to New Washington .

All of them were around level 20 by now , which was a huge improvement compared to before . While none had gained the one level per day he hoped they weren’t far off . It shouldn’t be more than two weeks until they could get their class as soon as they got back to the island

Zac walked in the front , ready to intercept any nervous soldier with a hair-trigger . There were a few official-looking people in the front , Julia one of them . Another of them clearly was a general from his attire . The final man was in his late forties or early fifties .

He was clean-cut and good looking , looking very much like the politicians of old . He even wore a navy suit with a silk tie . However , intuition born from months of intense battles told Zac that he was no weak mortal , but at least decently strong .

There were a few more of them who hid further in the back with fear on their faces . The whole group held around a hundred people and formed quite a welcome for Zac’s party .

It is good to see you again Mr . Monk , though I hoped it would have been under better circumstances . We have heard some troubling things from Greenworth , - Julia said .

Like a barefoot lunatic going on a murder-spree , killing all the strongest warriors of the town , putting all the civilians at risk , - the general gruffly added with a glare .

The three women behind Zac glared at the general , but he only balefully glared back . Zac slowly looked over the group and with a sigh removed the corpse of the mayor and threw it over .

It was very disappointing seeing the lawlessness your government displayed just one town away from here . I arrive and find this animal has been capturing young women for slaves , filling large mansions equipped with disgusting torture devices . This apparently went on for months , where he was left to his own devices , protected by the army . Yet you stand here looking all self-righteous , - Zac said with a calm face .

Julia frowned and looked at the women behind him , and then to the small army in the distance unsure what to say . However , the general didn’t have the same problem .

Bah , that’s just your story . And even if it was true , since when was it up to you you to be judge , jury , and executioner? You should have reported it to us and we would have looked into it , - the general angrily retorted .

The information brokers in New Washington already knew about it , so there’s no way you didn’t . I have 80 victims with me as well that can testify . Of course , you could just ask anyone from Greenworth if you actually gave a shit , since the council’s activities were no secret . There’s a whole park filled with unmarked graves that’s a testament to their wanton slaughter in the town , - Zac spat back with an angry glare .

Memories of the mounds where his father was dumped somewhere came back to him , and his temper started rising . He knew that these people were not to blame since it was the cultivators who did it as soon as they got back from the Tutorial . Still , he had some trouble maintaining his cool .

Monk wasn’t the one who killed that pig , it was me , - Joanna suddenly interjected from behind .

Well , there you have it , a confession , - the general said .

Don’t mind her , - Zac said , and then turned to Joanna . - You , stay quiet for now . -

She looked like she wanted to interject , but she could only close her mouth and step back .

So , is this why you have a squadron waiting for me outside your gates? - Zac asked .

Finally the clean-cut man opened his mouth .

A society cannot function without order , and the rule of law is the most basic of protections for the weak against oppression by the strong . These are chaotic times , and unfortunately some chose to look out for themselves instead of the common good , - he said as he looked down on the mutilated corpse of the mayor .

There will be an investigation regarding your activities in Greenworth , and if it turns out what you say is true , then that’ll be it . If they truly acted as you say , hiding behind the authority of the government while acting like monsters , then they deserve their fates . If we find you are lying , then you and Port Atwood will be listed as terrorists , and barred from this and any future Government towns on threat of death , - he continued .

Zac simply nodded , not really worried about the latter threat . To him it felt like something the government needed to do to save face . They couldn’t just let it go as that would make them look weak . He was even prepared to pay some fine just to smooth things over , but things turned out even better than expected .

However , I’m more curious about why you have brought an army to our doorsteps . From what I can see the quality of their gear is not trivial . What is your goal? - the man continued .

I plan on taking these people back to Port Atwood immediately . I have taken the liberty of taking them in as refugees . I was worried about their fate staying here , - Zac said with a shrug of his shoulders .

Are you not staying for the Auction? - Julia suddenly asked .

I plan on attending . I’ll go back and report , and then return . I might bring someone back with me , - he answered .

He thought of having Sap Trang act as a village elder so he didn’t have to keep having these conversations , as it was a bit tiring . Mr . Trang was of simple origins , but he was wily , which might just be what was needed to deal with these bureaucrats .

The man in the suit , who clearly was some sort of leader , nodded in response . There was something about the man in front of Zac that felt familiar , but Zac couldn’t place his finger on it .

By the way , who are you? Why do I recognize your face? - he asked with some doubt .

I am Thomas Fischer , and I was once the Deputy Secretary of Defense . For now , I’m the leader of New Washington , - Thomas answered with a nod .

Now Zac realized he must have seen the man in some news article or on the television . The guy once was a pretty high-ranked official . It even looked like he was a cultivator judging from his aura . Zac reminded himself to be careful around this man , not letting himself be used as some sort of puppet . If there was one thing that was common among all high ranked politicians , then it would be their ambition , and he had no idea what goals this man had for himself in this new world .

And the president? - Zac asked . He hadn’t actually thought about it until now , but he wondered where the de-facto leaders ended up .

President Hughes , vice president Clark , and much of the old executive branch unfortunately have passed away . We recently found out that the part of Old Washington with the Capitol and the White House was randomized to close proximity of a Zhix-hive . We do not expect there to be any survivors , - he said with a sigh .

However , their sacrifice will be avenged . Any attack on humanity will result in a thunderous response , - he added with a higher volume .

Many of the soldiers nodded in agreement , and Zac even heard a - damn right’ from somewhere . Zac was overall pretty impressed with the man in front of him . It looked like the government could be in worse hands . Still , he seemed like a purebred politician , and everything he said and did likely was to maximize benefits and not a testament to what he truly believed .

At least the man seemed intent on working together for now , and swept away his problems with one fell swoop . Zac felt it was nothing odd by now , and it reminded him of the pragmatic mindset of Ogras . There was no benefit in clamoring for justice for some dead rapist , it was much more beneficial to keep a good relationship with a potential powerhouse .

So , can we go? - Zac said , wanting to get on with it . The scouting missions should be done as well , and Zac was curious to see what his four teams had discovered on the neighboring islands .

Of course , but understand that your group will need to have an army escort for safety reasons . We can’t just have a hundred armed warriors running rampant inside the town , - Thomas answered .

Zac thought it over for a second before he nodded and turned to his three guards .

Get the others , we’re heading home , - he said , and in short order the small army of spearmen walked through the town .

They still didn’t give the air of a real army as their ranks were a bit disorganized , but at least the women gave off an intimidating aura . Between the inscribed spears and the high-quality leather gear they looked like real warriors and the various wounds that covered them only heightened that impression .

They were accompanied by soldiers both in front and behind the squad . The soldiers weren’t really hostile , but rather looked a bit curious at the girls , and even a bit jealous at Zac . They were quickly ushered to the teleporter , and Zac stayed behind letting the others enter first .

Just exit the building and stay there . Oh , and stay calm , they won’t hurt you , - Zac only said , drawing confused glances from both the new recruits and the people of New Washington .

Finally everyone except Zac had passed through , and he turned to the leaders of New Washington .

Our first meeting was a bit bumpy , but I hope we can work together in the future . We’re well aware that the invaders are our largest threat . As a sign of trust I’ll give you this treasure . It contains much information that will aid humanity in general . My hope is that the content will be made public to any forces that stand against the enemies of our new planet , - Zac said as he threw over the crystal containing the information of the incursions .

It was the very same one Ogras threw at him long ago , and he’d kept it all this while . He knew all the content by heart by now , so he had no problem giving it over to the people here . While some of their motives were suspect he felt their desire to protect humanity was true . Furthermore he had no desire to profit from this information , as his very planet was at stake .

What’s this? - Julia curiously asked as she snatched the crystal out of the air .

It is an information package containing quite a bit of information regarding the incursions . It details both the forces of the multi-verse , and many other important facts that will help us anticipate the invader’s composition and strength . It was taken from the body of a high ranking invader , - Zac simply said , drawing surprised glances .

Is the forces of Port Atwood fighting an Incursion? - Julia quickly asked .

I’m not at liberty to discuss our situation . See you in three days , - Zac said with a small smile as he entered the teleporter .

The leaders of New Washington seemed to have follow-up questions , but Zac simply winked out of existence , cutting any questioning short .

Chapter 122 - Homecoming

Zac appeared in the familiar teleportation house and immediately heard some ruckus . He grimaced and quickly walked outside to see what was going on .

The response of the demons was surprisingly quick , with over twenty of them standing at the ready to blast his new soldiers to high heaven . The former slaves looked shocked at the sight of the demons , but Zac was happy to see that they didn’t forget their training , and formed a decent defensive line .

That’s enough . These are new recruits of Port Atwood , - Zac said as he stepped in between the two groups .

Luckily the demons followed his standing orders , not wantonly killing anything coming through the portal . The array was only possible to use with his permission after all , so anything that came through should be an ally .

You keep bringing back young girls to the island every time you leave . I’m starting to get jealous , - a light voice drifted over from the group of demons as Alea stepped out .

She scrutinized the girls , who warily looked back at her .

Well , they’re pretty weak , but at least they’re better than those from the ship , - she said with a smile .

Oh , you’re not happy with the assessment? You want to test your mettle , little girl? - she added as she saw one of the cultivators in the new group glare angrily at her .

That’s enough . Where is Alyn? These people need basic training , I want them at fighting capacity as soon as possible , - Zac said .

I’ll take you there , - Alea answered as she walked up to his side while throwing a teasing smile at the girls behind him .

Zac knew she was mostly messing around and didn’t mind it as he started walking , following the poison mistress’ directions .

Um… What’s going on? Why are there… demons here? - one of the squad leaders hesitantly asked as they moved toward the temporary town .

Well , that isn’t really important . You can see it as they’re another foreign race sharing our new planet . Besides , there are humans here as well , just not that many , - Zac said , still respecting the demons’ wishes to stay incognito as much as possible .

Can you update me on what’s been going on since I left? - Zac asked as he turned to Alea .

Ogras is still in seclusion , absorbing the fruit , - she started , looking prepared for the question .

There was almost no reconstruction needed from the ant-wave . We have sent a few exploratory parties inside and killed off most of those still alive inside the hive . Unfortunately , those kills awarded no contribution points . Space inside has stabilized by now and is barely larger than the exterior . There are some interesting developments there , but I’ll let Alyn discuss that with you , - she said , drawing confused glances from the others .

Ok , what about the exploratory missions? - Zac asked next .

The last of them returned yesterday . Three of the vessels met no real troubles . Surprisingly most of the islands around us are populated . Most are populated with humans , but two are comprised of beastmen who seem to have a rudimentary grasp of the Dao of Technology . The parties mostly kept some distance to them apart from a few minor altercations or meetings . However , the last group only had two survivors of the 6 crewmen . Apparently they stepped on an island and after walking a bit they were assaulted by extremely aggressive insectoid beings - , she finished .

Zac was a bit surprised that there were so many encampments scattered around his island . The beastmen were obviously the Ishiate , and it sounded the camps close to Port Atwood were those that were starting to industrialize before the integration . He was a bit curious to meet these beastmen , but he didn’t have time for that at the moment .

It was more troubling to hear that a neighboring island held a Zhix Hive . Zac still knew very little about that race , apart from the fact that they were even more hostile than the Forces of the incursions . It was like having a crazy neighbor , never knowing when trouble would come knocking at your door .

How far is the island with the Zhix? That’s the insectoid species , - Zac asked .

It actually is one of the closest islands , just an hour or so away on your vessel to the northeast . It was the last island the group planned on visiting before returning , - Alea said with a sigh .

That was even worse news . It meant that the danger only increased further , and the Zhix might even land on his island without him noticing since almost all of the shoreline was unguarded . The last time the humans were only intercepted since they specifically sailed toward his shipyard .

He really needed some alert system and would take some time to look through the shop for something fitting , and even consult with Calrin if he didn’t find anything .

After ten minutes of walking they reached a house some distance from the town encampment , roughly somewhere around where the Academy would be located in the future . Still , the building looked very temporary , and the work done was mostly clearing out forest and smoothing out the ground .

A large area was covered in gravel , and it resmbled an outdoors gym from the various boulders and contraptions there .

I see you got me some more students after all . I had a feeling you would want to increase the population soon , and had a few people arrange this space for me , - Alyn said with a smile as she exited the house .

Low levels , but decent attitude . They are lacking in bloodlust and ruthlessness though , but that can be fixed . Not a bad first squadron , - she said after quickly glancing over the girls behind Zac and Alea .

A few of them are cultivators , but the rest are mortals . I hope you can look over options for a good cultivation manual to give them , - Zas said .

After traveling with Ryan and the other cultivators for a week he’d learned a lot about the Tutorial . They had all been shocked when they learned that he wasn’t actually a cultivator himself , rather a mortal .

Everyone who entered the Tutorial got the same low tiered cultivation manual . It was without any element and not very powerful , but helped set a foundation to the pathway system that could later be changed into whatever pattern their class provided . To get a better and more suitable manual they had to earn them .

The first day in the tutorial was pretty relaxed . Everyone had been teleported to a large town and greeted by the workers of the system . They had gotten an orientation that explained what was going on and basic information about cosmic energy , the System and the Multiverse .

Many were skeptical , but it was hard to refute what was said when it came from a flying pixie who showed examples of magic as she explained it . They were even stuffed with some propaganda , as it was explained they were the - chosen ones’ , and the hope of humanity . The mortals were essentially called lower life-forms by the pixies , not deserving of the system’s attention .

They were given the manual , which was simply called F-Grade Cultivation Manual] and taught how to meditate to absorb Cosmic Energy quicker . They were also given a choice of a skill , ranging from weapon skills and spells . From the description of the skills it sounded to Zac it was an improved selection of the beginner skills available for sale in the Nexus Node .

People had been amazed by suddenly being able to strike out with weapons with the power to create cracks in the ground , or even shoot fireballs . They were even given an exclusive Title for being the - chosen’ , that gave 5 points all attributes , just to show them how the Title system worked . However , the fun times didn’t last forever . Those five points also guaranteed that everyone , young or old , essentially was in peak condition for the following trials .

On the second day everyone was teleported away from the town . Some arrived in some dingy cave , others in some sort of frontier towns . There were all kinds of scenarios that appeared and the groups that got placed together ranged between five and over a hundred , but they had one thing in common . They all got a quest to either defend from monsters or to explore somewhere filled with monsters .

That first mission was one of the bloodiest , with almost a tenth dying . People weren’t able to adapt to the new change . Some took too large risks , feeling invulnerable with their new skills . Others simply froze like deers in headlights , getting mowed down by unforgiving monsters .