LoRG 1

Now we break in and say hello

Chapter 89

The fake Randidly was perhaps just as willing to break things as the real one was quickly locating a likely looking skylight and shattering it the two of them employing their individual magic means to descend to the ground They stood in a grand ballroom with high crimson pillars with gold trimming looking oddly cheap in the twilight

By unspoken agreement they strode together to the door Luckily the ballroom only took up the Eastern half of the uppermost floor the West was the penthouse Two guards in riot gear stood outside the door Fake Randidly raised his hand and wiggled his fingers and those two slumped to the side asleep

Lyra glanced at Kim Lath She knew she was playing with fire but

She was almost there Following that thin thread a little farther feeling it worn to almost nothing by her senses just a bit more

No matter how powerful Randidly was if he could see his foe he could not fight it To track the down the Tribulation perhaps they had enough bodies now in Donnyton to do it eventually but if had escalated to the point that the whole of Donnyton knew the exact danger it represented it would be much more difficult to find

Lyra knew this was a gamble but she also knew that no one would know anything about it except the result So as long as she succeeded

They opened the door and stepped into well lit room

Two figures sprung to their feet from the spots they had been lounging within Lyra put her hands on her hips

Well don’t bother getting dressed on my account She said frankly scanning the two individuals in front of her but then she frowned You both have classes But your level is so low

Kal and Vivian both dressed in barely anything more than underwear looked at Lyra stunned If it was Lyra from a month ago she would be delighted to find the leads of the movie she was working on looking so bedraggled and gaunt Now she just felt pity covered in a thin film of disgust

You what How Kal spluttered Lyra just waved her hand

They forgot to lock the door I guess Are you two princesses then trapped in a tower And where’s Ellaine If there is going to be an orgy I’d want to sample all of the forbidden fruits

Vivian’s face instantly twisted into a scowl You foolish bitch You’ve doomed yourself by coming here And likely us too

I thought this was the bastion of civilization the last holdout of humanity Lyra said dryly her frank gaze moving from one to the other Was the king not the saint that everyone said he was

It’s not Constance it’s Kal hurried to explain but a noise interrupted him the soft ding of the elevator Fake Randidly stepped up to Lyra and touched her shoulder and she felt a strange skill activate Her initial reaction was stifled as she struggled to maintain her cool demeanor A thin film of mana settled over her but it didn’t appear to be geared towards affecting her

Kal and Vivian blinked uncomprehendingly and Lyra realized that they had become invisible Although this was an incredibly useful skill and study of its structure could let her try and imitate it Lyra’s focus spread outwards rushing after that thin thread of mana tracing it all the way back

The thread slowly faded like all the others but Lyra’s eyes glowed a vicious blue

Gotcha’ She thought her mouth curving slowly upward

Lyra’s gaze focused and she saw how Kal had sprinted to the door and shut it and then came back to the couches forcing himself to casually lay even as he awkwardly twisted gazing at the door with dread With trembling hands Vivian sat at a desk across the room slowly brushing her hair in front of the mirror

There was some commotion outside and the door was kicked in several more guards covered in riot gear bursting at their seams with muscles walked in waving guns

After a brief search where both Kal and Vivian were dragged to the front the guards retreated to the door and stood at attention The sound of wood on marble filled the room as a small stooped woman walked forward Her long hair had faded to grey and her face was a maze of wrinkles

Babi Taka w w what are you doing here personally Kal whispered his eyes wide

The old woman shrugged casually her eyes slowly methodically sliding over every inch of the room Lyra leaned forward curiously Who would win the Tribulation’s hiding spell or the mean old lady gaze

Seemingly satisfied the old lady turned back towards Kal I had a strange feeling and then I come to find my guards sleeping on the job My instincts must be getting pretty sharp in my old age kekeke

Lyra rolled her eyes and held up a finger gun pointed at Babi Taka

Bang ’ She mouthed

With a sharp snap a crack appeared in the wall behind Babi Taka The old woman jumped spinning around with a speed that should be impossible for someone her age The two guards sprinted to put themselves between their mistress and the wall guns raised

For several seconds everyone stood there waiting Fake Randidly looked at Lyra reproachfully his hand still on her shoulder She rolled her eyes at him

What’s the point in having magical powers if you don’t have fun with them every once and awhile

Nonplussed and scowling the old woman whispered to her guards and hurried away leaving the room Right before they left one of the guards that was standing outside tossed a figure into the room Bound hand and foot the figure flailed and fell to the ground

Making a low concerned noise Vivian hurried forward helping the figure up fumbling at the bindings Lyra frowned It appears that this bruised and tied up prisoner was Constance the King the Previously Fearsome

His breathing was even his movements sure this huge spear of bone continuing to cut a wide path through the monsters Randidly’s addition of the Thorn Rampart had done one thing for sure and that was bunch up the monsters who could either impale themselves or only approach Franksburg from certain directions

As such a huge number of monsters were milling around ready for slaughter However Randidly slowed his slaughter and distanced himself from the horde proper moving like a ghost back out and to the fringes He stopped for two reasons the first was simple he wanted a chance to check in on his notifications The second

He felt strange Randidly’s lessons with Lyra had given him an intimate familiarity with the feel of activating skills The warm rush of Stamina the cool flow of Mana What Randidly currently felt was neither of those It was a stranger more foreign feeling within himself An icy seizing within his chest slowly spreading out But the longer he felt it the more he doubted his own body because the chill began to burn with a fiery heat

Although it didn’t exactly hurt it wasn’t comfortable either So despite the fact he could continue Randidly returned to a spot to give himself a respite and check his notifications

And what Randidly saw made his scalp tingle He skipped over all the skill level notifications and just examined the strange ones

Congratulations Due to your actions you are developing your own personal skill Skill is 10% complete

Due to synchronicity with merging power time until full absorption of the Blessing of Ash decreased 100 minutes until full absorption

Warning you have long walked upon the path of the Heretic but you are rapidly approaching a crossroads That path lies through a Judgement

Due to synchronicity with merging power time until full absorption of the Blessing of Ash decreased 200 minutes until full absorption

Congratulations Due to your actions you are developing your own personal skill Skill is 25% complete

Congratulations Due to a moment of heightened synchronicity with merging power time until full absorption of the Blessing of Ash decreased 500 minutes until full absorption

Congratulations Due to your actions you are developing your own personal skill Skill is 50% complete

Randidly regarded the notifications curiously There were three types ranging from great to good to foreboding

The great was the creation of the skill that was currently sitting at at somewhere over 50% That strange focused state that Randidly had been in had apparently been tapping into something within the system allowing him to create his own skill Based on the situation it was likely a fighting skill rather than a spell

Randidly frowned struck by a sudden thought Could that be the source of the deathly cold followed by the burning heat Was that what it was the feeling of his body changing as he developed this skill If so then he would suffer through it in silence A skill that took that he developed in this manner couldn’t be simple

The good notifications were the minutes falling away from the absorption of the Blessing of Ash he had obtained/ stolen After a quick check of his menu he realized that he had only 1200 more minutes before he absorbed it That would be something like 20 hours

So still some time but if he continued to display enough synchronicity it would continue to rise

The final type of notification was the one about the Path of the Heretic He had noticed the Heretic Path slowly growing despite the fact he had never put any PP into it It seemed that it was growing in response to some of his actions but what could it be

He had never heard of anyone else with access to this path but Randidly supposed he had never really asked The most likely if disturbing explanation that Randidly could think of was that it was related to his lack of class As he grew stronger without a class his Heretic path would grow higher and eventually he would encounter a Judgement

It seemed like the system itself seemed to take personal offense to his continued independence Was this perhaps how everyone was slowly pushed into a class

But this line of thought still left Randidly confused What then would the Path itself provide What rewards would he receive for taking it And would he lose his ability to use the Heretic paths the future Would the path itself address whatever was so heretical about the situation

If he could survive the judgement would it be better to drive the Heretic path higher before using it Was it worth the risk

Shaking his head Randidly made a mental note to ask Alana whether she had access to the Heretic Path She was relatively strong and hadn’t yet chosen a class so if his suspicions were correct she should have also earned the systems ire

Chapter 90

Setting aside his concerns about the notifications for now Randidly allowed himself a small smile as he tallied the skill level gains Truly fighting under the pressure of the Agony skill provided some bonus to the speed with which he leveled There was no other explanation for why he had gained so much Although perhaps it was also the strange vicious fighting trance Randidly had fallen into for a time

Randidly had gained 2 Lvls of Spear Mastery 1 in Phantom Thrust 3 in Spear Phantom’s Footwork and Eyes of the Spear Phantom 2 in Phantom Half Step 3 in Heavy Blow 5 in Dodge 2 in Fighting Proficiency 3 in Haste 6 in Sweep 1 in Phantom Onslaught 2 in Empower 3 in Calculated Blow and Roundhouse Kick 4 in Edge of Decay 2 in Physical Fitness 3 in Pain Resistance 5 in Grace and finally 9 in Agony

A pretty good haul for however long he had been fighting It all started to blur together into a giant block of blood and bone Still it couldn’t have been any shorter than 2 hours And definitely no longer than 5

Randidly looked dubiously at the still numerous horde of monsters slowly pressing up against the Thorn Ramparts Although the bodies were piling up in some places allowing the monsters to slowly trickle in nonstandard entrances this much should still be possible to handle

Hopefully there was also enough for Randidly to rejoin the fray without any of the defenders from taking note of him too

Randidly poured his PP into the Spear Mastery II Path using 57 PP to finish it off

Congratulations You have completed the the Spear Mastery II Path Walk long on the battlefield and strength will naturally develop For before absolute martial strength what are tactics preparation and knowledge But this cannot be the place you come to rest for ahead of you the path stretches ever onward You have learned the skill Fearsome Cut Lvl 1 You have learned the skill Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 1 All Physical stats +3 +20 Health +30 Stamina

Congratulations due to the influence of your other skills Fearsome Cut has become Ghastly Slash Lvl 1

Ghastly Slash Slash out with such oppressive speed and strength that the very air wails as you cut through it Effectiveness of the skill increases with skill level

Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Such is the mastery of the spear that it allows you to bend the laws of reality with its fearsome power Two part move first leaping up into the air piercing the skies Then fall to the ground creating a large shockwave that spreads outward from the point of impact Effectiveness of the skill increases with skill level

After he had finished allocating the points he was quite pleased with himself and Randidly even had 5 more pp remaining But a notification popped up making his eyes narrow

Warning you have long walked upon the path of the Heretic but now the cusp of the crossroads lay before you Proceed directly to the nearest Newbie Village for assistance Should you proceed you shall face Judgement

Randidly examined his status page

Health(/R per hour) 390/479 (+8) (227 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 0(unusable)/799 (90 75)

Stam(/R per min) 401/613 (82 (+4

Vit 68 (+4)

End 42

Str 53 (+2)

Agi 73 (+10)

Perception 46

Reaction 62

Resistance 25

Intelligence 96

Control 82

PP 5

Paths Newbie 7/7 P Def 10/10 M Supp 10/10 Risk Taker 15/15 Basic Physical Fitness 20/20 Trainee 15/15 Wandering Survivor 20/20 Pathless I 5/5 Pathless II 5/5 Pathless III 10/10 Pathfinder 15/15 Disciple of Shal 37/37 Pathless IV 10/10 Pathless V 15/15 Pathless VI 15/15 Pathless VII 20/20 Pathless VIII 20/20 Pathless IX 25/25 Pathless X 50/50 Pathless 100/100 Mana Bolt 25/25 Phys Fitness 25/25 Evasion 35/35 Phantom Thrust Path 40/40 Spear Mastery I 50/50 Monster Slayer I 1/1 Monster Slayer II 3/3 Heavy Blow Path 20/20 Monster Slayer III 6/6 Monster Slayer IV 12/12 Monster Slayer V 25/25 Potion Making I 25/25 The Monster Slayer 100/100 Entangling Roots 40/40 Meditation 35/35 Frontrunner 100/100 Apprentice Path 50/50 Fireball I Path 50/50 Potion Making II 35/35 Spear Mastery II 75/75

Skills (Soul Skill) Spear of Rot Mastery Lvl 499

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 54 Phantom Thrust Lvl 50 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 41 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 27 Phantom Half Step Lvl 17 Heavy Blow Lvl 29 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 27 Dodge Lvl 36 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 40 Block Lvl 32 Haste Lvl 27 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 15 Sweep Lvl 32 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 30 Calculated Blow Lvl 22 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 21 Edge of Decay Lvl 20 Ghastly Slash Lvl 1 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 1

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 7 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 24 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 5 Circle of Flame Lvl 7

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 35 Meditation Lvl 35 Running Lvl 23 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 23 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 16 Pain Resistance Lvl 17 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 South Blessing of the West Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 3 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 16 Grace Lvl 10 Extract Lvl 1

Randidly wondered whether Heretic was determined by his Soul Skill which was currently sitting at 499 But that too didn’t really make sense because why was this skill difference from the previous one Didn’t the levels he had gained in Green Spear mastery matter

There wasn’t anyway of knowing But what Randidly had to do now was decide how he would handle this But in his heart he had already made the decision

After all he was tired of dealing with the stress of the days with no release Donnyton’s cowardly Tribulation had driven him crazy for three and a half weeks refusing to reveal itself Although it was hasty although it was stubborn although it was short sighted Randidly was tired of being told what to do

In that moment Randidly removed his spear made for him by Sam and looked at it for a long time admiring the smoothly flowing vertebrae that constituted its body It truly was a beautiful and Randidly made a mental note to express his appreciation towards Sam for making it It couldn’t have been an easy process Then he examined it once more reading its simple description

Randidly bared his teeth in something akin to a smile If you crave something Take it huh

With glowing eyes Randidly examined his available paths

Watcher 0/ Heretic IV 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Initiate of Ash I 0/75 Phantom Thrust II 0/75 Empower 0/60 Path of Carnage I 0/

This time Randidly took some extra time to look at the paths available to him Watcher he had had for a long time but Randidly was rather nonplussed over what he should expect from it Had he had access before he left the dungeon And he already had access to Eyes of the Spear Phantom so it wasn’t clear what he was hoping to came from it

Not that he doubted that there would be a worthwhile reward but at his core Randidly couldn’t resist efficiency Watcher at this point didn’t seem very efficient

Heretic which was the subject of the previous notifications was intriguing but he didn’t want to mess with it lightly Especially not when he was feeling slightly forced into the situation If there was something that he hated it was being pressured by others Perhaps that’s why he was so infuriated by both Constance and Raina even when Raina’s smile was such a slight touch on his will As soon as he became aware of it it was intolerable

Oathbreaker was similar to Watcher in that he had access to it for a while but also that Randidly wasn’t sure what to expect What sort of skill would an Oathbreaker receive The only advantage it had over Watcher was that the quantity of PP it would require was clear giving him a little bit more of an idea about when to use it But that moment wasn’t now

Initiate of Ash Picturing that floating face of molten stone that irredeemable cheater that clear possessed much more power than he currently had Randidly felt somewhat helpless In his heart this was the path that he most wanted to take It would definitely lead to power if it was traversed successfully But if he had to deal with another more difficult challenge like the first one before he could pass it

Path of Carnage was intriguing but again The lack of an end amount of PP was off putting It would be annoying if it ended up being too high Not the worst outcome because it would likely have a correspondingly high reward but

This didn’t seem too likely however because of the numbering All of the other ones like this such as Monster Slayer and Pathless started off small But his disposition still urged him away from Path of Carnage because once he started it he would want to finish it And there were two options that he valued very highly available right now

The second Phantom Thrust path and Empower And between them

Phantom Thrust was his first real skill learned from Shal To this day the strength displayed by it never failed to impress

Randidly hesitated for a split second He had calmed down alot since losing himself in the violence early It truly wasn’t that he was angry at Tessa and he was inwardly quite horrified what he had done hurting her in the heat of the moment But it was one thing after another with the system

His lack of direction had been driving him crazy because he should have a goal Originally he had latched onto finding Sydney and Ace but now he finally faced the fact that they might already be dead He would of course continue to try and gather information but they hadn’t yet seen any other pillars of light that would indicate that other people in the Zone had founded a Newbie Village

No Ace and Sydney although an important part of his past was simply the past

Sydney was just

Then Randidly shook his head There were no answer there It wasn’t worth dwelling on Survival also became almost an afterthought as his strength was so high above the level of the common monsters

Other than that Randidly didn’t have any grand dreams of punishing the instigators of the system’s implementation on Earth He didn’t want to rule humanity’s survivors Perhaps he wanted to find relationships and to treasure the new ones he had allowing them to grow but

All he really wanted to walk these paths to the end To see what he was what he could become For now walking forward was all he could do All he wanted to do All he knew how to do anymore Thinking beyond that

Narrowing his eyes Randidly opened the menus back up The one thing he didn’t want to do was allow a notification to rule his life To allow a system to rule his life He would explore it but he would never compromise on his terms to placate it

He did not negotiate with terrorists

Randidly put 5 PP into the Phantom Thrust II path receiving 1 Strength and a slew of notifications for his troubles

Chapter 91

Randidly’s eyes quickly scanned through the notifications

Congratulations Your Soul Skill Spear of Rot Mastery has reached Lvl 500 Your path is long and winding but you find yourself wandering deeper into the darker corners of the forest where the incestuous growth and cannibalization of bacteria and fungus reigns supreme Your feet desire direction

You look at the dank rot What do you see What is Rot

Warning you have tread too long on the Path of the Heretic Heretic V is now open to you For this you must face Judgement Due to your affiliation with the Patron of Ash the Judgement of the Patron of Frostbite descends Know that even if you endure through the Judgement more will follow Proceed directly to the nearest Village and speak with the Spirit to repent

Warning In a nearby area a Judgement of Frostbite descends If you are not the one who caused this Judgement to descend your life can be preserved by staying out of the way of the Judgement and by not interfering with its quest God Speed

Randidly was standing in a grove of trees on a slope and in the small area below him between where he was and the monster horde a large glowing circle of sigils appeared in the air They cast a strange blue light on the area that even attracted the attention of the monsters As soon as they saw it they fled running into the hills The light condensed into a glowing figure standing tall on the small hill

After a few seconds the light faded away revealing a tall creature covered in white hair To Randidly’s eyes it looked like a 3 meter tall yeti its chest probably as wide across as the hood of a car Judgement of Frostbite Lvl 37 hung over its head But in the same way that Ep Tal had this one’s name was glowing yellow

And its aura reeked of danger

Randidly leveled his spear with a grin a manic light in his eyes but before he could advance another notification popped up a repeat

Was it waiting for him to actually answer

Randidly looked at the strange Yeti which pounded the ground with its fists Several small pudgy versions of itself crawled up out of the ground only about half as tall as a man but the little ones began to point spraying cones of frost that froze the nearby earth

As the slowly spreading ring of frost began to take form Randidly looked directly into the cold blue gaze of the Yeti It raised its huge furred hand and beckoned It was Randidly knew from the Yeti’s haughty expression an invitation to die

This Rot Randidly whispered Is fertilizer It is the means by which I will grow

If you crave something take it

I will devour it

Your feet begin to move taking you on the path of Consumption and Growth You have learned the skill Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 1

Bacterial Regeneration Passive skill Adds an additional 1 point of regeneration per hour of Health and Mana and 1 point of regeneration per minute of Stamina per skill level Effect doubles for 1 hour after eating

Grinning Randidly removed a small roll from his satchel and began to eat No point in wasting the extra value even if it would amount to very little right now Seeing that Randidly didn’t appear to be moving the Yeti roared another two dozen or so little Yetis popping up out of the ground

Randidly wondered where they were coming from And as he chewed his roll he dearly wished he had mana right now Putting an Incendiary Bolt through the smug face of the Yeti would give him a very profound sense of satisfaction

Still he would work with the tools he had His grip on the Spine Spear tightened

Lyra gazed from Kal to Constance who was currently being given first aid by Vivian

After The Ghosthound ripped out his tongue and sent his insects in to eat his vocal cords Kal said glaring at Lyra That’s when Babi Taka struck She already controlled a pretty large political faction due to her skill and so without Constance’s skill Kraig couldn’t handle them all alone He’s been beaten and squirreled off somewhere too And everyday they lock us up here and come to cut out his tongue again before the system can heal it Without his voice to activate the skills

What skill does Babi Taka have Lyra asked a kernel of wariness rising in her chest

Kal shrugged It’s some sort of replication skill Let’s her create a copy of any item The smaller and less enhanced by the system it is the easier it is She’s been keeping the police force supplied with ammo which is why they are behind her And also

Kal glanced at Constance who sat stoically with his eyes closed and Lyra snorted

And because Constance wasn’t exactly a popular ruler while he could speak huh Why does she even leave him alive anyway If something happened and his tongue grew back

Constance finally reacted opening his eyes and gazing at Lyra with a reproachful look She winked in response No need to flash the bedroom eyes at me honey you aren’t my type And I’m sure you’ve learned a few dozen lessons from having your tongue cut out everyday and wouldn’t dream of abusing your powers ever again Yadda yada

Vivian still frowning turned from her ministrations Constance is kept alive because he’s the village chieftain There are consequences for the village chieftain dying it is said But the threat of it keeps the Town Spirit in line and allows Babi Taka to control the SP too so it’s a calculated risk leaving him alive

Ah’ Lyra thought That explains where fake Randidly dashed off to ’

She could still distantly sense the projected illusion of Kim Lath moving through the city See how people live huh If it wasn’t after the village chieftain then it was moving after the Village Spirit

Clapping her hands Lyra rewarded everyone around her with a sunny smile Well since it looks like tonight is going to be a roller coaster ride we might as well be the first group to set off a firework

Walking casually while Kal and Vivian watched with mounting horror Lyra walked up to the door raised her hand and casually pointed a finger gun at the lock

Bang

The wood splintered and shattered the hinges ripped from the wall The doors collapsed in a pile of dust and Lyra stepped through finding two shocked guards both at least well trained enough to reach for their side arms

Before they could bring the pistols to bear though Lyra crossed her arms using her elbows as a support pointing a finger gun at each of the men Recently in Donnyton there had been a growing philosophical movement in regards to the morality of killing another man Sure they killed monsters but with the looming arrival of the connection with another village was killing another intelligent being acceptable

Lyra wasn’t a philosopher but she had watched Randidly move through the monster horde on that first night blood blooming around him like crimson lillies wilting in the next second leaving nothing but death And although the ground stunk for hours afterward she had never forgotten how beautiful it was

Both heads of the police split like sledgehammered melons destroyed by her Mana Bullet skill She even received a skill level

She looked over her shoulder at the wide eyed trio behind her smiling slightly Ready for your daring rescue princesses

After a short silence and several exclamations they followed almost unwillingly They proceeded down the tower Lyra skipping and hopping and killing every guard they came across except one

It was the skinniest person they had seen in police riot gear and Lyra was tired of wandering around without a purpose so she cut off his hands to ensure he wouldn’t try anything funny and spent a very satisfying 15 minutes alone in a room with him while Lyra’s three princesses waited outside

Lyra had a cruel upbringing and she professionally had learned to act like the person the viewer wanted to see She could be anything Due to her admitted fixation on Randidly she had kept to herself in Donnyton keeping people away from the very sharp edges of her personality But now in this other town after Randidly had fled south to get away from her attention

Based on how quickly the man broke into tears begging for mercy Lyra admitted to herself she might be bottling up some emotions related to Randidly and they weren’t positive ones But she left the room with the location of Kraig the black man who had been Police Lieutenant before the system came which mellowed out her Princesses’ grumbles considerably

Once they knew he was located on the 10th floor Lyra ballsily just took the elevator down not bothering with anything else Just as she expected they were greeted by a face of absolute surprise when they came off the elevator and walked around the corner finding the guard station

As they scrambled to their feet Lyra waved her hand and birds formed of mana swooped forward ripping through their necks Their eyes dimming they fell to the ground Vivian vomited in the corner of the hallway as Lyra bent over and rummaged through the body’s pockets

When they opened the door they found Kraig chained to a chair barely conscious Even Constance moved to his side his face concerned

Lyra removed a mana potion and a health potion from her pocket drinking the former and passing the latter to Vivian who began dripping it into Kraig’s lips

Princess number 4 get Lyra said in a pleased tone

Chapter 92

Randidly stepped gracefully forward weaving in between two of the mini yetis Their faces contorted in fury they shaped their mouths into an O and blew producing a cone of frost Grimacing Randidly used Phantom Half step on a distant mini yeti to dodge the skills aimed at him and then used Ghastly Slash whipping the head of his spear downward toward the back of one of the offending mini yetis

Truly as he slashed the air howled with the passage of his spear and when the skill struck it the monster was split in half Randidly gained a skill level in Ghastly Slash and continued turning slashing again taking another mini yeti in the waist cutting it in half

But unfortunately before Randidly’s slaughter of the mini yeti’s continued their Yeti leader arrived furious

Roaring it smashed its fist downward towards Randidly aiming to crush him Which considering that the Yeti’s arm was the size of Randidly’s entire body was possible if he were hit The Yeti produced a frost aura as well that slowed enemies when it neared making it very difficult to battle

But Randidly still had few tricks up his sleeve Randidly activated Pierce the Heavens Shatter the Earth leaping upward in a blur led by the sharp tip of his spear Somehow the Yeti had the Perception to see the attack coming and leaned its head backwards out of the way As opposed to ripping a large gash in its throat Randidly’s spear only traced a thin line of blood up its hairy cheek

Chiding himself on failing to use Haste and Empower prior to the move Randidly began to fall spear pointing at the ground He smashed into the earth with a huge crack between several mini yetis The ground cracked and buckled and a shockwave exploded outward knocking the mini yetis away like they were made of paper

As the Shockwave dispersed Randidly dismissed the notification for gaining a level in the skill and downed a stamina potion preparing for an extended battle But instead of an attack from the Yeti he only found it kneeling next to its fallen little children keening in a soft voice

Then its eyes narrowed it looked up at him with naked hatred

Don’t go soft on me now You came here to kill me did you not If you weren’t willing to risk being devoured why have you come

Vibrating with barely controlled fury the Yeti stood Then it raised its hands and a vortex of ice formed swirling downwards After several seconds of this a giant blue hammer made entirely of ice was formed and the Yeti snatched it out of the air After spinning it expertly as if it was made of nothing the yeti bellowed a challenge and rushed towards Randidly

The hammer of ice swept sideways towards Randidly but he did not retreat No with the increase in stats gained from Equiping the Spine Spear Randidly wanted to know just what the limit of his strength was

He Hasted himself and Empowered himself and used Sweep the huge bone spear and ice hammer swinging towards one another They met was a loud boom both weapons vibrating uncontrollable

Unfortunately Randidly stumbled back the webbing between his thumb and forefinger torn by the impact

Just a little short huh He mumbled his eyes burning The Yeti seemed slightly shocked by this too and changed his stance preparing to attack more seriously

Grinning wildly Randidly beckoned the Yeti imitating its haughty air from earlier

They hurried through the darkened streets heading for the edge of town Lyra’s powerful mana sense could detect anyone with even a thread of mana so they easily avoided all the patrols It wasn’t until an explosion occured to the south where Lyra sensed the Randidly projection had gone before the alarm was really raised and it didn’t seem like it was related to them escaping

Large booms continued to echo outward from the area and their group used this cover to escape After downing one of Randidly’s signature health potion Kraig had recovered most of his usual vigor and was able to jog along with the rest of them

However after a particularly loud boom the party was forced to stop as Constance fell to his knees A low groan escaped from his mouth unable to be shaped by a tongue and soundly oddly animalistic

Lyra frowned down at him What

But just then she heard a gasp and tuned Kraig was staggering holding his chest Both Kal and Vivian looked decidedly uncomfortable What’s wrong

It feels Kraig gasped his lungs heaving Like something is being ripped out of me

Vivian winced Mine’s not so bad as that Just a weird grinding LIke I can feel myself developing high blood pressure

Her frown deepening Lyra activated her skill Eyes of Wonder the skill that had lead to everything else The skill she had gained from looking at Randidly

She could now see the utmost details in the flow of energy in their bodies The swirl of mana the pulse of Stamina But beyond that she saw the thin veins of that insidious addicting violet energy that people gathered ambiently Based on its significant presence in all of their bodies they all had obtained classes

Lyra had noticed that obtaining classes gave people another source for this violet energy which had both simultaneously made her want to get one immediately and never get one ever Her use of it already felt dangerous If she had access to more

As her attention sharpened on these veins of violet energy thin and weak in Kal and Vivian much thicker and more prevalent in Kraig Lyra could make out several small rough looking black particles flowing along from whatever source the violet energy came from depositing themselves in the people’s bodies

But when Lyra turned to Constance the blood drained from her face He had two veins one so thick it had blossomed into a whirlpool in his chest In his body those small black particles flowed outward more and more and more At this point those violet veins were only half energy and the other half this strange substance

Lyra turned back to Kal and Vivian You two have classes

Vivian blushed looking at the ground Yes

What are they

Vivian’s blush deepened her gaze still on the ground mine’s Consort

Lyra snorted and turned to Kal And you

mine’s also consort He said all the while meeting her gaze defiantly

Lyra burst out laughing Then she shook herself refocusing Unfortunately there wasn’t time to mock these two arrogant individuals Although the idea of the two of them engaging in activities with Constance

She spared Constance a glance He was without a doubt the most vanilla person she had ever seen in terms of appearance If this were the world prior to the system Hollywood would have given him work as a background extra as long as he wanted it

Sighing Lyra reached out with her perception towards the true body of Kim Lath When she felt its rising energies her worst fears were confirmed

I think Lyra said hesitating I think your VIllage Spirit got eaten

She didn’t feel guilt per se even though this was her fault No what she felt was responsibility Because although Turtletown had lost its spirit Donnyton had gained the location of their tribulation And with that

Lyra’s eyes blazed azure and violet the energies within her twining together

With that she would exact swift revenge

Nul gasped and stood knocking over the table that he and Daniel had been playing chess on

Prepare for battle He whispered looking wide eyed at Daniel

As Daniel opened his mouth to reply Glendel rushed in looking flustered Daniel There are monsters everywhere

Call the Council Daniel said grimly his voice only trembling slightly with fear Had it been Daniel from a month ago he would have panicked But now he had grown accustomed to such emergencies Is anyone out on Patrol

Decklan is Glendel whispered And his squad was right where the monster’s appeared His squad has already suffered 2 casualties I’ve guided him towards an area to escape but

Enough Daniel’s frown deepened If it was enemies at the level that it was threatening Decklan’s squad Wait until the Council gets here then explain

Then Daniel’s gaze turned to Nul What do you know

Just that Donnyton’s tribulation has come and it is strong Nul said simply I would like to remind you that the victory and loss is determined only by two lives my own and the Tribulation Whichever of us survives gains the village Either it continues as a village or

Nul closed his mouth his face taken on that pained expression he had when he said too much Daniel frowned This was new information So what Nul was essentially saying was everyone was essentially expendable but him huh

Well fuck that

Chapter 93

So what’s happening Donny asked scanning around the table his eyes landing on Glendel Only 6 minutes had passed but the ghostly whispers in their ears had drawn the entire council to the main building of the Trainee Village

Except Decklan who from Glendel’s sweaty brow was still encountering quite a bit of trouble

I don’t know how I missed them it’s like they just sprang into existence But all of the sudden the area to the north was filled with monsters From what I can see there are two Tier I Raid Bosses and a Tier II as well It’s like someone was hiding them this entire time

The Tribulation Daniel said his eyes glittering It’s not directly powerful but seems to be skilled at subterfuge It apparently knew enough about us to avoid your ghosts which is disturbing What sort of numbers are we talking

I mean only about half the amount of a normal monster horde but Their levels are all at least 24 Because the Raid Bosses have had time to spawn

Rough sledding Dozer rumbled his face peaceful

And Decklan Donny asked

Still being chased by one of the Raid Boss’ forces But Glendel said but Regina interrupted

Tell him to distract and engage At that level we can’t take them all on at once Better to lure those we can to the village too so we can make use of the Aura of Arbor

No need they will come Nul said Seeking my life Your utmost priority

Defense for now gather ourselves for a strike The mage corps can probably blow a pretty large hole in their lines It’s a bit more awkward without Clarissa but it should still work Sam said rubbing his chin

Regina nodded My thoughts exactly Donny will you take your squad and rendezvous with Decklan Dozer you are on mop duty Take the Numerals with you it’s time to see if all their swagger is worth anything Save your strength as much as possible

Then she turned to Nul Do you know where the tribulation is

He hesitated then shook his head Regina glanced at Glendel who simply shrugged

Sighing Regina said Well then we will hold until we get a lead In the meantime the important targets are the raid bosses They will be coming through the quarry yes

ETA 10 minutes Glendel reported Donny Dozer and Ptolemy got up and left heading to reinforce their lines Glendel closed his eyes commanding his ghosts

Sam glanced grimly at Regina and Mrs Hamilton If we don’t find where it is

Damn its really rough missing both The Ghosthound and Clarissa Their firepower would alleviate a lot of pressure Mrs Hamilton muttered

But what can we do Regina asked her voice frustrated

Actually I have a solution

All four of them looking up to find Lyra followed by 4 limping individuals When they made it into the room the four collapsed

Lyra wiggled her fingers at the group Just buy me some time okay I’ll have everything fixed up in a jiffy

Decklan raced forward his expression locked into a scowl The ambush had been unexpected but nothing they couldn’t handle But then they had harried and disengaged seeking to gain some space and had backed up into another enemy

The first group of monsters were cyclops tall physically powerful beasts who were deadly in close proximity but slow The second group was skeletal horses who had more than enough speed to chase down their group

Luckily they weren’t controlled by one leader so there was some friction between the groups when they encountered one another By sticking in the space between the two groups Decklan and his squad were able to keep enough distance not to get crushed by the cyclops and keep far enough away from open stretches to not get run down by the skeleton horses

And they would have done it perfectly without any casualties if Ivan hadn’t madly tried to finish off a cyclops for the stat gains and hadn’t done enough damage to kill it In a fit of fury the cyclops struck His body was splattered against the cyclop’s skull by a palm a sight Decklan wouldn’t soon forget It was a good if costly reminder that this wasn’t a game

They were running in a long arc meaning to bring them eventually around and towards Donnyton but a strange thing sticking out of the ground caught his attention It pointed Decklan immediately shifted following its direction hand signalling to Terra and the rest of the crew to follow They flowed smoothly behind him nervous but they had their faith in their squad leader

If they hadn’t they would have broken when Ivan died

Their path cut them sideways through a few cyclops but they followed without complaint Daggers and throwing hatchets and other projectile weapons hitting the vulnerable eyes of the nearby enemies Once they got wind of it their eyes snapped shut but it bought them the few seconds the group needed to dash through

Decklan signaled again and the whole group increased in speed rushing towards a copse of trees 400 meters away They would burn through their stamina reserves to get there but if Decklan’s suspicions were correct

As they neared the trees he saw they were thick with low hanging vines He ducked under and led the group in not stopping even as the cyclops chased after them

Decklan if we stay here we are going to get trapped Terra said nervously glancing around Something about these trees Then she froze as the vines moved revealing a suspended floating mass of rot and flesh

Thorn had grown since Decklan had seen it last and grown a lot The mass of flesh was probably just as large as he would be if he curled up into a ball The air below it was thick with thorny vines sinking into the ground and spreading around covering the entire group of trees

Let them come Decklan said turning to the group with a manic glint in his eyes We are going to make our stand here And we are going to bleed every last motherfucker that tries to come for us

As if understanding Decklan’s words the whole copse began to rumble Thorn vibrating in pleasure at the thought

Randidly breathed heavily staggering forward to meet the Yeti Time and time again they had rushed together and crashed against each other Randidly’s Sweep meeting the mighty swing of the Yeti’s ice hammer Randidly had lost out just slightly especially at the beginning but he quickly mastered the art of recovering from that and using Ghastly Slash to inflict debilitating wounds on the Yeti’s shoulders easing some of the burden on himself

Unfortunately the Yeti was intelligent enough to see through Randidly’s plan and had made him pay for it a glancing blow with the shaft of the hammer had cracked a few ribs and the Yeti had taken to swinging great overhand blows that that almost completely killed Randidly’s legs Even now he could barely keep standing

Still to fall meant death With glowing eyes Randidly tightened his grip on his spear and followed it forward meeting the hammer

BooM

The force of the blow reverberated in the clearing It seemed like the monster horde had finally been hunted to extinction and now Franksburg was noticing the battle happening between Randidly and the Yeti However they didn’t dare approach both because of the level and speed of the fighting and due to the notification that warned them about interfering with the Judgement

Which suited Randidly just fine more people would just get in the way

Randidly grinned at the Yeti his smile all teeth To his surprise the Yeti smiled back its eyes still bright with hatred and then said something in a low rumbling tone In a very distantly familiar manner the strange sounds swirled and snapped into focus

Schai killer you are very strong But even suppressed to classlessness I am stronger There are always those such as you who struggle And yet every time the system crushes them You cannot fight against Aether it is life

As pleasurable as banter is I’m just going to kill you Randidly remarked raising a potion to his lips taking advantage of the space to regain some health and stamina The Yeti just chuckled and removed a vivid pink potion downing it quickly

It’s body shuddered then the flesh knit itself back together its shoulders once more whole Then it took its ice hammer in its right hand and raised its left Another vortex formed ice falling to condense into a second hammer Dual wielding hammers the Yeti strolled forward

This is the day you die Heretic It commented

Randidly frowned Not only did the Yeti have potions it seemed as though its potions were an even higher quality than his How was that fair

Inwardly Randidly admitted his potion abuse was most of why he could gain victory over these individuals with levels But it definitely didn’t feel good to be on the receiving end of it

Actually Randidly won’t be dying today Humans aren’t the type to abandon each other

The female voice surprised Randidly because he hadn’t heard anyone coming He turned to find Lyra standing next to him with a bright expression smiling at him Something inside Randidly melted slightly looking at that smile as lovely as the morning’s first ray of sun heralding the coming warmth of the day

His Phantom Thrust took her in the chest where a heart would be on a human

Lyra doesn’t talk like that Randidly commented

Lyra blinked and then vomited out a mouthful of blood Randidly Why

Randidly frowned in annoyance And she wouldn’t be so dumb as to let me attack her What are you

Seeing that the Yeti had stopped and was regarding the situation with curiosity Randidly’s arms blurred as he unleashed a Ghastly Slash bisecting Lyra’s body entirely A spray of blood covered Randidly wet and warm Then it all evaporated into mist

Then the mist recondensed several feet away still Lyra still smiling prettily But a name hung above her head

Kim Lath The Tribulation of Many Faces Lvl 38

I’ve waited a long time for this Randidly commented leveling his spear But the creature just laughed

This is just an illusion Fight me here all you want The only reason I bothered to appear now is that soon Donnyton will fall and then I’ll be able to fight you directly Plus if I can kill you while you don’t have access to mana The illusion morphed and shifted turning into another 3 meter tall Yeti with two large ice hammers

Your interference is unnecessary The first Yeti said frowning

The other Yeti laughed still talking with Lyra’s voice You are bound by the will of your Patron You are Judgement Descend upon the Heretic and end his transgressions

The first Yeti frowned but said nothing as it began approaching Randidly once more

Unable to resist it any longer Randidly began to laugh It was long and loud and came from his gut Double the difficulty Perhaps more with the addition that each had two hammers Interesting Too Interesting This is exactly what he needed

Good good Randidly said settling into his stance with hungry eyes The more fertilizer the better The faster he would grow

The faster he could acquire the power he needed to survive

In that moment there was nothing Randidly craved more than power He activated Agony and threw himself at the two shocked Yeti his spear howling through the air towards them

Chapter 94

The troop of Cyclops crashed forward ripping the trees up by their roots Thick thorny vines snaked under their feet sliding up their feet and knocking them off balance

Decklan flashed forward arriving at the Cyclops’ neck in a second He slashed twice once on the jugular once on the eye and then took a spike as long as his forearm from his ring and drove it into the Cyclops heart

The thing staggered shocked and weakened by its lifeblood pouring away Thorn picked up its feebly struggling body and threw it at two other approaching cyclops knocking them to the ground Terra and another member of his squad leapt forward making several deep cuts into the fallen duo and then retreated Thorn then picked up those bodies and threw them around knocking even more to the ground

With a roar another wave of cyclops arrived ripping away the ever dwindling trees that hid Decklan’s squad

Again and again they struck and more and more cyclopses fell but there were still a huge number of them Their high level meant dealing a killing blow was difficult even with them distracted by Thorn Blood pumped out of their wounds but still they staggered to their feet their single eye burning with hatred

But Decklan just tightened his grip on the knife given to him by the Ghosthound and rushed forward That dagger was hot and seemed to be hungry for flesh Decklan planned to feed it After all nothing was ever accomplished by complaining about a problem You had to stand straight and face it

Or in this case kill it

Paolo the individual who obtained the class Brawler current leader of Squad I cracked his knuckles After removing the bone equipment made by Sam to signify his position from his ring and putting it on Paolo turned and grinned over his shoulder at the rest of the squad

Let’s show em why we are the best

Kayle the individual who obtained the class Ranger current leader of Squad II snorted Kayle turned to his squad and said Everyone be ready to provide relief when they crack under the pressure

Belay that order Squad II Paolo commented I out rank your squad leader and therefore you need to obey me

They were moving towards the hastily assemble wall past the quarry moving at a quick speed Squads III through VI were assigned to support them and only a short distance away Some mid 20s ranked squads were trooping over after that but they had taken longer to assemble For something like 10 minutes Squads I through VI were required to hold the quarry with Squads I and II at the front

Ignore that belay Squad II Kayle said haughtily drawing his long knives Squad I has gone senile with fear It seems it falls to us to lead the charge

To their surprise they were beaten to their location by the enemy Already a dozen or so skeletal horses had streamed through the shattered gates rushing towards them

Paolo snapped the clasp on his bone gauntlets into place Squad I how do we treat insubordinate inferior squads

Just like enemies Then men shouted breaking into a jog

And what do we do to enemies

Kill em good

Kayle rolled his eyes his squad beginning to sprint weapons drawn Squad II what do we do to enemies

Kill them first

Paolo glowered Squad I

Kill em’ better

Kayle spat on the ground Squad II

Kill them now

Their lines met the charge of the skeletal horses Paolo’s fist smashed into the leading horse shattering its skull to powder Kayle moved like quicksilver in the night cutting his horse at the knees where it collapsed weakly with another long knife buried in its skull

Regina frowned down at Constance long violet lines spreading from his heart to cover his body Kraig Kal and Vivian had them too but they were nowhere near as bad as Constance’s

What’s happening to them Daniel asked nervously He had liked the fact that Lyra had just dropped off these strangely afflicted individuals and left

I don’t quite know But I don’t believe it is medical Regina commented frowning It was just the two of them in the room with the people from Turtle Town

And of course Nul when he chose to show himself

The neighboring village has fallen to a tribulation Soon it shall become a dungeon And its people will become the monsters that populate it if they do not shed their bond with that village

Vivian blinked We will Become monsters

Nul nodded The changes have already begun You are switching from the Traveler system to the monster system That is the pain you feel But you can be saved if you agree to switch to this village

Fine do what you have to Grunted Kal holding his abdomen Nul moved forward with a small smile and offered his hand to Kal

Take my hand and forsake your previous village You will lose your class and all stats gained therein but you will retain your life

Kal took that hand His smile deepening Nul pressed his hand against Kal’s chest Before Kal was in pain but it was bearable Now Kal began to scream

Within a few seconds Kal was foaming at the mouth Then his eye rolled up into the back of his head and he collapsed Nul pulled and a strange something of energy was ripped out of Kal’s body which shuddered then stilled

Nul ate whatever it was he pulled from Kal then turned to Vivian and Kraig still with a bland smile in place on his face Take my hand and I shall save you

Dozer advance using his large club to batter and crack the shells of the flood of beetles that rushed towards the village His squad was barely holding together but they couldn’t switch out the usual legion style tactics didn’t work on these enemies Their shells were too tough they just shrugged off most attacks

Magic was reasonably effective and the mage corps was providing much needed support ripping through lines of beetles But they charged forward endlessly their powerful mandibles clicking dangerously

These were the spawn of the Tier II raid boss boss and they were just as tough as their level of 28 would indicate At the back Dozer had even seen some Lvl 30s directing the beetles

With Donny’s squad out to reinforce Decklan and squads I through VI blocking the skeletal horses from the North

There was only Dozer to hold this front

A beetle rushed close to the man next to Dozer biting into his knee The man fell with a cry and Dozer roared opening himself to an attack but performing a huge overhand blow that smashed down on the beetle cracking its shell and squashing its body into the ground One of the support squads ran forward and dragged the man back pulling him to the healers but that left Dozer even more exposed

Two more beetles jumped forward aiming for his exposed side Dozer let go of the club with one arm reaching and grabbing the jaw of the first beetle to leap brutally snapping off its lower jaw

The second he ignored and at the last moment an arrow slid forward through the space under his arm and hit the attacking beetle through the head

This didn’t kill it but it caused the beetle to falter in confusion and Dozer brought his huge club to bare smashing the beetles to pieces His squad surged forward with him sharing Dozer’s fury that one of their own had been wounded They crashed forward smashing a dozen beetles with their wild blows

Dozer felt light taps on his shoulders but ignored it

Dozer baby you should really be more careful Annie rebuked standing on his shoulders and smoothly firing arrows into the crowd of beetles buying time for Dozer’s squad to fall back and regroup Making a girl work so hard even while she’s wearing a skirt

Almost instinctually Dozer glanced up while drinking a stamina a potion And sure enough he could see right up his woman’s skirt to her lacy red panties

She lightly hopped off him and patted Dozer’s back winking Make sure you come back alive

Then she sauntered off a definite swing to her hips heading to reinforce another area

Feeling a heat unrelated to the battle rising within him Dozer unwillingly turned back to the beetles

Chapter 95

Randidly staggered backwards wounds covering his body He let Agony drop and downed a health potion weaving between wild swings of the fake Yeti It was just as large and fast as the real thing just less powerful with its blows Also any wounds he inflicted on it instantly healed the illusion reforming around the attacks

Meanwhile the real Yeti rushed forward swinging both hammers to meet Randidly’s spear A shockwave sent Randidly stumbling again his face twisted into a scowl

In addition a small crack had emerged in his spear It was small now but the longer this fight went on

You cannot win The fake Yeti sang with Lyra’s voice smashing sideways with its hammer forcing Randidly to block awkwardly with the shaft of the spear He coughed up a mouthful of blood gritting his teeth to right himself his eyes flicking sideways to the real Yeti But once more it stopped giving him a small breath to regain his feet before it rushed forward

Randidly’s eyes narrowed Taking me lightly ’

He used Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth to leap upwards and then land some distance away with a crash throwing up a cloud of dust With that small barrier obscuring the Yeti’s vision Randidly finally addressed his notifications

There were several about the synchronicity and minutes decreased and there were also several for skill levels but Randidly focused on three in particular

Congratulations Due to your actions you are developing your own personal skill Skill is 75% complete

Congratulations Due to your actions you are developing your own personal skill Skill is 100% complete Please return to a village to obtain your new skill

Immediate skill creation is possible Would you like to proceed Y/N

Randidly frowned at these seemingly conflicting messages but he had no time to hesitate clicking yes

Warning creation of a skill with insufficient fuel will lead to death Do you wish to proceed Y/N

This did give him some pause but that strange freezing burning energy in his chest had been growing as he fought and now he could feel it pulsing especially in his throat Randidly wasn’t even sure that he could speak currently due to the burning numbness radiating from his throat and chest

But that strange energy began to pulse faster as he looked at the notification as if assuring him there was sufficient fuel Randidly clicked yes

Congratulations Your own personal skill has been created You have created the skill set 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear You have learned the first Kata The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 1

Congratulations You are the 2nd person to create a skill set on your planet +50 to Health/Mana/Stamina

Congratulations You are the first person to create something of the Runic rarity in your Nexus Class You have gained the skill Superiority Lvl 1

Superiority Lvl 1 Passive skill Some individuals are blessed Although all other factors indicate you should lose you manage to succeed Stats and Skill levels are worth an infinitely small amount more than normal Effect increases with skill level

This skill set seemed to be something worth investigating but Randidly didn’t have time He downed health and stamina potions as quickly as he could But to his surprise the two Yeti’s hadn’t approached they simply stood there waiting for him to finish

The real Yeti finished drinking its potion and tilted its head at him Do you really think you can win I have have stayed my hand time and time again but no longer You shall now die

The fake yeti just smiled as the real yeti raised its arm another vortex of snow appearing eventually condensing into a suit of crystal armor on the real Yeti’s body

Randidly looked down at his spear at the growing crack and then sighed Sam was going to be so annoyed with him

Are you prepared Randidly asked surprising himself

The Yeti seemed surprised too but then something that it saw in Randidly’s expression made him grow serious It nodded lowering itself into a fighting stance The fake Yeti circled around trying to get Randidly stuck between them but Randidly ignored it Instead he raised his spear bent his knees and spoke in a clear voice

The Spear Advances Ash Trails

As the skill kicked in Randidly also activated Haste and Empower basically using all of his stamina for this one move His knees exploded with force and Randidly thought he felt something tear but already he was ripping forward through the air an explosion of flame propelling him forward

The Yetis eyes widened but Randidly had already arrived right in front of him his Spine Spear piercing forward towards the crystal armor All the Yeti had time to do was cross his hammers in front of him in a defensive posture

Lyra walked slowly forward grinning around I know you are here Kimmy Why don’t you come out and play

Strolling calmly forward into the dank cave Lyra didn’t bat an eye as dozens of pairs of yellow eyes opened in the dark revealing themselves to be oversized bats hanging from the ceiling

You have another Raid Boss squirreled away Certainly have been industrious Kimmy But did you really think that would stop me

With a wave of her hand Lyra produced several glowing bats of mana normal sized ones But as the two sides met it was the giant bats that fell lifeless to the floor

You are certainly dangerous Randidly’s voice spoke But it is useless You have already lost Your Village Spirit will die

Val and Kraig had both consented to the procedure of Nul’s and had now passed out on the small beds resting Overall Daniel thought that Nul seemed very pleased His bland smile had widened considerably as he had eaten whatever it was that he had taken from the people to save them

Regina seemed initially dubious of the effectiveness of whatever it was that Nul did but the violet black lines rapidly faded from their bodies

But at that moment something very surprising happened

Constance sat up

With a vicious grin and pure black eyes he straightened and stood and exceedingly strange aura spreading out from him And as Regina watched words formed over his head fading into existence The writing blazed purple

The Mad King Constance Lvl ) (

The level flickered for a while and Constance stumbled But it was rapidly shifting and the strange letters soon merged to become 0

Quickly we must Nul said hastily backing away but he was interrupted

Silence Stand Still The commands rumbled out imperious Nul Regina and Daniel froze A strange blob like creature flickered into existence in the tent Constance’s level increased to 1

Interesting Who would have thought that foolish girl would deliver my boss monster directly to you This certainly is a nice surprise

The level above Constance’s head increased to 2 and then 3

I’m not one to monologue but The blob started but then was interrupted by a bang

Constance staggered forward a blood stain appearing in his chest He turned slowly his pitch black eyes falling to rest on Kraig who was sitting up pointing a pistol towards his chest

You Constance said wonderingly A bang sounded again and this bullet took Constance in his left eye socket Constance’s level increased to 4 but now Kraig stood albeit unsteadily leveling his gun at him

How can you move The blob hissed Your class was taken You have no stats or skills

That’s not true Kraig said tonelessly striding forward firing bullet after bullet into Constance’s skull I have nothing gained from a class But all that I gained training on my own all I gained from paths all those points I put into Willpower so Constance could never again dominate the town I’m sorry my onetime friend

Kraig reloaded as Constance’s level increased to 5 and then walked right up to him

Constance opened his mouth but only two words came out thank You

Then Kraig used 8 bullets to spread the contents of Constance’s brain on the ground His levels ceased increasing and the glowing name slowly faded into nothing

The blob backed away but Nul pounced forward You aren’t getting away this time I shall devour you

Fool The blob spat You are weak even this projection can crush your will and absorb you

Only if you are willing to let go of control of your Raid Bosses Nul countered wickedly And if you do that we will find you and kill you

Panting Lyra arrived at a crystal barrier only the gory bodies of the bats remaining behind her She had been forced to rely on that freezing wonderful addicting violet energy inside of her in order to make it this far but

It wasn’t as bad as she had worried This amount should be recoverable over a few weeks

But now she stood in front of a strange hexagonal barrier made of energy In the middle of the small barrier not 5 feet away the Tribulation crouched a sad fat blob that looked more like a deflated rubber ball than anything else

Kimmy You locked the door That seems rude

There was no answer Kim Lath seemed to be concentrating very hard on something very far away leaving Lyra alone with the body and the shield Lyra created a bird of mana which bounced harmlessly off the shield

Then she created a giant bear that smashed its paw against the barrier The barrier trembled but showed no visible signs of weakness Lyra frowned This was a first for her encountering something she couldn’t defeat

She raised her hand made a finger gun and said Bang

The barrier didn’t even tremble

Her frown deepened Her magic was based on image The stronger the image the stronger the attack But at the same time the higher the cost And if she wanted to create something powerful enough to pierce this barrier

She shivered and considered the violet energy inside of her More seeped in every moment but it was far from enough What she was planning would consume almost all of the energy she had

This wasn’t even the extra energy this was literally all of the energy Based on her observations this energy was what let people live in the system enhanced world In small doses it enhances the body altering it to provide stats and skills

Without it she

But Lyra felt the connection Kim Lath still maintained far to the south Down where Randidly was She couldn’t know for sure that he was in danger but if the cautious Kim Lath was willing to move

Lyra sat removing several potions from her bag and drinking them Then she began to prepare to do something very very dangerous It was illogical she knew but still

For him she was compelled

For Randidly she would do anything

Chapter 96

Randidly and the Yeti looked at each other Randidly glanced down at the broken shaft of his spear and then shrugged

Almost disappointed the Yeti nodded slowly It was as good of a match as could be expected in a place like this

Fighting is fun Randidly said almost to himself causing the Yeti to burst into a fit of low chuckles blood dripping from his mouth

Yes it really is If you insist on walking down this path we will meet again I look forward to it The Yeti muttered slowly falling backwards the top half of Randidly’s spear buried into its chest The shattered armor fell to pieces slowly melting His broken hammers of ice dropped to the ground with a dull thump

Randidly regretfully turned away and looked towards the fake Yeti which had split into 4 human sized Yetis which waved their hammers at him Randidly simply raised a stamina potion to his lips considering

Perhaps it’s best to just hurry back Randidly muttered

As if I’d let you The Yetis spat rushing towards him Randidly shrugged leaning down and removing the top half of the spear from the Yeti’s chest placing it into his satchel Then he used Phantom Half step to move past the Yeti’s towards a random scout sent by Franksburg and immediately began sprinting North

Lyra was always beautiful And her parents always complimented her on it Her father was a screenwriter turned amateur director and her mother was just pretty enough to be arm candy in b rank flicks But from the day Lyra was born the pair of them both were seized by a shared delusion that their daughter would be the what they never could be

A star

Perhaps god had felt sorry for them for a life of mediocrity because they turned out to be right

Acting lessons singing lessons dancing lessons Lyra’s life was a merry go round of lessons preparing her to be an actress And at every lesson Lyra excelled

It was when she was 7 that this finally paid off and Lyra was recommended by her acting teacher It was only a role as an understudy but her parents were ecstatic

And then when on the first day the original girl for the part was sick Lyra stepped forward and performed the scenes with her own unique twist The director slightly nonplussed had looked at Lyra and said That was really good but I’m not sure if this is what the producers had in mind

Lyra simply shrugged That’s how the character would have done it For several minutes the two just stared at each other the director struggling with how he should view this tiny actress Lyra profoundly sure she was right

Helpless the director showed the producers the first day’s footage They fell in love with Lyra’s Jen and needless to say even after she had recovered the original girl was told very politely that her services were no longer required

Because when you looked at Lyra it was very hard to look away

Later that year late at night when the resounding success of Lyra’s movie became public and her having no small role in that success Lyra found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror

She reached out and dragged her fingers across the smooth surface of the mirror not admiringly but wonderingly

Is this what it means to be beautiful The 7 year old asked the hard mirror with a soft voice

Donny looked on at the blood soaked ground shock clear on his face Even the Raid Boss lay dead and groaning on the ground Like hollow eyed ghosts Decklan’s squad walked among the bodies slicing larger gashes in some cyclopses removing projectile weapons from others

All the while the seemingly infinite vines of Thorn moved picking up and squeezing bodies dry

Uh Decklan Donny said unsure of how to proceed He had come to reinforce them but when he’d arrived the cyclopses had already been practically bled to death

Oh Decklan looked up blinking Then he raised a hand to his mouth and shouted No rest for the wicked boys looks like there are more monsters to kill

Donny took several steps backwards because not 3 seconds later he was surrounded by Decklan’s squad all of them covered in blood most cradling broken arms drinking health or stamina potions

Another day in the life Terra muttered producing an apple and biting into it

The the next order of business is moving to reinforce Dozer’s division against the Tier II Raid Boss Donny said recovering from the shock He grinned at the tired looking squad and turned and walked away We’ll head over now but just show up after you shower alright We have standards in Donnyton

Annie had worked frantically the past hour keeping Dozer and his little friends alive not even bothering to tease Dozer She just darted from rampart to rampart using her height and archery to control the number of beetle things that could come towards the squad at once Even so they seemed endless

But Dozer showed no signs of slowing even getting himself worked into a fever pitch green ichor covering his club and part of his body

Annie wrinkled her nose She would definitely make him shower before giving him his reward tonight

Well probably

Annie allowed herself to admire his shoulders and arms for a second Normally she would carefully control herself about such things It would do no good if he knew how strongly he could influence her But now was a safe time for two reasons One Dozer seemed quite distracted and two it appeared the cavalry had arrived

Aegis Donny’s familiar shout sounded out and a group began ripping into the back of the beetle formation cutting swiftly forward to alleviate some of the pressure from Dozer’s squad Decklan’s squad moved like hungry ghosts stabbing their sharp weapons around the hard shells aiming for the soft fleshy joints

A roar sounded out and a huge beetle with huge chittering legs reared up revealing itself in the middle of the horde Annie sighed watching Dozer’s eyes begin to glow as he cut his way forward Of course he would challenge it

Dozer added weight to his challenge by crushing several nearby beetles clearing out a small area Incensed the Beetle charged heading directly towards Dozer’s wild swing

Annie breathed in then breathed out her focus narrowing as she activated her snipe ability The two forms Dozer ? the size of the beetle rushed towards each other positively crackling with force Annie loosed her arrow

The arrow slid through the air whistling so fast at such a high frequency that it was practically silent You would only know it was coming from the prickling on the back of your neck

The arrow struck the Beetle in the eye but it didn’t even seem to care crashing into the full strength swing of Dozer Grunting Dozer was immediately forced backwards as his swing didn’t even slow the beetle It crashed forward lashing out with its legs

Dozer managed to get his club up in time to block the leg that swung towards him but his club splintered slightly a long crack appearing it in The other nearby Classers weren’t as lucky and their armor was simply smashed apart before the fearsome power of the Tier II Raid Boss

Bringing its body around the beetle prepared to strike but as it launched itself forward Donny was suddenly there his shield smashing it backwards Although he wasn’t nearly as strong as Dozer in terms of stats and especially in ability to deal damage at the 6 inch distance Donny was king His shield bash knocked it off balance stunning it for a short moment

The beetle hissed in annoyance but as it struggled to regroup the Heavy Mage Corps unleashed a barrage of fire and ice that smashed against the Raid Boss’s shell It screamed in pain as the shell shattered struck by spell after spell

Although they were strong against physical attacks magic ripped right through them The Magic Corps launched another barrage this one less focused ripping through all of the beetles in the surrounding area They died in a series of hisses and screams

Then the mages parted and to Annie’s surprise the gangly slightly creepy Glendel walked forward But unlike his normal bobbing self now his posture was very straight his eyes stern and serious With an imperious gesture Glendel raised his hand and in the sky above the Raid Boss a ghastly wooden door wrapped in chains appeared

Glowing eerily green the door ratted and then sprung open long green arms rushing down to grip the body of the beetle But instead of its physical form the arms simply seemed to sink into the beetle rummaging around

Then they began to retract dragging with them the strange ghostly soul of the beetle glowing that same strange green color The beetle ghost for its part began to panic gripping tightly onto its body but more and more hands rushed downward from the door grabbing and pulling away all of the legs of the beetle one by one

Finally completely bound by those spectral hands the beetle ghost was dragged upwards into the door which swung silently closed

As Annie watched Glendel he closed his eyes seemingly concentrating very hard on something And then behind him floating in the air the beetle condensed its eyes glowing white Smiling Glendel opened his eyes revealing eyes glowing with the same white color

So this was the Sovereign of Ghosts’ Annie thought wonderingly

But then she was distracted by Daniel’s arrival who hurried up to the panting Donny and Dozer a worried look on his face Annie just rolled her eyes

What now She muttered annoyed

Paolo and Kayle stood opposite each other a chalk board in between them Behind them were their individual squads and behind the squads were neat piles of bones If one were to look closely one would notice that these bones were neatly sorted and would probably would have formed the skeleton of a horse before they were smashed to pieces

Behind the piles of bones were the other squads which were shaking their heads at the actions of squads I and II

Kayle grinned pointing to the carefully made tally marks on the chalkboard The recount is in and the result is still the same Your squad killed 91 and mine killed 117 I think it is clear who is superior

But we killed the Raid Boss Paolo said crossing his arms

Kayle shrugged So what it had two heads and breathed fire Whoopyty doo Could it fly Use magic Do anything but charge in a straight line You can have 25 points for it but that still only puts you at 116

Ha That raid boss is worth at least 50

One of the women from the other squads leaned over to the woman next to her and whispered Why doesn’t breathing fire count as magic

And was quickly shushed by her fellow squadmate as Paolo continued to speak And we arrived first softening them up If you want to be the 2nd best squad forever feel free to keep mopping up after

But then Paolo stopped speaking his hand going to his chest He winced then shook his head

Heartburn at his age Paolo supposed he needed to lay off the rich cream sauces with his wolverine meat but to his surprise Kayle also had a similarly unpleasant expression on his face So did all the members of both squads

What what is this it feels terrible One of Squad II muttered but Kayle quickly shushed him Then Kayle turned to Paolo and the two leaders shared a glance all traces of banter gone

This feeling did not feel like an isolated thing It was likely related to the village To the fate of Donnyton

Sam frowned down at Nul whose skin was slowly turning grey

What’s wrong He asked the village spirit shaking him slightly He had never touched Nul before and was surprised at how light his body was And how cold his skin was

How Nul muttered How is it so strong

Far away a creature isolated by a powerful barrier slowly opened its eyes

Chapter 97

After her first movie success Lyra’s career exploded Although she didn’t always duplicate the rave reviews she received for her first performance and there were duds mixed in with her work as an actress she never seemed to lose that spark that drew the eye that it factor

When she was 15 a famous tabloid named her the hottest rising young actress Due to that she was invited out to a photo shoot that provided hair and makeup arts that completely changed up her look

A consummate professional Lyra took it in stride and said nothing even as she paid attention to the ways that they sexualized her She noted the outfits they picked and the poses they had her in for the pictures

Later alone in her room she did her best to duplicate that hair and makeup and did a rather excellent job Then she looked at herself again slowly turning back and forth examining her from every angle

Both her parents had sent her congratulatory texts but didn’t call After all they understood how busy she was They would be thrilled to see her at the Hollywood premiere of her next new movie

I am beautiful Lyra said and she knew it was true She heard it from every source Even her own eye couldn’t help but notice her smooth skin her symmetrical features But hearing the words aloud made her incredibly tired

The next day Lyra had her agent cancel all of her appointments and talked to an middle school friend with the right sort of connections Lyra had her friend buy cocaine and bring it over to Lyra’s loft

After they had snorted the drug Lyra moved to sit in front of her mirror while her friend did cartwheels over Lyra’s soft carpet laughing endlessly

I am beautiful Lyra whispered to her reflection the whole room vibrating with her words Then she smiled because there was no sadness this time There was only joy and up and up and up Her body was soft and curved and Lyra allowed herself to wiggle in her chair appreciating the amazing way her body could move

Even as her friend began to frantically cook food Lyra stayed in front of that mirror For hours she sat there watching for herself hoping for a change

The change came of course and it was exactly as she feared The high faded Her heavy lidded eyes looked back at her dull and unfocused She was not beautiful She never was

Lyra disposed of the rest of the cocaine sold her loft and never spoke to that friend again She threw herself into acting search for an answer Maybe she had been wrong Maybe it wasn’t her but the roles Maybe she was just a conduit for the beauty

But that too seemed wrong It was definitely her and others like her But she couldn’t seem to see it that factor that took her facial symmetry and made it irresistible She was just a bag of skin holding in blood just like everyone else

6 Months before the system would come to the world on her 17th birthday Lyra received a call to star in an action movie that had a budget that doubled the most expensive movie she had ever starred in And Lyra said yes not for the money because also starring in the movie would be Vivian Plath who the world agreed was the most beautiful woman in the world

Randidly rushed onwards dodging around the Yeti illusions that continued to form around him They sought to distract them and slow them and would continually form on his path but they weren’t strong or fast enough to be able to box him in and restrain him

Still they were annoying and they kept trying different tricks to lead him astray But luckily Randidly’s pathfinder skill guided him due North keeping him from any false paths

It would get a little bit more hairy as he neared Donnyton because he would no longer be able to rush straight North But hopefully he would recognize the area he was in at that time

What complicated things was that slowly but surely it seemed like Kim Lath was able to create more and more Lyra illusions along with the Yeti illusions It seemed like its strength was growing But perhaps it was more that Randidly was nearing its locations so it had more influence here

But then something occurred that caused Randidly to slow and then stop raising a stamina potion to his lips the illusions were gone He was alone

Randidly drank the potion then began running again He had been traveling for about an hour and was about halfway back to Donnyton His speed on a flat sprint was something that only a car could have replicated in the days before the system

Feeling disturbed by the sudden lack of illusions Randidly picked up speed rushing North He wasn’t sure why but he knew that if the village faced a problem Lyra would find it In all their interactions even while she was flippant and teasing she was also eminently competent

She only traveled with him after she had developed the Teleport skill Then when she had been useless against the centipede Randidly bet that she had trained furiously until her birds of mana could cut through just about anything And then she had started making larger objects as conduits for her power

Lyra had always seemed to Randidly to be the type that was dishonest about it but was an obsessively hard worker And examining his own memories he couldn’t really pinpoint when he got that impression

Maybe it’s the way she looked into your eyes direct and challenging As if daring you to underestimate her Maybe there was just a connection between them which was why even though she seemed so young

But Randidly shook his head banishing those thoughts That was for later

Activating Haste and Empower not bothering to keep a Stamina reserve now that the illusions were nonexistent Randidly began to blur racing forward hoping he arrived in time

You have lost Kim Lath whispered using its own hollow sounding voice It was cute of you to do this forcing me to move before I had all the preparations I wanted but The Village Spirit is almost dead and once he becomes a part of me I will evolve once more With an entire dungeon’s worth of warriors trained by your precious Ghosthound who can stop me so early in this Zone I will rule and prepare for the next step

Lyra just stood there her eyes closed a wistful expression on her face

This seemed to displease Kim Lath who spoke again this time using Randidly’s voice Are you afraid Are you ready to die

Yes and yes Lyra whispered her eyes still closed only half listening Because in her mind she was still racing forward in her memories dragged along by time

VIvian was beautiful sure but she was small minded and petty constantly taking the opportunity to thrust herself into the limelight and making snide comments about Lyra to the filming staff

It all just seemed so dull There was no beauty in the posturing in the jockeying for influence There was simply strange compulsion as if this was the only thing that kept Vivian going She was good at it too Lyra couldn’t deny but her competence in such a useless activity did very little to calm Lyra’s sinking mood There was no answer here

Her Love Interest seemed very interested in her and not in a professional way His hands always would linger just slightly longer than they needed during the scenes and he would very obviously check her ass out when she walked away from him

In a clinical way she derived a small satisfaction from this and was able to distract herself from Vivian’s exhausting games After all she worked very hard daily to cultivate the physique she had Diet and exercise and more exercise and supplements

But it did not feel glamorous or beautiful It just felt

Felt like she was coming down from a high a very long one fed to her by her star struck parents who were constantly out at parties talking about how proud they were of Lyra enjoying their imagined piece of the pie

Strangely Lyra found herself spending more time with one of the men who worked as a sound grip drawn by his even keeled temperament and relative lack interest in fawning over her because she was in movies a grizzled man named Mr Hoss and was able to stomach the bloated special effects and the over the top script But Lyra wondered if she would ever act in a movie again They started to seem so empty from the inside

Not that she could get acting out of her system not now not after so long Her relationships were a series of masks which only had one thing in common That she was beautiful seen

But she didn’t know what existed under the masks Although perversely Lyra had begun to hope that what was deep down wasn’t so beautiful after all

Then the system came

In a detached manner she watched her male love interest who had stared so longingly at her ass get his intestines ripped out by 3 wolverines Sam Hoss had dragged her and the nearby Kal Vivian and Ellaine away and managed to get them all into the truck Then they drove out of there hoping for a piece of sanity

Lyra carefully read the notifications She had never played games but she recognized some of their qualities in these which was exceedingly strange The next day still on the run they had crashed and had been subsequently saved by the man who would change her life although Lyra didn’t notice anything in particular about him at the time

Only later at Randidly’s suggestion did Sam drive to that small valley with the squabbling teens and the deserted hut

Then one night against Sam’s suggestion that they stay hidden because their identities might cause trouble Lyra wandered away and saw a figure standing alone on a stump in the dark She had crept forward to get a better look at the weirdo who was raising his hands above his head

Then equally slowly he lowered them pointing at a tree across the clearing A bolt of blue energy shot forward smashing into the tree burning away some bark The dazzling bolt of energy remained burned into her wide eyes forever etched on her retinas

A notification popped up

Congratulations You have unlocked the Path of Wonder 0/10 Although it is a strange path your feet itch and in your heart you know there lies your destiny

Of course that figure was Randidly

Over the course of the next day Sam had taught them what little they had learned about skills from Randidly and Lyra had gone off in the woods and practiced endlessly getting the Physical Fitness Dancing Singing and Acting skills high enough that she could finish off the Path with her PP Then she received another notification

Congratulations You have completed the the Path of Wonder Although your eyes see more than that your heart yearns As you continue to climb higher following your path you only find more wonders that lure you deeper You walk quickly into the deepening night unafraid of its mysteries You have learned the skill Eyes of Wonder Lvl 1 Mana +50 Mana Regeneration +5 Wisdom +10

Eyes of Wonder Lvl 1 See the truth and beauty in all things As Skill Level rises your gaze shall grow more discerning

Lyra went back to the camp and noticed that she could now see auras around people Soft colors about them Sam’s was a deep purple Vivian was a mustard yellow Kal pink Ellaine a mauve

Then she sought out Randidly once more and as she watched him produce large orbs that exploded with force she opened her Eyes of Wonder For a long time she had hesitated afraid of what she would see but she shouldn’t have He burned emerald in her vision a deep green of the forest The aura around him pulsed shrinking visibly as he used his magic but seemed to grow more intense at its core all the while

It was forest green with flashes of light green the color of warm grass in summer and golden too like the gaze of a wild beast It pulsed evenly like a heartbeat and it seemed to come alive under her vision As she looked more directly at him she saw the dozens of strange formations within the aura strange shapes that the energy flowed The were mesmerizing and complex but Lyra couldn’t get enough of them For whatever reason she felt very strongly that these shapes were him told in dozens of simple truths about himself

They flowed together continuous and multifarious and endless smoothly transitioning into the next

It was beautiful It took her breath away

Although the youth was rather plain by Hollywood standards his gaze was direct and strong and he blazed with an aura that kept Lyra enthralled all night

The next day when he had surprised her by coming to their camp to speak to Sam she had dumbly blurted out the first thing that had come to her mind

it looked like fireworks

Huh The man who would be Ghosthound glanced at her seemingly shocked to find her there

Lyra gestured awkwardly for the first time in her life tongue tied After all she wasn’t sure at all what sort of mask she should wear around this strange man who burned emerald in her vision

Fireworks You were doing magic earlier right Lyra said pictured the way his aura would gather and burst to produce the spells he made Then she looked down at her own hands She had worn herself ragged finishing the Newbie Path and earned the skill Mana Bolt but her own aura was colorless to her eyes And exceedingly small Mine don’t look like that at all

To demonstrate Lyra shot her own pathetic Mana Bolt hitting a nearby tree

Your skill level is just low As you raise it and your Intelligence it will get stronger and brighter Randidly responded his voice brusque Lyra nodded doing her best to hide her embarrassed blush in the shadow of her hood

This asshole

In the present Lyra opened her eyes Gathering her energy she began to condense her strongest move using the volatile violent energy in her chest scraping the well of her body clean

Their relationship continued like that Lyra struggling every waking hour to impress this beautiful emerald man Randidly gazing at her with mild eyes like everything she managed every spell and trick she learned to practiced incessantly with was only just enough for him to acknowledge her

Even after she realized those shapes she saw were the skills he could use and she began to try and imitate them creating her own resulting in some fascinating results she didn’t know how to bring it up with him His gaze stopped her dead filling her with anxiety

She quickly learned that mild gaze was just how he dealt with people but that only drove Lyra more insane and she made up snide nicknames and poked at him and mocked him wishing for something Some change in that mild look some proof that she wasn’t working so tirelessly every day every night for nothing

Wishing for some indication he viewed her differently than everyone else

For some indication that she was

Shaking her head with an uncharacteristically sad smile Lyra pictured Randidly the day he had left As he grew stronger so did the dominance of his aura growing larger and more multifarious taking aspects of all of his choices paths and skills

And also Randidly had obtained the beautiful pulsing heart of violet energy from his battle with the sphinx It was similar to the strange veins of energy that others would get when obtaining a class but his was different in a way that Lyra couldn’t quite discern Whereas others had small tributaries flowing through them polluted somehow Randidly had a pure spring

Opening her eyes Lyra looked at her strongest skill

A man 7 inches taller than her made of mana stood their holding a spear The mana construct was gazing at her Lyra who barely able to stand simply nodded

The figure turned and thrust forward with his spear

The world seemed to explode in a wave of concussive force but standing behind the figure Lyra felt nothing The barrier around Kim Lath shattered the spear barely slowed It rushed forward Kim Lath’s eyes widening with shock and the spear sank into the flesh of its body blowing a huge hole in the tribulation

Before her very eyes it seemed to deflate energy seeping out of it

The spearman raised his spear once more but then dissipated the power inside of Lyra all spent She raised a mana potion to her lips but she couldn’t maintain her strength and the bottle fell to the ground shattering

She allowed herself a small smile Randidly would be so pissy For a man he was oddly protective of his glassware Then she too fell no strength remaining in her body

It’s not like the potion would have done anything the resource Lyra had expended was much more vital than mana It was that violet energy that Randidly seemed to be swimming in But unlike him Lyra did not have a spring within her chest She only had the small amount she could slowly gather over time

As she collapsed she wished deeply that she would have the chance to see Randidly again She had told the truth to Kim Lath she was ready to die to protect the village nurtured by Randidly And she was afraid that even then she would never know what face he would make when he found out

Would that mild if intense gaze finally waver

Yearning Lyra opened her Eyes of Wonder gazing forward

Then her gaze sharpened her eyes glittering

Then she began to crawl forward her body slowly dying

Nul sat up some of his color returning She she really did it The tribulation is dying Now I can

But that Nul squawked and rolled over on his side writhing back and forth as if in the midst of a seizure

Sam just looked down his mouth wide open

What the fuck was going on

Chapter 98

Randidly arrived at Donnyton 40 minutes later the distance completely eaten by his mobility with all of his skills active Most everyone was gathered in a huge clump whispering All of the Classers had worried looks on their faces

Randidly used his Eyes of the Spear Phantom to pick out someone in the far side of the crowd and then used Phantom Half Step to teleport right in the middle of the group appearing next to Sam and Daniel

Daniel paled even further which seemed impossible given how bloodless his face was right now and Sam directly collapsed his limbs trembling Immediately the surrounding people turned silent eyes wide at Randidly’s sudden appearance

But Randidly ignored them and asked what was going on Sam quickly explained about the Tribulation somehow corrupting Turtletown then releasing the Raid Bosses it had been hiding to attack Donnyton Lyra had arrived and then left to fight the tribulation Then he explained how Nul attacked it spiritually somehow and disappeared in the process At that point the strange corruption seemed to affect Donnyton’s Classers briefly then stopped

Randidly glanced at Sam What’s your excuse then

Immediately Randidly was shocked at his rough tone but honestly it had been a long night And his aggressiveness which he usually just bottled up had finally found an outlet in violence and had been acknowledged Randidly knew deep down that he was starting to change but he couldn’t work up the effort to care

Changing was better than dying

Sam just grimaced taking it in stride I’m not sure I’ve just felt Strangely weak lately

Shrugging Randidly leapt leaving the group of people Time to find Lyra

The search didn’t take as long as he expected There was an area to the Northwest where trees in a large area had been leveled as if with a razor the cuts clean and sharp Randidly moved quickly into the cave where he found a very strange scene

Lyra was sprawled out on the ground reaching forward to another Lyra who was sitting in a sitting cross legged her face scrunched her eyes closed

Randidly raised his spear

I swear to fucking god I am SO not in the mood right now Lyra muttered out through gritted teeth Randidly sighed and lowered his spear

If I really wanted to kill you I’d use a spell anyway

Which I would see coming you idiot Better stick with the spear before I murder you

They were silent for a long while as Randidly looked to the reaching Lyra She was still her limbs stiff her lips blue clearly dead His eyes slid to the living Lyra

Have something to say Lyra said waspishly

Nope Randidly said grinning slightly

Well I do Bring all the fat cats from Donnyton I have something to say I need you all here

Randidly nodded but as he turned away Lyra’s voice stopped him And Randidly what I’m going to say doesn’t apply to You

It seemed like speaking took a great toll on Lyra because she spat out a fat glob of black blood that began to sizzle on the ground Randidly nodded slowly uncomprehending but acknowledging the words The he spoke quietly

Lyra it’s really good to see you again I missed you

Her pinched face broke into a small smile In that moment Randidly activated Haste and Empower his spear ripping across in a line beheading the sitting Lyra Bloodlessly her head toppled to the ground and then dissolved into a grey goo

Inwardly Randidly set himself into a fighting stance struggling to avoid the strange sense of loss in his heart If Lyra was dead

I SAID I am NOT in the fucking mood Lyra spat her head reforming before his very eyes The beheaded version began to sizzle away into nothing on the ground

Randidly blinked

Sam winced still feeling weak after Randidly’s arrival earlier caused him to collapse It had been happening intermittently of late but today was the worst it had ever been It wasn’t as bad as the pain the Classers had briefly experienced but it was infuriating in a different way He hadn’t felt the trappings of age since the system had hit and to feel them again now

It reminded him of his own mortality

But Randidly had come gathered the Council taking them to an area 3 miles away from Donnyton through a deep cave He warned then to not jump to any conclusions based on what they saw and also to be ready to fight

Then he had fallen silent a brooding expression on his face and that had been most disturbing of all

When they arrived they all looked eyes wide at Lyra’s corpse and then her sitting form The Ghosthound walked right up to her so the rest followed

As they approached The Ghosthound drew a wooden training spear and held the point to the throat of the sitting Lyra Her mouth quirked up in a small smile but she otherwise remained still They stood like that as the Council arrayed itself near but far enough away to react with Donny standing confused with his shield raised

When they had all settled in The Ghosthound coughed and then said Before Lyra starts I want to say no questions until she finishes Especially you Daniel This seems straining on her

Then they all turned to the sitting Lyra

She opened her eyes which burned a vivid violet The Ghosthound narrowed his eyes but otherwise showed no reaction Sam gasped taking a step backwards This these weren’t Lyra’s eyes

Ahem Welcome welcome ah yes finally my chance to monologue As some of you suspect yes Lyra the human has passed Of course as a personality I am unending ohoho so now you see before you the glorious Lyra the Village Spirit Praise me

Everyone just looked at her The Ghosthound’s fingers tightened on the spear Lyra just sighed Sam was torn Her eyes were different but the confrontational and rambling way she talked

I have a secret and I also have a truth Nul might not have been such a bad guy after all You really are stuck in some ways as village spirit but I should be able to persevere by well it’s complicated Anyway Classes are important but not just for skills and level up gains It’s the true reason why staying an NCC forever isn’t feasible That is

Lyra face seized her violet eyes burning even brighter and she had to spit out the final words It’s due to Aether

Her body began to shake and Sam noticed all the Classer blinked and their eyes unfocused in the way they did when they got a notification but Lyra began speaking rapidly drawing their attention back

That should buy me some time Aether is what the system is based on Stats and skills are only possible due to increasing exposure to Aether A class gives you a direct line to the Aether Spring of the Village The higher tiered the Village the more people it can support due to a larger Aether spring But the return from increasing your village tier has diminishing returns If a person continues to grow stronger without it they are soon afflicted with weakness and eventually die

You will notice too when a village is overstrained The crops will die the land will be barren And then the weak will fall ill You must not let that happen to Donnyton To avoid that their are three methods The first is clearing Bosses which will provide a rather substantial pool to draw from It’s only a temporary fix but an effective one Bosses either from Dungeons or the Tier III Raid Bosses which will spawn in Danger Zones

The 2nd method is as I said upgrading the village tier That will increase the size of the Aether spring giving the village a higher population cap This is a more permanent solution The final way Is to invade other villages and raze for their Aether Spring This is another permanent solution You effectively steal their source of Aether

Lyra coughed mouthfuls of black blood tumbling out She tsk’d almost in annoyance A tribulations life is only worth that much time huh well anyway it’s not an immediate concern for most Just be careful especially you Sam Crafting provides its own complications that make Aether consumption more serious And know that when you meet the village from other worlds they might not have the best intentions Earth was a low seed in terms of its expected outcomes with the system But others

Violet eyes bulging Lyra continued to speak her chest heaving others were warned of the systems coming long before They have been preparing for decades They hit the ground running Be very careful

And with that Lyra collapsed dissolving into a puddle of grey goop

They had gathered goo Lyra up into a pitcher and returned to the village everyone quiet Randidly carried the human body delicately although Lyra was very clearly dead Then Donny spoke Well I suppose there is nothing else to do but keep doing the same thing Ghosthound have you felt this weakness

Randidly’s face was clouded but then he glanced meaningfully at Sam I believe it varies from individual to individual Also you received a notification

Donny nodded slowly Yes but basically just that the tribulation for Donnyton was vanquished We all gained 2 levels And that there would be more buildings available for purchase from the Village Spirit but

Everyone looked at the pitcher and the grey goop that may or may not be Lyra

The rest of the walk was silent When they reached the village Randidly pulled Sam to the side

I might have a solution To your weakness He said his words halting But you must promise there will be no hard feelings and that you will do me a favor

Sam frowned deeply Well let’s hear it out first What are you acting so serious for

To Sam’s surprise Randidly simply put his hand on Sam and a notification appeared in front of him

Warning Randidly Ghosthound has initiated the skill Blessing of the East 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

Shrugging Sam selected Yes Then his frown once more appearing he selected Yes two more times clicking through the warnings

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of the East Calculating Blessing

From Randidly Ghosthound you have received the Soul Skill Blessing of the Auspicious Dawn You have gained access to the class Dawn Smith As you do not possess a class speak with a Town Spirit to obtain this class

Congratulations You have gained the skill Lumomancy Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Mana Engraving Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Blessing of the Dawn Lvl 1

Lumomancy Create and shape light Mediums may affect the brightness and longevity of the crafted light Brightness Longevity and possibilities increase with skill level

Mana Engraving Carve powerful runes onto weapons and armor increasing their effectiveness Requires mana and knowledge of the Runic language Success Rate and effect increase with skill level

Blessing of the Dawn Passive skill Finishing a crafting product under the light of dawn will have a chance of increasing the stats of an item Chance and effect increases with skill level

Sam blinked slowly This

A Soulskill which you can only have one of Randidly remarked his face haggard That should also provide some relief for you for the weakness I hope it’s satisfactory

Sam only frowned in response Well let’s not rush to judgment Oh what was that favor

Randidly paled and then dumped something on the ground Ah please repair this whenever you have the chance

In a flash he disappeared Sam chuckled almost awestruck by his speed But why was he in such a rush

Curious Sam crouched down relishing the return of his strength He clenched his hand into a fist then examined what Randidly had dropped He froze His eyes began to bulge rage filling up every inch of him

The spear which he considered his greatest work the pinnacle of craftsmanship and dedications

lay in the dirt covered in scratches and cracks snapped completely in half Most insultingly there was dried blood splashed all over it as if Randidly hadn’t even had the time to stop and clean it Eyes burning Sam glared after Randidly swearing that he would have his revenge

But then he remember the deal and forcefully suppressed that feeling But when Sam picked up the heavy spear he did not place it into a spatial ring but physically carried it cradling it the entire while

Chapter 99

Daniel sat very still as he examined the report in front of him

Casualties for the night sat at 78 Classers and 112 NCCs The Raid Boss assault simply came too quickly The 78 Classers hurt far worse than the NCCs although Daniel would never say so especially to Mrs Hamilton or Regina That amounted to 10% to their fighting force

Most of the casualties were from the mid tiered squads 15 25 and Decklan’s unit which lost several people The Numerals even I and II who apparently had single handedly defended the Northern approach hadn’t lost a single person

Likewise the Magic Corps suffered no casualties and apparently made great gains in destructive power over the course of the night Blasting into ranks of higher leveled monsters apparently had its benefits Mrs Hamilton was busy gathering information in regards to new paths and skills but the initial reports were very promising this world was a cruel place but in its way it was fair

Surviving the tribulation had brought gains to the village even aside from the levels that all of the Classers had gained The steep price they paid was not worth it but perhaps if they took the long view it was a close thing

There was a knock at the door and without waiting for an answer the door slid silently open Daniel started to frown but then froze as he recognized the figure at the door The Ghosthound

Randidly stepped forward his powerful emerald gaze seeming to pin Daniel to the spot he was sitting Walking forward very slowly The Ghosthound gazed at each of the tables and reports in front of Daniel in turn Although Daniel couldn’t know for sure he would swear that The Ghosthound was reading them and storing them away with his brief gaze

Then The Ghosthound coughed I think this event proves that there needs to be some changes in the village Of everyone I suspect you are the best with schedules and timeframes Help me whip this place into shape

Regina looked up at Mrs Hamilton and nodded then followed the other woman into Daniel’s small cabin To her surprise she saw The Ghosthound standing against the far wall his eyes closed

What do you require Mrs Hamilton asked serenely speaking to Daniel but her gaze locked onto the Ghosthound Even now as he stood still there was something chilling about his bearing A coldness that Regina hadn’t noticed before Whether it was the Tribulation’s coming or his journey to Franksburg something had changed within him

It did not seem to be a positive change

We are working out more intensive training schedules and trying to determine Skill Level goals for inclusion in squads I was hoping Daniel began but The Ghosthound interrupted him

There is something else

His eyes opened and they burned in the dimly lit room HIs focused shifted to Mrs Hamilton and then further onto Regina Almost instinctively Regina sucked in a breath when he looked at her There WAS something different A coldness and viciousness that hadn’t been there before It was calm now lurking in the backdrop but if it came out

Neither of you have classes correct The Ghosthound spoke slowly Both nodded

I have a gift for one of you It will give you access to a powerful class He continued I figured I would consult you both see which you believe would be more suitable

Regina Mrs Hamilton said immediately a small smile on her face Her healing magic is an asset to the village and if the class could be related to healing I don’t think you need me to explain how useful that would be

The Ghosthound nodded slowly the class is based on the individual so it is possible

I agree Daniel said after a moment of thought Ptolemy is sufficient for most things but his healing magic even with a class is only more useful than Regina’s due to having a higher tiered skill even though the skill levels are in Regina’s favor People simply have too much health for a Healing Palm to be sufficient in most cases Not even 2 sometimes suffice Obtaining a dedicated healer class

I disagree Regina said coolly surprising herself Not that this didn’t desire this gift but at the same time there was something that disturbed her about the current Randidly She assumed it was related to the strange situation with Lyra but It made her hesitate

And to be honest Regina really didn’t believe she was the best choice In terms of effect on the village or importance to Donnyton’s smooth running I can’t compare to Mrs Hamilton

In addition Regina added looking at Mrs Hamilton In terms of seniority she trumps me I believe that she is better suited for the gift

The Ghosthound’s smile was wolfish his gaze seeming to dig into Regina searching for Something I agree

Then he walked forward and placed his hand on Mrs Hamilton’s shoulder The woman frowned for a while and then her eyes widened

Then she shared her notification with the group

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of the West Calculating Blessing

From Randidly Ghosthound you have received the Soul Skill Silk of Entrapment and Manipulation You have gained access to the class Spider of the Lengthening Shadows As you do not possess a class speak with a Town Spirit to obtain this class You have gained the skill Patience Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Intuition Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Sense Intrusion Lvl 1

Well this certainly seems Unexpected Mrs Hamilton said the corners of her mouth slowly curling up

Kiersty explained as best she could what Arbor could do and how he had helped save the village

And Nathan added hastily Kiersty tired herself out casting Blessings on everyone to keep them alive She’s the real reason the village is safe

The Ghosthound’s gaze moved to Nathan his eyes currently a pale green Nathan helplessly fell silent feeling slightly awestruck After several long seconds the Ghosthound grunted and rubbed both of their heads

Good job

Then he walked past them to Arbor’s main trunk slightly taller but still covered in ash Currently only a single burning leaf remained on its branches the rest used during the defense of Donnyton With careful hands The Ghousthound reached out and touched the ashy surface rubbing across Arbor

The tree shyly wiggled back and forth seemingly unsure of how to behave next to its maker But after a while it timidly reached forward brushing a twig across The Ghosthound’s face leaving a long line of grey ash on his cheek

The Ghosthound didn’t seem to mind After a long moment he opened his eyes with a side So we are connected still by this Aether huh Interesting But good job for you too Protecting this village is a good thing But did you really need to give the little girl a Soul Skill Explaining this to her mother is a bit

Arbor twisted dismissively expressing its feelings about Kiersty’s mother Kiersty opened her mouth to explain but The Ghosthound replied as if he had heard I suppose so but it’s Ah I’m not good at this stuff at all you inherited some of my bad qualities it seems I can’t tell whether I should be happy or sad

Kiersty blushed Of course he could hear Arbor’s voice too He was the Ghosthound Arbor swelled pleased to have been compared to The Ghosthound

The ground erupted and dozens of huge vines as thick as a man’s thigh rushed forward to grip The Ghosthound Nathan backpedaled wildly and Kiersty frowned but The Ghosthound just laughed

Ah it’s good to see you too You’ve grown quite a bit haven’t you Thorn

The vines vibrated pleased and began rubbing the Ghosthound ripping through his clothes Arbor wiggled back and forth and the Ghosthound looked at the tree then frowned down at the vines around him

Thorn have you been bullying Arbor to have its priestess bless you

The vines wiggled helplessly The Ghosthound sighed Okay whatever Just ask next time okay And try not to destroy any of the ground inside Donnyton You are really really big

With a grunt Dozer collapsed atop her spent Annie pushed him playfully and then wiggled out from under him Taking some water from the basin by the door Annie began to clean herself as best she could

A soft knocking came at the door and Dozer just rolled over already snoring Frowning Annie opened the door a crack only to find Randidly standing there

Not bothering to dress herself Annie stepped out into the cool night air naked as the day she was born Your previous boo is dead or a pile of goop and you so quickly make a move on me not that that I didn’t expect it but

Annie batted her eyelashes at Randidly He simply snorted and reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder

Accept the gift The statement was more command than anything else and Annie considered refusing But then she pictured Dozer’s disapproving gaze if he heard she refused the Ghosthound and accepted with a sigh Then again with a frown Then again gritting her teeth

Why was this so difficult

Then the notification popped up

Congratulations You have received the Blessing of the North Calculating Blessing

From Randidly Ghosthound you have received the Soul Skill Blessing of the Frozen Expanse You have gained access to the class The White Whistling Death As you do not possess a class speak with a Town Spirit to obtain this class

Your skill Hawkeye has changed to Eyes of the Grey Eagle Lvl 1 All benefits have been retained Your skill Aiming has changed to Still Air Aiming Lvl 1 All benefits have been retained You have gained the skill White Haste Lvl 1 You have gained the skill Chilling Grace Lvl 1

Annie blinked very slowly Then finally she said Why

Because you deserved it And then Randidly left never even glancing at her naked body

Which left Annie feeling slightly insulted and also slightly disappointed but most of all relieved

Daniel and Regina sat in silence working out the schedule They had considered the different skills they thought were necessary and were now devising schedules and methods to cause those skills to be learned

They were also now on the lookout for information when this Aether Deprivation might occur Sam indicated that it had started around when he reached skill level 450 and grew increasingly more prevalent as he approached 500 But before they could ask him more he refused to speak and locked himself away intent on testing the limits of his new skills In addition that was just a general guideline From what Lyra was able to spit out before the rules of her new station bound her to silence stats also were related It was possible that some people who took more stats heavy paths would be affected more quickly

So that project would have to wait but it was something to monitor in the future For now they continued making schedules for as The Ghosthound insisted the day after tomorrow

Because according to the Ghosthound tomorrow would be dedicated to motivating the Classers of Donnyton by reminding them an important truth

That they were very weak

Chapter 100

Randidly breathed in and then breathed out He was already dreading tomorrow not for the part where he would beat the squads as much as he could urging them towards strength In fact that part would likely be slightly cathartic It would give outlet for the burning aggression that had been lit earlier during the fighting and still burning quite hot After all he had not been pleased to come back to the village to find that Lyra was well whatever it was that had happened to her Punishing the village in a small way seemed like a forgivable outlet

Truly he had obtained a taste for violence

No it was for the words he would have to say after that Randidly still didn’t want to be involved in any of the daily activity of Donnyton but he did want to spur them on towards growth To that end he had created the schedules with Daniel and Regina given the new potion methods to Mrs Hamilton and used his remaining two blessings

The choices were relatively easy He needed people who would protect and strengthen Donnyton individuals who were active and people without classes That Regina wouldn’t obtain a blessing was unfortunate but the power that Randidly felt from both Annie’s and Mrs Hamilton’s classes seemed very promising Best of all the 4 blessings had been used on different types of individuals so their classes had different uses

Alana for strength and power Sam for support and crafting Mrs Hamilton for managing things behind the scenes Annie for threat elimination

But Randidly knew that these actions were only a small part of what he needed to do for the village So after crushing the squad’s concept of strength Randidly would then speak to them hopefully in a motivating manner This was what he was dreading the most

The sun peaked over the horizon and Randidly raised his hand to shade his eyes It had been a long night But it looked like it was finally over

It would probably take the group from Franksburg another day or two to arrive slowed as they were by the large number of people traveling with them and the necessity of sticking to the roads on their journey After they arrived Randidly wanted to speak with Alana and Raina and then he believed he would take his leave of Donnyton for a while finding a deserted area to train in

At least he thought he would do so depending on what happened with Lyra

They had placed her dead body in a bed and put her goop on the bedside table But they were complete unsure what to expect from her No one could tell when she would recover but there had been no changes in the goop over the last several hours

Sighing Randidly rubbed the bridge of his nose a spark of irritation flashing across This was exactly why he wanted someone else to be in charge

Only one thing at a time ’ Randidly reminded himself taking a deep breath Then he examined a particularly notification that he had received earlier in the night

Congratulations You have fully absorbed the blessing from the Patron of Ash The Soul Skill Blessing of the Patron of Ash Lvl 1 is available to you You may either retain your current and forget this new soul skill retain the new and forget the old or attempt to combine the two All previously obtained benefits will be retained

Warning if the two Soul skills are combined an inferior skill may be obtained based upon compatibility This action cannot be undone

There was no real choice here Always forward holding tightly to the spear as best he could Randidly chose to combine the skills

Soul skills combining Warning compatibility is at 41% Do you still wish to proceed

That spark of irritation had erupted filling Randidly with hot flames of rage His grin wide Randidly clicked yes daring the system to try and screw him over He felt the two Soul Skills almost could see them the warm power of the blessing from Ash the cool rot and deadly accuracy of Spear of Rot Mastery

They began to circle each other in his chest coming closer As they approached slowly spinning around each other Randidly heart began to beat more quickly a strange excitement filling his body And within him another beating emerged a pulsing of that strange icy hot energy As they neared the heat of the the blessing burned away the spore y remnants of the rot and the rot settled neatly into the area left cleansed by the heat

Faster and faster they swirled and as they neared each other the energies turned increasingly unstable rushing towards an explosive collision

Instinctively Randidly sensed that this couldn’t happen

So he pressed using all his will to keep them apart The approach stabilized somewhat but the two Soul Skills rotated faster and faster perversely creating greater and greater pressure for them to meet

Gritting his teeth Randidly refused Not like this

Randidly’s eyes burned emerald in the dark

This would not end in an inferior product

Randidly was very aware of how much of his strength he owed to his Soul Skill It had given him several unique skills and gave him extra benefits from leveling skills With it he had risen farther and faster than even a Classer hoped to match

And that would only grow more pronounced if he succeeded here Randidly knew Although Randidly didn’t know how to accomplish what he wanted he knew that the system responded to want and need And every ounce of him craved this Every inch of him needed that strength so he could live so he could protect the people who relied on him So he could find the people from his past and lay to rest any lingering ghosts The pulsing in his chest grew more insistent

For a brief second Randidly’s green eyes flickered and then burned a sickly violet A cold numbing kernel simultaneously the concentrated core of heat from his rage flowed out of him moving to settle between the two swirling energies It gathered itself into a small ball creating an oppressive pressure of its own its energies pressing outward and counteracting the strange gravity that was drawing the two soul skills together

They orbit stabilized slowing slightly but still swirling around each other in an endless cycle Rot followed by a cleansing fire followed by creeping rot

Panting Randidly fell to his knees

Congratulations You have obtained the Soul Skill Cycle of Rot and Ash Lvl 1 All previous benefits have been retained

There were no skills or other bonuses associated with this Soul Skill apparently which made Randidly hesitate But in the end he would soon find out whether he succeeded or failed so for now he simply shrugged Then he looked at his skill level notifications

Spear Mastery had increased by 2 Phantom Thrust and Spear Phantom’s Footwork by 3 Eyes of the Spear Phantom and Phantom Half Step by 1 Heavy Blow by 1 Dodge by 2 Fighting Proficiency by 3 Block by 1 Haste by 3 Sweep and Empower by 2 Calculated Blow by 1 Edge of Decay by 3 Ghastly Slash by 5 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth and The Spear Advances Ash Trails by 1 each Agony by 3 Physical Fitness by 1 Pain Resistance by 3 Grace by 3 and Bacterial Regeneration by 2

All together including leftover from previously exactly 50 PP Randidly chuckled to himself Not enough to finish off the Phantom Thrust path but more than enough to see the usefulness of this Soul Skill

Randidly put the first 5 PP into Phantom Thrust path earning him +1 Agility from the path He obtained nothing from The Soul Skill Frowning Randidly put 5 more PP into it earning +1 Strength But this time Randidly also received a bonus from the Soul Skill Cycle of Rot and Ash +15 health and +2 Vit

Randidly made a pleased noise It took 10 instead of 5 but the benefits were still decent Randidly dumped the rest of his PP into the Path seeing what he obtained The remaining 40 earned him +4 Agi and +4 strength but also results from the Soul Skill that made his eyes widen

Each took 10 but each was slightly different but each giving powerful gains Randidly wasn’t sure if the rotation continued but even this much was quite a bit First was the health and Vit and then came +3 Control and +2 distributable stats Then third was +15 Stamina and +1 Agi and Strength then +3 Focus and +2 distributable Finally the fifth rotation was +15 mana and +1 to all types of regeneration

The distributable stats Randidly put into Resistance and then he looked at his status

Health(/R per hour) 556/548 (+8) (234 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 12/874 (91 75)

Stam(/R per min) 601/678 (85 (+4

Vit 70 (+4)

Str 60 (+12)

Agi 79 (+12)

Resistance 29

Control 85

Focus 53

Skills (Soul Skill) Cycle of Rot and Ash Lvl 51

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 56 Phantom Thrust Lvl 53 Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 44 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 28 Phantom Half Step Lvl 18 Heavy Blow Lvl 30 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 27 Dodge Lvl 38 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 43 Block Lvl 33 Haste Lvl 30 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 15 Sweep Lvl 34 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 32 Calculated Blow Lvl 21 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 21 Edge of Decay Lvl 23 Ghastly Slash Lvl 7 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 3

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 2

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 7 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 27 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 5 Circle of Flame Lvl 7

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 36 Meditation Lvl 35 Running Lvl 23 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 23 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 16 Pain Resistance Lvl 20 First Aid Lvl 13 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 15 Curse Resistance Lvl 3 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 3 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 16 Grace Lvl 14 Extract Lvl 1 Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 3 Superiority Lvl 2

His skill list was truly expansive as he began picking up more and more passive skills that gave him small bonuses Most promising for the future were the Superiority and Bacterial Regeneration skills which would probably give him an edge in battle that no one else would have In addition Randidly wasn’t sure how but he believed that he would be able to expand his Skill Set He recalled that the notification had stated he was only the second person on earth to create a skill set so there were others out there who were strong But it was the only Runic rarity item currently made which gave him some confidence moving forward

But this wasn’t enough It wasn’t nearly enough

After resting for a short time Randidly stood slowly Mana began to once more flow through his body enabling him to use spells which was a welcome feeling He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned seeing a graceful young woman wearing a sundress looking at him with violet eyes

Did you age yourself Randidly asked torn between confusion weariness and amused exasperation

The young woman stuck her tongue out at him and her dirty blonde hair which currently fell in a cascade down her lower back shrank upwards to her shoulders Her wide cheekbones narrowed somewhat sharpening looking younger Her body turned from slender to skinny regressing to that of a teenage girl

Lyra shrugged seeming sheepish I don’t know I thought I looked pretty good

You did Randidly said softly meaning it

They stared at each other for a long second To his surprise Randidly found himself breaking the silence You make me feel strange Positive but strange But we really don’t know anything about each other And now Are you even you

Lyra snorted Tell me then oh wise Randidly With all those skills and stats and those energies inside of you are you still YOU

Randidly stilled and then thought about it Then he shrugged helpless I suppose it doesn’t matter But you are probably right

Obviously So I want to say this Lyra hesitated giving him a sidelong glance If you think I’m beautiful and enjoy being around me Don’t be weird and overthink it Just let it happen okay

Grinning Randidly shook his head Just don’t over think it huh This was no longer a world where you could survive without thinking carefully There was too much they didn’t know too quickly was the world becoming strange and foreign around them

They stood in what Randidly thought was a companionable silence for several minutes watching the sun rise over Donnyton people rising to go about their chores Although they had weathered one storm more would come That was the price you paid in this world

But then Lyra stamped her foot Really You have nothing to say

Randidly blinked Uh

But Lyra was already ranting pointing her finger towards him I can’t even get a compliment on my looks Did you know what sort of day I had yesterday I tracked down the Tribulation I broke its defenses I sacrificed my human life I even interrupted it right when the tribulation was going to devour Nul absorbing them both becoming a complete VIllage Spirit And you have nothing to say

Randidly scratched his head Well I didn’t really know all that

She gave him a withering look Did you think the problems just solved themselves when you came back to the village I don’t know why I bother with you

Lyra stomped away

Randidly hid his grin knowing that it was only partially true anger She was only doing it to make him relax And it had worked Randidly breathed deeply readying himself for the day his gaze sharpening There really were somethings that didn’t need to be thought about too deeply he supposed

Although it was a hassle Randidly would start the villagers on the path of strength They needed it or else they would soon die devoured by what was coming from the Nexus

Lyra’s existence was strange

She had obtained Nul’s access to the Village Spirit controls but she had also gotten Kimmy’s ability to shift her form She had some very amusing ideas of how to abuse this skill but something more pressing was holding her current attention

After she had cheered Randidly up and gone looking for Daniel so the village could spend the significant SP they had gained by defeating the Tribulation and her Raid Bosses But she received a strange notification that was not a notification Sorting through the memories of the rules inherited from Nul she realized it was a missive from the powers that be that arranged for Village Spirits

Dear Sir or Madam

Two individuals Nul and Kim Lath have filed formal complaints against you for usurping control of the VIllage in which they had vested interests This situation falls outside of the purview of the normal Code so the matter has been submitted to Conduit review for final judgement

Your presence is required at the hearing Please prepare to testify as to the truth and to swear on the very Aether that gives you life

The hearing will be in 24 hours Please make preparations for your affairs to be handled during your brief absence

Sincerely

Octavius Shrike Overseer of the 7th Cohort to the Nexus

Lyra wanted to vomit What a hassle Not only was she forced to interact with Daniel out of necessity to spend the SP but she had to attend a hearing tomorrow

Couldn’t she send a representative

Then she hesitated calculating

No that wouldn’t do what if they were providing a meal Alien food sounded pretty good right now

Chapter 101

Decklan sat with his arms folded tapping his toes on the ground Tera looked at him anxiously

Don’t you want to go see She asked

Decklan shrugged The battles he has against the lower squads will be over quickly What would be the point

They had been informed earlier today as had all of the individuals who were part of a squad that The Ghosthound would be sparring against every squad in turn from lowest ranked to highest and giving them pointers The average squad member was incredibly nervous but excited After all it wasn’t often that the Ghosthound interacted with most of Donnyton’s population even the Classers

Well yes Tera said uncertainly But

They were both distracted by the hurrying form of Ptolemy who was followed by two individuals carrying a large cooler

What’s the hurry Decklan asked yawning

Ptolemy made an uncertain face I’m not sure Apparently they needed more mana potions down at the quarry for The Ghosthound’s trials

Chuckling Decklan asked he ran out of mana already He’s certainly bringing out the big guns

No its Ptolemy hesitated It’s apparently for the healers

Then the trio was past them hurrying North towards the quarry Tera and Decklan exchanged a glance Even though their appointment wasn’t until much later Decklan sighed and began to follow heading towards the trials area

When they arrived they found Paolo and Kayle standing next to each other uncharacteristically silent Decklan and Tera pushed through the surrounding crowd moving to stand next to them with a good view of the trial ground

The entire area was silent The Ghosthound stood alone holding a long pole of wood surrounded by a dozen or so moaning bodies Methodically the Ghosthound began pointing with the pole and commenting

Too timid when you see an opening take it You you have too much fear of pain Either get used to it or quit the squads You do you really think you can consider yourself a leader when you freeze up in the face of the unexpected

The Ghosthound shook his head Also why is there not a single one among you that has started to train Mana Bolt Are you incapable of handling an opponent at range Even throwing knives would be better than just waiting for me to walk up to you

Several healers were moving among the knocked down squad members healing their injuries They were helped off the arena to an area where a small number of grim faced men and women waited the previous victims of the Ghosthound In an imperious way the Ghosthound banged his pole against the ground twice

The 25th Squad of Donnyton has fallen Who dares step forward to fill the gap

After a few seconds of silence a voice answered We the 24th Squad of Donnyton dare

It was almost ritualistic Decklan thought fascinated as he watched the next squad walk out onto the arena with serious faces They whispered to each other arranging themselves on the ground forming into a square 11 individuals 10 members and the squad leader drew their weapons and stared at the Ghosthound waiting

He did not keep them waiting long

To Decklan’s surprise he simply dropped the pole and started walking towards the squad just strolling forward Next to him Paolo and Kayle narrowed their eyes

This is Tera asked wonderingly

This is the Ghosthound that moves to crush resistance He has been cycling through 4 modes rather randomly Overwhelming strength crushing the opposition with the pole Unstoppable magic simply blowing his opponents away Impossible speed moving like a ghost and this the final method Paolo spoke slowly

Kayle finished his thought this is a lesson in futility

Unlike the previous squad the 24th squad shot several mana bols at the Ghosthound and the squad leader threw several hatchets towards the approaching form He did not dodge He simply allowed the projectiles to hit him unphased His speed remained constant

The squad leader barked a sharp order and two individuals with long spears moved forward prodding at the Ghosthound With a slow casual movement the Ghosthound grabbed the shaft of one of the spears yanked pulling its wielder close and punched the man directly in the face The crack of bone was audible and the man collapsed immediately senseless

With another order the squad rushed forward weapons raised trying to push the Ghosthound back and bring the wounded comrade to safety But the first man was smashed backwards by a kick the second had his shield pulled away and was thrown 5 meters in the air Then the squad leader was before the Ghosthound whipping three hatchets at him lightning fast The first two simply bounced off his skin The third slashed a shallow gash in his shoulder and a thin trickle of blood running downwards

The Ghosthound’s hand stretched out grabbing the lip of the squad leader’s armor picking him up like he was a misbehaving dog Then he whipped the squad leader sideways hitting the squad’s healer from behind who was still bending over the first man

The rest of the squad kept rushing forward but the Ghosthound simply waved his hand knocking away their attacks and delivered several short punches and kicks incapacitating the rest of them

As he surveyed the fallen bodies and more healers rushed out treating the defeated squad the Ghosthound said you made the right decisions You were simply too weak Coordination cannot overcome weakness only true skill can Without raising your skill levels this will forever be your limit

Why is he doing this Tera asked wonderingly

Decklan grinned in response The town treats him like a guardian angel Looks like he’s fed up with it It’s a good experience too for the squads to get reminded of their limits And finally

It’s a challenge Paolo whispered To us to Donny to Dozer to Annie Asking us if we are enough to beat the monster that is the Ghosthound

The Ghosthound returned to his pole and knocked it twice against the ground once more The 24th Squad of Donnyton has fallen Who dares fill the gap

Dozer sat cross legged in darkness his eyes closed To her surprise when Annie located him Donny was there too also in a meditative state

Is it fine to just sit like this Annie asked To her surprise Dozer was the one who answered opening his eyes and frowning at her

Yes those detail obsessors Kayle and Decklan will watch There is nothing there that we don’t already know And we need time to prepare

Annie shrugged Prepare for what It’s just a spar right

Donny snorted finally opening his eyes Not exactly Randidly came back from Franksburg a lot colder than he was previously It seems like his search for his friends was fruitless And when he came back he found that in his absence Lyra had to sacrifice some part of herself in order to save the town They might not actually be involved with each other but there is some connection between them

This Dozer said closing his eyes once more Is the Ghosthound angry coming to collect his pound of flesh for letting her be forced to this The earlier trials will be a warm up the I and II squads as well as our personal squads will be fighting him all at once At that time he will stop pulling punches and we will finally see the Ghosthound bare his teeth

Donny shivered I can’t even wait

Dozer gave him a sly smile Me too

Annie sighed wondering why men were sometimes fascinated by the thought of violence

The kids talked excitedly watching as the men Mrs Hamilton sent over dug up the area surrounding Arbor leveling and flattening it They created a stone path that led towards it and a small wooden stand surrounding it an area to approach the tree and touch its ashy trunk Several women came over planting rare herbs and spices around it after they had learned that its presence provided its strange energy even to plants nearby

Kiersty nodded satisfied Arbor too wiggled with glee as this action on Mrs Hamilton’s part was a tacit admission of Arbor’s use for the village The NCCs already were beginning to treat it with a strange reverence due to its positive influence on the nearby flora

They even wanted to surround Arbor with farms but Kiersty knew that would upset Arbor just being surrounded by plants all the time Although the farmers were disappointed they knew that this small girl had some strange connection with the tree and deferred to her

For now at least

Nathan walked up to Kiersty looking nervous Mom wants to talk to you

Kiersty paled

Chapter 102

Alana raised her hand looking at the sky They were making better time than they had anticipated mostly due to their clearing the roads on the way down to Franksburg If they went through and did a little more thorough job they would basically have a personal highway that went straight between their two cities

Opening her menu Alana looked at the map of the area given to her by the Ghosthound The area that constituted their Zone was a rectangle slightly taller than it was wide It ended up being 189 miles wide 223 mile tall If you were to plot their locations on an X and Y axis Donnyton would be about 150 83 being in the Southeastern quarter

Franksburg was Southeast of Donnyton quite near the absolute Southeastern corner of the Zone Although it wasn’t an issue now Franksburg would be an incredible asset as an ally They were sequestered in the corner and had a lot of space and a burgeoning population Once they found their feet able to survive through the monster hordes they could begin to establish themselves and prepare for the Tribulation to come for them

Still Alana had a feeling they would be fine They had struggled for a month without classes and their initial growth especially that Lucifer’s would likely be explosive quickly reaching the point that he could single handedly contend with a tribulation

Well ’ Alana amended her thought Perhaps not single handedly But with the support of the Freedom Fighters behind him he would be able to slay it hopefully with only a small loss of life ’

Lucifer was not after all the Ghosthound

Alana checked their spot on the map once more It seemed as though they could make it by nightfall

After several seconds of internal debate she moved through the trotting crowd eventually tracking down a brooding woman wearing two pistols and another woman hooded and masked even though the day was hot

Hello Raina

The masked woman inclined her head I suppose if you’ve come you want The speed of the convoy to increase

Yes Alana said simply She did not mind using Raina like this and ever since the acid had melted the skin on her face and incited a fanatical mob to sacrifice their lives to kill monsters Raina had been very sparing in the use of her powers Now she spent most of her time simply drawing creating pretty accurate renditions of the world under the influence of the system

Setting her drawing pad aside Raina stood But then she began to hum It was a small tune relatively short and simple but Alana instantly felt rejuvenated after hearing it Then when the tune began to repeat for a third time Alana hummed along with Raina

When they started for a 4th time some nearby people began humming along with the tune as well almost instinctively By the 6th the tune spread further and almost everyone was humming along picking up their pace

By the 10th Raina stopped humming and nodded respectfully to Alana and then picked up her pad once more simply continuing to draw as the convoy hummed around her rushing forward

The 4th squad of Donnyton has fallen Who dare step forward to fill the gap

It was a heavy sentence full pregnant meaning It would be everyone knew the last challenge made before the Ghosthound fought against the full war party It was also a battle that seemed hopeless to win

The 3rd Squad dares The 9 men and 2 women that made up the 3rd squad walked forward heads held high

The previous challenges had gone rather predictably This especially became obvious as the Ghosthound began to not alternate between his 4 modes but do 2 of them at once Then 3 For the 4th squad he used all 4 blasting with magic moving like a ghost crushing their defenses and ignoring all damage that came his way

It was monstrous

Donny and Dozer arrived already dressed fully in their armor their weapons gripped tightly at their sides Paolo was stretching lightly to the side while Daniel and Kayle were engaged in a heated discussion their eyes on the the Ghosthound

Decklan just stood still a nervous Tera beside him his eyes burning Yes this was how it had to be The Ghosthound must be at least this strong Otherwise how else could this all be possible How else could this town be held together by the force of will of only one individual

Slaying the Ghosthound needed to be difficult or what was the point

Alec Donny said speaking to the leader of the 3rd squad Alec turned and tilted his head to the side

Make him take the numerals seriously

Alec grinned and then turned to the Ghosthound The Ghosthound stood pole spinning slowly in his hands his eyes a mild green like mint

Are you ready His voice was still calm as it had been the entire trials thus far as he had completely brutalized all of Donnyton’s squads But there was more of an edge now an eagerness

An eagerness to finally experience the tension of a tough battle

Alec nodded and the squad raised their weapons vigilant Which was for the best because when the Ghosthound moved he came to kill It wasn’t that the Ghosthound was impossibly fast it was just that he always seemed to be a hair faster than your eyes told you he would be

But this was Squad III and when they knew what was coming they could prepare for it

Their main tank threw himself forward to meet the rush of the Ghosthound smashing his shield forward Swaying the Ghosthound dodged the blow and was faced with sharp stabs from two other squadmates at this level a small chance was enough for the squad to get into position They weren’t the best Donnyton had to offer but they surely knew their business

The Ghosthound feinted right avoiding the stab that bought the feint and aimed to intercept him The other stab was avoided simply by brushing the blow slightly to the side so that it scraped along his ribs rather than pierced into them

Rushing forward the tank attempted to push the Ghosthound back but was stopped dead by a thrust by the Ghosthound Grunting he attempted to regain his footing but the Ghosthound had enough time to use his characteristic Phantom Thrust aiming for the shoulder of one of the two individuals who had stabbed at him

They had already been familiarized with the fearsome power of the thrust so by the time the attack came the woman was throwing herself backwards out of the way With an impossible amount of force the blow swerved and caught her in the chest knocking the wind out of her

The Ghosthound turned aiming to pounce towards the second attacker but a blast of fire ripped towards him Spinning his pole most of the force was dispersed a cloud of ash and smoke spreading slowly Alec’s pupils dilated instantly

BACK He bellowed and the squad quickly retreated gathering at the other end of the arena Their healer hurriedly used Healing Palm on the woman and most of the group gulped down stamina potions to replace what they had lost Most of the squad hadn’t actually engaged him but they knew that if they gave him half a chance the Ghosthound would rip through their mage and healers leaving them helpless before his superior regeneration

With a calm face the Ghosthound was revealed as the smoke parted looking completely unruffled Then he smiled

A Wall of Thorns sprang into being ripping upwards splitting the group in half Alec blinked then swore under his breath Eyes narrowing he then gave the order

Everyone on this side with me keep him locked down for them to burn through the thorns Hold nothing back

They marched forward rushing towards the waiting Ghosthound His smile widened as he came forward to meet them With grace and power the pole swept back and forth crushing resistance Alec was the only one who could totally block it and threw himself in the way time and time again using his axe to hack away at the pole cutting chips of wood from it slowly whittling it down

The rest of the squad spread out to surround him but he moved with an unnatural grace always seeming to just dodge or deflect the attack It was as if there was something inevitable about the Ghosthound’s victory As if the entire world was twisting itself to make sure that he won

But Decklan knew in his heart that wasn’t the case From below the smallest edge over time will come to seem an impossible mountain All it took was a single man to step upon the summit and then

Almost if Alec had been following that train of thought he roared a red light forming around his body as he activated the skill Battle Lust The Ghosthound’s eyes narrowed and a Phantom Onslaught rumbled forward dozens of attacks rushing to put Alec down in that few seconds as the Battle Lust took effect

It was undoubtedly a powerful technique that boosted physical capabilities for a short while But there was a short time of vulnerability as your body was changing gears as it were Most of the warriors chose not to use it for that reason Alec was probably the one in Donnyton with the highest skill level and his required about 2 seconds to activate

Even though that was more than enough time for the Ghosthound to defeat him he did it anyway gambling on the boost he would obtain from the skill

After all in this instance he was not a man He was a member of the squad

Their voices rising in support the 4 other people stuck on this side of the wall threw themselves in the way of the Ghosthound’s attack blocking and deflecting those they could handle using their bodies to soak up the damage from those they couldn’t But the Phantom Onslaught of the Ghosthound was not something that any of them could come close to equaling in terms of speed and power it was unmatched It was as if he could unleash 20 Phantom Thrusts all at once in a specific duration

But those 4 did their best In the end only a single attack ripped forward as they fell away all of them sporting multiple broken bones And a hand rose to meet it curled into a fist

The fingers shattered and then the palm and then the wrist but the force at that point was dispersed Alec’s left hand was useless but his eyes burned red a fiery energy overtaking him And behind him healers rushed forward to help as 3 fireballs smashed forward as covering fire

Snorting the Ghosthound rushed forward around Alec but to his surprise Alec moved more quickly than he had previously repositioning himself in front of the Ghosthound spinning his axe Then he began to swing with a wild abandon smashing around with surprisingly precise strokes with his axe

That moment that the Ghosthound was forced to pause was enough to change the course of the fight

Entangling Roots The dedicated mage bellowed and roots curled upward from the ground to grip the Ghosthound’s legs This seemed to incense him and with a single step he ripped the bindings to shreds But that step put him right in the way of a swing of Alec’s where there was no time to deflect He was forced to block directly and his pole snapped into to pieces broken by the force

Roaring victoriously Alex swung again but he met nothing but air

Blinking he spun around because the Ghosthound was already behind him the healer and mage incapacitated their guards knocked to the ground

Alec paused the vicious redness in his eyes urging him onward but something in the Ghosthound’s stance told him that something had changed The Ghosthound turned gazing at Alec with burning emerald eyes

Chapter 103

He is not invulnerable but he’s good at almost everything Decklan turned surprised to find Lyra standing next to him She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear in a motion that was so human that Decklan was chilled to the bone She looked at the Ghosthound thoughtfully for several seconds and then said He’s also packing a lot more firepower than he’s currently letting on which is the real trouble with bringing him down If you push him he will push back hard

Decklan nodded slowly doing his best to seem casual Everyone had heard about Lyra’s death but her continued presence took the bite out of that somewhat for most people Fortunately or unfortunately Decklan was not most people During the chaos of the previous day Decklan had quietly reached Lvl 30 and earned himself another class skill Instincts of a Killer

And right now all they were saying was that the thing standing next to him speaking was dead

Using your new status as town Spirit to cheat Decklan asked surprised by how unnerving he found her Even a Tier II Raid Boss didn’t give him hibigeebies like she did

No Her eyes burned violet for a brief moment This is an old skill

Decklan turned back to the arena as the aggression from Alec’s skill overpowered his caution and he charged forward axe raised All at once the Ghosthound blurred springing into motion so fast that Decklan could barely believe it Decklan had some tricks too and knew how to fool the eye into losing sight of him but this

This was a pure difference in skills

A Roundhouse Kick struck a confused Alec in the temple knocking him senseless The Ghosthound slowly stood turning to the group of watchers

The 3rd Squad of Donnyton has fallen Who dares fill the gap

There was a long silence before anyone spoke Then tension rose as Squad III was dragged off of the arena by the healers and their wounds were repaired Decklan remained still waiting All the defeated squads sat looking at them with serious eyes Although they had each individually failed against the Ghosthound they had hope that Donnyton’s best could grasp victory They hoped not that their guardian angel would fall but more that the town would succeed That they had finally reached the point that they could stand on their own without relying on him

The Ghosthound waited brooding silently Decklan had heard Dozer and Donny’s theories about why this was happening and perhaps there was merit to it There could be no doubt that the Ghosthound had returned from Franksburg with more of an edge to him

But ultimately this was a battle that was about the fate of the town On this day they would decide whether they would live forever in the shadow of the Ghosthound or Almost on cue Donny stepped forward his head raised high The First Raid Party of Donnyton dares

He really had come a long way this past month growing into his role as leader Only intermittently would the teen that he really was show through and then it was only in forgivable slightly comical doses Gone were the days of bluster and cowardice Now his shield was always the first thing an enemy would see before battle was joined

With an even stride he led the 50 individuals who would be taking part in this final battle out onto the arena They had debated heatedly but at the end they reduced their squads to only the most necessary the best of the best in terms of stats and skill levels Against the Ghosthound there was nothing else they could do He would rip through weak links

Do you truly wish to come with so many The Ghosthound asked seemingly bored

Annie stringing her bow raised an eyebrow Scared

Everyone shifted uncomfortably as they moved into position as if Annie hadn’t spoken They did feel slightly guilty throwing everything at him but

Yes Donny answered coolly drawing his sword This is Donnyton’s full strength

The Ghosthound just smiled

Randidly closed his eyes breathing in and out Although he would do his best to avoid inflicting anything that would kill any of them he would hold nothing back He would crush them as best he could

They had to learn helplessness Only then could their resolve be firmed and they could reach forward towards strength

Randidly opened his eyes and scanned the crowd Donny Dozer and Decklan were obvious inclusions in the Raid Party The leaders of Squad I and II were also there Ptolemy and another healer stood at the back surrounded by a thick wall of bodies Annie stood at the back as well sticking her tongue out him which almost made Randidly grin

Looking away Randidly scanned the crowd Lyra would of course be watching but not likely somewhere he could see

But that Randidly blinked when he saw Lyra standing there slender and sad looking with her hair hanging loose down to her shoulders Ever since becoming aware of the frigid and yet fiery energy that pulsed within him Randidly had been cognizant that there was something between him and Lyra He had always been drawn to her but now he was slowly realizing that it was related to that energy it was more than a simple human attraction

They were pushed towards one another from the very get go That energy was guiding them towards one another But now that she was well whatever she was the connection had grown more tenuous although it hadn’t yet frayed into oblivion Although slowly very slowly it was weakening

The whole situation was disturbing on so many levels At the very least once he recognized the connection as something he had been subconsciously feeling for a while Randidly finally put all doubt to rest about who this new Village Spirit was It was without a doubt Lyra

But as he looked at her he wondered if things would continue to change between them as the connection frayed Their interactions had been violent and mocking at least for Lyra’s part but it was fun

Randidly had never been one to care for respect from others and he rather enjoyed the passionate exchanges they had And now now that might be ending Had she been only drawn to him because of their connection formed through this strange energy this Aether

And why would the system draw them together

For almost 30 seconds their gazes locked

Suddenly they both laughed Lyra flickered out of existence and Randidly turned back to the raid party smiling

At that moment he had no doubt that Lyra’s thoughts had almost mirrored his own Even if they were no longer what they had been they were still similar

As time continued Randidly removed several rings that he had Sam made earlier in the day and slipped them on his fingers His talks with the potion makers here had gone well and they were now hard at work gathering the materials to create more potions 10 rings an all each with around 60 worth of storage 300 Stamina and 300 mana waiting for the moment where he needed it

HIs ace in the hole although Randidly suspected that this would swiftly become a battle of attrition Health Mana and Stamina would ultimately be the limiting factors on him But he made no effort to store health That was never his game His top end performance was undoubtedly what gave him the ability to battle while the numerosity of this opponents meant that once that ran out it would be much more difficult to continue

He would either crush them with skill or be worn down by numbers With a mild gaze Randidly looked at Donny Are you prepared

Donny nodded

Lyra felt the summons coming even as she maintained eye contact with Randidly Smiling softly to herself she turned away allowing her body to slowly disperse while her core was strangely teleported away off the planet Earth and to a place deep within the realms of the Nexus If the connection between Randidly and herself fell to pieces so be it Just because the system no longer pushed them together didn’t mean it couldn’t happen anyway

Her body recondensed and Lyra found herself standing on a dais Opposite her also on a dias was a grey blob that she recognized as Kimmy and a floating eye ball She winked at them both and was delighted to see the blob begin to roil and the eyeball scrunch itself up into a ball of annoyance

A higher dias completed their triangle and on it sat a creature with the head of a Rhinoceros The area around them was filled with waves of color like they were inside the aurora borealis but none of the other 3 seemed to pay it much attention Instead Lyra coolly glanced around demonstrating how unruffled she was by the whole ordeal

Sitting below them on a lower level were dozens of creatures who appeared to be typing and writing talking back and forth as if they were simply working in an office Lyra used her skill Eyes of Wonder and glanced around again

She was amused to find that the two individuals on the dias opposite her which were likely Nul and Kimmy barely had a thimble’s worth of Aether between them Meanwhile she had about 2 5 Aether Springs within her 1 for Donnyton 1 for beating a Trainee level tribulation and 5 from Turtletown being absorbed by Kimmy prior to her own subsequent absorption

But she was chilled to find that the Rhinoman burned with Aether in her vision on another level altogether

Ahem The Rhino spoke with a surprisingly soft voice I Octavias Shrike do hereby call this hearing to order The conduits are below bearing witness may the will of Aether be served Err Mr Nulmilima you may begin Please present your evidence

10 seconds crept past after the two sides both acknowledged they were ready with no motion on either side The tension was almost unbearable for the crowd who were locked in agonizing stillness not able to move lest they miss what happened when it happened

Ever the profane Annie loosed an arrow which shot through the lines screaming towards the Ghosthound As it whistled past several individuals sprang into motion following it in a low sprint led by Paolo and Kayle Decklan moved like a ghost among them not ready to attack but wanting to use this opportunity to close the distance between them

Dozer fell back setting himself in from of Annie club raised Donny began to march forward with his squad intent on surrounding the Ghosthound The mages prepped themselves waiting for the Ghosthound’s response ready to bombard him at the slightest sign of space

They did not have to wait long

Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth the Ghosthound’s form blurred upward before falling down back behind Donny’s squad putting himself between the tanks and the healers His ascent was so rapid that he slipped past the arrow and the vanguard only had time to turn before he crashed to the ground leaving large cracks in the carefully constructed arena

The healers and mages were close and stunned by the blast of force and dust but most of Dozer’s squad was around him now and they were very quick to regain their footing leaping forward The Ghosthound’s eyes landed on the nearest person a young man with short hair and brown skin who wielded a heavy iron ball on the end of a chain

Agony

The wave of pain billowed outward afflicting them all The closest were the most powerfully affected and they seemed to be frozen unable to compute the mental strain they were abruptly placed under In the Ghosthound’s mind it was only an annoying buzzing at the edges of his nerves but he remembered how the whole world seemed to warp under that wave of pain the first time he experienced it

Of course these individuals might not have the stats that the Ghosthound did at the time but they surely had more levels than he had and the young man in front of him had gritted his teeth and forced his eyes to focus on the enemy in front of him But of course this was only the beginning

Circle of Flame

Fire crashed outward knocking most of Dozer’s squad on their asses already barely managing to handle the crushing pain Donny’s squad was hurrying around but the Ghosthound was much too quick and he streaked towards the heavy mages with the middle of the formation his agony crushing their ability to respond intelligently

A few were able to raise their hands to cast icicles and fireballs but they were easily dodged However a whistling cause the Ghosthound to still a arrow whizzing in front of his face Immediately he raised a hand and pointed

Incendiary Bolt

The burning projectile ripped forward burning Annie follow up arrow to a crisp Dozer stepped forward raising his club to block the magical attack To his surprise the spell bore a hole straight through the enchanted metal of the rare club he had obtained from a dungeon and ripped a huge hole in his bicep

The defense had saved Annie but it spelled doom for the heavy mages while Annie was prevented from firing the Ghosthound arrived among them breaking their legs knocking them out and then tossing them out of the arena

The Ghosthound turned slowly his eyes blazing emerald His message clear

Had this been real those people would have just died Donnyton would have suffered losses not 20 seconds into the battle Their damaging magics were sealed

This was his true strength This was the monster that could defeat a tribulation before even obtaining a class This was the one who made Donnyton possible who made sure it thrived

This was the legend named Randidly Ghosthound

Chapter 104

Glendel and Regina stood in area with quite a clear view of the arena and they saw the Ghosthound’s explosive initial offensive Then as the Ghosthound turned casually Glendel’s heart went cold He seemed untouchable

But just as the Ghosthound turned two individuals arrived at him one with fists raised one with knives dancing across his fingers

First one to touch him wins Paolo hissed his eyes wide But Glendel could tell the strain he was under The Ghosthound was using a strange technique that made it incredibly painful to be close to him and right now the two leaders of the squads were struggling under the oppressive weight of that spell

Kayle simply narrowed his eyes slashing forward with his knives The Ghosthound easily deflected both the knives and a punch from Paolo spinning his spear knocking away strike after strike But Donny had returned and he raised his shield a golden aura spreading outwards

Aegis

Now insulated somewhat from the effects of Agony Paolo and Kayle regained some of their usual competency striking again as one

But again the Ghosthound moved with an impossible combination of strength and finesse smashing them both backwards Still in that moment three of Decklan’s squad appeared around the Ghosthound their eyes blazing with bloodlust

An arrow burning with a strange dark energy shot towards his back

With glittering eyes the Ghosthound smiled Summon Pestilence

It must have taken quite a bit of mana but a huge cloud of insects sprung into being around the Ghosthound obscuring him and the nearby people These insects flew angrily outward finding and biting the nearest flesh The arrow passed harmlessly through the pestilence and skittered out the other side missing its target

With a crash the 3 members of Decklan’s squad were thrown out of the pestilence as if smashed backwards Glendel could see Donny’s frown as he considered how to approach the situation

But Dozer’s roar was what drew everyone’s attention and they were shocked to find the Ghosthound standing in front of him unleashing Phantom Onslaught after Phantom Onslaught using pure power to push Dozer back

Kayle arrived at almost the same time as everyone else’s gaze demonstrating that he had followed the action much more closely than anyone else

The Ghosthound spared him an annoyed glance but was forced to jerk backward as an arrow shot out from beneath Dozer’s armpit

Pollen of the Rafflesia The Ghosthound spun quickly a Phantom Thrust smashing in Kayle’s chest faster than he would have believed possible Wincing he stumbled back knives raised Paolo rushed up to assist him but the Ghosthound had already turned and was rushing around Dozer’s side to attack Annie She danced away and Dozer pivoted desperately attempting to keep himself in front of the Ghosthound

Ptolemy arrived and began healing Kayle and Paolo rushed forward but before he could arrive Dozer stumbled uncharacteristically suddenly seeming very woozy

In that moment the Ghosthound was past him picking up Annie and throwing her unceremoniously out of the arena Paolo arrived throwing haymakers but the Ghosthound seemed to suddenly appear several steps away from him just outside of his range and raised his hand

Fireball

The blast knocked Paolo back more than a little stunned for the instantaneous heat and concussive force But the Ghosthound didn’t stop there

Ghastly Slash

Glendel marveled at Paolo’s reactions as he managed to get his arm up in time to block the vicious blow that arced towards his temple but there was still the audible snap of bone as Paolo’s forearm cracked

Without even pausing the Ghosthound rushed forward to Ptolemy who was standing over Kayle The surrounding members of the squad closed ranks weapons raised but once again the Ghosthound simply smiled

Spearing Roots

Roots ripped upwards out of the ground stabbing holes into the legs and thighs of the squad members defending Ptolemy Then the roots flexed throwing the squad members to the side creating a path

Kayle rose to his feet seemingly completely recovered and Ptolemy raised his hand

Healing Circle

But the Ghosthound just smiled surging closer Donny burst forward stepping in front of the two smashing his shield with his sword

Challenging Shout

The Ghosthound raised his spear his shoulder flexing as he threw everything into the attack aiming towards Donny’s shield But Donny was a veteran of being attacked and so he threw a shield bash out at the last possible moment aiming to completely neutralize the force of that attack by overpowering it at the point of impact

But his shield bash met nothing He blinked looking uncomprehendingly as the Ghosthound just walked past him binding Kayle with roots and then cracking Ptolemy over the head

Then as if this was his plan all along the Ghosthound leapt again with that strange spear technique crashing to the ground at his original starting place instantly sitting down and closing his eyes

What Glendel asked confused

Regina grimaced That punk He’s more cruel than he looks After taking out their long range damage dealers he’s going to sit there recovering until the group reforms and attacks Which should be soon

Donny quickly issued several orders and the group split a dozen or so of the squad members leaving the arena with guilty faces The remainder began rushing towards the Ghosthound

What are they doing Glendel asked looking at the departing individuals

If I had to guess those were the people that Donny considered to have been killed by the Ghosthound’s initial assault He has his pride that’s for sure So the 6 mages 14 of the squad members Ptolemy and Annie all eliminated Only 1 healer remaining for 28 people

Can they even win Glendel whispered

Sam who overheard rolled his eyes Look if he could just wipe them he would have done that immediately It’s a powerful front but he burned a lot of stamina and mana to do it The counterattack begins now

My case is simple I paid the fee to enter into the seeding lottery for Guiding Spirits I obtained a result with the top 10 which I used to reserve the first village on a specific planet the planet judged to have the most potential out of the medium grade planets which refers to itself as Earth As indicated by the rules another Village spirit cannot steal my village from me themselves they must use forces from their own village A village can only be taken by another village or by the tribulation As she is neither she has broken the rules I demand my village be returned and the Aether stripped from her

The Rhino nodded sagely and turned to Kimmy And you Ah wait the Conduits beckon Yes oh esteemed Conduit what is your question

Lyra yawned looking down at the strange robot looking thing that had its hand raised It pointed at her How did she become the village spirit anyway How was she exposed to holy Aether

The eyeball that was Nul shrunk slightly seeming embarrassed Ah she She was my chosen Sheath

To Lyra’s amusement the one with the most ridiculous reaction was Kimmy She ballooned up in size You designated a Blade and Sheath without informing them You imbecile is that why Randidly was so strong

The eyeball wiggled I figured they would be drawn to each other and his eventual weakness would force the issue They would be assets for the village How was I supposed to predict that he would show no signs of Aether starvation Mr Shrike can you tell me how that’s possible

Sighing the Rhino man brought up a menu He does not have a class yes Hum Oh

He blinked he seems to have spawned inside of chaotic space and was moved through direct interference of an Overseer but this signature

After several seconds Octavius leaned back still frowning I do understand now According to this he was part of a party that cleared a Lvl 35 dungeon about 9 hours after the system arrived in his world That certainly seems like a record but

The Rhino shrugged The reward for that was enough Aether for him to swim in it for quite a while it is no wonder he felt no weakness

The land beneath them lit up in brilliant light as the waves of colors were sucked down into the office worker people beneath them building to a brilliant intensity Then the floor seemed to collapse and everything turned dark

A voice spoke in the dark It is allowed She will remain as the Guiding Spirit for this village The rules govern only what you cannot do Since her situation is not covered it is not forbidden

Then the light faded further and Lyra blinked finding herself back in the main building of Donnyton

What What had just happened

Randidly stood sighing It would be too much to hope for that they would allow him to recover after brutalizing them so efficiently for a minute The Raid Team was surging forward towards him their faces grim

No helping it then He absorbed stamina and mana from the rings on his fingers 150 of the stamina and all 300 of the mana It would simply take too long for the mana to regenerate otherwise Having some stamina as a buffer would be good but it was pointless to absorb too much After all he wanted to be regenerating it constantly

He had taken advantage of the fact that he had a whole list of skills that they hadn’t seen or experienced before to knock them on their back foot and then he was able to knock out some of their more annoying members Of course this left the key players who hadn’t yet played all of their cards

Although he had enough health to tank Dozer wasn’t good defending a single person although he was invaluable at limiting Randidly’s movements near him Donny didn’t have the speed or the guile to handle an opponent who could avoid him but when he was confronted he was near impregnable Decklan wasn’t willing to commit until he felt there was an opening but when that strike descended And all the rest of them hadn’t yet learned how to gamble with their lives because there was simply no other choice

Grinning Randidly knew that the other side was currently feeling the pressure of having only a single healer That was the point

The true test would be who could continue on under the weight of that pressure And of course the weight of facing him

Standing slowly Randidly once more activated Agony Because he wasn’t using potions he couldn’t use Agony too frequently in case it decreased his health to the point he might actually die That would certainly be an ironic end to this spar But it certainly caused the assault to stall somewhat as each individual struggled against the consciousness warping pain

And one by one they stepped forward gritting their teeth He could see it in their eyes that they craved victory That they craved the strength to overcome this

Good If they didn’t this wouldn’t be any fun at all

Deep within his chest that strange frosted lava energy began to pulse burning freezing and filling him with excitement

Chapter 105

Daniel watched calmly as all of the final battle on the arena unfolded He carefully noted every skill that the Ghosthound used doing his best to mark down their effects based upon observation From there he tried to extrapolate information about stats

Ultimately he gave up the Ghosthound simply had too many skills and stat boosts from places to keep track of all of their influences There were simply too many variables to account for them all

Do you think we can really win against him Daniel asked setting his notebook to the side

Mrs Hamilton smiled at him amused Don’t be so caught up in his pace and past accomplishments Just look What is happening

Daniel looked seeing the rapid march of the squads as they rushed towards the Ghosthound’s form as he slowly stood His breathing was even but his eyes were narrow scanning the oncoming wave of bodies As they approached he simply allowed them to come making no move to dodge breathing slowly

When they arrived they pressed forward shields raised The Ghosthound’s pole dipped low smashing against the shins of one man who stumbled briefly That man was immediately met with a roundhouse kick which knocked him backwards and the Ghosthound was able to step forward into the small gap lashing out with his pole The squad parted flowing around him and Paolo and Kayle rushed forward both attacking at the same time with a cooperation that surprised Daniel

The Ghosthound simply grimaced his spear blurring to knock away every attack that came his way Seeing their chance the squad members surged closer

Suddenly it seemed like the flurry of attacks coming from all directions was too much for him and the Ghosthound suddenly let an attack through The woman’s eyes gleamed as she slashed downwards Unfortunately the Ghosthound twisted and the blow was shallow

His follow up was not

His punch took her in the chest cracking her centipede shell armor Gasping she fell to her knees blood dripping from her lips The Ghosthound hopped lightly over her then grabbed her and threw her out of the arena Two other squad members rushed forward roaring but the Ghosthound’s pole cracked them both in the head after they left the safety of their superior numbers to attack him

Those two too were thrown out and the Ghosthound calmly turned to regard the remaining group He sported several small cuts and blood slowly ran down from his ribs and shoulder The Ghosthound flexed his bare feet and grinned as if asking them if this was all they had

Donny’s voice echoed out and the squad rumbled forward rushing towards the Ghosthound once more

I see Donny ordering the attack but neither he Dozer nor Decklan are participating Daniel said frowning Of the most powerful only Kayle and Paolo are fighting and they are only doing so passively harrying him Why are they letting him defeat the squad members like this

Mrs Hamilton just smiled shaking her head Because they want to win Randidly can beat the squad members but it costs him Stamina And without Donny committing Randidly cannot strike a blow to eliminate them all at once

So it’s going to continue like this

Likely no the Ghosthound is not one you can corner so easily not even with our highest trained squad members If we are going to defeat the Ghosthound we need a little more

They both turned their gazes back to the arena not daring to look away

Randidly frowned Donny certainly had gotten callous He could rip through these fodder all night but it would deplete his already sorry stores of mana It would be much easier if the fight with the main force happened while he had stamina to spare but it appears they were content to wait him out

Fine he supposed it was time to bring the fight to them

As the front tanks marched forward Randidly abruptly raced to meet them pole raised He really missed his Spine Spear both for its size strength bonus and blade but he supposed this pole was a much better weapon for insuring there were no casualties He should have at least put a blade on this weapon But whining about it now would do no good With just a bare stick of wood he planted his feet activated Haste Empower Heavy Blow Mana Strengthening and Sweep and smashed forward with his pole striking the front line in a broad blow aiming to hit as many as possible

Four people were knocked over smashed to the side by the force of the blow knocked off their feet Although their stats might be much higher most people hadn’t realized that their superior physical strength did nothing to increase their weight It was quite easy to knock them up and helplessly away if they didn’t prepare for it Randidly planted his feet and was ready to rush forward but to his surprise a figure stepped up in front of him weapon raised It was the dark skinned young man with the iron ball for a weapon that had rushed him earlier at the beginning of the fight

A Phantom Thrust blurred outward striking the man in the nose The cartilage of his nose shattered blood spurting outward and Randidly moved to step past him

To Randidly’s surprise a hand settled on his arm gripping him tightly

Randidly turned eyes narrowing to find that the iron ball man had managed to latch onto him as he fell holding desperately onto him Another Sweep crushed the man into the ground loosening his grip But Randidly didn’t have the time nor the stamina for this

Most of the people knocked to the side were being healed and several other squad members were moving closer Worst of all a tingling on Randidly’s neck warned him that Decklan was finally making his move

Tsking lightly to himself Randidly spoke Agony

The pain smashed downwards around him and most people hesitated slightly but not Decklan His was a curved smile and blade and he ripped closer moving so quickly that Randidly wasn’t sure whether he could have kept up with him without a full stamina and mana pool

But in this case he didn’t need to

He sparingly use a pinch of mana using Root Manipulation to loop around an unsuspecting Decklan’s foot The Killer responded well instantly twisting and pulling away but Randidly already had a Phantom Thrust aiming for his chest

Righteous Bonds Donny yelled and strange golden runes appeared in the air around Decklan Ignoring it Randidly struck with all the force he could muster aiming to shatter several ribs But although Decklan grunted and was thrown back he didn’t appear to suffer any lasting damage

A gasp did echo out behind him and Randidly turned to see Donny covered in those same golden runes clutching his chest

Some sort of damage sharing huh ’ Randidly wondered idly Annoying ’

Abruptly Randidly decided to try something strange

Dropping Agony Randidly stood casually spinning his pole with the Raid Squad surrounding him His grin was long and slow

Tykes smashed into the ground almost stunned into unconsciousness by the force of the Ghosthound’s blow But somehow he bit his tongue and stayed awake managing to keep ahold of his trusty iron ball as well

Groaning he rolled on his side and then weakly rolled back and he felt some bones of his ribs shift

Holy fucking shit but the Ghosthound hit like a fucking truck

Feeling slightly foolish almost as if he was cheating Tykes removed a health potion from his pocket and downed it Instantly he felt better able to breath again He hacked out a wad of blood and tried to roll again only to fall back too tired

He supposed he was knocked out of the battle anyway so

As he lay there listening to the clash of weapons he just looked up at the blue sky hanging over them Even if they won if they lost Tykes was happy Donny would scold him for putting himself in such direct danger but it was worth it Tykes wanted to win He wanted to feel like he helped them win

So even though he was the only member of the Raid Party without a class Tykes had thrown himself in harm’s way

He had been one of the initial volunteers for Daniel’s skill program and had been part of the second batch with an indefinite timetable as NCCs But Tykes didn’t mind He liked Donnyton Liked its simple focused people liked the endless food even liked the constant presence of violence That at least hadn’t changed in Tykes’ life but now he was no longer on the receiving end

Until now that is

Gritting his teeth Tykes rolled over looking towards the Ghosthound He had struck Decklan but the rest of the Raid Team was closing in on his position All of a sudden tall thorny walls sprung up about 2 meters tall blocking off vision isolating most of the squad

Retreat Came Donny’s yell but it was too late

The first spell blasted outward igniting the thorns and smashing them outwards Propelled by the close blast of fire these flaming thorny walls knocked most of the nearby squad members over crushing them with heat inflicting dozens of small wounds with the thorns

As the smoke cleared the Ghosthound was standing alone surrounded by slowly burning piles of thorns Is that all Donnyton

Tykes was insulated from the blast based on where he was lying but the heat still burned his face Pressing his eyes together to force away the bitter tears Tykes just breathed for a long moment

Then he opened them and saw a beautiful figure upside down on the hill overlooking the arena She was slender and blonde with her hair twisting around her face She seemed young younger even than Tykes staring intently at the arena

He knew her she was the girl who had always had such a weird relationship with the Ghosthound the girl who was now somehow a town spirit the girl they whispered had died Lyra

To Tykes immense surprise she blew him a kiss

Almost unbidden Tykes blinked again and the girl was gone But the strange heat from that blown kiss had not

Tykes struggled to his feet hefting the iron ball We we are not done

Congratulations Due to your actions you have unlocked the Path Unyielding Will 0/10

Tykes blinked as the Ghosthound slowly turned In the Ghosthound’s green eyes Tykes saw a flicker of recognition which was oddly pleasing But when the Ghosthound smiled it was all ice

Then let’s finish this

With infinite slowness the Ghosthound began to step towards Tykes over the burning thorn walls Unsure of what else to do Tykes opened up his status screen

Tykes (Last Name Unknown)

Health(/R per hour) 93/355 (63)

Mana(/R per hour) 21/21 (7)

Stam(/R per min) 6/192 (20)

End 24

Str 24

Inteligence 9

Control 3

Focus 6

Skills Perseverance Lvl 32 Running Lvl 19 Physical Fitness Lvl 22 Endure Lvl 14 Farming Lvl 7 Woodworking Lvl 15 Leap Lvl 23 Animal Skinning Lvl 12 Hunting Lvl 7 Manual Labor Lvl 19 Cooking Lvl 6 Ball and Chain Mastery Lvl 20 Throw Lvl 27 Cleaning Lvl 16 Tailoring Lvl 9 Tough Body Lvl 13 Crush Lvl 25 Heavy Blow Lvl 18 Herculean Strength Lvl 34 Mana Bolt Lvl 9 Flail Lvl 15 Battle Sense Lvl 3 Heightened Perception Lvl 7 Dodge Lvl 14

PP 10

Tykes blinked very slowly then moved as if possessed 10 PP huh

He poured it all into his new path

Congratulations You have completed the Unyielding Will Path In the face of great adversity you do not bow Although your feet blister and rip and your eyes tremble as you tire you stand and continue forward For you realize that there is no choice but to continue on this path or die You have learned the skill Inexhaustible Will Lvl 1 You have learned the skill Unyielding Sword Lvl 1 Due to compatibility Unyielding Sword has changed to Rebounding Sphere Lvl 1 Vit End Str and Agi +5

Tykes barely had time to take the whole of the notification in before the Ghosthound arrived thrusting with his pole Scrambling backwards Tykes threw his iron ball forward trying to buy some time But the pole blurred smashing the ball to the side with pure power hitting Tykes in the gut

Gasping for air Tykes felt something strange in his gut that was familiar and yet strangely new An unwillingness to concede that caused warmth to flow outward into his limbs He straightened slowly recovering and he saw that he gained a level in Unyielding Will

With clear eyes he straightened all the way only to see the tip of the pole rushing for his face

The body slumped over lifeless and Randidly considered the young man briefly If given the chance he would definitely become strong Randidly almost regretted giving out all of his Blessings for this young man would be a powerful choice if untested

But at the moment there were other concerns

He turned slowly to face Donny Decklan Dozer Kayle and Paolo along with a gasping healer who was clearly overdrawn Under Randidly’s pointed gaze the healer paled and raised his hands then hurried out of the arena

Looking completely healed Donnyton’s 5 Classer leaders stepped forward

You can’t defeat me like this Randidly said quietly taking stock of himself Around 50 mana 400 Health and 90 Stamina He surreptitiously absorbed the remaining 150 stamina from the stones on his fingers Even still it was hard to keep his breathing under control to keep his mouth from curling up

This was it This feeling of having his back against the wall

To his delight they didn’t answer only crouching into a fighting stance and rushing towards him Donny cast his spell Righteous Bonds and now all 5 were covered in golden light rushing towards him with grim looks in their eyes

They came to slay a Ghosthound

Chapter 106

Lyra sighed softly looking at Tykes unconscious on the ground Seeing as a Village Spirit was different than seeing as a human Everything was waves and momentum Which is why it was so difficult to answer certain questions it was flying directly in the face of that momentum She had managed it once by keeping a faction of the Tribulation’s existence captive burning it to distract those waves briefly but it had still cost her quite a bit