LoRG 1

But Randidly had a hunch From the way he had seen Nul behaved although he had free will with how he did things there were certain things that he couldn’t do And certain things he had to do

Ah right you are You have succeeded Now stand still and await my blessing

A golden sigil appeared in front of the face’s forehead and slowly began to drift downwards In the meantime the golems around Randidly slowly started moving again surging closer

Fuck this Randidly ran towards the edge of the slab Right as he was at the edge he activated Haste Empower Mana Strengthening and produced a Spearing Roots beneath him launching himself an extra 3 meters and then leaping forward towards the wall

The weird thing about Spearing Roots and Entangling Roots before it was that there didn’t need to be actual roots for it to work There just needed to be soil or stone So even though the roots instantly withered and caught fire they still came into being and gave Randidly a foothold not on molten rock

Burning through his mana he raced up the inside of the volcano moving so fast that the giant face couldn’t react Then he leapt up out of the volcano and dashed across the rim before throwing himself at the giant face

As he approached Randidly’s face was covered in a wild grin The face was stone too It took him 3 seconds total to climb out of the volcano dash across leap and then rush up the face leaving a trail of ash in his wake

It was only 3 seconds later as the face realized what was happening and his expression darkened with a frown that Randidly leapt again and caught hold of the golden sigil He instantly flickered out of existence teleported out of the strange volcano world

The face was still for a long time as the golem disintegrated and fell back into lava The stone slab fell deeper too

Still the face floated there its expression unreadable Then slowly the giant face smiled

Heh it chuckled and then it sank back into the volcano looking forward to the next time that individual would return to its realm

Chapter 70

Randidly reappeared back in his freshly dug hole smoking slightly at the edges He sorta thought that some of his hair was still on fire Molten rock still clung painfully to his toes Notifications popped up in front of him but he was distracted by a voice

Oh There you are Randidly Thank god I honestly feel better to find you were taking a break I thought you were a machine there for a minute

Cesar the man who was supposed to follow Randidly and connect his holes together grinned down at him He was a tall well muscled man with golden skin and blonde hair And from the alacrity with which he got to digging he knew he had a high stamina It was just nothing compared to Randidly

Honestly Cesar continued I’ve put all my points into Endurance to raise my stamina but it raises so slowly Makes me feel like it isn’t even worth it

Grunting Randidly raised himself out of the hole holding his shovel Try investing in Vitality instead It will increase your regeneration which will give you more staying power Because right now when you run out of stamina it takes a long time to regenerate right And then you can dig for longer which will increase your skill level lowering the stamina consumption further

Leaving Cesar to his thoughts Randidly moved forward to the next spot and dug And again And again And again

Within the hour he had once more left Cesar far behind and had time to view the notifications in front of him

Congratulations You have obtained the Blessing of the Patron of Ash Its energy swirls through your body slowly assimilating into you Remaining Assimilation time 10 000 minutes You have gained the skill Incinerating Bolt Lvl 1

Incinerating Bolt Shoot a highly concentrated high temperature bolt of lava Heat and size increase with Intelligence Focus and Skill level Range and Accuracy increase with Wisdom Control and Skill level

Congratulations For surviving the first test of the Patron of Ash you have gained 5 Lvl in Fire Resistance Your path leads you deeper into the flames and your Patron will not force you to proceed without protection These will be added onto any levels you already have This skill does not count against the skill total for your class You do obtain PP for these Levels as if you gained them normally

Congratulations You have completed the Apprentice Path You have come under the scrutiny of a greater power and emerged alive But the path is long and stretches every onwards +50 to Health Mana and Stamina +2 to all Stats The Path Initiate of Ash I 0/75 is available to you

First Randidly checked around him and seeing no one walked a little way out into the field he was digging in until he reached a deserted road lined with empty houses Monsters skittered forward strange dog sized ant things almost a dozen of them racing towards him

He raised his arm and used Incinerating Bolt

A burning bar of lava ripped forward catching the first ant in its thorax punching a hole right through The bolt continued through 4 ants completely burning sizzling holes in them before finally cooling so much that it simply smashed the face of the fifth ant

Randidly raised his eyebrows impressed It was like firing a fist sized incendiary round

But then his expression fell

At the cost of 100 mana a pop it seemed

He fired several more testing it out dispatching the rest of the ants Then he walked back to his holes looking at what skills Lvls he had gained

1 in Haste 1 in Empower 1 in Mana Strengthening 3 in Sweep 1 in Phantom Thrust 1 in Spear Phantom’s Footwork 6 in Fire Resistance and finally 1 in Incinerating Bolt

The mana cost was debilitative but when he leveled it it would be without a doubt his most powerful single target spell The stupid sphinx would have been a lot more agreeable with a flaming hole in his throat

He arrived back at the hole and picked up his shovel According to his mental math 10000 minutes was just under 7 days So he wouldn’t really know what he had received as a reward until that point

At least the bonuses from the Apprentice Path were noticeable The 50 health mana and stamina especially It took a lot of stat points to gather that much of any of those let alone all of them

The last decision was what his next path would be

Watcher 0/ Heretic III 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Fireball I 0/50 Initiate of Ash I 0/75

He immediately discarded the Initiate of Ash shuddering He had a sneaking suspicion that following that path would lead to more encounters with the Patron of Ash which Randidly was not keen on at the moment regardless of the possible rewards

Besides he finally reached level 30 in the Fireball skill and unlocked a path for it Hoping for more skills than he had gained from the Apprentice Path he poured his leftover points into the Fireball I path He had 13 points and got +2 Focus and +5 Mana after putting 10 PP into it He supposed that was a normal return but he was still slightly disappointed He pulled up his stats in an effort to cheer himself up

Health(/R per hour) 390/424 (+8) (197 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 132/644 (80 75)

Stam(/R per min) 401/504 (72 (+4

Vit 58 (+4)

End 39

Str 48 (+2)

Agi 66 (+10)

Perception 33

Reaction 52

Willpower 70

Inteligence 92

Wisdom 46

Control 75

Focus 35

Skills (Soul Skill) Spear of Rot Mastery Lvl 352

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 49 Phantom Thrust Lvl 47 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 35 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 23 Phantom Half Step Lvl 11 Heavy Blow Lvl 24 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 27 Dodge Lvl 31 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 36 Block Lvl 32 Haste Lvl 23 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 11 Sweep Lvl 23 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 27 Calculated Blow Lvl 19 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 18 Edge of Decay Lvl 13

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 13 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 24 Root Manipulation Lvl 28 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 9 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 10 Summon Pestilence Lvl 17 Mana Strengthening Lvl 14 Wall of Thorns Lvl 5 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 9 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 2

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 22 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 6

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 32 Meditation Lvl 32 Running Lvl 23 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 22 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 16 Pain Resistance Lvl 14 First Aid Lvl 13 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 13 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Blessing of the North Blessing of the East Blessing of the South Blessing of the West Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 3 Digging Lvl 5

Although he was beginning to collect some useless skills at the bottom of his ancillary column he was still pleased With still an hour or two to burn before he would meet Tessa and go to this concert Randidly continued digging

Sam collapsed in his bed exhausted Although you could improve your stats a lot you couldn’t escape exhaustion Shifting around with a groan Sam looked at his stats screen

Samuel Hoss

Health(/R per hour) 227/227 (92)

Mana(/R per hour) 70/82 (17)

Stam(/R per min) 6/140 (46)

Vit 26

Str 25

Agi 22

Perception 28

Reaction 21

Willpower 14

Inteligence 17

Wisdom 4

Control 33

Focus 13

Skills Drive Lvl 4 Running Lvl 11 Physical Fitness Lvl 22 Woodworking Lvl 14 Woodcutting Lvl 37 Animal Skinning Lvl 22 Hunting Lvl 17 Construction Lvl 28 Manual Labor Lvl 9 Cooking Lvl 9 Crafting Lvl 29 Harvesting Lvl 17 Repair Lvl 19 Sewing Lvl 16 Tailoring Lvl 15 Armor Making Lvl 23 Axe Mastery Lvl 26 Chop Lvl 15 Heavy Blow Lvl 18 Iron Skin Lvl 17 Herculean Strength Lvl 14 Dodge Lvl 17 Mana Bolt Lvl 9 Wide Swing Lvl 15 Eagle Eye Lvl 5 Heightened Perception Lvl 7 Bone Shaping 19 Smithing Lvl 4 Haste Lvl 6

He had kept his point distribution rather even focusing on on Control so he could craft and forge more effectively and then survivability All and all he felt like he had some of the best stats among the NCCs if not the best

Although even at the best of times it was hard to tell what Lyra and Annie were doing who were his only real competition at this point Most of the other men working under him were also classless but they were slowly folding taking classes after the success of the first NCCs to switch Daniel’s guidelines for obtaining a useful class were a powerful draw

Although they weren’t impressively powerful the classes they obtained were still in the upper tiers of classes which was very tempting for the crafters Especially now that they were hard pressed on every side

The fighting had been heavy at all fronts Casualties were kept in the single digits but everyone was tired and sore after a long day of stopping the flood of monsters And based on what Glendel could gather with his ghosts this looked to be a daily thing There was already a plan backed by Decklan and Dozer that Decklan’s unit would stay on constant Raid Boss watch hunting and killing them before they could establish themselves and cause trouble Meanwhile Dozer pushed again for his unit to be sent into the nearby dungeon which was the main source of the problems

Thus far they had hemmed and hawed away from that just to keep the village safe But if sending a team bought them time it might be necessary

Not that without Randidly they had decided to stay away from dungeons necessarily and they had a kept dungeon at Lvl 16 and another kept dungeon at Lvl 5 which seemed fine Just without his presence as a buffer the council was unwilling to send one of their best men into unforeseen danger They wouldn’t know what sort of enemies or location they would encounter until it was too late

Not that Randidly would be much help with that considering how he was barred from dungeons without a class

But Ptolemy was starting to hesitate and would likely give their plan the third it needed to pass

Damn need to rehaul this whole council system Sam muttered to himself sitting up Then he heard a familiar shuffling and got up out of his bed creeping to the window

Sure enough Lyra stood there dancing petals of glowing mana swirling around her Every night she would do this every night since she had seen Randidly casually shooting bolts of mana out of his hands

But where as Randidly was eminently practical Lyra appreciated the beauty of mana She sought to learn the nature of it and in exchange was blessed with abilities the rest of them couldn’t imitate

Every evening right before the sun sunk below the horizon she danced and as the gloom gathered the air around her would fill with new and different shapes increasingly detailed and increasingly complicated Birds and snowflakes and wolves and blooming flowers For Sam it was a small moment of escape from the pressing dangers of their current world

Lyra would dance too swaying among her shaped mana with a grace that made Sam chuckle mostly due to how desperately Randidly was avoiding her strange feelings for him

Who could resist a flower this lovely But Randidly was a strange one Which was why Sam supposed of all the people she had met Lyra was so fixated on solely him

Sam only knew a little bit about Lyra before the system in terms of personality But what he had heard from other people in the business she wasn’t a good person She was professional and she perfectly played her roles but off camera she was cold and dismissive preferring to return to her own lodging rather than spend time with the other cast members

But currently among those blue white shapes her wistful expression was so soft that Sam didn’t dare make a sound lest he startle her in this moment of vulnerability

Sam watched the dance for a long time before heading to bed begrudgingly preparing for tomorrow

Chapter 71

Tessa knew that she was going to be late but it was only partially on purpose she had told Randidly a slightly later time so she could stop by a friends place and borrow some makeup and jewelry But she hadn’t accounted for the absolute swarms of people rushing around excitedly setting up into a place by one of the many viewing screens that the city was setting up at its own expense for free viewing

The concert was relatively expensive in terms of obtaining tickets and Tessa herself had been straining for the past two weeks working double shifts every day just to be able to afford one Buying two would have effectively put her down to zero resources meaning she would have to work before she could eat but for Randidly she would have

Either way Randidly had casually obtained two tickets and backstage passes at that leaving her shocked With the money that she had saved she had gone shopping acquiring a cute white sundress covered in blooming pink lilies

When she arrived Randidly didn’t seemed worried or rushed He just seemed focused his eyes following the hundreds of people that surged excitedly passed talking and shouting

Hey Randidly But then Tessa froze looking him up and down

For some strange reason he was covered in dirt And smelled like he had been on fire She had thought it strange that he was wearing furs but had supposed that was just a part of living outside the city But now with the furs looking crispy and matted she couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose He also wasn’t wearing shoes

You Tessa struggled to find words to explain to him what was wrong Sensing her gaze Randidly looked down at himself and then chuckled

I didn’t even realize Yea this probably isn’t good apparel for a concert

Tessa was flummoxed and then said hesitantly there are bath houses that can clean you up at but obtaining new clothes at this hour

Now was Randidly’s turn to look uncomfortable I Have other clothes But they are just a bit

Oh that’s perfect then The bathhouse’s does cost some tokens but I can

Randidly held out a hand which was filled with a dozen tokens what Tessa would take almost a week to earn Is this enough

She just looked at him her mouth hanging open

Breathing heavily Decklan stood over the cooling corpse of the Tier I Raid Boss this one a centaur creature that had used a bow In a frontal confrontation he was probably extremely hard to deal with as he and his minions fled from you while shooting arrows towards pursuers

But for Decklan’s squad that specialized in assassinations and quick attacks

The Raid boss had been blasted and sliced up so many ways that it had died with its face locked into a confused expression barely understanding what had happened to it While the rest of his crew cut through the few enemies that he had spawned from the Raid Boss before they arrived Decklan reveled in his stats boosted by his recent position as Raid Boss Hunter

Level 25

Health(/R per hour) 198/319 (98 5)

Mana(/R per hour) 22/90 (19)

Stam(/R per min) 53/205 (33)

Vit 25

End 29

Str 31

Agi 73

Reaction 39

Willpower 19

Wisdom 14

Control 23

Focus 9

Skills Sneak Lvl 29 Slash Lvl 27 Dagger Mastery Lvl 25 Backstab Lvl 30 Feint Lvl 17 Dual Wielding Mastery Lvl 24 Sidestep Lvl 28 Decapitate Lvl 23 Shadow Strike Lvl 14 Obscuring Mist Lvl 8 Sneak Attack Lvl 19 Tracking Lvl 11 Foraging Lvl 9

Luckily his recent killer bonuses had gone to Vit and End which boosted his survivability and let him focus his stat gains on Agility Perception and Reaction

Unfortunately he only had two more non class skill slots remaining due to his class limitations But he was currently very pleased overall with his kit Obscuring Mist was his one mana usage summoning just a little bit of cover for him to approach Then he chained Backstab Shadow Strike and Sneak Attack into rapidly rip through the Raid Boss’s health

His two direct subordinates Terra and Ivan walked up to him Ivan licking blood off of his knife Ivan was Decklan’s direct disciple using a mentor stone to take the Killer class from him Meanwhile Terra had obtained the strange class Juggler which made her a magic based speed class

She was his

Decklan frowned She was his

What is it Ivan asked lazily Another Raid Boss spawn

We shouldn’t go after it We need to refill most of our potions Our healer is exhausted Terra said sparing Ivan a glance He simply snorted They had settled into an adversarial role but both of them respected the other’s strength to much to take it too seriously

No We are heading back The full Council is being called We are finally heading after a dungeon Decklan looked up at the sky

Clouds were brewing overhead with low rumblings coming from the north They had been lucky in terms of weather so far There had been some scattered rain storms but nothing serious But this one

Thunder rumbled and Decklan saw a flash of purple lightning from the clouds

This one wasn’t natural

Alright boys we’re going home Decklan called and then turned and started jogging The rest of his team tiredly joking and carrying various parts of their quarry’s body back to the base for Sam followed

When they arrived at the stadium the line was around the block and a sea of people jostling to get closer to the gates A dozen men with assault rifles stood by the entrance glaring around keeping even the most rambunctious concert goers in check

There was certainly some similarities to a dictatorship in the post system world The constant threat of force hung over everyone

For his part Randidly was bemused The people ran up against him and rebounded their difference in stats showing even though Randidly didn’t exert any strength But people clamored forward pressing around them and he was forced to extend his arms to keep Tessa from being crushed

She looked at him gratefully one more eyeing the very form fitting clothes made for Randidly by Sam from the fur of the shadow cats and then leaned backwards into him pressing the length of her body up against him For a moment Randidly’s thoughts shifted in a lustful direction but then he just shook his head

So much had happened he had changed way too much to imagine ever being intimate with Tessa ever again even if she was quite cute

Besides Lyra

Randidly paused wondering how to finish that sentence

Luckily a nearby commotion distracted him from this train of thought

Make way Make way Freedom Fighters coming through

Surprisingly Randidly recognized the voice It was that pessimistic man on the patrol who had talked about there how there were two types of people and he one was on the lesser ones that it was useless to struggle against your role etc

Or something Randidly honestly had a hard time recalling

He shoved his way forward followed by several athletic looking men and women in ripped clothes Pistols and a weird saber style weapon hung at all their waists At the center stood an extremely tall man probably almost 2 meters tall with fiery orange hair His arms were extremely long and lanky and at his side hung two of those sabers

As he passed the patrol man noticed Randidly and Tessa but his eyes went straight to Tessa drinking in the curves of her with a lewd gaze his smirk making him really seem like a sleazeball from a bad gangster flick

Tessa What a coincidence Did you manage to get tickets to the concert As he spoke he reached out for her shoulder Frowning Randidly knocked his hand to the side The man’s face fell and he turned to glare at Randidly

Alex Tessa started to say but the man’s face was already red

You fuck are you trying to say you are better than the Freedom Fighters While you are sleeping safe at home while your government is too scared to move we are the ones risking our lives on the front lines You have some fucking nerve

Randidly gave him a sidelong glance The crowd had quieted around them drawing back away from the confrontation Although he hated to actually deal with this worthless person since Tessa was here weren’t you saying how struggling was worthless for us just yesterday You sure changed your tune fast Now on the front lines Very admirable

You Alex clenched his fists eyes flashing One of the bigger guys from the small group stepped forward laughing

Common newbie don’t be so tense Hey man I just think that’s Alex’s girl She just needs to come with us and everything’s forgiven Otherwise

The man smiled grimly the threat hanging in the air The crowd around them began to mutter but they kept their eyes on the ground looking away

Randidly just chuckled Do you think that if you say things nicely that changes things You want to take an unwilling woman with you That’s rape

The man’s eyes darkened but his smile stayed easy Haha rape Now now now don’t throw around words like that If it was rape would all these people really stand by and just watch it happen

The crowd crept back further The group of Freedom Fighters aside from the tall orange haired man at the center glared around drawing their sabers

No one spoke

Yes Randidly said simply For they are weak

Tessa was sobbing quietly I’m so sorry I’m sorry

Alex leered at the two of them So you are the only one who thinks somethings up

Now he’s just a Newbie The man drawled But he is still a Freedom Fighter now and afforded certain protections And one of those protections is against civvies like you stealing his woman while he is away fighting on the front lines And

Stand down

Randidly blinked and looked towards the central figure the tall man with orange hair He hadn’t spoken then entire time but now he interceded his tone brooking no dissension

The orange haired man then grinned and added The concert is about to start I’m not gonna miss Raina because we were fucking around with some girl Move

Unwilling but ordered the Freedom Fighters sheathed their sabers and pressed forward through the crown

Alex eyes bulging hissed You’re lucky this time Don’t you ever fucking let me catch you again asshole or else

Then he turned and left

Randidly still bemused shook his head then moved to follow

Randidly What are you doing They won’t do anything now but after the concert We should go hide Tessa’s voice wavered but Randidly just yawned

No worries I’m sure it will be fine Besides would you really waste these backstage passes

Tessa stood still torn But Randidly just walked casually forward pushing his way right through people and she was forced to sigh and hurry after him After all if he was going to waste his time rather than train or search for Sydney or Ace he sure as hell wasn’t going to waste his time in the nosebleeds

Inwardly she wondered when he had become so brave Or so dumb

Chapter 72

The people at the gate were shocked when they saw the backstage passes and directed them around the side of the stadium to another quieter entrance A man with a clipboard took their passes and checked them off

Oh so you are Cassie’s guests The man said his face warming immediately looking them up and down After a few seconds of scrutiny he extended his hand to Tessa And you must be the gifted seamstress that sewed the costumes Beautiful absolutely beautiful If you ever have some spare time please consider making a gown for my daughter I’ll pay very handsomely

Tessa just gave the man a blank stare Randidly politely disengaged the conversation and walked into the stadium dragging a dazed Tessa

How how did you say you got these

Randidly frowned Sewing I told you

Sewing gowns Tessa asked incredulously

Randidly’s frown deepened but he did not reply He couldn’t decide whether it was more embarrassing to acknowledge it or to simply stay silent

Daniel peered through the newly available options for the village excited even after the exacting interview he just sat through with Regina

Most of the new items available for purchase with SP were simply higher tiered versions of the shops they already owned Weapons Armor Miscellaneous Accessories etc

There were however some notable and expensive exceptions

One was the purchase of Gold Nexus coins which could be used to found another Newbie Village Although this didn’t seem a very practical way to handle things it would allow them some way of making outposts should the need arise

In addition Nul informed Daniel that the golden Nexus coins had two other uses The first was they could be consumed by individuals with Classes to allow them to have another extra skill above the normal skill cap This could be used as many times as they wanted but at 5k SP it was too expensive to be feasible for general use And even concentrating a few on one person was bound to have a low level of return

After all they would need to first position themselves to learn a useful skill and then take several weeks to level it up to a level where it could impact battle

The second use was to bribe a random monster to act as your companion In the case of rare monsters you needed to be a higher level and have beaten it until it is near death but then it would serve the user for the rest of its life It would continue to level

This option was mostly attractive due to the currently unused Ride skill that Donny and his knight mentees had If they could gather a cavalry squad

Aside from the coins Daniel now had the option to purchase what he could only guess were higher leveled buildings Production focused buildings which Sam was already very interested in pre made smithies and workshops Watchtowers A shop for rare crafting materials A very expensive cathedral Something referred to as a Nexus Array

And also most intriguingly to Daniel was the Adventurer’s Guild building The rest of the counsel were less impressed and insisted on first purchasing several Watchtowers to help with the immediate threat of monsters and a Smithy in order to advance the weapon and armor crafting past the basic stages

But almost unwillingly they agreed that the Adventurer’s Guild could be the next building Eyes sparkling Daniel looked at the 8k SP option and to him it only meant one thing

Quests

After thinking about it for a long time he was sure that it could only be for acquiring quests Or bounties Or something else game related

Always the downer Mrs Hamilton had suggested that it might be possible that it allowed more individuals into their world like the strange portal that had sprung up and would open in several days But Daniel didn’t think it was that likely At this tier their strange and confusing bond with another Trainee Village would probably be their only contact with other forces in the Nexus

Still even that contact posed interesting questions

Daniel was very much looking forward to that portal opening

After a long walk down a deserted hallway Randidly and Tessa emerged into a large cluttered space full of people with glassy eyes drinking straight from liquor bottles At the far side of the space was a small opening in the curtains from which flashing lights and noises echoed

Oh my god Raina is on already Tessa hurried forward barely seeing the bodies sprawled around grasping and laughing drunkenly in the dimly lit room

A bouncer blocked her before she could rush out onto the stage and pointed her to a side door which would lead her to the general admission area Heedless of Randidly she rushed out leaving him frowning

There was something strange

Then his eyes narrowed as he realized what it was It was the same albeit more subtle and slight feeling that he had gotten around the village chieftain of Turtletown as the people of Donnyton had taken to calling it An insidious influence But while the other had been a harsh order this was a gentle cajoling

Have fun be happy Be free live enjoy yourself everything is fine

So this was why such a large town could continue on simply based upon inertia This voice could periodically wipe away their concerns Luring them towards staying

This town was home to a siren

Randidly gave the bouncer a short glance Although he seemed to be maintaining his cool much better than Tessa had he too was grinning stupidly and bobbing his head to the music Sighing Randidly sat down to meditate Once he identified the influence it was rather easy to resist But it took a lot of the enjoyment out of the concert Instead he focused on understanding the way it affected him and the other people backstage

An hour and a half later when the concert came to what sounded like a stunning conclusion Randidly opened his eyes inwardly torn

This singer Raina possessed a dangerous power Even though he knew what it was and his Willpower was undoubtedly significantly higher than hers he felt a slight unnatural lift in his mood after prolonged exposure Randidly wondered how specific the messages she sent with her songs could be

But at the same time

The positive uplifting portion of the song had side effects Randidly had gained 3 Lvls in meditation while he sat through the concert It was quite similar to that strange golden potion that came from the origin banana in that way It was an effect that if harvested

Randidly blinked He had been so focused on trying to learn mana manipulation recently that he had completely neglected to improve his potion making skills Finding the uses beyond a short term boost for that serum would be excellent

Now was obviously a poor time to realize that but later if he could find the right equipment here

The people around Randidly were still slightly dozing and sophomoric Even the bouncer was slumped in his seat by the stage Only the tech people remained lucid hurrying around with noise canceling headphones over their ears But as Randidly watched several sweat soaked people removing their ear pieces walked off the stage while talking excitedly

Last of the people to leave the stage was a slim buxom figure Her body curved gracefully almost impossibly proportioned But what drew Randidly’s eye was her face although she would never be called unattractive she would also never be called beautiful Her face currently set into a tired expression was perhaps only pretty But it was a striking face with large eyes and a mouth that seemed in constant motion

Then across the dark room they made eye contact and she smiled reflexively a tired smile of victory of a job well done Randidly had to resist the urge to smile back looking at her contemplatively

He immediately received a level in Mental Strength which made him chuckle and he stepped backwards deeper into the shadows of the musical equipment boxes So even her smile contained a skill Although she would likely be an asset to Donnyton it would be better not to interact overmuch with her

Then their gaze parted and Randidly felt the direct beam of positivity she shot towards him fade along with her smile

A second later a cloud of confusion seemed to come over her face and she turned back her gaze searching scanning across the position that Randidly had just vacated Almost unwillingly after several long seconds she turned to face a man who emerged from another back room wearing a suit

The man brought along a gaggle of other people who Randidly recognized it was the Freedom Fighters Most of them had dumb glazed expressions especially Alex who seemed to be drooling that he was so close Raina but the extremely tall man with orange hair still had a serious expression

If he was simply wearing headphones to block the noise that was one thing But if he wasn’t

Then apparently there was some strength in this town after all

Raina and the orange haired man walked up onto the stage and Randidly slipped away heading out through the passage to the area Tessa had gone

He found her almost immediately smiling and leaning against the side of the arena seemingly at peace with the world She didn’t even notice his arrival lost as she was in the after effects of the euphoria Raina provided

One more thing One last surprise for my fans tonight Raina said strutting back out onto the stage arms held high It was strange That smile of hers her entire face changed shifted Suddenly it was the only thing you wanted to look at

Randidly’s frown deepened This woman was incredibly dangerous Every day he thought deeply about his decision to forgo killing that man with a similar ability At the time the temptation of the Black Nexus Coin had been too much But now

Sure the kept dungeon had been invaluable for quickly exposing the freshly raised classers to danger But still

Tomorrow is finally the day we have been dreaming of Raina announced Tomorrow the Freedom Fighters will finally be wiping out the ant colony And afterwards With your help the Freedom Fighters will found a newbie village and vanquish the monsters

The crowd was practically frothing at the mouth screaming Even Tessa looked up with fanatical eyes Randidly supposed there would no longer be a shortage of volunteers for the mission

Chapter 73

The rain made the night an extremely long one Wave after wave of monsters streamed towards the village The mage battalion held the road but the efficacy of their magic was greatly reduced by the damp resulting in more and more of the reserve squads to be called there to reinforce them

Donny held the freshly raised southern defensive line Weeks of fighting at the front constantly had worked great changes in this teenager accelerating his growth into manhood

Meanwhile Donnyton’s scouting teams roved through the forest ambushing and retreating constantly thinning out the numbers of approaching enemies as much as they could But it never seemed to be enough and as the night stretched onward they began to tire tiny mistakes turning into fatalities

The healing division worked as fast as they could but they had a limited supply of mana potion which swiftly reached dangerous levels Non fatal or debilitating wounds were wrapped up but not healed all the way Health could regenerate on its own quickly enough even if structural damage to the body would not without the aid of spells

It was likely the bloodiest night in Donnyton’s history While Dozer and Decklan and their squads rested several Tier I Raid Bosses were able to set up shop and multiply adding to the constant flow of monsters

In their absence and the absence of the Ghosthound several individuals set themselves apart in terms of bravery and skill Of those people there were two that changed the course of the night Lyra and Annie

When the Northern fortress the most heavily fortified and the location of the heaviest fighting was breached by a rare fire belching iguana the defenders paled Monsters leapt forward squirming to get into the hole But from nowhere she appeared her typical grey hood pulled over her head

Dozens of silent birds glided forward and for the next 5 minutes the only thing that made it through the breached wall was a thin misting of blood

During that time another squad hurried over plugging the gap and stabilizing the defenses

Meanwhile Annie stood atop the watchtower on the road firing arrows like a machine gun The production focused people began to dread her glare because it could only mean one thing she needed more arrows

They thought about complaining but almost unerringly the arrows that Annie shot would take a monster in the throat or eye or heart stopping them dead

Although her own stats weren’t high she invested heavily in Strength and Control giving her arrows quite the punch

And just like that dawn came With a heavy expression Regina received the preliminary report 80 dead and most of that Classers Still

Those that survived were changed The predictable monster hordes of the first week had been stressful but they were predictable The following month had been filled with training with those hordes in mind

Only now were they exposed to true strife the true horror of war Not just actual level but their skill levels had sharply risen across the board allowing them to invest in their paths which further increased their strength

Grim faced they watch Dozer and Decklan’s squads punch their way out heading out for their respective targets The monsters would be repaid in blood for what Donnyton had suffered that night

Randidly worked as a cook in the aftermath of the concert after escorting an exhausted Tessa home and asking a barely lucid Cassie to look for two people named Ace and Sydney It seemed that almost everyone who had watched the concert felt sluggish so business owners were desperate for help even allowing someone fresh off the street like Randidly to assist

They had set up food stands around the city and lowered the food prices to catch the dregs from the concert and it worked like a charm apparently being subtly influenced by a songstress was very draining

After 15 minutes Randidly had gained the cooking skill and understood basically what to do he was making fried street noodles Another half hour had passed and he had already reached Lvl 3 in Cooking as he pumped out noodle dish after noodle dish

Seeing Randidly’s crazy speed and consistency the overseer for this block moved Randidly to a large grill where he fried eggs meats potatoes and pastries

This activity was much more demanding because each item had its own perfect cooking time and with the volume of orders Randidly might have 30 things on the grill in front of him that needed adjustments at specific points

The manager’s mouth dropped to the floor as he watched Randidly’s hands blur both seeming to act independently of the other keeping the entire kitchen running smoothly the food even tasting better than it had in a long time even though their usual cook had his Cooking skill at Lvl 9

Furtively glancing around the manager told his subordinates to get Randidly’s information so he could be invited back to a permanent position then hurried away confident that this location would be fine in his absence

At around 5 in the morning even the most hardcore celebrants had drifted away and the shops closed down the business owners packing up their eyes swimming in all the currency they had gathered

Randidly now with a Lvl 10 Cooking skill had promised to report for work as a chef later but could only shrug when the workers inquired where he lived After all he wasn’t about to tell them about Donnyton and it seemed slightly rude to use Tessa’s address The more they pressed the more hesitant Randidly became until he finally just took his payment and fled

Still he likely would return to work at a restaurant Cooking was a surprisingly enjoyable experience It had also helped level Haste and Empower 1 level each as he worked on his control of those skills

For the first time the city seemed quiet and Randidly enjoyed the peace of it Even the job criers were absent although there were several shouting people calling for volunteers for the Freedom Fighters operation today But it seemed like the euphoric effects left a long hangover and even the most dedicated volunteers were still struggling out of bed

Shaking his head Randidly trotted out of the main part of the city into the edges sneaking past a guard and earning himself a level in Sneak and finding an abandoned home out past the vertical farms and even further beyond the defensive line

Although one day was fine it wasn’t good to go any longer without training certain skills

Randidly withdrew his spear the large bone monstrosity made from the spine of the sphinx and began to move through the basic moves taught to him by Shal Then he began to accelerate moving faster and faster until his body blurred pushed to the limits of his physique

When he would tire he would take a short break and spend his mana on Incinerating Bolts Then he would return to the spear work enjoying the physical exertion

After a few repetitions of this in which he gained 2 Lvls in Incinerating Bolt and 1 in Spear Phantom’s Footwork he stopped and checked his satchel He still had plenty of potion materials that he had gathered on their trip South from Donnyton

Honestly Randidly was mostly annoyed that he had been so stressed and focused that the only way he tried to improve his potion making was by refining these further But he had been so fixated on this lead on Ace and Sydney

Hopefully Cassie would remember speaking to him and assist in his search Otherwise Randidly was slightly at a loss about how to find them in such a large town Even if they were here among 50 000 people and there were still restricted areas mostly belonging to the government and Freedom Fighters where they might be

Randidly chuckled involuntarily trying to imagine Ace putting up with the swaggering attitude of the Freedom Fighters he had met Then he sighed and shook his head One thing at a time Besides his enthusiasm for finding them was diminished slightly the more he thought about them They had been a beacon that had kept him focused throught he dungeon but now the sheer size of the area he had to search to find them was discouraging

Besides Randidly had to survive long enough to find them Although that didn’t seem like it would be a problem Randidly knew that the thing that would be able to kill him wouldn’t announce its arrival and give him enough time to prepare

So Randidly left his small hide out and went in search of some necessary tools It was time to return to the skill that had changed it all that had earned him the spot as Shal’s Disciple and made him the man he was today Potion Making

Lyra stilled recognizing that voice but barely able to believe it Not only that but this was her secret spot deep in the forest How did he

She turned finding a smiling Randidly looking at her his expression affable

Something clicked into place in her mind but still she smiled back at the figure Hello

Randidly stepped closer his gaze suddenly turning serious I’m sorry to follow you like this I’m sorry for everything But after I left heading to Franksburg I realized something I need you

Randidly paused there gazing down at the glowing sword of mana that was sticking out of his chest

What gave me away The creature taking on Randidly’s shape inquired

Lyra considered There was the mana fluctuations she had sensed watching Donnyton the entire night Images of different monsters but all hanging back the same distance that she had seen over the course of the battle The fact that Randidly would never could never sneak up on her The dumb grin it walked up with The sweet lines it used How she sensed only a deadness from this creature whereas Randidly burned with a strange musky emerald life

The apologies I have never heard Doggy apologize even when he’s being an idiot Lyra said sweetly Randidly dispersed before her very eyes leaving only a shapeless blob of grey purple laying on the ground Above its head floated a foreboding label

Kim Lath the Tribulation of Many Faces Lvl 35

Would you like to fight now Kim Lath asked its voice oddly flat as if a computer was speaking Randidly reformed this time holding a spear Lyra just shrugged

If you want But it really is good to see him With an exaggerated calmness Lyra walked over to the shapeshifter and touched his its face Although she appeared casual her attention was stretched to its limit prepared to blink away if necessary

But the fake Randidly tilted its head to the side and nodded

Would you like to share a meal It asked its voice no longer artificial sounding but also not quite Randidly

Lyra nodded

Chapter 74

Randidly looked out from the cleanly split building his face grim

He was standing in a room he hadn’t been in for almost 8 months but was still intimately familiar Or at least he was standing in the first 6 inches of it

Randidly grimaced This was Sydney’s dorm room The place that both Ace and Sydney had likely been curled up in bed watching a movie like they did every Friday night until he got out of class

He had gone to Tessa’s place instead of his usual ritual of proceeding directly to Sydney’s room so it was probably just starting to get late and they had probably been starting to wonder where he was Or honestly perhaps they hadn’t even noticed the extra 45 minutes slip by absorbed in whatever it was that they were watching on the TV

Either way it didn’t matter Everything after that 6 inches was empty space Most of the room had been teleported elsewhere at whatever location the other portion of Rawlands University had ended up

Rubbing the bridge of his nose Randidly stepped forward and off into the void dropping the 7 stories to the ground He hit the ground with a crash staggering a little but quickly straightened and walked away back towards the high school he had found nearby While he was scoping out the high school he had seen the familiar sign for the dorm and a flash of hope rose in his heart

Not that they would be there still in the building obviously But that it would be enough proof that they were here hiding away somewhere

Randidly shouldn’t feel as disappointed as he did and chided himself for it But

He closed his eyes And what would he even say if he would see them now Sydney’s ultimatum still weighed on his heart It was why that last week before the system arrived had been one of the most stressful in his life culminating with him breaking up with Tessa He had made a decision perhaps a spur of the moment one but still a decision during his night class But now it had been so long that he had lost the thread of it with the passage of time

If he saw her now if he saw Ace now

Releasing a long held breath Randidly smiled It was relieving in a way Now he knew for sure that they weren’t here in Franksburg He had time

And in that time Randidly swore himself he would grow strong strong enough to face them both

Then he opened his eyes and walked into the high school heading directly towards the chemistry lab For now strength Growth Progress It was better to focus on the present

There were three main reasons that Randidly had decided to spend the day today like this The first was that it seemed like jobs would be scarce with the huge Freedom Fighter operation Second he was no longer sure that he could easily find enough variety in jobs to be worth spending another day earning PP at one And finally it could be said that the real reason that everything happened was due to his Potion Making

He had brewed that potion that had dispelled the strange curse the shaman’s had placed on Shal which had started everything

But since then he had left Potion Making by the wayside Sure he continually made better and better potions earning him several levels but the real growth in his skill had occurred while trying out new recipes

His attempts in the past few weeks to find recipes had all ended in failure but he was beginning to suspect that it was due to his preconceptions getting in the way Randidly had originally assumed that all potions were variants of the two base materials Red and Blue Energy Shards but his brief stint as a chef got him to thinking

In a way what the system did was simplify the inputs in life and quantify the outputs That is of course in addition to breaking most physical limits and laws but that was secondary It made everything work in a system

What had thrown him off Randidly reflected as he began to set out beakers was the origin banana The profound effect of the juice from that plant had made him believe that the two colors were the important factors But it seemed that simply wasn’t true the Origin Banana was a rare exception rather than the rule

As such in order to progress past this level of Potion Making he needed to identify the other base units of the potion system Once he had those

But he set those thoughts aside for now He already had some theories about what they would be but he wanted to try a few things first

Kiersty looked on bemused as the strange Thorn creature crawled all over Arbor wrapping his thorny vines around it She could feel Arbor’s annoyance and helplessness through their bond as it was forced to put up with its elder brother’s teasing

Finally satisfied Thorn climbed down and wriggled over towards Kiersty She wanted to stumble backwards but knew this was necessary from Arbor’s whispers So gritting her teeth she allowed Thorn to come close and with surprising delicacy prick her with a single thorn It absorbed her blood cleanly the creature shivering slightly

Then as per the instructions from Arbor she raised her hands over Thorn and used her new skill Blessing

She instantly gained two skill levels

Small motes of gold flew off her fingers and landed on Thorn It seemed immensely excited about this and dug into the ground and hurried off in the distance seeking the ample prey that was wandering around recently

Feeling abruptly tired Kiersty sat down

Nathan who had been standing off to the side and watching the whole interaction walked forward offering his sister a cup of water She drank thankfully

We should go Nathan said glancing over his shoulder If mom finds us here

I know Kiersty said meekly standing up and hurrying back Their mom didn’t like them hanging out with Arbor Thought it was a creepy tree

She didn’t understand Kiersty’s eyes glittered None of them did really Not even Nathan

Randidly looked down at the 4 small crystals in front of him his expression satisfied It had taken him most of the day but he had finally isolated 4 base units There might be more but for now he had found these to use in experiments

A red and a blue crystal and then a green and a purple one The end result had him earning 3 Lvls in Refine which was an added bonus

The green one had been the one he was most confident about He had previously made several basic poison potions as weapons that could be thrown at masses of enemies As his skills with spells had grown this method had swiftly been outclassed but that didn’t mean that poison wasn’t still powerful in the right situations

It had taken dozens of the strange mushroom that grew wildly in the area but he had slowly boiled them down and refined them extracting the poisonous energy from them and condensing it into a crystal form

It was Randidly reflected probably enough poison to even threaten him condensed in the sparkling green crystal Still it was almost useless in that form

The 2nd new crystal the purple crystal had been the one that had taken him most of the day In the end it had been a strange passing comments that Randidly remembered Sam making that was the clue

Sam had been talking about the difficulty about harvesting parts from monsters

The trouble is Sam had said his face fixed in his perpetual frown That the bodies degrade pretty quickly A bone or pelt you get an hour after they die is half as strong and tough as one from 5 minutes after it passes The effect gets worse the more superficial wounds it has the more blood it’s lost It’s like most of the mana sits in the blood and slowly dissipates after it dies

So Randidly had captured ants and crushed their bodies to a pulp gathering the juice Then he had boiled away the pus until just the blood remained And he refined and refined and refined

He was forced to go out 5 times for more blood the final time slaughtering his way through a warren full of the ants in order to gather enough bodies He had even earned a level in Incinerating Bolt and 2 levels in Agony Still stubbornly a thick molasses y substance his only prize But then he remembered the rest of Sam’s explanation

The trick we discovered Sam said scratching his head Is to wipe a little of your own blood on it It’s like it’s a signal to the system that you want the body That’s the reason that we got the sphinx in such pristine condition even after so long you had bled all over it

Could it really be that simple Randidly had wondered He created a Spearing Roots from the ground and allowed it to draw a line across his skin The blood gathered and then dropped onto the molasses of partially refined blood

With a sizzle the outer layer of molasses crusted over and then disintegrated turning into rancid smelling ash But there at the bottom lay a small purple crystal

Staring at the crystals now Randidly couldn’t wait to start experimenting with potions But he looked up and saw the setting sun and grimaced

In terms of efficacy it looked like the two crystals he had made were only of the basic level Which meant that refining more of either of them would be a much more comprehensive effort than gathering Blue or Red energy shards But right now

He had promised to return to the business owner and do some more work as a cook for him tonight And he had also wanted to check in on Tessa but time just seemed to be against him today

Ruefully he placed the crystals into his inventory and walked out heading back towards the city The cooking was enjoyable enough and the PP attractive enough that Randidly was willing to put the potion making off for now It could be done anytime now that he had the ingredients after all Besides even if Sydney and Ace weren’t here it was worth it to monitor Franksburg Raina’s powers were more than enough reason to keep an eye out

Chapter 75

Alana looked up bored They had largely been left alone here and the charm of the group’s company had worn on her Devan’s plan to wait until the blonde man had taken some action had seemed reasonable initially but now that two days had passed it was beginning to seem foolish

It’s not like there was enough room in here to practice with her spear And not even the guards provided much distraction Although today most of the guards seemed excited about something else so much so that there was a life to their faces as they were served gruel which the group didn’t even bother to go near

But then as the sun set something changed

There was banging and yelling and swearing and then silence The blonde man who had claimed to be in charge of the town came in pale faced followed by three men The first was tall and grizzled his hair cropped short a total military type He hovered around the blonde man glaring daggers at the other two

The most eye catching of the two was a large man who was missing his left arm But strapped to his back was a large metal disk that seemed to be part shield and part buzzsaw

The third figure was a portly man with glasses He smiled at the group when he arrived but otherwise stayed silent

Finally the blonde man coughed turning to the prisoners who had clearly escaped their handcuffs and were enjoying a meal of dried wolverine meat

We we have decided to believe your story And offer you your freedom in return for an alliance

Devan nodded serenely as this was the most natural thing in the world but Alana could barely resist snorting But she managed it barely

What sort of alliance She asked cautiously

The blonde man’s face fell and he turned to the two figures who were clearly from another power in the city

The portly man smiled Hello it’s nice to meet you You are Alana right I’m Anthony the man who founded a combat focused organization in Franksburg the Freedom Fighters We are in the midst of an operation to kill one of the nearby bosses and receive a gold coin so we can gain a Newbie Village

At our suggestion Anthony glanced at the blonde man The Senator has seen fit to offer you your liberty in the city in exchange for your assistance in this operation I assume you came here with a purpose and as long as it’s within reason I’m sure we will be amenable to it

Although she was pissed off at being trapped here for so long Alana felt that some exercise would be just what the doctor ordered It would mean that they could finally recruit more actively in the city

Still helping them gain a Newbie Village might be counterproductive to the recruitment efforts

For a long moment she was torn between helping them and the goal of the mission But she supposed that they came with recruitment as a goal it was just an assumed goal They had just wanted to help any families who were still surviving But as things seemed to have stabilized in the region assistance and the development of a positive relationship could be considered a success

For her pride she would find a way to extract reparations but that was for later

She gave her toothiest smile resembling more wolf than person That would be excellent Mr Anthony of course we would be willing to help you We are all humans after all We need to work together to defeat this monster threat

And honestly I would do anything if you gave Devan a shower Clarissa added snarkily her nose wrinkling It smells like stale animal sweat in here

Devan just chuckled his face impassive as the Senator and his military aide looked on nervously worried by the recent developments But things were no longer within his control and the Senator could do nothing but acquiesce

Pan seared pan seared The small hispanic man yelled over the clatter of the kitchen noise miming at Randidly Randidly cocked his head to the side and then recalled the method that had been explained to him earlier and used a spatula to press down on the beef or whatever red meat this actually was before flipping it and repeating the same on the other side

Still he didn’t press too hard so as not to drive out the juices He took a pinch of spices and sprinkled them on top before raising the heat and placing the pan back down He pivoted to his left bending over and removing the fish fillet from the oven

His other hand reached out and began to throw butter herbs and garlic in a pot stirring rapidly Then he flipped the meat again lowered the heat and brought the sauce onto the stove

The hispanic man Karlito working to Randidly’s left passed him the vegetables shaking his head You do learn quickly don’t you Don’t forget about cutting the meat Smooth even strokes

On and on it went a night of movement and constant heat Orders were shouted from the front and the kitchen staff jumped to work Apparently the previous chef had volunteered for the Freedom Fighter operation and hadn’t come back in time for his shift That combined with the ominous news that had made it back from the front line made the owner willing to let Randidly work in his kitchen regardless of his lack of experience

It also helped that he had a Cooking skill of 10

By the end of the night of course that skill had risen to 13 the constant stress of a long night working the kitchen pushing him beyond his comfort zone Mostly the small cramped space had started to wear on him but that too had its own benefits He had earned the skill Grace and raised to Lvl 3

Grace Lvl 3 Passive Physical skill Increases the fluidity and control over movement Also slightly increases coordination and balance

Although it was a passive skill it seemed to be incredibly useful even in fighting Shal’s spear methods emphasized assault and overwhelming direct speed without much use of feints so Randidly supposed he just hadn’t reached the proper criteria previously to earn the skill But twisting in spot and sliding between other chef’s had certainly been a work in physical control

Randidly idly wondered how people had managed to perform this job while they had normal stats Wiping the sweat from his brow he walked out of the back door to the building and gratefully accepted a drink from Karlito

Randidly drank it in one gulp and then grimaced Was that tequila

Of course Karlito said with a smile Unfortunately your resistance to alcohol rises with your Vitality but still There is nothing so wonderful as the burn of a good tequila

Then he gestured to the unmarked glass bottle winking at Randidly But when there is no good tequila we make do with what we have Do not drink too much more friend overexposure to this swill is known to cause blindness

Randidly shook his head amused He liked Karlito and his wild stories and exaggerated jokes He was loud and abrasive in the kitchen but Randidly could tell that he was a good person with an honest heart

It was Randidly reflected tragic that Karlito was born in this time where good people like him died like flies

They joked and laughed for a while longer Randidly feeling strangely at ease even as a part of him nagged to get back to the potion recipes But before he could leave their manager came hurrying back out the back door sweating Oh thank god you two are still here I’ll pay double no triple if you stay and make one more meal

But the kitchen has already been cleaned Do you want us to go through everything again Karlito rumbled his eyes narrowing

The manager raised his hands in a placating gesture No No I’ll handle all of that But a very important client came and well for her there are no such thing as hours’ Please

As soon as the manager agreed to let them off without cleaning Karlito’s cheer returned

Tying his apron back on he called over his shoulder So who’s the big wig

The manager’s face became starry eyed It’s Raina

Derek Quinn had been a truck driver before the system had come to the world But when everything changed he had crashed his truck into a column of giant mutant ants and received the Exterminator I path he had no idea what to believe

Perhaps even more difficult to handle was the ants subsequent counter attack swarming him and biting at him ripping off his left arm before other drivers on the highway saw his plight and came forward to beat them off of him

He still remembered that extended hand and opening his eyes to find a portly man smiling down at him his glasses splattered with blood from that ants Hey there buddy I’m Anthony You’re gonna be okay

Luckily enough Anthony was a nurse and had managed to bandage his wounds enough to keep Derek alive Unlike most people who were mutilated in the aftermath of the system’s arrival Derek didn’t fall into a stupor giving up

He got angry

And that anger had served him well He had gotten up to the Exterminator VI path cutting his way through the ants But there were still so damn many of them

Derek spared a glance for the group of 12 people that trailed after them wearing a mismatch of bone armor and fur most of them holding swords but their leader holding a spear The other woman seemed to possess no weapon at all but just walked forward in the middle of the group yawning

He was slightly depressed when Anthony had called him away from the front line to escort this group and was now even more disappointed Even with a class how could this group change the tide of the fight

After all the problem wasn’t talent It was simply

They rounded a bend in the road and the battle stretched before them almost endless Thousands upon thousands of ants marched forward rushing to attack the intruders These hills had been empty 8 hours ago but now the bodies were piled higher than a person in some places

So you see Derek said sarcastically A small squad like you would be perfect for this operation

Alana the leader nodded seriously and turned to the weaponless woman and what seemed like the vice commander So

Doable The vice leader commented

Child’s play The weaponless one said cracking her neck

Alana turned back to Derek Alright take us to the front We will handle the rest

Chapter 76

Derek stayed back on top of the hill scowling down at them as the group proceeded to walk forward He had to admit that they were disciplined far above the level of even the regulars of the Freedom Fighters as they settled into a crouch and moved in formation but how much could a class really help in a huge melee like this The numbers were stacked against them

Like a ghost a tall orange haired figure appeared next to Derek He spared him a glance It was Lucifer the only man in the Freedom Fighters that Derek had no confidence of being able to stand against He was also the 2nd in command of the Freedom Fighters in all but name leading the most powerful battalion

Is that them Lucifer grunted wiping blood from his sabers

Derek nodded Let’s see if classes are really worth all this trouble

Randidly’s hackles rose at the mention of Raina but then he shrugged She wouldn’t even be near him she would just wait out for the food But when they walked into the kitchen there she was sitting up on the counter her legs dangling Next to her a serious looking woman with pistols strapped to her waist stood arms crossed

Oh Raina I’m such a huge fan It is such an honor for you to taste my delectable cuisine Karlito said bowing

Raina rewarded him with a sunny smile Actually I’m just peckish Matilda here told me that her favorite dish was fish tacos and when it came to fresh food this was the place to come

Matilda who Randidly assumed was the guard just glowered looking excited about nothing fish tacos or otherwise

Naturally Raina’s gaze moved past Karlito to Randidly who followed him through the door into the kitchen Randidly looked towards the ground feeling a small urge to smile and suppressing it Mental Strength rose another level and the urge dropped to almost nothing

Randidly sighed his relief and began to move towards the supply freezer to get the ingredients for fish tacos He began running through the list in his head He would need

Excuse me were you at my concert last night Back stage

Randidly paused turning slowly Raina had hopped down off the counter and was studying him something strange in her eyes

Nodding Randidly said Yes I was

The silence grew slowly their gazes locked

Then Karlito chuckled uneasily Honestly who wasn’t at your concert Ms Raina It was the event of the year I wish I could get a recording your music speaks to me

Not everyone was back stage And not everyone can just look at me with such mild eyes while I’m smiling at them not since the system came to this world Raina said her voice light In fact I don’t think I have met anyone that can Not even that zombie Lucifer What’s your name

To Randidly’s surprise there was no power or skill in the question No influence from the system pressed against him urging him to answer It was just filled with curiosity and a yearning And most of all loneliness

After an extremely long pause Randidly answered my name is Randidly Ghosthound

One of the great reliefs of Randidly’s life in regards to the system was that no longer would his name earn him strange looks Raina nodded as if this was the most natural thing in the world

Well Mr Ghosthound She said the corners of her mouth quirking upward Would you like to have dinner with me

As Derek Quinn watched standing next to the silent Lucifer he watched as the squad picked up speed moving through to the front lines of the battle Then the last of the Freedom Fighter’s stepped to the side gladly willing to let someone else hold back the swarm for a while

With a crash they smashed into the ants

Derek froze

He had been expecting a crash but they simply slid into the enemy lines barely slowing at all His increased perception let him barely glimpse as each one of the 10 shield holders stabbed forward smoothly with a short sword each time accurately driving their sword into the skulls of the ants

The bodies were shoved to the side and trampled on the squad barely breaking stride

As they penetrated deeper into the ant lines more swarmed towards them recognizing this new threat but the spearwoman simply stabbed into the ants approaching from the back with ruthless efficiency breaking the ants legs and leaving them useless

But what was most shocking was the weaponless woman

Magic user Lucifer mumbled next to Derek his tone wondering

Although there were individuals who used the Mana Bolt skill it was mostly just as a supplement After all no one had a large enough mana pool that it was feasible to train up the skill But as this woman raised her hands forked lightning shot out smashing into two ants and then each of those splitting into two more and then two more

32 ants collapsed dead from the move and 64 were sent staggering stunned by the electricity

With a pleased expression on her face the woman did it again clearing another huge swath of ants and then drank a blue potion from a flask

Like a well oiled machine the squad marched forward barely seeming to break a sweat as they ripped through these enemies that had kept the Freedom Fighters stumped

It was possible that a squad of their elites could have managed to do something similar at least for a time But they would quickly run out of Stamina and be stranded in the middle of an endless number of ants helpless Even Lucifer himself could only fight for a half hour or so before he needed a break

As Derek watched he realized their advantage was two fold First it was clear that leveling gave powerful bonuses to Health Mana and Stamina Otherwise there was no way they could do this

But the other advantage was professionalism Those small thrusts effectively killed the monsters but he suspected that they cost next to no stamina They were simply well equipped and efficient The Freedom Fighters couldn’t compare

Inwardly Derek felt a small tremor in his heart He had heard that this group came from the North These were likely their elites But even if they had several other squads like this

Just how powerful was the place that they came from

Karlito and the restaurant manager chatted excitedly at dinner their eyes becoming increasingly glassy as time passed Even Matilda began to smile as Raina told wild story after story her smile wide but her eyes always scrutinizing Randidly

Finally almost gently her smile disappeared like a mirage and she said coldly Matilda would you escort these two away Mr Ghosthound and I have something to talk about in private

Matilda her face settling back into a stony expression dragged the befuddled two men away leaving only Randidly and Raina in the room

She smiled at him So we are finally alone

Chapter 77

Randidly folded his arms his eyes narrowing The only reason he had remained this long was that he couldn’t set aside his nagging feeling that she would be incredibly useful to have on his side Even still he was still made nervous by

But then her shoulders slumped and her whole demeanor changed Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes

I I’m really glad I met you You are the first person you are the first person to really see me To see me Everyone else is just blinded by the skills and She sniffed and then looked at Randidly with an odd expression How attractive do you think I am Be honest

With his eyes fixed on the table between them Randidly was almost squirming Give him a sphinx with infinite mana any day This aspect of life was something he was simply never good at His experiences in the dungeon taught him how to act in life but never how to interact

Honestly Randidly said tentatively and Raina nodded He shrugged helplessly honestly rather plain your body is very Uh well endowed but your face Although that changes when you smile But I can’t be sure that’s not the skill

Raina leaned forward her hair swinging to cover her face The table was silent for almost a minute before she straightened a strange look on her face

That hurt more than I expected it to I’m not I mean that’s how I used to be but ever since the system came She shook her head seemingly very sad I’ve felt lost though unsure of who I was What I wanted to be What I had become Thank you you’ve helped me remember Plain ha

Raina stood her smile sad but still making Randidly want to smile back at her And ultimately that made him not trust her She put a business card down on the table

This is my address If you want we can talk again I’d really really like to talk again Please visit Then to Randidly’s surprise she leaned over and pressed her lips against Randidly’s cheek He stood still His perception had seen her coming and he had ample time to React and his Agility was so high that it would have been simple to evade her but he was simply surprised

Randidly had obviously had girlfriends before and sex but those had always moved slowly building over time This sudden kiss left him at a loss

What had him most stunned was that there was no familiar influence of her charm on him It was a genuine moment without a skill

Raina pulled back and they looked at each other for several seconds

Then she tried to smile but failed You you’re not going to visit are you

Randidly shook his head slowly This woman he could not trust her She left then Matilda allowing the other two into the room who looked with wide eyes at Randidly

Karlito was the first to speak Randidly man on your cheek that lipstick did Raina

Sighing Randidly stood and walked out into the night leaving the people behind Feeling annoyed he scaled a nearby apartment building quickly climbing 20 stories to the roof There he let out a long sigh

He really needed to work on his people skills If only the system had skills for that

A notification popped up a welcome distraction from his current annoyance

Congratulations Your Thorn Lvl 4 is ready to level up Due to diet and influence Thorn wonders whether he is a Lone Hunter or a Team Trapper

As mulled over these choices another notification popped up

Congratulations Your Arbor Lvl 2 is ready to level up Due to diet and influence Arbor wonders whether he is simply a Lonely Tower or a Pillar of the Community

Randidly narrowed his eyes at the timing It was strange enough that both were leveling at the same time due to the seemingly increased difficulty for his Soul Plants to level but they also both had similar references Were they developing a symbiotic relationship with each other

That didn’t sound right otherwise there would likely be more of a connection between the two levels Randidly supposed that without his presence both had been forced to be exposed to more humans Perhaps they were simply wondering what their purpose was in the grand scheme of things

This was a lot more likely for Arbor with its higher Brain Function but still

Because he wasn’t sure of the effects of either Randidly split the difference Arbor well all he really knew about the thing was that it was vain As such it seemed to make more sense that it would be a part of a community Meanwhile Thorn was designed to lurk and slaughter monsters which meant Randidly preferred it as a Lone Hunter

Satisfied Randidly made both of his selections

Thorn is now Lvl 5 Physicality has increased by 3 Brain Function has increased by 2 Particularity has increased by 1 Thorn has learned the skill Thorny Whip

Arbor is now Lvl 3 Magical Aptitude has increased by 1 Brain Function has increased by 1 Particularity has increased by 4 Arbor has learned the skill Aura of Arbor

Randidly looked at the ultimate results from the level ups slightly aggrieved

Lvl 5

Physicality 10

Brain Function 6

Particularity 9

Battle Ability 18

Special Skills Flexibility Strangle Dig Thorny Whip

Lvl 3

Magical Aptitude 4

Brain Function 8

Particularity 12

Battle Ability 2

Special Skills Elaborate Dance Aura of Arbor

Randidly shook his head Thorn’s level had gone how he had predicted and he was delighted to discover that his Battle Ability increased to 18 That meant that Thorn could handle himself around enemies at level 18 Average enemies at least

Meanwhile Arbor the soul seed he had never seen continued to focus its points in particularity earning the ambiguous Aura of Arbor’ It was probably useful but

Would it have killed the thing to grow a little in terms of Battle Ability

20 men left and 19 men came back led by a Dozer that had enough of a beard that the time he spent in the dungeon must have been a few weeks at least No one spoke as the men returned cutting a brutal path through the wandering monsters The men were covered in blood Several had several glittering high level weapons that they didn’t leave with The squad’s sole knight had two shields one on each arm rather than a sword strapped to his waist

They marched in silent formation the discipline brutally apparent making clear the absence of one of their number

But even more notable than the absence of one of his warriors was the midnight blue kitten that Dozer had cradled in his arms Daniel looked at it curiously and was surprised when it was dumped on him by Dozer who promptly walked over to Annie picked her up and carried her off

Daniel frowning opened his mouth to say something but Regina put a hand on his shoulder

Leave him be Glendel already reports that the monsters from that dungeon have ceased they have obviously won We don’t need to know the details until he is ready to tell them

But what about Daniel looked helplessly at the cat that seemed to suddenly come awake yawning It blinked violet eyes at him then gently gingerly raised its paw and placed it against Daniel’s face

Daniel couldn’t help but smile The cat smiled up at him it seemed and flexed its paw its claws sinking into his face

Daniel’s howls earned chuckles even from the freshly returned squad who collapsed releasing all the tension that had kept them wound through this journey They had made it home

Nathan frowned at his sister who was standing next to Arbor but also dangerously close to the strange thorny creature that now frequented the area by the tree Both of the strange plants were glowing slightly the thorn creature writhing on the ground and Arbor growing upwards fast enough to see with the naked eye

What’s going on Nathan asked

His sister smiled serenely at him The Ghosthound has willed it so they are changing

Nathan thought his sister was being weird but said nothing As he watched the light around Arbor dimmed but the thorny vine creature began to thrash more Watching closely Nathan could even see the thorns on the vines slowly growing more twisted longer sharper These weren’t the needles they were in the past but were more like hooks aiming to rip flesh

Why did Arbor stop growing if the other one still is Nathan asked but his sister just smiled and walked away back towards the village

Surprised but glad they could leave and go see the return of Dozer’s squad Nathan followed

They wound their way through the coffee farm and the banana farm moving quickly sticking to the shadows Although they hadn’t been forbidden from coming here per se it was getting increasingly difficult to do so

Then returning to the farming area proper they relaxed somewhat This was the area that it was relatively okay that they play in although not usually so late Farmers and Potion Makers walked back and forth discussing ratios and ingredients

But instead of turning upwards towards the Classer Compound Kiersty kept walking towards the middle of the valley where the mage battalion guarded the road coming through the mountains

Kiersty walked through the men sitting around taking breaks even while the sound of spell casting evidenced the proximity of the front lines They drew a few stares but mostly because of the presence of children not because any of them planned on stopping the two kids

Still Nathan was quite nervous To his relief they stopped almost directly next to the watch tower right behind the spot where the relief squad waited ready to assist their comrades Kiersty pointed and Nathan’s gaze followed her finger

Quickly erupting from the ground was a grey ashy piece of wood that looked like an exact duplicate of Arbor Faster than any plant had a right to move this Arbor clone grew upwards until this Arbor was the same size as the original Arbor’s new size back in the field about as tall as a grown man Then its branches began to spread curling upwards

Then four flaming leaves bloomed on the tree the relief squad turning to gaze at the tree with wide eyes

Notifications popped up in front of Nathan that he tried to read but made his head swim

You are under the influence of the skill Aura of Arbor This allows you to make use of a Gift of Arbor Regeneration is also passively boosted by 10%

Gift of Arbor The next active skill used will use 50% of the normal amount of mana or stamina Gift of Arbors grow at a rate of 1 per hour per sprouting As long as you are within the Aura of Arbor Gifts from any sprouting may be used

There might only be two now Kiersty said her voice loud and a little shrill But soon this place will be covered in them May the blessing of Arbor be with you all

Chapter 78

Randidly had spent the past hour carefully separating out the four different colored crystals he had refined creating 13 different recipes Ultimately Randidly had admitted to himself that he simply didn’t have enough of either the purple crystal or the green one to mix them with each other trying out all the possible combinations

The first 12 recipes were two groups of 6 First the purple with red 25/75 50/50 and 75/25 Then the same purple with blue

The second group of 6 was the green crystal rather than the purple one but otherwise the same

The final recipe the one that he would save for last was equal parts of all four crystals ground down and mixed

Randidly started with purple because honestly although he understood what the poison was generally he wasn’t sure what this crystal refined from the blood of monster would do and was more curious about its effects

His hands moved to the 50/50 mixture purple and red Careful to get every small ground up crystal he dumped them into a glass container The potion mixed and turned a dark maroon color Curious Randidly examined it

Lesser Potion of Health Lvl 18 Increases your maximum health by 180 for 20 minutes If after the time runs out your health is below 180 your health will be reduced to 1 and you will obtain the status effect Overdrawn which reduces regeneration by 90% for an hour

Randidly nodded slowly At his level it might not quite be worth it But as his potion level increases and he could raise the bonus

Curious Randidly did the same thing between purple and blue obtaining a Lvl 23 Potion of Mana increasing the mana pool by 230 for 10 minutes but otherwise largely the same

The current boost was about the same as his highest tier potions but they were made with the least refined ingredients After a bit of experimentation if he could obtain a Potion of Mana that increased his Mana pool by 460 for 10 minutes The increased spell casting burst would be highly effective

But the night was long and there were still more recipes to try

Derek straightened abruptly The change had come to the ants about an hour ago around 3 hours after the squad had trundled on down and into the ant warren Suddenly the ants began wandering away the once directed swarm lost and leaderless

Without a concerted attack the ants were quickly beaten back after all they were quite weak individually Even the volunteers let alone the Freedom Fighters regulars could handle a lone ant

But still for a long time there was no sign of the squad Had they perished in the attempt

Yet here they were walking casually back continually slaughtering any monsters that stepped in front of them like this was just another day at the office

When the group reached him for a long time Derek Quinn didn’t know what to say He had thought he had worked hard and found strength but

In his heart he knew that this was partially because of the classes that they had this advantages but at the same time

He had watched them They moved cleanly with a proficiency and professionalism that made him helpless It made him realize something

While Franksburg had tried to keep back the outside world maintaining the status quo these men and woman had gone out into the outside world and changed themselves to thrive in it They had forsaken their previous humanity and found a new strength through the new world was ruled by the system

Alana cleared her throat So take us to Anthony We’d like to talk conditions

Randidly considered the potions in front of him

The purple 25% red or blue with 75% created another intriguing potion

Lesser Mana Regeneration Potion Lvl 25 Increases Mana Regeneration by 250% for the next 5 minutes

This potion was actually one where Randidly preferred the non mana option Mana regeneration even with a build like Randidly’s with a lot put into it was still so slow He would only receive an extra 200 Mana per hour with that Taken down to a 5 minute time period that was only an extra 15 mana

Health potions were more impressive but still slightly lackluster It would restore on Randidly 40 some odd health which was still pretty insignificant

What his focus was really was on was the stamina potion and whether a regeneration variant could be made for that Unlimited stamina for a short period of time not only would it hurry training speed at certain key intervals it could be used to make individuals unstoppable for a short period of time

In addition there had been talk from the potion makers that they had found a method to delay the time a normal health potion would heal you over If that same method could be used to extend the time the regeneration was increased even if it lowered the bonus

Unfortunately he didn’t have enough materials on hand to experiment with that for now That would have to wait until he returned to Donnyton Although helping the town had been slightly a hassle at first they were swiftly growing into something that was useful to him they could be used to effectively gather the materials he needed for both the green and purple crystals Otherwise he would need to drain dozens of mushrooms or ants every time

The purple 75% was his current favorite potions

Lesser Hungry Flesh Potion Lvl 23 Gain Healthsteal for 5 minutes 2 3% of the physical damage dealt will be recovered as health

Lesser Hungry Soul Potion Lvl 27 Gain Manasteal for 5 minutes 2 7% of the magical damage dealt will be recovered as mana

These were undoubtedly useful it would take a certain type of fighter to use the Healthsteal but the Manasteal was intriguing Again though the concept of Staminasteal would be the most interesting if it existed

Satisfied with these Randidly turned to the green crystal mixtures

The 50/50 splits turned out to be direct boosts to stats

Lesser Physical Tonic Lvl 24 +5 to all Physical stats for 10 minutes After that 10 Physical Stats for 30 minutes

Randidly grimaced He wasn’t a fan of these potions Unlike the direct boosts to health or mana these had demerits no matter what condition you were in at the end of the time period

The green 25% yielded a strange result as well

Lesser Physical Fury Potion Lvl 27 Gain Physical fury for 27 minutes Physical damage taken slightly reduced Physical damage dealt slightly increased

Mana was similar except flipped It was only the green crystal at 75% that really surprised him in terms of the poison potion results

Lesser Health Fire Lvl 28 Deal 56% of afflicted targets current health per second for 30 seconds or until the fire is put out

Lesser Mana Fire Lvl 24 Cause target to lose 24% of target’s current mana per second for 30 seconds or until the fire is put out

Both of these potions would be extremely dangerous if discovered They were designed to fight against a person with superior Health and Mana Even Randidly if afflicted with them would have difficulties

But what Randidly realized while looking at the description was that although they both were powerful it was ultimately a potion that was vastly more dangerous for mages Their spells had more power than similarly leveled physical skills but Magical stats were useless without mana A tank with low health still had his or her high physical stats and could struggle

But a mage

Chuckling Randidly straightened and cracked his neck He supposed it was good then that he was noncommittal and insisted on being good at everything A potion like this would strip away all of his magical weapons

Then he focused again looking down at the final pile of ingredients which would combine all 4 of the crystals

Moving carefully he mixed them The potion glowed briefly then settled down into a swirling blackness As he watched though small flecks of light emerged almost like stars that slowly dissolved the blackness Finally the water cleared turning back to

Well water

But when Randidly peered closely and examined it his eyes narrowed

Viscous Liquid of Possibilities Lvl Higher tiered base crafting material Can be refined to a more stable form

So Randidly refined it Over and over for an hour Finally he held a small clear marble in his hand

Stone of Possibilities Lvl 42 A stone that holds a lot of potential Can be used to store 42 Health Mana or Stamina which can then be siphoned back from the stone to yourself should the need arise Reusable

So not only was this Liquid of Possibilities used for potions of the next variety up but it could be refined into stones that then could be used to keep Health Mana or Stamina for emergencies

In addition over the course of the night Randidly had gained 8 levels in Potion Making raising himself to Lvl 30 and 6 Levels in refine rising to Lvl 12 So the capacity of the stone was determined by those two skills

He lamented the additional grinding he would need to do but grinned at the thought of the possibilities Hopping off the building Randidly went prowling towards the edge of Franksburg searching for more crafting materials There was still a few hours until dawn anyway

Randidly wanted to check in on Tessa to see if there were after effects from exposure to Raina’s song but otherwise he didn’t plan on wasting his time raising his Digging skill again He felt slightly guilty that he had ignored her all of yesterday but his pursuits today had been rather distracting Better late than never

Shrugging Randidly put it out of his mind Better to focus on the present

His smile widened If possible he would create more of these Stone of Possibilities in preparation for the dangers that were sure to come

Chapter 79

Alana’s demands were simple and fair establishing a small base within Franksburg that they could use for trade a share of the various supplies that Franksburg had access to due to its size prior to the system specifically of tools and clothing and the chance to appeal to the populous seeking more people to move up and settle within Donnyton

Although they were more well equipped and highly trained Alana explained there were far fewer of them Donnyton was about 3 000 people Anthony informed them that Franksburg had a population of 42 000 at last count

Anthony with the Blonde Senator’s bemused support were only to happy to agree to provide these things for their services in obtaining the golden coin They were less willing however to listen to Alana’s recommendations on how he Newbie VIllage should be constructed

You should wait She advised Or at least limit the amount of people you allow to receive a class A monster horde will come based on the amount that have a class also we believe based on the population but that is more of a 1 to 1 ratio The number of classers multiplies the monsters by 10

Look Anthony said in a very smooth voice a smile on his face I appreciate your concern But I assure you that our deficiencies are primarily in assault in terms of defense we are more than capable Snipers machine gun nests walls we have it all We really appreciate your concern but will take it from here

Devan frowned and moved to step in but before he could speak both he and Alana saw something that made their blood chill The golden coined turned to powder and disappeared and a small scorpion flashed into existence on the ground It was red with a crimson stinger

But as the two of them watched it flickered and sudden an unassuming looking human stood and its space her hair long to her shoulders and black The pupils of her eyes were crimson

You’ve made an excellent choice The woman purred making the Senator and Anthony blink and turn around I will be the spirit of your Newbie Village Helen Without Classes you cannot find power But with them

Well you can rule this world and others She said with glittering eyes

Randidly frowned up at the notification about the Newbie Village and then looked up towards the pillar of light This would certainly accelerate their timeline for recruitment This time here

Randidly hesitated It had been a chance to relax which had helped clear his head and let him think again about potion ingredients making this breakthrough on Potion Making He had gained a lot of skill levels in random activities which were useful for PP but didn’t have the opportunity to lead to useful higher tiered skills

It was almost a mini vacation After the frustration and inaction of the previous 4 weeks it was exactly what Randidly had needed to rediscover his drive Without the constant threat looming he had felt somewhat lost But now his goal was clear Randidly needed information and reach He would do his best to grow and insulate these villages from the growing threat of the system Ease their transition into this new world

He would not baby them but he would do his best to keep the unknown from crushing them

They might need to weather their monster hordes but he would not let an tribulation break them Once these villages expanded he could gather more information using Donnyton as a base Information both on the system concerning skills classes and survival and on location of other survivors

So for now

Randidly looked at the pillar of light thoughtfully but then turned away There was something that Randidly wanted to experiment with but first he had a few other errands

First things first Randidly recalled the notification he had received earlier as the PP he earned for Potion Making was enough to finish the Fireball I path

Congratulations You have completed the The Fireball I Path As you tread down the path of fire the ground may be hot beneath your feet and your hair is wet with sweat but strength fills your limbs The path may stretch ever onward but your pace accelerates Mana +50 Mana Regen +10 You have gained the skill Circle of Flame Lvl 1

Circle of Flame Conjures a circle of flame that moves outward from the castor Costs 150 mana Size of flames determined by Control and Skill Level Heat of Flames determined by Intelligence and Skill Level Speed of spread determined by Wisdom and Skill Level Duration of circle determined by Focus and Skill Level

Randidly nodded at the nice boost in mana and mana regeneration He would need to experiment more with the skill but now it seemed he had an area of effect spell and a single target spell in fire which would keep his options open during an extended fight Even though the cost was again debilitatingly high improving the skill level would do a lot to increase the effectiveness of the spell making the mana cost worth it

Or at least Randidly hoped so After all it was possible that it was already extremely powerful It just didn’t seem like a good idea to check while strolling down the street towards Tessa’s apartment

Sidestepping around a mom and 5 kids staring up in wonder at the pillar of light Randidly looked at his possible paths

Watcher 0/ Heretic IV 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Initiate of Ash I 0/75 Potion Making II 0/35

Randidly was slightly curious about why Heretic continued to increase but wasn’t willing to invest his PP into it to find out when there was such an attractive option as Potion Making II There might not be very many stat points but it would likely end with Randidly learning a skill that he would use for crafting

He put the remaining 5 points into Potion Making II and earned a point in Focus

Right afterwards Randidly looked up to find himself standing in front of Tessa’s apartment building Since returning from the dungeon Randidly’s sense of time had become somewhat fuzzy The first week out the arrival of the monster horde had done a lot to help with that giving a standard time but since then he had noticed that his lack of normal sleep hours made him commit several interpersonal oversights

After all he had brought Tessa back from the concert two days ago and hadn’t really bothered to check on her in the intervening day Randidly didn’t even know when she had to leave for work

He didn’t know her apartment Should he just go up

Even though it had been so long in his mind since he broke up with her he still felt some lingering feelings Since he had already struck out on the clues about Sydney and Ace she was probably the person he was closest too He wanted her to move to Donnyton where she would have a larger measure of protection

Although depending on the results tonight during the monster horde perhaps Franksburg would turn out to be a relatively safe place

Randidly wouldn’t mind some time focusing on Meditation but there would probably would be more fruitful times to do so Better to just head up

Randidly decided to just head up

What was surprising was the state of the hallways in the building Trash lined the walls People lined the walls too laying on piles of trash and sometimes bundled up blankets It seemed that the elevators weren’t working so Randidly had to climb the stairs which luckily were clear but nervous people who wouldn’t meet his gaze hurried past him in every direction

That was nothing compared to the surprise that awaited Randidly when he left the stairwell and headed into Tessa’ floor A tall scarred man with long grey hair pulled up into a ponytail blocked his way and held out his hand

Rent The man grunted seeming bored

Randidly blinked I don’t live here

Then scram The man flicked his fingers and turned away Several other well muscled men chuckled leaning against the walls farther into the floor hallway Looking around Randidly thought things were slightly off with this floor Besides the strange grouping of thugs there weren’t any of the other grungy hall tenants that Randidly had seen on the other floors

Still Randidly didn’t really care As he smiled lightly at the guys hanging around he activated Pollen of the Rafflesia It was a skill that he hadn’t really worked to improve recently mostly due to the long amount of time it took to affect the enemies After all much faster just to stick a spear down a monsters throat But while in Franksburg Randidly supposed he should be more subtle in his approach

Content to stand under their harsh eyes Randidly just remained in the doorway waiting for it to take effect

Apparently Mr Ponytail had a decent amount of Vitality Because his bored expression swiftly descended into a frown his eyes remaining clear Why the fuck are you

His words were interrupted by the sound of one of the guys vomiting behind him The man spun clearly more concerned about this new occurrence than Randidly’s continued presence

Come the fuck on if you knew you were sick why

Another man swayed and then collapsed his face pale his mouth foaming Another man backed away from Mr Ponytail his eyes wide shaking like a leaf in a storm

One man began to vomit spewing more bile over the floor

Randidly’s smile widened as Mr Ponytail seemed dumbstruck by this turn of events It seemed his Intelligence of 96 did a lot to speed up the time it took for these people to fall under the Pollen’s influence

And to Randidly’s pleasure he gained a skill level in Pollen of the Rafflesia

Chapter 80

Before the system Ezzie had worked as a bartender Not a sexy or exciting life but a satisfying one Now after the world fell to shit he worked security on the housing for the girls who worked at the Carp Twin’s Gentleman’s Club Normally this just meant shoving away the bottomfeeders that would follow them home or attempt to break into their rooms after hours for a place to sleep Occasionally he would need to escort one of the girls somewhere or keep a close eye on one for Missy Carp who was the more business minded of the Carp siblings

It wasn’t a fulfilling life but it was a stable one

After all life with the system made things dangerous and stable was an important factor to consider when choosing a line of work

Nothing had ever happened quite like this where his fellow guards collapsed around him With a strange fear in his chest a growing nausea and a sliver of disbelief Ezzie turned back to the slim man

Did did you do this Ezzie hissed looking closely at the man Tall muscular but not in a bulky way black hair green eyes His features were as sharp as his smile was mild But something instinctive deep within Ezzie’s gut told him that this man was dangerous This was a man not to be trifled with

Congratulations You have gained the skill Sixth Sense Lvl 1

Where as previously Ezzie had been nervous now he was petrified As soon as the skill notification appeared the prickling of danger became a pounding violence that was hanging over him The very air that he was breathing seemed suffused with some strange harm Ezzie stumbled back and away from the man coughing

He raised his sleeve to his mouth trying to filter the air before he breathed it in but it was already too late his vision swam and he struggled to remain standing

Congratulations The skill Sixth Sense has grown to Lvl 2

The man calmly stepped forward moving around the moaning and writhing men avoiding the pools of vomit Strangely Ezzie could feel that the man had stopped doing whatever it was that he was doing and the oppressive feeling that filled the air was slowly thinning

But the creeping dread just grew stronger as he approached

I’m just here to visit a friend The man said regarding Ezzie carefully a small amount of surprise in his eyes

Ezzie was pretty surprised as well as he leaned against the wall for support His eyes wanted to drift shut but he forced them open

Congratulations You have gained the skill Sleep Resistance Lvl 1

Congratulations The skill Sixth Sense has grown to Lvl 3

Each increase in Sixth Sense’s level brought with it a reinforced certainty that this man was dangerous Ezzie backed up further down the hall

You you can’t These girls work for the Carp siblings You know what that means right

The man frowned and Ezzie felt some relief in his heart Perhaps if he at least was afraid of the Carps this whole situation could be avoided

Honestly no The man said shrugging awkwardly But I think you’ll find that doesn’t matter to me

Ezzie collapsed finally succumbing to the sickness in his veins

Tessa frowned up at the door Had someone just

The knock came again in the same even rhythm She was nearest the door and her roommates had fled back to their bedroom fearful of who would dare disturb them

If this was one of Ezzie’s goons coming to harass them again firming her resolve Tessa opened the door To her surprise Randidly stood there looking curiously into the apartment

Hey He said in that slow offhand way he had speaking a beat too late It was like sometimes he became so focused that he forgot to speak And when he finally did it was only because he felt guilty about his silence I came to find you There’s something I wanted to talk to you about

Tessa opened her mouth then hesitated Finally she just said Okay

Missy Carp trimmed her fingernails neatly thinking while she worked There were a lot of pieces moving here It was hard to handle all the directions that Franksburg was shifting The arrival of the people with classes from the north The establishment of the Newbie Village The rising star of Raina

Being the head of the seedier business organizations within Franksburg was a tough responsibility even as the system’s brutal violence eased the disapproval most people felt towards her business ventures and her brother Edgar sure as hell wasn’t going to take care of it There was only her and Edgar would affably follow her lead

It was only in the cruelty department that he was her vast superior

And now there were reports of a strange man who could make others sick with a glance fucking around with her girls

Missy gave Ezzie a glance Out of all of their hired muscle he was the one with the most potential Although the Senator had informed her in confidence that there would be limits on who was allowed to get a class initially as they tried to gauge how well their defenses would hold he would ensure that a few of the Carp’s nominated chosen would get first crack at classes

Ezzie was smart and before today seemed to be capable She would probably still send him for a class after this but

It was annoying that this happened now Were the events related

But the Senator had kept the individuals with classes under his paranoid eyes There was no way that he would have missed out on such a powerful individual among the Classers who had arrived Unless he was one of their agents used for infiltration

Sighing Missy set these thoughts aside they were useless at this juncture Did you get any information about him Who he was visiting What the purpose was

Ezzie nodded sorrowfully Then after a slight hesitation he said He did give his name before I passed out So we would know to leave him alone from now on He called himself the Ghosthound

Missy snorted What sort of dumb name is that

Shivering Ezzie could only shake his head

Alana passed back and forth annoyed As time passed she only became more tense In a show of generosity Anthony had decided to limit the amount of people who could get classes on the first day to 500 He made a great show of how torn he was and how ultimately he really valued the growing relationship with Donnyton etc and that was what swayed him

He added that he hoped that they would remember his understanding in the future It made Alana want to vomit They weren’t doing this for their own benefit they were doing it to protect Franksburg

Even Devan seemed somewhat disgusted by Anthony’s slimy way of handling the situation Only Clarissa seemed unphased

Just seems like there are going to be a lot of monsters to kill which will level my Split Lightning faster What’s not to like The other woman said with a shrug Alana just sighed These RPG types were the worst as they threw themselves into growing with the system like it was a game flippantly disregarding the dangerous reality

Still Clarissa never made a foolish mistake so maybe Alana just wanted to lash out

Devan come here The entire group blinked spinning around They were located on the roof of a rather nice house deep in Franksburg that Anthony had given them to use As if it was the most natural thing in the world The Ghosthound stood there beckoning

Devan immediately stepped forward and The Ghosthound put his hand on the man’s shoulder

A long moment passed The two men gazed deeply into each other’s eyes There seemed to be some sort of powerful connection occurring in front of her some sort of intimate bond To her surprise Alana found herself blushing

What what sort of situation was this

Finally after around 10 seconds of this Devan looked at the ground Shaking his head slowly he said I I would prefer not

The Ghosthound nodded I understand It is a lot to ask And likely unnecessary Alana come here

Alana’s blush turned into mounting horror Devan would prefer not And now The Ghosthound wanted her

As if he could read her mind the Ghosthound rolled his eyes I have a special skill I’d like to test But to receive it you have to sacrifice your class A strange stipulation but I suppose the skill is pretty strange in itself

So Alana said slowly You can give me a class Right now

The Ghosthound seemed to ponder that I don’t know But I do think what I’m giving you will be powerful Do you want it

Alana hesitated but only for a moment Yes

I want it Alana repeated her eyes blazing remembering the casual carnage left in Clarissa’s wake and the brutal efficiency of Devan and his squad If it’s power I can grasp with these hands I want it

Randidly put his hand on her shoulder A notification a red one a strange departure of the regular blue kind floated in front of her

Warning Randidly Ghosthound has initiated the skill Blessing of the South on you This will create a permanent bond between you two Should Randidly Ghosthound perish all benefits gained from this bond will be retained but the growth of the bond will cease Do you still wish to accept his blessing Y/N

Alana clicked yes although she frowned Why did it say warning instead of the usual congratulations

Warning this bond is permanent Are you sure you wish to proceed Your class will be lost upon the acceptance of this Blessing Y/N

Now this was getting annoying This must be why it had taken so long There were so many pointless notifications Alana pressed yes again

Warning this is your final warning A portion of this bond’s strength will be drawn from Randidly Ghosthound Are you sure that you wish to accept this bond Y/N

Holy FUCK Alana swore pressing yes

This time the familiar blue notifications appeared

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of the South Calculating Blessing

From Randidly Ghosthound you have received the Soul Skill Blessing of the Distant Southern Mountains You have gained access to the class Spear of the Broken Ridge As you do not possess a class speak with a Town Spirit to obtain this class

Your skill Spear Mastery has been changed to Spear of the Broken Ridge Mastery Lvl 1 All previous benefits have been retained Spear Thrust has been changed to Sun Strike Lvl 1 All previous benefits have been retained You have gained the skill Hot Blooded Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Child of the Sun Lvl 1

Hot Blooded Lvl 1 As your current health drops in relation to your max health you receive a small boost in all physical stats The boost increases as skill level rises

Child of the Sun Lvl 1 Regeneration of Health and Stamina increased while under the Sun At night your body glows slightly illuminating your surroundings Regeneration increased by 2% per skill level Illumination increases with skill level

Oh wow Alana whispered looking at the notifications She had no idea how good the class would end up being but the changes to her skills obviously seemed to be changes for the better She couldn’t wait to try out her new skills And these weren’t even the skills she would get when she got the class

She selected the option to display the notifications publically and The Ghosthound carefully read through everyone of them

At the end he sighed So only really useful for people without classes huh Still that leaves us some options Anyway don’t die before we return to Donnyton and get the class I want to see the stat gains

Wouldn’t it be easier if I just got it here Alana wondered aloud but The Ghosthound shook his head

The place you get your class some sort of weird connection is formed there I’m not sure what it does but we shouldn’t take it lightly Just keep leveling up skills for now After all the efficiency of grinding for PP is increased now that you have a soul skill If it works the same way mine does you get a bonus every 5 PP spent Devan just don’t let her die alright

Devan nodded seriously and the Ghosthound walked to the edge of the roof and jumped disappearing into the night

Devan walked up beside her and looked after The Ghosthound for a long moment Then he turned to her

Time to get to work Ready to join the defenses

Tessa looked at the ground frowning

She didn’t know what she had expected She had reunited with an ex boyfriend THE ex boyfriend and in spite of the crazy change that had occurred they had gone to a concert together and then he came over to her apartment to talk

Although she didn’t necessarily expect him to beg to be back together what she really hadn’t expected was for their relationship not to come up at all instead Randidly had urged her to move north to a different town

She hadn’t even realized there WAS a different town Tessa had sorta been under the impression that Franksburg was all there was left

While she was sitting on the couch frowning and pondering the apartment door opened and one of her roommates came back practically bouncing with excitement

Tessa Did you hear People came from out of town Like out out of town Like 30 miles north out of town And they want people to resettle with them How crazy is that

Tessa blinked That’s crazy

Sam sat in his workshop kneeling on the floor trembling

The pressure had evened out somewhat recently from Raid Bosses and Donnyton was instituting several new policies in order to raise preparation for the possibility of that happening again One of those policy was the official formation of 5 new Squads

Sam had already done the work on the pendants to give them their mark of pride but more squads meant more and better equipment needed to be made Armor was important as an extra 50 or so health it provided would mean a lot If some stats could be added so much the better

In addition the high frequency of combat meant that there was equipment in need of repairs and when it came to skill Sam stood at the top of his crafting association

But at the moment he did nothing

Instead he frantically struggled to move overcome by a strange bout of weakness His hands trembled slightly unable to even maintain a grip on the small hammer he had been using to work

Over the past few weeks there had been a few scattered moments of lightheadedness where he felt strangely empty and light as if all his strength left him

Initially Sam had worried it was age but Rickman their official whiskey brewer had been 79 before the system came a doddering old man After slowly leveling his various skills and using the points to increase his Vitality and Endurance Rickman’s strength had returned and now he had salt and pepper hair looking as though he had just turned 50

Because of this and other examples of the elderly recovering at least some strength if not their youth as their stats rose and because no one else seemed to be suffering from these strange bouts of weakness Sam had ignored them

But now as he trembled on the ground unable to move he was profoundly afraid There was so much they didn’t know about the system so many pitfalls they might blindly walk into If he died here Randidly Lyra Even that fucker Kal still over in Turtletown

And Regina

Sam breathed slowly trying to calm himself And strangely he felt the bout of weakness recede

5 minutes later he stood feeling just as vigorous as he ever had But when he looked at his hands there was a hint of fear

What was happening to him

Chapter 81

Randidly looked out over the ruined suburbs surrounding Franksburg the corners of his mouth quirking up Unfortunately the leaders of Franksburg had been rather loose with their class allowances It looked like 700ish people had been given classes That was about as much as Donnyton had Of course the difference in quality of the Classers was obvious but still

It made it a little hard to imagine Donnyton becoming the superpower that he wanted it to be so he could use the superior political power for leveraging information Their higher skill in crafting and potion making would hopefully be enough to maintain their trading partnerships with Donnyton likely coming out ahead with its higher end products In terms of fightings strength though in the long run

But if Franksburg wanted to threaten Donnyton’s position of dominance in the region they needed to survive this night

Based on the information he had gotten from Alana the town had 42 000 people The monster horde was about 3x what Randidly had ever seen attack Donnyton which would put it just below 20k monsters coming

If 700 people had classes that meant that the NCCs would count for a little less than half a monster to push them up to the 20k total It seemed that NCCs only counted for about ? a monster in terms of the horde Randidly was relieved in a way

Not that he wanted the horde to be big enough to threaten the city but he certainly wanted Franksburg to feel fear and rely upon the goodwill of Donnyton In addition Randidly wanted to be out among the horde leveling his skills Especially Circle of Fire and Pollen of Rafflesia the high area skills

With this huge amount of monsters although he could slow their advance he wouldn’t do enough damage to the horde as a whole to make it too easy for Franksburg Basically

Randidly could run wild

Humming delightedly to himself Randidly sat down brewing potions while he watched the monsters mass in the darkness

Alana gripped her spear shaft so tightly that her knuckles cracked The monsters came in a thundering wave She had only had a brief chance to look at Franksburg’s defenses but in some places it was barely more than a chain link fence reinforced with metal siding

The perimeter would undoubtedly be breached The question was where

And yet Alana could not deny the bubbling excitement within her chest The changes in her skills

She wanted to see how far they would carry her even as she remained classless And once she returned to Donnyton and obtained a class

Alana understood the arguments that certain NCCs put stock into Sam and Regina both chose to focus on raising skill levels rather than receiving a class Alana had thus far taken the same path and focused on polishing her Spear Mastery and gaining various other skills for PP

But now that she had a class waiting for her and a powerful one at that It was hard to resist the allure of the strength that it could give her Above all else the possible bonuses to Health Mana and Stamina changed the entire dynamic Where NCCs have to rely on Endurance and Vitality for their Stamina pool a Classer has a naturally high Stamina pool just due to leveling This led to increased battle proficiency and increased length of training sessions which in turn lead to higher PP hauls

Then Alana shook her head focusing back on the situation at hand The squad from Donnyton was being used as the plug to fill up any holes in the defenses So for now that sat silently in the back waiting Alana knew they wouldn’t have to wait for long

Randidly stepped calmly forward appearing the middle of the flailing horde This clump of enemies was mostly composed of skeletons grimy rags hanging from their bones but they would do for the initial test

Circle of Flame Randidly whispered Abruptly he felt a bright heat in his chest that exploded outward away from him in a wave of flame smashing the nearby skeletons backwards Most of the ones within a few meters shattered to pieces instantly the concussive force too much The layer of skeletons beyond that howled as their bones charred and weakened slowly falling to pieces Beyond that the skeletons were simply sent stumbling

The flame circle dissipated into nothing leaving Randidly frowning Although it was hot and dangerous near him that power swiftly dropped off after the spell was used It currently was nowhere near the level he wanted it

With a dissatisfied expression Randidly focused on another monster a good distance away and stepped again using Phantom Half Step As soon as he appeared another Circle of Flame exploded outwards ending around 20 skeletons

Randidly stepped again and then used circle of flame Over and over he continued taking small breaks every 4 or 5 Circle of Flames to down a mana potion He left a trail of craters in his wake like the footsteps of a flaming giant even as his own form was quite small

After what must have been his 30th circle of flame Randidly casually turned looking back behind him He had reached the back of the monster horde after cutting his waying through it with flame but all marks of his passage were already erased as the flood of monsters trudged on towards Fransburg

It looked like the front lines had reached the outer Franksburg perimeter and that fighting would begin in earnest soon Tonight they would learn of how unforgiving this world is Even Randidly’s presence could only do so much Given enough time sure he could make a noticeable difference

Given ALOT of time sure And a lot of potions

After drinking a mana potion and a stamina potion Randidly removed his spear from his satchel and admired the oppressive height and size Looking at the thick shaft he could still imagine that fearfully powerful Sphinx If it hadn’t toyed with him for so long

Well it had and now it was simply a tall pole weapon There was a lesson in that Randidly supposed But it was not one worth dwelling on now

Now he wanted to try his spear skills He had practiced a little and found a few enemies but the last 4 weeks had been an exercise in patience Although the spear worked fine against small groups of enemies the fearsome size meant it was made for something different

Something like this

The huge construct of bone swept outward as Randidly began walking back through the horde cleaving 6 monsters in half in one blow Randidly’s strength making their bodies seem like paper The skeletons spun around clattering their jaws angrily but the next stroke of Randidly’s spear silenced them forever

Randidly pressed forward faster and faster cutting through the army heading towards the section that was composed mostly of goblins Skeletons were fine but

Randidly wanted to grind other things

He burst into the small bodies of the goblins in an explosion of mangled flesh his spear sweeping back and forth Finding a rather thick clump he leapt over and unleashed a Spear Phantom’s Onslaught reducing most of the goblins in the area to paste

His spear was almost TOO big to use in delicate spearwork The blade of the spear ripped the torso of a goblin totally in half Still Randidly threw his attacks forward with wild abandon barely trying for delicacy as the goblins leaped at his back The corner of his mouth quirked upward

Twisting his spear swept across smashing them out of the air and into the ground Humming a soft tune to himself Randidly activated Pollen of the Rafflesia and began ripping quickly through the goblins as those nearby the already dead began to notice his presence and started to scream at him

He continued moving rapidly striking and moving on towards the deeper area of the horde The ones in front of him were cut to pieces the ones behind him became drowsy or ill or confused

A walking catastrophe Randidly strolled forward focusing on his form

Still there was no need to rush It would be quite the long night

Alana was annoyed

She had lost herself in the vicious cycle of pushing back enemies and then being called away to another side of the perimeter to reinforce another struggling area The first 1 hour was slow as the monsters stalled out on the fences but as they caved their work swiftly became cut out for them

It was only 10 minutes ago after they beat back the ice spewing bats heavily relying on Clarissa’s superior magic they received a new order

They were to retreat to the headquarters

Why Alana demanded furious that Anthony was being so tight lipped about the information Then after biting his lip he leaned forward and whispered something that caused Alana’s eyes to narrow

The headquarters had gone radio silent 10 minutes ago At first they had assumed that the short wave radio that they used had just malfunctioned But as the time stretched onwards

And as signs of a fire from Franksburg proper became apparent

While the rest of the team remained to maintain the walls Alana rushed backed hoping to find well that it was an annoying but harmless mistake

Unfortunately as she moved farther away from the perimeter and back towards the city the sounds of chaos greeted her The positives were that it didn’t appear to be monsters but only looting in this section of the city She also took profound pleasure in breaking the nose of a man who looked her up and down and leered at her

But the outlook became more grim the farther in she went Although there weren’t any definitive signs of monsters people were fleeing away from the center of the city panicked They kept smashing into Alana and rebounding surprised to find that her thin frame was so sturdy Other people stared at her apparently noticing the soft glow that filled the air around her It was still light as her skill level was low but it was definitely visible

Then almost on accident Alana realized what had happened A grinding noise caught her attention and she turned to find the manhole cover to the sewer was slowly rising up With a ringing noise it popped off all the way and several goblins scrambled out of the sewer chittering in their strange language

The people around froze and then began to scream and claw their way in any direction but that one This wasn’t helpful for the traffic flow but it did give Alana space she tore those shocked goblins to pieces so fast that their faces hadn’t even registered her presence

Frowning Alana considered what to do It didn’t appear that there were all that many enemies that had come in here but they were sending people into a panic and

But her train of thought was interrupted by a strange clicking noise and then a voice a soft voice sounded out throughout the town done through loudspeakers

People of Franksburg Don’t panic We can fight our way through this The voice said and Alana saw the people around her stop and look up at the speakers in wonder If you have the will to fight come to the stadium If we stand as one we will push through this challenge

Even Alana felt the draw of that charismatic voice and knew there could only be one source Raina the Siren of Franksburg

Chapter 82

Raina peaked out around the curtain looking at the swiftly filling concert venue That was a good sign for their ability to survive

Much more chilling were the intermittent pops of gunfire and shouts of anger from around the doors to the stadium Her security detail was manning the doors keeping monsters away but it was difficult as more and more people pressed in desperate for a port in this bloody storm

Her main bodyguard and friend Matilda and her manager and costume designer Cassie stood next to her

What do you plan on doing Matilda asked in a low voice turning and looking at the frantically scrambling men backstage Normally they got their power from the small power plant the government of Franksburg still ran However that had become quite fickle in the last few hours so her production team were scavenging the nearby area for generators

Raina had even brought the one that powered her home when she came

I Don’t really know But And truly Raina didn’t These past few weeks she had become increasingly reliant on the Senator He essentially told her what she would be doing every day It was nice in a way Her life was simple and filled with music

And yet she couldn’t get the voice of that strange stoic man out of her head Should could still picture his face as he told her that he couldn’t tell what was the skill and what was not Sighing inwardly Raina plastered a bright smile on her face and continued to speak But we couldn’t do nothing Once word gets to the military they will send

No they won’t A cold female voice interrupted Raina and she was shocked to find a bloodsoaked woman holding a spear standing near their group Snorting the woman pulled a towel out of nowhere and began to wipe her face The perimeter is full of holes already there is no one they dare spare to come assist you

Then the woman hesitated her face scrunching up Except perhaps me I have come to investigate the state of the city I am Alana

You Matilda tilted her head to the side You are from that other village to the north The people who came down with classes DId you know this would happen when they found a village

Alana grimaced I did warn them they simply didn’t

Enough it’s fine Raina said coolly giving the woman Alana a short glance before turning back to the stage For now let’s focus on surviving My song can help calm people

A scream distracted her and Raina twisted to see that several large toads were hopping in from a side hallway They spat poison around the walls and floor that got covered in it were slowly warping and melting

Alana blurred racing towards the toads and several turned and spat towards the approaching threat Spinning her spear she knocked the strange liquid to the side except for one fat glob It arced slowly through the air and Raina watched it with wide eyes

It was inevitable she thought My body won’t even move

Matilda seemed to realize what was happening right after it was too late Her face flickered between expressions from calm to shock of the frogs appearance to relief as Alana moved finally settling on mounting horror

The acid took her in the face She barely managed to close her mouth and eyes in time

First there was nothing

Then there was pain

Her entire world was on fire focused on her face Every concentrated nerve ending lit up like a candle

Collapsing Raina heard people swearing and rushing around her dumping water on her face But the pain persisted ripping deeper Her mind stuttered and began to slow

Fuck open your mouth

Raina drifted off into darkness her only regret being

Someone punched her in the gut and she reflexively opened her mouth gasping A strange warm liquid was poured down her throat

Mixed by The Ghosthound himself not that you will appreciate it The woman Alana said waspishly

Raina shivered as her once weakening body was once more filled with vitality More water was poured on her face and the pain had dropped a lot as well down to manageable levels even as she felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes

Slightly woozy she managed to stand gripping tightly onto Matilda Slowly at first but then committing Raina opened her eyes

It appeared that Alana had swiftly killed the frogs and no one else other than her had been harmed Which was a blessing but Matilda and Cassie were looking at her like someone had died

Is something wrong Raina asked wincing as she moved her face Her skin still felt tight and raw

Cassie winced Oh it’s it’s nothing Just a little scarring

Alana snorted Girl that acid sorta fucked your face up It’s not something makeup can fix

After fumbling for a second Alana produced a small mirror For several long seconds Raina looked at herself Then she began to laugh

It was a low chuckle at first but then it twisted and grew dark

Plain he said I was She muttered to herself which set off another fit of giggles What she wouldn’t do to be plain right now

Cassie do you still have that embroidered mask that he made Raina asked

Cassie nodded quickly then ran grabbing it and bringing it back

So now Alana said her eyes narrowed

Now we fight Raina said a small smouldering coal of hatred burning in her heart Although that man had hated thinking that a skill had affected him drawing him to her he was very clear on one fact

When she had smiled at him he had liked it And now that was gone Raina wondered whether he would accept her now but set that aside First she needed to survive And she only had one path for that her music

She took the mic offered to her by a trembling crew member his gaze on the ground Ignoring the looks and the not looks by the crew who had seen her disfigurement Raina put the mask on and walked out onto the stage The crowd cheered raggedly and filled with desperation She could see from the stage quite a few couples having sex right there in public driven by their fear and panic

She pitied them

But she pitied them more for what was about to happen

Raina raised the mic and spoke a single word singing it softly crooning it to fill it with as much of her skill as she could

Fight

She did not bother with lyrics or any of her songs or any tune She didn’t wait for the band to come out She just felt the hot rage inside of her and used her persuasive skill to give it a vicious and desperate voice

She sang for every friend or acquaintance that was probably now dead killed by monsters For every hollow eyed fan who now crowded her concerts starving themselves in this city in order to afford the ticket For her dream of being a successful singer finally coming true but everything about it all feeling so wrong

She raised her voice stressing the word now dragging it out adding more musical flair to her imperative

People in the crowd were stilling as she sang a glassy look appearing in some of their eyes They breathed and moved as one slowly aligning with her

She heard them mouth the word but knew it was not enough Stepping forward she moved to the edge of the stage standing right above them her arms raised to the sky

Fight Fight Fight

Slowly they joined their chant following hers their eyes slowly narrowing and turning red

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

She was shouting now clutching the mic with white fingers hating the monsters but loving them too They had crushed her old life but gave her this brief month of being on top of the social circle even if she was nothing more than a glorified mouthpiece No matter how twisted it was at least she was loved

The system had given her a skill that made even that stoic boy struggle to resist her smile And just as quickly the system had taken it away Leaving her with scar tissue For that at the moment she wanted to bring it all crashing down And so she sang howling her dissatisfaction

FIGHT

Raina continued to shout yelling her call to action her skill imbued voice echoing over most of the town but some people were already insensible at this point Vicious their vision tinged red they turned and stumbled outward picking up trash and furniture gathering weapons

When they found monsters they threw themselves at them with wild abandon not caring for their lives Because they heard a beautiful voice and it told them one thing Fight

Men and woman attacked each other in their haste to find and kill a monster They surged outward the weaker among them losing their feet and being swiftly trampled But the crowd cared not They were scared weak people and Raina had given them something to cling to In her strange magic they found strength

Not their own strength but the strength of a vicious hungry mindless mob

Chapter 83

Randidly stretched cracking his neck as the moon rose over the city

Unlike Donnyton this monster horde had come quite soon after sundown So around 6 hours later when the monsters were too thinly spread to be considered anything more than the usual amount the survivors collapsed ready to rest for the rest’ of their lives

As he returned to the city he couldn’t help but laugh at his own joke But then he looked around at the piles of bodies and he sobered up somewhat

It had been bloody More so than Randidly expected But he supposed that the machine guns had been barely used The ammo stores were running low before the horde How could they be expected to handle 20k monsters

Even if they kept the number of classers low for tomorrow the sheer number of people here meant the hordes would be large Surviving would be tough Briefly Randidly considered remaining here trying to assist for a while longer

But then he shook his head He could not help every village grow He was here to create an advantage for Donnyton And the advantages in recruiting they would gain would be more than enough

In addition Devan had told him about some of the dangerous seeming notifications that he had received a few days prior as Donnyton apparently advanced to a Trainee Village Hopefully this also meant that Nul would relent and allow Randidly to learn more skills from his skill challenges And just interact with him in general

At any rate it was time to head home Or at least it would be tomorrow

Over the course of the night Randidly had gained 3 levels in Spear Mastery 2 in Phantom Thrust and Spear Phantom’s Footwork 1 in Eyes of the Spear Phantom 4 in Phantom Half Step 2 in Heavy Blow and Fighting Proficiency 3 in Phantom Onslaught Sweep and Edge of Decay 4 in Pollen of the Rafflesia 1 in Agony 6 in Circle of Flame and finally 1 in Physical Fitness

But for the moment Randidly did not yet distribute his PP Instead he walked through the depressed city heading towards the location of his cooking job This would likely be the last time he would be here so he wanted to join in the work Especially when they were offering free food to the survivors in an attempt to keep up morale

Randidly was not really interested in charity but he supposed building up goodwill and grinding his cooking skill just a little longer with the superior cooking equipment wasn’t such a bad thing

Luckily for Franksburg the Senator had survived even while the headquarters was largely ransacked by skeletons by locking himself in the closet and crying himself to sleep Most of the previously intimidating military presence had fled leaving him alone to man the communications room

The Freedom Fighters as a group searched for him found him and then satisfied everyone wandered to find the nearest bed Even Anthony who had only commanded the battle had red rims around his eyes and was starting to slur his speech

Alana supposed it was only natural this was their first beast horde They had fought monsters before but they didn’t know what it was like to be afraid for their lives And to think they had nowhere to return to

Internally Alana admitted to herself that it was slightly cruel what they were doing Without their assistance they wouldn’t have acquired a Newbie Town for a few more weeks At that time their average level of strength would have risen another level

Admittedly not to the point where they could have survived what came for them last night but still

Shaking her head Alana turned around to talk to Devan and his squad only to find another group of 3 had crept up on them

Still awake Alana said with false casualness but inwardly she was slightly afraid of the masked woman in front of her She had felt the pull on her will too as Raina had chanted fight but had resisted it Once the conscious choice was made it was rather easy to push its influence aside but she then had to watch as people had their arms cut off and stuffed their bloody stumped down the throat of a monster to kill it their eyes gleeful

It was a dangerous power when you allowed it to consume yourself

Yes Raina said simply And I know a place that is giving out free food to survivors I know a chef there I’m sure you all are famished Won’t you join me I have something to discuss

Raina explained slowly cautiously but she could still see Alana hesitate

Are you sure Alana asked carefully That you really want to abandon what you have here

Yes Raina said simply for the first time realizing what a boon the mask was The other woman could not see the change in her expression Things are fine now but I expect there to be backlash for what I did to all those people

Alana remained silent but her gaunt eyes meant that she had seen it too Most of the lives lost at the end were not due to people being overwhelmed by monsters but rather due to people fighting without any care for their lives throwing themselves into danger in order to inflict wounds on the monsters

The rest of the walk continued in silence and Raina admired the professionalism of the people who came down from this village to the North The head of the squad who Raina had heard was a knight marched with his squad members following behind in formation even now prepared Their equipment looked well cared for and practical She wondered idly what they had gone through to get to this level of skill

Raina saw Randidly as she walked up working the front of a stand one hand blurring as he cut food then moving it to the pan all the while speaking with a customer His movements were liquid and smooth even as everyone around him hurried back and forth struggling to keep up with the mass of people willing to stay awake for food

Of course 10 feet away from the stand piles of people were laying snoring next to their half eaten plates

It’s here Raina said stepping into line To her surprise all of the people from Donnyton had extremely strange expressions on their faces as they gazed up at the food

Raina ignored that and tried not to worry overmuch over how Randidly reacted to her face Would he even recognize her with the mask Of course he would he had made it for her but

After what felt like an eternity their group reached the front of the line Randidly’s stoic eyes slid up to them appraising them Raina froze unsure of what to say

But what she didn’t expect was for Randidly to largely ignore her turning to the others Fatigue level

Moderate but no injuries Devan said smartly saluting towards Randidly Rubbing his hands on his apron Randidly nodded

Good this level of enemy shouldn’t give you pause Also this is convenient All of you come back here Devan you take orders I’d rather just cook And you how are you at cutting vegetables

Raina’s jaw hidden by her mask remained dropped as these stalwart warriors who even the toughest of the Freedom Fighters treated with awe and respect dutifully trotted behind the counter of the stand and began to help Randidly cook and clean

Alana Tell me about the Soul Skill you received Randidly said rapidly stirring a sauce in a pot smelling it and then adding a pinch of something

Ah It was a slight comfort to Raina that Alana seemed to think this whole situation was strange There are 4 things that rotate I get 1 every 5 pp spent 5 Health and Stamina and then 1 Endurance followed by 1 Strength and finally 1 Willpower

Randidly grunted and turned to Raina finally Alright Miss Devan will take your order

What will it be Devan said his face serious as he stepped forward Randidly began to turn away but Raina ripped off her max trembling

Randidly stopped slowly turning to look at her He gazed at her for several second without comment a curious sadness in his gaze

H how do I look now Raina asked desperate to end this strange silence smiling as well as she could with her stiff facial skin

To her surprise Randidly chuckled Still plain But more genuine than before for sure Are you feeling better

Raina frowned feeling oddly jubilant in her heart Why had everyone else acted like her face was ruined earlier if Randidly was just going to ignore it Now she felt slightly hysterical for inciting a mob over the incident The only reason I was feeling down before was because you called me plain

Randidly just smiled awkward and shrugged I really didn’t like your skill It seems whatever happened has let you control its activation Its nice

I have a question Alana interrupted finally unwilling to remain silent any longer When the fuck did you have time to learn to cook like this This is fucking delicious

Shaking his head Randidly turned away and walked out towards where the shopkeeper was keeping supplies

How do you know him Raina asked turning to Alana

Alana blushed He he’s my Our town’s

Something like a guardian angel One of the squad members supplied tying an apron around his waist and moving to skin potatoes

He is the Ghosthound Devan said his face completely still and disinterested I would love to chat but there are more people to take orders from If you don’t mind please step aside until you make your decision so we can service other customers

Alana still was thinking It’s not like he’s in charge but he’s definitely got the support for anything he wants to do and he’s the most powerful

Some people One of the other squad members hesitated and then said Some people really revere him Worship him almost

Raina blinked but it was the absolute surety in Devan’s tone that left her speechless

That is true He is after all the Ghosthound

Chapter 84

As Randidly sent Devan’s squad away he had gained 3 more Lvls in Cooking and 2 in Grace

He saw the strange glances from Raina but ignored them Without the added danger of her looks there was definitely some appeal in trying to recruit her to come back to Donnyton Although that sorta depended on what she could accomplish with her voice

Shaking his head Randidly focused on his PP Even though he didn’t want to stay and help the town too much it couldn’t be denied that nights like this were certainly well springs of PP He supposed that was half the reason monsters hordes were sent against Newbie Villages to encourage skill growth

He had 42 PP 29 of which were used to finish of the Potion Making II Path He earned 12 Focus getting there as a notification

Congratulations You have completed the The Potion Making II Path Battle is not the only path to strength Understanding the world’s mysteries and using them to your own advantage will greatly increase your chance of surviving For ahead of you the path stretches ever onward Effectiveness of bonuses from Potion Making skill lvl have increased You have learned the skill Extract Lvl 1

Extract Separate the composite parts of a substance or mixture Speed and thoroughness of extraction depend on skill level Purity will increase as skill level rises

As Randidly had expected he had received a skill for the completion He couldn’t currently think of any uses for it but he supposed as he encountered more materials he would find something

The remaining 13 PP sat there as Randidly frowned down at his Path options

Watcher 0/ Heretic IV 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Initiate of Ash I 0/75 Spear Mastery II 0/75 Path of Carnage I 0/

The obvious choice was to now go for Spear Mastery II It was still the bread and butter of his close combat techniques and this would probably provide a new skill he could use But at the same time he was oddly drawn to the Path of Carnage path

Both the surety of Spear Mastery II’s usefulness and the question marks in the amount of Path of Carnage made Randidly hesitate and ultimately decide the safe option was best At least Spear Mastery would likely result in a positive outcome even if it took a while

So Randidly poured his PP into that path earning himself a point in Perception at 5 and Reaction at 10 That combined with the bonuses that Randidly received from his soul skill added up to a significant amount

After allocating everything Randidly looked at his status screen

Health(/R per hour) 390/432 (+8) (209 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 132/769 (90 75)

Stam(/R per min) 401/544 (76 (+4

Vit 62 (+4)

Str 49 (+2)

Agi 70 (+10)

Perception 36

Reaction 53

Resistance 19

Inteligence 96

Control 79

Focus 50

Skills (Soul Skill) Spear of Rot Mastery Lvl 437

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 52 Phantom Thrust Lvl 49 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 38 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 24 Phantom Half Step Lvl 15 Heavy Blow Lvl 26 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 27 Dodge Lvl 31 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 38 Block Lvl 32 Haste Lvl 24 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 14 Sweep Lvl 26 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 28 Calculated Blow Lvl 19 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 18 Edge of Decay Lvl 16

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 13 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 24 Root Manipulation Lvl 28 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 9 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 15 Summon Pestilence Lvl 17 Mana Strengthening Lvl 14 Wall of Thorns Lvl 5 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 12 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 5 Circle of Flame Lvl 7

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 30 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 12

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 33 Meditation Lvl 35 Running Lvl 23 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 23 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 16 Pain Resistance Lvl 14 First Aid Lvl 13 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 15 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Blessing of the North Blessing of the East Blessing of the West Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 3 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 16 Grace Lvl 5 Extract Lvl 1

Looking at his stats Randidly had some decisions to make For now both survivability and spell damage weren’t an issue In addition his mana and stamina were increasing to the point that he could use his high cost skills and spells multiple times in a row Not many without potions but enough for an extended fight

So now Randidly was torn whether to drive his Agility up even higher increase his Strength for more power work on the supporting stats of Perception and Reaction or to finally address the glaring weakness that was his Resistance

Randidly supposed it wasn’t so glaring For this time period where everyone was putting points into the physical defense skills he probably had a relatively higher amount in that stat compared to most non knight people But still

If there was a way to beat him in a fight it was to hit him hard with spells He was getting by in his spars with Clarissa due to his high agility but that wouldn’t always be useful

After rubbing his forehead Randidly climbed up to the top of a building Although he certainly was gaining a lot of PP they did not translate into distributable stats as much as they used to It was usually to a stat that was relevant to the path And Randidly hadn’t yet encountered a path that was specifically related to Resistance

The annoying part of it all was that he couldn’t know what kind of threats would be coming There were obviously enemies that Resistance were necessary against but if those enemies didn’t come it would essentially be useless stats

But something occurred to Randidly and his face fell He did know of one enemy they hadn’t yet accounted for and who would likely know magic Donnyton’s Tribulation If anyone were to prepare and use his weakness to magic to defeat him it would be that creature

Shivering Randidly resolved himself to raise his resistance and looked North toward Donnyton

Yea he had played around down here for long enough It was time to head back

What are they doing Annie asked distastefully

Dozer shrugged The trees come from the Ghosthound so people think they are special And that aura they give off is pretty good So every day when the trees dance

The tree wiggled its branches back and forth A few dozen people standing nearby mirrored it

Decklan yawned exaggeratedly At least the tree is at the guard station anyway Might as well be useful while you make yourself look like an idiot

Then Decklan froze and smiled Finally Glendel found that Tier II Raid Boss Are you two ready

Dozer and Annie nodded their individual squads standing and stretching preparing for what was to come It was likely overkill but in the wake of Dozer clearing the dungeon the pressure on Donnyton was largely decreased There was still a large constant flow of monsters from the other dungeon but from what Dozer said he should have bought a solid week of no monsters from the other direction

Annie looked around frowning Where’s the little kitty Dozey

Dozer just shrugged One of his subordinates spoke up in his stead She’s still with Daniel For whatever reason she chose him as her personal pin cushion

One woman from Decklan’s squad chuckled I heard that he earned Scratch Resistance and it’s already at Lvl 7

Decklan clapped That crafty bastard keeping all of that fun for himself While the rest of us are out here risking our lives Brings a tear to my eye the unfairness of the world

Dozer rolled his eyes Let’s just go already I want to try some of that liquor the NCCs have started brewing Apparently it’s fermented from the Ghosthound’s weird strain of corn

Almost instantly most of the group’s eyes began to sparkle and they fell into a practiced formation Sighing Annie shook her head

Men She muttered

Chapter 85

They had a problem although Randidly supposed it was a good problem to have The amount of people who wanted to come back with them to Donnyton was staggering Almost 700 people showed up their items packed and their expressions nervous as someone from Devan’s squad walked around speaking with them marking down their stat distributions and skills slowly getting a tally

This was insisted on by Daniel with Regina’s support and Randidly knew that he was never going to be the one to actually handle the details so he had just shrugged and assented But now that he had seen the exacting detail that it demanded his mood started to sour Very quickly he went to Devan looked over the questionnaire and then ripped most of the pages up

Instead Randidly inserted a rather straightforward question

In Donnyton people are generally divided by their jobs Which of the following jobs would you prefer Administration Warrior Doctor Farmer Archer Scout Mage Crafting Construction

Randidly knew that people would shy away from things like Administration and Farmer but he had hopes that some of the practical women and men who were coming north with them would gravitate towards crafting and construction positions

Of course some would become actual Classers and among those a few would insist on becoming mages but that was acceptable for now After all they had witnessed Clarissa’s abilities first hand After seeing that power it was hard to accept just swinging a sword around

With those changes we should finish in about two hours Devan said calmly his eyes scanning the crowd Honestly Randidly had removed 90% of the material Daniel wanted

Now it was basically just stats people focused their skill level and the job they were thinking about

Randidly nodded his eyes scanning the crowds He even recognized a few faces The man he had met while chopping vegetables who wanted to learn to move faster Cassie looking around nervously as she stood next to a hooded woman who was obviously Raina That determined man Cesar who had been paired with Randidly while digging holes

But there was one face conspicuously absent

I have to take care of something If the process finishes no need to wait for me I’ll catch up Randidly said to Devan and then walked away disappearing into the crowd

He knew that he was being foolish that he had no reason to force her to move He also had no idea why this was such an issue for him He had after all broken up with her quite a while ago Deep in his heart he was sure that there were no buried emotions But what he did have were positive memories of their time together

For that he wanted to spare her the struggle that Franksburg was going to become

As he ascended to Tessa’s floor and exited the stairwell the men pressed themselves against the wall standing at attention

The head bouncer who Tessa had told him was named Ezzie stepped forward Mr Ghosthound sir I’m very sorry for the misunderstanding on your last visit Let me assure you it won’t happen again

A thin hot rod of tension slid down between his shoulders but Randidly forced himself to relax He even smiled at Ezzie

It’s not an issue You were doing your job

Then Randidly brushed passed him moving towards Tessa’s room but Ezzie awkwardly coughed

Um sir I just uh My b boss has a message for you

Randidly stopped Oh

Yes it’s just It’s from Missy Carp She owns the Establishment that Tessa works at

Oh Randidly’s frown deepened his voice turning cold He wondered idly whether Spearing Roots would reach up from the ground to here Probably not without quite a lot of mana expenditure It was something to be aware of in the future that distance from the ground would make the use of that skill more difficult

Of course he had others

Don’t misunderstand Ezzie said hastily stepping backwards Missy Carp allows all of her employees to come and go freely She wishes you luck on your recruitment drive and hopes you enjoyed your time in Franksburg And that if you would return to the city she is willing to make her compound and connections at the disposal of the good people of Donnyton

Randidly’s eyes narrowed but he relaxed Rather than a threat this was a business proposition God why had he agreed to come on this thing anyway This was becoming decidedly political He supposed he had found a clue about Sydney and Ace which ended up just demonstrating they weren’t here but still

Still it surprised Randidly how astute this woman was to attempt to approach him directly Perhaps it was a coincidence but it could also mean that this was a woman who listened very closely to the direction the wind was blowing

Tell her that I appreciate the offer and I will report it to Donnyton’s council Randidly walked away heading towards Tessa’s door

Apparently those words were satisfactory because no one tried to speak with him again He knocked on the door and was surprised to find one of Tessa’s roommates answering it She quickly ushered him inside taking him directly to Tessa’s room where she sat wrapped in a quilt staring out the window

Before Randidly could even say anything Tessa asked Was Sydney the reason you broke up with me

Her voice was oddly even almost monotone and her gaze didn’t waver from the window Randidly opened his mouth to respond then caught himself Slowly he closed his mouth In all honestly it had been

Yes Randidly said When he had broken up with her he had been brutally succinct before departing leaving her crying on the floor of her apartment For that callous treatment he owed her a bit of honesty

Snorting Tessa swore bitterly That fucking cunt I always knew she was a little slut Did Ace know That his best friend was fucking his fiancee

Randidly’s eyes narrowed It wasn’t like that we weren’t

What’s the point in lying now They both are already dead anyway Is a life with me really so bad I’m here right now

Barely containing his rage Randidly said I’m trying to say that we never

Do you think I’m an idiot Do you think ACE is an idiot Both of you kept disappearing together for those few weeks Did you think once we noticed we didn’t talk And how when we compared our notes the schedules fit so nicely together

Just fucking listen for a minute Randidly growled but Tessa was too far gone working up a head of steam for herself

Both of you would give a convenient excuse then slip away At least you were smart you stuck to during the day during the week No late nights studying’ no moving while the people you two were cheating on were out of town No you uhk

Let me stop you right there Randidly’s voice was cool but his eyes blazed with rage as he activated Agony

Ezzie only had a moment where his new danger instincts warned him powerfully to run away before a wave of vicious head wrenching pain knocked the wind out of him Whimpering the other bouncers in the hall collapsed leaning against the wall and sliding slowly downward Even Ezzie who had been undergoing special training to raise his skills and improve his stats staggered barely able to withstand the wave of pain that struck him

But what really brought a chill to his heart was that when he checked his health was decreasing moving rapidly towards 0

Although his instincts were screaming for him to run far away and hide Ezzie pushed through them rushing up to the door that the Ghosthound had entered Grunting Ezzie raised his leg and made use of his Kicking Mastery smashing the cheap wood of the door ripping through the deadbolt

Once inside the pain redoubled and Ezzie bit his lip struggling to stay conscious His vision swam as he stuttered slowly forward heading to the back room with the slightly ajar door where the powerful aura was emanating Ezzie wasn’t even able to see to make out the figure wrapped in air distortions but in his heart he knew there was only person who could cause this

Eyelids fluttering he leaned against the door barely aware enough to speak but he worked at his heavy and fat tongue struggling to say something anything

Sir But that was all that Ezzie was able to complete because The Ghosthound turned and looked at him really looked at him for the first time in their interactions The Ghosthound’s face was twisted into a scowl his eyes narrowed But the emerald pupils burned like a chemical fire bright and dangerous

In those eyes Ezzie was forced to confront a truth about himself he would never be a match for the man standing in front of him Perhaps a month ago this man had been human but no longer Now he was

You ll kill ll Ezzie blubbered his words more slobber than syllable and all at once the pain stopped gone as soon as it had came Gasping Ezzie fell to his knees

The Ghosthound pressed his eyes closed seeming to struggle inwardly Then he opened them and his eyes had faded to their usual innocuous forest green

I apologize I lost my temper Ezzie watched as the Ghosthound walked over to Tessa and put a hand against her neck A flash of relief crossed the Ghosthound’s face but then he turned back to Ezzie once more a stoic mask I suppose compensation is in order Take me to the roof

Chapter 86

Randidly felt the hot hungry buzz of anger still in his chest but flowing below that cooling him swiftly was a sharp sense of fear and a prickling of guilt The anger itself was exceedingly strange It was the hottest thing he had ever felt but it simultaneously was so numbing It was an animating energy that enraged him and made him heedless If Ezzie hadn’t staggered into the room distracting Randidly would he have continued until he killed Tessa

Shaking his head he forced his mind away from that topic but was confronted with an equally vicious one that hatred fueled focused episode of Agony had increased the skill Lvl by 3 and it only took a dozen or so seconds

Randidly had always known that mental state influences the speed at which levels were gained but still this seemed ridiculous Was it that it was used on humans then Or was it just that he truly desperately wanted to hurt Tessa in that moment for what she had implied about Sydney

Either answer was disturbing And it was one that he would need to answer clearly in order to continue to grow stronger He wanted to make use of the most efficient methods If fighting against humans was the most effective

If deeply truly wanting to hurt your enemies was the most effective method

If losing his morality was the most effective method

Following a still whitefaced Ezzie the two of them reached the roof The apartment building wasn’t the tallest building in the area but it was one of the highest and the higher buildings were generally clustered downtown which was a mile or so away to the South Therefore his current vantage point gave Randidly a very clear view of the surrounding area

From his observations Randidly could only come to one conclusion Franksburg as it was now was doomed It was simply too large to defend effectively It had been fine when they were only dealing with wandering monsters but the monster horde would change things and not for the better Last night’s casualties even with the help of the squad from Donnyton proved that

So Randidly took that violent lava anger filled with strange pricklings of ice still alive in his gut and used it He reached within himself felt the source of his mana the same source that he had so much trouble controlling with the grace of Lyra and prodded it gently

As he expected it stoically had no response

Grinning to himself Randidly lamented this fact If he could only figure out how to replicate Lyra’s skills

But that was not his path he knew His path lay elsewhere And he could only keep his eyes on the ground and move forward lest he lose his grip on the weapons that he did have

So this time he grabbed his mana source and pulled dragging every drop of mana he could out And then with eyes burning emerald he raised his hands

Lucifer watched the caravan for Donnyton leave his face serious

Derek Quinn rubbed the stump of his left arm and asked Did you also want to go

After a long time Lucifer nodded slowly It was a tempting offer Luckily most of the Freedom Fighters have family here or else

At least they recruited mostly from the the University and other odd jobs Derek Quinn commented but Lucifer’s reaction of chuckling confused him

What’s so

But before he could finish the question the earth beneath their feet rumbled dangerously the whole area quaking Before either of them could even respond the area to their immediate left and right erupted thorny vines surging upwards twisting and twining snaking amongst each other

Shuddering the earth in some places cracked and fell away revealing more thorny vines some as thick as an adult male’s torso with viciously sharp thorns that stuck outward like curved bayonets

As they watched aghast these thorn walls which were about 8 feet high began to spread to the left and right along the perimeter of their defenses As it continued on the height dropped only reaching around 5 and a half feet at its lowest but the wall of thorns ran immediately adjacent to their previous defenses bolstering them immensely

And at those locations where the Franksburg government had seen fit to put small gates the walls split allowing continued passage

Their view of the departing caravan through the main gate remained unchanged Barely a ripple of reaction could be seen from them as if they had been expecting this all along

Even Lucifer in that moment felt a sliver of fear Was this the type of world this was becoming

Congratulations You have created an Inspired Wall of Thorns Rampart of Thorns has been created

Congratulations Wall of Thorns has increased to Lvl 6

Congratulations Wall of Thorns has increased to Lvl 7

Warning all mana has been depleted Mana will not regenerate for 24 hours

Randidly lowered his hands feeling profoundly drained but satisfied Almost reflexively he removed a mana potion from his bag but then smiled bitterly at it putting it away

Extraordinary I had wondered who had wandered into my village but

Randidly turned towards the voice and found a bland faced woman standing there smiling slightly at him which must be the Franksburg’s spirit guide What Randidly didn’t expect was that when he met her eyes the woman would gasp and take several steps towards him

You You possess You’ve slain a Tribulation But why You don’t yet have a class The woman’s voice transformed from shocked to nonplussed to eager to almost hungry over the course of several seconds

Her eyes bright she clasped Randidly’s hands pressing herself closer to him Allow me to grant you the godly class you deserve Just join my village and I can make sure that you will be unrivaled in strength in this Zone

I refuse Randidly said simply his eyes narrowing as several things clicked into place in his head

Comments from Nul and the Neighboring town’s Spirit about two halves of a whole

A Spirit and a matching Tribulation

Nul suddenly so eager to converse with Randidly and then refusing to meet with him after Randidly continued to wait on getting a class

The peculiar inactivity from their neighbor town

The hunger in this town spirit’s eyes as she looked at him

If the Spirit and Tribulation were somehow connected and meant to become one the system made a little more sense Not in terms of the survival rate of Newbie Villages but at least in terms of the motivation The Tribulation wanted to continue living and needed something from the village

But a village would also gain something by vanquishing the Tribulation Or another villages tribulation Or perhaps even another village

But what exactly were they trying to obtain

Randidly ignored Franksburg’s Spirit and walked away But one phrase that she spat at his back once it was clear Randidly was uninterested stuck in his mind

Fool You and your kind are doomed to starve You will come crawling back and think I will help you then Ha

Kim Lath The Tribulation of many faces turned and graced Lyra with a warm smile still using Randidly’s face Lyra felt a small warm flutter in her heart from it even as she knew she was being foolish

Have you reconsidered the favor I asked for Kim Lath asked sweetly delicately cutting off the edge of the wolverine steak and raising it to his (Its Lyra reminded herself) lips They had taken to having dinner every other night chatting about innocuous things

Almost like a date

But just like Lyra’s languid enjoyment masked a viciously exacting suspicion so too Kim Lath’s innocent banter hid a sinister agenda Not for a moment did Lyra think she wasn’t being used She just couldn’t quite figure out how And honestly Randidly presenting a smiling face was an amusing diversion

Kim Lath had finally tipped its hand slightly at their last dinner where it had casually too casually asked to be shown around the village Lyra had demurred going into a long rant about how annoying it was to deal with the people of Donnyton Which it increasingly was

FIrst of all they were entirely too gracious and respectful towards her She had been amused by how they associated her with Randidly initially but as they suddenly treated her as nothing more than some freak pet of his that could perform amazing tricks of magic it had really started to grate on her

Second all they wanted to do was grow stronger And yes that was important But you needed to take some time and enjoy yourself a little Twisting yourself too tightly was a fast way of burning out or turning super evil or something Although Lyra couldn’t deny that a look of cruelty in Randidly’s eyes some rough play between them was oddly arousing

Probably a little intimate to have Kimmy act out with her Lyra lamented

Ultimately Kim Lath had taken Lyra’s rejection without comment receiving it with a smile But what was surprising was that he had brought it up once more

I think not Lyra said abruptly very tired of this game If she hadn’t been almost 100% sure this was simply a projection and not the real body she would have attacked and tried to kill it

But Kim Lath’s response surprised her Then how about the village nextdoor I simply would like to see how creatures like you live

Lyra thought about it and couldn’t really find a reason why she shouldn’t She also was slightly curious how Ellaine was doing even if she simultaneously hoped that Kal and Vivian needed to resort to back alley handjobs to get by But the frustrating part about the two of them was that they always seemed to land smugly on their feet smiling and charming

You know what Sure Lyra said nodding and stretching She was due for some exercise anyway Not that she really needed it The system enhanced world had almost everyone looking fit and toned Honestly Lyra wished staying the correct balance of curvy slender and toned had been as easy while she had been acting Wait here though I want to check something quickly

Chapter 87

Decklan danced forward his eyes bright as the wounded Wyvern the Tier II Raid Boss backpedaled as fast as its stubby legs could carry it

The only trouble that Decklan’s team had ever had was getting close enough to the Raid Boss to launch their attacks Once it was alerted the Raid Boss’s minions would swarm making the kill almost impossible

Generously Dozer and his squad had smashed the minions into monster goop clearing a very wide path to the boss The two squads had rushed forward overwhelming the Raid Boss’s monstrous health hacking its body to pieces

Now on its last legs Dozer reluctantly allowed Decklan to go forward alone seeking to gain the stat gains of this Raid Boss Ivan and Terra hurried after him Terra to provide support Ivan who watched them both with calculating eyes hoping to swipe the stat gains for himself In a way it was amusing to Decklan for his subordinates to be so greedy

But something about Ivan’s attitude resurrected a vicious streak that Decklan had slowly let fall asleep in his stay in Donnyton

If this fucker tried anything funny he would regret it

The Raid Boss spun around its tail smashing towards them Decklan gracefully leapt over it earning himself another skill level in Jump leaving long jagged scratches across the skin of the Raid Boss as he sliced downwards in a practiced motion barely missing a beat Decklan had to hold back a grin There was something about this life with the system It was just so much fun

Wisely noticing that he didn’t need her help Terra retreated avoiding the blow Gritting his teeth Ivan imitated Decklan his much lower control making itself known as he smashed into the tail and rolled over it in a ball of limbs

Decklan smiled slightly but sprinted off after the Raid Boss which had erupted into motion dashing into a nearby thicket of trees

Right when he was about to pursue Decklan saw a thorny vine rising out of the ground in front of him wiggling back and forth

Frowning Decklan crossed his arms But we did all the work

The vine pointed at Decklan shook itself then spun in a lazy circle as if to say You are the one that brought it here to me I can’t be everywhere now can I

Then it flicked the thorny vine clearly telling him to wait Decklan just sighed exasperated

He had been aware that The Ghosthound’s strange plant pet Thorn had been following his squad and mopping up a lot of the weaker minions of the raid boss draining their bodies of blood and delivering them to Sam

Sam was delighted at the intact bone structure of enemies killed this way and had impressed upon Decklan that this was a pet of the Ghosthound and he should allow it free reign assisting it whenever possible

The way Sam said Ghosthound annoyed Decklan because it was not in a reverent way of speaking It was more a distasteful pronunciation as if Sam would prefer not to say it like that but was only using it thus as a tool against him

But still Sam was technically correct So Decklan just sat on his haunches slowly recovering Ivan ran up to him eyes bulging

What are you doing It’s getting away

Decklan made a helpless gesture This is no longer just our quarry We wait here

Ivan snorted and stomped forward Thorn’s little vine turned to Ivan then back at Decklan Decklan just shrugged

Ivan made it three steps before several thorny vines burst from the ground wrapping his body up in a split second binding his arms to his sides One vine covered with particularly jagged thorns wound its way around Ivan’s neck almost lazy in its motions

The communication vine turned back to Decklan almost in askance Ivan struggled helplessly his strength nothing in comparison to the powerful constricting vines of Thorn Very quickly his face turned red and then purple blood dripping out from 100 small cuts on his body

I would prefer you not kill him He is a capable subordinate Decklan said simultaneously amused and intimidated He had known it was powerful but this

Even if Decklan was prepared could he dodge all of those vines

Thorn’s main vine slid over to Ivan’s suspended body patting him in several places seeming to consider

Then it unceremoniously dumped Ivan on the ground He immediately began gasping for breath scrambling away from the treeline his eyes wide with fear

Meanwhile Thorn was now beckoning Decklan Nervously he followed it deeper into the trees

The path of the Raid Boss was abundantly clear The thing had crashed forward with as much delicacy as a tank About a mile beyond the trees they came upon the remnants of the Tier 2 Raid Boss held bound by dozens of thorny vines As he approached Decklan saw the vines constrict digging deeper into the monster’s flesh several long scratches ripping open even more widely as the thorns dragged across it

But what drew Decklan’s gaze was below the body

As the vines tightened several drips of blood were squeezed out as if the Raid Bosses body was being rung like a wash cloth and fell into the strange toothy maw of Thorn

This was the first and only Decklan hoped time he would see Thorn’s core It was a mass of soft flesh a weird mixture of brown and pink and green a red slimy tentacle slithering up through its rot covered teeth to catch the drops of blood

When he looked at it all Decklan could think of was a strange twisted turnip that had dozens of saggy cancerous growths covering it And from those growths stretched thorny vines sinking into the ground beneath it

The cancer turnip turned and then twisted its toothy maw into an arc in a strange imitation of a smile Then with surprising delicacy the body of the Raid Boss was deposited on the ground in front of Decklan

He tilted his head to the side but then froze The eyelid of the Raid Boss had fluttered weakly It was still alive

All Thorn had wanted was to drink its blood

In a flurry of motion the vines withdrew ripping into the ground in a spray of dirt Thorn invisible almost immediately

Then feeling an odd twinge of pity for the creature Decklan slit the throat of the Raid Boss

Upon hearing Decklan’s report the Council was silent each of its members keeping their thoughts to themselves

So Sam spoke first his brow furrowed How strong do you think this Thorn really is

Decklan shrugged wearily Killing the Tier II Raid Boss had given him a nice boost to his Endurance and Agility but the joy he usually felt from those kills was muted by the sight of Thorn squeezing the body dry for blood

It’s hard to compare Against someone like me or a mage Thorn could bind us and rip us to pieces Against Dozer or Donny It might be more fair The trick would be to avoid getting wrapped up because once that happens In addition while it’s underground it’s almost impossible to detect By the time you realize it’s there it’s too late

But I mean do we really have to worry It’s The Ghosthound’s plant right Daniel said nervously The rest of the table seemed inclined to agree but everyone was slightly intimidated by this show of power by the creature Even if it had been weakened by their squads before hand

Even Sam couldn’t find his usual cheer at such an intact high level corpse

As a general rule humans were more powerful than they had ever been in terms of physical abilities There was even the beginning of documented proof that Intelligence and Wisdom actually increased your mental capabilities although it was starting to appear that Control and Focus had a more direct impact on the non system aspects of life The monsters that had once driven humanity screaming into their cellars was now casually dealt with

But stronger and stronger monsters kept appearing And although this plant was currently friendly it still made them slightly uneasy to have it within the bounds of their village

Ultimately though Regina said slowly gazing at each other person sitting at the table What can we do

No one had an answer so the meeting moved onto other matters

I’d like to make some suggestions in regards to the SP expenditures Daniel said his expression nervous Mrs Hamilton steepled her fingers her expression neutral Regina leaned back in her chair Glendel covered his hand with his mouth and sighed In his heart Glendel knew that Daniel had the best interests of the town as his focus and was deeply regretful that his rash action had caused them to go through a stressful few days

But with that mistake fresh in the minds of everyone else this would not be a receptive audience

Before he began the door to the Council chamber swung smoothly open The dying light of the setting sun illuminated Lyra who for the first time Glendel had seen was wearing a serious expression

I’m heading over to visit Turtle Town She announced If I have the chance is there anything I should ask of their King

There was a long stunned moment of silence

Absolutely not Sam said slamming his fist on the table That crazed man

I’m going to try again Lyra said her smile calm her voice low but for some reason Sam couldn’t yell over it Even Glendel’s ghosts which swirled around him constantly slowed down their focus narrowing on the figure framed in the doorway Listen this time alright

Her whole body began to glow waves of chaotic mana rolling off her to fill the air Her pupils faded replaced by a glowing blue her irises then too until it seemed her whole soul was burning bright shining out through her eyes glowing azure

She was just a veneer of humanity lit from the inside by a vicious tightly controlled power That was really what animated her

I am heading to Turtle Town As a courtesy I came here first Is there anything you want me to say

In Lyra’s deserted home nothing moved But then inexplicably a voice spoke Filling the dimly lit room

This is a chance We must hurry I always detested games but she forced us into this game of chicken Will you find me or will I Become strong enough that your interference won’t matter

If someone had been there to look they would have perhaps seen a dirty skull floating just below the ceiling its gaze fixated on something far to the south

The Ghosthound must die

Chapter 88

Devan and Alana had enough able bodied people to protect the convoy even though they were extremely numerous at least until they left the Newbie Zone around Franksburg so Randidly turned back towards the horde of monsters that was gathering for another monster horde in Franksburg

His hands itched his eyes were red Ever since he had lost his control with Tessa he had felt different

More volatile less calm Suddenly it was abundantly clear how much he was wasting his time Why had he even come here Sure finding Ace and Sydney would be nice but what would it really accomplish It was pointless All of it was pointless

They were likely dead and he was chasing ghosts

How well could they really have survived if half of their building was ripped off in the middle of the night If they were teleported hundreds of miles away How could they not have

A notification popped up distracting him from his train of thought

Congratulations Your Thorn Lvl 5 is ready to level up After slurping many similar enemies Thorn wonders if it should be one of many or the One

Frowning Randidly selected the One There was only one path to a good life in this world now and it was through power With it you could take the things you crave Without it

Thorn is now Lvl 6 Survivability has increased by 5 Physicality has increased by 2 Particularity has increased by 3 Thorn has learned the skill Piercing Thorns

Randidly didn’t know what he was expecting but it was oddly disappointing Everything felt that way right now all of it He wished

Randidly’s sprear flicked out smashing apart a skeleton that had wandered too close to where he was fuming And like a keg of gunpowder that spark set Randidly off

Roaring he charged among the skeletons his huge bone spear sweeping back and forth reaping them cleanly In addition he activated Agony the grating vicious pain oddly soothing It narrowed his focus drove away the incessant negative thoughts that had sprung up for the first time today The guilt the helplessness the confusion the lack of direction They were wiped clean leaving only a growing rage and a constant pain

Maybe it was because he had for so long struggled to survive and then he came back on earth much more powerful the the local monsters Lost and unsure of what he should be doing he had latched onto the survivors slowly teaching them to become strong in the same way that he had learned to become strong by throwing them into the fire

At the very least Randidly informing them that they were about to be cast into the fire helped them and increased their survival chances far above what they would have been

For a while he had gone with that slowly establishing a base teaching them what he had known defeating any enemies too strong for them to handle

And then what And now what

What was he fucking doing

Randidly’s eyes glowed pale green in the darkness his spear smashing agonized monsters to pieces Although he couldn’t use mana for 24 hours due to the use of Inspiration that didn’t make him any less a death sentence for monsters of this level regardless of their number Unless he was deliberately trying to do so he would not run out of stamina He was just a constant blur of death

Even as a notification popped up indicating that his health had reached 20% Randidly’s smile didn’t waver He downed two health potions and continued barely slowly his vicious assault refusing to shut off Agony

Although it slowly wore his own health down it did worse things to those enemies around him

Especially now where a growing corner of his heart trembled with fear guilt anger confusion and frustration And that part of him wanted to hurt something

Heeding his will Agony rolled out in malicious waves larger and more powerful than it had ever been before Green eyes glowing Randidly continued ripping the enemies around him to pieces

The system was responding to his desire not just with levels but with effectiveness Agony even seemed stronger But Randidly supposed that it wasn’t really the system that had changed but himself Where before he wore Agony like a blanket dragging it around behind him now he actively reached out with it smothering those enemies unfortunate enough to surround him

But even the pain was only doing so much he couldn’t cover up the question that drove him insane What was he supposed to be doing

Grinding his teeth Randidly threw himself into the violence drowning out his helpless doubts

The sky darkened and a low drizzle began to fall Randidly ignored it as it made no difference to him where he once fought in puddles of blood now it was slightly watered down blood What did it matter

Tirelessly his spear swept back and forth bodies falling to pieces around him But as he did so Randidly noticed something extremely strange Rather than having a goal he was now just killing for the sake of killing He was protecting the town he supposed but that had fallen away lost in the revelry of blood

He simply cut and slashed feeling through the huge spear of bone the small tremors of a body breaking With an undivided attention Randidly experimented with where and how he could strike how he could cut how he could slaughter

Slowly all of his disparate spear moves began to flow moving cleanly from one to the other Previously he used each when he needed them Phantom Thrust for speed and accuracy Sweep for a large group Phantom Onslaught to overwhelm a single target

But now Randidly slowly started to see the use of swinging the butt of the spear around for a staggering blow intermixing Roundhouse Kicks to throw the opponent off Slowly at first but with greater surety Footwork of the Spear Phantom guided him easily from one enemy to the other the deaths continuing unabated

It was likely aided by Grace which almost inexplicably streamlined his movements just a hair but enough to notice during particularly complicated portions of his fighting style

That was Randidly realized what he was doing He was discovering his fighting style

Almost immediately he stopped using Agony although it was incredibly effective It left the monsters around him almost helpless barely a challenge at all But as he let the spell fall around him the monsters staggered then peered at him with hateful eyes

As rapidly as their low leveled bodies could manage they threw themselves at him hissing and spitting and clacking Randidly grinned his spear moving to meet them

It was Randidly realized a great weapon Before it the monsters were nothing He had never really gotten into Shal’s fanatical pursuit of the godhood that was becoming a true spearman but Randidly couldn’t help but marvel at the utility a spear provided to him Thus far he had relied on Shal’s moves but in his moment Randidly was starting to see

The spear was designed perfectly as a killing tool Oppressively powerful Quick and graceful Vicious and deadly The question was never whether the spear was enough but only whether the person wielding it could bring to bear its true oppressive power Seeking that goal of becoming an individual who could wield even but a fraction of the spear’s power Shal dedicated his life

Inexplicably a month after Shal had he had parted Randidly was beginning to see it that path As his spear blurred and gore coated him he saw it the point the motivation The path to strength The goal

The Spearman

Slowly but with increasing confidence Randidly began to use his skills more rapidly and efficiently becoming an absolute storm of deadly bone swirling around a man dancing in his hand Heedless to the Skill Levels he gained his eyes slowly unfocused until there was only action and reaction the spear and himself

The enemies fell away lost in the backdrop of other Into the spear Randidly’s focus turned towards the spear If he could wield it perfectly

Unbeknownst to him as he lost himself in the killing glowing lines began to form on his throat drawing out esoteric runes His eyes always brightly began to glow faintly lending a green cast to the slaughter

But all Randidly did was grin his spear splitting open the skull of a nearby skeleton and then ripping his spear out and spinning slashing several of its compatriots to pieces

This ’ Randidly thought Is fun ’

Lyra sourly gazed at their surroundings The area around Turtle Town was still deserted a silent rotting graveyard The piles and piles of bodies were a testament to the town’s continued ability to defend itself but it didn’t make it anymore cheery

Walking quickly Lyra led the way to one of the partially destroyed buildings that marked the edge of the inhabited zone of Turtle Town by blinking forward teleporting short distances Kim Lath still wearing the appearance of Randidly flowed behind her its body turning into a liquid and running up the wall only to reform next to Lyra up above

So It asked smiling a wide smile at Lyra The kind of bland empty thing that Randidly would never actually bother with The kind of smile that hid cruel intentions

Ignoring it Lyra moved forward running across rooftops avoiding the subdued people that walked around the interior ignoring the patrols of guards decked out in police riot gear Instead she ran towards a gaudy hotel that rose above the nearby buildings If she were a dumb king she would probably choose that spot for his hideout

Still ’ Lyra thought looking dubiously up at the buildings in front of her I won’t be able to manage this with normal methods ’

Now what The fake Randidly/real Tribulation asked still smiling Lyra stopped and turned and looked at his face even worn by another Inwardly she felt something give

She had sworn she would stop doing this but

There it was within her the elusive violet mercury energy that she held within her chest That everyone held Ice cold and earth’s core hot it pulsed in time with her heart She touched it and her whole existence burned lighting up like a visual representation of computer’s orgasm all bright lights and sizzling plastic Then she moved

Within the next second she was standing atop the large gaudy hotel having teleported 100 meters upwards She swayed unsteadily wincing It would take days for her to replace the energy she had lost there And even then Lyra worried that her levels had been reduced too much past the point where it was harmless to use

Still Lyra thought her mouth quirking up It was worth it if just for the rush

Her careful senses caught the mana fluctuation as the Randidly illusion appeared next to her a long thin tendril running from this spot off into the distance

That was powerful you certainly are an extraordinary mage The projection said its tone humble But Lyra ignored it staring off into the distance as if she was lost in thought

After a few seconds her eyes snapped back into focus her gaze amused The trail had gone cold She needed a few more data points