LoRG 1

The most obvious one was how quickly Randidly now sprung back from near fatal blows His body seemed to leap to healing with alacrity earning Randidly Shal’s grudging admiration

Truly you were made to be bullied Shal commented on one of the rare occasions the training stopped long enough for a meal Randidly was too tired to even answer

But it was also clear that his spear arts were progressing even if it wasn’t at the rate that Shal wanted Through repetition and brutal training this was slowly being made up one strike at a time So exhausting and brutal was the training that Randidly largely dropped all of his Engraving He still trained spells when he could mostly the Weeping Cloud to recover but anything more he just didn’t have any gas in the tank

Chapter 158

This process continued until a familiar face arrived looking for Randidly Marco Polo At first Randidly was excited that there would finally be a distraction then he was worried that Shal would kill Marco for interrupting and there was indeed a long moment of tension as Marco Polo arrived his jovial face falling as he saw Randidly reduced to such a miserable state hanging onto life by a thin thread

Still Randidly reflected as Marco slowly turned to Shal it probably wasn’t apparent but the thread was thin but strong It had served him well thus far He just seemed extremely pathetic

But something passed across Marco Polo’s face very quickly and he bowed slightly Shal nodded in return It seemed that they instinctively recognized their relative strength and it was not close Shal was more powerful than Randidly had expected

What he had also not expected was that Marco would quickly come around to the idea of training Randidly and bring his own exercises and tortures to the table More along the lines of Mrs Hamilton Marco believed that repetition outside of battle would have a powerful effect on building up things like endurance and muscle memory so more exercises were worked into the routine

In theory Randidly was all for it he was tired of being almost murdered for hours on end In practice he swiftly was filled with dread by the exercises that Marco suggested Often there would be heavy penalties associated with deviating from the exercises of failing at balance or improperly following instructions which were much worse than simply being attacked These were designed to inflict pain

As the brutal training now with Marco Polo’s assistance stretched on first one month then two and his skill growth slowed Randidly was forced to wonder whether Shal had a point he was a rather talentless individual when it came to the spear But he tried to ignore those thoughts Which was rather difficult when Marco took to expressing them constantly

Ah boy boy you are truly cursed To have such a powerful master yet be so unworthy it is a hard burden to bare Fear not I will encourage you no matter how pathetic you may be

A hot flame of rage and humiliation began to burn within Randidly constantly driving him forward The sighs and snide expressions from Marco were even more motivating that Shal’s brutal glares

There were moments when it got so bad that Randidly considered murdering them both with spells so they wouldn’t expect it But he was forced to admit that it probably wouldn’t work especially on Shal And it truly seemed like they were doing it to help him

However sometimes it was very hard to remain focused on this fact especially when they constantly discussed how disappointing he was It was purposeful Randidly knew but that didn’t mean it didn’t affect him

Time continued to flow on until it had truly lost meaning to Randidly but he believed it to have been around 6 months since they had come down to the Badlands and started Shal’s training At that time something else changed he was allowed to fight other people

The local spear users had been aware of Randidly’s hellish training and largely made fun of him During that time Randidly transformed that chemical hot anger and turned it on those others of whom he was insanely envious To freely wander without constantly training all day So it was with great enthusiasm that he began to wander afield and challenge people

He won

And he won again And again

Honestly Randidly felt very little challenge from them He perhaps hadn’t realized it because each skill had only gained about 10 or so levels even after all this training but when 20 skills gained 10 levels that was the difference of 200 skill levels It was quickly starting to add up

He was also pleased to see that fighting in battles and testing out different things that he had thought about while training once more added a bit more to the speed with which his skills grew Hoping to prolong this effect he began taking the black potion which still remained strangely full much more frequently completely cutting himself off from notifications He submerged himself in the feelings of fighting and violence searching for efficiency and grace

They were eventually forced to move from the Southeast to the middle of the East where Randidly once more began to struggle But Shal and Marco Polo were unforgiving teachers They pushed and pushed demanding constant advancement Slowly bitterly he fought and continued to win

It was now mostly due to the accumulated experience of having constantly fought for so long and the growing realization that Randidly possessed a body that could withstand damage much better than most of the people he faced Very quickly he realized how to force exchanges that were perhaps even a little in his opponent’s favor but his superior regeneration passives quickly enabled him to fight through it and grasp victory

But the string of victories was not to last Just at the edge of the Eastern area before the Northeast there was a wall of Spear users who beat Randidly back again and again and again and again leaving him bloody and broken in a way that was much more dangerous than Shal or Marco Polo

Finally his master relented and he trotted back exhausted Shal walked over to him and held out his hand Your spears Give them to me For a month you do not deserve to even hold the weapon after that performance

Randidly gritted his teeth and glared up at Shal But Shal’s face remained impassive Marco Polo happily ate off to the side seemingly oblivious to the whole exchange They stared at each other for several seconds Randidly did not move But neither did Shal

Finally while grinding his teeth Randidly handed over the obsidian spear and the dozen or so remaining bone spears Sam had made him for training Shal simply nodded and left

For several long minutes Randidly sat looking at the ground shame pumping through his arteries instead of blood But Randidly felt very clearly that he had hit a wall The difference in strength between him and those spear users was like the difference that existed between him and the people from the Southeastern area now It was the difference of skill levels in the triple digits With it feeling like he wasn’t improving in Spear skills perhaps it was a good idea to take a break

It was just bitter to admit that he was weak

Shaking his head sadly and trying to shake a strange melancholy Randidly produced a bracer used Weeping Cloud and began to engrave

Shal sat next to the strange fat man and watched his student Engrave They both remained quiet for a long time Shal thought the focus on Engraving was foolish especially considering how much trouble they could truly encounter if the guilds discovered it but it was hard to worry about such things here

Marco coughed and then sighed That boy is monstrous

Shal allowed himself a small smile He had always expected that within his disciple’s body was something more than a talent for running and it had been true Although he didn’t have any natural affinity for using a spear he quickly picked up the ways to commit acts of violence and had a sharp mind for battle tactics

It had been slightly daunting to train him at first due to his strange ability to recover so quickly which was why Shal allowed Marco Polo to remain although he was leery of staying around him a man who clearly recognized Shal and Shal’s school But he was skilled enough and gave Shal some time away from the zombie that his student was becoming so it worked out

Has his skill always risen so quickly And his recovery Marco Polo continued to speak shooting small glances at Shal The only response that he received was a chuckle Shal had some guesses as to why his growth was so quick but Shal respected his disciple’s secrets The amount of improvement had been quite staggering however

So much so that it was somewhat of a hassle to travel all the way over here to an area where there were spear users that would defeat them His disciple was distinctly too clever for his own good learning to rely on his superior physical capacity to bully his way here That was a dead end and Shal had rushed them forward as fast as possible to get away from that so Randidly didn’t develop any bad habits

Now that they had made it to a very distinct line in skill it was time to settle and allow some of the training he had gone through to sink into his bones Already the attitude seemed much improved All that was left was to finalize the images Shal smiled and closed his eyes

Marco Polo sat silent for a long time then spoke hesitatingly Did you truly simply come here to train I suppose that this is filled with skilled spear users but to come here and throw your disciple to the dogs like this I do not know any other Style as crazy as yours

Shal’s eyes snapped open and he shot Marco a glare losing control of his Battle Intent for a second The man paled and fell backwards scared out of his mind

I I Didn’t mean

No worry not What you say is true Shal closed his eyes forcing the anger down After all the reason that all this was necessary was revenge A revenge he couldn’t let go of now that he had smelled The Spear Phantom Style only attracts those with unearthly determination and drive Those who do not accept the bonds of the world

Allowing himself a small pleased smile Shal looked over at Randidly and said barely audibly Even our youngest member

Chapter 159

It really was only a month but Shal forced him to remain calm for a month It was annoying at first but as Randidly let go of the shame this month really let him focus on mastering his increasingly high Control and Focus stats Where those didn’t boost his damage in quite the same way as Intelligence it let him cast the spells more quickly and accurately which in a fight was more important

After stalling out in the spear it was also nice to gain some relatively easy levels in some of his other skills pushing them to the forefront Of them all Randidly chose Incendiary Bolt as his main focus to allow him to have enough direct target damage to get him out of any sticky situations This tournament would be mostly 1 v 1 after all and would likely give him an edge against most opponents

At the end of the month Randidly was once more allowed to use spears but the training had mellowed somewhat with Marco Polo taking over most of the direction while Shal sequestered himself in a small tent Randidly was curious but could only shrug One thing at a time

So he allowed Marco to beat his bad habits and hesitation out of him So much so that although his skills and stats weren’t changing much what had changed was the way that Randidly looked at fights

Fights were fast brutal things Especially against Donnyton Randidly had taken advantage of the fact that he was faster and hit harder than everyone else His consumption of Stamina was prodigious but it almost allowed him to succeed despite the fact that he was facing dozens of people

Marco emphasized a similar strategy in his battles He showed Randidly what to look for in an enemy’s stance to show weakness and how to move into an opponent’s blind spot They were not exactly the things you needed to grow strong but Marco emphasized how what was more important than power was results These would let Randidly fight against those who were more powerful than him and they came from a man who had struggled his whole life with nothing but a spear

This world was cruel and Marco had grown strong without relying on the teachings of a Style There weren’t any skillsets that he could rely on but he had a wealth of experience that made it child’s play for him to dismantle Randidly time and time again no matter what he tried

Slowly through blows and laughing advice Randidly’s body absorbed some of that experience seeing the world in a new way in a way driven by the possibility of violence It was illuminating in a way even as a part of Randidly wondered whether he would truly be able to return to a world without violence anymore

That thought kept him up late as he Engraved under his Weeping Cloud If the world returned to how it was before what would that make of him

But these thoughts were quickly banished After all he could not afford to waste this chance The system was here now and Randidly had obligations to uphold What if’s held no meaning in front of facts

More days blurred away and finally Shal left the tent and sought Randidly out immediately removing him from a training session with Marco Polo and dragging him back to the tent When Randidly walked in he looked around and was surprised to recognize the strange formation the diary of the Spear Phantom and the unopened chest the three inheritances of the Spear Phantom Style

Shal coughed lightly Our training will change again for a while You will spend most of your time reading from the Spear Phantom’s Diary Specifically the pages on the Phantom’s Thrust the true version of the Phantom Thrust you knew and the page on the Phantom’s Embrace The Phantom’s Embrace

Shal hesitated his expression lost in the shadow of the tent When he spoke it was slow Of the 6 moves of the Spear Phantom the Phantom’s Embrace is the only one which can be considered defensive In addition it requires mostly a control over your Battle Intent to an almost obsessive degree My father managed it with simply his overflowing bloodlust but

With glowing eyes Shal said I believe you will find your own path For your own safety do not read the other pages

Then he left and Randidly sat down to read With gritted teeth he managed to read the introductory page once more which described the Phantom Thrust His Battle Intent had grown much since the last time he had attempted this and it bore the brunt of the vicious image of death that sprung from the pages keeping Randidly’s focus on the words

After finishing he took some time to breath slowly digesting the words thinking about how they could apply to his own move the Inevitable Phantom Arrives The Aether in his chest started to stir As he slowly refined the image the ticking the half rotted face of his mother the helpless fury his breathing slowed and then stopped

But the Aether in his chest began to pound faster and faster

His eyes opened glittering and he carefully picked the book back up and after a small hesitation turned to the page dedicated to the Phantom’s Embrace

All resist the Phantom for they know he steps in the wake of death like a shadow

A strange crashing filled Randidly’s head He had figured that there would be a sharp increase in the power of the images as the moves went on from one to six but even still Howling filled his perception and he could almost feel it almost see it the black leather of Death’s Robe as it walked before him The silence of an old battlefield bereft of life

Randidly groaned softly his body betraying him as his Battle Intent was chewed to ribbons by the waves of powerful imagery that were surging from the small diary in his hands His eyes went so blurry that he wasn’t able to read any further than the first line but the image of the robed Death grew stronger and stronger

And to Randidly’s horror Death paused and slowly began to turn

With a snap Randidly closed the book and backed away his chest heaving Like a power plant shutting down the howling in the air didn’t disperse immediately It just gradually grew more dim as more and more of the machinery of it disengaged It took a long time for the tent to seem completely silent long enough for Randidly’s breath to finally return to him

Although he had been filled with fear in that moment now Randidly was simply solemn the book seemed to be covered with remnants of that ominous image The leather was worn but seemed to curl up like dead skin The thin book contained unimaginable weight

As Randidly was staring at the book Shal returned

Why Randidly asked simply

Shal’s response was to grin so it seemed he understood Yes you saw it didn’t you The edge of him The presence of the Spear Phantom You ask why but

Turning away Shal walked over to the far edge of the tent and touched the closed and locked chest All the rest I can teach you But those 5th and 6th stances Although I struggled

Shal’s hand tightened on the lock I am unable to master them When I see the Spear Phantom’s image when I see my father’s face I am filled with rage With fury over his foolishness I cannot bare to be heh well it is not important

Turning back around Shal gave Randidly a meaningful glance Although this is my Style I have no pride for it But the weight of responsibility has snuck on me To have you immediately start with the 5th move is to see if you can ever inherit that man’s mantle For it is a thing that I do not want

Then Shal stalked passed Randidly out of the tent leaving him speechless

Time continued relentlessly forward and Randidly’s training broadened and became more universally exhausting Time with the diary then sparring training with Shal then challenges against those spear users that had stopped him previously then resting and training his spells in a continuous cycle that left him empty and thoughtless from exertion

Once more Engraving fell to the side but Randidly couldn’t be concerned about it He no longer knew how long he would remain here The still air and heat of the badlands began to seem like home Shal seemed continuously unsatisfied with his performance even as he slowly was able to beat those previously insurmountable spear users If Shal’s criticism wasn’t enough it still remained comically easy for Marco to predict and foil Randidly’s every attack and movement

After being in the prison for almost a year Randidly had finally reached a decision that he had been dreading for a long time He had gained quite a bit of PP and it was enough to push him up to finishing the Path of Carnage VI

Congratulations You have completed the Path of Carnage VI The wild expanse has been endless around you but although you have found no reward you continue forward The wind whispers of death while the ground sucks up any sweat or blood you shed Before you lies a mountain to your right Ahead of you the path continues but is shrouded in a mist of blood You sense your hands are not so bloodied that you can survive the path through the blood mist Shall you ascend to the summit of the mountain Shall you head further into the wilderness You have encountered an Extending Path Continue or recieve your current reward

Randidly frowned It really did seem like he could see what the path reward was describing But not only was there a blood red mist in front of him blocking his path

There was also a golden gate upon which stood a tinkling bell In addition there was a sign with an arrow that pointed up towards the mountain While frowning Randidly reached out his metaphysical hand and touched the gates

A shock smashed into him knocking his physical body as well as his metaphysical one several meters back Annoyed but very used to being injured by now Randidly stood back up and glared at the gate that glowed serenely He took several breaths to calm himself

Not only Shal and Marco but now Path rewards even thought they could bully him What in the actual fuck

Chapter 160

But there really didn’t seem like there was anything that he could do The golden gates blocked his path and the reward advised him that he couldn’t survive that way Perhaps it was just making extra sure that he understood that wasn’t the way he should go

Either way Randidly was getting very good at bottling up his anger and using it to fuel his fights so he just accepted the option and clicked to ascend the mountain And in a flash he was there standing on the mountain path a grey seething land around him seemingly barren Randidly turned and found that the path behind him had disappeared

Sighing Randidly turned and began to walk forward Hopefully this wasn’t as traumatizing as his time being transported to the Patron of Ash’s world He slowly ascended climbing up the increasingly steep mountain path As he did so the air became chillier and he could slowly make out more landmarks around him It seemed that the higher Randidly climbed the higher the peak loomed above him Gnarled twisted trees bare of all leaves populated the mountain side twisted and angry

If he looked at them for too long Randidly was sure that they began to quiver slightly and were a touch away from coming awake so he hurried onward heading further up the path It was full of jagged turns and cutbacks but Randidly followed it shifting more from walking to climbing clinging grimly to slate grey stone faces as he ascended

He seemed to walk forever and the trees grew thicker and thicker below him crowding around the spot where he ascended almost staring up after him

After climbing for a while he reached a ledge and that was where the wind began to blow At the edges and backend of the wind there seemed to be a voice whispering to him but as he would listen the wind would howl even more loudly making him grit his teeth There were many parts of the climb that were difficult physically even for him but no matter how Randidly concentrated he could not manage to use any skills

So he simply closed his mouth and forced himself to continue

After the wind came the snow first a sprinkling of it then thick waves almost as if it was getting dumped from above on him The chill quickly sank to his bones and Randidly felt very bitter about the fact that he couldn’t use any of his many fire spells to drive away some of the cold

He could only slog on pushing is way through the deepening snow By the time it was waist high Randidly stopped panting looking up above him Still the summit loomed much closer but also much farther away with this difficult to handle snow in the way

Sighing Randidly looked down and then froze Slowly his hand trembling from the cold he reached down and touched the snow rubbing it between his fingers

It was bone shavings They weren’t cold either just filled with a frigid hateful energy Randidly looked slowly up and the summit seemed to curve in a vicious way like a murderous blade Lowering his gaze Randidly pushed forward moving through the shavings of bone

He definitely could not have done it before Mrs Hamilton’s training because the whole thing left his body trembling with exertion barely able to continue His physical potential was completely wrung out of him Even then if he had not spent so much time reading the words of the Spear Phantom the vicious cold rage of the shavings might have overwhelmed him and ground down his will to nothing

And what would happen then Randidly wondered as he moved forward on a path the bone shavings slowly falling away even as more softly fell around him Would he just remain here

Randidly reached the summit and looked around It was a small little valley here with a pond that was frozen over Sighing and shaking his head Randidly walked over to the pond his feet so numb by this point that he couldn’t even care Deep within the pond laying on the bottom some strange item looking like a strange sphere pulsed with a blue black energy

Randidly went down to his knees and punched the ice It cracked but barely Growling he looked around He spotted a dozen or so skeletons leaning up against the rock wall their arms crossed looking exceedingly peaceful So Randidly walked over and took the bones from one of the skeletons and then returned to the pond

But has he did so the skeleton began to hum and wail somehow making a ridiculous racket even in death Randidly ignored it and began to use the bone as a pick to dig at the ice This continued for a while before the bone shattered into small pieces that were unusable

So almost helpless Randidly returned and took more bones The wailing grew louder The bones continued to break Randidly had to move on from the first skeleton to the second Now that one began to wail and the first continued to make noise even though all Randidly had left was the skull

Slowly after an hour of work and all the skeletons he had cracked and scratched the ice enough to finally make it to the bottom A strangely lopsided sphere half dark blue and swirled black and white sat there almost breathing Randidly just shrugged and grabbed it

Congratulations You have obtained the Heart of the Wandering Butcher End +10 Str and Agi +7 Per and React +5 You have learned the skill The Pervasive Chill of Death ® Lvl 1

Warning Pervasive Chill

Contacting Ad

Randidly narrowed his eyes as he reappeared in the tent and the warning notification and the follow up notification was snuffed out right before his eyes What was more disturbing was that when he checked his status he hadn’t received any such skill Annoyed Randidly closed his eyes and focused his attention inward There was the Aether Spring some disturbingly thick branches extending outward inside of him

There was his Soul Skill still swirling endlessly refining the rotten biomass into that strange emerald material

There was that small core of energy that remained as a reward from the Lonesome Spear Path And right next to it a small chilling orb of hatred and rage bound into a small ball of energy Surrounded by a disturbingly familiar golden chain that included a tinkling bell

Are you fucking kidding me 1000 PP for this

Although it took some time Randidly managed to force down his anger Then he turned to the next step which was selecting his new path Hopefully something actually useful

A vein in his temple twitched and Randidly took several deep breaths promising himself that he would take his anger out on the next spear user that Shal let him challenge

Heretic IX 0/ Oathbreaker 0/25 Initiate of Ash I 0/75 Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Path of Control 0/200 Grace I 0/75 Basic Mana Engraving 0/100 Weeping that Falls like Rain 0/200

The big change was that Heretic had shifted to Heretic IX And sure enough when he looked Randidly found a notification among the sea of skill increases saying that he should turn back take a class or else he would face the consequences etc It just made him sigh There was no way that he would at this point or any way that he could

But he would need to be more careful about not having notifications if it was possible for him to be attacked by a Judgement

The new arrivals were the Mana Engraving and the Weeping Cloud Paths and of the two Randidly felt the draw from both Especially the Weeping Cloud path He relied on the Weeping Cloud heavily in order to recover from the mental strain of all of the training In addition it was his first path from an non Common rarity skill But after blowing 1000 PP for nothing it was hard for Randidly to justify another huge expenditure

Instead Randidly checked how much PP was remaining Seeing it was enough he quickly chose and finished off Oathbreaker which he had for quite a while Every 5 PP earned him a point in Willpower which was a nice state of affairs after this most recent path debacle

Congratulations You have completed the Oathbreaker Path You have broken your vows and left your shackles lay fallow behind you You feel no shame but only a righteous anger Your path is more important than any bond that they may force upon you Forward you continue because the path is long and continues ever onward Resist +10 You have gained the skill Rejection Lvl 1

Rejection May resist compulsions geas foreign influences healing status ailments and other unnatural states Likelihood of success depends on skill level

Randidly smiled wryly An old remnant of his time with the King Constance huh Well the Willpower and Resistance would help him so he didn’t mind it And although this current skill seemed unreliable it did seem broadly applicable which would probably help

With his few extra PP he put them into the Grace I Path That would likely give him a positive return based how he felt it improving every aspect of how he moved

Once more Randidly lost himself in the training Time passed slowly as his body his mind and his spirit were brutalized day after day Slowly but surely Randidly felt himself growing less angry more grounded He almost seemed to enjoy the abuse throwing himself into it with wild abandoned Shal pressed him harder and harder as they slowly made progress into the Northeast area fighting constantly Marco would destroy Randidly’s stance with easy shattering his confidence

Then he would read words left by a spear user sure but two dozen or so years ago and he would almost pass out every time he tried to read that first line on the fifth page It was depressing

But there was progress He pressed and pressed and he was able to gaze for longer and longer on the back of Death before it paused as if it noticed him and then slowly turned forcing him out of his focus

Knowing that Shal secretly observed the process Randidly refused to give up Shal’s relationship with his father was clearly complex and Randidly understood that He hated his own father Hated him with every ounce of his being But somehow he knew that if his father had left him a job he would have dutifully completed it This was that same thing for Shal he would look for an heir for his father’s legacy even though Shal wanted no part of it

But that didn’t mean Shal wanted it to die And so Randidly continued to try slowly moving forward word by word

The second anniversary of their arrival in the badlands came and went and Randidly’s eyes were slightly glassy worn to the edge of sanity But still he pushed Everyday and those days he found himself slightly improving Randidly pushed harder seeking not just improvement but results

And the amount of sentences he could read slowly grew one word at a time Soon he could make it through half of the page without being forced away Then 3/4s then 4/5s slowly approaching the complete picture for the move that Shal could not master

The Phantom’s Embrace

Shal looked at the fire brooding Marco Polo sat next to them as his disciple once more tried to read the diary There had been progress Significant progress But while a lot of it was in his disciple’s spear skill the scariest part was the things that were hard to quantify

Randidly’s recovery speed His work ethic The viciousness with which he wielded a spear His spells his tactics in a fight

His stance his Battle Intent

His disciple’s personality too was slowly changing under the incredible pressure that he had handled for the past two years Becoming more centered around gallows humor more sardonic pessimistic Randidly had always been reserved and this Shal appreciated but it was growing to an almost ridiculous degree The boy barely spoke a word if not directly asked a question He would just wait for the order of the day and then throw himself into it

This might be his limit Marco commented looking carefully at Shal

But Shal just nodded This was true His disciple was settling too much into life here and gaining bad habits through repetitions This was probably as close as they could come to getting him battle ready More skill levels would be useful but

But it will still take some time to leave Shal said aloud gazing up at the mountain on which the prison sat The preparations And ideally we would want another powerful individual one willing to offend and attack guards in order to cause a distraction

If you need a distraction like that I have an idea

Both Shal and Marco turned surprised Randidly stood there rubbing his chin his voice raspy and his eyes somewhat gaunt

Chapter 161

Helen looked around disgustedly at the boat Without the presence of the Ghosthound and his master’s Tassles hanging from the boat they basically encountered no trouble They simply drifted no longer progressing deeper into Qtal but also not drifting farther out

It was widely understood that although those two were no longer here it did not mean that they would not return So the circling vultures stopped challenging them but they didn’t stop watching them Which removed the only activity that Helen enjoyed from the daily routine of the boat After all the challengers were just starting to be around the Artisan level and Divveltian still managed to defeat them without getting up from his seated position It was inspiring

Meanwhile both Helen and the male spear attendant continued to train It was almost infuriating to train next to that idiot because he seemed to be filled with an almost erotic fixation with training ever since he had been sent flying in that strange energy incident Sure he seemed to have developed a move but it was fucking weird that such a painful event in his past now seemed to animate him Being knocked out and cartwheeling through the air finally landing in the river did not seem fun to Helen

Although perhaps that was just the kind of sicko that the male spear attendant was He liked that everyone was too busy paying attention to the Ghosthound to even remember to fish him out of the river So the near drowning was pleasurable

Sighing and shaking her head Helen wondered how she had landed among such weird company They definitely weren’t her typical crowd

At first it was enjoyable but now Helen wanted just ONE of these male idiots to take an extra second to gaze at her face or to catch one of them dipping their eyes downward for a quick peek at her assets But they didn’t Not one of them seemed to care that she was a woman

Fucking prude ass bitches She muttered gazing out at the water But then she turned because something strange happened Divveltian stood

We must go He said seriously and she found herself nodding quickly right along with the male spear attendant and immediately rushing to get her things Because even if she was unsatisfied with the conditions she would still follow them

She had made an oath But more importantly they were strong In this world that was the ultimate draw

They snuck away leaving their boat without a single Tassle ghosting out of the city of Qtal across the decks of other ships Then they trekked across the countryside and Helen muttered furiously to herself the entire time wondering where they were going why they were going there and why fucking Divveltian set such a ridiculous pace

She realized that some of it was heard by her two companions but they simply ignored it The male spear attendant because he seemed to fear her which was the correct response in her mind and Divveltian because it seemed to amuse him which only irritated her further But there was really nothing she could do but follow

They traveled quickly going through the short road to Tomkat They encountered bandits twice but Divveltian simply had to look and was able to send most of them packing Their cross country run continued and several hours later they arrived in Tomkat

It was a smaller city than Qtal but only a little yet it was a city with a much higher average strength of person Whereas Qtal was a city filled with large families of poor and struggling Styles Tomkat was an austere mountain city filled with highly trained spear users Although there was no one at the Pontiff level Adepts were much more commonly seen in Tomkat usually passing through on their way either to or from the Central Region from the capital of the Northern Region

Rumor had it that the First Spear of Tomkat was a top level Adept very close to breaking through to the Pontiff level Even spear users at the level of Artisan would be tempted by the opportunity to train under such a figure

When they arrived after a brief stop in the markets as the other group that was overrepresented here was the merchant population Divveltian led them towards a small squat walled off area in the Eastern side of Tomkat

He then exchanged a quiet word and a coin with an old woman who smiled took the money and beckoned them into her home They were led up to the attic which allowed them to clamber out a window and onto a rather cozy and comfortable roof area And there they began to wait Divveltian assuming his typical sitting position the male spear attendant seemingly oblivious of their change of venue immediately resuming his training

Helen blinked and stared from one to the other Were they really just going to just sit here

For the first time since she had become a spear attendant she made no attempt to control it as her face twisted into a scowl She marched up to the Divveltian and said What the fuck are we doing

Waiting He answered not even opening up his eyes

Helen crossed her arms She began to tap her foot Her teeth were grinding in a very audible way as she struggled to control her temper Divveltian just sat there Minutes ticked past

Why Helen managed to say sliding the word out between her grinding teeth

To break Shal and the boy out of Tomkat’s prison Still his eyes remained closed and he raised his hand and began to move his finger like the conductor in an orchestra barely paying attention to her

But at that answer her eyebrows shot upwards

To to break them out of the prison Helen sputtered her mind reeling Even the male spear attendant seemed to know what that meant and his training slowed and then stopped They both gaped at the sitting man

He of course continued to move his finger and the air around him was filled with a strange music and the ghostly images of flowing spears Although he appeared to be doing some sort of training this was one of the moments were Helen couldn’t control her mouth And didn’t really want to

Breaking them out of prison Are you fucking defective That’s a direct challenge to the First Spear’s honor He will personally come to deal with the neanderthals that attempted such a thing He is almost a Pontiff He will fuck us to bits

The images fell away and Divveltian slowly opened his eyes Strangely when Helen looked into the old man’s eyes the image of floating spears was even more powerful there so vicious that she stumbled backward her instincts warning her of something terrible impending in her future Divveltian just chuckled and closed his eyes again

There is a large difference between a powerful Adept and a Pontiff As long as it is the former we should be able to manage it But of course if you feel fear hide Otherwise sharpen yourselves At this level you simply need to stall small fries until we get them out The actual heavy lifting will be done by them We are just the getaway team

The male spear attendant nodded seriously to Divveltian’s words and then began to work on his created move Helen sat back on her heels feeling like she should be furious about the idiocy they displayed but

A very deep animalistic part of her the part that was the source of her anger and vitriolic words was shivering with pleasure Although it was incredibly dangerous this was exactly the sort of disobedient and domineering thing that her inner part wanted But Helen had survived thus far through caution and through a careful monitoring and regulating of that part of herself

This was not a cautious move But maybe that was why the Ghosthound had an irresistible draw on her Because he was a man who stepped forward against impossible odds spitting in the face of fate He risked his life and seemed to revel in it This prison break was just another typical day for him

And she wanted that life It was something that she could not resist

So in spite of herself she began to train working on her three flowing moves that had given her so much success in the past Even now she could still feel small wisps of that strange energy clinging to her helping her improve at a pace that would have been impossible in the past It came in spurts and epiphanies and it too was a gift from the Ghosthound

Acidically whispering the ways she would kill all of them for putting her through this Helen smiled and prepared

Claptrap looked with a horrified expression out across the boat

It had been an excellent week The Crashing Wave Style was very pleased with the improved quality of the armors But of course Claptrap only had so many and he knew that the Ghosthound was leaving soon

But he had hoped to get another batch finished The profits seemed to dance before their eyes

However when Claptrap went to visit he found that the Ghosthound was gone And his old man protector And his master And his two spear attendants

But of course the boat wasn’t empty As with any boat without a Tassle it seemed Mr Izzat had annexed it opening another branch shop at this location

Chapter 162

His idea was a simple one and both Shal and Marco were intrigued by the prospect And because they really didn’t have any other choice they decided to run with it to use the descent of the Judgement as a distraction to escape

Marco seemed to want to ask a lot of questions about what a Judgement was but some very direct looks from Shal silenced him before he could even open his mouth Randidly admitted he wasn’t entirely sure how powerful it would be but it would surely be some sort of distraction

So while Shal upped the intensity of the training with Randidly Marco left heading into the Western area to see if he could find any fish who would bite at the possibility of an escape plan They didn’t have much hope but with the number of guards they needed to force their way through it would be better with more powerful individuals on their side And as some of the people in the Western area were approaching the Adept level it was well worth their time to recruit

But months dragged on and although Randidly had received many more Skill Levels increasing and spending his PP there was no change in the Heretic Path Randidly held out hope that it would tick forward when he finished the Grace I path it did not although he received an interesting move for his completion bonus for the path

Congratulations You have completed the Grace I Path Your steps are light and even and although the path is slowly falling away around you you maintain your pace You have your goals and although the trials may be difficult you will not halt Willpower +5 Stamina per level +2 You have gained the skill Body Control Freeze Lvl 1

Body Control Freeze Stop your current movement becoming completely still Time it takes to completion decreases with skill level Stamina consumption decrease with skill level Small health penalties may apply that decrease with skill level

The move sounded interesting and after he finished it he was able to experiment a little with it during fights The first time he used it even Marco was slightly taken aback and Randidly was able to actually land an attack on him He was swiftly defeated however and each subsequent use was less and less effective

But still it proved the viability of it as a move in high level fights

After that Randidly poured his PP into Fighting Proficiency II 0/100 which he unlocked by getting Fighting Proficiency up to Lvl 80 The constant battles were certainly dealing dividends in a lot of ways He slowly pushed his way into the Northeast region where there were a huge amount of spear users at his level who used very different fighting styles Some of them were even members of respected Styles of the Spearman School and Shal encouraged (basically forced) Randidly to challenge them all testing his limits

The real problem was that there didn’t seem to be any change in the Heretic Path But after thinking about it it did indeed make sense Usually the Heretic didn’t really notice his quantitative increases It was qualitative that was the issue That last time what brought down the Judgement was not the PP but the evolution of his Soul Skill and the creation of his unique skill

Randidly was also aware that he was not training his self taught skill currently and wondered whether that was a good thing He consulted with Shal who just shook his head in disgust

One thing at a time my idiot disciple You are not a genius You simply have good teachers

So Randidly let it lie for now Besides Shal was right The entire reason he had grown this strong was due to Shal Which was why he would put himself through such hell in order to help him They had been in the Prison for so long that Donnyton had faded from his mind mostly Lyra was just a pretty face he had difficulty picturing Meanwhile his life as a normal person before the system began to fade into the shadows at least partially

As his life faded away some parts of it began to stick out His relationship with his parents Sydney and Ace His loneliness and frustration

For much to Randidly’s surprise that loneliness was beginning to come back They had been in this prison for too long with a lifestyle that was too austere He had radically changed his situation but his body and soul weren’t so easily swayed During his brief breaks he reminisced fondly of those days when porn was readily available It would be nice to have some sort of relief from the constant training

But although he allowed small indulgences Randidly never swayed from his path forward Strength was always moving further away Everyone else was reaching for the same survival you were There wasn’t time to waste

So he worked towards having the Judgement descend in a controlled fashion He slowly began practicing the moves taught to him by Bert He was a little rusty at first but he swiftly regained the tempo for those exhausting moves He focused on the powerful images of roots inside of him even going so far as to create huge roots to look at and feel adding detail Slowly and surely he felt the Aether within him beginning to pulse

In order to see the changes he stopped taking the black potion for a week working tirelessly on the move It was coalescing in his chest and just as he received a notification that the self made move was 99% finished a notification popped up

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

This gave him hope but he knew that this was just the first of two warnings If he truly wanted to be sure he needed to get to the second So Randidly threw himself back into training this time focusing on Engraving and spells especially Incinerating Bolt still in order to deal with the Judgement

Marco Polo returned during this time with positive news telling of a few individuals who would be willing if Shal would demonstrate his strength as proof it was possible Shal snorted but went along with Marco leaving Randidly alone The small spark of loneliness inside of him grew but he continued to ignore it instead throwing himself more violently into fights with nearby spear users

There was something about battle it was peaceful It helped him come to terms with his situation or at least work off some of the related aggression from being stuck in the same place for all this time During those fights Randidly started to realize that everyone else was the same They fought and fought with almost a crazed gleam in their eyes but it was because the alternative was shutting down and just losing yourself to the unending boredom

Randidly wasn’t sure if this imprisoning punishment would do much to teach spear users what they did was wrong but it would surely act as a deterrent

And it would drag out the ferocity and potential of those spear users thrown into the lion’s den that was the badlands

There was a strange moment once while Shal and Marco were gone Randidly maintained his camp along the inward circle of the badlands nearest the prison although the competition was more fierce here A group of people escaped from the prison 4 of them and hurried away with light pursuit from the guards behind them

As they ran towards his area Randidly glanced over and activated Eyes of the Spear Phantom looking to his North As he thought the individual above him Teliph a man with bandages over his eyes and an annoyingly firm defense also saw the escapees and also turned to look at Randidly They smiled at each other

Fresh meat needed to be taught the ropes

So when they arrived Teliph and Randidly moved towards the 4 walking casually towards where they were hyperventilating The 4 quickly noticed them and scrambled to their feet

Randidly doing his best Shal impression lowered his voice and growled Produce your spear and take a stance

And for effect he removed the huge obsidian spear that once belonged to the Devourer The four just goggled doing nothing Randidly hesitated unsure of what to do but Teliph stepped forward and struck with his weapon cracking the sternum of the closest one That man fell backwards moaning but the others produced their spears and leapt to their feet Randidly rushed forward using a simple stab and the leader stepped up to meet him

It was a beautiful counter that man used and had their weapons struck it definitely seemed like the counter was so powerful that it would have overwhelmed Randidly and dealt him a grievous wound But Marco had taught Randidly that was not how the game was played

So instead Randidly twisted his attack and used Ghastly Slash causing the other’s counter to miss and shearing off the man’s leg

The rest were easily dealt with and Teliph coldly explained that the weak gathered in the South the strong in the West and how the circle worked and then left Randidly left too but he couldn’t help but notice the bitter tears those men cried as half dead and sleep deprived they were forced to get up and leave

Back at the camp Randidly sat for a long time remembering everything that had happened to him since the system came And even though he had come so far there were still many individuals in the North and West more powerful than him But he couldn’t deny that flash of joy in that fight defeating an enemy who had superior Skill Levels

He liked this strength

Stoically Randidly resumed his training Because the other thing that those men reminded him of was that failure was not an option right now Losing a fight sometimes meant losing your life and that was everything

Chapter 163

It was another few weeks but Randidly finally received the notification he was waiting for although it came in a form that was a little different than expected

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 Village for assistance Should you proceed Judgement shall descend in all its glory

Also available to you is the option to proceed down the path Heretic XI Doing so will transform you but still allow you to exist within the realm of the system Please see the nearest Village Spirit if you have any questions

Randidly frowned The last part was new although it was basically information that he had already intuited about the Heretic Path The only question was how this transformation worked It almost seemed like it was not a class but something else

Either way Randidly wasn’t willing to give in and find out at this point Especially because preparations on other fronts were proceeding so well for the breakout 2 men and a woman had returned with Shal a small slight man with a mustache a woman whose skin was a brilliant golden color and a scarred man In addition to them Teliph approached the group and asked to be a part of it offering to be Randidly’s Spear Attendant in exchange and Shal shrugged and left the decision up to Randidly

Picturing the brutality with which they attacked those new arrivals Randidly nodded and gained himself another spear attendant Later when he was alone with Marco Randidly asked why Shal seemed ambivalent about Teliph’s presence

Marco chuckled That one is very close to the Artisan level without the benefit of a Style behind him Taking him with us if he survives the escape and giving him access to some sort of teachings would produce a powerful ally in the future

If he’s close to the Artisan level Randidly said slowly Does that mean that I am also close to being an Artisan

Ah likely not Marco said shaking his head The tests for the different levels are very specific You are a combination of a lot of things Your many small strengths make you resourceful and resilient The Artisan test involves a single skill with requirements of a certain level of offensive or defensive power and also the ability for spectators those not involved in the fight to see the image associated with a move Your offensive power is likely approaching that level but when you can produce an image anyone can see that’s a whole order of magnitude higher

Mulling this over Randidly focused on training specifically on image training The Aether within him swirled slowly gathering but instead of allowing it to come together to form the skill he kept it apart slowly refining the images he had within him Something was slightly off about it some area he instinctively knew he could improve but Randidly couldn’t find it

Well it wouldn’t matter until that day But that day swiftly arrived and the group of them each wearing two bracers Engraved with the Shadow rune began their trek back into the prison Shal and the 3 others from the West led the way and with their speed and offensive power it was child’s play to cross the distance and break into the prison incapacitating the nearby guards

They quickly ascended the mountain and made it to the prison proper The tallest tower was the home of the portal out and was heavily guarded The portal itself was on the top on a flat open area with a view of the surroundings but each of the 10 levels that lead up to the top was teeming with guards To the North was the guard’s quarters to the Southeast the basic cells where people were tortured by battle intent and to the West was the villas for the powerful prisoners

Surrounding the portal tower were several small watch towers with three people constantly keeping an eye on the other towers and the main tower for people trying to climb up

Their plan was relatively simple Shal the woman and the scarred man would head to the guard’s quarters and challenge the warden who was rumored to be at the Adept level This was relatively common and happened occasionally and wouldn’t cause much of a stir Or at least it wouldn’t raise the alarm After all sometimes a prisoner got too big for their britches and wanted to test themselves That was why the warden was here to put down such uprisings

And he was an easy target Unlike killing the rest of the guards killing the warden was accepted by the First Spear of Tomkat although he wouldn’t be pleased and you would be forced to finish out the rest of your sentence But an influential position would be waiting for you under the First Spear when you got out

While the guards focused on this challenge to the warden the mustached man with Randidly on his back would activate the shadow bracer and attempt to climb quickly up the central tower Marco and Teliph would distract the watch towers on the side Once they ascended to the top of the tower the mustached man would kill any guards nearby and Randidly would call down the Judgement

There was a very easy way for them to lose this gamble if a single guard passed through the portal with knowledge of their attempt and made it out the First Spear of Tomkat would be warned Because of the time dilation he would only have a small warning before they arrived but that small warning was infinitely dangerous After all they were dealing with an Adept a vindictive one with his livelihood at stake he would not be willing to let it slide

Shal walked calmly forward followed by Tekni the woman and Sharshar the scarred man Guards parted whispering excitedly They hadn’t seen this before but they had heard about it A challenge to the warden This would be a good day Finally some entertainment

An old man with greying hair stepped out of the crowd holding a huge extremely thick spear His smile was small and sharp and he walked calmly to meet them Well well well It’s been about 30 years I think since someone has dared challenge me Good good And you come with more than one of you Excellent otherwise this would be no fun

The warden attacked as Shal had expected rushing towards Tekni The woman raised her spear and attacked back very quickly their spears blurring as they clashed time and time again To Tekni’s surprise although she prided herself on her power she was forced back with every strike Shal narrowed his eyes Truly this man was an Adept and not a freshly advanced one

Shal hated himself for this strategy but there was nothing he could do Breathing in and out he focused on his spear feeling the suppleness of the wood the elasticity and strength within it Slowly the spear began to move independently of his hands almost as if it was alive The Style he and his older brother used to dream about all those years ago The Spear with Poisonous Fangs Style

This is for you Pronto ’ Shal thought to himself then rushed forward striking viciously The spear moved unpredictably and the warden grunted as he turned and tried to deal with the strange strikes from Shal This split of attention gave Tekni some space and she began unleashing powerful blows upon the warden as well

The scarred man stayed behind eyeing the nearby guards ready to intervene if necessary But the battle continued without any changes Shal’s unpredictable attacks pushed the warden back but Tekni’s stamina was waning and as she needed to keep taking longer breaks or slightly less intense rotations in her attacks the warden would have more chances to strike both at her and Shal

Shal gritted his teeth smiling viciously The other problem was the level distance It wouldn’t surprise Shal to know that the Warden was level 70 His stamina seemed endless and his base stats were high enough to resist their combined attacks without using anything more than a basic defensive skill To be a young Adept is impressive but to be an old Adept is less so

But an old Adept would rarely lose to a young one no matter how large their potential is For the backing of stats and high stamina did more to change the space of the fight than the power of an image

Is this all The warden seemed almost disappointed and Shal snapped and began unleashing strike after strike his spear twisting and bending curving around blocks and defensive moves He used everything he could earning himself several small wounds upon the warden pushing him farther and farther back But although this was a Style Shal had thought more and more about as time went on and he had slowly refined it it was missing a very critical ingredient

He had not yet created the skill set that would serve as the backbone for the Style

Well I think we’ve played around for long enough Children it’s time for your spanking The very feel to the air changed This was the power of an Adept The warden stood still smiling but behind him the air seemed to ripple and a man wrapped in chains appeared roaring the man hefted a heavy iron spear and thrust forward even though the spear too was wrapped in chains pulled in a dozen different directions But such was that image’s strength that it could resist the force of those chains and thrust forward with the spear

The warden smiled arms behind his back For as an Artisan is judged by being able to allow spectators to see their image an Adept is an individual who can strike with their image unleashing an actual attack without even moving

Sharshar rushed forward crossing his arms in a defensive posture the heavy image of a stone outcropping appearing behind him as he blocked the warden’s attack But that image shattered to pieces and Sharshar was run through completely unable to resist the power of the warden After spitting out a mouthful of blood he collapsed coughing

Ha I appear to have broken one of my toys Ah well there are two more so Then the warden paused Clouds were swirling above the central tower where the portal was As he looked on he could feel the temperature slowly falling

A distraction He asked turning to Shal

Shal simply smiled The warden snorted It won’t matter if I kill you Your strength is insufficient

Perhaps Shal said slowly feeling a very real sadness in his heart But then he closed his eyes and shifted something inside of himself letting go of the Spear with the Poisonous Fangs Style Slowly at first but then more quickly a figure appeared behind Shal walking slowly forward The image was blurry but his skin was blue and he wore a long cloak covering his features His spear was perhaps a little shorter than average but straight and clean a very unadorned weapon

But what caught the eyes was the smile even through the shadows of the cloak’s hood That smile was all cruelty and the promise of violence As Shal slowly opened his eyes his third eye the one on his forehead slowly trembled and twitched open

I wonder then if you can handle the strength of my Father The cloaked man behind Shal laughed spinning his spear A beam of bright blue light crashed down from the clouds hitting the top of the tower where the portal was located A wave of cold spread outward frost creeping slowly down the top of the tower The warden’s expression turned grim

Chapter 164

Randidly stood in the shadows at the edge of the villa area with the mustached man He had asked his name earlier but the man had been completely silent In fact now that Randidly thought about it he didn’t think he had ever heard the man speak So they stood silently waiting

Then the man nodded Marco and Teliph made their move and the gazes from the people on the watch towers turned away from them They both activated the shadow engraving burning its energy but giving them the benefit of a shroud of shadow which would make it very difficult for people to spot them especially while they were distracted by other things

However they would need to move quickly because as soon as someone realized there was a challenge to the warden and a distraction at the watchtowers at the same time they would likely shift to a more defensive and on edge focus So while they were distracted in that small window of time they rushed up to the main tower

Although the mustached man was smaller than Randidly Randidly put his feet into these strange stirrups they had fashioned from leather and gripped the man’s shoulders They began to rapidly ascend with Randidly slightly numb as the man managed to keep a grip in the very small ledges between blocks of that strange almost impossible to destroy material It was not even something that could be done with stats there was definitely some sort of grip skill involved here

Although he wanted to peer around at the watchtowers Randidly stayed as still as possible just holding onto the man’s back They ascended quickly rushing up towards the top of the tower The man’s movements were swift and sure They passed the 2nd floor the 3rd the 4th Randidly inwardly breathed out one worry that he had they would certainly make it to the top before the shadow engraving ran out of energy

And it even as they passed the 6th and then the 7th floors there was no cry of alarm No one appeared to notice them as they scaled up the side of the tower As they approached their goal Randidly turned his attention inward focusing on the Aether that swirled within him Those powerful moves that lowered center of gravity that image of verdant golden roots glowing with life the powerful roots that supported the World Tree Yggdrasil

But there was something missing Something vitally important He could create a skill and it would be powerful but it wouldn’t be quite what he wanted right now His heart and Aether began to thump growing in strength and he felt a few drops of sweat trickle down the back of his neck He didn’t have time for perfection right now but at the same time

Inwardly his stubbornness rose forcefully to combat that He DID have time for perfection That was what he was striving for Not enough strength but to be truly strong Anything else would be an endless disappointment He wanted to dismiss this feeling out of hand but

There was something about this moment that the dissonance in his move was extra apparent climbing the tower It felt off somehow like he was missing something But what was it

They rushed up past the 9th floor with still no problems No outward problems anyway The watch towers were silent their gazes elsewhere

Those life giving roots those powerful support beams What was he missing

They leapt over the 10th floor entirely landing on the top level where the portal sat A squad sat off to the side chatting while two women stood right next to the portal looking bored Several other guards milled around going about their daily duties peering over at the disturbances It appeared that no one had made the connection that they were coming

And the shadow engraving was still in effect so the few people who spotted their arrival seemed to squint and frown as if they couldn’t decide what they were seeing The mustached man took advantage of this and threw two spears like javelins the first woman near the portal being hit in the gut and knocked backward the second actually beheaded by the well thrown spear Then the mustached man rushed forward heading to block off the portal

Randidly threw up Walls of Thorns everywhere to confuse and block the sight of the guards making a rather sudden maze then focused inward a small smile on his face Because as soon as they landed on the roof and Randidly had gotten off the man’s back and stood on the ground he had realized it what he was missing The critical part of the image

He wiggled his bare toes against the stone savoring the contact Aether began to roar in his chest as it began to swirl A huge wave surged up from within him rising to create this new skill With his eyes closed he could see it from his feet through the tower stretching downward those golden roots continued growing thinner and thinner branching and spreading soon covering the entire area The ground around him was filled with those roots with which he was connected He was just one part of the network

Then the strength began to flow upward from the very core of the world up the golden roots flowing into his body

Because the roots did not simply begin with him The World Tree Yggdrasil might hold up the sky but it sat on the earth and drew its power from the core of the planet It was a piece of something much much larger than itself And that was why it was strong

Randidly smiled and clicked yes More notifications popped up But the one at the top was what he was waiting for The guards were now hacking through the Walls of Thorns and the mustached man continued to fight attacking them while they were distracted trying to keep them away from the portal He was strong but so were they and they had numbers More guards rushed up from below

But the distraction was coming

Warning you have tread too long on the Path of the Heretic Although you endured through the previous Judgement no longer will it be so simple Heretic X 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

Due to this being your second infraction the Judgement’s power shall be greatly increased closer to its power on its home world The minions of Judgement will spawn endlessly When you die a high level dungeon will be created from your corpse Rejoice

Randidly frowned and spit on the ground When he died huh The clouds above started to darken and swirl and there was an immediate drop in temperature Fucking Patron of Frostbite

But Randidly’s eyes went on to the other notifications

Congratulations Your own personal skill has been created You have created the skill The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 1 Due to proceeding to a different Cohort than your home planet to create the skill all bonuses associated with the record of creating an Ancient skill are lost

The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 1 Your legs are the roots that connect you to the fires of the world Passive Effects Knockback and stun resistance greatly increased per skill level Mana Regeneration increased while touching the ground Effect increases with skill level The effectiveness of each point of Vitality towards Health Regeneration increases while touching the ground Effect increases with skill level Active Effects Costs 50 Stamina per second The passive effects are doubled Offensive and defensive physical skills are slightly more powerful Effect increases with skill level

Randidly breathed in and out feeling it Even now without the skill active he could feel small golden tendrils running up from the ground through the building and to his bare feet filling him with life and energy Increased Health Regeneration and Mana Regeneration huh And it seemed like the health regeneration bonus was based per point of Vitality so it was a much more powerful thing and would improve with the skill level and with increases in Vitality

But increased Mana Regeneration all the time would also be extremely useful especially for training Especially combined with Meditation

Randidly’s thoughts were cut short as a guard ripped through a nearby Wall of Thorns cursing The man didn’t appear to see him likely due to the continued influence of the shadow engraving and Randidly also had something he wanted to test out Randidly lowered his stance switching the skill to its active component Immediately those thin golden tendrils of energy thickened and swelled rushing up towards him through his feet

At the same time his legs began to trembled from the exertion of staying in such a posture Raising his spear Randidly used the Inevitable Phantom Arrives Hopelessness filled the air a layer of bitter frustration Clocks began to tick and the guard looked up finally noticing his face twisted in confusion But then he saw Randidly’s mother half of her face ripped and rotted away smiling sweetly and his eyes became filled with horror

She drifted forward and Randidly’s large obsidian spear ripped forward filled with the inevitable power of time Gritting his teeth the man shifted raising his spear in a defensive posture but Randidly felt those golden rivers of power rushing up through his feet move to his spear point concentrating there Their weapons crossed and there was a sudden gasp as Randidly’s thrust shattered the man’s spear

He watched shocked as the attack penetrated his chest ripping through his heart Immediately his eyes dimmed and the man slumped downward

Chest heaving Randidly shakily stood taking off the active effects of the skill Based on the speed of the response Randidly guessed that the guard was actually quite similar in skill to himself Not an Artisan yet but with high stats and skill levels But with Randidly’s skills with one attack

Randidly had realized before how important skills were But finally after all this time he made the logical connection with how everyone else struggled to make skills and this Aether within him freezing cold and scalding hot and singing with a strange ethereal energy made it simpler for him to create his own skills If he could continue to create powerful skills with it

But then a beam of pure frigid energy crashed down hitting the top of the tower and destroying most of his Wall of Thorns and Randidly was forced to focus on more immediate matters

Chapter 165

Randidly grimaced He fucking hated the cold And this was not the invigorating cold of Aether this was a restrictive controlling cold that tried to devour him frost beginning to form in restrictive waves on his body

As it did so it became harder to move but then a skill deep within him pulsed coming alive refusing to be tied down by the ice The effect eased somewhat enough for Randidly to move and remove some potions and drink them It was the Rejection skill that he had obtained with Oathbreaker Path It was interesting that it could be used in this way but Randidly didn’t have much time to be thankful because another blast of cold surged outward even more powerful than the first descent The cool mist billowed outward pressing him towards the edge of the tower and Randidly dropped down onto his stomach to keep his purchase on the durable but not very friction causing material

A strange low horn sounded and Randidly rolled his eyes and stood pulling the giant obsidian spear out of his ring and several mana potions After a brief grimace in the face of the swirling wind he put two of those back and removed a few stamina potions After all he still had a few hundred of both mana and stamina in his storage rings Now that he had been here for two years his store of materials was running low

Better to save potions where he could Although he wouldn’t hesitate to burn them if it was necessary to escape it was hard to tell if that would be possible yet Better to save his cards for a more important moment

The bitingly cold wind was still carried an edge of frost and there was a definite effect on his movement but Randidly was still able to lower himself into a stance the passive version of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil engaging to boost his mana and health regeneration Out of the swirling mist several tiny yetis hopped forward their furry bodies covered in a thick layer of crystal clear ice armor

Snorting Randidly used Ghastly Slash to rip through the armor and their bodies beneath it but not before one of them was able to shriek Immediately clicks and whistles filled the dense air and Randidly began to glide to the right Until he saw what he was up against

But very quickly he encountered another larger group of little yetis waving axes and greatswords of ice Randidly quickly cut down those enemies too but not before cursing coming to this world Not for any grand reason but just that he had become incredibly used to fighting against enemies who used spears

He had lost a bit of his edge against monsters from constantly fighting against people these past two years It was an annoying reminder about the limits of training with Shal At the same time

Randidly’s feet blurred as he pushed Spear Phantom’s Footwork to its limit almost seeming to teleport a meter to the left and right as he continued to rush through the mist The clicking gathered behind him and he felt confident that he escaped the encircling yetis His speed wasn’t something they were prepared for

Shal was very good at one area and Randidly had progressed tremendously under him in that area For now that was more than enough even though the time sink was quite something Without the light of the real world Randidly was secretly very worried that his sense of humor had died Withered and wizened it now was a corpse of its past self

Randidly stepped on something and froze his move instantly doused in frozen water The mustached man was beneath him covered in a slowly growing layer of snow the right side of his body crushed by what must have been a giant hammer His face was already blue and not the blue of Shal’s dyed skin but the blue of frostbite

A chill that had little to do with the descent of the Judgement ripped through him

Although they could simulate it as well as possible Shal and Marco could not give him this strange feeling The fluttering heartbeat the quickened breath The strange thrill that you could only experience if your life is on the line Dancing on a knife’s edge over the precipice of failure

Foolish warrior you have allowed me to return A low familiar voice rumbled and Randidly looked up to find the Yeti’s huge hulking form above him looming out of the snow covered wind This time he was already covered in his ice armor holding two hammers of ice For now I will end your sacrilege Your sins will bind you to the ground like chains

As the Yeti raised its hammers Randidly hopped backwards skidding slightly over the icy ground He winced not this shit again He briefly considered using Circle of Flame to melt the nearby ice but based upon the continual dropping of the temperature that wouldn’t be much help Randidly couldn’t imagine it would continue forever but

Even this much was enough to significantly impact his movements in a fight

Surging forward the Yeti swung with his right hammer which glowed with a strange golden swirl of energy that Randidly vaguely recognized it was an Engraving Randidly didn’t want to find out what sort of effect it had but his extremities were already numb and his rapid mental calculations made him feel like there was a small chance to dodge but a much better chance to block the power of the block Even if the Yeti’s power had doubled or tripled since their last meeting

Yet Randidly still hesitated until it was basically too late to dodge and then raised the spear to block with a frown There was something he didn’t like about that Engraving But finding out sooner was better than waiting until he had to experience it a time that might cost him his life so

The weapon of ice met the weapon of obsidian and both screamed their displeasure as the materials clashed Luckily this didn’t last very long as Randidly was thrown backwards smashed away by the weight and force

Such was the power of the blow that the wind was knocked out of Randidly and he struggled to find his breath as he slid over the iced ground of the tower towards well what he thought was the edge The wind was still so thick with snow it was hard to be sure Luckily Randidly crashed into a group of mini yetis who were knocked aside like bowling pins

Randidly stood and rubbed his head The power had definitely gone up probably by a factor of 5x But there didn’t really seem to be any strange effects from the golden Engraving unless power was the effect

Rolling to the side Randidly lost his train of thought as the Yeti appeared behind him and smashed downward with a ice hammer After gaining his feet once more Randidly watched as the Yeti faded back into the blurry snow

This is my realm Here you cannot win And I will slowly strip from you your stolen gifts

Randidly twisted and slashed with his spear using Haste Empower Mana Strengthening and the Active of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Still the clash sent Randidly stumbling which was profoundly annoying Randidly much preferred when he possessed the superior strength in the fight

But that wasn’t how he had spent the last two years training

As the Yeti came to follow up with another attack with his other hammer Randidly used Spear Phantom’s Footwork and moved a meter to the left his spear Sweeping towards the Yeti’s leg It was annoying but the strange creature had more than enough time to see it based upon Randidly’s slow movements The cold and ice were very restrictive

Suddenly he regretted spending so much time on the Carnage path that netted him so little He probably would have put some PP into the Initiate of Ash Path Maybe there was an ability there that would help resist all this fucking frostbite

As it was the Yeti dropped both his hammers which crashed to the ground and knocked the Sweep upwards with one hand while striking Randidly’s chest with the other Again as he struck the Yeti’s hands glowed with that golden engraving So it wasn’t a thing on his weapon but a larger engraving on his person

Again the attack was strong and Randidly stumbled backwards his bones definitely fractured but he had experienced much worse in his time with Shal in even the lightest spars But the Yeti seemed very pleased

Perhaps you finally see it Each of my strikes severs one life you devoured to become a Heretic Do you feel your hope slipping away I will grind

Randidly lashed outward almost fully recovered through the Yeti’s strange monologue his balance regained Unfortunately although it penetrated deeply through the ice armor and scratched the Yeti the wound was a shallow one and this action seemed to incense it further

The Yeti bellowed and charged towards him unleashing a flurry of blows

Randidly’s eyes narrowed He had grown up a lot since his last fight with the Judgement He also didn’t really expect to be able to compete with it in strength but some stubborn part of him wanted to try However now that that bit of stupidity was out of the way and the Yeti was talking about a weird effect of its attacks Randidly didn’t plan on taking many more

He was trained to be a successor to the Spear Phantom So it was time that he began acting like one His steps quickened and more and more he shifted slightly to the side effortlessly leaning out of the way of attacks Ghastly Slash was his quickest attack and he used that time and time again to harass and wear down the ice armor

But this didn’t even seem to matter to the Yeti After all all of the wounds were only small surface cuts and his ice armor reformed very quickly in this swirling snow storm They were at a strange impasse albeit one where Randidly was slowly being pushed back

And that slowly was becoming increasingly quick as the coldness seeped into his bones His fingers were tired and numb and the Yeti’s implacable gaze remained locked on him

Chapter 166

That was the real change Randidly slowly realized as their fight continued The Yeti’s strength had increased by a factor of 5 but that could be explained by having access to a greater portion of his actual stats and skill levels After all the attacks were faster but its speed hadn’t increased as much as Randidly’s had Randidly was able to maintain his defensive posture to his training but it was slowly being chipped away even as the Aether pulsed in his chest

Because Randidly realized the Yeti was like him or perhaps not like him but an individual who practiced both physical and mana based skills And mana based skills were its forte

He hadn’t realized it until it was too late but whenever the Yeti swung its hammer a wave of cold was rushed forward And sure getting hit with it once or twice didn’t mean much But by the 20th time

They clashed again the Yeti smashing sideways with his hammer Randidly leaned back grimacing and the edge of the hammer knocked against his chest with its passage doing minimal physical damage but greatly strengthening the thin layer of frost across his body

Randidly growled and felt the Aether heat up within him He narrowed his eyes and pounded on his chest shattering the small bits of frost and getting some blood pumping through his body Shifting his stance Randidly wondered how his feet managed to survive this being bare He supposed it had to do with his high vitality but he definitely had no feeling in them right now But still the executed the Spear Phantom’s Footwork perfectly somehow pushing through

Then it struck him that it was perhaps those warm life giving tendrils of energy that wound up through the ground and into his feet spreading the energy he had drawn from the Earth beneath him into his limbs

But the Yeti interrupted his train of thought again as it pointed with its hammer of ice and a beautiful crystal clear flower bulb formed both to his left and right Grimacing Randidly leapt forward right into the Yeti’s arms as those bulbs bloomed and a deadly wave of cold blasted outwards from them freezing the ground solid for several meters

It really did seem like the Yeti was toying with him because it didn’t rely on those tricks too often only now and again to drive Randidly closer to it for a close quarters fight where it could use those weapons and its hands covered in a golden Engraving The surety and focus it had on those methods of attack was unnerving

Randidly still hadn’t figured out the effect but the Yeti kept emphasizing it so he remained wary When Randidly was forced to leap towards him the Yeti thrust his attack forward simply smashing the head of the hammer towards Randidly’s shoulder

Gritting his teeth Randidly galvanized the Aether in his body as best he could to resist the creeping cold that surrounded him Randidly hopped to the right He dodged the first attack but then the Yeti ripped horizontally with the hammer looking to knock Randidly’s head right off his body This was also dodged relatively simply but then the Yeti once more dropped his hammers and rushed forward arms raised in something like a boxing stance

Just as he was about to back up he noticed that more ice bulbs formed behind him slowly spreading their frozen petals and blooming creating an instantaneous cold snap that Randidly had no interest in being a part of So instead Randidly rushed forward lashing out with a Roundhouse Kick

The Yeti took it to the chest and was hardly phased Instead it just stepped up and started to throw hooks and straights smashing blows against his shoulders and stomach Randidly used the spear as best he could to block the attacks but the Yeti was so large and the spear was so unwieldy up close that he realized it was useless instead Randidly put the spear away and began to dodge and weave through the blows

With its hands continuing to glow with that strange golden Engraving the Yeti struck again and again earning himself many glancing blows and an increasing number of serious ones that sent Randidly staggering seeing stars But as they continued to fight as the cold began to wear on him and Randidly was growing increasingly worried about his ability to hold on the Yeti began to frown

You how many lives have you taken in order to walk this far down this path

What was more surprising than the statement was the fact that Randidly’s own heart dropped and he smiled bitterly as he heard those words He had not forgotten the innocent lives he had taken He had not turned a blind eye to the fact he chose a path that made him willing to kill for strength Even in the Badlands he had broken and shattered the lives of other Spear Users in order to discover his own strength

In a way Randidly was able to justify it in the moment because he knew they would do the same to him to grow stronger and they bore him no ill will for being stronger than them But when the facts of what he had done were presented to him

Some of his sensitivities from pre system Earth had grown numb in this place but not all of them

But then the Yeti continued to speak and Randidly realized that there was some misunderstanding going on here

these strikes should seal the Aether devoured from others Why is it you haven’t gone through withdrawal

Both of the fighters paused looking deeply into each other’s eyes for an answer Randidly’s mind raced Aether devoured from others Was that possible

Well from the way the Yeti was talking and its confusion now it definitely was Which would explain more broadly why the Heretic Path existed Randidly was not the typical recipient of it he just found himself here because

Because he had his own Aether spring that wasn’t the system approved source of Aether But why

It seemed however that the Yeti was tired of Randidly’s lack of answer and was determined to beat the answer out of him if he had to Which was becoming increasingly likely as the chill worked its way deeper into Randidly’s body even as his mana was directed elsewhere As the Yeti began to stalk forward and bulbs of ice formed behind Randidly so close that at least one of them would blast him with its cold snap slowing his movements even further Randidly considered throwing away his Plan A

But then a voice alleviated his worries

Yet again foolish disciple I find you without a spear

Randidly suppressed his grin and said seriously I was just biding my time Waiting for you to finish

Shal snorted Randidly glanced at him Although Shal appeared to be covered in blood none of it seemed to be his there were no wounds on his body Behind him the woman Marco and Teliph stood Randidly didn’t need to ask what happened to the other man

From the look in Shal’s eyes Randidly also didn’t need to explain the mustached man’s absence this level of casualties was expected Hmph you have become dull from overtraining against weaklings Since you were simply biding your time you likely need no assistance to

Obviously Randidly said with relish finally activating the roots he had been so carefully controlling The whole tower shook and then chunks of it fell away as the roots Randidly had been working within the stone work wiggled back and forth destroying the material that held the impenetrable material together

The Yeti yelped as it fell down the ground beneath it collapsing Then it began to howl and roar Not all of the tower collapsed just large chunks of it but the overall structure and shape stayed the same After all Randidly was worried about whether the portal would be maintained if he destroyed the tower Plus the core of the tower was made entirely of that material and Randidly didn’t even know if he could destroy it But he had certainly brainstormed this method to rid the upper floor of any obstacles

Some parts of the floor seemed to be like a half built tower where chunks of the material fell away after Randidly used his roots to destroy the mortar that held it together The rest was relatively untouched although Randidly destroyed most of the lower floors causing the confused guards who were still on them fighting against the mini yetis to crash into a heap at the bottom

Randidly did his best not to think about how many of those men and women died during the fall although it was becoming increasingly difficult to avoid feeling weighed down by their lives

Unwilling to respond to Randidly’s small bragging as the Judgement was sent falling to the bottom of the tower Shal simply walked forward with a snort The others followed although Teliph gave Randidly a strange glance Sighing Randidly followed He felt suddenly very tired and it wasn’t just the cold although that still persisted annoyingly

They walked towards the center of the tower and swiftly found a few mini yetis and the portal But as they were approaching the flickering thing the roaring from below grew louder Shal gave Randidly a withering glance

Buy us some more time If it follows us directly out it might complicate things Shal whispered shortly as he led the rest of the group towards the portal Almost unwilling Randidly went back to the edge of an area where some of the masonry had fallen away to get a better view of the carnage below It wasn’t that he didn’t believe getting rid of the Judgement was a good idea but

But when looked down through the hole in the upper layer seeing how he had basically destroyed most of the floors he could only think of the guards that he had killed Randidly’s face tightened Fucking he knew He knew this was necessary He wanted the power that he could only get by walking this path So why was it so difficult to accept

The Yeti howled upward finally done playing finally displaying the full majesty of a Judgement Bulbs of ice formed and bloomed all around it Huge draconic wings of ice stretched from its back It bared its teeth at him as it raced upwards

Fury filled Randidly’s chest an urge to kill but there was another part of himself a part that had been asleep quite a bit for the past two years but it was beginning to grow increasingly active that just sighed he was only angry because he was upset

Shut the fuck up Randidly whispered his eyes narrowed He raised his hand and shot several Incinerating Bolts downward His training in that regard had paid dividends because they managed to make it through the wave of cold surrounding the Yeti and punch holes in its dragon wings Its flight path faltered but then the creature bellowed and the temperature seemed to immediately drop as if in response to its call

Randidly threw down 7 more incinerating bolts ripping hole after hole through its wings but with the boost of the cold the ice reformed and although Randidly’s attack had stopped it briefly it now began to beat its wings and ascend upwards It was only 2 floors away and it reached out its hand 5 ice bulbs shooting upwards

I said Shut The Fuck Up Randidly’s voice was cold and his eyes burned emerald He felt the power of Inspire fill him and he used it to unleash a huge Incinerating Bolt that ripped downwards towards the Yeti

Chapter 167

Whereas there had previously been a powerful force pushing the temperature downwards now this huge bolt a car size block really of burning incandescent metal ripped downwards railing against the cold and holding it back Such was the proximity to the Yeti that its eyes could only widen and a few dozen bulbs rushed forward to block

But the bolt punched through and even as it was cooling it still remained a very large very dense chunk of metal

It was so large that it pretty much was the same size across as the Yeti’s body and smashed it into the wall of the tower which trembled Then both the bolt and the Yeti began to fall

Unfortunately from the way the Yeti was blinking it was not dead but Randidly couldn’t really care As he felt his mana wither and still inside of him cut off by the after effects of using Inspire he only felt profoundly tired It was time to go home He turned back towards Shal who was standing next to the portal and felt a pang in his chest

To Randidly home was Donnyton But it was not yet time to return there There was more to do here on this world for Shal

Teliph shook his head What was that strange thing

A diversion Shal said coolly He waited until Randidly walked over and then beckoned to them all Grab each other’s hands It is the only way for us all to cross at once Do not be shy Come it is time to break out of here

As the alarm began to sound Helen looked sharply up Holy fucking shit They actually are doing it

Do not speak so quickly Perhaps it is just another training exercise Divveltian said wryly but he was standing too from the first time since they had come here a few days ago his expression a mixture of wonder and worry

The male spear attendant walked out of their small bedding area yawning scratching his ass Helen restrained the part of her that wanted to rip him to pieces and settled on a scathing glare That seemed to get the message across because the fool jumped up and then ran back into his sleeping quarters quickly putting on his armor

An explosion sounded from the prison portal area and there were shouts in addition to the ringing alarm Divveltian’s face fell

They seem a bit more spirited than I would have expected We must go He ran and leapt off the roof on which they were staying Helen waved her hand and gathered all of their things into her interspatial ring revealing a partially dressed male spear attendant and then leapt after him A split second later the other spear attendant followed mostly out of necessity Helen suspected

The coward didn’t want to be left behind

They raced along the ground towards the high walls Luckily most of the guards were distracted by what was happening within the fortification and didn’t notice their approach and ascent They quickly knocked the nearby guards out careful to inflict no lasting harm It wouldn’t do to earn the ire of the First Spear of Tomkat

Well at least anymore than they already would by doing this Helen thought with a gleeful little smile on her face Then they waited as the commotion slowly made its way towards their position by the gate Only a minute later Shal ripped around the corner followed by the Ghosthound and 2 men and a woman They all had grim faces and the Ghosthound’s spear was covered in blood

As soon as they appeared Divveltian gestured wildly and Helen and the male spear attendant began to heave on the wheels of the gate slowly opening it After a few moments of exertion they stopped because all they needed were those few inches The escapees ran forward their speed filling Helen with a sense of awe She couldn’t help but notice how the Ghosthound had somehow seemed to become more dense That was the only word that she could think of to describe it He seemed not more compact but more self contained and controlled

But there was a strange volatile energy to his movements she didn’t remember And to be honest it made her eyes linger and something primal in the back of her mind have a very certain kind of hunger

Still now wasn’t the time and she tore her eyes away from the lines of his lean muscle to scan the sky Which was convenient for she saw a middle aged man appear looking down at them all as if he were regarding ants

Impudent The word echoed out and it seemed as if the sky had suddenly filled with thousands of glistening spears pointing down towards them hanging over them like a death sentence But as soon as that image appeared there was a snort and that image was battered by the image of the apparition of death standing over them all cloaked and stooped Then that figure turned and gazed at the middle aged man its bony face locked into a crazed grin

Shal sailed upwards shooting to meet the middle aged man while the rest continued to rush towards the gate

The middle aged man chuckled Heh your image is as formidable as promised Shal of the Spear Phantom Style But as you are not yet an Adept

A strand of music filled the air strangely beautiful and melancholy like a lost child Beside her Divveltian flexed his fingers The middle aged man was smashed to the side with a grunt knocking him out of the sky and towards the ground

Although the blow was unexpected he managed to regain his footing so he landed softly on the ground rather than crashing into it He gazed at Divveltian with a complicated expression You That is not a style that belongs to the Spearman School Sir Adept who grkk

Once more the middle aged man was interrupted as a spear pierced through his body He looked on aghast at the apparition of death that stood mockingly before him grinning Shal floated downward his arms crossed

The middle aged man’s face tightened If you were an Adept this whole time why would you allow yourself to be imprisoned

I had my reasons Shal said coolly Behind him the Ghosthound and the other escapees passed through the gate and continued running Divveltian gave Helen a meaningful glance and she grabbed the male spear attendant and leaped after them

Shal regarded the man in front of him carefully He was still the First Spear of Tomkat a very experienced Adept If he truly wanted to turn this into a fight

But from the tightly controlled fury in the man’s eyes he was still willing to back down from all of this Inwardly Shal felt some of his own fury begin to disperse

We will leave now Do not follow us Shal said calmly and the fury in that man’s eyes sparked

But who will pay the debt that is owed for the lives of my men The First Spear said spitting out the words Two adepts are powerful in tandem but if you think I cannot

In 6 months if I yet live I will return Shal said calmly At that time you may hold my life in your hands a week for every guard that has died

The First Spear seemed to wilt closing his eyes True this was a proud man but this was also a man that had a deep abiding loyalty for those beneath him Tomkat was a proud town a polished strong town Shal and his student had done much to unravel that strength It would be difficult to recover from

Still the temptation of having another Adept beneath him was too much The First Spear nodded Which was for the best For as Shal turned and began to lope away the dizziness started his vision swimming He gritted his teeth and made it through the gate He had heard the rumors sure but it was quite another thing entirely to feel the effects of Aether Starvation It made Shal wonder whether he would be recovered in time to exact revenge if he ever had the chance to do so

Divveltian fell in beside him giving him a knowing glance Shal grinned as best he could You finally have seen the path Congratulations on becoming an Adept If I had known I wouldn’t have barged onto your boat

I wasn’t Divveltian said calmly Not until that student of yours produced that strange energy It helped me see my image more clearly than anything I have ever encountered

Shal fell into brooding silence for the rest of their run even as they passed the others and gathered into a larger group They continued running for several hours until they were at a small clearing halfway between Tomkat and Qtal They likely would not be disturbed here

So shoulders heaving Shal walked up to Randidly Why did you kill the guard

His disciple’s face tightened and he just shrugged helplessly Shal chopped down with his hand faster than his disciple could react to shattering the fool’s collarbone To his credit Randidly didn’t make a sound and barely trembled from the blow simply enduring it passively Which somehow made the punishment unsatisfying

The rest of the group stood around looking at the ground The new spear attendant and the female one seemed to be having a gaze standoff as they attempted to determine their relative status underneath Randidly As Shal struggled to control his anger he tried to clarify his issue

As we exited the prison There was a guard You killed him Shal kept his voice low and even

In his disciple’s eyes he saw the whole story the flash of bitterness then the anger then the smooth resignation When his disciple answered his voice was low and casual in a way that made Shal sick Yes If he didn’t raise the alarm It would be easier to escape It was necessary

It was necessary Shal said slowly savoring every syllable In that moment he didn’t see his disciple He saw an image far in the past years after Shal and his brother had giggled and whispered about the Spear with the Poisonous Fangs Style his brother his spear wet with blood standing defiantly over that young girl’s body Lucrecia standing next to him

It was necessary

You don’t understand the value of a life Shal said coldly advancing towards his disciple fury pumping through his veins like blood

Chapter 168

Randidly burned with shame He didn’t understand the value of a life Wasn’t this all because Shal had made him swear to stick with him through this process Wasn’t all of this the repayment of his debt

So when Shal came violence in his eyes Randidly responded in kind wordlessly rushing forward and activating Empower and Haste His shoulder was already mostly healed the pain nothing particular to speak of If Shal wanted to fight

But the Shal Randidly was facing now was very different from the Shal that usually sparred with them Although Shal was usually impossible to pin down the current Shal seemed to phase out of existence before Randidly’s very eyes This

This was Spear Phantom’s Footwork At a level that neared 200

Randidly felt his arm snap in half and the sharp flash of pain that followed and grunted But he did not stop because that was not how he had been taught He lashed out with his leg hoping to catch Shal in the back of the knee but Shal was already gone His other arm now fell limp this time with the shoulder joint absolutely smashed to pieces Shal began to speak his disdain clear

Perhaps I have driven you too hard I forget how soft you started Two years of violence Shal seemed to pause there as he once more disappeared and smashed Randidly’s knees and ankles Two years of violence have taught you that killing is necessary but not why You are blind You fear the killing as you should yet you resent your fear and you kill more to show yourself that you do not fear You wound yourself pointlessly pridefully Well let me show you What you truly need to fear

Shal continued to systematically destroy Randidly’s body and Randidly grunted tears forming in his eyes This was all because of you Randidly wanted to say but his jaw was broken and his tongue was ripped That old slowly waking part of him shook his head sadly

No it’s not ’ Randidly said to himself You chose this Accept it or go mad ’

Randidly collapsed unconscious

Helen stood calmly over the body of the man she had watched tortured and eviscerated before her very eyes Again she thought it remarkable both how peaceful he seemed while asleep and the crazed violence that had been in his and his master’s eyes earlier that day There was some deeper lesson going on between them but honestly Helen didn’t really give a fuck

After all it wasn’t like she was some fucking angel Some lessons were hard to learn Some lessons had to be taught the hard way It was a violent world she had grown up in but it was all she knew Strength was power

And power was everything

The Ghosthound stirred his eyelids flickering His black hair had grown long in his time in the prison hanging to his shoulders and he now had a bristly beard like a jobless merchant Helen’s lip curled up in distaste That would need to go if she was do to what she thought was necessary Both for herself and for him

So when he awoke Helen held up a razor and a bowl of cream and cocked her head at him in askance For several seconds she was held there by his emerald eyes where a whirlwind of emotion seemed to seeth Then it slowly settled Then his eyes roamed over her lingering quite long on her neck and chest She held still now actively trying to suppress the shiver

It was strange how much similar gazes from men had disgusted her in the past And now she felt a hot sliver of enjoyment from the attention Her mother had always said she would understand the use of her looks someday and well

Perhaps today was that day

FInally the Ghosthound nodded and Helen moved closed trying her best to not wrinkle her nose at the absofuckinglutely disgusting smell Holy christ had he bathed at all in his time in prison

Helen supposed that was a dumb question She honestly didn’t even know the last time she had bathed They had been waiting for these fuckers to break out of the prison after all But there was a clear disparity between them in terms of smell and it was a problem

One disgusting step at a time

A downside of increased Endurance was how resilient the hair became The Ghosthound was no exception She carved more than she cut slowly cleaning his neck and face After 10 minutes she had mostly completely the process and she leaned back satisfied with her work But again she was caught by his gaze

With his dark hair pale skin and almost glowing eyes the Ghosthound regarded her The look in his eyes turning decidedly hungry Her heartbeat sped up but she let nothing show on her face She slowly cleaned the blades she had used taking her sweet time Stroke by stroke she wiped the last razor clean

The whole tent seemed to be pulsing now filled with a strange need Helen couldn’t believe how much it was carrying her away She tried to think of how covered in blood and sweat the man was but all she really ended up doing is looking up and once more finding herself pinned down by that gaze It was a light green now like mint and chemical fire

Helen took a calming breath and then said Take off your clothes

She delighted in the way his eyes once more filled with wild emotion need panic fear hunger confusion but then it all passed and there was a slow and sure confidence that filled his gaze He smiled almost lazily What

Waving her hand Helen produced the washtub she carried around with her everywhere It was just big enough for a grown man to submerge himself in and then she began pouring hot water into it to fill it up

Helen’s parents hadn’t been rich but they hadn’t been poor Style less folk either She had some ways to procure steaming hot water at the drop of a hat You Helen said simply Are taking a bath

Randidly wasn’t sure what he was feeling But he knew that the bath felt very very good right now Shal’s words earlier in a way they were echoing so loudly around in his head that he couldn’t even hear them Randidly’s consciousness slipped under them focusing on other things

Like how soft and warm his spear attendant’s body looked in the dimb light of the tent How good the hot water felt as he scrubbed himself clean He couldn’t remember the last time he had taken a bath Even though it was becoming increasingly popular in Donnyton towards the end he was too busy training with Mrs Hamilton

Then he smiled and shook his head From their perspective very little time had passed It had probably only been almost a month since he had left Donnyton their time It felt so surreal The way that time could change perspective It was incredible

Releasing a long breath Randidly allowed himself to float underwater Then he emerged stepping out of the comfortable water of the tub to the chill of the air His spear attendant stepped forward offering him a towel

Her service was strange and the fact that he was just naked in front of her was strange for a variety of reasons The most important of which was it had been two years since he had seen her He didn’t remember her name at all And yet she so easily came forward to help him

Randidly didn’t think he remembered her being this helpful but he supposed he didn’t really have an experience like this before either

At least if she was going to look at him naked it was now It was a small vain thought but the system had done wonders to improve his muscle mass and definition He didn’t look crazy strong like he actually was due to the increased stats but every inch of him was covered in tight muscle

The spear attendant stepped forward a strange look on her face

What Randidly asked wondering what she wanted to do for him now

She frowned at him It’s my turn Move

Randidly laughed out loud and moved off to the side Shaking his head he sat down and pulled out a leather bracer He was thinking too much obviously but it was an amusing distraction But now better to concentrate on something

A strange soft noise caught his attention Almost by instinct Randidly turned around The spear attendant had taken off her robe and let it slide down Every curve of hers hung there for his eyes She very deliberately met his eyes and then smiled at him Then she turned away and walked slowly to the tub and hopped into it her hair floating in the air behind her

Randidly’s physical reaction was immediate He spent several minutes just looking down at his bracer trying to calm his breathing He obviously wasn’t a virgin but this

In his mind because he didn’t know her name and had somewhat of an employer/employee situation

But after a few minutes she splashed out and stood walking over towards Randidly Drops of water clung to her as she approached Almost unwillingly Randidly stood both literally and figuratively and watched her approach She offered him a small smile

The towel

Randidly wordlessly unwrapped the towel and handed it to her She looked down at his hands and towels and then slowly took the towel her hand lingering on his for several seconds

But while that was happening Randidly noticed a slight tremble in her hand Some of the need and lust fell away and he looked at her This beautiful woman with a spear user who she believed to be superior to herself doing all these rather forward moves and he had just stood there

As she gazed up at him he could finally see the hesitation and fear in her gaze Like everyone else she was afraid of rejection and wasn’t really sure how to proceed

There was a part of Randidly that wondered why this was happening or what it meant but there was another bigger part that just wanted it And ultimately

It had been a very long time since he had sex

So Randidly stepped forward and put his hands on her waist gripping just tightly enough to feel his strength She gasped and dropped the towel Then hope rekindled in her eyes she looked up at him

After receiving that look Randidly promptly picked her up and carried the woman whose name he still couldn’t remember to bed

Chapter 169

The next morning as Randidly yawned and sat up he admitted to himself that he had been very emotionally irresponsible lately He couldn’t simply tough everything out Better to deal with things in a smart fashion rather than brute forcing his way through everything both physical and mental problems

This training in the prison had been to give him the tools to be able to handle most problems but deconstructing them before he had to was far smarter and more efficient He had spent far too much time wasting his effort in the past In that moment Randidly resolved to be more intelligent about his fights

He looked around but the female spear attendant was already gone Any evidence of their previous night’s engagements was already cleaned He wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one but it meant that it was a problem that he could deal with later Instead Randidly turned his attention to his status screen

He had only 49 PP to distribute right now because he had used many immediately before they attempted their breakout but what he paid attention to was not that number but the level of his Soul Skill Cycle of Ash and Rot More specifically he looked at how it had changed during his time in the Prison Randidly’s mouth twisted in a grin It had been two years but

Helen Randidly said aloud shocking himself He felt a flash of delight at remembering a name then a smooth sense of relaxation followed by a wolfish hunger Then Randidly shook his head annoyed He didn’t even know what last night meant It would be foolish to try and hope for the next time Although they would probably spend a lot of time together as she was his spear attendant

Again Randidly was forced to shake his head and force those thoughts down and away It did him no good to fantasize about that now Hopefully he would be able to find her later and somehow work it out Anyways

Randidly refocused on his PP using 10 to finish off Fighting Proficiency II

Congratulations You have completed the Fighting Proficiency II Path The path ahead of you is long and filled with violence but you stride forward with confidence As you proceed the sky begins to darken and a comet splits above you A huge chunk of glowing metal crashes to your left while several small orbs of power fall to your right Branching Path Will you choose the large chunk of metal or the smaller orbs of power

Scratching his chin Randidly wondered if there was something like a superior answer here It probably depended on what the reward was But if it was a question of whether he needed a single powerful skill or several smaller useful ones Randidly’s strength without a class came from those skills growing More skills as long as they were useful was probably better

Anyway he already had several finishing’ moves in terms of power Now it was just a question of training those moves to the point that he could use them commonly in a fight Randidly hadn’t forgotten that he had his own Runic Rarity Skill Set although he had left it rather untrained during his time with Shal After all it was best to focus on the things under Shal that would improve the most And that was the Spear Phantom skills

So Randidly opted to go after the smaller orbs of energy

You have selected to pursue the orbs of power On the ground are three orbs two gold and one clear As you touch the clear orb you feel a strange sensation of power and control fill you Skill Upgrade found This powerful shard of energy can be used to upgrade one skill You will be forced to imbue the shard of energy with an image in order to determine the efficacy of the upgrade Warning use on skills associated with a powerful image may result in an inferior product Which skill will you upgrade

Randidly grinned Not only was this a useful reward but it also proved that there were other types of rewards out there not just things like health and stats He wondered what sort of things could be upgraded

Anyways for his first Upgrade Active Skills would likely be a better target just because he relied on them more directly during a fight Besides the effect on a Passive Skill might not be all that noticeable until much later and Randidly was very aware that even after all these improvements he had a tournament coming up that would likely push him to the limit

Although both Haste and Empower were moves that were Active they ended up being more passive in nature and therefore discounted The Inevitable Phantom Arrives and the Spear Advances Ash Trails were probably already wrapped too tightly in an image for them to work Spear Phantom’s Footwork and Eyes of the Spear Phantom just weren’t anything that Randidly could get excited about Sure they would likely improve his performance further but

And he was slightly worried about improving any Spear Phantom skill in general so

Then Randidly smiled Ghastly Slash would likely work He already used it a lot as his fast attack in fights to throw off the opponent’s tempo If he could strengthen that the knowledge he had gained from Marco’s tutelage would become all the more useful The skill had been strengthened previously by his images to be changed to Ghastly from something but it didn’t seem like that connection was currently very strong

So Randidly closed his eyes and focused his attention inward in the veritable forest of Aether Engravings in his chest that caused him to have the ability to access skills After a bit of searching he located the one for Ghastly Slash floating the lines of it burning white hot but fading to blue at the edges

There wasn’t really any way for Randidly to actually tell which was which but when he looked at them he just knew Then he looked down at the strange clear energy in his hand and it seemed like an empty snow globe waiting for a scene to fill it Breathing slowly Randidly focused on what he wanted

It was rather simple and direct one but for a quick attack that was best It was the image of a clock its hands still Then powerfully the hands moved

Tock

The image was short and sweet but the powerful echoes filled that clear energy shard With his Battle Intent Randidly made those echoes resonate thrumming with power Then very gently he pressed the shard of energy into the sky and felt something inside of him click

Congratulations Your skill has been upgraded from Ghastly Slash Lvl 59 to Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 59 You have absorbed the two golden spheres of energy Stamina +100 Stamina Regen +15 per minute

The golden energy spheres didn’t disappoint either Although his Stamina pool was becoming rather difficult to keep track of regeneration was always useful for prolonged fights Randidly then produced a training spear and used his new move

Randidly blinked Then he tried it again

When he swung as soon as he activated the skill his spear would resonate with those echoes and a powerful ticking noise would be created His spear would basically complete ? of the swing instantly which was impossible but it happened Randidly grinned slightly Which meant that he only needed to swing the spear ?’s of the usual distance for a slash As Randidly experimented it seemed that the power was decreased in a proportionate fashion but this wasn’t his power move This was a move that he would rely on to set up his finishers

But after several Cuts Randidly found himself exhausted his chest heaving Curious he waited until he recovered some stamina which was very quickly now and used the move Then he grimaced 75 stamina was a rather hefty price tag to pay Well Randidly supposed that was why the reward also included pretty big gains to his Stamina pool and regeneration Although he gained over 3 stamina per second and a pool of over 1400 Randidly still wouldn’t be able to regenerate through using this move very much

Randidly’s available paths hadn’t really changed although he wondered about that Most of the Spear Phantom moves must really be at a high level before he could get a path in them He supposed this made sense as they were likely part of a skillset that was definitely not common in rarity

Between Engraving and the Weeping Rain Path neither would have much of a concrete effect on his current performance Well Randidly did want to make himself some personal armor with Engravings on them but that was for later And besides the Weeping Rain had a lot to do with his success in Engraving anyway Really hard to tease apart which would be more useful

But ultimately he chose to put points into the Weeping Rain Path for a very simple reason It was an uncommon rarity skill

So Randidly was very pleased to discover that after he put 5 points in he received a point in Willpower After another 5 he received a point in Resistance This continued until he put the 25th point in

Then he froze his whole body trembling A small burn started in his chest which rapidly expanded into an inferno

Chapter 170

Warning Your Soul Skill has become unstable If you continue to feed it the effects will worsen Calculating effects

Error unrecognized Soul Skill Adjusting Parameters

Expanding Search

Isolating comparable Soul Skills

Match found Adjusting Parameters Calculating Effects

Warning death may result from the usage of an unapproved Soul Skill Consult with a Village spirit for further assistance

While the notifications appeared before Randidly the pain in his chest continued to worsen Gritting his teeth he closed his eyes and rode through the pain refusing to fight against it but also refusing to lose consciousness He just let the experience flow through him

He did this because he could see what was occurring within him and was worried that cracking down too forcefully would worsen the situation In his image of what was occurring with his Soul Skill the constant rotation of grass rot and heat burning it all to ash had produced a thick layer of those small emerald crystals which now filled the soil At the moment those crystals were glowing emitting a strange green light seeming furiously hungering for something

That power they emitted excited the forces of rot and ash causing them to rotate faster almost attempting to give those green crystals what they wanted As they rotated faster a powerful suction force was created drawing nearby items in Randidly’s consciousness towards the Soul Skill Fortunately his actual skills seemed to be immune to the strange happening Randidly looked wildly around inside himself but both the small golden pellet he had gotten from the lonesome spear style and that strange murderous death energy were completely still locked in place by familiar tiny gold chains

Randidly expression turned grim Someone was forcing him a certain direction He wasn’t quite sure exactly was but he abruptly regretted choosing the Rain Path Because if they were trying to get him to do something very specific

Because if they were trying to strong arm him down a path that he didn’t feel was of his own choosing

Well Randidly wouldn’t be able to help himself After all he did not negotiate with terrorists His stubbornness wouldn’t let him

But for now he could only stand still and bite his lip to keep himself from screaming This was an entirely different sort of pain than Shal’s tortures one that stemmed from the fact that the two forces that made his Soul Skill were rotating so fast that it was threatening to tear him apart from the inside out They pulled and pulled an pulled and the suction grew and grew

But nothing was shaken free Randidly’s consciousness was relatively clean So after a time the suction passed the energy and light faded from those emerald shards The forces of rot and ash slowed in their rotation until they returned to something like their normal speed Sighing Randidly relaxed slightly

Whoever had caused this well he kept his face carefully casual in the aftermath in case that individual could spy on him After all he had felt those hands within his body If those hands were related to the golden chains that had forced him to the reward for the Carnage path and had caused the reward to turn into a strange energy that currently hovered within him

It would lead him somewhere And with gleaming eyes Randidly hoped that at the end of the road that individual was ready to play hardball because he wouldn’t hold back He would break their plans and burn their carefully prepared path to the ground

But he needed to let that burning resentment go and carefully added the remaining 14 PP to the path There was some activity as the emerald shards seemed to pulse slightly but it didn’t set off a chain reaction which relieved Randidly At least for now he wouldn’t have to experience that mental anguish again

After adding all of the PP he relished in the fact that Randidly had gained 1128 Skill Levels in his time in the Prison It had been two years so any less than that might be embarrassing but it meant that he experienced a huge amount of progress both in terms of skill levels and stats Most of that was in his combat oriented Skills but he also had a large amount of improvement in the passives as well

Randidly looked over his status screen pleased

Health(/R per hour) 556/1307 (+8) (470 (+12

Mana(/R per hour) 12/1439 (130 75)

Stam(/R per min) 601/1450 (201 (+4

Vit 137 (+4)

End 66

Str 105 (+12)

Agi 126 (+12)

Perception 100

Reaction 90

Resistance 74

Willpower 115

Intelligence 100

Control 185

Focus 140

Skills (Soul Skill) Cycle of Rot and Ash Lvl 1514

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 108 The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 68 (Un) Spear Phantom’s Footwork Lvl 92 Eyes of the Spear Phantom Lvl 74 Phantom Half Step Lvl 43 Heavy Blow Lvl 59 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 56 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 81 Block Lvl 45 Haste Lvl 69 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 37 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Empower Lvl 77 Calculated Blow Lvl 64 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 36 Edge of Decay Lvl 39 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 59 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 33 Battle Intent Lvl 61 Struggle Lvl 39 Body Control Freeze Lvl 6 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 4

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 32 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 26 Root Control Lvl 87 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 53 Mana Strengthening Lvl 48 Wall of Thorns Lvl 16 Soul Seed Lvl ® Agony Lvl 37 Inspiration ® Incinerating Bolt Lvl 64 Circle of Flame Lvl 39 Plantomancy Lvl 29 The Weeping Cloud ® Lvl 56

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 37 Farming Lvl 20 Plant Breeding Lvl 9 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 24 Refine Lvl 17 Extract Lvl 6 Mana Engraving Lvl 60

Auxiliary Physical Fitness Lvl 64 Meditation Lvl 62 Running Lvl 39 Sprinting Lvl 19 Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 29 First Aid Lvl 16 Equip Lvl 25 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Mental Strength Lvl 17 Curse Resistance Lvl 15 Fire Resistance Lvl 14 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 30 Grace Lvl 39 Bacterial Regeneration Lvl 64 Superiority Lvl 18 Mental Fortitude Lvl 38 Second Wind Lvl 29 Weather Affinity Lvl 32 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 8 Rejection Lvl 11

It was hard to remember what it was like when he started out Now he really felt like the system was an important part of himself It had helped him find his strength and his relationship with the world Slowly he felt himself growing as a person Again the image of those guard’s bodies falling below crushed in the tower as they escaped appeared but Randidly frowned and forced it away Not yet

He stood slowly and then stretched Now was time to find Shal His teacher had challenged him the previous night personally in a way that was aimed to unravel Randidly to get at any flaws in his character Luckily it hadn’t worked But Randidly wasn’t perfect He wasn’t sure what to do with his talent for violence So he could only do one thing seek help from his elders

The First Spear of Tomkat’s face was grim as he heard the news

Most of the guards inside the prison were dead It was confirmed that the warden had been slain prior to the escape too likely by Shal In addition a strange creature calling itself a Judgement had set up camp in the prison and was waging a slow cold war on the surviving prisoners who had banded together with the guards to survive The creature was getting pushed back but was a powerful mage which was making things difficult In addition there was a constant flood of tiny minions from its position which was complicating things greatly

They were making headway now but weariness was growing among the men in the prison Although it was probably too late for the First Spear to intervene with the time difference

It was not an ideal scenario The First Spear tried to remember that no matter the losses if he had another Adept in his employ he could recoup them But this was progressing past a loss of face this was a significant blow to his city in a way that didn’t make him angry just worried

But as he dismissed the guards what was driving the First Spear insane was the why of the situation Why had Shal gotten himself thrown in prison on a small matter in the first place He had read the report his disciple had killed a guard a foolish move that was designed to annoy his officials but because of the disciple’s age and strength they found it prudent to throw them both into the prison for the 100 year term Let them strengthen there then come out and be miserable from Aether Starvation for several months at which point the First Spear of Tomkat could recruit them

Why had Shal remained a captive The prison was not designed to hold Adepts Adepts could attack with their images without moving If one was an Adept escape was child’s play all the restraints simply blocked movement If you were powerful without it the cage held no meaning

Why now Why were they moving now

At least for this question the First Spear was able to obtain some answers The Spear Phantom Style had to accomplish certain goals in the next few months in order to maintain access to the light blue color spectrum that Shal used But of course the youngest generation of the Style had to be the one to accomplish it After a bit of research it seemed that youth a fellow called the Ghosthound and made it through a qualifier and would be going to the Northern Regional Tournament A top 8 finish there would be sufficient result for the honor of the Spear Phantom Style

So perhaps the prison was chosen as a training ground in order to give the youth real battle experience against other spearman Which seemed like a reasonable method if one that was extremely reckless in that it offended the First Spear of Tomkat a slight he would not soon forget

But Shal’s face as he tendered his promise this was not a reckless man If anything he seemed desperate

Sighing the First Spear beckoned over a servant There was one thing he wanted to investigate Although he didn’t know where the term was from those who fought against the strange Judgement creature testified that it kept referring to a Heretic which stirred a half forgotten memory in the First Spear So he would consult with his contacts in Deardun and figure this out

Why had all of this happened to him

The First Spear of Tomakat’s face was grim as he stared down at the blade of his spear His grip tightened on the shaft

Chapter 171

Helen stood over the small stream looking at her body’s reflection in the clear water Always her mother had pushed her into taking care of herself encouraging her to exercise in order to sculpt herself in certain ways push her chest up her hips out Use oils and stretches to make her skin soft her body supple

There were certain tangible benefits to her spear usage due to her mother’s influence specifically her 3 movements that someone who hadn’t take such care of their body couldn’t hope to mirror But as Helen slowly realized what was happening that she was fattening like a pig in the more feminine areas she grew to resent her life her mother and what she saw as the path her family wanted for her Still she couldn’t work up the nerve to directly contradict them so she slowly subverted their efforts

She would not be a plump wife that was kept at home

So she had gone above and beyond her mother’s training regimen until her body was almost impossibly elastic and strong Helen never had the pure strength to rival some of the other spear users especially those from the family she served but there was a grace and control that she had over her body that allowed her to hold her own She even attracted the attention of a traveling Adept who gave her some pointers on the training movements she used From that she was able to create an Uncommon Rarity Skillset that was all her own

Helen wasn’t sure whether the interest was actually due to her skill with a spear or the lewd way that old man had watched her practice but she couldn’t bring herself to care In this case the skill set was worth some of the shit she had to sift through to get there

Although it annoyed her parents her success was such that she would not be just the wife of a leatherworker But then her mother had begun to set her sights higher On the family of spear users that they served There were even several lesser disciples that had been interested To buy herself time Helen had asked for the chance to enter the local qualifier to test her skill Her parents had assented reluctantly worried but tempted by the possibilities for marriage that a high finish would bring their family

So Helen had traveled to Qtal quite far from her home and the rest was history

Now she stood there looking at her reflection in the water her hands tracing the faint bruises on her shoulders and hips from the Ghousthound last night The fucking fool didn’t know his own strength But she had invested enough in Endurance that it hadn’t actually hurt really It was cute in a way how wild he had been How out of control and vicious

Her reflection had a smile on its face She didn’t hate that about him

Why do you smile desert flower

Helen cleanly turned around punched Teliph in the gut watched as his expression twisted into shock and he doubled over and then sauntered away

Randidly found Shal sitting around a small fire meditating His master did not look up when he arrived so Randidly sat down and began to meditate as well Ever since he woke up he felt wonderfully refreshed and he wanted to hold onto this feeling for a while So he didn’t supplement the meditation with Root Control but just sat there allowing the energy within him to slowly gather At the same time as he meditated Randidly revelled in the warm energies flowing up into him from the ground beneath him In that moment he truly felt in tune with the natural world

The silence between them lasted a while until Shal slowly opened his eyes You have overcome your fear No at the very least turned to face it Heh You are a much quicker learner than I was

Almost sighing Randidly nodded It would be hard for him to come to terms with the killing But it was both something that was sometimes necessary and something that he would prefer not to do especially if it was just for power Even though without that power he and the people he cared about might also die But the logic could not find an answer There wasn’t an answer He would need to face every situation as they came and find his answer

And of that Randidly was not a afraid

But before you fight with the name of the Spear Phantom Style you must answer What is the value of a life Shal’s tone remained low and harsh and his eyes seemed to bore into Randidly

Randidly took a breath and then thought for several seconds about it Then he said A life is worthy of respect My own life is invaluable to me as every life is to the person it belongs to To take it away is a grave disservice and a heavy burden and

Haha Enough Shal said shaking his head You are foolish but at least you understand it is much more than you can handle to bear the weight of another’s life No need to bore me to sleep with platitudes We leave in an hour Prepare

And just like that it was over with Shal turning away and going to speak with the woman Artisan who came out of the prison and Marco After some discussion it seemed the woman was ready to go her own way and bowed to both Shal and Randidly before leaving

As they gathered supplies Randidly found himself face to face with Helen Their eyes met Randidly flushed then opened his mouth to say something but Helen stone faced walked past him whispering Don’t you say a fucking word

After Randidly had recovered from his jaw dropping he shook his head and smiled He supposed that was for a best It wasn’t until after that he had realized how much he had needed that as an outlet to relax and release aggression In a way it wasn’t personal he supposed so it would be silly to expect it to be anything else

Besides he didn’t feel feelings he thought just a powerful animal attraction to her body So it would be pointless to push the issue Better to just let it pass

After they packed they loped forward running to Qtal They were going to stay in Qtal for a short period before proceeding to the Northern Region capital Deardun in a few days Which would give Randidly time to give Claptrap some of the Engravings he had been working on during his time in the Prison and probably experiment with a few related things

They made good time and arrived at Qtal in a few hours Guided by a strange instinct Divvit led the way moving towards his boat as if by sixth sense They swiftly came upon it only to find that it had somehow been taken over by a merchant who had gaudy decorations and torches everywhere making it look like a walking funhouse

As if not the least bothered by the fact that someone else was in his home Divvet walked onto the boat and stomped his feet twice

The one who dares lay claim to this boat come raise your Tassle so I might sink it into the depths of the sea Divvet’s words echoed and several figures appeared on nearby boats whispering to each other But no one came from this boat’s interior Divvet’s face darkened

So they almost wordlessly began to toss all the shit that someone had taken great care to set up on the boat right into the sea There were even some valuable seeming equipment and materials But under Divvet’s furious eye no one dared to take any of it for themselves There seemed to be some dishonor associated with what was happening here so Randidly simply followed the lead of others and threw everything into the sea

Such was the value of the items that some people from nearby boats dived into the water and began to grab some of them but Divvet sneered down at them and began dumping more stuff down onto those people

If they fucking want this trash let’s help them drown in it Divvet said and the spear attendants jumped to it with alacrity Mostly Helen began to throw heavy items down at the swimmers very effectively At one point she seemed to knock a flailing woman unconscious who then had to be rescued by another swimmer

Rather pleased with the situation Divvet gave Helen a pat on the back

Shal beckoned Randidly over as the game continued with enthusiasm This is one of the rare times I shall say this but rest Once the fights start in Deardun they will not stop for a week You must prepare provisions and materials to last you at least that long Be thorough The competition is difficult to survive

With that rather confusing tidbit Randidly walked down into his old cabin which was filled with barrels After moving them all up to the deck he settled into the small wooden room and began to breath Then he grimaced

It was strange being here His Golden Roots of Yggdrasil couldn’t reach up through the water so he felt oddly tired all of the time Still it seemed that Deardun was on the continent so at least there wouldn’t be that problem during the tournament

Randidly carefully removed his last remaining bracer that was Engraved with a Shadow Rune with over 60% efficacy He looked at it for a long time frowning It was true that he knew that there would be problems with the Engraving Guilds but that the small time nature of the things that he was doing would probably mean their response would be too slow to catch him before he went back to his own Cohort

But the Shadow Rune was possibly different Some of the effects from it

And this was even the most basic version of the Shadow Rune So Randidly made the decision not to share his ability to produce the Shadow Rune with Claptrap It was likely for the best Besides considering the new varieties of Runes that Randidly had obtained he didn’t think that Claptrap would have any complaints

Randidly began to consider 4 specific ones The Gazelle which added Agility and Perception The Ox which gave Vitality and Endurance The Dolphin which produced Intelligence and Control And The Preying Mantis which would assist in Willpower and Focus With these 4 in addition to Bear Fish and Dragonfly he could cover a lot of types of stats at once

But before he actually began to Engrave Randidly read some of the technical guide left to him by the Willow Tree Spear Style matriarch The knowledge was pointlessly obtuse it seemed to Randidly but he pressed forward feeling absurdly like he was studying He had been able to read some during his time in prison and as he pressed forward then he was able to finish the first volume of the set

He didn’t feel any different but he definitely knew a lot more about how to layer energy in deep curves and how it assisted the efficacy of the Engraving Then after he finished Randidly snapped the book shut and checked the time It had almost been 24 hours since he used Inspire so he would have access to his mana once again soon So he walked up towards the deck to Engrave After all the soft rain of the Weeping Cloud was part of his process now It was a part of what was necessary

Chapter 172

Randidly got up to the deck and went to the far side keeping as much space between him and the crazy ones throwing armor at people swimming in the water Around 30 minutes later as they continued dumping items something inside of him relaxed and mana began to pool within him once more After a time he wiggled his fingers and felt the 1000 mana leave him for Weeping Cloud

Then he sat cross legged and began to Engrave Using the greaves because that was what he had the most of remaining Randidly tried each of the 4 new runes It wasn’t a long process as his control and efficiency in manipulating the mana within himself had improved overmuch which Randidly believed to be a product of his leveled Battle Intent Something about that mental weapon carried over to Engraving and he was able to do it much more efficiently

Although this was just his first time for each of them all came out with an efficacy in the high 30s Which was disappointing in a way because they had very little value to Randidly below 40 but he supposed he shouldn’t be too put off His first attempt all that time ago had turned out below 20 And each additional point could only be earned by the weight of repetition and experience as his understanding of Engraving grew

Almost as a warm up the next Engraving that Randidly did was a Shadow V To his delight it reached a 67% efficacy which was his highest ever with that rune He could feel himself progressing on understanding the method for smoothing and filling the energy in a way that made him slightly excited His mind was still so clear and he focused it to a razor edge

Now was the time

After breathing and steadying himself Randidly began to Engrave much more carefully and thoroughly than he had done with the previous Engravings Not because he wasn’t taking them seriously but because he honestly didn’t understand the nuances in those runes yet It was impossible for him to tell which portions were important to emphasize That was why Engraving was such a tedious process The important areas in the runes were different Sometimes attention should be given to the swirls and curves making sure they are smooth Sometimes what you needed to do was focus on the straight stretches making them immaculate Sometimes the extra effort should go towards places where the lines cross ensuring that energy at that location was exceedingly deep

There were a million small details that couldn’t truly be learned through the manuals but they would make the information retention much easier No the foundation had to be made through effort and repetition

And in terms of Engraving for Randidly the Dragonfly symbol was the one with which he was most familiar So as the rain fell on his skin prickling like tiny chilled needles he calmly and evenly Engraved a Dragonfly onto a bracer

Almost instinctively his breathing became extremely even and slow to the point where a normal human would have suffocated But for Randidly with his exceedingly high Vitality it wasn’t even something that he would notice in such a short period

Even though he took his time the Engraving was finished in 15 minutes and he held the completed work up for his examined by his animated expectation a spark of excitement in Randidly’s heart

Apprentice’s Leather Bracer Lvl 25 Leather armor worked by an Apprentice but made with poor materials Vit +2 Health +26 Rain Engraved II

Engraving of Dragonfly 80% ® The wind seems to move with the wearer aiding in both offensive and defensive speed A thin layer of air is wrapped around the wearer protecting them like an armor Wearer gains Aspect of Dragonfly III

Aspect of Dragonfly III Reaction +7 Agility +10

Rain Engraved II The Engraver has developed his own basic personal process of Engraving and benefits begin to accrue within the armor Mana +15 Focus +3

The bracer seemed small and worn but to Randidly it was the culmination of two long years of effort Engraving might be a support skill but he would never have been able to prepare so many potion materials without the money he earned from it Let alone breaking out of the Prison even freeing Shal would have been impossible without the Shadow rune and the benefits that it provided to him

Randidly made a mental note that the debt that he owed the Willow Tree Spear Style was even larger than he thought and carefully placed the newfound bracer into his inventory Although he would make his own armor soon Randidly was confident now that he could repeat this accomplishment

Seeing that the rest were still occupied with the material dumping Randidly informed a frowning Divveltian of his plan and then headed out across the nearby boats heading for Claptrap’s boat It was a rather short trip and when he arrived Randidly hesitated briefly because it was clear that Claptrap was meeting with someone else He honestly didn’t really know what to do about it

But Randidly’s natural social awkwardness had been greatly ground down by his two years in the prison training so Randidly just shrugged and pushed through the door

Both the figures looked up at him the figures being Claptrap with his rather skinny fat body and a rather slim man who wore a smile on his face When Randidly entered Claptrap’s eyes widened and his smile stretched from ear to ear

You’re still alive He squeaked running over to Randidly and giving him a large hug Randidly awkwardly patted him on the back Sure they were kinda business partners but this level of affection seemed a bit insane Maybe Claptrap was more emotionally needy than Randidly had originally anticipated

The smiling man laughed and walked over Ah you are the wonderful Engraver who has so helped my Style I am Artisan Dwei of the Crashing Wave Style Claptrap was just assuring me that you would arrive with the new batch of armor any day now

Randidly’s eyes twitched almost imperceptibly Was there a hint of a threat there Randidly wasn’t sure of what the man’s actual strength was but he was an Artisan which made him wary Again all the people inside of the prison at the Artisan level had been stronger than Randidly but they had been there training through constant combat for dozens of years as they served out their various sentences

Still with access to dungeons who knew how much this man had trained

Then Randidly shook his head banishing the thoughts and shook Artisan Dwei’s hand It was better to not make more trouble than he had to deal with especially now

Yes here Randidly unceremoniously dumped the 300 or so Engraved armors on the ground careful to keep his few Shadow rune attempts to himself Still there were quite of bit of each kind with most being over 60% efficacy His eyes glittering Artisan Dwei stepped forward and began to check them all

Claptrap sprinted over with a ledger his eyes glittering drool coming out of his mouth and Randidly hesitated for a second but grabbed his arm Then with a flourish Randidly produced his 80% efficacy bracer and offered it to Claptrap Perhaps this level of efficacy would cause problems for them the same way the Shadow Rune would but Randidly figured that while the efficacy problem might be more of an issue it didn’t have much more room to grow As long as the rune was still relatively basic the Engraving Guilds would likely respond but take their time doing so

A rune on the level of the Shadow Rune might draw undue attention much faster

Oh Oh oh oh Claptrap said his face flushing red His hands trembled reverently as he looked down at the thing It might seem like a small boost after all the 60% bracers usually gave somewhere between 10 and 14 extra stats while this gave 20 plus the extra mana But the two highest stats were very relevant to the combat focused nation that they were a part of

In addition to get an extra 10 stats from only a single piece of armor It was an accomplishment that people were willing to pay money for Money on the order of a few hundred Silver

Randidly leaned back slightly reassured by the fervor and enthusiasm with which Claptrap entered into negotiations with Artisan Dwei for the bracer They quickly outstripped their previous cost structure and began talking in a very direct way about values and what markets Claptrap would have for have for such a powerful piece of Engraving apart from the Crashing Wave Style

Randidly didn’t really care very much for the money aside from providing for his potion making which he expected to be very generously overshooting right now so he said very little aside from informing the two others that he could now make the Gazelle Oxen Dolphin and Preying Mantis Runes

Artisan Dwei finally battered down Claptrap and they settled on a price and they worked out what the Crashing Wave Style would want for their next order Then Artisan Dwei turned to Randidly

It is a strange thing but over 80% efficacy there is the chance that some pieces will have an extra ability We will pay very heavily for those pieces If you continue to improve I’m sure you will find that ability

Then Artisan Dwei stored the equipment handed over his money and prepared to go During that time Randidly turned to Claptrap

Were you able to learn anything about the Spear Phantom Style

Claptrap flushed then shook his head I asked around to a few people but I’m honestly not very popular around here so

I know that story Artisan Dwei said his typical smile fading away He looked seriously at Randidly Would you like to hear about the founder of your Style It is not a pretty story

Randidly shrugged Life is not a pretty place

Artisan Dwei chuckled and then walked over to a small table in the corner After Claptrap had brought them all a glass of wine the Artisan began to speak

Chapter 173

I heard this story from the current patriarch of the Crashing Wave Style which is an offshoot of the Endless Sea Style based in the Capital of the Central Region He told me that for a long time before more information came out Shal was widely idolized by the young elites in the Capital for his heroism in defeating the Devourer But by the end they just ignored him like everyone else Still that comes later First and most importantly there was a man who would become the Spear Phantom Aemont Because Shal’s story is only a small part of following in the footsteps of his father

No one really knew Aemont’s family but he enrolled in a small two bit Style and worked hard to learn it So hard that the people around him were shocked After all this was the Capital of the Central Region There were thousands of Styles fighting viciously over the new recruits that came to the capital seeking their fortune putting their life on the line with just their spear Those that had talent and dedication would go to the larger Styles If this boy was here and had such an excellent work ethic there could be only one explanation he had no talent with the spear

Which was true in a way Aemont was serious but clumsy The Spear was not his weapon But he did have two things very early on in his career while most others might train for years to obtain Those were two skills Battle Intent and the very amorphous Struggle And Struggle Aemont did

There were rivalries and duels grand challenges and tumultuous relationships but for our purposes going into that might be a bit tedious It is enough to say that by the time he was 25 Aemont’s name was known throughout the Capital although it was only whispered After all Aemont refused to participate in the rather gaudy Exhibitions’ hosted by the powerful and affluent Styles of the Capital He was a poor man even then with his success with the spear and his Tassle was a threadbare red piece that was so worn it almost seemed to be grey

But Aemont did fall in love with a woman who was one of the chosen disciples of the Endless Heat Style Luckily for him she liked him too Slowly this very poor man from a Style that didn’t even have a skillset was hanging around a woman who would inherit an Ancient Rarity Skill Set At first the elders thought it was just children playing around and thought nothing of it then the woman became pregnant Now the head elder at the time was furious but he knew the female disciple was a stubborn sort so he had a genius idea To set the terms of him being allowed into the Style as an honorary disciple to legitimize the relationship

To set impossible terms

So Aemont was brought before the elder and the elder told him the wonderful news about the pregnancy Aemont a normally stoic man smiled like he would be satisfied dying right there and then if it came to it Which was exactly what the Elder wanted

Then the elder continued to explain that there were some negative rumblings about Aemont and the female disciple from the other elders That they weren’t a proper match due to their difference in social status And as Aemont began to frown the Elder told the much younger man that he had an idea perhaps if Aemont were to accomplish a seemingly impossible task the elder could help Aemont sway their feelings If there was irrefutable proof of Aemont’s abilities even those stubborn elders would be able to do naught but give in

What sort of task ’ Aemont asked and the elder said well how about going to the frontlines and slaying a 90932njk2389 ’

Randidly blinked aware of how the words had twisted midair and reverted briefly back to a language he couldn’t understand He wondered what sort of secret the system was trying to hide from him this time Something from the frontlines huh A war with who Randidly wondered

But Artisan Dwei continued to speak and his words once more became understandable so Randidly didn’t do anything other than file the information away for later At first Aemont was dubious but the Elder shook his head sorrowfully and asked if there was anything else Aemont could think of that would be irrefutable proof of Aemont’s strength Aemont could only remain silent

The frontlines were much more active in those days and the #% # kldsa were lousy with 90932njk2389 so obtaining an opportunity wouldn’t be difficult What was difficult was the task But Aemont had gotten this far by relying on his two skills of Struggle and Battle Intent and this was no exception Aemont went and spent a year at the frontlines despite the female disciple’s pleas A year later he returned Older and stronger and tired but without accomplishing his goal

But now his resolve was set He visited his now several month old son and spent time with the woman he wanted to marry in front of the world Then after a week he returned to the frontlines To the Elder’s horror the female disciple was once more pregnant Now it was extremely difficult for them to ignore the relationship between the two of them because two sons had been made and were staying in the Capital on their property But there was nothing they could do all of the younger disciples were enamored with the children showering the babies with affection

And there was the continued problem of Aemont By all accounts he found and challenged 90932njk2389 to combat quite frequently And although he was never able to slay one he did survive which is more than most can say He was formally enlisted and began to rise within the army ranks After his second year on the frontlines Aemont once more returned and although he was covered in scars his sons filled him with youthful vigor This time he remained for a month meeting and fraternizing with the young disciples who were swept away by this powerful young man with stories of the front lines

But after that time he was forced to leave But not before kissing both the eldest son Pronto and the younger son Shal on the forehead Then he was off

But Aemont did not return immediately to the front line He still possessed two open skill slots and planned on using one to learn a skill that could push him to the next level For after all even if he had the power of an Artisan without a skill with a powerful image he would never be formally recognized as an Artisan and his potential would be greatly diminished So he sought out a powerful individual who could teach him a powerful skill It is unknown who he found but he came back wielding the powerful skill Wrathful Sickle which powerfully influenced his later images

That year he did not return from the frontlines Nor the following year It was only 3 years later that he returned But when he did come it was with the head of a 90932njk2389

Of course the Elders did not want Aemont to be formally recognized so they acted quickly while Aemont was arriving Some took it upon themselves to cut off the growth from the base the female disciple was killed Furious Aemont gathered up his sons and fled leaving the central continent and heading to the north Rumors say that Aemont walked out carrying his spear burning with fury and the aura of death while his elder son Pronto carried the much smaller Shal like a baby in his arms

Strangely no Elder came forward to admit to causing the crime In the aftermath the Head Elder instituted a brutal inquisition at first secret but then increasingly public as they could not locate the culprit The Endless Heat Style even formerly apologized to Aemont granting him an honorary discipleship for him and his sons But it was too late Aemont would never in his life return to the Central Region

So Aemont settled in the Northern Region and seemed content to settle down and live a peaceful life But two things nagged at him refusing to let him retire First the situation on the frontlines turned sour So sour that it was believed for a long time that Central Region would finally commit a few Pontiff level Spear Users Second a string of strange deaths in the surrounding area to Aemont of monsters livestock and even other people led him to believe that the culprit behind his lover’s murder had followed them But the culprit was a coward and refused to move while Aemont remained protecting his sons

For two years as the condition on the Frontlines deteriorated Finally seeming to break under the stress of the realization strange antagonist wouldn’t strike while he was there and his will eroded by the pleas of his former comrades Aemont made a decision he would leave his sons under the protection of some of his powerful friends he had made in the North and return to the frontlines in the Western Region

Although they were only one year apart Pronto and Shal were very different in their development Pronto was hale and healthy seemingly developing at an impossible rate Meanwhile Shal was weak and uncoordinated with the body of a toddler even though he was almost 8 years old So Shal was sent to a Style in the Northern Region affiliated with the Endless Heat Style where Aemont knew he would be cared for Meanwhile Pronto went to stay with the powerful Haelthing who would aid in his spear instruction while Shal was gone

Years passed and Aemont began to return from the frontlines less and less His sons grew Shal seeming to finally settle in and grow properly becoming a talented if mean tempered youth Meanwhile Pronto grew more and more wild and powerful his moods becoming violent And at the same time there started to be some very strange rumors going around about Haelthing That there were numerous disappearances among people traveling through the lands his Style controlled That he was practicing a very forbidden sort of magic there

That he had become a Devourer who consumed the lives of others in order to refine pure Aether from them Or as the system refers to it Haelthing had become a Heretic

Randidly blinked That’s possible Devouring someone else for Aether

Artisan Dwei waved a hand Well that is what the story says At least the popular versions Others have the Devourer doing other things but it all involved an evil magic transported here from one of the inner Cohorts And it all involved sacrifice to power it

Chapter 174

So anyway while his one son was slowly being warped by exposure to the Devourer and the other was growing up slowly both with a barely present father Aemont continued to fight on the frontlines And he won and won and won Perhaps the story wouldn’t have ended so tragically otherwise but Aemont was a profoundly competent spear user With just the one skill he was acknowledged as reaching the Adept level and given a promotion and control over a larger group of men

That was the worst fighting the front lines had ever seen And Aemont was the reaper who kept back the hordes But it wasn’t enough We were still losing At that point the central region did demand its powerful Styles send Pontiffs out to push back the enemies Because some of those sent to his area were from the Endless Heat Style Aemont took his long overdue break returning to his sons

He stopped briefly in to see Shal and the people there urged him to investigate Haelthing There were deaths and disappearances so much so that Haelthing’s Style was almost destroyed from fear and defections Aemont’s face darkened but he said nothing Instead he simply had a long talk with Shal

Aemont stayed with Shal for several days giving him very specific pointers about spear use Then Aemont went to see Healthing It is not known what they exactly talked about but is rumored that although Aemont confront Haelthing he was tempted and distracted Even his son Pronto whose mental illness was growing increasingly noticeable could not distract from the goal that consumed Aemont perhaps in his eyes the army was his new family And for that family he needed strength

So when Haelthing offered the use of his isolation matrix Aemont accepted For 6 days he stayed within meditating and when he emerged he was a changed man When he stepped out into the air shrieking ghost flowed around him The spectre of death lingered in his shadow The lightest touch of Aemont could steal away one’s life from weak opponents The years of fighting on the frontlines watching allies and enemies die in droves it had paid dividends in a way For Aemont had spent 6 days in that formation slowly refining the Aether that had embedded itself within him for 20 years

He had become the Spear Phantom

His return to the frontlines was as a walking Catastrophe He destroyed the resistance of the enemies on the frontlines Beneath the Pontiffs sent from the Central Region Aemont very quickly became the number 1 spear user on the Western front

But he was recalled from the frontlines by news that could pierce his martial heart his son Pronto had fled from Haelthing’s care wounded and blubbering about evil skills and forbidden rites So with a heavy heart Aemont returned Pronto had fled to Shal’s caretakers where he refused to talk with anyone other than his family preferring to lock himself in his room refusing to take visitors When he arrived Aemont interviewed both his sons for Shal had been the one to find Pronto in the wilderness and heard the truth for himself Then he waited for Pronto to recover and because he was a strong young man in his own right at this point the two of them then went to the lair of the Devourer for vengeance

Before he left he gave to Shal a chest and a book which was all the belongings that Aemont owned aside from a sizeable amount of pay that was uncollected from the army and formerly established the Spear Phantom Style naming his sons Pronto and Shal as his heirs For a few weeks he trained Shal in the Spear Phantom Style its moves and intricacies Then he proceeded with the eldest son to disappear off the face of the world

The area around Haelthing’s lair grew to be a zone forbidden for travel Some local powers sent scouts in but none returned Still if one did not enter into the zone nothing happened The zone was not spreading and no monsters wandered out of that area either As the local powers were busy sending spear users to reinforce the front lines they opted to leave it alone for now despite the danger So the land was just avoided for 5 years The only reason that 5 years ended was Shal he marched into the base and slaughtered Haelthing Unfortunately he found his father and brother had already been slain

Or at least that is what people originally thought and why he was so widely heralded in the initial few years after he returned bearing the spear of Haelthing the Devourer But when experts went to investigate they discovered that it appeared that Haelthing had been dead for years likely by the hand of Aemont There had been a great battle sure and there was a body there but it was so mutilated that it was impossible to tell who it was And the body of Aemont the war hero was also discovered peaceful and undisturbed as if he was simply taking a nap It was like his very life had been stolen from him

So some of the accolades fell away from Shal for there were too many pieces missing from the story And he refused to speak of the situation which didn’t help his reputation He opted to remain in the Northern Region and he was barely seen training for 20 years rather he was primarily seen just sitting brooding remaining in Qtal as most of the previous family friends due to his mother and father drifted away fed up with his behavior

Even if people were initially skeptical of what happened a few duels he got into in fits of anger in the aftermath convinced them that he was exceedingly powerful But to then sit and brood for 20 years That was the actions of a weak willed man Although his potential was great Everyone concluded it would all come to naught

Artisan Dwei gave Randidly a meaningful look I am not sure why but it appears your presence has awoken Shal from his slumber But based on how things fell all is not resolved in his path Be careful

And then he left leaving Randidly and Claptrap alone Claptrap sat back in his chair almost glassy eyed his mouth forming a large O I can’t believe wow

Shrugging Randidly stood He thanked Claptrap took some of the leather armor that Claptrap had obtained while he was away and returned to the boat As Randidly strolled back Randidly noticed that he was being watched And based on the crazy Battle Intent the other was throwing off it wasn’t with good intentions

Still Randidly made it all the way back to the boat with no incident so perhaps he was being too paranoid He had done that with Artisan Dwei too immediately assessing him as a threat before anything else Randidly grimaced It was a habit he had developed in the prison which he would likely need to work on Although being prepared to fight at anytime was good acting too ready for a fight would bring more fights to him Although he had improved greatly Randidly was under no impression that he was unbeatable

Especially considering he had only been strong enough to get into the Northeast area of the prison The North and West were dominated by people far above his skill level But now that his Spear Mastery was barely over a hundred and the other skills had risen by about 20 each hopefully Randidly would be able to hold his own in the Regional Tournament

Shal had been very tight lipped about that issue simply giving him a scathing look when he had asked So Randidly let it slide for now Shal obviously wanted the top 8 as much as Randidly did probably more He had wanted it enough to call him up to this Cohort which was quite dangerous At the time Randidly had been quite weak From the talk around the camp Randidly had been able to gather that there were still monsters here but that they often were much much stronger and forced back to certain areas

If he had wandered into one of those places

When Randidly arrived at the boat he found someone else had beaten him there and was standing there with his hands on his hips yelling at the top of his lungs What is this How dare you touch my wares You’ve doomed yourself I will crush every little

Enough Divveltian said his voice carrying a strange weight to it even though he was standing 5 meters away at the edge of their ships deck and the yelling man was on another ship

When the vocal wave hit the small portly little merchant looking fellow he froze and then hiccuped Randidly watched then bemused as the merchant seemed unable to control his body and began to twitch The twitching became increasing violent until the merchant keeled over forward and fell in the water

Shaking his head at the idiocy Randidly leapt over back onto their boat

It seemed that the water had done some good because the fool resurfaced but in addition to spluttering he once more began yelling Yes yes Enjoy it now You have no idea who I am I’ll crush this little enterprise like bugs hrrkk

The man’s head jerked backwards as the nameless male spear attendant managed to hit the drowning merchant in the head with a bar of iron As the merchant began to bob unsteadily looking ready to pass out and really die Divveltian walked over to the male spear attendant and clapped him on the back

To think I had written you off as a talentless retainer Boy never give up your dreams

What do you mean talentless retainer The male spear attendant asked frowning By this point Helen and Teliph had walked over to him as well

When I first met you I directly assessed you as no threat to me Teliph said with relish Then he sighed dramatically But to think your manipulation of garbage had progressed to such a degree

Helen interrupted him before he could get a word in edgewise Even I am intimidated at your talent as a merchant If I had a daughter of marriage age with some sort of physical handicap I would gladly offer her body to you and know she would be well cared for if physically unfulfilled

You The male spear attendant’s face hand gone completely red and he stepped forward and stabbed towards Helen with his spear She chortled and twisted spinning around the attack and past the male spear attendant Then she kicked the back of his knees knocking him off his feet

You are as graceful as a fucking heart attack Learn to read the mood asshole She said teasingly Teliph and Divveltian laughed Although the corners of Randidly’s mouth twitched upwards he kept his eyes on the man in the water who was being fished out by some servants It was a hard habit to break the calculating

Fool disciple Will you simply moon about all day Come there is more training to do Shal rumbled his voice coming up from below Sighing Randidly turned and trotted into the belly of the ship But of course Shal was right There was always more training to do

Chapter 175

After mocking the male spear attendant for a while more Helen moved off to the side There had been a strange feeling when she had dodged his attack A fluidity and grace that almost seemed like a movement similar to the three she already had Then she smiled at her own foolishness To inexplicably have inspiration now After she had already improved so much in such a short amount of time A 4th movement would be too much to ask

But if she could parlay this into fucking raising her skill level even further

The performance of Randidly and the other two at the Qualifier had proven to Helen that while she might be able to hold her own against them for a while those individuals were cut from a different cloth Whether it was pedigree or the support of a powerful style or an impossibly powerful skill

Or the determination and willpower that made one’s eyes absolutely burn like green emeralds even in the darkness even in the face of despair

Then Helen grimaced God she hated how fucking sappy she was getting lately After a single night with a man An enjoyable night sure But still Just one night Although she had been tempted several nights since But Randidly hadn’t done anything but make moony eyes at her ever since and scratch his head and she would be DAMNED if she was the first one to bring it up If he wanted something he could man the fuck up and say it

So Helen distracted herself by moving through her three movements And once again taking her greatly by surprised she gained skills levels A lot 7 in 4 hours of work especially in the third movement which was the most offensive of the three movements

Helen let her form drop and she stared solemnly at her spear Before coming here she would never believe the sort of results she was receiving seemingly just by being around these training obsessed idiots Even that worthless male spear attendant swiftly got over his humiliation from earlier and was now training although he took the time to shoot glares at her

When he thought she wasn’t looking of course But that was just how Helen wanted it Too many looks and he would be too dumb to even deal with Too few and there wouldn’t be enough spirit within him to enjoy crushing This was the perfect balance

Still Helen knew why he threw himself into training so viciously Unlike Helen and likely everyone even the strange new arrival Teliph the nameless spear attendant didn’t possess a Skill Set Although this was a small thing it determined a spear users future It was a pretty accurate barometer of their future potential A person with a skillset could grow much much more quickly than one without

The rarity of the Skill Set was important but it was almost a bonus A higher rarity skill set would increase the power of the skill but make it more difficult to level and make the image perhaps more unwieldy Although a Common rarity skillset would be laughed at in terms of power it would still be a skill set and the image would be quick and easy The growth speed would be fast

If one still had a choice between a 3 skill Uncommon Rarity Skill Set and a 4 skill Common Rarity Skill Set many would go with the Common Rarity It just made sense in terms of a person’s future potential

After all a Skill Set was technically only one skill in the eyes of the system Spear users had been abusing this for generations to make an aristocracy among their youth where as many skills as possible were Skill Sets giving them that much of an advantage over everyone else Not only were there path benefits but the flexibility of the elites was a level higher than the average spear user They had skill slots to spare for things like resistances and passive skills

Which was why Randidly tempted her in terms of sources of genetics for her offspring Helen slowly repeated the phrase pounded into her head by her own mother A skill from the mother a path from the father

Then Helen pursed her lips Of course the results were fucking random and limited by prerequisites and the like But typically a child would be born with an innate skill from her mother and have access to a path from her father The skill would be direct inheritance the child received a skill that the mother had Which was why Helen had been innately talented in terms of Leatherworking from a young age and obtained access to related paths way ahead of her peers

She of course took great joy in refusing to invest PP in those paths and squandering her once in a generation potential Her mother’s disappointment was the sweetest nectar and her father’s fury was how she learned to behave

Which is why it made sense when she obtained the Building Fury Path on her 15th birthday Which had proven to be a much more useful and fruitful investment Helen believed It certainly had fucking made kicking the asses of all the handsy leatherworking boys much more attainable

She wondered what sort of skill a child would be likely to inherit from her Ideally it would be the Skill Set but anecdotally that was incredibly uncommon Although the Skill Set counted as one skill for the purposes of the class skill limit each skill also counted individually as well as the Skill Set seeming to have an even lesser chance of appearing

Still any of the 3 movements that Helen had would be a fucking blessing to a child More so than Leatherworking Even by the time the child was ready to get the spear user class their mastery over the Skill would lead to future accomplishments More power early meant more opportunities more dungeons more pure Aether from which to focus on your own image it was a cycle that reinforced itself

But really what Helen wanted to know was completely unrelated to her

What sort of path would having Randidly as a father open for a child

Shal sat in meditation watching as his disciple gritted his teeth and read from the diary of Shal’s father Shal knew in his heart he hadn’t been fair to Randidly as they left the prison The killing of the guard was unnecessary but made sense given what Shal had been teaching him about life Given that Shal had okayed the battling and sometimes killing of those inside the prison Given that Shal had encouraged Randidly to kill the guard originally in order to earn themselves a berth in prison

Those had been necessary in Shal’s mind in order for them to go down this path For at his core Shal knew the truth Shal did not fear that Randidly was becoming like his father Shal feared that he himself was making that transition A man who viewed his children and lessers simply as tools

For he remembered something said to him a long time ago in one of the brief times that Shal had seen his father after he had become the Spear Phantom It was one of the last times he saw him leading up to Shal’s father’s trip to see the Devourer

Why did you let him get like this Shal asked tears in his eyes wringing his 12 year old hands

Slowly Shal’s father turned and regarded Shal Then to Shal’s surprise the most unrelenting and stiff man Shal knew sighed The cruelty and the powerful aura of death that the man carried with him vanished them if just for a moment And he said It is easier to walk down the path of strength first and then worry about integrity later only once you have the power to defend it

That Shal found himself encouraging Randidly down a similar path 50 years later disgusted him But there was a fire in his chest that he couldn’t put out And it had a name

Lucrecia

His disciple gasped and dropped the diary Calmly waiting Shal watched as Randidly groaned stretched walked around a bit then sat back down with the diary Continuing along with Shal’s ridiculous request of keeping with just the 1st and 5th entry The proper way would have been slowly immersing in the different Battle Intents for the 6 moves one at a time slowly building up a familiarity with the Style and hopefully mastering them all someday

But Shal had tried that path When he trained in the moves of the Spear Phantom he slowly pushed himself deeper and deeper focusing on his foundation And of course that didn’t turn out well enough to be proud of He had only managed to master 4 of the 6 moves

What was perhaps even more frustrating about the whole ordeal was that those 4 stances were enough to absolutely dominate those below the Adept level The sheer overwhelming power of the image that his father had created was ridiculous And so very different than the father Shal remembered growing up with Even then there was a darkness to him but it manifested itself as a tiredness not as the vicious unrelenting authoritarian that he became in later years even as he was rarely around

In fact Shal had only received one week of instruction in the Phantom Spear Style from his father in real time Some of that had been stretched through dungeon but only up to a month Perhaps if he had more he could glean some secret some trick or insight that would allow him access to all 6 moves

For all of this was for revenge Partially against his father perhaps even a sliver of revenge against his brother Pronto but most of all revenge against the woman who set them on that tragic path

This was Shal’s gamble with Randidly On the one hand Shal hoped that Randidly would really be able to master the Phantom’s Embrace That would increase his disciple’s chances of surviving in the tournament to almost assured It was however his disciple and there was always a chance he would fuck it up

But the real goal was not to increase his disciple’s strength but to see if building a bridge without the foundation is possible If that was true

Shal’s eyes burned The third eye lodged in his forehead stirred

If that was true Shal would skip the 5th and proceed to the 6th the Breath of the Spear Phantom

Chapter 176

Randidly gritted his teeth and forced his gaze to follow along with the words on the page of the diary

And as Randidly read the words it was there Or rather he After hearing the story about Shal and his history especially of his father Randidly could see the man His small smile his broad shoulders his short dark hair Unlike Shal his skin was not dyed blue but was a dull red color

From his shoulders hung a long leather cloak that was shredded at the edges But his eyes

But his eyes burned and as Randidly read that first line he appeared and and began to float towards Randidly

They flinch away from his touch as fear erodes control of their very body Perhaps if they were able to remain equipped with their faculties their struggles would have meaning But before the Phantom

Randidly’s body began to tremble The approach of Phantom carried with it an aura of death that was palpable almost as if Randidly had inhaled the scent of a rotting body The air became increasingly warm and fetid and Randidly clenched his fists He refused to give in even as the image drifted closer

before the Phantom all other things break and scatter The path he walks is long and wide It is multifarious and insidious a small step to the side But once those people step upon it for whatever reason they have doomed themselves At that point although they may struggle

Roaring Randidly created a spear of Battle Intent and threw it at the Phantom Although it may have just been his imagination he thought the Spear Phantom smiled at him and then disappeared

The next thing he felt was a thin cold hand on his shoulder tapping lightly as if to take his attention Refusing to back down Randidly backed around and faced the Phantom finding it standing there its arms spread wide Its leather cloak was open flapping lightly by an ethereal wind revealing not the human torso Randidly had been expecting or even a skeleton’s body but a face a sleeping one

At first Randidly thought that the face was Shal’s but the longer he looked the more the subtle differences between them began to come to the surface This was was softer and warmer than Shal’s Although the nose was the same the cheekbones were less prominent and wider

Randidly was frozen suddenly very confused what he was looking at A face rather than a torso underneath the cloak Somehow it was incredibly disturbing This was still the image conjured by the Battle Intent right

The eyelids of the sleeping face trembled then blinked open its long beautiful eyelashes fluttering As the eyes opened Randidly continued to stare wondering whether the androgynous face was male or female

I’m

Now Randidly blinked because the face spoke its lips moving thickly clumsy and rusty from disuse

The eyes opened further and they were pure black and wet like spilled ink The Phantom continued to stand holding that cloak open his smile slowly fading away to a frown His eyes furrowed into an angry bunch

although they struggle it is too late For the very path they walk is their end As soon as the spectre of death tempted them into its realm they lives begin flickering like candles their blood seeming to drip out of their mouths and pool on the path behind them The path

I’m so hungry The weary chest face said and then it began to open its mouth and suck its inky eyes locking onto Randidly The Aether inside of him trembled as if some outside force acted on it causing Randidly to take a step backward instinctually

Immediately the Phantom itself let its arms drop its smile returned Its fingers grew and grow growing and surrounding Randidly forming a cage that began to press inwardly crush and bursting his organs leaving him

Gasping Randidly dropped the diary again For several seconds the very real Phantom pain remained his body feeling as though it had been annihilated But then it slowly passed likely blown out of him by his heavy breathing Shal sat there regardingly him coolly

That is quite enough for today I think He said simply reaching down and taking the diary Then he left Randidly there laying on the ground

After his breathing had calmed Randidly closed his eyes and tried to focus on remembered what happened That face that looked similar to Shal’s on the chest of the Phantom its inky black eyes the strange change in the Phantom the longer that Randidly looked at that face That face was even able to cause some effect on the Aether within him that Randidly struggled with at the best of times

And that hunger in its blank eyes

Randidly did now have a more concrete ideal about the Phantom’s embrace as a move although he wasn’t sure how it worked It was a skill that produced an overwhelming psychological effect and pressed your opponent backwards It turned the momentum of their fleeing against them becoming increasingly powerful the more that they attempted to dodge

But if someone did not flee or did not attack it was useless

However the face didn’t seem to fit into Randidly’s impression of the move It felt like that was a larger part of the image within the book and less to do with the actual skill Or perhaps even it was a spectre of whatever the 6th move of the Spear Phantom was

Either way this was far beyond the current Randidly For now he could only concentrate on the goals that would yield positive results So he stood and began to practice the Inevitable Phantom Arrives His strikes were slow and even but even though he hadn’t gleaned any true insights from his studying of the 5th move of the Spear Phantom his Battle Intent was increasingly strengthened by the exposure

The ticking grew louder His own temporal phantom became more definite and Randidly began to add more and more details Almost unbidden small memories of his mother floated to the surface As Randidly remembered how worn her clothes always were when she wasn’t going out the robe the phantom wore became threadbare and grey

He remembered how she smelled like honey and flowers just starting to rot and how she smiled almost as if she was apologizing with her eyes while her mouth was stretched wide And as these details began to accumulate in the image Randidly’s feelings about the image balloon outward in his heart

With Aether thundering in his ears a vicious icy flow Randidly’s rage and frustration that he had buried for years began to surface filling his image with potency

Randidly remembered how he had sat in his room in the dark for long hours afraid and confused by the long nights of laughter his mother had with strange men even on weekdays The way he would hide in his room while the men were there even as he grew hungrier and hungrier But he refused to allow himself to be dragged out and paraded out in front of them

He remembered the men and their callous hands and their patronizing smiles and their eyes all for his mother It igniting something hot and vicious inside of Randidly Helpless stuck torn by emotions dragged in 1000 directions

As Randidly focused more and more on that small boy his arms wrapped around his knees sitting in the dark the ticking grew louder and louder almost to a deafening degree With each tick the hours would slide past the child’s hunger would grow more desperate and gnawing But the laughter tinkling and light and low and dirty grew louder and louder a droning noise that began to rival the ticking

Abruptly Randidly became aware of the fact that he had been standing still and he thrust out with his spear not bothering to use Haste or Empower just thrusting forward with the spear And as he completed the motion now much quicker than it had been when he trained before he went into the prison there was no feedback no cracking of the air no vacuum created

There was just silence and a strange sensation in Randidly’s hand that his spear was as heavy as the world Randidly sighed letting the silence grow This was part of his image too the powerful silence that surrounded that boy in the darkness The ticking was scary in a way because it demonstrated the passing of time and the inevitability of resisting time But by the same token the silence was even more horrifying

Because in that silence time could twist and morph becoming an abomination that no longer obeyed objective rules but stretched to fill subjective spaces In that silence that darkness even a minute felt like an eternity

The Aether was howling within him now and he held that image in his mind for several minutes feeling as thin tendrils of Aether split off and flowed down into his skills strengthening them slowly

After a while the sensation ceased and Randidly checked his status screen

He had gained one Skill level in Spear Mastery 2 in Empower 1 in Body Control Freeze 3 in Engraving 2 in Rejection but then 7 in Battle Intent and 11 in the Inevitable Phantom Arrives

Randidly distributed the PP he earned netting 3 Resistance and Willpower but as he made to stand afterward his chest began to ache Grimacing Randidly sat back down and put his hand on the spot where his Soul Skill was whirling wildly inside of his chest This wasn’t nearly as bad as the previous incident but still It felt like the kind of heartburn that could kill you eating you from the inside out

Luckily it passed relatively quickly but still it made Randidly annoyed This wasn’t something that Randidly wanted to deal with right now He would be participating in the tournament soon and if it happened in the middle of a match

This level was nothing But Aether activity seemed to exacerbate the issue In a tough match there was a very real chance of the Soul Skill escalating beyond the point that Randidly could control Based on this pain

If the Soul Skill spun so fast it ripped itself apart

Randidly wasn’t really sure about the physical consequences of the Aether backlash but if it was just ripped out of his body

Shuddering Randidly meditated until the pain had passed

Chapter 177

Shal hoped his disciple hadn’t seen how his hand had trembled when he grasped his father’s diary It had been all he could do to make it into the hallway at a normal gait before he had collapsed the strength leaving his body

Slamming into the wall Shal leaned there for several seconds not daring to make a sound Luckily it seemed his disciple hadn’t heard he was too occupied with his own activities So Shal limped and dragged himself to his own quarters where he collapsed in a heap The diary was dropped on the ground like the trash that Shal thought it was but in that moment it wasn’t so sweet revenge it was an infuriating reminder of his own weakness

Shal breathed heavily for an hour just laying there but the weakness just grew worse snaking its way up from his extremities towards his chest There had never been a case of Aether poisoning killing someone but there had been well documented instances where someone who was within a dungeon for a few years had gone into a coma to conserve energy while the connection to the Village Spirit was reestablished

This was one of the main ways that the First Spear maintained control When you came out he controlled access to some dungeons with lesser time dilation than the prison which you could go in and manage half of your symptoms before you came back to normal time You could also complete those dungeons and be rewarded with dungeon boss Aether which could be used as a patch to cover your Aether needs until the village connection restored itself

Without these stop gaps the body’s Aether would be quickly devoured Especially considering Shal’s level He had considered going into a dungeon while Randidly participated in the earlier rounds of the Regional Tournament which were designed to root out the weak But he hadn’t done it seriously Now Shal wondered whether he could make do without it to keep him going

But then he would be forced to leave Randidly alone because Divvit would need to escort Shal to the dungeon That alone would probably wound Shal’s pride more than he could handle right now so it was a distant possibility

As his vision began to swim however Shal didn’t really see any other way

He resisted the urge to grit his teeth as it was a waste of energy It would be a gamble Thus far the people who had come to the boat to challenge them for their Tassles had mostly been targeting Shal The actions of his father and himself rightly were suspected by anyone who knew the story