LoRG 1

If you don’t let me go I’ll blow you the fuck to smithereens Tooya raved waving around a plasma grenade in his free hand Luckily Kari seemed to finally come to herself and she scrambled up and out of the middle of the standoff Someone in the crowd caught sight of the weapons and one person began to scream

Then dozens joined and people rushed away from the group standing around the pool

You’ll die too I’ll only have a scar Tatiana hissed hating that she would be forced back by this man’s idiocy

His eyes were gloating and vicious You think I won’t

No you won’t

The man Baloo was there and plucked the plasma grenade out of Tooya’s hand No he ripped it out of his hand breaking several fingers in the process The man began to howl The grenade beeped as it engaged Without a care Baloo tossed the thing into the pool

Even with the water that Griffith was saying but then the grenade went off a geyser of superheated steam and water shooting upwards in the air A shockwave of air hit the group staggering most of them Steam billowed outward blanketing them all Tatiana’s initial thought was that the plasma would eat through and drop on the apartment below but then she stood and spun because the brother had come free Griffith had let go when the shockwave hit

The brother was aiming but not at her Her guard slackened and she opened her mouth to warn Baloo but the brother already fired The bolt of plasma streaked towards the man

and he casually reached up and caught it then tossed it to the side Then as if it stung a bit he shook his hand vigorously as if to dislodge any remnant pieces

Did Baloo have some sort of gauntlet equipment too ’ Tatiana wondered But then she snapped back into focus and spear tackled Tooya to the ground before he could regain his balance With her non gauntleted hand she punched him hard enough to break his jaw Just one for the one hit he landed on Kari Then she stood

Griffith knocked out the brother Baloo stood there casually seeming to ignore the superheated steam The pool was a smoking crater barely any water remaining

It seemed the party was over

There was a cough

So The woman Sonya said swaying as she walked over towards them Who is up for a nightcap

The bars that serviced the steelworkers were always open It wasn’t Randidly’s first choice but he was annoyed that the asshole Tooya had interrupted him from getting his fortune told To his delight Tatiana agreed to meet them for drinks after she had checked in on the woman who had been hit Griffith agreed to come too

It’s rough out there Griffith was saying as the group sat in the corner of the bar where Randidly had been approached about this party They had gathered a small crowd of steelworkers who were listening intently to Griffith’s story The monsters in the borderlands they are made on a different scale Before 50 each one gets stronger as they Level but now they get smarter too I don’t know how much you pay attention to Ghost’s quarterly information releases but immediately after the borderlands opened up he released a supplement confirming that monsters had Skills

Before no monster had bothered to Level them Now it’s all they do They were designed to kill

Maybe A steelworker said as Randidly flexed his hand underneath the table But the Tier 5 guys can handle it This is what they trained for

Griffith just sighed Surprising himself Randidly spoke up eventually yes Griffith isn’t saying they can’t he’s saying that in the past there were Levels stats and Skills Levels could be adjusted humans would have higher Skills and monsters generally have higher stats But now the monsters have higher stats and higher Skills Until the people can get their Skill Levels up to match it will be hard And as the difficulty of Leveling gets so high above 50

Above 50 Has someone reached it A young man asked looking with bright eyes at Randidly He opened his mouth then closed it shrugging Well yes someone had but no one you would have heard of

The discussion was about to resume once more when the door to the bar opened Tatiana stepped through looking exactly like a woman who wandered away from an opera into the wrong part of town But despite the fact that she wore a cream dress covered in the prints of blooming golden flowers she confidently walked into the bar scanned around and made a beeline for their table

Feeling somewhat unsure the steelworkers shuffled out of the way She smiled at them kindly Please excuse me

It wasn’t that there were no female steelworkers or that their steel town was so small and stuffy that there weren’t any pretty women here but Tatiana truly was at her best when eyes were on her She had a strange ability to captivate She was the perfect foil to Randidly or perhaps the old Randidly Begrudgingly or not Randidly was slowly learning to deal with people It was much easier now when the people here didn’t know him as the Ghosthound Gave him a blank slate to start from

After Tatiana sat most of the steelworkers slowly started to drift away giving her awed glances Then their gazes turned envious as they looked at Griffith Randidly and Gregory but still they left To them it was probably clear that Tatiana came for a discussion that they wouldn’t be privy to

And when the last person had drifted off she started talking and it wasn’t what Randidly was expecting

Thank you Both of you

Chapter 513

“If you hadn’t intervened ” Then Tatiana paused She smiled shyly at Randidly ” well mostly your actions were extremely effective at diffusing the danger of the situation If things had escalated and you two weren’t there I suspect some of my girls would have been injured So again I am in your debt “

Sonya was snoozing quietly leaning against the wall Next to her Gregory was slowly nodding off Their lowered Vitalities were finally overwhelmed by the drink they had consumed Sonya would be quite upset that she missed this seductive woman in her new dress Randidly reflected

‘Ha did you calculate the volume of water it would take to neutralize the plasma on the fly ” Griffith asked turning to Randidly

Awkwardly Randidly could only shrug Griffith began to howl with laughter Tatiana raised her hand to cover up her own smile In order to change the subject Randidly said to Tatiana “Your girls “

“Ah Well as you may or may not have guessed Mr Stain hired several high end escorts to attend the party Although I came to work I am a part owner of the establishment that he shopped at Tatiana Rhubarb businesswoman palm reader Tier 1 Citizen at your service ” She performed a little bow To the side Griffith was still chuckling

“Ah forgive me for being a bit shocked ” Randidly said “But I’m surprised businesses like that are still around with the System’s arrival and all But I suppose “

Randidly froze He had been about to say that he was from a different Zone with less population Shrugging he left the sentence unfinished

Tatiana shrugged “You have a point but it was just coincidence that it turned out this way A lot of the apartments that the girls were staying in were included in the Zone Basically all of the management too These girls had been doing it before and there was still demand for it after the initial chaos died down So why not continue Not everyone has the strength of will to risk their life fighting monsters Others prefer a softer approach

“Plus ” she added “They were also weak to the draw of the Leveling To see themselves Leveling their charm and ah service related Skills brings a certain amount of satisfaction It’s what they were good at before and earned them PP quickly now Why would they do anything else “

Randidly couldn’t think of anything to say Luckily Griffith had recovered enough to join the conversation

“It is pretty hard to imagine things like that going on when you are on the frontlines fighting monsters Or if you are in a place like this that actually produces the products that those people rely on for safety Easy to lose touch with how the other half lives But the government takes a big slice of everything Such is the way of things “

“Well anyway ” Tatiana said “I suppose there’s no reason to bog down the conversation with political complaints I might pick up bad habits I wouldn’t want to call a general a spoiled moron the next time insults the chef that prepared his filet during our date Here is my card If you ever need anything “

She placed two cards on the table sliding them towards Griffith and Randidly but as she did so her watch lit up and began to chirp

“Ah apologies It’s my business partner Please excuse me ” Tatiana stood with an apologetic smile “Perhaps another time for the palm reading “

“Actually I should be going too ” Randidly said He needed to get back to work in the Steel factory He was pretty excited to try out some of the things he had learned at the party talking to Sonya and Gregory Nodding Griffith stood too He provided his number as well and the three agreed to meet again They left Sonya and Gregory there at the table snoring away with the tab waiting

As they all split up Randidly wondered whether these numbers were useful to him After all he didn’t have one of their weird watch phones Were they hard to get Who could he ask without seeming like an idiot

Hank looked up and sighed They felt it as soon as they passed the invisible barrier they had left the borderlands Zone 32 lay sprawled before them

It had taken much more time than Hank had expected almost two weeks It made the fact that the thorny house had appeared after two days all the more impressive It turned out that the two Zones were on a direct line East/West from each other Even though the entrance to the borderlands was to the Northeast portion of Zone 1 what you had to do was head Northeast and then swing around to head Southeast which took a bit of time for Hank’s group to realize

However it made more sense when Alan reported to him that the Zones were slowly expanding Perhaps soon the entire portion of their East/West connection would be revealed This prospect excited Alan who already had plans to expand the manatech line to facilitate trade Hank was more cautious

They hadn’t met anyone else form Zone 32 but that first group had left a powerful impression on him Before they tied their fate too closely with this group of people they needed to feel them out a bit

“What is that ” Affina asked her blind eyes turned forward toward the new Zone

Hank squinted “It looks like a fog bank in that valley Can you feel the weather somehow That’s mighty impressive “

“No I cannot ” Affina said shaking her head “But there is something something special about that area that I can feel “

“There is something inside that fog ” Laurel said her voice quiet Hank grunted Ezekiel maintained his stoic silence The group moved on cautiously going to investigate the strange fog

Hank was teetering between avoiding it and taking a closer look as they approached until the sounds of other people reached their ears It was clear that within the fog there was some sort of mining operation going on the sound of yells and the clink of chisels was clearly audible Hank’s group exchanged a bemused glance then walked into the misted area

Even still Hank was extremely cautious They hadn’t encountered them very often but there were monsters that would use illusions to confuse a person But Laurel had weapons to combat and recognize that so Hank allowed them to proceed

The mist was thin It muffled sunlight but still allowed a person to see a good 15 meters in every direction Everything was just a bit cloudy

“Look there ” Ezekiel’s voice cracked from disuse as he raised his hand and pointed He had been surprisingly introspective since parting ways with his son probably grappling with the cost of his Class in a new light after seeing his progeny Hank had little sympathy for the man but there was no denying it was a hard spot to be in

Ezekiel pointed towards a large object in the mist As one the group circled it and approach Only when within 10 meters was it obvious that it wasn’t a stone but instead a large block of ice And only when you were right up next to it did it become obvious that there was a shadowy figure frozen in the middle of it Laurel raised her hand conjuring a mage light to reveal a strange ape creature suspended in the ice

It’s eyes were narrowed in concentration and the veins at its temple were throbbing with palpable anger It was obvious that it had been frozen almost instantly before the reality of its situation could occur to the creature Strangely its body seemed almost plantlike with vines running naturally across its arms and merging into the thing’s chest

Everyone paused wondering silently what had occurred here leaving this monster stuck in this ice But the sounds of the excavation were even louder now so very soon the group tore themselves away from it and walked closer

“Careful this ain’t our neck of the woods any longer ” Hank said quietly He gave Ezekiel a long look “Best behavior ya hear me “

Ezekiel smirked but Hank could only frown Now was not the time to get into a spat with this quirky man

Chapter 514

Hank’s group was walking on ground that was slowly sloping downward and then came to a lip of a wide gorge or ravine the details masked by the fog But what they could see were that there were about 50 men and women below working with picks to crack off pieces of ice that covered the ground Above them and only a few meters below the lip on which they stood about a dozen men with huge paper fans were sweeping their objects back and forth knocking the mist rising from the ice out of the bowl and into the surrounding area LIkely these fan users were the reason the mist had been displaced and oozed into the surrounding area as much as it did

What was most perplexing for Hank was that these people were truly mining ice like it was a precious material He watched as a woman knocked off a small chuck the size of a ping pong ball grinned and then made it disappear They were also rugged wild people wearing leathers and furs to a greater degree even than the previous group they had encountered in the borderlands lead by that Dinesh fellow

“Do these people not have refrigeration Why are they mining ice ” Ezekiel asked not even bothering to keep his voice quiet Some of the fanners turned to glance behind them noticing Hank and his group but they eventually ignored them focusing on their task at hand

“This is not normal ice ” Laurel said quietly “Look do you see any water It is not melting Even if all it does as a substance is produce this mist would not Ghost still harvest the lot of it to perform experiments “

Ezekiel had nothing to say to that And apparently their presence had caused enough of a stir to merit a response although Hank couldn’t have indicated which of the people below caused it Two parties came out of the crowd towards them one of a single person and the other of a duo It quickly became apparent that these two groups were in fact from different sources and as soon as Hank thought that it became obvious The one group’s uniforms were largely uniform with black leather and seemingly extraneous straps and buckles along their arms and legs It was certainly a strange fashion statement

The other group had more heterogeneous clothing with various furs leathers and metal armors But each of these had a number emblazoned on their armor at some point A quick scan of the groups indicated that there were three numbers among the people scattered here II III and 29 There didn’t seem to be any discernible difference amongst the buckle people

Walking quickly the solo person arrived first It was a teenage boy his arms almost unhealthily slim

“Who the fuck are you “

About par for the course for a teenager Hank supposed Unfortunately their group also had an individual whose maturity level was suspect

“Did you practice that line in the mirror You sound like a minor villain in a Shakespearean play ” Ezekiel said dismissively with a snort

“The day Shakespeare says fuck is the day your balls drop far enough to take me in a fight ” The teenager declared

Ezekiel turned to Laurel “Did he seriously just say that to me “

Laurel remained unconcerned with Ezekiel simply shaking her head The teenager stalked forward his eyes burning At his waist a dozen or so small pouched hung He quickly reached into one and removed something that looked like smoked meat “Say that again “

The duo arrived One man was an overly muscled man with a shaved head On his chest was the number II The man next to him had his dark hair up in a ponytail with half a dozen knives strapped to his sides On his chest was an III

“Oh a duel ” The burly man said Rubbing his hands together his face split into a grin “I suppose I call the winner “

“Then I’ll fight you when you lose ” The knife man replied

Chuckling the burly man thumped his chest “Why so you can lose to me again You’re truly are a glutton for punishment “

“You cheated ” The knifeman replied “I would say you slept your way to the top but I think it’s more likely you didn’t sleep your way to the top When talking about sexual prowess Sam on your team “

“Hurry ” The teen interrupted waving his hand airily “Get your men to set up an arena “

“Don’t we have the one outside of the icemist ” The burly man said scratching his chin

The other two nodded Then almost as one they turned and stalked off through the ice mist The knifeman whistled the burly man clapped his hands and the teenager burped The workers instantly turned on their heels and began walking in this direction while chit chatting with each other Some of the men did arm circles as though they were warming up for an extreme amount of exertion

Laurel turned to Ezekiel and patted him on the back “This seems like a you problem I’m going to go look at the ice “

After a second of consideration Affina went to join Ezekiel who was stomping after these strange Zone 32 ers His mouth was in that thin line he got when he was about to do something dumb

Hank flexed his hands the corner of his mouth creeping upwards Although he wanted to engage in a more peaceful meeting with the people from this new Zone Ever since they had encountered these abnormal people Hank had wondered where he stood compared to them

A duel seemed the perfect way to lay that to rest

After several hours of work Randidly gave Foreman Davey 200 bars of his Erickson Steel and received 1000 in exchange When he traded it in there was some wariness in the man’s eyes as if he expected trouble Based on the fact the man was probably aware that Randidly had gone to Ricky Stain’s party he couldn’t hold it against him

Sure it was likely true that Randidly could have pushed for a higher price but so what Although he didn’t want to waste his time here he wasn’t necessarily in a hurry After speaking with Sonya and Gregory at the party Randidly had gained 5 Levels in Refine and Extract as he used the information he had gleaned about steel to enhance his images Besides although Foreman Davey made a significant profit on Randidly that was how businesses worked As Randidly couldn’t access the exchange he paid to use FOreman Davey for that privilege

Perhaps more importantly a quiet discussion with Griffith on their way to the bar had revealed that Foreman Davey also was a Tier II citizen Every bar of Randidly’s steel that Foreman Davey sold was essentially Foreman Davey certifying the quality Although that had no current value Randidly was happy to take less immediate gain so he would have his foot in the door later

Apparently the fact that Randidly didn’t push meant something to Foreman Davey as well because when Randidly asked about the spatial watches he simply laughed and gave him one

“Usually you’d get one when you gain citizenship ” Foreman Davey said a smile on his face But we have a working relationship you and I and I can understand how not having a wristlet would make things difficult This was the one that I obtained when I became a Tier I Citizen it should be more than enough for your needs eh

The item was a basic storage item of such a size that Randidly wouldn’t even bother to use it But now at least he could walk around without someone realizing he was producing items out of thin air without one of the watches Most people would likely assume that he simply had one hidden away somewhere on his person due to his citizenship less status

Afterward Randidly left the town and walked out to the forest again There he sat underneath a small tree and checked up on his PP His two weeks working in the steel factory had given him 14 Levels in Refine 9 in Extract 7 in Fire Resistance and Gravity Affinity and 4 in Potion Brewing and Chosen of Fire

Although it wasn’t a great amount of PP the growth was more concentrated than generally occurred with Randidly But he supposed that he was focusing on more combat related skills so it was easy to bring up the production Skill when he finally turned his attention to them

Randidly was currently finishing the Path Intermediate Soul Bond and these PP disappeared into the endless benefitless hole that this Path ended up being He had chosen this Path because he had suspected that he and Neveah would have to part ways with the opening of the new Zone Although Randidly could be relatively low key when he wanted to be Neveah

Imagining what she was undoubtedly up to with his face at the very moment it made Randidly shiver He thought about asking but sometimes Neveah behaved like a child If she knew he was paying attention she would do her equivalent of showing off

After finishing that up Randidly considered what he should focus on training next while he was here in Zone 1 He didn’t want it to be any of his flashy Skills in case it would reveal him to be something that he was not There was a slight whiff of the Creature in the air but Randidly was almost just as worried about the local Zone 1 government discovering him at this point The government might have more tools at its disposal assuming Ghost wasn’t a pet of the Creature Plus when the government discovered him there was no doubt in his mind that it would do everything it could to control him or influence him in some way

It honestly sounded like such a hassle

Therefore Randidly identified three areas that he could theoretically work during this time honing his Skills The first was to work on the Kata of the Ashen Spear in either focusing his efforts on healing his broken Skill or creating a new one Randidly had a few ideas for a new Skill but he remained intrigued by the power that his previously created Skill had displayed His interaction with the three headed ogre really infuriated Randidly

That piece of shit deserved to die

The second area was to work on Leveling up his minions He had the almost completely forgotten Plantomancy but Randidly also now had Call Grove Defenders and Lava Golems Both of these produced powerful if unintelligent minions If Randidly took the time to Level them up their damage and autonomy might increase

Lava Golems might set too much on fire but Randidly didn’t’ think it would be a problem to add another place to his swiftly expanding cave beneath the forest Even as he considered his training options his Plant Dominance acted to push dirt to the side creating an infrastructure that would last and suit his purposes

The final area of emphasis could be a Domain His actions had unlocked the Domains for humanity and although other people had made attempts Randidly had no doubt in his mind that he could create a truly exemplary domain although based on what he understood this would be the task of the three that took the longest time For quite a while as he slowly understood his domain he would see no benefits

Still Randidly sat back sighing

Chapter 515

Hank’s mouth was pressed into a thin line as he watched Ezekiel get humiliated by the strange teen before the cheering and hooting groups of miners This teen simply was too fast too graceful and his body seemed to twist and shift into a very real monster during battle in all areas Ezekiel couldn’t keep up

His unconscious body slammed to the ground without much suspense What was perhaps the most impressive was that the whole while the teen named Vandal Leviathan never seemed close to inflicting a deadly blow It was playing for him This level of combat was simply play

When Ezekiel fell they turned to the rest of his group Her expression stone Affina walked forward and lifted Ezekiel carrying the man out of the small arena that the group had created It showed the signs of obvious wear with scuffs around the stone edges of the raised space from constant hands on them

Who next The burly man who had introduced himself as Paolo said to Hank with a wide smile

Hank’s grin was just as wide I reckon’ it’s my turn friend

The crowd hollered and stomped their feet enjoying the testosterone Even the snooty Vandal seemed to get into it very quickly forgetting about his little spat with Ezekiel and simply focusing on the fight at hand

Hank knew people for all that he spent his time in the wilderness when he could But perhaps even because of that Paolo made sense to him When they both ascended into the arena Paolo raised his hands to the cheers of the audience playing on their energy He even seemed to draw on it growing heavier and more imposing the more the people cheered

This was a man that cared about the audience who took the time to create a show Hank believed that even if Paolo was truly a more powerful individual the fact that he played so heavily on the crowd would make him predictable and give Hank an edge that he could take advantage of

There was no announcement of the start of the battle Hank just felt it in his heart at the moment the shift in the arena occurred The energy spiked upwards and the very air seemed to vibrate in sympathy for the explosive violence that was about to occur there

Instantly Hank rolled back and drew the repeater leveling it at Paolo The man rushed forward moving in an easy loping gait towards Hank It would have been almost relaxing if Hank didn’t quickly realize that the speed this man was moving was near the edge of what his eyes were able to follow

Activating Hawk Eye Hank Dodge Rolled backward firing off several shots from the repeater This seemed to catch Paolo by surprise and his eyes narrowed as he took in the weapon and the oncoming projectiles Then Paolo executed several short diagonal steps that let him weave barely between the bullets It barely even slowed him too which was aggravating

Paolo’s smile was growing Hank cursed quietly Then he flicked his right hand forward and a Smoke Bomb hit the ground

Instantly the cheering became quiet as if somewhat put the whole crowd on mute Hank’s pupils dilated That wasn’t a natural change But he had no time to examine it further because his instincts were screaming that the other man was in the smoke Hank abruptly realized that he was being stalked like game

A small noise alerted him and Hank raised his pistol and shot several meters to the right There was an answering laugh and Paolo rushed forward from the spot that Hank had fired

How did you know Paolo asked arriving in front of Hank hands raised to grapple

Hank didn’t have time to explain his duelist sense A noise like that was a mistake and this man he was now facing did not strike him as the type that would make a mistake of that caliber at least without being highly pressured

This time Hank Dodge Rolled even faster moving just out of Paolo’s outstretched hands Seeing that his attack wasn’t going to land the grab changed instantly into a punch and Paolo’s fist smashed into the ground cracking A lot of the smoke screen was displaced by the fist blow revealing the outside world In addition the attack forced Hank to take a half step to recover

Hank’s ears seemed to be broken because the sound of the people outside cheering was fluctuating as though coming through a choppy television receiver One minute it was muted static the next it sounded like thousands of people were beating war drums and marching Either way it forced Hank to force himself to let noise go relying increasingly more on his Duelist Instinct

This instinct was the one that warned him of Paolo’s presence and the one that supposedly would give him an edge in any duel But it had been a long long time since he participated in an actual duel It was a slight thing especially as Hank could feel the presence of Paolo buffeting him backward pushing him mentally

It was strange Hank reflected Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Paolo pounced towards him like a hunting cat

What he was feeling was something like a Skill but it was a general one Paolo felt and thought more powerfully than Hank did He had a vivid image in his mind of how things would turn out and that surety acted as a force that drove the future towards that conclusion It was impressive in a way that Hank had almost forgotten about

When he was a child there was a day where Hank had come home from grade school and found his father sitting on their 2 meter wooden fence looking out at the Appalachian mountains that formed their backyard The fence was originally erected because Hank’s father had seen a mountain lion sniffing after their chickens but Hank’s father always seemed to resent the fence

That day that expression of discontentment was especially strong His gaze was locked on the horizon even as Hank saw his father then scampered off to the shed to bring a ladder After climbing up to join his father the two of them sat in silence for quite some time

Eventually Hank’s father said You know no matter how I think about it we need this fence But it makes me wonder A hundred years ago my grandfather would have simply scowled and laid up waiting for that mountain lion then he would have had it in a stew within the week He was a man of the old ways And hell his grandpappy would have drawn a pistol and put a bullet through the mountain lion’s head from 100 paces away That was just the kind of men they were The kind of men we all used to be

The silence returned but this time it was short lived

Hank kick the ladder out and balance up here with me His father said simply After a brief hesitation Hank did it The fence was made of three layers of wood a softwood between two hardwoods This meant that there was a platform at the top of the fence about as thick as an adults pinky finger While sitting it wasn’t impossible to balance but it was uncomfortable

Stand up

Slowly Hank did as he was bidden Beyond the fence the ground fell away into a steep slope into a thin meandering valley Beyond that Appalachia rose wild and stoic A fall from this wouldn’t kill him but he would then have to worry about slipping on the loose shale and sliding down to further injury in the shallow creek a hundred meters below

See the original pioneers were queer folk Hank’s father was saying They grew convinced of something that this land was a great place where they could find their future and none could dissuade them Many left successful businesses loving family landed fortunes to find something magical in this land Perhaps half of them found it The other have found unmarked beds to lay their heads down for eternal slumber

Half might even be generous Without assistance almost any small injury would lead to you being insufficient in your next brush with danger Animals topography food and water native Americans and even your fellow pioneers all would kill you for what you had You couldn’t have the slightest defect in preparation or care Everything except perfection would leave you a relic of the past

We no longer live in that world Due to that our population has grown wildly But also due to that we as people Hank’s father sighed we do not measure up Hank stand straight Walk towards me Eyes up

A thin breeze caressed Hank as he slowly stepped forward doing his best to balance It was simply brushstrokes on his cheeks sighs on his ankles but it set his legs to trembling And underneath him Hank could feel the fence quivering slightly along with him

His father’s eyes were brutal and direct The more you fear something the more likely you will make it happen yourself These pioneers they didn’t know fear What they knew was how their future would turn out with a surety that could defy causality If you do not reach that at least reach the point where fear doesn’t make you piss like a babe

Hank shivered and that small movement set him off balance There was only the lightness of air those sighs and brushes turning to soft hands trying to help him keep his balance The fickle assistance made it all the more pathetic when he still couldn’t regain his balance and Hank fell In those moments he pictured many things falling down and sliding to the creek the roar of cascading stones the brutal cold of the water perhaps even his father’s hand reaching out to grab him

But of course there was no hand

When Hank hit the ground the wind was knocked out of him He looked to his right and there lay the ladder he had kicked out from under him He had landed on the inside of the fence and was lucky he hadn’t landed right on it

Set up the ladder and get back up here His father had said his voice empty You are doing it again

Chapter 516

For years Hank had wondered what his father was talking about but fighting against Paolo it snapped into place And as it did so several other mysteries shifted forming a clear picture that Hank could easily read

He had wondered how these people had survived so well even prospered when all they had were bladed weapons and leather armors Because while the people from Zone 1 used high tech equipment to focus their growth and protect their mentalities the people here had been forced to fight the wildness of the System with their eyes facing forward There was no buffer to protect them Those that couldn’t adapt died

These were the women and men who believed they could live here with all their heart They embraced this lifestyle without hesitation They became people who lived and breathed with the System Within the past year and a half they had sharpened themselves until they had mental images with such strength that they could strike at their opponents like a weapon

Strangely Hank’s smile snaked open in a wide curve like a smuggler’s river In the past he had believed his father’s stories superficially but never truly accepted them he didn’t believe it was possible But pushed here this powerful man bearing down on him something clicked into place

Congratulations Your images have grown to such strength that you begin to condense your own Skill Warning if there is insufficient ambient energy in the air the energy will be taken from your body This may result in injury or death Do you wish to proceed

Congratulations your Soul Skill Humanity’s Last Cowboy is evolving Warning if there is insufficient ambient energy in the air the energy will be taken from your body This may result in injury or death Do you wish to proceed

Hank blinked and the notifications were gone Paolo raised his hands Hank drew his revolver his father’s revolver Without taking time to aim he fired off the draw and followed it up with several slugs from the repeater empowered with Trick Shot

The speed of the revolver bullets caught Paolo by surprise and they nicked him on his shoulders and arms The revolver shot arrived at his chest Now all noises had faded back and there was only the pounding of Hank’s heart It filled the very sky with its force a shuddering heaving beat

Crushing Blow Paolo bellowed smashing his hand forward to meet the bullet There was a huge impact and the bullet was actually knocked to the side It ripped a long gash up Paolo’s arm but otherwise he seemed fine Hank stepped forward to finish the job

His first two jabs definitely caught Paolo by surprise and the man took them both in the chin After that second hit however his stance shifted and he was ready for the third Sharp Left from Hank The Hard Right still sent him sprawling backward despite his preparations

Roaring with laughter Paolo stepped back forward but Hank’s left hand had drawn his pistol with all the swiftness of lighting spraying bullets at his midsection To Hank’s surprise Paolo didn’t react at all aside from a small grunt as the bullet hit him Apparently he had decided that the best idea was to just push through the bullets

Yea Hank had fought those types before So he reached out and touched the small marbles of Mana that he put in every bullet

Mana Detonation

This time Paolo’s grunt was much louder but Hank was shocked at how little of an effect it had Some blood sprayed out of the wounds but there were none of the usual explosions of gore that resulted from this attack Generally only a monster could endure through multiple Mana Detonations without being reduced to ground beef How high was his fucking Endurance

Paolo if anything was speeding up as he rushed towards Hank It forced him to Dodge Roll to the side once and then backward in order to open up some space But even then Paolo was already there rushing forward like a bull

Paolo head slipped under the Hard Right grinning

That won’t work twice Good punch though mate I really underestimated ya But this is

Hank faded a half step backward from Paolo opening up just enough space to draw both pistols The air was humming and thumping with his heartbeat The cheers of the crowd were rising upwards towards the crescendo and Hank knew he couldn’t let it get there Firing twice Hank put a bullet directly up in the air and another towards his heart

The part of Hank that was hesitant to go as hard as he could have long ago stepped to the side to make way for the brutal vicious survivalist His head was throbbing but after the two shots he shot out the remaining four bullets in the repeater and reloaded it Without thinking about it he emptied another clip At that moment Hank knew that he had to

Congratulations You have created the Skill Hope for the Future Lvl 1

Congratulations You have created the Skill Bulletstorm ® Lvl 1

Congratulations You have created the Skill Western Justice (Un) Lvl 1

Information flooded Hank’s mind but it was too late for that Paolo had arrived

With impossible grace he shimmied to the side sliding his body through the spaces between the bullets Hank’s eyes sparkled

Bulletstorm

The Mana within the bullets detonated simultaneously shards of Mana charged shrapnel flying in every direction Paolo cursed At that moment Hank simply lowered his shoulders and leaped forward hitting Paolo in his bloody chest A few steps back and

The Lawman’s Guillotine the bullet he had shot up earlier descended

It crashed into Paolo’s shoulder inflicting the first real damage that Hank had managed likely destroying the joint and rendering his right arm useless Even so Paolo’s elbow whipped upwards striking Hank across the bridge of the nose He felt the crack and borrowed the force to open up a meter or so of space between them

Well shit Paolo said shaking his head His grin was still wide This has actually been a lot of fun hey man are you alright

Hank didn’t feel alright He swayed took another step backward and then collapsed Paolo rushed to his side as well as Kayle and Affina Kayle swore under his breath

Smart guy picked up on Intents almost instantly He probably created one during the battle This is Aether Sickness Bad the worst I’ve ever seen

The figures blurred together in Hank’s mind His head began to throb painfully He felt the blood in his body turning to sludge refusing to continue flowing forward Snatches of conversation made their ponderous way to his consciousness even as he felt himself sinking

the others

said not to contact him

athan He can

Hank Can you hear

There was darkness and coolness Some part of Hank refused to accept it but it was like a child crying out against the injustice of the sun leaving every day He was not an existence could change this outcome

Time pooled and swirled like a mischievous stream and Hank was carried slowly away But then all at once he felt a grip on him pulling him out of the darkness

His eyes flickered and then opened Above him a familiar face was sitting frowning down at him Easy this is the first time I’ve worked in such depth with a Soul Skill Your Class needed a bit of a tune of too your images were getting too strong for it which was why there was such bad feedback

Hank blinked slowly It was the child from the thorny house

You shouldn’t be here it’s dangerous Hank managed to spit out He wasn’t sure where they were but they were near the borderlands for sure Even with protection getting here

The kid Nathan laughed Oh it’s quite safe I have several protectors But you need to rest the surgery was a success you’ll recover in a jiffy

As Nathan was standing to walk away some of the words he had been saying finally got through to Hank The only reaction he could think of was to frown but Nathan noticed as he was turning away Again he only laughed

Relax I might not have much experience but I’m basically the second best at this in the world He said proudly puffing out his chest Hopefully I can become the best someday because I am a Soul Architect

Chapter 517

Ultimately Randidly believed the best decision was to reform his old As the Sun Stills Skill The physical power was something that he was currently lacking and would do a lot to increase his chances against the monsters that he expected to be coming towards him

Acri had raised the power of his weapons by a whole level giving him an increased amount of damage However that felt insufficient The Kata of the Ashen Spear was his first Skill Set and the one that had earned him the admiration of people in Shal’s world It also helped him overcome his first Judgement It could be said that this Skillset was critical to his success

It was largely set aside in his current battle tactics because he had found himself in the position of being an all rounder that excelled at controlling the opponent His spells and spearwork were very fine tuned and it allowed him to have an almost impenetrable defense while continuing to inflict blows on the opponent

Therefore the Spear Advances Ash Trails was less used as it represented committing totally But Randidly was starting to see the limitations of his control strategy Even if that continued to be his dominant battle style having a few aces in the hole never hurt

So Randidly began the rather gruesome process of healing the Skill It wasn’t an easy thing because it had continued to swell and grow during the past year or so however long it had been since it had broken Honestly Randidly was starting to have some difficulty keeping track of the time due to the Dungeons

It was also largely exhausting because it still resonated painfully whenever he touched it with his sense It was a lot like performing surgery on yourself Lucretia could help but she still had to rely on his limbs to do it so it was like he was doing it himself The pain caused him to sweat and almost lose track of time

After about four hours which was a large chunk of the time that Ghost wouldn’t be observing this area of forest Randidly leaned back with a sigh This wouldn’t work The process was too time consuming and it also left him with little knowledge of how to proceed When it came down to it

It seemed like total annihilation would be the best bet Randidly was a little unsure of how it would affect him but he knew there were likely some unintended consequences to destroying his Skill But the remnants of the broken Skill were getting in the way The best bet would to clear out the scrap and forge it anew

So the rest of the night was effectively setting a small Aether fire in his own head This was even more painful so much so that by the end of the process he had two more Skill Levels in Pain Resistance It was also a much more minutely controlled operation because if the intense burning Aether fire spread it would eat through his useful SKill causing damage that Randidly didn’t’ truly understand

At the moment it was really like he was a child playing with fire But he trusted his will and he trusted Lucretia and it went off without any significant hitches

The empty space in his soul space felt different It was as though it knew that there would be a new Skill there soon But as he was exhausted from the clearing up Randidly decided to put off the first refining steps for the Skill until later

There was still another hour until Ghost’s drones flew overhead so Randidly spread his Perception once more across the forest His work developing an area underneath the forest was going well Originally he had planned it to be a workshop so he could do more experiments on metals without other people observing him But very quickly Randidly realized it would be a good base for himself to live and perhaps some others if his group from Zone 32 wanted to come and stay with him

It would also serve as a nice staging point for more hunting expeditions into the borderlands Not that Randidly needed any more bones a single ingot only took about 1/10 a monster bone And Randidly had collected over a thousand skeletons in the past six months But Randidly didn’t want to lose his edge in combat

The Creature could strike at any time and he would be ready

Plus he wanted to let Acri and Sulfur grow which was important in and of itself

Therefore Randidly had started expanding the area underground to be able to house a dozen or so people just in case It was nice practice using Plant Dominance and it was oddly soothing to do

Satisfied with the progress there Randidly turned his attention to the larger forest Immediately he noticed two things First there appeared to be more people staying in the farming compound in the middle of the forest Almost double the amount that had been there previously Which was innocuous but Randidly made a note of it

Second there was a small little shrine built at the spot the little girl had been lost and he had helped her It was just a branch stuck in the ground with small flowers laid around it but it was clearly an offering of some sort This made Randidly chuckle It seemed paganism was alive and well in Zone 1

Still he appreciated the gesture of thanks Perhaps they thought it was a benevolent Raid Boss or something Although Randidly had never heard of such a thing happening based on his interaction with the Bone Wurm that provided the body for Neveah it was possible So Randidly reached out with Plant Dominance and touched those flowers that had been laid there

A pulse of life ran through them Although they had already been picked new roots grew out of them and stuck themselves into the ground The flowers straightened straining upwards for the few glimpses of sunshine that would come through the forest canopy

Randidly frowned it didn’t look there would be any the tree cover was very complete His small bed of flowers raised its faces high undaunted

He didn’t want to cause too much of a stir but

moving a few trees to let some sunlight down onto the path wouldn’t be a big deal right Ghost wouldn’t notice such a thing Besides his use of Plant Dominance would be a waste otherwise

So Randidly reached out again grasping a few of the surrounding trees Grimacing Randidly forced them to draw their roots out of the ground and move a meter or two away from the flower bed A break in the canopy opened up and starlight rained down on the flowers

After using the roots to sweep the ground and clean up any disturbed earth Randidly smiled Then he turned back and returned to the forge

Randidly hadn’t realized it prior to talking to Gregory and Sonya but metal was truly a fascinating substance It was so rigid and yet so malleable It formed an internal structure with itself and it could be blended with other varieties of metal to form other things Hell monster bones blended well with it It was the medium by which weapons were made

It was like a fire was lit in his belly It was delightful to play and create with metal It made him wonder whether this was something new or had it been inside of him his entire life just waiting for the opportunity It made him regret choosing to take coding over metal shop in high school

In addition Randidly found that the more he worked with metal the more he wanted to push the bounds of the quality of his steel But he knew the idea right now was to remain relatively inconspicuous Instead of quality Randidly increased the quantity but not in the speed sense He focused on producing more ingots from a smaller amount of materials To do that he had to Extract more fully and Refine more exactingly

It was time consuming which was a headache but it also got him Skill Levels which was reassuring He poured over the raw ore doing his best to get every bit of iron out of it Then it went into the blast furnace so he could mix in the bones The deftness with which he used Gravity Affinity also increased at a pleasing rate

Which was good but it also clearly displayed the limitations of Gravity Affinity it simply wasn’t a very powerful Skill Randidly had done an experiment once and an Inspired Gravity Affinity was only as powerful as his regular punch Getting force above that simply wasn’t possible He would need to find a way to evolve the Skill as he had done with Root Manipulation in order for it to be effective in a fight

When Randidly turned in this day’s work he was almost one third of the way towards obtaining preliminary citizenship Foreman Davey was as pleased as a pickle that Randidly continued to refine his steel making process and threw an extra 50 in the deal as a reward and an agreement for continued business

This Randidly agreed to with a nod and a smile

It was strange they didn’t actually know each other but Randidly felt some rapport with Foreman Davey There was something reassuring about having a strictly professional relationship with another person that eased Randidly’s worries about social interactions

Feeling relatively pleased with the day’s haul Randidly began to wander back towards the edge of town where he had set up a small shack to throw people off his under construction place in the forest But before he could return to his home he saw a scene that made him from It was a conversation between two women he recognized although he didn’t know the one’s name And with them was a man that Randidly very much wanted to forget

The man toyed with the edge of his military uniform Look I just wanted to apologize

Her bright orange hair swishing back and forth the young woman shook her head Her street clothes were gone and instead she wore a brown robe like she was a monk of some sort These two strangely dressed individuals were a stark contrast to the normal population of the area And between them stood Tatiana

I think you’d better leave Tatiana said coolly and then she looked over the man’s shoulder and made eye contact with Randidly

Chapter 518

Tatiana had been doing her best to ask soft questions to this young woman Adrea when this pompous ass had sidled up Although she hadn’t seen the girl in a while she knew of her it was the girl who had raised a stink about her brother’s disappearance in one of the Eastern cities a few weeks ago

To see her now wearing a habit of one of Father Foster’s followers made Tatiana extremely frosty Truly that fucking cult would use any weakness to worm their way into the lives of innocent people Initially Tatiana hadn’t seen them for what they were and thoughtlessly attended a few of their services

Even remembering it now her eyes flashed dangerously That Father Foster

But this girl had stubbornly refused to follow any of the soft outs that Tatiana offered her Instead she steadfastly defended the organization and continued to try and spread a pamphlet for a church that would be opening up between the factory village and the city proper But all steelworkers and their families were encouraged to attend

Tatiana was considering her next move when the man showed up

Please give us some space The man said simply his eyes sliding up and down Tatiana’s body like an ooze We have some history

I have nothing to say to you Adrea said bluntly crossing her arms Even though she was now a member of the religious organization Tatiana could tell that it hadn’t been long because she was still alive with life and fire Tatiana knew from experience that they had ways of getting feisty women to walk around with dead eyes

Likely she was chosen due to her knowledge of the area and not because she had gone through enough of their training seminars

Tatiana turned back to the man her eyes narrowed into slits Her grin was vicious like a shark waiting for a wounded creature to stick its toe into the water The man seemed to realize the implied threat because he took a loud audible gulp

I I suppose you may remain The man said his voice shrill Look I just wanted to apologize

I think you’d better leave Tatiana said simply lowering the overt threat in her features Men generally act defensively when threatened If they feel in control they are much more likely to accept a slight But as she spoke she sensed movement over the man’s shoulder and looked sharply up If he had brought friends

Tatiana blinked It was that man Baloo the steelworker with plasma proof hands She instantly saw the recognition in his eyes as well and then his gaze flicked to the other two His face split into a frown Instantly Tatiana’s guard was back up

Did he know this man

Seeing that Tatiana was distracted the man in the military uniform said quickly It was my fault and I misled you earlier But I’ve seen the error of my ways If you again give me 100 this time I will actually

You want MORE money Adrea screeched taking a step forward with fists clenched

The man raised his hands shaking his head slowly Look there really is a process I already spent the previous money you gave me but this time

Baloo at one point during the talking took several steps forward and reached out to grab the military man’s shoulder when a sharp crack cut the sky A bolt of plasma flew out of a nearby window towards the back of the military man’s head

Tatiana’s eyes widened and she watched as Baloo’s head snapped around to lock on the plasma bolt with such speed that it left her gasping In fact the only reason that she had been able to pinpoint the source of the noise so quickly was he looked at the projectile immediately His hand landed on the military man’s back and pulled him a half step backward

The man flailed but moved backward unable to resist Baloo The plasma bolt whizzed by his head and buried itself in the dirt

You never fail to surprise me A short man with golden hair stepped out of the nearby building holding a plasma rifle The rest of the street went very still Another figure stepped out covered in a thick cloak that Tatiana recognized as marking the figure as one of Father Foster’s enforcers