LoRG 1

Because if his stats weren’t enough to do this there would be effectively no one in this world who would be able to survive it

Dozer walked up to Randidly and gave him a questioning look considering the spatial rips

These will kill anyone who touches them Randidly said bluntly Avoid them But go in and tell me what you can find

Dozer nodded as if this was the most normal thing in the world and ducked under one of the rips that Randidly had been studying Simon and Thea both on Chrysanthemum’s back showed up at the base of the tower staring up with wide eyes Behind them were the hard and scarred men than made up Dozer’s squad looking up at the tower with a very unimpressed look on their faces

Doing his best to even his breathing Randidly considered his options There was one month remaining Probably even a bit of time after that would still be acceptable without a loss of life It would take a while for the ambient Aether in people’s bodies that they had already absorbed to run out In that time someone had to clear the Raid Dungeon

Randidly’s hands tightened into fists But if there were more of those spatial holes inside of the Dungeon He had lashed out with abandon just wanting to express his frustration and powerlessness And it appeared that that instinct had come back to bite him

It made him furious It stunk of the Creature’s twisted smile And he hated every minute of it

Dozer returned his face impassive Aside from being a Lvl 49 Dungeon pretty simple with one catch only one team in at a time and the team clears the Dungeon or dies You go in you better go all the way

Randidly hissed So no scouting the Dungeon before they went into the thick of things It would mean that if he sent a group into the Dungeon that he wasn’t a part of they would all be doomed to die if his struggles had left scratches on the inner parts of the Raid Dungeon

that were expanding even now

Growling Randidly cracked his knuckles And if he wanted to go into the Dungeon he would need to address something else first

Which frankly was extremely repugnant to Randidly This was not the circumstances forced by threat of death of the entire Zone that he wished to obtain a Class This was not on his own terms this was dictated by fate

But what Randidly wondered most of all was this exactly what the Creature wanted

Chapter 347

As the group set up camp nearby the Raid Dungeon Randidly sat apart from them in the darkness far away from the campfire His legs crossed beneath him he Meditated and focused his attention inward while the rain from the Weeping Cloud fell down on him

What are my options Randidly asked Lucretia

They were sitting on top of a mountain in his Soul Skill Underneath them the secret research base of the Spriggits toiled developing giant suits of metal to fight against the Monster King Or rather to hold in reserve against another Monster King offensive as things had settled down to a simmer both sides holding their own against the other

She rolled her eyes Aside from going to a Village and getting a Class I don’t know of any easy answers There is undoubtedly a mechanism that checks an individual for their Class It’s hard to say what its actual purpose is but I suspect it is actually a mechanic designed to protect users from wandering into a place and dying there or training there and being unable to leave due to Aether Sickness It is hard to abuse a genuinely well intentioned rule

Randidly grunted noncomittally looking down at the Spriggits Really he had to just shake his head at their ingenuity In a few more years they would have some legitimate Gundam types running around fighting against monsters It would be certainly something to watch

Almost morosely he grabbed a bit of Progenitor’s Influence that rose out of an engineer He now had 91 which enabled him to send dreams so he could push them in that direction but

It would be nothing but a diversion Right now the most important thing was to address this problem Which was not proving easy both because of the circumstances arrayed against him but also because of the fact he was almost forced to rely on Lucretia as a resource

Randidly didn’t doubt that she was very well informed on the subject of Aether but if anything that only made him feel worse The only positive of the whole situation was that the more he listened to her talk the more he realized that there were wide gaps in her knowledge about the usage of Aether due to the fact that it was almost impossible for her to handle She only could recognize the shapes and arranged ways of channeling that wild Aether into the desired shapes

The quality of the Aether that she was used to was worlds below Randidly’s own Which reassured him and simultaneously made him raise his guard if only because his instincts weren’t viewing her as much of a threat any longer And Randidly knew that Lucretia got to the point of being the Eternal Witch by being underestimated time and time again

With her effectively living in his heart the danger was magnified But they did say keep your friends close your enemies closer so

Randidly snapped back to the present and turned to Lucretia That is a last resort A very very last resort Neveah has a Level and is a part of me if we figure out the mechanism

I’ve thought about it won’t work Lucretia said shaking her head Neveah who was a part of him anyways condensed a smaller version of her form to join them in the Soul Skill only about the size of a garden snake coiling around Randidly’s arms She hummed good naturedly as Randidly petted her head

Although she levels she doesn’t have a Class Lucretia continued Or if anything you are her Class She strengthens along with you the most obvious way being your Level As you don’t have one her growth should be slower but

They both looked at Neveah

I grow She added helpfully Randidly rolled his eyes Yes she did But that was a positive thing so it was a waste of time to try and dig deeper into the why At least any deeper than his pet theory that all the experience Randidly should be earning through his actions didn’t just disappear but flowed into the path of least resistance Neveah

Yes you do Lucretia said wryly Still the idea is a good one just Neveah isn’t the answer It might be possible to use my Class to mask yours but that would require some entanglements between us which I suspect you would be uncomfortable with

You wouldn’t mind Randidly asked genuinely surprised Lucretia just smiled Shaking his head Randidly huffed his annoyance And you won’t let me know unless I’m willing to actually call your bluff What’s your Class anyway

Spear Witch Lucretia said her smile now containing real amusement rather than the sharp twisted thing that usually animated her

It surprised him how easily she would admit to it but Randidly supposed she might be lying However it didn’t seem like it That will be the second to last resort then Anything else

Lucretia just shrugged Any brief happiness Randidly felt turned sour For several minutes the two of them just sat and watched as the Spriggits beneath them worked assembling their metal monsters It was a heavy silence

If this truly meant that Randidly would be forced to get a Class It felt like he was playing around with a chunk of vomit that was just sitting in his mouth The obvious location was to obtain a Class at Donnyton but that would forge a connection not only with the System but also with the Creature who still had Lyra imprisoned

At that thought Randidly snapped out of his funk and his heartbeat quickened Although the Creature being with the Regalias was a danger that he hadn’t really addressed yet if the Creature really was holed up in the Raid Dungeon

Then Lyra would be alone Lyra would be free

Although it was strange Randidly missed her Just because she had treated him like a normal human and not held all these weird expectations for him while everyone else was doing exactly that Maybe she had understood from her own life as an actress how important being treated like a real person really was so you didn’t lose yourself in what everyone else said about you

There was the strange matter of the connection that had been forced between them the strange draw the System had provided for them that had left Randidly deeply distrustful of the System even at the beginning but it was not enough to necessarily sour the feelings he felt towards the young girl with the sharp tongue

Randidly pressed his eyes closed One problem at a time

What about the Stone of Genesis Do you think we can make more of those Randidly said happy to shift his attention towards a side problem

Lucretia shrugged again but this was a much more disinterested shrug Snorting Randidly could only shake his head She had been connected to him by the Aether tether for only a few weeks and already too spoiled to even put small amounts of Aether like this in her eyes Although he was sure that prior to their meeting she would have killed for this sort of opportunity

No more bigger

Randidly blinked looking down at his arm where Neveah was grinning her happy little open mouthed grin at him It was honestly pretty adorable when she was this size

What are you talking about Lucretia said reaching for the sky and stretching

Problem Big stone solution Neveah said her voice becoming insistent

Randidly frowned He felt her thoughts and most of her meaning but was having difficulty following it She wanted What Neveah the problem you are talking about getting into the Dungeon

Raid Dungeon Neveah said her voice becoming increasingly solemn and accusatory You dumb Fear Class Hate System Dumb

Randidly opened his mouth then closed it Then his brow furrowed in annoyance I sure I hate it but it’s for good reason The Class you know what I know It’s a connection to the System It’s a binding a way of controlling it Hell I think all of the roles here are just ways the System

Wrong silly Neveah interrupted dropping off his arm and onto the ground and then slithering to an open space Above her a drawing formed of Aether began to take shape Class just Class It is System from bad source but System shape Without shape weak Cannot shape alone Home different

Her words were disjointed but it was still enough to get her meaning Especially while above her head she drew a small house a person and a line connecting two But independent of them there was a wriggly lined circle around the man which Randidly sensed was supposed to be the Class

Actually she has a point Lucretia said the interest in her eyes renewed as she examined Neveah’s small form and then her drawing I’ve always wondered about the connection to the Village System although admittedly it means almost nothing at the stage our world is it is important at the start I’ve studied Classes but I could never really feel what was going on but with your skills

Which is all fine but how Randidly began but then his understanding due to their connection finally showed through The picture clicked together

A Class A Skill The Skill Neveah announced to the world Alone hard But now stone If make THE Stone We Class No problem

Chapter 348

Randidly learned 3 things in the ensuing conversations with Neveah and Lucretia

Number one the idea actually seemed real Upon further discussion and examination of Lucretia’s Class because hers was the most easily accessible example it really seemed like a Class was actually just a larger version of Skills It was THE Skill for a person’s body and internal world While other Skills related to the ability to accomplish certain actions the Class related to people’s ability to interact with the System

Which made a bit of sense but also didn’t make sense What did that really mean for Skills How did they work Aether was the substance of them but how did they improve

These questions were set aside however to deal with the actual relevant information more directly The inner soul world of most people didn’t grow like Randidly’s did due to the lack of fresh Aether to fuel the growth In terms of its relation to the System the Aether of the Class itself settled around the soul world almost like an inner armor that would grow and spur growth

It gave shape to the soul world but also was an extremely dense and intricate construct of Aether that incorporated images into the very fabric of it It reminded Randidly of the way that the Creature had spoken words made of Aether against him when it was trying to convince him to found his Soul Skill for it and included thick images of huge ancient battlefields rife with death

Of course there were drawbacks to the Classes Although they came from the Villages there was still only a certain amount of rather impure Aether that they were made of and only so much Aether flowed along the connection The Class provided shape but it was a strain on the Soul World which they began to suspect was the reason for the additional Class restrictions Which didn’t necessarily make sense due to the fact that weaker Classes had fewer slots for additional Skills

Or at least it didn’t make sense before Neveah matter of factly suggested that it was because the images were too general and therefore required more Aether to build It was much easier to build a specific image of a Class than a general one that would cover a wide variety of possibilities that would allow an individual to grow

Spear Witch had a more elegant shape than the Warrior Class And if the Class had been even more specific than that

Is it possible to practice creating a Class by adjusting mine Lucretia asked a winning smile on her face Randidly could feel a tickle of discomfort at the prospect at the same time as feeling that the opportunity would be pretty valuable experience Especially because the prospect was one that they wouldn’t likely get anyone else to agree to

But Neveah spoke up No Idea bad You warp

Along with the brief phrase was a string of very specific mental images that arrived at Randidly involving the way that the specific connections between the huge Aether construct that was a Class and the Soul Space would change and be strained by the change although her further thoughts clarified that it should be possible

Which brought Randidly to his 2nd realization Neveah was a fucking genius

Her ability to quickly view and intuit Aether was ridiculous to the point that Randidly wasn’t able to even touch her more unexpected insights Perhaps it could be explained by her growing up inside of the Aether Crossroads but it was more than that The longer he examined her ideas the more his own comprehensions increased at a rapid clip and the more he recognized the gulf of differences between them

Even Lucretia who at first was extremely dismissive of Neveah based on the way she spoke was becoming increasingly silent and accepting of Neveah’s pronouncements Although it was somewhat intimidating Randidly felt a surge of pride After all the two of them were intimately connected to each other

At first it was a shock that she was growing so fast and that her intellect was monstrous underneath her rather ineffective communication style He had treated her well basically like a mount But she was so much more than that

And she was beginning to design him a Class although they would still need to see how the Stone of Genesis and also Thea’s reward worked to see the way the constructs of Aether were assembled and changed

The 3rd thing Randidly realized was perhaps the most perplexing but also it was the most useless And that was simply that what was experience It was perhaps more explainable at the Skill version where it would mean you had improved But in terms of Class what were you gathering to advance it What was the fuel that drove it forward

But there was no answer and they had more important things to focus on at the moment

Still Randidly had a direction now even if it was one where he felt dangerously out of his depth But his Skills were rising to the occasion Although the previous few weeks were an extremely slow period of growth for Randidly in terms of Skills the combination of rushing over fighting against the skeletons his final duel with the Skeleton Knight and now all the research into Aether had jump started his Skill growth

Randidly had gained 7 Lvls of SoulBond 12 Lvls in Aether Detection and Meditation 9 Lvls in Aether Manipulation 5 Lvls in Battle Intent the Weeping Cloud and Calculated Blow 6 Lvls in Struggle and Physical Fitness 3 Lvls of Phantom’s Embrace and Spear Mastery 4 Lvls in Empower Haste and Mana Strengthening 2 Lvls in Grace and Flexibility of the White Hunters 4 Lvls in Stalemate Breaker 6 in Golden Roots of Yggdrasil and Spearing Roots and 10 Lvls in Living Aether All in all it was a haul of 115 PP which was enough to finish off his Basic Mana Engraving Path

Congratulations You have completed the test of Basic Mana Engraving Path It is a path that not many tread seeking to infuse the world around you with the strength of Mana in the shape of Aether But as time has gone on you begin to see how even this path lays out before you leading you onward Mana +100 The efficiency and delicacy of your control while using Mana Engraving has greatly increased A new host of runes are available to you should you learn them

Randidly grinned wryly So he finally would be able to handle the Shadow IV rune huh Well now that he finally had somewhat of a break he would try and improve his equipment Because he had to admit although he was strong even he could only be cautious when faced with the prospect of heading into a Lvl 49 Raid Dungeon After all the highest Levels he had faced in Shal’s world was only 25

And Lvl 50 Randidly wasn’t sure but it kept coming up in different contexts It seemed to him that there was something special about it Another question but not a pressing one so he let it go for now

Instead he focused on his next options for a Path

Heretic XIV 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Path of Control 0/200 Adept (+1) 0/250 Experimenter I 0/50 The Second Seedling 0/50 The Phantom’s Embrace 0/150 Fighting Proficiency III 0/ System Transgressor 0/1 Steps of the Godling II Path 0/200 Meditation II 0/150 Greater Empower Path 0/100 Basic Soul Bond 0/75

The final 3 options were new ones and Randidly was especially tempted by the final two Greater Empower and Basic Soul Bond But

Everytime he had finished one of the main Paths ie Newbie Trainee Apprentice etc he received a per level gain Which in his view made the impending arrival of a Class for himself which would let him gain levels push for that option 250 was high but he already had a big chunk of it and he would definitely be increasing the levels of at least his Aether Skills in preparation for what would come after Hopefully it would end up being enough

Although in a way it did drive Randidly slightly insane After all everything would be so useful

But he did his best to ignore those tempting Paths and poured his PP into the Adept(+1) Path instantly putting 90 into it It even had a nice benefit too because every 10 PP he would receive 10 Health Mana and Stamina which all told was a pretty sizable boost

Satisfied Randidly came back to himself and considered his next movements in the real world While he Neveah and Lucretia were hammering out the details of creating a Class he could still physically move around and practice other Skills During that time there were several things he wanted to do First was revisit Star Crossing and drop off Simon and perhaps Thea but Randidly believed she would head to Donnyton to investigate the Stone of Fate

In fact he was counting on it Although it wasn’t exactly a Stone of Genesis it seemed to be cut from a similar cloth Seeing any of the weirder mechanics of the System in action would be useful at this point now that he was trying to decode the hyperdense Aether that seemed to permeate everything

Which worked out in another way because Star Crossing had apparently forged a portal between there and Donnyton which would take them back home instantly Aside from Randidly preparing himself to go into the Dungeon the other factor to consider who would be the other 9 spots in the Raid Party

Honestly due to the high difficulty associated with a Lvl 49 Dungeon he wanted the best But to be honest no longer did he know who that was aside from himself It was time to go home and take muster of their strength because the System was rising

It was time to crush it back

There was another goal but one that Randidly was slightly uneasy about Although he had met Ace he hadn’t seen Sydney Perhaps it could wait until after the Dungeon was dealt with but

It weighed heavy on his mind How would she react to seeing him

Chapter 349

What how did he seem Sydney asked softly her fingers tapping the wood of her desk Although her voice did not quaiver she had lost a sense of her question halfway through which was not something that Drake was used to seeing When it came to this Ghosthound character it seemed everyone and everything went sideways even the System

Not that the man didn’t deserve it From there two brief run ins the man had enough strength to warrant the attention And yet he didn’t seem like the type to go mad with power like Dauntless or lose himself in pointless rigamarole and pomp like Star Crossing He raised a village of discipline focused elites and spoke only sparingly

Drake’s mouth twitched Even he was starting to admire the man It was just when it came to Sydney

He Coppernicus finally answered seeming to think very deeply about the question He seemed driven focused He also was visibly shaken when I mentioned your name Do you two

Even Vandal perked up at that although the kid did his best to hide it Everyone immediately underneath Sydney had a small crush on her no matter how deeply they suppressed it or denied it It wasn’t her looks either although she was clearly beautiful made more so by the System

No if Drake had to put it into a word to it Sydney was

Fate Sydney said in a whisper while her voice seemed so broken so tired Insists on pushing us together Before the System before everything we knew each other He’s my first memory

Drake blinked The word would have been insatiable Sydney always seemed to have a furious disregard for what everyone else thought almost purposefully rejecting the status quo in order to pursue her own goals But now as she talked about this man with only a sentence he seemed to unravel that

In Drake’s heart something hardened

Anyways what do we know about the Raid Dungeon Sydney said snapping her focus back instantly that intensity returned to her gaze

Very little that wasn’t included in the notification Star Crossing is scrambling and the Ghosthound’s party is traveling rather slowly back to the village Drake reported Our sources will likely know more when they meet with the Executive Board there Assuming they begin to gather a party to clear the Raid Dungeon should we

Do nothing for now Sydney said flexing her hand and creating a goblet of ice She grabbed a bottle snapped off the top and poured herself a glass The red liquid looked eerily like blood even though Drake knew intellectually that the crimson liquid was just wine After swirling it and sipping it Sydney continued He will come here on his own

Looking for a fight Vandal muttered clenching his fist but Coppernicus spoke louder

How do you know he will come The Skeleton man asked folding his arms

because Sydney said the wariness back That’s how fate works

The group continued its steady trek back to Star Crossing Most everyone rode Neveah or at least those from Donnyton while Simon was on the back of his Soul Bound companion watching the Ghosthound who was sitting with his eyes closed His attention seemed a million miles from here which made Simon nervous

Because his attention had just been well a lot of miles from here and what he had found had made Simon extremely nervous And he had been looking for an opportunity to talk to the Ghosthound

His emotions over the past two weeks had been hot and high but after seeing that final fight against the Skeleton Knight Simon felt some of his stubbornness crumble away just leaving him feeling foolish Sure being lied to sucked but why did he really take it so harshly

Simon knew the answer to that Because he had been so desperate for the very thing he thought was invalidated by the lie that he had force all of his own insecurities about never having a friend on someone else He had blamed it all on David on the Ghosthound Which wasn’t fair

David was just a name They they were still friends right Nothing had really changed right

Well except the two weeks of Simon avoiding any contact Which some might see as a reason to stop being friends but the Ghosthound had seemed regretful and somewhat guilty about the lie right So he would definitely understand

Back and forth his thoughts went chasing himself around in a circle of doubt Such a thick cloud of doubt that he didn’t notice when his mount simply trotted up next to Neveah and threw Simon onto her back

He landed awkwardly next to the Ghosthound who cracked an eye to see who had approached Then the Ghosthound blinked the other eye focusing on him

Uh hi Simon said unable to think of anything else The Ghosthound nodded his expression carefully neutral although SImon could tell from the intensity of his gaze that his thoughts were shooting rapid fire behind his eyes

Um I don’t want to take up much of your time Simon said weakly dragging his foot across Neveah’s bone carapace But I had some things I wanted um we should talk

Sure The Ghosthound’s voice was the same as David’s deep and reassuring Abruptly Simon felt a tingle on his neck disappear one he hadn’t even noticed Then he realized that the tension had left the spine of a man slouched several meters behind Simon who had been focused entirely on his presence although he never spared him a glance The man returned to spinning his iconic dagger across his fingers the gemstone pommel flashing

The Killer of Donnyton Decklan

Simon began to sweat losing his nerve at talking But now the Ghosthound was staring so intently at him so

There’s nothing Simon blurted out unsure of what else to say The Ghosthound raised an eyebrow After that small encouragement Simon continued further Beyond the boundary of the Zone There’s nothing but darkness Like there is the barrier right That but my Astral form can go through it Beyond that like 30 meters of land and then a sharp cut off Like someone came down with a cake knife and just took a slice of land you know

A lot of expressions flitted across the Ghosthound’s face Curiosity wariness a flash of concern and then amusement took over He chuckled wryly just a giant alien cake knife That’s what the System is

Simon blushed But he knew somehow that there was a good natured kindness behind the joke Almost unconsciously some of that strange stiffness Simon had carried in his due to his anger melted away

You got over your inhibitions The Ghosthound asked casually

Simon nodded You you can say it My fear Yea I didn’t want to stray too far from my body but It just seemed so strange you know That I would be limited like that ANd I realized I’m not I can go anywhere After I saw the notification for the Raid Dungeon about being cut off though I wanted I wanted to see And we are big time

The only problem is we don’t know whether it was always that way or not The Ghosthound said frowning and looking down at Neveah while he rubbed his chin Simon felt a flash of guilt in his heart that he had taken so long to adventure out to the edges but even as he felt that he came to another realization

For all of the virtue and strength in the Ghosthound’s body more often than not there were careless moments like this where he said things without even thinking about them without worrying or stressing or considering what would happen when he said him The Ghosthound would probably never know how much that off hand comment struck at Simon’s insecurities But in the same way the Ghosthound would decisively act in a situation where Simon would fear the consequences

Not really because he couldn’t puzzle these moments out if he turned his rather formidable mind to them fueled by his high stats But because he was missing something that made him pause and consider before acting Because his first impulse was to do rather than to wait

Which in this world could be a great skill the headstart that someone needed in order to be the most powerful man in the Zone probably the whole world Or whatever was left of it anyways But it also numbed him to smaller things some more delicate and finer things

Decklan’s eyes lazily scanned over Simon and then he yawned and that was why they were so protective of him why the Ghosthound himself ran nothing He was support and guidance a man who could create miracles But his actual people skills were a bit

Simon didn’t know whether to laugh or cry The Ghosthound as David wasn’t just hiding himself and trying to be quiet but he was actually just a guy relishing in the fact that no one knew who or what he was And the only times he had spoken

To treat his horrible pain or to help Simon Those were the only moments where he was compelled to speak Simon released a long sigh which made the Ghosthound lookup

Oh don’t worry about it For now it’s actually a pretty small priority The Ghosthound said putting the pieces together to realize Simon might feel guilty attributing his sigh in an annoyingly incorrect way at this point The System probably does this on purpose and the way the world is rebuilt is dependent on who makes it passed this stage Or at least I think

The Ghosthound fell silent his attention once more inward

Which was not what Simon wanted Before this moment could pass he blurted out I’m sorry

What The Ghosthound blinked

I’m I’m just sorry For how hard how dumb I was for the last few weeks Simon said weakly I shouldn’t have been like that

The Ghosthound’s bright emerald eyes pierced through every fiber of Simon in that moment a furrowed intense gaze that was like nothing he had ever seen before This was the Ghosthound that appeared on the battlefield the man that could duel a Champion and win The man who had almost died and perhaps would have if not for Simon’s intervention and healing

It was a good feeling

The Ghosthound laughed his face splitting in a grin No worries I’m just glad we are back

In that moment Simon realized the other reason this man was so strong In that moment in that pronouncement there was no hesitation It was all pure and genuine appreciation And to be near that and to feel that again

Well Simon was willing to do a lot

Chapter 350

Randidly looked around rather bemused

Although the Executive Board of Star Crossing insisted they meet here he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why They were meeting in what appeared to be i e had the sign out front an old Bob Evans building Sure they had done away with the dumb employee dress but it was still the same squat building the same interior the same smells

What was new was the guards at the door and the very professional and attractive waitstaff who smiled flirtatiously at Randidly’s group as they arrived Simon seemed profoundly nervous by the attention but since his talk with Randidly he seemed to have calmed down a lot Thea glowered at the men who dared flash her eyes unsure of what to do with the attention It almost made Randidly chuckle

Decklan who stuck to Randidly’s back like a shadow since they were reunited although they never really spoke about why appeared bored Dozer opted to stay back and check in with his squad who had grown a lot as a unit due to the exposure to the skeletons and Clarissa thought the whole thing sounded dumb So the four of them would be the representatives on this rather political call

Randidly would have preferred to skip this step but everyone had received the notification about the Raid Dungeon and people were panicking The prospect of having one month left to live for the very energy to be sucked out of the air that was a new mysterious threat And considering how suddenly the System descended The people had learned to fear the unknown

So the political niceties were necessary If the heads of the Villages were willing to assure their populations that everything was okay there would be that much less chance that someone would desperately run to the Raid Dungeon aiming to clear it and end up annihilated by the rips in the world

Sitting Randidly felt profoundly foolish being in the Bob Evans at a large mahogany table sitting across from three individuals with their hands folded in front of them An large African American man who reminded Randidly annoyingly of the cop from Turtletown gazed meaningful at him Next to him and overweight and balding man was slowly buttering a piece of bread his eyes remaining on his work at hand

The final member of the Executive Board a thin Asian woman was frozen gazing not at Randidly but at the man next to him Simon

mom Simon whispered and suddenly the woman was moving climbing up over the table with an animal grace and leaping across the distance between them arriving before Simon and wrapping him up with her arms squeezing the boy so tightly that her hands were white

Oh god Simon Simon It was You were Oh god if something had happened to you I didn’t know oh baby you’re safe now There was sobs in her voice deep chasms of realizations and emotions and relief as the small woman pressed herself against Simon Although Simon was still growing he was now a bit taller than the woman and while this was happening he just stood there eyes wide trembling his hands unable to figure out what they should be doing

Randidly stayed still letting these two have their moment To be sure it was time spent that would not move him towards any actual goals but Randidly knew that moments like this is the reason that he sought out strength He did not necessarily want to be strong after all He simply needed the strength to protect these moments from the control and suffocation of the System

A sharp flash of anger ignited in his chest and Randidly’s hands clenched into fists

Other mom Does that mean mom Simon said finally finding his hands gripping the woman’s shoulders

But she just looked up tears in her eyes and slowly shook her head

Maybe maybe like me she’s Simon began his trembling growing worse but the woman continued to shake her head

no Simon I’m sorry Darcy Darcy is dead I saw it myself In that moment her voice silenced all talk in the Bob Evans even though the space was rather big Because in that moment her voice carried the weight of the darkness of the System of a pain that they all shared Everyone had watched another die everyone was filled with a huge weight of regret over that which they cannot control

The weight they felt in that moment that they had been reminded how weak they were

Perhaps that was just as true before the System as after but the System had ripped away the veneer of civility and showed the monster that was hiding under the guise of fate and destiny The endless hunger the vicious instincts the deadly finality that constructed our world And this was the wagon that Randidly was resolving himself to hitch himself to with a Class

There was darkness and there was light That was the way it was

Absorb Class dark Know darkness know hope Neveah whispered and Randidly smiled But that was for later to internalize For now

Simon and the woman whose name was Denise went off to the side and began to talk softly to each other constantly touching the other The overweight man looked up from his bread and coughed

Ahem well let’s give them some privacy and get this started I’m Cale Tass Mr Ghosthound It’s a pleasure to finally meet you

This was a man that Randidly instantly knew that he would not like There was a sleaziness to him a pragmatic dishonesty to the way he smiled Randidly shifted his attention to the other man

Andre The man grunted Really though I’m sure you know what we want to talk about The Raid Dungeon

Randidly nodded slowly eyeing Andre This man was much more direct and also much less dangerous because of it Or perhaps more so but in ways Randidly didn’t fear But of course this was also the man that would make Randidly’s job that much easier if he would allow them to handle the Raid Dungeon But as Randidly opened his mouth to answer Cale interrupted

Andre let’s at least eat first Plus Denise has taken a little flight of fancy we should at least wait for her to return

Andre gave Cale a long look Then he nodded As if on cue several waiters and waitresses streamed forward It gave Randidly a slightly sticky feeling an awkward feeling He enjoyed cooking for himself and letting these people wait on them was a bit

What made things even more uncomfortable for Randidly was that the waitress was a beautiful woman who bore a startling resemblance to Helen But when that woman introduced herself with a bright fake smile as Candy

Well Randidly wanted to burst out laughing imagining the pure revulsion and anger that Helen would feel to find herself with such a doppelganger that was so fake and superficial Sure this was a beautiful woman one that was no doubt carefully selected for him which was slightly disturbing And from the gaze of Cale he did not have to look far for the culprit But no comparing this woman to the substance and fire of Helen

She was just flat But she was very pleased that Randidly was so amused by her and quickly chatted up a storm about her life how much she enjoyed being here how much an honor it was to meet him

Which only made Randidly laugh harder feeling how ridiculous this situation was imagining how strange a coincidence it was that these two similar looking women grew up so different Maybe it was there world but maybe it was also something more an inherent treasure animating a truly ideal woman

You miss Neveah thought with amusement Randidly’s mouth twisted in a wry smile Today was just a day for frivolous thoughts he supposed

Frivolous fun

But Candy and Cale seemed very pleased at his good cheer and she began to hesitantly reach to touch his shoulders as she took his order But the woman’s wrist was snatched out of the air before she could make contact

He thinks you are amusing in the same way one would view a clown Decklan drawled his eyes sharp his smile jagged Candy opened her mouth then faltered glancing at Randidly who only chuckled saying nothing Although he felt somewhat bad encouraging her would not be a smart idea at this point

Although Randidly wanted to be kind to people it would be even more of a hassle if he had to deal with their continued attempts So he felt a certain thankfulness towards Decklan but also a wariness What just happened displayed a surprisingly insightful action on Decklan’s part Randidly had been read like a book and he did not enjoy the feeling

More than that though it made him experience a strange tickle of warning on the back of his neck Which in a queer way relaxed Randidly An enemy aiming to kill him at least was something that Randidly could understand he had dealt with many of those But something in his heart warned him that this was more complicated than that Decklan was not just trying to hurt him in order to absorb a portion of his stats

Although that might certainly be a temptation

The meal was honestly quite good More so than Randidly had expected He had considered himself something of a fine cook but up tasting the food here he realized that he was only a middling cook if one that had access to a level of base ingredients and spices a level higher than most people had access to

It was just Bob Evans cuisine so

Candy and the other waiters pulled back as if on cue and Andre leaned folded his hands clasped together

So about the Raid Dungeon Please assuage my worries Mr Ghosthound

Chapter 351

Thea didn’t know what sort of face she should be making for Simon as they said their goodbyes

I mean I would go but Other Denise just thinks since we found each other there’s no reason to tempt fate by going out in the world Yea the journey is just to Donnyton but she was explaining about Raid Bosses and how they are known to congregate around Donnyton and Franksburg Simon said to her his tone clearly indicating his lukewarm belief in the subject matter

But still he looked at the ground his eyes red Thea sighed inwardly She knew of Simon’s fear Out of them all he was probably the one with the weakest nerve The violence of the System left the deepest scars on Simon Their fights so far had allowed him to stay at the back but the violence in that final clash appeared to have come just a little too close to his physical body

Or at least that was what Thea assumed Simon seemed to be going along with his mother’s arguments too easily But she supposed that it was his mother

Thea blanked for a second remembering the death of her parents before a nudge of Chrysanthemum’s snout woke her up Absently she reached over and rubbed her companion’s head to show her appreciation and turned back to face Simon’s words

do you think he’s mad at me He just grunted and nodded when I told him I wouldn’t be coming We had a little talk so I think it’s fine but Simon glanced over towards Randidly

Randidly’ It was weird calling him that Thea reflected turning to gaze at the man called the Ghosthound Mostly because the name was so fucking ridiculous especially when paired with something like Ghosthound She had thought that it was a moniker they had come up with for him but everyone she talked to even the burly and brusque men from Dozer’s squad insisted that was his real name

Those were men that Thea had a barely concealed admiration for the toughest hardiest most stoic in the face of danger sort of people she had ever met Dozer was not an easy leader to follow and they did so without complaint Her eyes slid from the Ghosthound to the Squad as they expertly packed up camp and prepared to leave while Dozer and Decklan talked to Randidly

They seemed so far away It almost didn’t seem real to Thea that she would be accompanying them to Donnyton Which in her mind was also a place of legends The birth of the human resistance The city which had Squads throughout the entire Zone apparently hunting and patrolling for Raid Bosses A city where she could use her Stone of Fate and take a step forward

But the direction she wanted to step in

Thea snapped back again realizing that Simon was waiting for an answer Slightly annoyed by his pouty look Thea said Honestly Simon he probably doesn’t feel much Maybe he’s a bit sad you won’t be coming but they are all focused in on the Raid Dungeon He’s probably working on preparing for that constantly Instead of trying to distract him maybe help

Simon opened his mouth looked hurt then rethought that and closed it Then he walked away muttering to himself

Well didn’t matter to Thea Shrugging she walked over to the group A few guards from Star Crossing were there as well to make the trip and several merchants who would be joining them After Randidly Dozer and Decklan noticed her arrival with Chrysanthemum they gestured sharply and the whole group walked towards the South side of the Village

Rather than a portal this was more truly a teleportation rune that could transport everyone and thing in an area between the two runes However there was a high contribution point cost associated with it so it wasn’t feasible quite yet for most people to use it However for those people interested in joining them in the instant travel down to Donnyton there was plenty of room for them to join on the rune without crowding

Five other Squads lead by the infamous duo of Kayle and Paolo strolled over to join the increasingly large caravan that was shifting supplies and carts onto the rune It was a lowered circular area crisscrossed with dim black metal bands As she stepped onto it Thea tapped one with her foot but no noise was produced

Scratching her head she bent closer

Better not touch Strong magic System magic A grunt sounded from behind her and Thea did her best not to fall forward and then turned to face the speaker It was Egger the man who was Dozer’s second in the Squad He was a mid 30s man who was balding enough to not be able to grow hair but grew enough hair for his unshaven beard to merge cleanly with the scattering of hairs on his head giving his head a strange appearance

Oh yea sure Thea said quickly her heart beating rapidly looking away from the man Although he wasn’t attractive at all and didn’t seem to give her more than the same matter of fact glance that he gave everything else there was something oddly compelling about him

Thea guessed that it was the strange certainty he had in his voice Just the way he became after commanding the Squad behind Dozer for several months She wondered whether she would ever sound like that if she would get her own Squad Did Donnyton let foreign Classers get Squads She should ask

Um Thea began but she was interrupted by Egger who was scanning Chrysanthemum

The beast strong

There was a sharp pang of annoyance in Thea’s heart at that but she stuffed it down He didn’t mean anything by it this was just a man who had fought at the front lines against monsters for most of his time It made sense that it would make him rather insensitive as to a Soul Bonded creature she she’s female And yes she is

Grunting Egger turned and walked away Thea opened her mouth to call out to him and ask him something but nothing came out What would she even say anyways Although they had monsters in common beyond that

Thea looked around for Randidly Of them all at least he would talk with her explain some things But he was guiding Neveah who seemed to have grown further and was having difficulty moving without using her Earth Magic which would of course damage the portal

Turning Thea figured she could go talk with a merchant she knew or something but found a figure there behind her watching her closely The man had his reddish brown hair up in a ponytail His face was sharp like a hatchet with a large thin nose A dagger danced across his fingers the pommel seeming to flash with color The Killer of Donnyton Decklan

Decklan yes Thea asked slowly looking around as covertly as she could No one was especially near her Why had this man come here

Not that she feared that he would attack her randomly They were on the same side But it was just strange She felt like a bunch of people were coming out of the woodwork to talk with her and she had no idea why Well sometimes talk Decklan appeared content to nod and continue to study her

You know Decklan began his eyes glittering catching the light of the metal bars underneath them as they activated If you continue to follow the Ghosthound you will at some point be forced to forsake everything else That’s his path Is your resolve enough I wonder

The world flashed white and Thea felt her stomach lurch as the very world shifted around her even as her body tried to remain still Strange forces grabbed at her pulling while others wound themselves around her pressing her more firmly down to the ground keeping her from being ripped to pieces by the conflict between them Her vision was completely nonexistent due to the light but it strangely swam distorted by waves of force

Then she was still and blinked slightly bewildered Birds chirped around her and there was the persistent sound of hammers and beaten metal There was a thump

As her eyes adjusted Thea looked around Decklan was gone In front of them there was a series of wall less warehouses where dozens of men moved weapons and bars of metal sparing the new arrivals a glance before they returned to their hurried labor

A weathered looking man with sharp eyes and close cropped grey hair walked over to the group from the warehouse His wiry chest was bare and his skin somehow caught the sun glowing a soft golden color Thea blinked

No his skin wasn’t catching the light the man was literally emitting a dim glow Just standing in the sun

Ghosthound The man asked his tone clipped

Dozer glanced around then shrugged Here but apparently already gone elsewhere

The man snorted and turned to regard the carts that were brought here His loss His gift will have to wait Those of you who don’t really know this is Donnyton’s Industrial District Welcome

Chapter 352

After the world shifted the first thing that Randidly became aware of was a thin constant buzz in the air The shock of light made it difficult for his eyes to adjust but a high Perception and Vitality quickly overcame that A scan around informed him that the portal location was made next to Sam’s old workshop which had been further upgraded in his absence

Indeed Randidly’s quick glance showed that the whole area had gone through huge changes moving towards a strange psuedo industrialization Still the air was thick with ambient Aether which acted like a smoke screen of sorts keeping the vision of those around him and outside of the teleportal formation too obscured and just a little bit foggy

So Randidly had time to slip away which he was all in favor of Sure meeting the people here in Donnyton was important for dozens of reasons but they could all wait a bit and there was some Aether experimentation items that Randidly believed he could accomplish on his own Honestly the only thing that he needed to be present for was Thea using the Stone of Fate but

Randidly froze finally laying his eyes on the source of the buzzing noise

Hunched over Donnyton floating in the air like the pallor of a sick man was a huge swirling construct of Aether Instantly when seeing it it was clear that this was not a common thing for the System but a strange dangerous apparatus erected by Randidly’s most hated enemy the Creature

What it was there for and how it was created were on the back burner but Randidly knew that this was a rare chance to both investigate the habits and thoughts of the Creature while it was to the North in the Raid Dungeon and also increase the proficiency in his Aether Skills

The Aether formations were most dense at the center where they spread slowly out in a strange circle of overlapping spinning spheres There was a spine of sorts to the apparatus but it extended upwards into the sky seeming to cause the thing to hang from the clouds From the outer edges of the spheres a thick Aether composed mist spun lazily and long thin cords of Aether stretched downward draping over the town

They looked eerily like tentacles falling down and touching the people of Donnyton It made Randidly shiver with fear What what the fuck is this What was the Creature doing to his town

Fury flooded his body eating away at any hesitation and Randidly leapt directly into the air heading for this grotesque frankenstein of Aether He headed towards the thin tentacles which resolved themselves into very tightly woven dense Aether runes These tentacles were definitely more complicated than simple drapery There was a purpose here But scan them as he might Randidly couldn’t make even the slightest dent into the dense artistry of them

He could only slowly pull himself up towards the thing above him intently staring at his goal even while Lucretia was taking furious notes trying to study every facet of what he held

It was huge almost as big as Donnyton was and when he pulled himself into it Randidly felt the world shift from pure Aether and he found himself in what appeared to be a stone castle The switch was a harsh one swimming in that Aether mist grabbing onto thin lines of Aether stepping into an opening to this

As Randidly looked wide eyed his Skills activating he could still see the underlying Aether but the way it was arranged tricked his normal senses into believing in the castle There were walls torches hallways doorways He could see every grain of the wooden trim around the window where he had just entered the area

Even his bare feet pressed against the cold stone couldn’t find a flaw in the illusion

That was slightly disturbing Which meant that without this Skill he couldn’t have been able to tell in the past had he been in something constructed out of Aether

Which made Randidly freeze because he realized it was entirely possible that he was currently in something completely composed of Aether at a more fundamental level but he wasn’t able to tell due to his low Skill Level All in all it just made him more wary of the Creature This was an old thing something that had enough experience to know all the true uses of Aether It was not just fuel for Skills

It could be used as the fabric of a world

Still this might be his only chance to move against the Creature without repercussion while it was distracted to the North Even though there was only a small chance that it was truly distracted Randidly had to take it He couldn’t keep letting it dictate his decisions And the best way to fight that was to eliminate the information disparity between them

Slowly Randidly explored this castle finding potions weapons floating sigils large chambers with huge constructs of clockwork portals

Every elaborate doorway and nuanced detail on the upholstery spoke of a being far above Randidly’s level Even Lucretia was nonplussed at what they found and Neveah whose physical body was far away couldn’t really make heads or tails of it from afar It was layered Aether where each layer was a order of magnitude higher than Randidly could understand

And the layers interacted with each other playing off of one another giving life to the illusion that Randidly found himself so disturbed by

Eventually though Randidly found the door he wanted Reaching for the iron ring his hand trembled his eyes scanning the worn metal which had clearly been used often probably by the Creature Which added a whole dimension of confusion because Randidly couldn’t figure out why it would use this strange manifestation of Aether rather than interacting with the Aether directly But then the trembling stopped and Randidly moved his hand forward and opened the door

In the room there was a wide pool of water a dirty floor around it and stone steps leading up in every direction from the water to the walls She was lying there on the ground almost draped across the stone steps light from the bumbling pool of water swimming across her her eyes half closed But the lashes fluttered when he opened the door and she sat up her blonde hair almost to her mid back now shifted to cover her face

Her mouth the only part of her visible twisted in irritation and she brushed the hair out of her face She managed this with surprising grace despite the fact her hands were bound together with iron loops Her hair seemed to settle perfectly after that half revealing her sharp but decidedly feminine features Her smile was soft and tragic

Took you long enough Lyra said her violet blue eyes glittering in the darkness

I’m not very good at being a hero Randidly said his mouth twitching in a grin all of the happy banter flooding back to him all of the heated moments and pointless fights Their conflicts were brief and bright and they brought him a certain something that he relied on even now A certain perspective perhaps that kept him balanced

But really Randidly said his face twisting further into a self deprecating grin as his eyes used his Aether Detection to scan the strange cell I’m a much better hero than you are a damsel

Lyra grinned waggling her fingers at him and the runes on the iron loops darkened and then the metal fell to pieces her hands instantly free I’m an actor Doggy I play my roles Just because I can manage to do a little more with my screen time doesn’t mean I can ignore the director

You never struck me as the type that took instruction Randidly said shaking his head and stepping slowly down the steps towards her She was small almost smaller than he remembered and she simply sat and watched as he approached

What I don’t accept is baseless criticism Lyra said dryly holding up her hand Her skin was just above bone white settling on a soft ivory color Twisting his mouth Randidly stretched out his hand and grabbed hers It was likely just the time she had spent kept here but the skin coloring did not leave him with a good taste in his mouth But Randidly supposed that was just another sin to lay at the Creature’s feet

His hand for sure was larger than hers and calloused from two years holding a spear for every second Although he had originally been almost as pale as she had been those same two years had been spent outdoors Now it seemed that his Vitality prevented any sunburns but he had definitely tanned to settle on a warm bronze

She was as light and as beautiful as a white lily as he helped her stand Randidly knew that she was taking most of the weight on her own but still he appreciated that she had let him help her up After all he had spent quite a lot of time not helping her even after he had learned from the Patron of Ash’s test that she was in danger

Sure she was in another world at the time and when he finally arrived here he was injured but still there was a heavy guilt in his chest and that small action eased it somewhat

I’ve learned a lot of things stuck here staring into the water Lyra said abruptly turning to face him raising her gaze to lock with his own He could almost feel his own Emerald energy mixing with her Violet sizzling as they met Do you know what yours is Doggy

His mouth quirking at the annoying nickname Randidly said to rescue you

Lyra gave him a scathing look Truthfully I am aiming for the female lead in this great farce but no think bigger What is your archetype What role do you play

Uh Randidly floundered for a moment In his mind he was clearly an important character practically the main character but that was just from his perspective wasn’t it Saying he was the hero would probably come across as a bit arrogant But when she said archetype that made him think he couldn’t just be a side character

Or was that just his vanity talking

An anti hero Randidly finally said scratching his chin

Snorting Lyra turned away from him and walked to the pool Still too small Because we aren’t characters you and I No we are forces of nature You Doggy are the Inciting Action You always have been You have started something much much bigger than you The question is what happens to an Inciting Action in a play after it has served its purpose

She didn’t wait for Randidly to answer but instead turned back to him her eyes blazing You have shifted the System subverted its patterns and now it’s spinning out of control going further and further from its original purpose And at some point it will go so far that it will break Why this is important is almost irrelevant for our purposes although there is the very real worry that our world will become the setting for this greater plot No

Her hands glowing in the dimly lit room flowed forward and touched his face gently testing the feel of his skin running over his bone structure

What I want to know is what happens if the Inciting Action never stops inciting

There was silence between them But it was not a normal silence It was a silence that reminded Randidly of the strange force he had felt when he gave Lucretia the three gifts There was a thread of Karma within this question a hint at something more They were moving between other forces much larger than them but now Randidly had room to breathe

Room to answer

Then I guess Randidly said slowly that action would eventually change the ending

Lyra smiled

Chapter 353

Randidly just looked at Lyra’s smile for several long seconds The expression was just as beautiful as he remembered it and for a moment his heart trembled But then it was gone replaced on her face by something else something older deeper and more tired Now I have a question Randidly and this one is ad libbed Do you trust me

For a second Randidly started due to the strange resemblance to the Creature’s aura but there was just a solemn teenage girl looking at him That was it Or what used to be a teenage girl before

Still this was a girl who had been held captive by a hyper powerful and intelligent alien monster She was not without scars from her time here Even her personality was likely warped by the presence of the System

Lyra must be 17 probably partially on her way to 18 by now and her face had shifted towards becoming the woman she would eventually be Although he had seen the growing changes with the Creature’s imitation it wasn’t animated in the same perfect was as Lyra was

More than that though the Creature looked to have been in the peak of health whereas Lyra now

As his eyes focused more on the details a new picture of Lyra emerged Her cheeks were bony and dry Her lips were thin and white The bags under her eyes looked like a bruised plum More than that though her eyes were piercing and focused while the body around them was slowly sagging away She was still lovely of course but Randidly was reminded of Coppernicus the Skeleton Man in the way the body seemed to fail but the spirit only burn brighter

His smile fell away too because the fact that she had actually used his name meant something He wasn’t sure what but the moments of banter had passed they were back to their roles of hero and damsel An ad libbed line Randidly couldn’t see through what he wanted so he just answered honestly

She smiled at him your lack of hesitation almost makes up for the time I watched you fuck another woman Alright here take this Read me the three Err the three mmrr

Lyra could only bite her lip and frown and dissolved into silence and small groans It was only after almost two minutes that something clicked in Randidly’s head This reminded him of when she had struggled on the bindings of the System that prevented her from sharing some of her knowledge too early Very quickly Randidly stepped forward and took the indicated piece of metal which had made up part of her bindings On it scratched carefully into the metal of the thing there were three numbers and after each

Randidly furrowed his brow After each was a question He glanced at Lyra who was still breathing heavily but she managed to nod her eyes so bright

what will happen if I attempt to absorb this construct Randidly said slowly reading the words directly from the page Lyra’s face instantly contorted

A low rumble ran through the Aether construct Gritting her teeth Lyra spoke Currently it’s impossible It’s been tied to the air here Unless you deal enough damage to shatter it it will resist your attempts But if you did manage to absorb it there should be No side effects It’s brand of Aether is different than yours but so so so is the ss the System’s and you have incorporated that without any detrimental abnormalities so

Detrimental abnormalities was certainly a phrase that Randidly would have liked to revisit a bit but the expression on Lyra’s face made him grit his teeth and ignore it She wouldn’t lie to him but those abnormalities sounded like future problems

Then his lips twisted Compared to Lucretia’s presence how detrimental could abnormalities of Aether really be anyway

I heard that ’ Lucretia whispered but she seemed amused That was what annoyed Randidly most how well she took the fact he very uncomfortable with her presence But for now that was another issue that he was forced to ignore as his full attention was on Lyra and the surrounding space

By the end of the question the whole construct was buzzing and as Randidly looked around he opened his senses once more and saw that huge currents of Aether were pressing down towards their location As he followed its flow he saw that it surged inwards flooding the halls heading directly for for Lyra and surrounding her spinning and pressing

It was the System attempting to stop her from speaking

But Randidly’s eyes were grabbed by something else Lyra’s body While he had his Aether Detection vision open her whole body glowed and pulsed Where as most flows of Aether were direct and sharp with varying depth to add meaning to it the flows that ran through Lyra’s body were wide and shallow like a swamp

The swirls were strange and unpredictable and beautiful like an oncoming hurricane in slow deadly motion More than anything else it looked like in her body Aether was forced to combine with the substance of a physical form slowly warping it Perhaps so much so that even Randidly was shocked

He had dealt with Aether but that concentration that force that chaos in her body how could she endure it

No matter how high her stats were if she were in a human body the damage that would inflict perhaps it was only due to the shape shifting body she inherited that she was able to withstand the strange fusion that had occured That was occuring before his very eyes

Because as he watched Randidly could suddenly see how there was a light shallower shape of Aether drawn in Lyra’s body unfilled in some strange twisting drunken pattern But Aether didn’t flow towards those areas Unless there was pressure

Now as the System squeezed downward there were cracks in the current pattern and it began to expand towards the desired one

This girl is a genius ’ Lucretia whispered quickly making notes of the patterns in Lyra’s body But the foreign voice brought him back to himself Lyra was making use of the pain yes but it was still painful So painful that she was sobbing silently looking at him with her burning eyes insistent and furious

The questions

Randidly glanced down at him Lyra knew him and he trusted her What was she doing That was probably the goal the first question then To inform him of his role She was attempting to dislodge the giant apparatus here so he could absorb it

And the second question after reading it Randidly frowned Not any help in what she meant for him to do but perhaps

The final question even more general seemingly even more useless But strangely focused enough that Randidly was sure the System would act moving to stop Lyra from speaking and would accomplish their goals So then it was the first two questions that were important because in all likelihood the System wouldn’t let her answer the third one

Slowly Randidly said Why is the Creature trying so hard to use me

She Fears The System seeks her Wants her power Lyra could barely speak and the words were a breath of a dying child But Randidly grabbed them out of the air focusing on the information The Creature was afraid The System was looking for her actively it seemed That’s why she was so desperate why she continued to push him Although how she intended to truly use him was a bit

The stones of the fake castle around him were withering and transforming being warped by the effect of the pressing forces of Aether It really seemed like the System was angered by that question Which was slightly peculiar because if it was aware of the subject matter to censor it and the System was really seeking the Creature wouldn’t it be able to find her

And perhaps she would be content in sitting in a Raid Dungeon forgotten by the System if the Zone around it died

All of these questions spiraled together in Randidly’s mind Lyra’s earlier talk of inciting action then the abrupt switch to these questions What was the point of the earlier talk then If the first question was aimed to give him a concrete goal then perhaps that earlier talk was general safe information she could give him for a broader goal

To change the ending she had hinted But the ending of what Was it simply enough to continue to incite

The present demanded Randidly’s attention and he returned to it At least the answer to the second question did make the third question make more sense although not enough What would the System do with that power

The System Lyra began her breath more Aether than air at this point but the Aether streams began to howl and seethe A huge force pressed down The Aether construct cracked and shattered around them muffling most of the force btu even Randidly was smashed backwards

Lyra’s body was flung away as the forces rushed towards her pressing inwards and as Randidly recovered he found himself floating mid air slowly beginning to fall huge chunks of Aether around him He wasn’t sure what they would do when they dropped on Donnyton below but

Gritting his teeth Randidly hoped Lyra knew what she was doing and reached outward with his Aether Manipulation clumsily seizing the huge chunks of Aether that were falling around him They began to slowly drift towards him but it wasn’t enough

Randidly growled Inspiration

For the first time Randidly was paying attention to what was going on with his Aether senses so he could feel how the part of his soul that seemed to control and generate mana modulated by the System almost exploded and a flood of a strange ethereal substance streamed out moving towards the Aether Manipulation Skill

It itself wasn’t Aether but it flooded into the Skill and the Skill swelled growing larger and larger Randidly’s eyes burned and this time he didn’t reach he pulled the entire sky towards him creating a howling maelstrom of ambient Aether and the remnants of the Creature’s construct absorbing them all

Everything was happening so fast so only Randidly’s battle reactions were kicking in driving him forward ignoring the why for his actions though he would probably want to dwell on him later No for now he just defaulted to that first question

He trusted Lyra Although they had probably only had one or two minutes of interaction before she shifted forcing them towards this that he knew for sure He trusted her

So he was the Inciting Action eh He would need to look into that

When he crashed to the ground his vision was flickering in and out because in his chest those strange huge chunks of Aether were inside of him fizzing and spitting as the Aether from his Aether Crossroads rejected it It certainly was different a different feel something alien and calculating and twisting and endless

Neveah acted creating a bubble and area of no man’s land around the new Aether where they could slowly mix rather then pressing against each other so violently The fizzing stopped the pain departed A problem not solved but addressed And now Randidly could turn his attention to other things What the fuck had just happened Where did Lyra go

But before that Randidly looked around He had landed in a farm cratoring the entire thing He scratched his head awkwardly Good thing he had a lot of clout around town

Chapter 354

Randidly wandered North from where he had landed struck by the strange feeling that he knew this area this farm There was no one around which was slightly strange but he supposed there had been some very physical repercussions to him dislodging the giant Aether construct that had hovered above the Village and people had noticed

Perhaps they had evacuated somewhere Fleeing from the fallout zone

There were the sounds of birds in the air but no people No talking no work no toil no monsters just birds Chipmunks squirrels Randidly’s sharpened senses picked out the sound of a deer moving through the treeline around him

Then he arrived at it and it all came flooding back The small cabin that Randidly had claimed for himself all those years ago at the thin edge of the valley where Donnyton sat It was immaculately preserved the small field where he had began farming still sitting there a line of corn springing up

Of course the big field that Randidly had expanded to He looked behind him and sighed surveying the crater Well hopefully it is no longer really in use and no one will mind his landing But someone had to be here maintaining it

A problem for another time Randidly turned his attention to the small path that lead away from his old area deeper into the trees Silently almost against his will he found his feet moving carrying him deeper Perhaps it was ironic that this would be the first location that he would go after returning cementing his status as someone who cared little about people but Randidly didn’t mind so much

Besides Randidly could feel the subtle pull of them on his heart his plants and since they had joined together with his Soul Skill he had precious little information on what was going on with them

As Randidly approached the first bend in the path be paused Because instead of just a normal bend in the old trail there was something else A stark shift in the landscape that was very different than Randidly remembered

There was a sharp line at that bend where the trees turned barren and instead of leaves the tops of trees were covered with thin grey silk And the silk stretched from one tree to the other covering it enveloping the canopy making the forest a thick grey cotton candy

At the shift Randidly stopped gazing slowly left and right his senses extending outwards Strangely the silk was only opened at this point in the path making a doorway simply due to its lack of draping fibers Around in either direction the silk extended along the trees which acted as pillars making this outdoor area resemble a crypt more than a forest

Randidly took a step forward something slow and angry rising in his heart

Surely Donnyton hadn’t fallen so much in its clash with the Skeleton Knight that it would allow a monster infestation so close to the Village And also upon the grove of Arbor

But no other explanation seemed easy Could Arbor itself have caused this That seemed incredibly unlikely Arbor was a tree with flaming leaves It just didn’t make sense for what seemed to be a vast amount of spiders to hang around a flaming tree Unless it was being used for some nefarious purpose syphoning energy

Wouldn’t he feel that however

Moving through the strange silk ceiling’d forest was profoundly disturbing even for Randidly Although he could probably use Circle of Flame and wipe away most of it he didn’t for now Just on the off chance that this strange place was actually supposed to be here Perhaps partially also he left it alone because the surrounding area was so free and filled with normal life

This sudden aberration couldn’t be too dangerous if a deer was meandering around nearby

It wasn’t totally silent in this area Randidly was surprised to find He could pick up tiny movements in the silk running to and fro and numerous ones of those Probably the spiders which appeared to be following his progress through the strange tunnel It amused and disturbed Randidly to imagine them all trying to attack him by mobbing him Amused because of their size disturbed because of their number

Breathing out a sigh of relief Randidly left the cool darkness of the silk forest and walked back into the light And basically was forced to eat his words

Because what he found struck him as a large open air cathedral And at its center now reaching almost 15 meters in height was Arbor practically squirming the excitement radiating off of it clear It even seemed to lean forward over the people who appeared to be performing some ritual at its base but then thought better of it perhaps realizing it was a tree and therefore stuck

Instead it settled on gesturing frantically for Randidly to approach

Honestly the sight was rather intimidating Not only had Arbor grown in height but also in width and his branches spread wide his bark still ashy in most places but in others there were flashes of gold showing through the cracked exterior Although the sun was above it was still the light from Arbor that seemed to dominate as hundreds of leaves burned twisting on his branches as it moved reaching for Randidly

This was the point that those partaking in the rituals perhaps 30 individuals arrayed in three rows realized that the tree above them was acting strange They seemed to confer and one individual towards the front seemed to step forward

Great Arbor are these initiates to our order Unacceptable

An air of tension immediately started emanating from the middle row of people Now that he was watching this small drama unfold Randidly took care to sneak forward and noticed that the middle row was in simple brown robes The back row had maroon robes with a golden leaf stamped on the chest and the front row had hoods up that were lined with embroidered golden leaves

Randidly almost groaned audibly Of course while he was away they would found a cult Which he supposed he deserved He had tasked that girl with caring for Arbor and he supposed that a cult was one way to do it he had just assumed that children would be easier and they would accept the sentient tree more easily

Has has that ever happened before An individual from the back row spoke up uncertainty and the man who had spoken first glared at him

No but the loyalty and belief of those that came before is unquestioned The man’s eyes scanned across the middle row scrutinizing them Then he noticed Randidly who was walking up albeit silently His eyes burned even more brightly

What An interloper Who let you through

The man in the third row who spoke earlier looked behind him at Randidly and then scratched his head well you called everyone up to watch the initiation So there were no guards

Well I The man seemed flummoxed then refocused on Randidly as a target who continued to advance further Sir I appreciate your reverence for the great Arbor but we are currently involved in a very sacred ritual Please depart Or you will be forcibly

Don’t be daft

A small figure who had been sitting at the base of the tree to this point stood and smacked the speaking man with a long gnarled pole The man seemed almost embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his head and stepped to the side Taking their cue from their outspoken pseudo leader everyone else stepped to the side too as Randidly approached creating a path forward

Standing in front of him wearing a cloak that appeared to be made entirely of red and gold leave stitched together Kiersty looked at him a cocky smile on her face She had aged quite a bit as far as Randidly could tell but he supposed that she was at the age where girls age very quickly She had shot up at least a 6 inches in the intervening time and her hair was longer hanging around her in beautiful curls

Randidly frowned Her hair had taken on a definite reddish tint that hadn’t been there in the past and the edges it seemed to glow somewhat Like her hair was made up the very burning leaves that hung above them now

As if punctuating this thought Arbor shook itself demanding Randidly’s attention practically preening as it twisted this way and that Randidly rolled his eyes and passed through the strange cult people barely sparing them a glance They on the other hand were goggling at him recognition dawning in some of their eyes while others just seemed intimidated that Kiersty had acted

You started a following Randidly asked Kiersty as he passed her

Her grin at him was wide but her voice was quiet so only he could hear it No you did I’ve just been tending it in your absence Welcome back Mr Ghosthound

Randidly stepped passed her mulling this information over carefully Well it wasn’t really new information He had done these things and he knew that Arbor would be a big help to Donnyton But at the time he just wanted his little baby plant to be happy The ways it could be useful were readily apparent So useful that perhaps something like this was necessary to prevent the forces that would like to abuse his power from driving him to depression But still

The branches came down for him surrounding Randidly and picking him up rubbing ash on him but Randidly didn’t mind The whole tree was vibrating and he could feel in that small vibration the purest form of joy Arbor might be a very intelligent plant but he was still a child

And his parent was finally home

Randidly smiled rubbing the bark I missed you too buddy

Chapter 355

After being rocked back and forth like a baby for about 10 minutes Arbor had calmed down enough to let him back on his feet Randidly brushed most of the ash off of him and turned to Kiersty who seemed content to just standby and watch the process The men and women in robes behind her were just watching wide eyed most of them aware of who he was now

There was something in their eyes Worship Randidly’s mentality had make great strides since the arrival of the System but this this was something new This was a strange form of pressure apart from responsibility that was cloying and sticky He shifted uncomfortably turning to Kiersty

So where did the spiders come from Randidly asked his eyes scanning the nearby treetops seeing the hundreds of thousands of tiny spiders that skittered around

Kiersty shrugged we don’t really know One day they just came out of Arbor and started making this area But he said they came from you and they could be controlled so we communicated with them to stay in a certain area

For the first time since Randidly arrived Kiersty frowned seemingly confused you don’t know what they are

Randidly opened his mouth then closed it Because he could suddenly feel Lucretia’s amusement and made the connection Arbor’s connection to his Soul Skill had let a life form similar to the Weavers from inside of him come out into the world

Now that Randidly knew what he was looking for he focused his vision feeling threads of Aether There was a thick rope going from himself to Arbor which flowed into the surrounding Aether But from Arbor there was also two smaller flows of Aether one of which to Randidly’s surprise went to Kiersty That had a lot of repercussions The strangest of which was that the number of people who were feeding off his Aether was growing

Not really at an alarming rate but still without his consent He passed it and then down the line it flowed from Arbor to Kiersty Also he wondered if any of the people he gave Aether to would pass that onto their children Perhaps not the men but the women If they were carried in the womb flooded with that Aether Would there be side effects on the birth

Randidly felt a headache coming on More questions for another time he supposed Instead he focused on the second stream of Aether which flowed into the canopy of of webs Randidly turned to Kiersty And there is

A matriarch Kiersty said smiling and nodding Then she shooed him away I’ve got to handle these things here after you have messed them all up I’ll come find you later

There was something extremely strange by being shooed away by an 8 year old but Arbor was already waving at him goodbye Feeling strangely rejected like a parent meeting their teenage child and quickly dismissed Randidly walked back through the group trying his best to ignore the stares that he got

They muttered behind him but Randidly heard Kiersty take charge and he could then slip away into the treeline Apparently the matriarch felt his approach because the thousands of tiny spiders sprung to action rushing to the area in front of him and parting the curtain allowing to make a beeline directly for the location he sensed

Although they stayed somewhat back he could sense a curiosity from them like a child’s as they examined him It was a whole nother sort of examination than the one that Kiersty’s cultists gave him

But he supposed it made sense in a way As Lyra said he was the Inciting Action Based on what he had heard from her she meant more grandly but it applied more specifically

Randidly made a mental note to ask what Kiersty called her cult and proceeded deeper The ground was soft and wet beneath him probably due to the lack of sun but there were no more leaves falling so there wasn’t any real decaying matter on the ground It was all just soft loam between his toes

The matriarch was sitting on a stump her nondescript grey white armor glowing softly in the darkness Whereas most of the spiders here were the size of a quarter this one was about as big as a human hand It regarded him thoughtfully its eyes trained on him

For several seconds they stood there and then he felt something brush the edges of his mind A notification popped indicating that a monster attempted to form a non malicious mental communication line between them But there was a warning that this could change and the monster could use this to have a small advantage in mental attacks

That certainly made Randidly grit his teeth but he knew he wouldn’t get anywhere if he didn’t trust the other So Randidly accepted the mental communication It was hard for him to believe that the monster in front of him that only had a Lvl 19 hovering about its head would be able to deal any significant damage to him anyway

Welcome Progenitor The Matriarch said formally bending its front legs in an approximation of a bow We have long waited for you here near your prophet I am glad we were not misled

Randidly scratched his chin unsure of how to respond Finally he sent a thought message back to her couched in caution I am surprised you have managed to reach this place I didn’t imagine that traveling would be possible for your people Can any others

I suspect not The Matriarch said seemingly satisfied with the fact they had managed it We the Weavers are uniquely poised to understand certain things Our Mother’s gifts have flowed down towards us Of course we could not use your connection to move to your world because our world is you There is no bridge to cross we are already there with you all the time

On the other hand the Matriarch continued Your world tree is connected much more intimately as a brother adjacent That space let us slip through to seek you Unfortunately we those that came through lost much It is not possible for us to communicate with the Great Matriarch or to return

She trailed off and in that silence Randidly heard a question His mouth twisted I’ll look into it But I can make no promises This is something I didn’t expect to happen

The Matriarch nodded and through their connection Randidly could feel her hope settle into a calm certainly There was faith there he realized wide and deep and suddenly he could feel it all around him a little spark from each of the tiny spiders that were around him in the trees watching burning small on its own but together they were blinding hammering him with their force

Through an effort of will Randidly didn’t flinch but he knew that he would need a small reprieve from these expectations soon It was exhausting

Inciting Action they expect it to continue Lucretia whispered her humor becoming strangely morose as she floated away turning in on herself And Randidly reflected briefly on that too how his presence affected everyone around him But really everyone’s did His impact was perhaps just a little splashier Especially recently

Coughing slightly Randidly soldiered forward feeling awkward to bring it up even with monsters I suppose Kiersty has talked to you about behavior in this place

Yes and she possessed much less tact in her questions The Matriarch thought back But she also put us in contact with our mother who has us working with your people to create cloth We believe it will be a mutually beneficial arrangement Besides I believe the Holy Arbor benefits from being in a quiet location

Mother The Randidly slapped his forehead Mrs Hamilton Originally the Weavers were the race that spawned inside of him from Mrs Hamilton’s meaning that he absorbed Which meant that they were under her discretion which Randidly had absolute faith in It was even something of a relief and further made him feel slightly guilty for forgetting their connection to Mrs Hamilton and harboring doubts about them

Although he didn’t quite understand their methods and was slightly alarmed at their sheer numbers if they were truly the children of Mrs Hamilton they would be considered and good natured if absolutely pragmatic and without scruples But more importantly they were on his side

Randidly exchanged a few more pleasantries with the Matriarch then departed heading back towards town feeling strange The worship in the cultists eyes The faith from the spiders

Sighing Randidly wondered whether his life would ever be normal again He missed Lyra’s little quips already which reminded that he was a person to be made fun of too Unfortunately him straining his senses to the limit had been unable to locate her even when he used his Aether senses

And she had said to trust her

So for now he let it go Instead he focused on those four thick connections in his chest and adjusted his direction to head towards the nearest one Of all the people he wanted to meet the 4 he had given the Blessings were perhaps not the most important but they were some of the most important

This one

The corners of Randidly’s mouth quirked up Alana And as he approached he could feel the sounds of battle His senses immediately widened covering the area but then he relaxed Just a spar but a serious one

Randidly cracked his knuckles This was probably exactly what he needed to calm down

Chapter 356

Alana sidestepped letting Tykes’ huge iron ball fly past her and slam into the tree behind her

If you telegraph like that even Dozer will seem like a ballerina fighting you Alana said as she snorted decisively and advanced towards Tykes The boy was strong sure but he wasn’t strong enough for him to just rely on raw power yet he repeatedly tried

As the boy’s shit eating grin didn’t change Alana realized there was something else to this but she didn’t change her movements Only her right hand tightened on her spear while her left kept an even grip on the spear and she began to glow a warm red color as her energy gathered into her body Better to rely on her Skills to suppress him It wasn’t really fair for her to use her Lvl 47 Stats to oppress a Level 35

There was a whistling behind her as the iron ball ricocheted off a tree and changed direction Out of the corner of her eye she could see that the ball was rotating rapidly and it began to curve towards her back Clever but this she was already prepared for since the moment he chose to fight with a weapon that left his hands If he didn’t manage at least this much he wouldn’t be much use against monsters with actual powers

Her Child of the Sun Skill just burned that much brighter to compensate and she could see Tykes cover his eyes there

Her body blurred as she rushed forward ignoring the iron ball as it rushed towards her back Immediately his senses picked up on her change of pace and he began to backpedal rapidly With a gesture he somehow managed to increase the speed by which the ball was moving and the air seemed to hum behind her

Tsk’ing to herself Alana spun to the side and let the ball come past her But contrary to what she expected Tykes did not panic he just stood there and raised his hand Alana’s eyes narrowed running through a list of possibilities

One of the more low key projects that Donnyton’s leaders had engaged in recently in response to the coup that was Lucifer killing the first Tier III Raid Boss and to the battles against the Skeleton Knight and the people underneath him was to engage in Skill Spotting training Basically Mrs Hamilton located people with rarely seen Skills and it became a game for the group of Alana Annie Dozer Decklan Donny and Glendel

They would alternate seeking out their own rare Classes and Skills trying to flummox the rest of the group Alana wasn’t as incisize as Annie and Glendel had become but she was pretty confident of her relative skill compared to the rest of them And this a shockwave Skill

Her eyes burned as she stomped her foot at the same time the metal ball smashed into Tykes’ hand Low Thunder over the Mountains

Tykes yelped and was sent stumbling backwards his shockwave overwhelmed by hers Alana didn’t dwell on the fact that this was probably due to Stats rather than Skill Level because this was one of the Skills she trained the least and just folded her arms across her chest But as she opened her mouth to speak she was interrupted by a soft clapping

A figure walked out of the treeline to their arena moving so silently it gave Alana chills But as she looked at who it was

She felt it in her chest that constant flow of warmth that connection of energy that let her grow at an incredible rate filling her with drive and potential

The Ghosthound looked different from when they last saw him There used to be a sort of angsty anger and pride to him a rejection of the world And a brutal daring that allowed him to challenge 50 people to a fight and expect to emerge victorious

Alana wasn’t sure what detail it was he looked similar if a little more muscular Just a small transformation from a mountain lion to a tiger gaining bulk but maintaining the same grace and sleek utility of form Other than that his feet were still bare and slightly dirty covered with a layer of callous His clothing wasn’t anything special a series of haphazard leathers that indicated he had not had access to Donnyton’s armory in the past several months

There wasn’t even any weapon on his person but he appeared to be more threatening than anyone else Alana had ever seen the air around him thick with violent potential There were lines to his face that were new and light scars and more than anything there was a certainty to his gaze an implacable depth that seemed to allow his soul to be completely still without fear and survey the world around him

Holy shit its you Tykes said his mouth wide He dropped his iron ball on the ground and took a step towards the Ghosthound his hands tightening into fists

The Ghosthound glanced at Tykes and there was a flash of recognition Yes you were the one who wouldn’t stay on the ground in that last challenge You’ve grown stronger I see But I wanted

Quiet Tykes growled picking his iron ball back up and spinning it around on his chain I need to know I need to know how much of the distance between us has narrowed draw your weapon

Alana tensed somewhat at Tykes’ rude response Mostly because because it became immediately clear that his senses weren’t refined enough to see what she could see That hovering behind the Ghosthound adding weight to the air was a huge monster lurking in his shadow It was a burnt and desolate world it was an endless and hungry vitality it was a woman whose body is half a skeleton come to tell you that your life is over It was vast and thick that monster and it seemed of all things amused by Tykes’ outburst

It laughed and Alana heard that in that laughter the sound of a burnt out house collapsing all soot and ash

Have it your way Alana You are in his team Don’t let him wander to far afield

Almost on instinct Alana raised her own spear and shield pointing them towards the Ghosthound As desolate and horrifying that these perceptions she was having were that did not make her fear the Ghosthound exactly Randidly No more than that

It set her determination on fire to see that the man who she had trusted had not betrayed her trust and had spent the intervening time becoming increasingly unfathomable This was a leader worth following and the reason that despite everything against them Donnyton would never fall

Create an opening for me Alana said gravely to Tykes as she advanced towards the Ghosthound who simply stood there his eyes sharp and emerald as he watched them Tykes was clearly annoyed that she had been lumped into his team when he intended to fight in some sort of hyped up duel in his mind but he liked the role Alana gave to him

Alana could only grimace as the boy grinned and rushed forward towards the Ghosthound Cocky and desperate to prove himself Hopefully enough of his training kicked in for him to avoid the inevitably brutal counter attack

Honestly the real ideal scenario would be for Alana to cause the opening and for Tykes to capitalize As the most solid fighter she should be at the front giving Tykes cover to show his extremely destructive power But the fool probably didn’t have the patience for this or the vision He would be just as likely to strike her from behind destroying their formation

Rushing forward Tykes raised his steel ball the chains clicking as the muscles of his back contracted The Ghosthound hummed reaching out and grabbing a spear made of roots that emerged from the ground and pointed it at them as they approached He remained still allowing them to choose the moment of conflict

Tykes roared and threw the ball forward Alana rushed behind past Tykes aiming for the moment that the Ghosthound defended from the attack to strike

Still humming the Ghosthound used the point of his spear and touched the steel ball applying enough pressure to guide it to the side past him Although his spear bent dangerously forced to bare the weight of that attack it did not break and the ball rolled past the Ghosthound most of its momentum gone

Tykes hissed and yanked on the chain pulling the ball back towards him but Alana ignored that and approached the Ghosthound spear raised Her Spear of the Broken Ridge Mastery was a brutal offensively focused spear style but she compensated for that with Shield Mastery making her ability to fight an opponent in a duel one of the top 5

She stopped dead as the Ghosthound turned his spear towards her holding the tip pointed towards her throat Her instincts screamed that she could accomplish nothing like this

Behind her she felt Tykes leap into the air obtaining a line of sight and whip his ball forward sending it screaming down towards the Ghosthound Gritting her teeth Alana stepped forward preparing to rush the man forcing an opening if there wasn’t one She couldn’t just let him walk around unharried

But the Ghosthound was already moving and she could see his spear morphing becoming something else He side stepped then casually threw his spear side arm up towards Tykes The weapon moved so fast that it was almost impossible to follow with the eye and although her instincts kicked in to knock it out of the air it was already past her striking Tykes mid air

He collapsed with an mmph crashing to the ground and groaning After several seconds Alana became sharply concerned

As if sensing this the Ghosthound waved a hand Just knocked out I can hear him breathing It just didn’t seem like we would get any good training in if he was throwing that ball around

After cracking his neck and his knuckles the Ghosthound produced another spear from the ground and grinned at her Now let’s see how well you’ve trained without me

Chapter 357

Alana felt on fire moving and reacting predicting and being predicted The Ghosthound’s Style of fighting was not her own where she relied on strength and breaking the opponent’s momentum the Ghosthound seemed to steal the very momentum from her as she was moving

Her spear flashed forward aiming to inflict a strike on his shoulder but he simply stepped forward and sideways and his foot flashed upwards catching her in the gut and sending her sprawling the light about her dimming Alana winced That hit was like a truck even after Child of the Sun took off a flat percentage of its force God how high were his stats

Attention up you lost me

Alana blinked and realized that she really had the Ghosthound was gone The air around was quiet Instinctively she raised her shield above her head and brought her spear across her body her eyes scanning for an enemy Then the world seemed to darken and she spotted something out of the corner of her eye

She gasped or at least tried to as she spun around but she found that the air was stuck in her throat Her chest heaved but her lungs seemed suddenly cast from stone unable to inflate and pump oxygen into her blood Which just made her panic and stumble her head abruptly pounding at the pressure in her chest

In front of her standing about 10 meters away was the Ghosthound his eyes a brilliant emerald seeming to pierce right through her freezing her chest Her eyes narrowed and she forced the panic in her chest down She would not break from just this

She could feel streams of energy flowing to her as the rays of sunlight were bent by her Skill twisting towards her making her warm and glowing with power Then she struggled again determined and she felt the grip on her lungs flutter Gritting her teeth as her vision began to swim and little bits of black unconsciousness ate away at the edges of her awareness she pressed again harder throwing everything at that binding

It wavered then broke

Her gasp was loud and full of relief but then her mouth tightened because the Ghosthound had arrived Inwardly she cursed herself for showing such weakness allowing her spear and shield to both fall away as she was so focused on her breath Inwardly she was aware that really being deprived from oxygen for a short amount of time wouldn’t be that big of a deal her body had the Stats to handle it

But there was a raw ingrained panic in her human body in response to it that she couldn’t overcome when paired with the shock and that had left her vulnerable

The Ghosthound’s attack wasn’t overly fast and it simply made her hyper aware that he was going easy on her which was infuriating But in the face of the evidence

Still going this easy on her was a mistake

Solar Flare She whispered feeling the rush of hot extra concentrated energy fill her It would only last for two or three seconds depending on how quickly she burned through it but it would be enough to give the Ghosthound a nasty surprise

It was the Skill her Class had given her at Lvl 40 and it packed a punch

Moving at double the speed she had previously she brought her shield up and knocked away his attack and then stabbed at his exposed midsection with her spear His body seemed to flap in the wind moving cleanly around the blow his speed instantly adjusting to just a hair below hers

Her hope plummeted Even after this he was only just a hair slower than her This time he clearly jumped up in speed so he was likely forced to rely on his Skills but still

However with her amount of Mana

With the last of the energy from Solar Flare she brought her spear across in a brutal Sweep that forced him back a step and elicited a grunt He wasn’t unstoppable just too strong and too fast So she activated Solar Flare again and then again in quick succession and the two activations made her body scream and sing and gave her a half second of invulnerable power

Her spear ripped forward with the speed of a shaft of sunlight and with the strength of an apocalypse

There was a small fraction of time where she felt a tinge of fright If she overshot and actually hurt him seriously But then his body was smoke dissolving as her spear pierced his body and Alana realized that this whole time he had never been in front of her but he was hovering behind her holding his spear in a wicked crescent whirling down to take her life

Her blood slowed and her pounding heart was the only noise in the still world

If I died now ’ Alana thought dazedly Who would train Tykes The defense of Donnyton the growth of our Squads How how would they ’

would they mourn me ’

Burn Alana whispered activating her Lvl 30 Skill causing flames to emerge from every part of her body She spun around and slashed upwards with her spear a trail of liquid flame arcing up in the wake of the spear’s passage It headed towards the Ghosthound but his burning emerald eyes just crinkled in satisfaction Within a split second he leaned easily out of the way and landed on his two feet spinning his root spear

Her double use of Solar Flare faded out and her body began to tremble unable to withstand the strain of her speed and strength The Ghosthound seemed to notice this and moved out of a fighting posture to a thinking one regarding her with a frown

those are interesting Skills But they aren’t sharp enough That burst one where you grow stronger briefly what Level is it

Alana blinked She had actually gained two Levels in it during her fight with him using it like that it’s Level 48 I have had it for two months but it is ultimately a finisher and I thought it would be better to focus on my base Skills

The theory is correct but in practice the execution is a bit The Ghosthound said and Alana’s stomach dropped a sour taste in her mouth He seemed to notice and coughed scratching his head That only made her feel worse It wasn’t that she didn’t want to train it it was just simply repeating the exercises didn’t work well and it wasn’t feasible to use it repeatedly against monsters It drained too much of her Mana and left her weak for a short period of time

well anyway what about your Spear Mastery what Level is that He asked

Straightening Alana said Level 67

His wince was all the answer she needed for what he thought of that They stood in silence for a while Alana feeling oddly scolded and indignant but also a sense of relief Her Skill Levels weren’t the highest in Donnyton not by a long shot but that was due to the fact she trained up multiple different types of Skills ones that usually required different sorts of training

Alana had received some assistance from Mrs Hamilton in terms of training strategies but that woman managed so many different things that Alana wasn’t willing to foist her problems on her as well Everyone went to Mrs Hamilton for advice Except for the few things that Mrs Hamilton said to her in passing when viewing her training Alana didn’t bring it up at all

We will have to get those up over 80 at least within a month Well less than that Say 3 weeks The Ghosthound said rubbing his chin Most of what you need is a training partner yea I’ll help with that when I have time But first

The Ghosthound flexed his hand and produced two potions one of which was made of clear liquid that Alana had never seen before Throwing those potion bottles to her he said Take these Hopefully it will restore all of your Mana and heal whatever status effects from the aftershock of using that Skill so much And then we are going to go again

Eh Alana said catching the bottles The Ghosthound flicked his fingers and three more root spears popped up out of the ground He walked over and carefully inspected each and then he selected two tossing one over to Alana who had barely swallowed the liquid before it arrived

The Ghosthound’s smile was sharp Don’t rely on your weapon too much Now take a stance Alana Let me see you do that again but if you try it the same way twice I’ll make you pay for it

Then he disappeared and Alana was left scrambling to raise her weapon in time

Chapter 358

Annie was holding her baby to her chest when Dozer came into their small home The walls on either side of her were decorated very differently On her left the walls were covered with hanging claws and fangs the natural weapons of beasts that Dozer had crushed There was even a long thin scorpion stinger hanging up there a testament to the variety of creatures that he had killed

On the right wall were skulls And each skull had a small crack a hole that had been pierced by an arrowhead While they had been living The number of skulls was almost double the number of sets of claws and fangs

Dozer took one look at the stove where a pot was already bubbling and said You knew I was back

Simply nodding Annie continued to poke her baby’s nose Delilah seemed to be largely unable to feel it and just sat there It was amazing the way the cartilage of the baby’s nose bent and reformed so easily under the pressure from Annie’s finger It was still incredible to her that this thing came out of her And she could easily tell that this little thing was a smashed up and ugly mix of the both of them

Well ’ Annie thought to herself maybe the ugly part is just Dozer’s half ’

Stop making that face the baby isn’t that ugly Dozer said simply going to the pot and picking up the bowl she had set out for him Annie shot an annoyed glance at his back This was an increasingly problematic pattern emerging in his behavior Dozer was becoming almost impossibly good at sensing her emotions just from looking at her

It scared her a little Because it made her feel exposed and out of control But at the same time

That’s why they were still together wasn’t it Because she loved it more than it scared her And THAT was what truly made her afraid

How did you know Dozer asked again his dark eyes turning to her Annie grimaced considering her options Back in the day she would have distracted them with sex to keep him off this scent Shake her ass or bend over in front of him But now

It did seem like her body only two weeks after the birth was quickly shedding the weight in everything but her boobs so she would soon be back to fighting and just as importantly seducing shape However there was a something about her now a hesitation to view herself like that

It was just hard to think of her body as simply a tool when she had watched Delilah come from her fully formed and perfect if a bit ugly She was something absolutely amazing in a way that the magic and wonder of the System couldn’t equal This was true creation and the System might manage it but the human body was designed for this

And it wasn’t as if telling him was that much of an issue it was just

Annie knew herself and she knew that she had a tendency to end up with more jealous men In her mind it made them much easier to control Not that Dozer had ever shown any of those habits much to her surprise but she felt a strange reluctance still Because this really was intimate in a way that she could never describe to him to feel the Ghosthound constantly to feel his subtle influence on her and know he could feel the same from her

I can sense him Still honesty was best Annie stopped rocking the baby and stood walking carefully over towards Dozer watching him The real tragedy she supposed was that while his ability to read her grew her own to predict him had practically disappeared

Dozer simply nodded and continued to eat so Annie just found herself standing by his shoulder unsure of what to do and feeling slightly foolish

I But before she could finish what she was saying Annie looked sharply right Was it relief that flooded her Disappointment A strange excitement Ever since having the baby emotions stopped having well defined edges Instead they mixed and were mashed together a blob that resembled each other strongly Regina said this would pass but for now it was incredibly annoying We have a guest

Dozer nodded and got up and filled another bowl with the stew of all things Annie twisted her mouth and went to the door When it opened it revealed the Ghosthound standing there with serious eyes

Mr Randidly Annie said with a small curtsey forcing herself to use his name It wouldn’t due for him to know that just like the rest of them in Donnyton the reverence she had for him had changed her term of address to the Ghosthound in her mind That was what he was to her less a person and more a force that sent that warm energy that allowed her to improve so rapidly even before she got a Class

After blinking the Ghosthound smiled hey I just felt he trailed off and just walked past her into the room She moved cleanly to the side curious

Dozer stood when the Ghosthound entered the room giving him a short salute but sat back down when the Ghosthound nodded to him But the Ghosthound’s attention lay fixed elsewhere

on Delilah

You can feel it too can’t you Annie asked softly She felt Dozer still looking over at them wheels turning behind his dark eyes

The Ghosthound nodded reaching down with surprising delicacy his hands hovering about the small baby fast asleep on the cushion

You can pick her up she sleeps through anything Dozer interjected around a mouthful of stew The Ghosthound looked up making eye contact with Dozer Something seemed to pass between them then some hidden meaning that Annie couldn’t decipher in their glance Then they looked away at the same time reinforcing the impression that something was going on there

It made Annie slightly furious especially because the Ghosthound ignored her question because of it At the same moment she was thinking that Dozer gave her a look that instantly cooled her off and pissed her off more because he knew EXACTLY where she was at emotionally

How the fuck did he do that

Yea I can feel it The Ghosthound said picking up the child cradling her carefully in his hands moving her from one arm to the other Then with his right hand he pressed a finger to her nose in a strange reflection of what Annie had been doing earlier But whereas that had been a purely physical thing Annie now felt a strange ripple travel through her from the connection of energy Delilah had to her and back through her

back to the Ghosthound The Ghosthound hummed frowning as he examined the baby With the same exaggerated care he laid Delilah down on the cushion and took a step back After looking around he walked over towards the table and sat with Dozer eating quietly Both men said nothing simply focusing on the food

This is pretty good The Ghosthound muttered

Dozer grunted Time at home has forced her to grind Cooking

Small blessings Annie said sarcastically joining the two men at the table It was a physically intimidating place to be at the moment Not only was her man about twice the size of a normal person these days all rock solid muscle and callous but the Ghosthound had a strange athletic grace in the way he moved that took up more space than he really should And he was pretty tall and long limbed as well

So Annie found herself squished at the side of the table doing her best NOT to think of how the pregnancy had changed her body and made it more awkward and how while these idiots were out training she was forced to stay safe away from danger Which she understood and she would never expose Delilah to danger but

She wanted to be out there It was a thrill that before the System she didn’t know she loved but

Almost unconsciously her eyes rose and scanned the right wall covered in skulls hit by her arrow It was exhilarating to say the least And now

While Annie’s thoughts turned morose the two men finished their meals Afterwards the Ghosthound tapped his finger against the wooden table clearly thinking Then with great care he said She’s very beautiful What’s her name

To Annie’s delight even Dozer snorted when he called Delilah beautiful Well it didn’t matter There were much better things for a woman to be in this world then beautiful Annie’s eyes drifted up to the skulls on the walls Her name is Delilah

Chapter 359

As the Ghosthound nodded slowly to the name Dozer folded his hands together Why examine her

The Ghosthound glanced at the other man then back over towards Delilah My Blessings formed a connection with the four people I gave them to That gives them certain benefits And it seems the connection split off so there is a further connection from me to Delilah moving through Annie

Randidly tapped his jaw I was just thinking I wonder how the Aether is filtered whether it holds more of Annie’s meaning when it flows through her Also it’s not as large as the connection to Annie although I’m not sure whether that is due to age or

Trailing off the Ghosthound just stared at Delilah his brow furrowed Dozer stood taking both of the dishes over to the sink Then he asked over his shoulder Will she be strong

Yes without a doubt Randidly said chuckling Then he stood and went to the door As he passed the threshold he said But I think that’s more a reflection of her parents than anything else I’ll have to make a gift for her

Oh Don’t tell anyone the name Annie called after him into the darkness It’s only been a few weeks the naming ceremony is going to be Saturday once she looks presentable Bring your gift then

Randidly couldn’t help but feel disappointed when he knocked on the door to Mrs Hamilton’s house in the dead of night and she opened it almost instantly There were two cups of tea on the table so she had known he was coming Taking a sip he winced it was still warm

How the fuck did she know that

But then Glendel walked out of the sideroom holding a case of notebooks spirits swirling around him and several things clicked into place At least Randidly didn’t need to worry that he was losing his edge but still Mrs Hamilton was just too competent at her job

Randidly had been away from the town for a while but he was sure that in the interim she had only become more vital to the successful running of the town Honestly more so than him taking out Mrs Hamilton would cripple Donnyton in a way that just left Randidly awed His strength had grown by leaps and bounds but there really were problems that individual strength couldn’t solve

Still with enough strength drawing others to handle those things became much easier

Glendel looked much the same as he had in the past although the aura of spiritual energy was much more dense And his eyes were strangely flickering shifting colors and directions as though each second a new soul was using the body to look out onto the world It was a strangely fascinating thing to watch

Let me guess Mrs Hamilton said sipping her tea I am the third stop you’ve made today After Lyra and somewhere to relieve stress a fight Alana or Donny

She was wrong of course but Randidly had a strange sensation that she had done that on purpose knowing how impossible it would be to predict something like that so he would be more at ease around her It reminded him of the Creature in some ways but he did his best to remind himself that this individual was on his side

fourth actually Alana and Tykes but then I went over to see Annie and Dozer Randidly trailed off unsure of what to say and careful of Annie’s warning not to reveal the name It was a small thing but the casual way that she had said it to him although no one else knew it but it weighed heavily on his heart

Ah due to the child Did the effect of the Blessing persist Mrs Hamilton asked taking a small book from Glendel’s stack and flipping to a certain page She immediately began making small notations After a few seconds of this she gave him a glance prodding him forward

Randidly nodded slowly it’s changed too But I can’t yet tell how Aether behaves strangely

I’ve some thoughts on that after watching the four of us you Blessed for these 6 months Mrs Hamilton said closing her notebook and grabbing another She offered it to Randidly It’s not much but hopefully it can combine with the information that you already have to make the picture that much clearer After all Aether really appears to be the source the core of all of this this System It’s fascinating in a way Its an energy source and its a building material But on the other hand

Mrs Hamilton took another sip of her tea It’s beyond the reach of most of us

Silence descended on the table Randidly knew his ability to sense and manipulate Aether was unusual and Lyra certainly had cheated her way to getting there but it was hard to hear the well disguised but still obvious yearning in Mrs Hamilton’s voice It was a sobering thing and brought her back down firmly on the ground as human

Randidly twisted his mouth wryly After everyone treated him like this he should know better than to be in awe of another With enough hard work anything was possible Even running a town like Donnyton

Randidly glanced to the side looking at Glendel The man simply sat his eyes open his gaze changing rapidly shifting Randidly turned back to Mrs Hamilton who cleared her throat

I must admit I have a question and I suspect the answer but I’d like to hear it from you Her gaze was heavy and her voice was now low and sad Lyra is not herself I fear We found her today but she won’t speak

She didn’t continue She didn’t have to

For now I believe that Lyra should be back to herself I suspect Randidly hesitated How much truth But then he looked at the hard edge to Mrs Hamilton’s gaze Perhaps as much as possible so she is prepared She was the one who knew best the state of the town and could take certain measures if the worst were to happen A renegade element a Creature from outside the System has for a long time endeavoured to manipulate me using my variance from the norm as a tool to its own ends Apparently to hide from the purview of the System That Creature has captured Lyra and has been posing as her for these last several months

Mrs Hamilton closed her eyes and released a long breath After a moment of hesitation Randidly continued However the Creature has currently taken the two Champion’s Regalia and run into the Raid Dungeon To what end I’m not sure In the meantime I came back and freed Lyra and she used that to tell me some information about things I haven’t quite figured out I would appreciate your insight on these things

Humming Mrs Hamilton nodded her head She stood and walked to a cupboard opening it and removing of all things a gun She twisted and pointed it at him Randidly blinked

Hold out your hand She commanded I’m going to shoot you

Randidly almost laughed but held it in at the last moment noticing the seriousness in her gaze Was she really going to just shoot him Was there a point Randidly held out his hand to the side

The bang of the gunshot was surprisingly loud in the small house causing him to wince Then the world exploded

Coughing Randidly staggered back feeling abruptly wan and drained but otherwise unharmed As the bullet had hit him he had saw how a strange pale white flame started at the impact point and rushed over his whole body leaving him feeling extremely strange

Randidly staggered falling to his knees Then he grimaced realizing the issue most of the Aether in his extremities had gone burned away An annoyed roar came from his chest as Neveah noticed the predicament and Aether gushed out of the Crossroads and surrounded him once more Then he drew it closer to his skin keeping it so there wasn’t as much leaking out

Being hit like that by an enemy would be catastrophic He would need to practice controlling his Aether to deal with it

We call it Talumurite Well the geologists who discovered it do Most people just call it cocaine glass or if they are talking about using it they say they are going to get randid Cute right Mrs Hamilton said returning to the cupboard and producing a small white grey crystal

I don’t know if you’ve seen the notifications but a rare mine spawned in our Zone as a reward for reaching the Champion portion of the System We found it near the Skeleton Knight’s headquarters on our side which is why we fought so hard for it Alana has spent the last month securing it and the surrounding location One of the things we found inside of it was Talumurite

With most people She continued Talumurite acts as a catalyst to vastly increase their Stats and the strength of their Skills The cost is a bit of time bedridden afterwards Based on what we have seen it makes them burn their Aether hotter as it were But that is due to whatever impurities the System’s Aether provides it controls the chain reaction somehow However I first noticed it when Alana would injure herself when she tried it Her Aether it simply burned too fast Left her weak And I wondered if it worked on her Aether could it work on your Aether Or something higher up in the System

Mrs Hamilton returned to the table sitting down and gesturing at Glendel Without a word he fetched another cup of tea for her which she delicately sipped

That was my working theory Mrs Hamilton said frankly That some sort of inspector from the System had come down and taken control of Lyra using her body to view us spy on us It being a totally foreign entity that is doing it is troublesome but it clears up some other problems

She offered Randidly who was shaking slightly staring at the crystal in awe a small smile If it worked on you might it do the same on her

Chapter 360

Donny swirled the wine in his cup staring out the window into the darkness looking extremely thoughtful He was in his full armor a carefully shaped bone creation with golden accents giving him the look of a powerful and honorable knight His helmet and shield were on the table but still with the armor he felt that he looked profoundly capable

Daniel snorted slamming his papers down on the desk in front of him You look like a constipated idiot you know that right

I look refined and thoughtful like the leader of the free world Donny said never even flinching at Daniel’s tirade or the noise Instead his gaze focused studiously on the darkness outside of his window His Stats were just high enough to pierce the veil of darkness that would have prevented most people from seeing and he could watch the small movements of people who worked through the night

One big plus of the System was the increased productivity This varied based upon Endurance and Vitality but for the strongest of them sleep was only a rarely indulged treat Still Mrs Hamilton had wondered on the long term psychological effect of this so a lot of people continued to sleep if only for the reset factor It still did wonders with shifting your mood if you were stuck somewhere you didn’t want to be

He might not come tonight Daniel said sighing and returning to his paperwork

Donny nodded slowly Yea he probably won’t

Then why are you doing this We should just do some real work not this theatrical farce Daniel said sourly

Shrugging Donny turned back to the desk and looked at the papers there Although they hadn’t quite worked up the nerve to get a computer back online and working with access to printers they had gathered the parts and were discussing the scope they wanted to adopt For now most reports were handwritten by some of Mrs Hamilton’s NCCs Thank god for the Handwriting Proficiency Skill that had through repetition turned scrawls into elaborate calligraphy Looking at one particularly flourish filled example Donny grimaced

If anything they were getting too good at their job And the best of them had even earned the Class Elegant Calligrapher She retired from menial work and now was hired for party invitations signs and the like The way the System moved was certainly interesting and they had yet to see the end of it

That was most of what was laying on Donny’s desk Questions which had long ago been posed as theoreticals by Mrs Hamilton and Regina Northwind were now arriving as practicals demanding his attention The most pressing of course was whether the Village of Donnyton should adopt a currency whether it be the coins gotten from the System shops or a merit system for access to their resources

Originally Donnyton was small enough and food and labor were so freely given that this hadn’t been a problem But as people specialized they wanted to be able to extract more for their services and needed a way to be rewarded At the same time those with better clout in the town wanted more of the finer things Certain areas of town were swiftly becoming split by power or Level and it would only accelerate now that they had achieved some measure of peace

Annie was the first and her daughter had already been born but the wake of the System had apparently been an aphrodisiac for people for there were 20 more women already who reported being 3 months or more along in their pregnancy Regina said this was the lizard brain kicking in pushing people faced with adversity towards procreation so the species could continue

Donny’s hand gripped tightly Even his own girlfriend was late on her period He he might end up being a father before the year was out Which was exhilarating and also scary

Which is all to say that society was snapping back and Mrs Hamilton was adamant they have systems in place before that happens Which brought Donny’s focus back to the currency issue

Using System money was an easy solution but they didn’t control access to the supply so there could be inflation spikes It could also be used as a weapon however against Villages less advanced than them but no one wanted to think of that as a benefit

The merit point system came from Clarissa and was also a possibility but there was a much larger issue of setting up an administration for that to run Mrs Hamilton seemed to think she was capable of handling it but Donny wasn’t so sure Besides now that they had found the mine they might have access to materials that would allow them to mint their own currency which was the ideal solution

Mrs Hamilton had been carefully cultivating Buds as they were called and hoped these would help with making Donnyton’s currency These Buds were individuals who stayed as NCCs but received evenly general training ready for a specific need to arise in Donnyton Then they would be sent somewhere and specialize eventually returning to Donnyton and obtaining a Class that was in their new area of expertise

Already three Buds had been committed to learning Cartography Geology and Mining in preparation for the excavation that would happen of their new treasure trove

But all these things took time and the clock was running out on that

Donny looked at the rest of his desk Along with currency came the issue of private/public ownership Right now you owned basically whatever you worked or lived on without anymore legal ability You traded goods or services for other goods and services and relied on friends if you couldn’t find the right thing to trade for what you wanted

But if there was a currency suddenly ownership became important You could provide an object of concrete durable value Whereas a bushel of corn could be traded for a lot of things it had to be consumed eventually it didn’t save well Being able to transform that into currency would put that issue to rest That way the farmer could save to purchase a larger tract of land a bigger home a better weapon more help for the farm

Which led to another stack of papers Grimacing Donny took a drink and sat down What to do with the land The obvious answer was to either sell it very cheaply to the people who were living on it now give it to them for free or to auction everything off but all of these had problems Problems that set precedents for the future

Now they were firmly in the realm of governance and Donny was way over his head What was shocking to him is that even though everyone knew that they insisted that he make the decisions Mrs Hamilton provided several tutors for him so most of his mornings were spent reading history books but it still didn’t feel like enough

When he had insisted she just make the decision she gave him a pointed look

I can do a lot of things one of them is to try and protect people from you if you were to go mad with power She said primly But the one thing that I can’t do that no one can do is protect people from myself

Donny thought about that for a long time Although he found himself disagreeing with putting the decision in his inexperienced hands he could understand her fear It was a fear he faced everyday in the mirror And perhaps his own lack of knowledge was helpful in that regard in that it injected humility and reflection into every decision

Not that this benefit meant he skipped his lessons far from it But Donny did begrudgingly accept that someone had to take the fall for bad decisions and everyone had nominated him

After a long hesitation he pulled the packet of papers regarding what they would need to make their own currency towards him He began to carefully read through analyzing every word

Do you ever wonder why he picked you

Donny looked up sharply giving Daniel a level glare But his friend’s face was guileless and his gaze was back on his own work Daniel focused mostly on Skills Classes and Paths and the exhausting journey to chronicle the inputs and outputs of each Even just thinking about it Donny was exhausted It just involved so much interviewing and conjecture He would grow frustrated with it in a second

But Daniel loved it

He considered Daniel’s question Because I was there probably

Ha Daniel guffawed his round face twisting Is the world ever so simple especially in regards to the Ghosthound

Donny shook his head smiling but saying nothing In his mind yes sometimes things really just were that easy Being there next to Randidly when he needed help that was the impetus for all of this And now a small thought such as the image of Donny’s own face stamped upon a gold coin carried and traded across all of their Zone of course he had other more positive and practical reasons for choosing the currency option but

That image wasn’t one that Donny could get off his mind It gave him a wide grin that he had to bury his head in paperwork to hide from Daniel Sometimes things really were just that simple

Chapter 361

Hmph Paolo crossed his arms his squad gathering up behind him As if a simple test of courage could cause I the great leader of Squad III to feel fear

Hohoho then why are so slow to agree Any member of Squad II would gladly throw themselves in the line of danger Your hesitation is unbecoming Perhaps in your age Kayle said his tone teasing his Squad too gathering up but he was interrupted

Choose quick Boring

Dinesh tried not to tremble as the huge giant Bone Wurm rumbled down at them weaving its head back and forth Her Her head Dinesh had been told He resisted the urge to say a small prayer

Initially Dinesh had been secretly overjoyed that after their joint exercise in the North against the Skeleton Knight Paolo and Kayle invited him and the rest of the 23rd Squad to join them for a celebration Very eagerly they had agreed It wasn’t rare to see the Numeral Squads around but it was an usual thing for them to fraternize so openly with a Squad in the 20s This could be a big move for them

And Dinesh had high hopes of making friends learning secrets and working to improve himself in his Squad To his chagrin the final thing had come true

Their version of celebration was an elongated practice session designed by the Dusk Spider Mrs Hamilton to draw out the entire physical potential of the exerciser Primarily it increased the Physical Fitness Empower and Herculean Strength Skills which most of all of the Classed individuals had Even Dinesh who was a mage focus as well as his Squad had them

However his mage focused squad was a long long way of being able to keep up with workouts with this group of individuals

Tired to the bone the 23rd Squad of Donnyton had stumbled back while Squads III and II and walked back in high spirits laughing and cheering the 23rd Squad on Although it had been one of the most intimidating experiences in his life Dinesh had gained 5 Skill Levels doing it which spoke to its effectiveness So finally his spirits were starting to life Truly the way of life of those at the top was completely different

That was until they stumbled on the Bone Wurm Neveah who was bored sitting at the edge of the Village while Donnyton figured out how to let her wander around a little

Kayle had admired her size Paolo had pointed out her larger than her body head Kayle had commented on her sharp teeth his grin growing Dinesh had a bad feeling

Kayle bet that Paolo wouldn’t dare get inside the creature’s mouth and let her close it

To Dinesh’s horror the monster had seemed profoundly excited by the prospect and was practically preening at first under the attention She generously opened her mouth as wide as possible displaying at least 60 rows of jagged bone teeth that could rip anything not made of metal to shreds in a heartbeat

Dinesh privately believed that mouth was a portal to hell But Paolo and Kayle had unhesitatingly walked over inspecting the mouth space poking her tongue discussing the relative comfort that it offered And both of their Squads went right along with it

The men and women of the Squads resembled their Captains Paolo’s 10 were stocky stoic and had noses broken from fist fights meanwhile the teammates of Kayle were lithe and graceful with longer hair They all wielded different weapons but it was clear that each Squad had an identity a specific method for defeating the enemy It was extremely enlightening and it made Dinesh consider his own Squad How should they cast themselves going forward

Currently Paolo was scowling at Kayle You are all talk The minute I exit Neveah’s mouth you will have long gone retreated to your small hovel to shiver in fear

More talking so little doing Kayle countered The two glared at each other

Both at same time Neveah announced her oddly hollow voice flowing over the entire crowd Everybody paused and thought about this for a second

Acceptable Paolo said crossing his arms grinning at Kayle Dinesh could tell that the man was just glad that the weight had shifted to his rival

Kayle for his part had the humanity to remain silent for 3 seconds Then he said yes

So it was that the three Squads sat and watched two of their leaders climb into Neveah’s mouth Before she closed it they both looked out at Dinesh

Dinesh shall we make this a Captain’s outing Paolo asked extending a hand Then he exchanged a sparkling glance with Kayle

Kukuku truly this will be a wonderful bonding experience Kayle said his own wicked smile growing Neveah can you fit him too

Yep Her cheer was that of a psychopathic murderer staring down her next victim

Dinesh took a step back I

Best make it quick don’t let him get away Kayle audibly muttered patting the side of Neveah’s mouth She needed no further encouragement and sprung forward not really uncoiling her body but seeming to be propelled by the very ground The two already inside her mouth hurriedly layed down

I But then Dinesh was gulped down smashed into the mouth which clicked shut He could feel his armor pressing against another person’s but there was only dampness darkness and the feeling of several teeth piercing through his armor and stabbing his leg Panic rose in his chest and he immediately wanted to vomit All of the sore muscles and small injuries rose to the fore of his mind demanding his attention before they were swiftly drowned out by the panic swamping all of him

Of course Paolo was roaring with laughter and Kayle was chuckling

Move around a little Paolo yelled

Neveah obliged No the hell monster obliged In that moment Dinesh felt g forces that reminded him of riding a rollercoaster His eyes rolled around sightless in the darkness as he began to flail his panic needing an outlet The wounds in his leg grew worse as the teeth tore larger and larger holes

Kayle who had an arm pressed against Dinesh punched him the face Stop lashing out You aren’t alone in here you know

Wow this is amazing What a rush Paolo roared I haven’t felt like this in ages say Neveah can you go faster

You idiot Dinesh screamed but it was too late It was like a sudden explosion of momentum that they could even feel in here They pressed against each other struggling to stay in the center of Neveah’s mouth and began to slowly slide towards the back of her throat Or at least that’s what Dinesh assumed They would fucking die here fucking die all fucking devoured and and

And his senses spread out in a way he never felt before and suddenly Dinesh could feel the strange sensation of the bone rasping on the ground rubbing smooth the impossible hardness that could resist this friction over and over again The Mana that she used constantly creating a path beneath her throwing her body forward

But the sheer volume of Mana The speed If she were to lose control

Even their System empowered bodies would

The flow of Mana the damp mouth Paolo’s laughter the panic his lightheadedness everything began to swirl and mix drawing Dinesh and what was left

As could be expected from an enthusiastic but childlike Bone Wurm Neveah lost control Or at least that’s what Dinesh assumed because he just lost consciousness for several seconds then found himself awoken by a slap to the face

Blinking he sat up looking up at Paolo who was grinning down at him

Ha What a rush We should do this everyday What do you think of that eh Dinesh Chills you out a little doesn’t it

Dinesh looked behind Paolo to Kayle who was walking slowly along the spine of Neveah chatting with her She didn’t really speak in complete sentences but she spoke enough words to get her point across and seemed to delight in communicating with these individuals

They appeared to have crashed when Neveah ran into a small hill that was a bit too steep Luckily for the three of them inside her mouth she had twisted her body so her back and middle regions had taken most of the impact while her head was relatively well protected But based on the fact that even Dinesh’s System strengthened body was knocked out by the impact they were moving at quite the clip when they crashed

The panic that had almost drowned Dinesh during the ride rose up again catching fire and turning to a vicious fury and it took several long breaths to restrain the urge to stand up and punch Paolo in the face And based on his expression that was exactly what he wanted The Brawling piece of shi

Then Dinesh paused because he had a notification

Congratulations For being exposed to an extremely dangerous situation you have obtained the Skill Curse of Fear Lvl 1

Congratulations For examining the flows of a great monster’s Mana you have obtained the Blue Mage Mastery I Path

Dinesh paused Truthfully considering these gains there truly would be changes in store for his 23rd Squad Well it wasn’t the worst thing ever

With a loud laugh Paolo helped him to his feet and slapped his back

Chapter 362

Randidly tried his best to keep is face even Surely this amount of data is unnecessary for our purposes

Oh I disagree Mrs Hamilton said smoothly her smile wide Surely as the founder of Donnyton taking the time to write out some concrete advice for this many people is just par for the course And if you are to make intelligent decisions you need to be informed

Trying not to let the headache force him to lose his temper Randidly said slowly I’m a warrior that’s my job Sure knowing this political and economic and scientific information might be useful in the long run but

Incorrect Mrs Hamilton’s voice was low and the small smile she usually wore slowly fell away revealing a deep implacable determination Carefully she folded her hands and gave Randidly a long and searching look

Perhaps you aren’t really playing dumb you just haven’t conceptualized it You haven’t named it The people here Randidly they venerate you Most of them haven’t met you they’ve only heard stories Watched the people they admire watch people those people admire admiring you That means something The weight of those feelings changes things whether you like it or not

Leaning forward Mrs Hamilton said Look I understand what you said earlier you need to focus on figuring out how to well perhaps some things are best to be left unsaid You want to create something uniquely yours But I think that you will find 4 hours working on this now will save you innumerable troubles down the line and affect your research very little You need a legacy These letters they will start that legacy even if the recipients decide to ignore them

Randidly felt his face flushing He knew the way people looked at him how they treated him but to hear it stated so clearly it was almost embarrassing The blood continued to rush to his face while he looked at the pages on the table in front of him With the list of names that Mrs Hamilton thought he should write pages to

The point was to inspire them but the thoughts wouldn’t come What would he say All he could do was picture Shal’s face or his father’s

But then in his mind’s eye he saw Aemont’s back standing there facing outward in that strange land where that test occurred That expression on his face Not a smile not a frown not even fear but more

Unrelenting

And beyond that the look in those minions’ eyes the monsters that Randidly slowly fought his way through the gauntlet of the test Their determination their absolute belief that sustained them passed the point where they should have given up from wariness or wounds A level of faith and willpower that allowed them to stretch their lives beyond their fated ending An endurance that defied imagination

Not for themselves but for something greater

And holy fuck Mrs Hamilton wanted to bring that here

He could see it now the determination in all the eyes of the people he had known Donny Decklan Dozer the Squads the villagers Kiersty and her cultists even in Simon’s eyes after he had found out his true identity A difference of treatment Randidly had to bear the weight of that of course but if his back was broad and strong enough to carry these expectations

Their faith would become a weapon

Sighing Randidly reached for a packet of information prepared by Mrs Hamilton and began to read She was probably right about the hours not mattering for the Aether research And the Creature was an issue but Randidly did not let himself lose sight of the other monstrous opponents that arrayed themselves against him

The final opponent the way it was made to seem by Aemont the unbeatable one the Calamity Aemont was not able to figure out how to beat it even with his great skill It loomed ahead of them gleeful and malignant The tumorous System’s final judgement Or something it was hard to tell

But against these opponents Randidly had the sense that personal strength wouldn’t be able to carry him all the way There had to be something else Something greater Perhaps this faith was the weapon that they needed

Randidly set pen to paper and began to write

For Thea dawn came all too quickly She was introduced to dozens of different men and women who were a part of the Squads of Donnyton all of them with an incredible no nonsense approach who appraised her silently even as they smiled and offered their greetings It turned out that the building that Thea needed to use her Stone of Fate was still under construction and would be for another week so Thea was basically free to just wander around the town or participate in any free training sessions

Which was great from Thea’s perspective for several reasons The first was that the people here had no prejudice against Chrysanthemum and even seemed amused by giving her their spare animals parts The reason for this only became clear while wandering the market she encountered a bunny person hopping amongst the people as if nothing strange was happening

Thea had paused and followed Then she had found there were Turtle people as well chatting amicably Thea had just blinked then shook her head After everything else she supposed these strange people weren’t that much of a shock to discover Donnyton was just a very strange place

The second reason that Thea was glad to have some time was because the markets in Donnyton were selling all sorts of rare and powerful armors some dropped others forged Whereas there was only the most basic of leather and some large and clunky metal armors in the North in Donnyton

They had fucking chainmail

Not only that but weapons were not just made with Steel and Claw there was gems bone teeth wood and strange artificial materials They had alloys that glistened strange colors and weapon designs that left Thea gasping

More than the materials it was the artistry that left the most profound impression on Thea It was still budding she could tell but there were no simple Steel Swords here They all had a curve and a ruby embedded at the hilt and had strange attributes like Heat Forged I or 999 Hammer Method II that added extra Stats and other bonuses to the weapons Literally every weapon maker she found had their own unique method that varied in effect but made these weapons take one single step forward

And these were just the weapons that were available to the public Thea had a feeling that the Sam character who welcomed them with extremely sharp eyes had the ability to create something much more powerful She had learned later that Sam was in charge of the entire production operation and most of the stuff sold in the markets were done by smiths and leather workers that weren’t good enough to make it as one of his 20 apprentice positions

That was not to say that the other items were inferior quality but just that his were the best Still some of his previous apprentices had left his tutelage and set up shop creating their own brands But those locations were all inside actual brick and mortar buildings in the central district of Donnyton up on the hill

The third reason that Thea was excited to have some free time was the chance to train with Donnyton’s Squads Although each Squad had its own training she had heard that there would be a free training period at dawn generally led by one of the more powerful people of Donnyton There was a rotation but everyone seemed to enjoy giving pointers to the Classers who signed up to be in Squads Even the recalcitrant Dozer had done it on multiple occasions

To her delight an invitation to join had been extended to Thea probably due to her connections to the Ghosthound but she didn’t mind It was a chance to see how her strength compared to that of the Zone’s strongest

And the final reason that Thea was glad of the break

was because she still couldn’t decide on what to use her Stone of Fate In her mind using it on her Class was the most compelling but when they talked about the possibility of upgrading a Statistic If her Strength or Agility was a higher tiered Stat

Wouldn’t she be unstoppable

With all these things in mind Thea found herself waiting nervously with a rapidly growing group of people chatting before this day’s instructor arrived Today she decided to focus mostly on training but starting tomorrow in the evenings she’d see if she could talk someone into allowing her into their Squad as a short term member so she could earn money to buy some of these weapons

Once she had those she would probably return to Star Crossing as one of the most powerful Classers they had The thought made her shiver

It was a sobering thought

Thea wasn’t sure exactly how many people were in Donnyton but it always seemed full of people And almost 300 or so people had gathered now beginning to stretch and grow silent A figure walked up the steps to a wooden stage and clapped her hands There was something powerful about the movement and instantly all noise ceased the attention of the 299 Donnyton residents and Thea

I’m Alana today’s my day The woman announced and Thea had to blink slightly because there was a strange golden aura around the woman I hope you came ready to work too because I am in a bad mood

Chapter 363

Alright switch Alana’s voice sounded out and Thea fell to her knees almost grateful

The person opposite her a short woman with extremely powerful legs lowered the huge shield that she used as a weapon Her gaze scrutinized Thea carefully absorbing every detail But as she was turning away all the woman said was You can improve very quickly Good luck

Thea was too exhausted after their brief duel to respond but her eyes locked onto the IX on the back of that woman’s leather armor So she was part of the 9th Squad That made Thea feel at least some swelling of pride even though she had been absolutely embarrassed on every front

But that was common in this exercise of the 19 duels Thea had participated in there was only one that could be even considered a draw The level in Donnyton was so fucking high it hurt

The training had started with an hour of exhausting fitness exercises with weights the 300 people moving with remarkable efficiency to make sure everyone did everything Thea sorta ended up swept up in the momentum and lost herself in the weight lifting The exercises were many and varied and pushed her body beyond what she thought was possible earning Thea two Levels in Physical Fitness

Then the duels began in Alana’s words to determine the final groups

Thea really didn’t want to know what group she had ended up in She had gained a dozen or so Skill Levels however and tried to focus on this rather than her actual performance which left her flushed with shame If Chrysanthemum were participating

But Thea knew that this was just an excuse these people were relying on their own strength just like she was right now The fact that she lost to them all simply meant that she wasn’t as strong as she thought That that was just life

But another voice in her head whispered that Chrysanthemum was part of her strength too

Shaking her head Thea stood took one of the free potions to restore her strength and went to find her next duel partner This one was a black teen who was scowling and swinging a huge iron ball around like it was nothing

It made Thea’s stomach plummet out of her chest That sorta strength could destroy her System or no That ball must weigh over 300 lbs and he was treating it like it was nothing

But in more positive news the guy was covered in bruises clearly beaten up and injured It seemed that some of the damage from the previous duels had been so extreme that he hadn’t been able to heal in the time between duels something that Thea identified very strongly with She too was still quite sore

Alright girls and boys this will be the last fight Alana called Make it count

Thea steeled herself It had to be this it had to be here Of all of her opponents only this one seemed to have a fraction of a chance of her winning Then although it might be considered cheating Thea reached for her connection to Chrysanthemum Not to call her but to draw some of her strength and ferocity through their bond and get one more edge

One thing that her opponents here had made very clear was that Thea was way too hesitant when attacking another person Which was perhaps true and was likely just due to the fact that Thea really hadn’t ever raised her weapon to fight against another human She had constantly been fighting monsters which relied on Skills or their raw Statistics in order to battle rather than any sort of momentum or disruption

It was a sharp gap in her knowledge that put her in an awkward situation

But here and now facing this giant metal ball Thea felt part of Chrysanthemum flow through her settling into her bones setting her emotions on fire raising her hackles It was certainly easier to treat the user of such an oppressive weapon as a monster able to withstand her full strength And Thea promised herself that was exactly what she would use

The man moved exploding into motion but very quickly Thea’s vision of him was completely eclipsed by the huge iron ball moving towards her Growling Thea dashed forward spun around the ball and leapt towards the man

Without even blinking he twisted the chain and pulled using his monstrous strength to stop the ball’s advance and pull it back Her face twisting into a grimace the thrill of Chrysanthemum’s bloodlust singing in her veins Thea reached out and grabbed the chain allowing the man to pull her back towards him

His eyebrows rose but he twisted the chain again stopping the momentum of the pull Thea let go and charged towards him She could sense the ball still coming towards her from behind but it had lost most of its oppressive momentum by her grip Although he seemed annoyed the man was not flustered He raised the end of the chain he held spinning it lightly It was an open and raw challenge

Bellowing Thea attacked him with her hammer

With an adroit movement that a more reflective Thea would have found to be extraordinarily impressive the man looped his chain around the hammer stepped to the side and yanked pulling the hammer out of Thea’s grasp

Thea’s smile was wide and the man’s eyebrows rose further The hammer had been quick to leave her hand’s hands because Thea had let go of it Taking advantage of the small moment of shock she punched the man in the nose feeling like she punched a brick wall

Thea grimaced Damnit how high were this guy’s Stats How was he so badly beaten up if his body could take this much of a beating

Although it had probably hurt her as much as it hurt him the man still stumbled backwards It was probably just the strength she was syphoning from Chrysanthemum but it was frankly quite satisfying to inflict pain on another human without regrets

Plus with the damage she had received just from punching the last of Thea’s compunctions towards attacking another person faded away Again and again she rained blows on his face and chest as he struggled to regain his footing until finally she was forced to roll to the side as the ball came crashing back

Again he displayed his enourmous Strength by simply catching it with one hand and swinging it like a huge hammer driving her farther back Then he glared at her his eyes narrowed into slits due to his fury Thea responded in kind There was no way that she was going to end this duel marathon without a single win

But a part of her cooled down and started furiously thinking about how to beat this opponent He was the same type of fighter as she was relying on his power to suppress even monsters Whereas Chrysanthemum was the way she did that in person it could be considered doing that here as well as it was only due to the shared strength she managed it

So it was something like fighting someone of the style of the Ghosthound They had sparred together occasionally and there were times that the Ghosthound chose to move slowly to force Thea to come to terms with the fact that she won’t always be the strongest individual in a fight Sometimes she would need to be the smartest to win

Joints then or weak points Aim for where he couldn’t defend from the brittle areas of his stances Thea’s eyes narrowed still locked with the man’s gaze as he seemed to struggle with something inwardly Slowly she sidestepped around him until she arrived at her hammer which she slowly bent and picked up Was he waiting for an opening

The man snorted and threw his weapon to the ground and began walking towards Thea Thea’s grip on her hammer tightened She hadn’t heard much from the Ghosthound in regards to tactics because even after his identity was revealed he was a stoic guy But she did remember one thing he had said once not to her but to Simon

Don’t think of a fight as a contest of strength it’s a bidding war Where two people bid on the game they want and then afterwards they use their remaining resources to play it out

After that he had just scratched his head when Simon asked him to explain but Thea had a strange sense of clarity when she heard that Fighting came in two phases the arrangement and the action And there was no need to buy into an arrangement chosen by the opponent unless they forced you into it

Thea stepped forward raising her hammer

The continued presence of the weapon seemed to infuriate the man and he roared and charged forward his arms spread wide His physique was honestly intimidating to Thea but she had faced down much worse a human body was nothing to a bear

In a display of rationality the man stopped his mad charge short right in front of her and threw a remarkably fast jab All Thea had time for was to raise her hammer in the way blocking the strike He grimaced and pulled back twisting and aiming a roundhouse kick at her stomach

Thea spun and dropped to the ground swinging under the kick and aiming a hammer blow towards the side of the man’s knee Grunting he was forced to land awkwardly stumbling a little In that moment Thea cleanly stood and simply thrust using the broad top of her hammer to simply bash the front of his face

This time he stumbled back swearing and something feral came alive in Thea’s chest she raised her hammer and stepped forward ready to capitalize on this opening But she was interrupted

Alright that’s enough Alana said clapping I think at this stage I know what you all are capable of doing Tykes go sleep this off you’re a mess Doug Cassie and Alice stay behind let’s do a little bit more training in one on ones Oh and you too bear girl The rest of you

Chapter 364

Thea’s hearing slowly faded out after Alana made her announcement and began to split up the remaining people into groups for war games giant team battles to simulate some of the actual challenges that the Squads of Donnyton would face

Bear girl that couldn’t be anyone but her right

Tykes who was apparently the man she had been facing grunted and gave Thea a dirty look before walking away the huge metal ball slung above his shoulder like it was nothing He didn’t seem phased at all by the fact he had been smashed in the face with Thea’s hammer It made her wonder who the hell was strong enough to leave him so bruised and battered

Now that the heat of Chrysanthemum was out of her System Thea felt a certain amount of confusion over the man’s actions Based on the high level of his Stats he must have some Skills or special moves that he could use aside from simply throwing the iron ball around Yet he hadn’t used them

Perhaps he was afraid of injuring her

Either way it was a win for her and it filled Thea with a small seed of happiness Things like this weren’t easy so it was best to savor them while she could

It turned out Alice was the woman from Squad IX that had beaten her so brutally previously and she came over and gave Thea several quiet tips about her form Watch how far forward the step she made when she attacked was Develop a natural way to flow into another attack if the first misses Don’t let the opponent always control the distance between them

Finally after the war game was in full swing Alana returned looking at Thea with undisguised interest The woman was of average height and was beautiful in a way that a desert was beautiful Harsh and unrelenting and truly itself There was also that constant light that made it quite difficult to look directly at her

I was afraid you would break quite honestly Alana finally said giving Thea a sharp smile You faced 20 of our best fighters today aside from Tykes that petulant child I wanted to know your level of strength without your mount But I also wanted to see how strong your spirit is Color me impressed With you there I doubt Star Crossing will have any need to worry about monsters

Blushing Thea nodded and looked at the ground Alana laughed

Well anyways time for me to work off some steam from last night you four against me Take some time to talk about strategy if you must but be ready for me to grind you into the ground Also I want you to be thinking about something while you are fighting what is the most powerful Skill

Randidly didn’t even blink when one of Simon’s strange bird constructs settled on his shoulder as he walked towards the edge of the Village He had figured that Simon would use his power to visit them and it was slightly reassuring to know he was here

Not that Simon could really assist in any battles that would happen or that he would be extremely effective in such battles but the reassurance that everything was fine between them felt good Although they had spent only a few months together a lot of that time was when Randidly was at his weakest point and needed someone to rely on He wouldn’t forget that kindness

Randidly walked up the hill towards the overlook of the town feeling the sun on his back It was a good feeling to be here and be back Especially after spending several hours pouring over those reports from Mrs Hamilton

A mental inquiry to Neveah indicated that she was off playing with some of the Squads of Donnyton happily chasing down and devouring a Raid Boss Shaking his head Randidly sent the information he had gained from Mrs Hamilton in their talk regarding the Bone Wurm population Once they were settled they could begin to produce the Marrow Silk for Donnyton which would put textiles back on the map as an industry Plus the materials should be invaluable for armor it was just that Randidly really hadn’t paid much attention to what it could do

After he reached the outlook he took in a deep breath and then paused There was someone else on the outlook Randidly turned and looked at the other figure who was masked And yet just from the warm feeling he had at looking towards her figure he instantly knew who it was

Raina Randidly said simply remembering the strange and fearful power that this woman had with her singing and with her gaze Even now cloaked and masked he still couldn’t shake the strange positive disposition he had towards her

Still that wasn’t her fault and based on her state of dress the woman did her best in order to restrain the effect that she had on the people around her What was fascinating about it was that as he said her name he could literally see the change in her aura The air around her warped and shifted with her emotions Not in a way that would affect him but that would make all of her reactions clear There was a flash of joy then hesitation and uncertainty and finally settling on a strangled resignation

Randidly did his best not to grimace That was just another burden that she had to carry an unfortunate side effect of her Skills But it was something that Randidly understood from his use of Anguish He knew implicitly that as the Level of the Skill increased some of it began to shine through If he let it become one of his primary Skills it would create a constant aura around him

In the same way something like the Breath of the Spear Phantom if it became his ultimate move would create a sense of suffocation in everyone around him Randidly also believed that this effect would be magnified by a high level in Battle Intent which made it easier for him to warp the world around him

For now as most of his levels were in things like Spear Mastery and Spear Phantom’s Embrace Randidly knew that there was a strangely distant and sharp feel to himself

Now facing this girl and after writing those letters the reasoning for why most people were treating him this way came into focus There was an air about him now something that he had never experienced but it would only continue to grow Well perhaps not It seemed to be affected by the difference in average Level so as long as the gap between their Skill Levels didn’t grow

Randidly I’d heard the rumors but welcome back Raina said softly her voice sweet

It was just another expression of that flood of powerful emotions It made Randidly think that perhaps Raina wasn’t the siren that she was always assumed to be She was just excellent at projecting her emotions and humans were inherently weak to emotions Thoughts for another time however

Simon’s small bird floated forward towards Raina For her part she narrowed her eyes at the small clearly fake bird but said nothing as it floated over and settled next to her regarding her curiously

Randidly slowly followed Thank you I have something of a weird question but I wanted an opinion of someone who didn’t really run things here How is Donnyton Is everything alright

Honestly Randidly wasn’t sure what he should talk about so he settled back to the business he had spent all this morning researching Besides Mrs Hamilton was efficient and thorough but Randidly trusted less sophisticated opinions as the true barometer of the health of a location Or at least he had before the System came

Settling next to Raina on the rock as she seemed to consider Randidly looked at the paper in her hands seeing an extremely detailed drawing of the valley below showing Donnyton’s sprawling expansion below them

The valley that Donnyton was situated in ran from the Northwest to the Southeast with the hill range where they were sitting to the South giving them a pretty decent view of the way the Village had developed Although the Southern side of the valley was relatively impassible the Northern side was just small rolling hills

Starting from the Southeastern corner along the valley there was first the guardhouse and tower at the mouth of the valley and then the ale houses and wineries After that the valley transitioned into mostly farmland which extended to the Northl in a haphazard way as different farmers struck out from the main track of farmland in the valley taking over some of the Northern hills Kiersty and her Arbor cult were a part of those little expansions

Luckily it seemed they had upgraded Donnyton’s area of safety that prevented monster spawns or else those expansions would need to be more diligently guarded After that the valley transferred to the original location of their base that small cabin and farm that Randidly lived in Beyond that there were now huge training and muster areas along with the beginnings of a relatively upper class housing expansion with glittering walls and well painted fences in ridiculous styles

The next big feature was the plateau where they had built up the encampment of Donnyton and actually founded the Village These walls had been torn down and expanded and upgraded so now there was stone reinforced with wood and metal around the main part of the Village with huge towers at every corner with ballistas

Which was something of an overkill because it had been a long long time based upon what Randidly had heard since anything really had attacked the base But it was a forward thinking strategy and Randidly appreciated it This was not the end of the wrenches that the System wanted to throw in the works

Chapter 365

The Village inside the fortification was now neatly organized which showed that when the reorganization happened Mrs Hamilton had a powerful influence in the way it turned out The whole thing stunk of redundancies and planning Randidly looked from Raina’s picture to the actual valley below

She had done a great job of splitting the fortified area into the housing the storage the kept Dungeon and the market quarters It was absolutely swarming with people in real life but in the picture it was a pristine and empty world Strangely beautiful in a way if surreal

Beyond the main part of Donnyton was more training grounds and then the armor and weapon industrial complex that had become perhaps the most sizable portion of the town From the plateau to the quarry everything had been transformed into a materials processing and forging area

While they didn’t really have any industry as the discussion about how big to make their electricity generator and how to do it was still ongoing there was a precision and efficiency in construction that spoke for Samuel Hoss’ very methodical planning This area would serve as the basis for Donnyton’s strength even if other locations passed them in other areas Plus with the support with the rare mine location the products would be a level above anywhere else

Donnyton was the foremost leader in equipment for the Zone So much so that there wasn’t really anywhere that was in 2nd place

It was a good thing too The draw of access to this level of production and materials would pull talents from other locations Merchants would cluster around Donnyton like flies bringing their small wares from other locations desperate to obtain the treasures that were routinely produced here to take back to their home Villages and sell for a huge profit

It’s perfect Randidly said surprising himself with the awe in his tone still studying the drawing The different locales of the picture were drawn in different styles really emphasizing the different flavor of each zone It was honestly less a map and more a piece of art

Do you like it You can have it if you want I don’t do it everyday but I like drawing Donnyton so it’s not like these sort of drawings are rather rare so Raina said shrugging and ripping off the page to offer it to him Randidly took it carefully rolling it up and then placing it into his ring

At some point he would find a home even if it was a small hut just like his old one And there he would proudly hang it on the wall showing the world what he had started Not every stone or even a significant portion had been laid by him but he had set everything in motion Inciting Action as he was named by Lyra

He felt a small pang of worry for her because she really hadn’t turned up even after a day but a few things set his mind at ease First if she died something bad would have happened to the Village and everything appeared to be running as normal Second she was strong stronger than most people gave her credit for Most people got stuck on her beauty or the sharp acidic edge of her tongue and very few people could see past that to the person she really was After the time they spent together even influenced strongly by the System Randidly believed that he had peaked a little behind the curtain and what he found was stubbornness and steel

Finally because she said to trust her It didn’t help his stomach sit well but it was enough for him to do his best to relax All he could do for now is wait

you asked me what I thought about Donnyton Raina said slowly I think I think that up until now we have almost been in the honeymoon phase with it like a relationship Everyone started from nothing and we all worked together to build it to this It’s a beautiful thing Here we have hot water we have alcohol we have the best Squads to push back the monsters

There she paused and Randidly could feel the air becoming filled with the smell of fear But beyond every honeymoon is the real world and that’s work There has already been some friction between us and Franksburg Some tension regarding the fact that Lucifer was the one who slew the first Tier III Raid Boss Craftsman from other locations come to Donnyton and are laughed at because they don’t know about using a method to forge There is no real location for the travelers to stay so they camp out beyond the Safe Zone paying Donnyton for use of a Squad for protection It hasn’t become anything yet but

Randidly frowned Portions of those issues were in Mrs Hamilton’s reports but mostly she dealt with hard facts and logistical problems This was this was more spiritual What was needed was not really a solution but a change in attitude And honestly

Randidly spared Raina a glance but remained quiet as she continued speaking

The big projects have sustained us for too long as well The economy is well confusing I take deals I know are bad all the time because there is no real money and I’m not sure someone else isn’t going to come along and do something similar to me and I’d lose all my business just like that And beyond the basic necessities there is too much demand for some of the high end products And holy shit we need fucking restaurants

Now she gave Randidly a pointed look and he chuckled almost in spite of himself He drummed his fingers on his legs thinking all of this information over combining it with the things he had learned from Mrs Hamilton He still had the letters he had made intending to hand deliver them but it was a good thing she had insisted on this because Raina’s words changed what he thought about the situation He would be shifting the focus somewhat

Raina Randidly said slowly calculating times He closed his eyes and sighed This would definitely cut into some of what he wanted to do But again prioritizing the long term was smart as long as it didn’t jeopardize the short term And in the meantime Lucretia continued to help his inner world digest those huge shards of Aether that had constituted the Creature’s construct Slowly that was pushing his Aether Manipulation up passively but it was mostly benefiting his Living Aether Skill

All in all he could afford for his attention to be divided

would you like to help me throw a party

Raina blinked Eh

Thea spat out a mouthful of blood collapsing All four of them lay on the ground groaning while Alana stood above them her expression bright

Haha Truly there is nothing better than some light exercise Alana said looking truly refreshed She grinned around at the others who were in various stages between exhaustion and death So I suppose this is as far as you can manage Still an excellent effort I was serious by the end

Alice groaned and shifted using her shield to attempt to stand She failed and just collapsed Learning from her mistake the other three people remained on the ground just panting and trying to gather their wits

So what did we learn about Skills Alana asked looking around at them all

Thea pressed her eyes shut What she mostly learned was that she needed more Skills It seemed that Alana and to a lesser degree the three others around her possessed at least 4 active Skills each which raised their attack power Thea had Heavy Blow but using it was almost second nature at this point Beyond that she had Bear’s Fury that gave her bonus Stats and Retribution Strike that did extra damage based on damage that she had taken but neither held a candle to the strikes and charges that other people had

It made her profoundly sad and left her feeling slightly unlucky After all she had almost 100 PP saved up Thea just wasn’t sure what sort of Path she should choose Now however she was going to put some more points into her Brawler II Path in the hopes she would obtain something powerful at the end

You have them Doug said sarcastically managing to get up to his knees Alana rolled her eyes at him

Other than that of course

Alice hesitated then said Well it seems like you have multiple Skills for each action And a Skill to use in the face of different eventualities Basically everything we threw at you you had a Skill to counter it

Ah good That’s a start Alana said accepting a bowl of soup from a man who walked around offering them The four’s soup just sat on the ground next to them Thea’s stomach contracted too bruised to suffer the presence of the food But of my Skills what do you think made the most difference

That light that improved your strength and speed Absolutely broken Doug muttered

Alana just laughed

Well Thea said surprising herself Taking care of those bursts was doable because it’s pretty easy to notice but the Child of the Sun Skill its constant right Just blinds the opponent a little constantly That’s what annoyed me the most

Ohoho smart too bear girl Alana said but her voice was pleased Yes that’s more on the right track That also boosts my combat ability by the smallest margins and my senses and predictive ability Small across the board but it adds up It’s why keeping Physical Fitness and Fighting Proficiency and your individual weapon proficiency high are important those are the things you don’t notice but slowly edge out the opposition

So those are the strongest Skills Thea asked somewhat surprised Her focus had been so much on the active Skills she hadn’t really considered the passive ones But it made sense that it would have a huge effect over time on their strength

Well there is disagreement on that front for sure Alice pointed out looking at Alana for confirmation After she nodded Alice continued for example that Skill of yours is indeed powerful And Glendel’s Lvl 30 Skill We’ve all seen him execute a Tier II Raid Boss with it and extract it’s essence

Glendel is a special case His Class is incredibly rare But take for instance Lucifer Do you know what his highest Leveled Skill is

When everyone said nothing Alana smiled a small bitter smile It’s called Tenacity for Life It’s one of the only Rare ranked Skills on record And it gives him a boost at living For whatever activity he deems fit for living he’s just a little bit faster stronger better at it And everytime his life gets close to ending that Tenacity he has grows Some say he’s almost Lvl 100 in it and that’s why he is so strong That’s why he treats his life so carelessly so it grows more quickly

Then Alana shrugged But that’s just two very stark examples You may choose whichever path you think is correct but both of those individuals were blessed in a way and are far beyond what most people can hope to achieve Just be aware of these issues and use them as a guide going forward

Thea nodded seriously the wheels in her head slowly turning

Chapter 366

You made a gym

Donny looked up the voice that grabbed his attention clearly amused Randidly Ghosthound stood there in the underground wooden training area that Donny had made for himself pouring most of his points with the Village into making his perfect paradise This was where he came to work where he came to train where he came to get away from everyone

Everyday 6 10 AM Donny would come down here and just let everything fall away It was his sanctuary and it was somewhat annoying to him that the Ghosthound had chosen this time to come visit him finally

Quick as lighting Donny shook his head banishing that feeling away It was a necessary skill learning to control his emotions especially when dealing with this man Based upon the timing Donny suspected he was one of the final visits but he didn’t mind that part After all it meant that their talk could be more productive

Or perhaps Donny reflected it could be less so just catching up He almost shivered with how much he wished for that Things were definitely different with the System But not all in a bad way

Well it’s more than a gym Donny finally said setting down the weights he had been working with He gestured at the punching bags and weapon racks It’s a great place to train too and to try out new things We’ve been doing some research into creating our own Skills and Mrs Hamilton is very optimistic about what we can accomplish moving forward

The Ghosthound simply nodded and Donny considered the man that had changed his life so much His feet were still tanned and bare the legs of his pants ripped to shreds around them He was a tall man and muscular although it was a very different beast than Dozer’s slabs of meat that covered him These muscles were all built for a very specific purpose to kill

His hair was still long and black his eyes still burning a bright emerald Basically what had changed was that it seemed like the Ghosthound’s arms had gotten marginally longer his shoulders widening more noticeably And also although the color of it hadn’t changed the tone of his eyes had definitely shifted There was a harder cast to his features a cruelty and violence to it

Donny recognized that from his own face magnified 100x on the person in front of him This was the dark side of the System The way it warped you shifted you changed you to fit a mold of something that you were not

He could only guess what mold the Ghosthound was growing into

Feeling slightly awkward at the silence Donny said So Did you have something to say to me

The Ghosthound smiled but it was extremely sad and tired Well yes But I think I need to wait for a bit to say those things

He trailed off for several seconds then his emerald gaze snapped to Donny with such force that Donny almost jumped The examination was intense and lasted for several long minutes but then the Ghosthound turned away sighing Perhaps what I really want to say is thank you I could not have managed to do this if you hadn’t stepped up You’ve kept this town alive

What other choice did I have ’ Donny wanted to say but he simply nodded seriously Everyone had their own burden to carry He didn’t need to add his small weight to the Ghosthound’s back After all

Thank you but is what the notifications say true That the energy in the air Donny let the question hang in the air but the Ghosthound’s shift in expression was all the answer he needed

Yes The other man whispered his eyes narrowed to slits And I suspect it’s a bit more complicated than that I’m going to need to borrow some of Donnyton’s strength in order to handle it

That was slightly shocking to hear even though Donny had expected it The rumors about a group of 10 going to clear the Raid Dungeon would be true then Did that perhaps mean

The Ghosthound’s eyes flashed and Donny could see the man clench his fist then force himself to relax It earned a certain amount of admiration from Donny because the struggle of emotion never crossed his face just in that small physical expression of the hand That degree of control

So then there’s that that I do want to talk about The Ghosthound said He folded his hands giving Donny a level look Tell me about the people here Who would be worth considering to kill a monster

Randidly’s conversation with Donny left him thoughtful It was almost noon now and Randidly hesitated Of all the people that Randidly had intended to visit the one he hadn’t yet visited was Sam Still

He could feel inside himself that Lucretia was clamoring to speak with him in regards to some of the Aether he had absorbed In addition Randidly had left Neveah alone for a while and she was starting to grow bored of interacting with the Squads of Donnyton

Randidly’s mouth twisted Well he needed to reframe the issue as best he could before Thea used her Stone of Fate and Randidly needed to observe the process doing his best to extrapolate some truth about the construction of the System Since realizing what was ahead of him he had done his best to observe the world better but

It really would come down to a roll of the dice But he also had access to his Stone of Genesis

Several things clicked into place in Randidly’s head The Stone of Genesis would serve as a good 2nd experiment in regards to Aether construction but he had been stuck on how to choose who should get it He had received a relatively long list of names from Donny in regards to talented people perhaps 25 in total but Randidly didn’t believe that he would ever gift the item away without meeting the person

In addition the work he had done with Mrs Hamilton in regards to shifting the social emphasis

A tournament multiple tournaments

Randidly’s eyes glittered He would need prizes for each of the different tournaments for the different social strata The Stone of Genesis worked for one but as for the rest

Well issues for later Something that Randidly could consider slowly because these probably wouldn’t be announced until the weekend when Annie and Dozer announced their baby’s name The tests themselves would take a bit more time to implement

Grimacing Randidly began to move faster across the hills eventually arriving at the spot where Neveah was playing with the people of Squads 2 and 3 After shooing the people away Randidly hopped on Neveah’s back and road North and East away towards the edge of the Zone and away from human habitation

After traveling for about half an hour Randidly believed they were far enough away from people and had Neveah stop They were in an area that was just more and more low hills covered in scrubby trees and relatively lousy with a strange crimson haired monkey creature

Frowning Randidly considered hunting down the Raid Boss that was probably producing these creatures but ultimately decided against it As the soul who had inhabited Neveah’s body had said they had room to grow but it was not infinite and above 30 it became extremely difficult for the monsters to improve much like it seemed that people had hit a similar wall above 45 their leveling speed slowing to a crawl

So much to do Randidly muttered closing his eyes Neveah pressed her body up against him causing him to smile Well at least he had support

Don’t act like I’m constantly trying to sabotage you no matter how much you wish I would Lucretia’s sour voice floated up in his subconscious

Randidly’s mouth twitched but he said nothing

Laying on the ground Neveah curled up around him covering his body in several rings of bones Part for protection but also because she liked the proximity to him Eyes burning golden Randidly used most of his Mana and thousands of small root tendrils exploded out of the ground filling the air writhing back and forth

Most of what Randidly would be doing was discussion with Neveah and Lucretia who would be doing the heavy lifting in terms of Aether manipulation although both of them relied on his Skill to interact directly with it But that would mean a portion of his consciousness would be free and there was no point in wasting that extra time

Slowly dozens of Root Avatars began to form picking up their root spears getting in line and they began to practice and polish their spear arts lightly sparring against one another At the same time Randidly activated Anguish and then closed his eyes floating downwards towards his Soulscape

Lucretia was waiting there as well as a foggy figure that was part human and part wurm Randidly squinted at it and it wiggled back and forth distressed

Difficult Want better Eventually Neveah sounded reproachful depressed and sad

Randidly could only shake his head and did his best to console her strange amalgamation Then he turned his head to Lucretia Her smile was small and for once not designed to rip and tear

I have good news and I have bad news She announced After Randidly cocked an eyebrow she continued The good news is that this will definitely work Watching the portions of Aether we

We Neveah thought darkly in a way that was exceptionally clear to Randidly did NOT include Lucretia Randidly hid his grin

absorbed from the Creature disintegrate I think I have a pretty good idea of how to make the actual substance of the Class As for the shape She paused we need examples Preferably multiple Preferably live Preferably getting a Class for the first time

Chapter 367

Mrs Hamilton leaned back in her chair You are morally against this I assume

Randidly sighed I just Can this really be considered a prize

You are too used to your own life Let me paint you a picture Mrs Hamilton leaned back her face becoming shrouded in darkness But from the shadows her eyes still gleamed Randidly slowly forced himself to relax as he listened You are not a brave person You do not have an aberrant Skill and you ask around and the Paths you have access to are only the base ones And yet you crave the strength that you see from the heroes of Donnyton

It’s frustrating and you try training but you have a hard time sticking to it You dislike pain you dislike extremes Life is beginning to settle down and slowly almost unwillingly your training tapers off further There are now other people to defend you stronger people who worked harder You acknowledge that And yet and yet at your core you have a deep anger a grand stubbornness an urge to be great And you do one of two things You hate yourself for your inability to stick to the training or you turn your hatred on the others

Because the only reason they are there and you are not is because you are blessed Mrs Hamilton smiled at Randidly Whatever you would like to do to these people in a way it can be considered a Blessing’ if only because it is a deviation from the norm This will always distinguish that person It would finally vindicate that voice in that back of their head Honestly you can consider this something of a service

Keeping his tone even Randidly said Isn’t that a very callous way of thinking about the issue

As her face was still in shadow even Randidly’s improved Perception couldn’t determine her expression but he sensed amusement Randidly frowned slightly Honestly if her face was unclear to him with his Stats this was not simply a trick of the light A Skill was active here one that escaped his notice until now

How many lives have you taken Randidly Mrs Hamilton asked her voice soft Randidly’s hands balled into fists Her amusement seemed to increase further while Randidly closed his eyes and saw countless faces the mess of guards that he had slaughtered in Shal’s world Beyond that there were several individuals that Randidly had caused the death of which was similar

But Mrs Hamilton wasn’t done And also how many lives will you take We haven’t dwelled on this yet or at least the rest of you haven’t but what happens to us when our Zone connects to other Zones Based on our trade with our sister Village there were likely humans who were aware of the coming apocalypse but they kept it to themselves Their presence is further verified by the fact that we were the first Village in our world to be founded but not the first to defeat the Tier III Raid Boss That dubious honor belongs to another

The types of people who would allow such a huge portion of the population to die a ruthless group and one focused on their own power I suspect they will not take kindly to political rivals If they come at us with force do you have it in you to stop them

Randidly kept his eyes closed now picturing everyone here in Donnyton He knew the answer to this question He would slaughter the other Zones in a heartbeat

A Spear Advances Ash Trails

It was spooky sometimes how closely his first self created move mirrored the reality around him Still hopefully they could come to a peaceful conclusion where that wasn’t necessary where they could agree to a balance That might require a show of force which Randidly was more than happy to supply But again beyond the other Zones there was something larger The Calamity And waiting in the wings was the Creature

What’s your point Randidly finally rasped although he already knew what she was going to say

My point is that not everyone is you able to change the world on their own And they are often more than happy to give their lives to help the cause Those small flashes of light in the darkness dimmed sinking deeper into the shadows as Mrs Hamilton leaned back farther And to emphasize that these are not battles we can afford to lose Randidly You are our advantage Not only for this issue with the Raid Dungeon and this Creature but against everyone Leveraging you is exactly what we need to focus on

Bowing his head Randidly breathed out another long sigh So it would be like this

Careful Slow End fine Neveah whispered reassuring him With a small smile he mentally waved her off That was true And to do that they needed practice They needed to be able to understand Aether and the way it behaved At night Randidly would train in just that focusing all his attention to mastering the Aether and moving it while passively grinding some other Skills But during the day