LoRG 2

No Sparring Helen said through gritted teeth

We will see each other fighting during the tournament anyways Randidly said with a sigh What does it matter if we spar now

There was an audible crack from HelenÆs jaw She spun to glare at him Do you think the trip to the Central Domain will be quick The fighting wonÆt be for at least

Which was of course just the moment that Helen was interrupted by the noise similar to an air raid siren cutting across the entire city

Chapter 604

As Randidly understood it the military on Tellus was divided into 5 ranks Sergeant Captain Colonel Field Marshal and Auroch These ranks each could have up to two Lieutenants as personal aides and controlled 100 1000 10 000 100 000 and 1 000 000 men respectively

Sentinel Viro Roonst the leader of Niergem was politically between Colonel and a Field Marshal simply based on being the capital of the Western Domain but was much closer to Colonel relatively speaking Still he cut an impressive figure as he stood in front of the people who had gathered in the uppermost floor of the government building of Niergem

He was apparently an incredibly powerful Pontiff who could strike with the strength of his image without even moving a muscle The people around him included a dozen or so Pontiffs that were likely the leaders of their Styles and talented Adepts who would assist in the siege

Against all odds Randidly found himself in this group rather simply No one asked for a demonstration or proof of his loyalties Once it came out that he was one of the tournament representatives he and Azriel were rushed over immediately Helen used her military rank to join with them

And you all thought me crazy Sentinel Roonst said grinning around There was no happiness in his gaze but there was a wild glee that Randidly recognized He had some of that himself It was battle lust Yet here they are A full two hosts of Wights knocking on our door After we survive I will be waiting with great anticipation for the apologies

But letÆs set the jokes aside Two hosts are beyond our ability to withstand Although the exact number in each host remains in constant flux it is close to 10 000 That puts them at a little less than double our number And we spotted a Witch King amongst the Wights

There were mutters in the crowd at that Several elders leaned towards each other and exchanged meaningful looks Randidly glanced at Helen

Not their leaders per se but they are the great shamans of the Wights Helen explained in a message to Randidly The presence of one is important because each Witch King amongst them has one of five rings To send one of only five here means they intend this to be more than a token offensive They want to take and hold land

Obviously they are posturing to strike at the Central Domain An old woman with coppery hair said But why Now that the Spear source is captured what point is there to go offensive

Two points The Sentinel said as he glared at the woman The leadership of the Schools decided to leave a known threat alive We won the war in the past and did not stamp out the threat in order to possess a legitimate threat that our young could sharpen themselves against This strategy has led us to be ambushed into losing almost everything

Point number two our greatest loss in the most recent memory is assuming they were about to attack when they were simply solidifying their defenses Is it so strange to believe that now as we believe they will bunker down that they launch an offensive Catching us by surprise has worked thus far has it not

The woman said nothing in response looking at her hands Sentinel RoonstÆs sharp gaze scanned through the room Excellent If that is all the questions letÆs begin with your assignments You all are the best and brightest of the Western Domain We have less than two hours until the force arrives LetÆs get down to business

An hour and a half later Randidly stood on top of the wooden walls looking down as the Wights approached They were aptly named or the translator function of the System was being cute because they certainly looked like Wights They were humanoid in shape with skin so pale it appeared luminescent at a distance

Perhaps strangest of their appearance was that everyone appeared to be wearing a diaphanous gauze cloak that seemed to float around them It was almost see through so one could see their long and bony limbs within but it also seemed to bend light and make it difficult to pin their location down

Beside Randidly were almost two dozen men that were assigned to his section of the wall They all were nervously fiddling with their equipment Coughing lightly Randidly attracted their attention Although it still felt strange his time working with the Erickson Steel employees at least gave him an idea what he should do in this situation

DonÆt die And whoever gets the most kills IÆll Then Randidly grinned ruefully I happen to know a friend in the Engraving Guild Whoever accomplishes the most will receive a powerful engraving for their trouble

It was simple but it perked them up a bit Randidly followed it up with And donÆt worry about not having the chance with my bright emerald Tassle plenty of these Wights will head this way

A few of the guards chuckled at that Others began shaking their heads with mock dismay at the heavy responsibility that fell to them to be assigned to RandidlyÆs portion of the wall It wasnÆt directly in front of the Wights that were rushing up out of the West but it wasnÆt that far past the Southwest corner And certainly the emerald and gold Tassle caught the eye easily

Looking at the thousands on the different tiered walls around him and the reserves waiting below Randidly realized this would likely be the largest battle he had ever participated in There really werenÆt that many battles on Earth aside from weathering monster waves but this was a confrontation on another order of magnitude entirely His Skills would have some effect here but not enough to assure a positive outcome He simply didnÆt have enough Mana

Thinking of something Randidly sent a message to Helen What about Leveling while fighting these guys Do they give low experience like attacking someone of your race

There was silence for a long time before Helen respawned Idiot We canÆt level anymore thatÆs the problem Or itÆs just extremely slow for now and getting slower

After a few seconds of pause while Randidly digested this information Helen sent him another message Well itÆs an assertion based upon honor anyways Considering the circumstances I wouldnÆt be surprised if there were a few people as high as 30 in the tournament and the Schools will turn a blind eye They have bigger problems right now

Randidly looked at that message for a long time Then his eyebrow twitched He had been repressing himself for so long and it meant nothing

There were a few people as high as 30 Turn a blind eye

And the people of this world were losing their access to Aether so they also felt their Skills and Levels stagnating Meanwhile Randidly had no problem Leveling and he was sitting at 98% experience towards Level 25

With eyes that were glowing emerald Randidly turned and regarded the assembling Wights moving through the dense trees towards Niergem Although this area was more temperate than the Northern Domain it was still heavily forested And where there were plants nothing was outside of RandidlyÆs reach

He selected a group at the edge of one of the hosts that was stretching out to encompass the entirety of Niergem Randidly smiled Spearing Roots

The first wave ripped up into about 20 Wights It took them completely by surprise They began to wail in a strange sing song cadence and Randidly poured Mana into two more waves of Spearing Roots to silence them The nearby Wights hurried over to investigate and only found their compatriots riddled with holes without any sort of apparent culprit

Very quickly after his attack the feel in the air around the WightÆs at the edges of the army was subtly shifting Randidly grinned down at them showing all of his teeth as they approached

If you build a bridge of bodies you may reach me But no one man can reach up and touch a King

And as he began attacking another group he received the notification that he was waiting for

Congratulations You have reached Level 25 +5 Stats distributed between Vitality Perception Resist Intelligence and Control +14 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Mental Stat +1 to a Physical Defense Stat +1 to a Mental Support Stat +2 Control +20 Health +24 Mana +23 Stamina + 5 to all Regenerations +1 to Health and Stamina Regeneration +20 ProgenitorÆs Influence

Congratulations You have learned the Skill Scarlet Burst « Lvl 1 You have learned the Skill Volatile Ash Lvl 1 You have Learned the Skill Visualization « Lvl 1

Scarlet Burst Erupt in a fiery burst of energy launching yourself 1 meter in any direction from your current position You leave a cloud of superheated ash at your previous location Distance traveled and speed increases with Skill Level

Volatile Ash The strength and potency of the energy in your body have ignited a variant kind of fire All flames and ash produced by your Skills will infect any opponent with a virulent poison on physical contact Damage inflicted increases with Skill Level

Visualization Your ability to focus and predict outcomes has increased In addition the effects of training and the power of your images increases

As long as I keep the Level gain modest Randidly said slowly to himself No one will notice right

Chapter 605

After Randidly killed around 200 of the Wights he had to face a bitter truth the horde of opponents hadnÆt even noticed the losses Sure there were those at the edges that saw their brethren were killed but so what They were at war This was commonplace

Even the lack of apparent enemy wasnÆt an issue If anything it filled the Wights with confidence as the assailants dare not remain and fight This was especially true because the Wights were used to fighting against the people of Tellus The spear users did not retreat in the face of the enemy They charged forward to demonstrate their martial superiority which is why

Randidly paused mid spell Then the blood drained out of the face Almost disbelievingly he scanned the walls around him He looked up and down the entirety of the battlements he could see When he didnÆt find what he was looking for he spread out his Aether Perception to feel the area The Aether in the air was undoubtedly thin but Randidly just expelled a cloud to fill the air enough to distinguish what was going on around him

And after it all he had to face a truth he should have realized immediately One that made the spear usersÆ loss to the Wights make much more sense no one here knew how to fight a defensive war on this scale

In the entirety of the wall there wasnÆt a single shield or piece of heavy armor They wore the same form fitting leather armor that they had worn for the one versus one tournament That sort of armor was serviceable in a giant melee but they were trying to defend walls Without heavy armor to turn aside blows the spear users on the wall would have to individually engage with each opponent When an overwhelming number of attacks came they would need to retreat to survive

When they did the wall would be lost

For several seconds Randidly felt a strange sense of helplessness With Inspire he could hit a lot of the Wights that were coming But then he would be without Mana which was a prospect that he wasnÆt comfortable with Some experimentation might reveal a more Mana efficient method of killing Wights but that was somewhat doubtful as well

Which only left

Randidly hopped lightly up on the edge of the wall and spun to face his men and women They looked up at him their faces displaying the nervousness that his bad jokes had failed to banish RandidlyÆs bare toes gripped the wooden wall careful to only let his heel stick out a small amount over the edge to the ground below

He smiled at his people This is going to sound strange but how many of you believe you can wield your spears with one hand

Someone is wiping out their scouting parties The copper haired woman commented The Witch King is slowing his advance

Helen activated her Farsight Skill and blinked Someone was wiping out the opposing sides scouts which significantly delayed the charge that she had believed was coming As she peered more closely with her Skill she almost laughed Plants were rising up and attacking the invaders Part of her wanted to believe the very world was rebelling against the invasion but the logical part knew it was RandidlyÆs doing

Just the fact he could do it so efficiently and from such distance left her somewhat awestruck The tactical value of such a thing

But if it is a rogue element it is just as worrying for us Sentinel Roonst said with his typical frown

Although Helen had no real rank here as a veteran of the front lines she was invited to the central base of operations at Niergem She had a squad of a hundred guards that she would use to reinforce the worst areas of fighting But for now she waited for orders

There were about 20 other Sergeants milling around as well as 10 or so people that were Pontiffs that had deployed their Styles to assist in the defense At the center of it all Viro Roonst stood He was a conductor in his element moving his forces in response to the shifting advance of the Wights A defensive battle was a losing one Helen knew but Sentinel Roonst was doing his best to position his forces out of the spaces that would likely be bombarded by the other sides Psychic Poison Skills

Reporting sir Helen said She did her best not to call him a suspicious idiot The killed scouts is likely the doing of Randidly Ghosthound the Northern Domain tournament representative with an emerald Tassle He is a known Spellspear

All eyes turned to Helen The copper haired womanÆs gaze was especially sharp in a way that reminded Helen uncomfortably of her mother And suddenly she realized with a flash of guilt that she had never replied to her motherÆs most recent message How long ago had she received that fucking thing

Intriguing Emissary Jailen If I could trouble you to bring your forces to assist Spellspear Ghosthound Take a portion of the Mana potions with you and see if you can keep the Wights blind

A thin man with salt and pepper hair and dark orange skin bowed to the Sentinel and then gestured sharply Two of the Sergeants joined him and marched to gather their men Sentinel Roonst once more turned his gaze to Helen considering her

A Spellspear is rarely seen in the outer Domains letÆs hope he can hold up under the weight of responsibility Sergeant

Helen sir Helen saluted It was a military habit more than anything It turned out that she could learn at least a little bit of self discipline when it wasnÆt being stuffed down her throat by her mother

Excellent you are with me Sergeant Helen You served on the front yes Your service will be But then his words cut off as there was a great cry arising from the Wights A strange pillar of sickly green light descended from the skies and covered them all

Sentinel RoonstÆs face turned immediately grim Well Helen reflected as she studied the man critically Grimmer It seemed like the only change of expression he ever had was to frown more deeply She wondered if he woke up with a normal face and it was slowly twisted over the course of the day Fucking weird

ThatÆs the Ring of Mass Flight The copper haired woman who Helen had learned was named Jeneva Rawn said

Sentinel Roonst nodded this will make things difficult It might take away the advantage of the walls but it likely means they will gamble on a melee more quickly We must hold out until then

Should we not attack now Another man argued It is known that the Rings take a while to activate If we can strike before it is completed we will rout them

A portion is remaining on the ground Jeneva pointed out right as Helen was opening her mouth to call the man a dumbass That group would rip into an assault squad with Psychic Poison unless we deploy a significant amount of troops At that point is it worth it

Glumly the man fell silent EveryoneÆs mood turned bleaker and bleaker as they watched the strange light glow more intense

Strangely Helen didnÆt feel too much worry Subconsciously she turned and looked over to the spot where Randidly stood She wondered what he was up to

And as she was watching there was a bright light from that area that streaked across the sky and struck one of the Wights that was slowly floating upwards out of the trees The thing screeched and spasmed and then fell still

Helen blinked

A strange baleful song around amongst the Wights As they sang Helen knew from experience they would activate their Spectral Claws and prepare to fire Psychic poison The song built and built largely ignoring the singular steaks of orange fire that eliminated some of their fliers

But as it was building towards a crescendo there was a voice that cut through the strange and deadly song

Before a King the peasants are silent

There was a strange tingling in the air and the song of the Wights faltered Helen looked over and saw a strange bright light and a grey crown but then something drew her gaze back towards the Wights

The Witch King screamed and the two hosts rose from the ground to swarm through the sky Then Psychic Poison shot through the air towards Randidly and his crown like a monsoon

Chapter 606

Randidly was almost exasperated as the guards around him had looked up with fear towards the literal sea of energy that was shooting towards them After he had used some leftover Erickson Steel and his personal hammer to make his squad tower shields they just stood in the face of a projectile volley

These fools were worse than he thought

And the reinforcements he received werenÆt any better Just as he had finished the previous groupÆs shields another 60 had arrived with Mana Potions and offering any assistance they could So Randidly quickly hammered out another 20 shields while firing off Incinerating Bolts But when the strange Wights began to sing it had distracted him enough that he couldnÆt handle it anymore

Which is why he said what he said and why he meant it

Looking around at the guards around him Randidly slapped the back of oneÆs head Raise your fucking shields DonÆt just stand there and die

Awkwardly they did so The Psychic Poison that everyone seemed to fear closely resembled the plasma shot out of pistols from Zone 1 in that it was a strangely amorphous gas liquid Luckily it traveled much more slowly so even the most stunned spear user was able to position the piece of metal between themselves and the projectiles

Feeling rather bold Randidly stayed outside the cover of the shields and depleted his Mana completely by firing off a vicious barrage of Incinerating Bolts into the floating crowd of Wights Their skin caught the light in such a way that there seemed to be a floating swarm of fireflies that were alighting into the night sky They rose and rose like a blanket that threatened to rival the sea of stars above The whole while those strange green blobs shot down towards the walls of Niergem but concentrated on RandidlyÆs position

At the last second Randidly waved a hand and used Gravity Affinity to shift the blobs descending straight towards him to the side Right before the projectiles landed Randidly wondered if he should have perhaps considered that the people of Tellus had already considered shields He had seen buckler shields so perhaps these projectiles ignored them

He felt a sharp stab of guilt as there was an explosion of liquid goo gas that bounced harmlessly off the front of his tower shields There wasnÆt even a sound of the substance eating into the metal with an acid tilt It simply was reflected by the physical presence of something else

A strange sense of incredulous frustration emerged deep from within RandidlyÆs chest THIS was exactly why it was foolish to have the image of a world end up focused on the spear An unusual and rather mundane threat left them stunned and vulnerable

As if watching from a third perspective Randidly felt the crown about his head begin to thrum with the intensity of his emotions He sense of self dwindled away until he could see himself solely as a cog in a part of the larger battle His eyes burned emerald and he downed three Mana potions in quick succession Then he raised his hand and two dozen Incinerating Bolts shot outward

The Witch King was screaming but the noise felt incredibly distant due to the localized influence of his Silence portion of his Crown Randidly drank more Mana potions and felt a throbbing headache beginning to build behind his eyes It made him bare his teeth at the horde of screaming fireflies before him

Want to reclaim your voices Then spend your lives like dirty coins to reach me

Around Randidly the guards seemed rather stunned by the fact they had weathered the assault without any casualties Those squads near Randidly and without the shields were writhing on the ground in agony holding their heads Some of the stronger ones were standing but pale It truly seemed like there was some sort of mental attack included in that slime the Wights threw

And it couldnÆt pass through a shield

Another wave is coming donÆt slack off Randidly barked channeling his best Shal impression This time the people around him snapped back into focus with much more vigor Their shields went up to block the projectiles fired directly at them by the flying Wights

Some of the people towards the back werenÆt even using their shields so they spread down the walls to protect those who had survived the first volley With an expression of deep excitement the aging man who had brought the reinforcements popped up by his side

Astounding The spear is unable to stop the Psychic Poison due to the inherent finesse of the weapon but the Spearman was not bound by simply the spear It was his greatest tool but it was by no means the only one Sir Ghosthound do you have more of those large shields

Even while shooting out a dozen Incinerating Bolts Randidly frowned When his Mana reached dangerously low levels he drank another potion It was true that he did have more ingots of Erickson Steel inside his ring Most of them were failed attempts at making his ultimate metal which he dubbed Ghostblood Steel Still those failed attempts would be more than enough to block this strange poison attack

If anything the fact that they were failed attempts would make the process even simpler If it was actually the super dense and powerful steel Randidly had been aiming for it would take so long to hammer out it was no longer useful assistance But to do so would mean that he would need to cease attacking or at least sacrifice some accuracy as he focused on other things

Fine Randidly said shortly Honestly even these flurry of attacks werenÆt turning the tide There were simply too many Wights in the air

But there was one way that it had changed the course of the battle the entirety of one of the Hosts was swarming towards RandidlyÆs position drawn by the eye catching Incinerating Bolts that were killing the WightÆs companions Randidly spared them one last glance that was something like amusement before he crouched down and began to produce ingots and hammer out more tower shields It would take more than this Psychic Poison to shake his men holding up shields They would need

The Witch King screamed loud enough to penetrate through RandidlyÆs aura of Silence and Randidly grimaced Yes they would need to bring the fight to the wall Above them the Wights began to descend and held up their hands Strange elongated claws formed on their hands and they slashed threateningly as they fell from the side

Randidly cursed just as a few of his men set aside their shields and the Wights pulled up at the last minute The Wights behind them fired down Psychic Poison and the spear users went down groaning and swearing at whatever pain the poison inflicted

Shields up Randidly roared Shield one hand spear the other Only move to attack when they are close enough to be stabbed They arenÆt gonna fight fair so donÆt try to meet them

But then the Wights were all around so many that they blotted out RandidlyÆs sense of the rest of the battle even with the Perception boost provided by the Crown of Yggdrasil there were simply too many enemies to keep track of in the small area around him even for RandidlyÆs high Intelligence and Perception

Half finished Randidly handed off the shield he was working on and stood The compelling reason for him to continue attacking the Wights he had missed by thinking strategically On an individual basis RandidlyÆs spells kept the Wights honest They couldnÆt just float above and bombard the spear users if they were being bombarded back

With a light touch Randidly leaped upwards amongst the Wights Many pulled back shocked by the abruptness of his rise Soon he was in the thick of them Grinning one Wight rushed forward and raised his Spectral Claws to rip at RandidlyÆs back

Feeling slightly bored Randidly lifted Acri and sliced the fool in half Jesus were the Wights just as bad as the spear users Since he was up here at least use your advantages to press

And just as Randidly was thinking about it several attacked him at once flying at him from different directions As he was simply sailing through the air there wasnÆt an easy way for him to dodge

Not that he had to Acri once again knocked the attacks of them all aside and wounded two of the attackers That was when the group backed up and prepared to shoot Psychic Poison at him Immediately Randidly used Phantom Half Step several times and appeared near the largest group

As the explosion rocked the group and sent several Wights screaming from the sky Randidly used Phantom Half Step on some of his men on the wall to pull himself back down to safety It was a very Stamina intensive move that he had just used but it would give the Wights something to think about and he wasnÆt using the Stamina much anyway

Humming to himself and considering the battle Randidly drank another three Mana potions The headache was growing worse On the wall at least in RandidlyÆs area the fighting had moved into an awkward melee Some Wights had descended and struck out with their Spectral Claws but most still flew above and threw down Psychic Poison The spear users on the wall blocked as best as they could with the shields but most were painfully awkward They should be getting better but

Then Randidly froze They wouldnÆt get better Without Aether there would be no Skill development Leaving them as actual amateurs as opposed to the usual System empowered amateurs

Growling Randidly expelled an even larger cloud of Aether from his body It was dissipating quickly but it would hopefully give the fighters nearby a chance That was all they needed to hold the lines until someone did

A screech smashed against Randidly like a physical force sending him stumbling His crown trembled At the last second he activated Ashes to Ashes as a blur shot down at out the sky and hit the back of his neck

The world froze slowly and grew cold He became ash that dispersed and hissed as it ate into the diaphanous cloak around the large body that had attacked him As he reformed he considered his opponent gravely

The Witch King One of five in the Wight armies Likely above even his own current Stats and Skills

The smile grew like mold in darkness across RandidlyÆs face It was about time he faced a challenge

Chapter 607

As Randidly grinned at his opponent the thing grasped with its cold hands Above him a vicious claw condensed at such a speed that Randidly only had time to swear and throw himself backward before it crushed the spot where he was previously standing The air shuddered and cracked with the force of the spell and the keening wail of the Witch King sent a tremor through RandidlyÆs crown

It followed up with an equally quick thrust with its actual hand and this proved much more difficult to deal with Even as he shrugged to the side a chunk of RandidlyÆs shoulder was ripped out by pearly claws It wasnÆt even the speed of the attack what Randidly couldnÆt catch was the movements of the creature underneath its diaphanous cloak

When a person attacked that force came through the shoulders and elbow and finally the hands to thrust the weapon With the Witch King none of the joint movements prior to the final attack were visible Randidly needed to react solely to the attack itself without any forewarning

And the Witch King was faster than he was

To add insult to injury just as Randidly was regaining his balance one of the men under him rushed forward and physically body checked the Witch King Or tried to The Witch King slashed with its pearly claws and the shield and man behind it were split like butter Then it raised its head and screamed

A wave of Psychic Poison exploded outward and knocked Randidly and a few other spear users nearby were knocked backward With the cleared out area more and more Wights landed and began to run forward to flank the other defenders on the wall while their compatriots continued to bombard from above

Scanning the broken remnants of the defenders the Witch King hummed in contentment His gaze lingered on Randidly for a split second but then it turned away and began to float upwards

Even as RandidlyÆs body hit the ground and he felt the wooden battlements beneath him crack he snarled and pointed From the wooden base beneath them dozens of spikes shot upward impaling the newly arrived attackers They screamed in agony and Randidly blazed in denial with his Crown of Upheaval and Silence

But then he faltered as something strange began to grow in his chest It was self doubt and existential dread it was the pain of constant struggle to survive in a world that didnÆt care about you It was the surety that there would always be someone stronger someone more capable and the people that had chosen Randidly as their defender would die disappointed

It was a part of him whispered the Psychic Poison His skin began to twitch and then boil as the whispers grew more and more insistent But as his body almost mechanically got Randidly back to his feet his eyes blazed emerald

You will be silent Randidly hissed and the voices cracked and were broken Then burning along his skin continued but he ignored that as he doubled down on the slaughter of the invading Wights Barely five seconds had passed since the Witch King descended upon this portion of the defenses but RandidlyÆ squad was completely scattered and isolated A few struggled valiantly to both defend against those attacks from above and the harrying blows from the Wights that had landed on the wall But he watched three fall as he straightened

No more

The vines were more than enough to break the bodies of the Wights that were pouncing downwards Although their attacks were sharp their bodies were brittle and broke easily Those spear users that were still upright quickly spotted what was going on and moved to surround Randidly But with a sharp gesture he sent them back to man the wall

Because 20 meters away the Witch King removed his claw from the chest of the salt and pepper hair man who had brought the reinforcements and turned to glare at Randidly There were dozens of Wights screeching and flying in between the two but their gazes locked

Just to see what happened Randidly shot an Incinerating Bolt at the Witch KingÆs face It waved its hand and shattered the magical bolt

Well it was worth a try

Just as RandidlyÆs Perception was slowly starting to spread outward and account for a larger portion of the battlefield the Witch King charged at him and once more his entire focus narrowed This opponent was stronger than him and not just a little If he hadnÆt had a move like Ashes to Ashes to avoid that first blow

This time the Witch King flicked its claw and Randidly felt the space around him condense and then wrench him There was a force there and once more Randidly found himself thrown backward with nothing he could do One of his ribs popped painfully and the force of the strange Skill threw him off of the edge of the battlements

As he was falling towards the city below Randidly winced Although it was relatively weak compared to the Witch KingÆs other physical attacks how the fuck was a Skill like that fair Hopefully it had a high Mana cost because Randidly wasnÆt sure he could dodge it and it had instantly taken out 1/10th of his Health

Using Phantom Half Step on a Wight high in the air Randidly rapidly landed back on top of the wall and saw the Witch King use its claw to catch AzrielÆs needle like spear This seemed to be incredibly shocking to her because she didnÆt have any follow up as she stared at the thing

As it made to step forward and rip her in half Randidly used Plant Dominance to wrap up its legs and slow its step It was enough but barely The attack ripped her from shoulder to opposite hip With his Perception tied to plants Randidly could feel every drop of blood that exploded outward and soaked into the wooden battlements

After firing off a half dozen Incinerating Bolts to eliminate the Wights that dropped from the sky to capitalize on AzrielÆs weakness Randidly turned and slashed with Acri to meet the Witch KingÆs blow At the last second he used Idiosyncratic Cut to strike a sliver of time before the Witch KingÆs attack hit him The blow staggered the opponent but Randidly didnÆt dare trade honestly

His body dissolved into ash and formed back up 5 meters away only to be hit by a rapid flick of the Witch KingÆs claws This time his popping rib broke truly and the sharp pain in his side made him gasp

The thing was moving to follow up with the attack when it made a strange ticking noise and turned to once more catch AzrielÆs spear as it raced towards the back of its head Blood spurted outwards as her body was jolted to a stop so abruptly But this time Azriel twisted her spear to loosen the grip and then spun it expertly out of the Witch KingÆs grasp Her second thrust caught the thing in its chest

Above them the sky darkened and a golden hand appeared It hovered above them and its fingers flexed The Witch King ignored it and reached towards Azriel with the strange snake like abruptness it possessed

A voice overhead rumbled over them Your life is mine

At first Randidly believed the Witch King to be speaking But there was a split second where the Witch King paused after the voice boomed outward that convinced Randidly that this wasnÆt the case The speaker was someone else

Reinforcements

But as the floating hand shot downward towards the Witch King Randidly eyes witnessed one unavoidable conclusion the Witch King was a bit faster than the golden hand It would kill Azriel before the blow from above landed It might even have enough time to dodge

Still it might not So Randidly seemed to be frozen as the two attacks rushed closer towards their target His Crown burned with a blacklight glow

This strike could kill the Witch King The battle would be won and a great blow would be struck against the Wight armies

the people who have chosen me as their defender would be disappointed

But honestly how much did Randidly care about this war What he cared about was that Azriel had attacked the Witch King and distracted it twice while it was moving to attack Randidly That was something he would not soon forget

Exhaling slowly Randidly planted his feet and examined the Witch King as closely as he could The strange cloak kept most of the body parts hidden but Randidly could see its face and hands

The Spear Advances Ash Trails He said softly His body blurred as he shot forward as if shot out of a cannon He raised his spear and narrowed his eyes as space was rapidly devoured between himself and the Witch King

Chapter 608

Once more Randidly felt the Witch King pause as he rushed towards its back It considered blocking Randidly but it once again concluded it would be a waste Its claw continued to rip towards Azriel For her part she used the combined time of those two hesitations to reposition her spear and thrust again The thrust went wide of its body but knocked its far hand backward

Randidly didnÆt know whether to laugh or cry at her But if she lived he would thank her afterward

There was now less than a meter between the tip of his spear and the Witch KingÆs back Randidly bared his teeth and used As the Sun Stills In that small fraction of time he focused on pouring more and more weight into his spear To the point that Acri began to whine at the pressure it was under Randidly comforted it as best he could but continued to focus on the image of that impossible weight

All at once something gave and there was the deadweight of a dying sun inside the tip of that spear That dreadful weight crept forward

Due to AzrielÆs last attack the Witch King was no longer the person who would strike first it had altered his stance enough that Randidly would

His spear smashed into the Witch KingÆs spine and it instantly twisted around The force of the blow knocked it sideways and caused it pain for the first time of this fight so there was a fire in its eyes as it turned Then it paused

It held RandidlyÆs gaze for several seconds Its body began to fly backward There was understanding there It seemed to consider Then it nodded slightly It would be knocked flying and no longer attack Azriel Because with the force it borrowed from RandidlyÆs attack it would be able to dodge the golden hand from above

It shrilly chimed its appreciation but Randidly chuckled

Acri slashed left and inflicted a small blow on the Witch King But some of the weight from As the Sun Stills remained and RandidlyÆs spear was able to cut through the Witch KingÆs body Its acceptance turned into indignant disbelief in a second It howled but it didnÆt fight the momentum

There were some things more important than the blow that Randidly had struck at the last second and its own life was one of them

Abruptly Randidly felt his Crown shimmer and disappear The sense of clarity that he was operating under evaporated He landed with as much grace as he could his speed carrying him to stand in front of Azriel Although it hurt to do it he shoved her backward Then without missing a beat be used Phantom Half Step twice Or he meant to Unfortunately the strange headache that had built from his use of the Crown had made him miss completely depleting his Stamina Instead he used Phantom Half Step once and then desperately used Scarlet Burst once

That Skill moved him another meter backward away from the spot the Witch King was standing but it wasnÆt quite enough

The Witch King flew out over the wall The golden handÆs attack hit the battlements in between Azriel and Randidly Before he could register the sound the shockwave hit Randidly and for the third and hopefully final time threw him backward Then the entire battlements collapsed from the force of the attack The few surviving spear users fell downwards and struggled to right themselves as the wooden framework collapsed

Luckily the spear users were quicker than the Wights within a few seconds they had found their spears and jumped off of falling wood to slaughter the couple dozen Wights that were caught in the tragedy

Using Plant Dominance Randidly moved through the falling wood and reached out With both goals in hand he landed with Azriel in his arms and leaped farther away from the collapsing wall Above the Wights were buzzing furiously But a shrill noise that was likely from the Witch King stopped them in their tracks Slowly the floating army began to retreat

Randidly sighed with relief Then he shook his head slightly annoyed at himself Sure it made sense to be glad that the opponent retreated but still Randidly supposed it was a function of how powerful the Witch King was but he had gained quite a bit in the brief contact

With a slight pang Randidly realized it had been a few weeks since he had looked at his Status and extra PP anyway He was deep in some calculations for improving the copy of the runic language he was leaving for the people at Erickson Steel when Helen had messaged him Since then he had basically been jogging

Jogging would have honestly been a good time to handle his Path nonsense but he had been too caught up in trying to figure out the vibe that Helen was throwing off to address it So Randidly first found the medical portion of the defense force and dropped Azriel off there She was weakly trying to stand when he finally left shaking his head with exasperation And they called him stubborn

The two weeks prior to his departure from Earth hadnÆt been accounted for so Randidly gained a fair amount of Skill Level in Refine Extract Mana Engraving SpriggitÆs Tinkering and Engineering Savvy In addition to that he had experienced a few Levels of growth in things like Chosen of Fire and Gravity Affinity From all of these combined he had just about 50 PP

Aside from those weeks working on Earth he had also gained a fair amount of PP from the spar with Helen and his fighting today It was only a scattering of Skill Levels in Incinerating Bolt Circle of Flame Spear Mastery Idiosyncratic Cut Plant Dominance and Phantom Half Step but he had gained 19 Skill Levels in the Crown of Yggdrasil Silence and Upheaval and another 11 in As the Sun Stills Likely these were all gained in the 60 second clash with the Witch King

Overall he had 112 PP to pour into the Growth of Yggdrasil II Path which scored him 11 free Stats and 11 Vitality For the free Stats he put them into Agility After his run in with the Witch King Randidly realized that the amount he was pushing into Agility wasnÆt enough to handle the caliber of enemies he now was required to face He needed to up his game

Afterward he considered his Status

Level 27 (97%)

Health(/R per hour) 1922/3384 (1651)

Mana(/R per hour) 701/3979 (819)

Stam(/R per min) 1799/3150 (541)

Vit 355

End 158

Str 402

Agi 455

Perception 382

Reaction 365

Resistance 292

Willpower 470

Intelligence 506

Wisdom 339

Control 625

Focus 298

ProgenitorÆs Influence 12961

Skills (Soul Skill) Seven Lands of the Spectral Tree Lvl 1890

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 183 White PhantomÆs Half Step (Un) Lvl 79 Heavy Blow Lvl 96 Dagger Mastery Lvl 10 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 99 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 140 Block Lvl 74 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Sweep Lvl 54 Spear Deflect Lvl 10 Calculated Blow Lvl 93 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 72 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 106 Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Lvl 57 Body Control Freeze Lvl 37 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 35 Talon Strike Lvl 43 Counter Lvl 59

PoFE Class Skills Plant Dominance « Lvl 116 Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 9 Sharpness Lvl 79 Call Grove Defenders « Lvl 34 Earthquake (Un) Lvl 44 Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 14 Four Shaded Domain Lvl 29 PhantomÆs Lantern (Un) Lvl 35 Grasp of Lava « Lvl 80 Erode Image Lvl 7 Vengeful Bloom (Un) Lvl 19 Gallant Intervention (Human) Lvl 4 SpriggitÆs Tinkering « Lvl 75 Aether Understanding Lvl 51 Summon Lava Golem (Un) Lvl 46 Aether Infusion Lvl 45 Scarlet Burst « Lvl 1 Volatile Ash Lvl 1 Visualization « Lvl 1

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 86 As the Sun Stills Lvl 50

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom « The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 101 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Wild PhantomÆs Embrace Lvl 184 The Sixth Sign The Breath of the Spear Phantom « Lvl 65

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 106 Aether Manipulation Lvl 101 Living Aether « Lvl 106 System Interference Lvl 12

Spells Spearing Roots Lvl 99 Mana Bolt Lvl 28 Mana Shield Lvl 32 Arcane Orb Lvl 22 Fireball Lvl 30 Magic Missile Lvl 4 Healing Palm Lvl 12 Pollen of the Rafflesia Lvl 20 Summon Pestilence Lvl 55 Wall of Thorns Lvl 29 Yggdrasil Soul Seed « Inspiration « Incinerating Bolt Lvl 95 Circle of Flame Lvl 76 Plantomancy Lvl 35 Hammer of the Dawn Lvl 37 Burning Footsteps Lvl 23 Ashes to Ashes Lvl 61 Touch from Beyond « Lvl 24 Gravity Affinity Lvl 70 Incendiary Eruption Lvl 52

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 73 Farming Lvl 34 Plant Breeding Lvl 19 Mapmaker Lvl 7 Analyze Lvl 29 Refine Lvl 72 Extract Lvl 58 Mana Engraving Lvl 130

Yggdrasil Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 105 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 129 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 130 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 131 the Indomitable Spirit of Yggdrasil Lvl 127 the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil Lvl 119 Crown of Yggdrasil Silence and Upheaval Lvl 30

Auxiliary Sneak Lvl 46 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 63 First Aid Lvl 16 Pathfinding Lvl 18 Fire Resistance Lvl 102 Sewing Lvl 11 Cutting Vegetables Lvl 2 Manual Labor Lvl 6 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 73 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 25 Aether Connection Lvl 15 Soul Bond Lvl 105 ChefÆs Palette Lvl 30 Nether Resistance Lvl 13 Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 16 Chosen of Fire « Lvl 86 Engineering Savvy « Lvl 78

In addition to reaching Level 25 he had also gained two more Levels to put him at Level 27 Those free Stats were largely also pushed into Agility There was a part of Randidly that worried Helen was exaggerating the lack of worries by the individuals running the tournament but another part of him was furious that he had repressed himself and was glad to shoot up in Level

Hell if the tournament lasts a month or two there was probably a chance of him rushing straight up towards Level 50

Chapter 609

There were a few hours when Randidly was frantically using Plant Dominance to fish out and rescue the few spear users who were caught in the collapse of the wooden battlement Then there were another few hours where the survivors of his squad and the reinforcements he received spread the word of his tower shields and Randidly continued to pound his leftover metal into the shape of the shields

About the time when Randidly was considering whether to ask for more raw materials an officious looking man with a bushy mustache stomped over to the tent Randidly had set up near the edges of the debris pile

You are requested in the SentinelÆs tent He said shortly Then he spun on his heel and left

Randidly thought long and hard about ways to teach this man a lesson in respect The first instinct was violence the second was insults the third was much slower But with a sigh Randidly brushed off his hands and stored his hammer in his interspatial ring

Respect was not something you could just demand You earned it by giving it

So with a premonition of trouble Randidly walked towards the headquarters of Niergem As he passed through he saw imitations of the shield he had created Some of the spear users were using twisted nails to carve their Tassles likeness into the shield It brought a small smile to RandidlyÆs face and he also felt that part of him that was connected to his Crown pull further back

He hadnÆt realized it until this point but the Crown had not truly turned off since his battle with the Witch King It had sputtered out and been a constant drain in its broken state Now that he loosened that drain he felt part of him relax almost instinctually

It was not that the Crown cost Mana or Stamina but it was a constant weight on his thoughts More than that it was as though Randidly was forcefully standing on his tiptoes for an extended period of time It raised his will and impressed it upon the world around him That exertion was slowly becoming more and more natural but it was still more than Randidly could handle He would need to experiment with it in the future to get the hang of its uses

During the walk he also considered the fight against the Witch King In his initial excitement he had overlooked an important fact the Witch King was one of the elites of the Wights Effectively one of the most powerful individuals in this war It wasnÆt that he hadnÆt realized this in his rush of endorphins as the battle started but it was that he missed the important point that this opponent was far beyond his league

About as far beyond his league as he was above most of his opponents back on Earth

There was also the problem that he had somewhat forgotten how to fight opponents above his level Although he had planned the fight to be an epic confrontation he had simply met Strength with Strength and expected to come out ahead Instead Randidly knew that he should have relied on his mobility and the PhantomÆs Embrace arguably his most powerful combat Skill in order to gain an advantage

His time on Earth had made him somewhat lazy It was time to change that

When Randidly arrived at the tent of the Sentinel he was relieved to see that it was sparsely populated But the flinty look the man was giving him was enough to know that the other was aware of at least a portion of what transpired there

My attacks rarely miss I strike only when I have accounted for all variables I must admit that I underestimated you It is a testament to how far the Northern Domains have come that you were able to emerge from that area The Sentinel said with his hands neatly folded in front of him And yet I wonder why you chose to use those considerable abilities the way you did That woman is undoubtedly talented but how much is her life worth

The SentinelÆs eyes were dark and grey as the two regarded each other Two Lieutenants stood very still to the sides Their eyes were very pointedly not on the two figures There was more tension in the air than Randidly would have liked to admit He wasnÆt sure how this would turn out

Enough Randidly said simply And as he did so he felt Deific Mien of Yggdrasil spreading out from him Her life we are not close but she has done much to help me Her life is worth more than enough

Those grey eyes bore into Randidly seeking something Whatever he found took a long while to find because the next five minutes were only silence and their gazes Randidly dare not look away for fear of confirming something So he could only maintain the eye contact and grit his teeth

All of his old fears about human interactions were coming roaring back but he pushed down those voices and just maintained the gaze This was like talking and socializing but a thousand times worse because there was only the two of them and their held breath

Finally the Sentinel sighed It is regrettable But I concede there are many such individuals that would have given me pause You contributed much to the defense and from what I understand you have been distributing these larger shields to use For that you have my eternal gratitude It was not a move that would have turned the tide but it was enough to save many lives and more in the future But know this you owe me The price you would pay for this Azriel BlancheÆs life is a heavy

Randidly produced an object from his interspatial ring and threw it onto the desk in front of the Sentinel It was a pearly finger wearing a light blue ring

And how much is this worth

A few hours later Randidly moved into AzrielÆs medical tent to check on the woman He half expected to find her training but to his surprise she was meekly sitting in the bed reading a small leather bound book

She looked up sharply when he entered and made a face Ah IÆm glad you are here Thank you We can now consider this even for all of the help I have given you in training to fight Drak

Hey I went above and beyond your request Randidly said with a shake of his head I actually defeated him in battle ShouldnÆt you have owed me

When has life ever been about accomplishing a journey It was about telling a story Azriel said The story of my master who has been much maligned due to their nature A story of my blooming ability under my master A resounding victory Effectively you made my master irrelevant by ruining my great villain Now I must move the narrative to a grander stage

Azriel fell silent with an extremely intent expression on her face She was staring down at her book Soft white hairs hung down and framed her face She was so powerful and brave but her wrists looked so thin underneath the sheets

How long until you recover Randidly asked to change the subject

Azriel gave him a sideways glance what do you mean

I mean when are we leaving for the Central Domain Randidly said chiding himself for asking such a dumb question Likely Azriel was already healed She was only resting and spending time reading in the meantime It was strange compared to his knowledge of her but it reminded him strangely of people from Earth

Ah sometimes I forget how foreign you are It will take almost a week to recover And that is optimistic Grimacing Ariel shook her head Now that the Wights are here the damage they inflict are riddled with their newfound life energy To our bodies itÆs like poison I have heard tales of times where serious injuries take several months to heal from The worst never truly heal but leaves an individual crippled unable to even bear a spear

Randidly blinked Part of losing Aether was slower healing

That made a drawn out war much more dangerous It also explained why earlier losses in the war were so devastating When the wild attempts to retake the Spear source failed those people were actually injured They werenÆt able to utilize their full strength in the next assault and things stalled out to the current point

To the point that the Wights felt comfortable launching assaults on other Domains

Then Randidly said slowly as he put the pieces together

Azriel nodded Likely I will not participate in the finals None of the individuals here have any healing arts only the School of the Heart possess those arts I would choose to travel to meet some of the experts that are coming here for the tournament but I fear that the doctors have informed me that my injuries are so serious something inside of me is broken I will not be able to travel for a week

Chapter 610

Drake scratched his chin I donÆt get it What am I going for

As an ambassador of sorts Sydney said peacefully She was meticulously sculpting the ice in front of her to resemble a reindeer Her hands were smooth and even all the while she spoke to him The Order Caelum cannot solely be based out of East End we need a new source of Elementalists Everyone will send representatives I want you to get there first

My point was less about the usefulness of this Drake said slowly keeping his chin high I just wonder why I am the best candidate I believe my abilities would be better spent here training to take down the next Danger Zone The boost to experience gathering has reignited the fury for Leveling in Donnyton If I donÆt

You were successful in condensing your Fate yes Sydney said coolly

Almost subconsciously Drake glanced down at his hand The process had not been pleasant But on his left hand was a gauntlet made of bone that was his Fate In addition something inside of him had broken and been reformed He was now a Bone Revenant But just as soon as he made his name true by returning he was being sent away once more And Drake didnÆt know why

Yes But perhaps some time to consolidate my new Skills would be for the best Drake finally said

What are your new Skills Sydney asked without missing a beat

Drake winced If he had thought about it he would know she would ask this And it wasnÆt like he minded telling her Drake knew quite well that she would respond just as coolly if he refused to tell her the actual answer didnÆt make a difference It was just that he had piqued her curiosity

Increasingly she was detached and cool like this It had started when she obtained her ice elemental but it had slowly grown worse as she had become more and more powerful Drake knew that even the sculpting that he was witnessing now was a carefully designed activity to push her mastery over her Skills

That was what she had become Perhaps that was the answer Drake reflected She had become a true leader in her own right capable of swaying others No longer was she a young woman who led a town solely by default The responsibilities of her role had shaped her And that shape no longer needed her capable right hand

It left Drake feeling somewhat confused What what should he be doing The answer that he had insisted on for the last several months was protecting the East End but now

Drake You were spacing out Sydney said

Drake blinked Tireless Counter and Eternal Grasp Tireless Counter

Spare me the details we have lived with the System long enough to realize that we have grown far too specialized to benefit much from dwelling on each other’s every Skill Sydney leaned back from her sculpture and stood The reindeer stood almost two feet high and its eyes seemed to be locked on DrakeÆs Did you find anyone from the new cohort of guards that you believe in

No Drake said with a shake of the head As the Zone expanded outward all of the Villages had obtained an influx of residents East End had a certain allure as the nexus of Elementalists and people had steadily been coming in Unfortunately most of these were not the type that fit well into SydneyÆs Grey Guard the fighting force of East End Rather most were either mage leaning or at least scholarly Most had writerÆs bodies

Drake would have liked nothing more than to train a few strong guards Sydney had been pushing specifically for him to find a number two which was a daunting prospect Who else could accomplish what he could And why would she need anyone to And now she was sending

Well then thatÆs too bad Sydney said with a sigh She held her hand palm up and there was a burst of cold Suddenly a pale grey owl sat on her hand her Ice Familiar It just means you will have to go alone ItÆs true I cannot tell you what exactly you are aiming for while you go into this new Zone But the people there are stubborn and independent so I believe that if anyone can convince them to join the Order Caelum it’s you

Drake didnÆt point out that this made no sense he had been in the military his entire life and grew up following orders How could he reach these independent people

Instead he saluted and went to the door Sydney flexed her other hand There was a sharp crack and a blue raven formed on her other hand It turned one of its beady eyes on Drake

Any questions Sydney said She always asked this before he left to accomplish her orders

None Drake said He always answered this before he left to accomplish her orders

The journey to the new Zone was honestly rather simple From East End you traveled briefly West to Star Crossing and took the portal to Donnyton From there the newly established Manatech line ran South to Franksburg Once you were in Franksburg the hardest part was convincing the guard that he wasnÆt up to no good heading into the borderlands Although there was no law against it it was strongly discouraged to go walking into the borderlands

After all the city didnÆt want the blood of the foolish on its hands

But Sydney had been right as she usually was There were already caravans heading Southeast under heavy guard to make it into the new Zone The Donnyton Squads involved were all very polite but they made Drake somewhat uncomfortable Not only were they outside his chain of command but he could tell from their barely hidden whispers that they knew of him

More than that they knew that he had been a part of the legendary Raid Dungeon team who had fought next to the likes of Alana and Randidly Ghosthound He was a hero in the flesh

They were just so young

The time in the borderlands was uneventful in the way that they suffered several attacks from monsters but none that was enough to force Drake himself to fight The Squads went to great lengths to keep him relaxed The Level of the monsters in the borderlands was high enough that this mid tier Squad from Donnyton wasnÆt able to kill them but they did have methods to deal enough damage to scare monsters away

Watching them Drake shivered They werenÆt untalented but they were raw and exuberant in their moves It was the type of fighting that you would learn training with friends not a style learned while a horde of screaming monsters was attacking you They never had to realize that to fail was to kill everyone around you

Yet still they had strength They obviously worked hard but Drake also looked at their equipment very closely The top of the line stuff no longer made it out of Donnyton due to how powerful the equipment Sam could make was Finally they said he had learned how to harness the significant power of his Class the Dawn Smith

They said that Alana in her new suit of armor was the Goddess of War made flesh resplendent and golden

Tutting softly Drake opened his hand and Ryx looked curiously up at him Ryx was a porcupine with dusky skin and maroon eyes He was DrakeÆs familiar and was the only Death elemental that East End had ever seen A lot of the bookish type Elementalists in East End thought that RyxÆs presence and element was a breakthrough for the subject of Elemental research but to Drake he was a rare excuse to break with the rigid bindings of military tradition while traveling by cart to the new Zone

Ryx hopped down off DrakeÆs hand and inspected the surroundings After he satisfied himself Ryx settled in DrakeÆs lap and practically purred as Drake rubbed his snout

Having your Elemental constantly manifested was a powerful drain on Mana but from watching Sydney Drake had learned that it did more than increasing the Skill Level It also somehow improved empathy between the parties and this in turn marginally lowered the Mana associated with all Skills Developing a relationship with the elemental also improved the speed that it evolved

Elementals were only partially a Skill They also had their own strange Leveling System that occurred behind the scenes In theory one could have several Elementals The newer Elementals would benefit from a portion of the Skill you had with a prior Elemental but would need to start over from the beginning in terms of individual abilities

Still there was only one person who Drake had seen actually attempt this And that was a secret

When they arrived it wasnÆt to fanfare but rather to a chorus of moans Drake got out of the care to find that there was a backup of ambassadors waiting at the edge of the Zone Because there was a small fishing village here and then the water stretching as far as one could see

The villagers were a hardy slight people with an Asian cast to their features They noticed the new arrivals and then went about their business Having nothing better to do some of the delegations from other locations met DrakeÆs group for news In addition to himself there was a politician from Franksburg and a band of traveling performers looking to make their mark on the world

Drake slipped away as quietly as possible and approached a small hut at the edge of the village After scaring an old woman who was gardening he asked some questions about the situation

Apparently most of the population of this Zone lived on the central islands or on large boats that sailed around These fishing villages were in the minority And Rahman Strait the boat captain who had attacked Franksburg had owned the nearby waters Aside from his fleet very few boats stopped in the village And now that he had taken his warriors to shore to take land most of his remaining sailors had left and his boats had been stolen or scavenged

Above all else Drake learned that the people here were practical

So Drake said finally looking at the layers of calluses on the old womanÆs hands She lived here alone and money was a foreign concept to her She traded for what she needed and made do without what she couldnÆt afford The System was a great boon for her because it helped mitigate the effects of age on her life How long do you believe it will be until other boats come back

Not long She said Then she was silent

Drake wanted to sigh He wasnÆt much of a conversationalist but this woman

Then he spotted a small rowboat in the reeds near her hut Drake pointed Could could I use that to get to the islands where people are

The old woman chuckled and gave him a discerning glance If you give me that nice leather vest IÆll even paddle you halfway there

Chapter 611

This is about halfway Giver take Half a mind to take you a mite farther but itÆs getting late in the day The old woman said as she set down her oars and looked critically up at the sky

Blinking Drake looked around They were sitting in the middle of the body of water with not a land in sight What did she

The boat flipped Water filled his mouth Saltwater Drake thought bitterly Immediately the heavy metal studded leather armor he was wearing pulled him deeper into the dark water away from the relative safety of the boat As he sank the old woman seemed to flip through the water like a dolphin instantly circling the boat and righting it as he sank helplessly downward

As he moved his arms ineffectually trying to reverse his descent she grinned at him and flipped him off Then she kicked her feet and practically leaped out of the water and back up onto the boat

Swimming Skills Æ Drake thought sourly as he considered his options After a bit of hesitation he put his armor back into his interspatial ring and glared upwards as he began to swim Ryx for whatever reason maintained his physical form and used his small claws to cling to the rough cloth of DrakeÆs undershirt He wasnÆt the best swimmer but the stats he had compensated for a lot even when you didnÆt have the Skill

Still about 20 seconds later Drake realized he had two problems rapidly swarming fish monster and the boat was rapidly moving away across the water That damn old woman must have been sandbagging on the row out here

Another voice in DrakeÆs head whispered that this was his own fault He had accepted her offer of take him halfway there as an offer to take him to another small island with more boat traffic not literally halfway there But he hadnÆt attempted to iron out the details That was quite unlike him

In fact he had simply been furiously trying to figure out why Sydney had given him these orders without worrying much about the execution Perhaps he had assumed he would figure out when he got there but It was inexcusable It was his fault He was letting his insecurities cloud his judgment

And now a local had attempted to rob and perhaps even kill him This was not something he would let go

The bone gauntlet on his left hand throbbed Wincing Drake raised it an aimed at the departing boat Although the strange stone left by the Ghosthound allowed you somehow to deny the System and provided some shelter from the reverberations it didnÆt totally insulate you If you did it without their strange alter your Class wouldnÆt suffer the painful instability but it also wouldnÆt evolve

Drake didnÆt regret his decision but he wished it wasnÆt QUITE so fucking painful

Eternal Grasp He whispered as the many toothed fish drew closer There was a query from his bone gauntlet and Drake responded by blasting it with an image of Mr FantasticÆs arm stretching out almost infinitely

With a small noise the gauntlet trembled THen it began to bubble Finally it erupted outwards growing faster than it ever had in DrakeÆs practice So much so that the force of it expanding knocked off the stroke of his swimming and made him flounder somewhat as the strange monsters swamp closer

There were two main varieties One was a fat looking eel with a long snout and the other was a silvery fish the size of a hog with sharp looking fins along its sides Both were below Level 30 but there were probably a hundred of them gathering around Drake with more lurking along the edges of his sphere of Perception

The eels arrived first undulating through the water to flash crooked teeth Ryx squealed or perhaps simply growled underwater but then morphed into his shield form in a second In that form Ryx was a large perfectly circular shield positively bristling with spikes And if those spikes inflicted wounds lingered Drake knew that necrosis would set in fast enough to matter in this strange underwater battle

He managed to right himself just as the first arrived twisting around the shield as Drake swung it slowly to defend But as it passed by a hairÆs breadth Ryx stretched extending his quills to rake across the side of the eel It hissed in annoyance and came to bite Drake Sighing Drake activated his bone armor

Over the past several months this was the point he had pushed himself on the most In half a second the plates of bone erupted from his body to form a protective shell Without understanding what was happening the eel smashed its head into the shoulder guard and paused in the water clearly stunned

With a deft twist Drake smashed the thing against his armor grinding it to mush It was at that point that he started to wonder how long his enhanced body would be able to hold out without air especially while fighting A half second later his bone gauntlet smashed up into the boat now almost 100 yards away

Instantly he pulled back and the hand retracted enough to pull the stretched out bone tight between them And Drake pulled Sensation was still maintained through the extended arm so he felt his fingers gripping onto the soft wood of the boat as water flowed up into the hole he had made in the side

Then he pulled harder and his bone armored body jerked forward hitting one of the boar sized fish directly in the jolt of movement The thingÆs bones seemed to crack like rotten wood and suddenly Drake was among the fish As much as he could he swung Ryx in tight circles to keep them from swarming him Because once they understood he was now moving quickly sideways through the water as he retracted his Eternal Grasp they had the mobility to still run laps around him

Their attacks didnÆt seem to damage his bone armor but one thing that Drake had learned from the Ghosthound is to never give the opponent even the tiniest advantage they could use against you That was how giants were slain So he gritted his teeth and pulled the bone gauntlet back even more quickly His speed jumped and he smashed into another boarfish that was trying to slash at him with its fins The exertion caused his Class to twinge once more

Seven more scraped against his legs arms and back in the following second but he had also smashed three aside with Ryx It was then the eels caught up and began attacking his joints where his armor revealed him

At that moment Drake swore A blade had clunked awkwardly against his hand up in the boat ahead of him That foolish old woman was trying to hack his grip away Little did she know that the Eternal Grasp

Drake hit the boat with enough force to smash it to splinters It also briefly threw him above the water which gave him the chance to gulp down a breath before he splashed back underwater Unsure of his move above the water the sea monsters began to circle He looked around wildly and spotted the old woman swimming away through the water faster than she had been traveling by boat

You Drake began but checked himself One of the things that Sydney was very firm about was gendered language So even though he was far away from anyone hearing he bit back the acidic term and just growled

But then he lowered his gaze and swore an oath to find her whatever it took

Once he was no longer pursuing the old woman he could use his bone gauntlet in more offensive ways It took all of five minutes to rip the remaining monsters to shreds It took a further 6 hours after that to find dry land

Bedraggled and furious Drake walked slowly out of the water while dragging a Level 49 Seadragon Raid Boss that was too large for his Interspatial ring but he wanted to keep for the materials It had honestly been more luck than anything else that allowed Drake to kill it If it had used its strange energy breath he might have died But it tried to swallow him

Famous monster last move

When he emerged from the water there was a young Asian child on shore picking his or her nose As he approached the child began to cry Around the child there were two huts a small canoe and a few trees The island was about the size of a football field

I hate this Zone Drake said darkly

Chapter 612

Naffur Suite pulled at the cuffs of his long sleeved shirt so the crimson color could be seen just a bit at the edges of his sports coat sleeves He smiled at himself in the mirror

Congratulations You Skill Charming Exterior has increased to Level 32

It was a welcome notification after a week of inactivity and his smile turned softer and more genuine as he considered himself The suit was expensive but well made Although he couldnÆt normally afford it Naffur was already gambling everything on tomorrow night Spending a few hundred more dollars wouldnÆt make much of a difference to the amount he was standing to gain from the operation

And in the Orchard people like him donÆt live long if they donÆt succeed

Wonderful wonderful Mama Potter said rolling calmly over to stand next to Naffur as he considered himself She squeezed his shoulder Are you truly the same Class less pipsqueak that I took in 6 months ago Look at you I bet you could join the army if you wanted to

Naffur made an exaggeratedly pained face And miss your meals Mama I donÆt care about how high a mess officerÆs levels are Your cooking is the best

Congratulations Your Skill Flattery has increased to Level 19

With the notification improving NaffurÆs mood even further his gaze wandered over to Mama Potter She was extremely obese but Naffur believed that half of her weight was heart and naivety Apparently she was here at the very founding of the Orchard which was why she had such prominent location in the Old District She even had one of the GhosthoundÆs marks in her building

For all that he was one of the most powerful people in the world he had worked tirelessly to help erect most of the buildings in the old district by hand and in each one he would hide a scratched signature on the underside of beams Mama PotterÆs was in the bathroom on top of the doorframe

When Naffur had arrived released from the wilderness and thrown into the dangerous borderlands he used to climb up on the toilet and just stare at it Somehow looking at the messy scrawl calmed Naffur down And it made him remember a tingling hope that he had lost a long time ago

Maybe there really was such a thing as a hero

At the time Naffur arrived refugees were pouring into the Orchard There were so many that people slept in piles for safety Because while the Ghosthound was constantly active in the area he couldnÆt be everywhere And the SenatorÆs men meant well but they didn’t want to get involved in the gang disputes that quickly took shape

Mama Potter took Naffur in to save him from that He remembered sitting in a puddle of mud and wondering whether he would eventually get thirsty enough to drink this when someone cast a shadow over him When he looked up she asked him what his name was He replied and then she laughed aloud

Sweet What a wonderful name And an auspicious one Would you like to help me bake some cupcakes

A path to a clean and stable life was opened to him at that moment

But it would only take him a month to fuck it up

Shush you wonÆt miss my cooking youÆll just miss Mareen Mama Potter said with a wink Naffur flushed but didnÆt say anything He knew that she would only tease him more relentlessly if he tried to deny it

Naffur was 16 he thought or maybe 17 now Mareen was the 19 year old clerk that worked busy shift after 6 pm when the builders and guards switched shifts and spent some of their coin in the shops She wasnÆt exactly perfect looking but she had a voice that drew clients into the business like a trail of honey

Naffur wasnÆt sure what Level her singing was at but it seemed to be damn high Maybe even close to 70 or something ridiculous So much so that he had a secret worry in his heart that one day the Ghosthound or the Senator or someone important like Thaddeus Hatch would show up hear her singing and take her away Not like kidnap just offer her something better than this

NaffurÆs expression was rather morose was he regarded himself once more The crimson of the shirt seemed positively maroon After all why wouldnÆt she go with them She deserved

Mama Potter pinched him so powerfully that he yelped

Congratulations Your Skill Feign Injury has reached Level 49

DonÆt go looking like that not in a new suit Mama Potter said balefully squinting at him Whatcha need this for anyway Have you finally landed a job

Not yet Mama Naffur said forcing a wooden smile onto his face

Congratulations Your Skill Deceitful Words has reached Level 33

Mama Potter made to pinch him again and he sidestepped around it easily Frowning at him she opened her mouth then went pale You do you have a lottery ticket

This time NaffurÆs smile was genuine For whatever was going to happen Naffur was still going to get the chance to pretend to be someone else for a day For a while he wouldnÆt be a poor NCC He could be

Yea Mama Exciting right Now donÆt try and convince me to give it up A man like me just needs one chance to impress those bigwigs By this time next week

Mama Potter enveloped him in a hug What part of you is a man my Sweet But IÆm so happy IÆm so so so happy

Naffur felt a twinge in his chest so much so that his Deceitful Words wouldnÆt come Because tomorrow night Naffur would be playing a role that he had never played before For one night he would be a supervillain

After he left Naffur climbed up onto the roof and peered around the Old District of the Orchard The buildings were all connected with a series of trellises and metal pathways that had been added after the fact as the money in the Orchard moved elsewhere What was left looked something like a steampunk beehive with people crawling along the outsides of the buildings about as much as they moved inside of them

Walking quickly he soon reached the small shack built on top of a covered walkway between two buildings It was high enough off the ground that a fall would probably injure someone who hadnÆt put a lot of points into Physical Defense stats so no families wanted the space And the covered pathway was skinny enough that no one with any clout would fight him for it It was the spot only for the desperate

Ever since Naffur had found it two months ago he had really started to love his little lean to

Once inside he removed the clothes with great care and put them into a pile in the clean corner of the shed The clean corner was the corner that wasnÆt the door the bed or the chamber pot It still made Naffur somewhat leery so he wrapped the clothes in plastic for extra protection Then he sighed and left for a meeting

He was late due to his enjoyment at Mana PotterÆs and being late only meant one thing

Jesus fuck me Naffur gasped as a fist struck his abdomen

Congratulations Your Skill Feign Injury has reached Level 50 Congratulations the Path of Cowardice I is open to you

The notification stopped NaffurÆs fake moans in their tracks It felt it felt like the System was criticizing him and that pissed him off so much The two men beating him seemed almost relieved and continued to smack him around in silence

I didnÆt want this Æ Naffur thought curled up into a ball with tears in his eyes Do you think I picked this Path This is all there is Æ

But still that spark of fury didnÆt die And as one of the two men threw a careless overhand blow Naffur lashed out with his foot and caught the man in the groin He went down like a house of cards blown over

Congratulations Your Skill Cheap Shot has reached Level 40

This extended his beating for several minutes but was ultimately worth it At the end of it he was hauled up and made to stand before a rather unfamiliar man with a thinning hairline One of the thugs the one he had kicked twisted NaffurÆs arm painfully behind his back and pushed him forward

Say hello to the big boss he came in special from the West for this job So scum like you donÆt fuck it up

Wincing Naffur stepped forward and considered the man before him The gang he owed money to was the Haveheights who mostly just ran the brothels and casinos on the outskirts of the Orchard They were rough men and women who cared about coins and fists But the man in front of him seemed different And not in a good way

The man seemed equally nonplussed at Naffur This this is the best we can get Well it ainÆt your fault kid but that just means you are gonna need to work that much harder

The man extended his hand The name is Ricky Stain A pleasure to be working with you

Chapter 613

The Lottery was a concept that Senator Firefly came up with to both encourage enrollment in the military and to give the lower classes in the Orchard a way to rise up Even though it had only been several months the Orchard was beginning to move towards being rough in some districts To escape that the Lottery was born

It wasnÆt truly a lottery but part of it was random The idea was that buying rations from one of the sponsored grocery stores would always come with a paper pouch If you arrived home and ripped open the paper pouch to find a golden ticket that was an admit one to the chance of the lifetime

The Lottery occurred every month on the last day Each month 30 tickets would be distributed to the surrounding grocery stores Those tickets would allow you to attend the lottery which was an event where you would be put in front of the elites of the military the research department political organizations Chivalric Orders it was basically a giant job interview And very rarely did people attend seriously and not receive some sort of compensation

There were a few caveats however Namely that a person could only attend a Lottery one time and they couldnÆt have a Class

None of this would even matter however if there hadnÆt been an accident at last months Lottery A man with the ability to shatter stone with his fists destroyed the stage and collapsed it on top of spectators It was in the Old District so hundreds were injured and there were even a few deaths

After that Senator Firefly pulled some strings to move Lottery to a sturdier location and one that befitted the solemnity of the occasion The penthouse ballroom of the Manhattan Building in the commercial district of the Orchard

Aside from the scene views available in the penthouse ballroom one particular factoid of note was that the Manhattan Building was home to OrchardÆs largest bank on the bottom few floors

So as people ooÆd and ahhÆd at the chance to be inside the penthouse ballroom of the Manhattan Building someone within the Haveheights opened up a lottery ticket and had an idea use the ticket to enter into the Manhattan Building to rob the bank Not of all of its money of course but as much as that person could carry

Still the Haveheights had a problem all of their influential members had already obtained a Class It was a quick path to power and they had taken it to stay competitive in a city that was increasingly full of power hungry gangs Besides that they would need someone that they could control to do it The Haveheights would look like fools if the person they picked to go in just fled with the money So they needed leverage on that person And vulnerabilities

That was why Ricky Stain took the time to explain the details of the plan to Naffur Suite

Naffur was rather skeptical that entering through the use of a lottery ticket would do that much to help in the mission But by the end he was somewhat swayed His listened with sweaty palms as Stain explained that having the applicants demonstrate their combat Skills was very common so they would be able to bring weapons into the building In addition quite a few of the rather capable security guards the bank employed would be diverted to the ballroom to protect the VIPs

Although the System generally meant that people at the top could use their influence to speed up their Leveling and grow strong very few relied solely on their strength It was very rare to see even the most powerful Classer without bodyguards

Randidly Ghosthound was the exception that proved the rule If you weren’t him it was better to be safe than sorry

The plan was rather simple During the combat portion Naffur was to look for an opportunity to be injured Use that opportunity to go to the healerÆs tent and afterward excuse himself to go to the bathroom Slip away from or incapacitate any guards who followed him and then drop down to the ground floor to launch a surprise attack on the back of the guards

When they heard the commotion the rest of the team that was waiting outside will attack During the confusion Naffur was to grab as much currency and valuables as he could find and slip out

The more Naffur listened to Ricky Stain the more he realized something Even if things went South the Haveheights would lose nothing Naffur would need to accomplish almost everything successfully before they would even become involved It wasnÆt particularly complicated but

You know itÆs not all bad I know of your circumstances Ricky Stain grinned and revealed yellowing teeth Got a taste for craps eh kid But if you do well here who knows there will probably be more jobs like this in the future You could be so rich that your organization hires from the lottery WouldnÆt that be something

The Stain held out the shimmery golden ticket

As Naffur reached out to take the ticket he froze Ricky Stain had drawn a plasma pistol and was pointing it at his chest At this range it was impossible to dodge And Naffur had seen plasma eat through human bones like

DonÆt fuck this up Ricky Stain reversed the pistol and offered it to Naffur Welcome to the team

The next day passed in a blur Before Naffur knew it he was walking up to the Manhattan Building in a suit There was a cheap exosuit on his back an energy suit He had several plasma grenades a plasma pistol and a concussion charge The elevator he rode up in was a light blue with silver metal trim After looking at it for a while Naffur went pale it was genuine silver

By sheer coincidence he road up with a tall woman who was scribbling furiously in a small notebook while mumbling to herself She seemed to be practicing what she would say to impress the people she might meet

Incredible the woman muttered The combat spirit around you is so thick Mr Ghosthound ItÆs a pleasure

Naffur tried not to roll his eyes Was she practicing lines in case she met actually met him The Ghosthound rarely came to the Lottery events Even the people who ran the lottery aside from Senator Firefly wanted to meet the Ghosthound That was just the kind of person a hero was There was always another task that needed doing

To NaffurÆs surprise the first part of the plan went off so well it was uncanny After being gobsmacked by the opulence of the strange floating globes of light and the crystal dome covering the entirety of the ballroom Naffur was informed that as he was a few hours early to take some time to be acquainted with the space There were a dozen people already there practicing their Skills Naffur wandered over to an athletic bald man and timidly asked if he wanted to spar a bit

He was so nervous that his Deceitful Words Skill didn’tÆ even proc But the man accepted and they began fighting Naffur well he wasnÆt bad at fighting but he wasnÆt good either He had no true offensive Skills Most of his fighting revolved around using Feign Injury and Feints to confuse the opponent then striking with Cheap Shot

As it turned out his opponent was rather skilled in the mental games associated with fighting and it became a genuinely enjoyable duel for a while Then gritting his teeth Naffur deflected the manÆs blow just a hair too weakly and his follow up low kick cracked into NaffurÆs side

Oof Naffur said dramatically gasping and staggering backward Looking concerned the other man stopped

One of the employees walked quickly over and waved the man away DonÆt worry about it this happens a lot Kid you alright Head down a floor there is a healer waiting there for situations like this But hurry we will probably start in 25 minutes

Feeling like he was sleepwalking Naffur limped convincingly to the elevators The doors opened A young womanÆs humming reached his ears With widening eyes Naffur watched Mareen walk out of the elevator so intent on whatever she was thinking about that she didnÆt see him

Ow IÆm sorr Naffur ” She blinked at him “Oh wow I canÆt believe you got a ticket too Beaming she gave him an impulsive hug Wah IÆm so nervous ItÆs good to see a familiar face Ah where were you going

Naffur mumbled something about the bathroom and tried to forget the feeling of her warm hands It wasnÆt until elevator doors closed that he could breathe again

Why why did she have to be here If the bank was robbed and he disappeared would they know it was him Could he sneak back somehow

With a ding the elevator doors opened Because of his somewhat shocked state it took Naffur a while to register what was going on in front of him In the ornate hallway across the tiled floor There was a pool of blood spreading from a man wearing a Red Cross robe the healer Above him glowing with power was a two meter tall portal

A temporary portal Naffur recognized with a start They cost a fortune and only persisted for 24 hours but for short jobs they were

Someone killed the healer A voice seemed to whisper and Naffur shivered His feet seemed stuck to the floor Slowly the elevator doors closed with a soft click What what was he supposed to do

If he was caught here

His thoughts were a jumbled mess Naffur fumbled in his pack and removed a mask from the bag There had been a lot of attempts to capture the Ghosthound in an image and this was the one that he always preferred The face was that of a cartoonish dogÆs but the fur was dark grey and the eyes were emerald green

Originally it would have been an ironic disguise for a robber Now it was a much needed refuge from the reality of the situation

His fingers were trembling as he pulled the mask over his face It helped a lot to calm his hyperventilating breathing There was a dead man on the other side of the elevator doors Someone seemed to have the same idea as the Haveheights and a lot more of a budget to accomplish it And these criminals were willing to kill

What if they werenÆt here just for the robbing Could they use it to attack Senator Firefly Naffur had heard that he had been attacked by assassins in the past And if they did attack

Mareen

It was then that Naffur heard the voices

SomeoneÆs gonna have to clean this up A female voice said

There will be a lot to clean up after weÆre done Just try to keep the mission in mind alright

Yea yea Came the tired reply The voices seemed to trail off right in front of Naffur

Then the elevator dinged The doors slide slowly open

When he first heard the noise Naffur didnÆt even realize what it would mean But with dawning horror he watched the body of a woman and a man in combat gear come into his vision as the door parted Immediately NaffurÆs eyes went to their boots They were stained with blood

What should he do What should he

The Ghosthound The woman said stupidly looking at Naffur

What would the Ghosthound do if he were here What would a hero do

NaffurÆs hand tightened into a fist That spark that he had carried today after obtaining the Path of Cowardice hit his fear and ignited into an explosion of emotion that Naffur didnÆt know he had possessed

The Ghosthound would punch obviously

Congratulations You have learned the Skill Intrepid Hammer Lvl 1

NaffurÆs fist caught the womanÆs right cheekbone moving so quickly that even he as the attacker was taken somewhat aback The bone cracked and her body buckled underneath the excessive force

Congratulations Your Skill Intrepid Hammer has reached Level 2

The impact made NaffurÆs arm ache Like a puppet with her strings cut the woman spun across the ground and rolled through the pool of blood screaming The man seemed so shocked that he didnÆt react for a second Then he drew his plasma rifle but not before Naffur thought better of his action and pressed the penthouse floor button on the elevator

As the door closed and the elevator began to rise Naffur threw himself to the side as a beam of plasma ripped through the silver and blue elevator His heart was pounding He wanted to vomit His hand ached

And Naffur Suite had no idea what to do next

Chapter 614

After Azriel stated that she would not participate in the finals Randidly stared at her for a long time He supposed what she was saying made sense Was he really so far removed from old Earth that he didnÆt remember the hazard of injuries

Not that he had been injured very often There was one time he broke a finger but it was a relatively minor injury Still it had been a persistent pain for Randidly for quite a while This situation however was a bit different

Azriel smirked at him DonÆt make such a face Regrets come easily and leave just as fast I will find the necessary stage to prove my masterÆs capabilities If something like this stops me then it simply proves I wasnÆt ready for it Perhaps mentally more than physically

Immediately Randidly knew he had an answer for her If he created an Aether Connection to Azriel she would have energy once more flowing into her body that would help the wounds heal In addition it would give her a boost that would enable her to gather power much more quickly The speed at which she would gain Levels would jump

There were two concerns that Randidly had The first was the tournament Such a boost would vastly increase AzrielÆs chances of winning Or at least in RandidlyÆs mind they did Of everyone at his Level in this world she was the strongest Her ability to read and recognize an opponentÆs Skills was positively uncanny There were very few attacks that she wouldnÆt be able to counter when they were deployed against her for the second time

Now his powerful sense that she would be the winner of the tournament might be off base the Northern Domain was the backwoods of ShalÆs world But it felt like a premonition to him

Ultimately however Randidly didnÆt really give a shit about the tournament It was small potatoes on his plate Instead he believed he should focus on the way the System worked so he could predict how it would proceed on Earth

ShalÆs world Tellus was entered into the Nexus hundreds of years ago so the details were a little shaky But Randidly sensed that there was a secret hidden in the way this world functioned in a constant struggle with another world While he was here Randidly would investigate what this strange connection meant for the System It was his current goal

He hoped the tournament wouldnÆt interfere too much with this goal

Second and more concerning establishing an Aether connection with Azriel would bind them together And although the effects were currently small Randidly couldnÆt help but be aware that he was influenced by the people he was connected to even as they were influenced by him And as the person that was at the center of the web there were the most influences active upon him

It was hard to tell whether such things would shape just his Skills or even his personality but it was something to keep in mind Because Randidly knew next to nothing about Azriel She was the last inheritor of a dying Style She was to be married off in order to cement one StyleÆs ascension in the North

Through sheer force of will and through a little help from Randidly all of those plots had been foiled But at her core who was she

Still Azriel said suddenly shocking Randidly awake from his thoughts I must admit that I I almost feel better saying this to you

There she seemed to pause and a small from emerged on her face yes I definitely feel better after talking to you Not just emotionally but physically Am I healing faster

Now her eyes pierced through him You have a way of helping me Can you heal Well whatever it is please I would prefer not to miss this chance On my name of Azriel Blanche I swear to you that I will repay this kindness if you can help me

Randidly chuckled in spite of himself Where did the fatalistic Azriel who was just sitting here go That was an abrupt shift to begging for help

Shamelessly Azriel flipped her hair over her shoulder I am a creature of necessity It turns out it is possible I need not come to terms with my condition I am reevaluating

Still Randidly considered the young woman in front of him carefully Her white hair framed her face in a way that made her look very young For the first time since they had met Randidly wondered how young she was Did it make a difference in the decision to provide her with Aether He supposed it did

How old are you Randidly asked quietly His eyes were intent on her the entire time

Matter of factly Azriel said 27 And you

Randidly opened his mouth then hesitated How old was he now 25 I think But sometimes the System makes it hard

mm You look old for your age You are frowning all the time Azriel said Then she tilted her head to the side So Can you help me Randidly Ghosthound I do not give my word of repayment lightly

It was a toss up But the negatives werenÆt so present that Randidly wanted to stay cautious He had worked together with Azriel in the past and it had turned out well He wouldnÆt mind doing so again

He reached out and touched a hand to her shoulder

Helen knew rationally that what she was about to do could get her court martialled Her hand twitched Her spear strapped to her back seemed to sway calling for her grip But she withstood the temptation Barely

What did you just say to me Helen wasnÆt sure whether to be happy or sad at how violent her tone was But it was the truth and the part of Helen that wanted to keep her cool was swiftly losing

Had it really only been a few weeks since she had received permission for her leave of absence from the army It felt like it was years ago There was a drain inside of her and all of her self control was slipping away

It is a not a pretty truth Viro Roonst Sentinel of Niergem said with a placid face I am a man I have needs It will not be the work you are accustomed to sure but I will take great care to respect your boundaries Things can be perfectly amicable between us

Now why Helen began but Roonst cut her off

LetÆs not play coy dear You are far too well shaped for that He said with a small smirk I am familiar with your relationship with Randidly Ghosthound He owes me Although he provided the Ring of Mass Flight if he had not interfered I would have killed one of the five Witch Kings of the Wights That

Baseless Helen said with a snort enraged by so many things the Sentinel was saying that she didnÆt know where to begin And he put his life on the line to save the life of a comrade

A civilian although her status is somewhat delicate Roonst commented

Helen continued unabated And much more talented spear users than you have attempted to kill the Witch Kings to no avail

That quite enough the Sentinel barked hitting Helen with a glare There was still enough military training in her that she went silent although she was beginning to believe that this man was not deserving of the respect his position afforded him I had hoped you would understand I am aware of your relationship with Mr Ghosthound you served as his spear attendant If you will not repay me I will be forced to go after him more directly He will pay

For a second Helen froze solid He knew about their relationship Even she didnÆt understand what they had been and what they were now several months later without any contact If it truly was as simple as her being his spear attendant in the past But honestly wasnÆt that all they truly ever were Even if they had once

But then Roonst had threatened Randidly directly And to that Helen had only one response

She laughed in his face

His frown deepened Perhaps you think that I am joking or that the under 25 Inter School tournament gives me pause I assure you that is not the case Listen to me What I am offering is perhaps an indignity but it is a promotion And after some time serving under me you could

The only service I would do under you Helen spat Is trimming your scrotum as a service to every woman who has the bad luck of being in your chain of command And no I donÆt think you are joking but itÆs a joke that you think can threaten Randidly Ghosthound

Now Roonst snorted And the air in the command tent trembled It seems under 25s have lost their sense of perspective If you wonÆt help me I will be forced to

Did you know who he is Helen said sweetly He is Randidly Ghosthound the youngest inheritor of the Spear Phantom Style He is ShalÆs disciple

Viro Roonst looked confused for several seconds Then he went pale

Chapter 615

Shal stood calmly with his hands behind his back He was currently abreast with a stern woman with her grey hair shorn short They both stood behind an aged and slim woman who sat at an ornate wooden table in a dimly lit room

There were three other figures at the table

Versault Ignis a morose looking man with dark black hair and pink skin steepled his fingers We have been unable to determine what occurred But as you all have said it is undeniable that someone in my School betrayed us Inquiries will continue

The leader of the Spearman School Aylwind Sky was an imposing individual whose arms with crisscrossed with scars He closed his eyes before he spoke Versault is your Death School really unable to discover a single thing Is this a cover up or is the sadistic discipline of the Death School simply a tale invented by the Spear School to scare their children

Versault could only stare at the table

Sighing Sheenissi Faa waved her hand She was the leader of the aforementioned Spear School and there was a small crease between her brows as her School was the made the butt of a barb Enough Normally I would agree with you Aylwind but the question you keep ignoring is why The only people who benefit from the betrayal were the Wights none amongst us can continue to grow in Level like this

Which isnÆt exactly true Æ Shal thought to himself

Faa threw up her hands it is difficult to admit but perhaps the oracle was wrong

All three other figures looked to Ophelia Vade the head of the Heart School behind which Shall stood

She smiled if we begin believing that the Oracle is not prescient has not all of our actions these past 100 years been for naught

A heavy silence filled the room On AylwindÆs face especially the tightly controlled fury could be seen But just as soon as it was there it was gone and his face was a blank mask Shal glanced at his fellow Lieutenant behind Ophelia The corner of her mouth twitched

LetÆs shift the discussion Faa said The under 25 competition will be held soon The shift of venue to the Spearman School was supposed to lower the danger yet after reading the rules

And do not forget the recent attack on Niergem Ophelia said quietly

Inwardly Shal winced His disciple Randidly Ghosthound was back What did it mean That part of his life seemed to be covered with a thick fog that stemmed from the influence of Lucretia His mother

If Randidly was back did that also mean

Faa nodded Indeed my thoughts were on the same matter Although it ended up being a victory in that one of the rings was obtained from the Wights we cannot count on such things happening again We were taken by surprise again If we remain on the back foot

Is it not fine Versault interrupted The Spearman taught us that only through struggle may we find growth These are our most talented youngsters and our most valuable resource now that many in the elder generation have been injured If we are to benefit most from their presence we must make use of them

And making use of them will help them grow I agree Aylwind said with a nod Look I know the area best Although the Southern Domain is lost the rest of the areas are largely safe

It was an interesting statement to make Shal reflected from the man who famously had never left his high tower in the Central Domain

According to your suggestion the Southern Domain will be the theatre of the competition Faa hissed Her perpetually worried face contorted further I agree these youths are an invaluable and largely intact resource but I hardly see how that means we should

It Ophelia said shortly Is an auspicious time for battle

Everyone paused and looked at her Although it was inconsistent it couldnÆt be denied that the Heart School held great influence for the past 100 years due to the arrival of the Oracle And as her representative Ophelia could not be ignored

Aylwind slowly released a breath Is that a specific or general prediction

With a half shrug Ophelia said Who can say It is only by the whims of the fates that we get small glimpses beyond our current time But after winning the surprise victory in Niergem I believe it is time to act My Lieutenant Shal will move to assist the Death School in dealing with the two Witch Kings active there will goals of eliminating them

Is that If it were anyone else Shal would have interpreted the pause as the speaker searching for a polite way of saying it As the speaker was Versault Shal knew it was simply because the bleak man was savoring the hollow sound of his voice likely

Shal clenched his fists These past 8 months had been the toughest of his life After seeming to reawaken for the first time since the tragedy in his childhood Shal wandered the world seeking a challenge At the end of it he was a Lieutenant to the most powerful School in the world He had reached Level 77 and his highest Skill Level was nearing 230 His growth these past months was unbelievable Even Shal found it difficult to understand

But he knew the truth It was because he was a being that straddled two worlds and drew energy from both Although everyone else here had stuttered to a stop ShalÆs Wight blood let him hit the ground running If anyone were to do it it would be him

Aylwind scowled over OpheliaÆs shoulder at Shal I must say I share similar doubts This is not a man with an established track record

And yet he has my trust Ophelia countered What more matters

An hour later Shal stood in Ophelia study waiting for her to speak

what did you think Are we misled or are we missing something Ophelia said simply

Shal kept his hands behind his back Of the two being misled seems more likely This it is known that infighting is common amongst those of the Death School I believe you are right to say that our problem is that we donÆt understand the game these traitors are playing

Ophelia nodded absently But Versault would know this as well And yet he has been able to find nothing Although I do not like him he has survived as the Head of the Death School for 40 years There is no doubt about his capabilities both as a spear user and as a politician

Then there is one option The traitor is Versault Shal said simply He knew his role It had taken much to get here but sometimes he wondered if it wasnÆt all another ploy For all that he now followed Ophelia she was just as deft a leader as Versault if not more so

Right now Ophelia wanted him to be the blunt weapon to her needle So he would be

Because she was one of the few people who knew the full version of the prophecy about ShalÆs life

She chuckled You certainly are enthusiastic Perhaps it is better not to speak of such things But when you head into the Death School keep your eyes open Have you ever traveled there before

Shal shook his head No but I do not believe it likely it is overmuch hard I am capable

Your confidence is extremely becoming Ophelia noted But see that no one knows of your true Skills

Frowning Shal asked Then how will I kill a Witch King I believe

The Schools work together but all are drawing their knives as stealthily as possible Your story is too well known for me to hide you it is better for me to treat you as a pawn But for that to be believable you must not appear to be a Master As long as that is concealed you will be as safe as a man at war can be

I must ask is all of this necessary Shal asked with a tired voice Why donÆt the leaders of the Schools move Due to your age I have to imagine your Skill Levels

Yes well there is a bigger problem that Skill Levels You are young so you do not yet understand the existential dread of the aging and powerful But it is enough to say we are scared Shal For the elderly have long been fighting against an enemy that cannot be defeated and you do not recover from meeting such a foe Your spine will never again stand so straight as before

Ophelia dismissed him and Shal went back to his quarters to prepare for the journey He considered briefly the option of sending Randidly a message but decided against it The boy was young and foolish Let him enjoy the small games of the world for a while

His reckoning would come in time

Chapter 616

The next day Randidly Helen and Azriel set out on their journey towards the Central Domain This would be at least a week long leg without teleporting and no one had the funds to swing all three of them The representatives of the Western Domain would be departing by teleportation in a few days Helen seemed tight lipped when Randidly suggested that they ask the military to assist them and just glared at him until he let it go

Although they could get varies mounts none were as consistent and quick as their own bodies Therefore they would continue the rest of their journey on foot The first day of this was relatively novel as they passed through strange pyramidal trunked trees that Randidly didnÆt recognize

But by lunch on the second day of jogging Randidly was bored It didnÆt help that AzrielÆs injuries were still lingering so she wasnÆt able to go at full speed So he had spent a day and a half slow jogging He spent his Mana as much as possible forming Incendiary Eruptions and Lava Golems but it wasnÆt really that entertaining

Plus it was difficult to lose himself in the sensation of training while the dull cadence of jogging kept scratching at his senses It was difficult to turn jogging into an autopilot activity like he had done others in the past

Instead most of the focus Randidly had was not raising the Level of his Skills but strengthening his images More and more he weaved the sharp image of impossible heat he had used in As the Sun Stills into his various fire Skills There were only small changes at first but the more he pushed the more he felt the flavor of the Skill changing In addition he gained a few Skill Levels in Visualization

Luckily Helen brought something up at lunch of their second day

I believe I was mistaken when I said we shouldnÆt spar She announced as Randidly expertly flipped the vegetables he was frying

He peered up at her then sideways at Azriel who was reading a leatherbound book Is this because

No Her glare could spoil milk When Azriel heals I believe it would be good for her to join in the sparring as well Before I thought that it might give either side an unfair edge but now that we have fought some it seems

I agree Azriel said looking up from her book She looked at Randidly and then shook her head You are rusty What sort of fool attacks a Witch King directly

DidnÆt you do the same thing Randidly retorted

Azriel sniffed It was tactically different My attempt was to distract the Witch King You were flailing

ItÆs weird to say but sheÆs right Helen cut in You have so many tools it almost feels like youÆve never tried to standardize the image you have So you behave like a series of disjointed responses There is no flow to you Your Skills have gotten stronger but your battle sense has not

Randidly frowned at her Helen frowned right back What is that look for Unsatisfied LetÆs spar again and I wonÆt hold back

RandidlyÆs eyebrows rose You were holding back

It turned out that she had Not that she then proceeded to beat down on Randidly but when they dueled until first blood she generally won Even when Randidly used spells to surprise her she had this strange preternatural sense of what was coming Helen claimed it was due to how disjointed his Style had become but RandidlyÆs investigation of his Aether connection to her made him inclined to believe she had a Skill that gave her mild precognition

So they began sparring twice a day to pass the time always to first blood Randidly lost every time to his great frustration

You are too aware of your own strong points Azriel said after Randidly ground his teeth after a spar You spend no time avoiding hers You think you are better than her Which is so strange because you have lost all of these small duels since you have begun

Sighing Randidly let his anger go and shook his head She had a point He knew that he could endure blows and keep coming because his Yggdrasil Skills made his body extremely durable Small scratches meant nothing to him But in this sort of fight those scratches were exactly what mattered It was frustrating

Fine then duel me Azriel said standing up Helen looked up and watched them both

Are you Randidly began but Azriel cut him off

Indeed LetÆs begin immediately

So Azriel entered into the rotation of dueling Whereas Helen was focused about controlling her body in the small area around her opponent Azriel was more like Randidly in that she was really really quick and powerful and perfectly willing to rely on that So their first duel was a rumbling crashing affair where Randidly finally lost after quite a long time of keeping her at bay with increasingly complicated Spearing Roots spells Afterward Randidly had to admit that he might indeed by rusty at this sort of combat

Then Azriel and Helen dueled

To his surprise Helen won but barely Even though the match was close Randidly was flabberghasted after watching it He looked at Helen with wide eyes

Is your spear really so delicate as that

There were times during the fight where HelenÆs spear would move in a seemingly innocuous manner but then it was there to nudge AzrielÆs attacks to the side There was a strange certainty in the way she fought Small advantages would pile together to finally turn the tide of battle against more powerful or faster enemies

It was clear that Helen was happy to receive the compliment but also annoyed that Randidly was so surprised that she had turned out to be the most powerful of the three of them After some reflection Randidly supposed it made a certain amount of sense When he couldnÆt rely on his higher stats Helen was the one with more Skill

Their journey continued and Randidly slowly refined his fighting Style while moving with the two women Helen assured them that they still had time so they slowed down their pace and upped the number of total duels in a day into the double digits

At first Azriel seemed suspicious but perhaps she realized that Helen benefited from the same thing that she did and said nothing about the fact that all three of them were rapidly improving

Randidly especially felt that improvement as he began to work the Spear Phantom moves back into his usual fighting Style As the Spear Phantom Style reared its head his close quarters dangerousness rose precipitously

By the time they arrived in Hastam Capital of the Central Domain and therefore the entire Spearman School two weeks and a day had passed And from HelenÆs increasingly worried tones they were very close to missing the deadline for their arrival

As they moved closed to the city Randidly couldnÆt believe what he was seeing There seemed to be millions of people loitering around in the small impromptu towns in the surrounding area with the height of Hastam rising up above them

Hassam itself was built on a mountain that rose as tall and proud into the sky as a spear would Helen rolled her eyes and explained that this was exactly the sort of legend they told about the place it seemed that far in the past the first individual looked at this mountain and envisioned using it as a weapon The next day he forged the first spear

RandidlyÆs fuzzy understanding of Schools made him wonder whether this was actually appropriate for the Spearman Style but ultimately he said nothing It wasnÆt really something worthy of slowing them down

The gates were huge things of smooth stone with one open to allow foot traffic in and out of Hastam And the closer they got the more people there seemed to be All of them carried a spear and when he encountered them Randidly couldnÆt help but noticed how these strangers seemed to take stock of him and then sneer at him

Great a bunch of stuck up little shits Æ Randidly grumbled inwardly

Although it wasnÆt slow the passage of people through the guards at the gate wasnÆt fast enough for Helen either After two minutes of waiting her internal alarms were ringing like crazy and Helen made the executive decision to start pushing her way towards the front Many people cursed them but for all their sneers people stumbled to the side when Randidly shoved It would take a very special spear user to have the kind of stats he did

As they moved closer it soon became clear that there was something of a commotion going on at the gate Very quickly they had reached the front of the line by where it was occurring and they could witness the event

This is impossible Garritt A young man with bright blue eyes was saying He stood straight and had an unadorned spear strapped across his back We grew up together How can you refuse my sister entry into the city We arenÆt foreigners we

IÆm sorry sir A young looking guard looked at the ground as he answered in a quaky voice I cannot seem to recall meeting you before

ThatÆs exactly right guardsman Garritt Another guardsman stepped forward and put his hands on GarrittÆs shoulders Based on his fancier uniform and the obnoxious mustache this guy was a two bit villain A spear user like this there is no way such an individual was ever born into our esteemed city of Hastam

Chapter 617

Immediately Randidly could tell that HelenÆs patience was brought to the brink by simply listening to the back and forth between these two individuals Her eyes became even more vicious as the man trying to enter into the city spoke again

Please you know I earned my spot as a representative in the under 25 tournament fair and square Garritt Are you really going to let those fossilized Styles control you

ThatÆs enough Garritt growled finally looking up at the person who was pleading with him Silo you just donÆt know when to give up do you You donÆt care about consequences and now you are just acting out because they have caught up with you Without proof sheÆs not coming in

The proof is in your own memory Silo bellowed but there seemed to be tears forming in his eyes There was a strange feeling in the air that something tragic was happening It felt sorta like those days where Randidly had seen his childhood pets die An inevitable fall lay over these two people Please for all we have shared Garritt

Everybody seemed to freeze and then turned to look at Helen She clicked her tongue LetÆs keep this short yes We have somewhere to be

After a few more seconds of silence the mustachioed captain burst out laughing Hahaha Silo Rune you heard the lovely lady Wrap this up Or just scurry away with your tail between your legs like the dog you are

Lad Two more people popped up out of nowhere moving to stand next to Silo Rune One was a middle aged man and another was an elderly woman We can take care of Rumi It might be hard now but

Uncle please after you took care of me all this time I canÆt impose yet again

Helen clicked her tongue even more loudly this time and the conversation once more stuttered to a halt The old woman gave her an embarrassed glance These two new arrivals were wearing bulky cloaks but it was easy to see the distinctive shape of a spear strapped to both of their backs

Err well letÆs just say I donÆt think destiny is done between us The middle aged man said It was strange but Randidly would have sworn his eyes sparkled as he grabbed SiloÆs shoulder Before we part I must confess that our meeting wasnÆt a coincidence My real name is

Are you just going to let them waste time like that Helen asked glaring now at the guards Or at least let us pass so they can continue their melodrama without wasting our time

For several seconds everyone just blinked and looked at Helen Taking this as assent Helen stalked forward past the whispering individuals and walked to the guards Helen presented their three invitations to the tournament Although the guardÆs eyes went wide and he opened his mouth to say something Helen simply took the passed back and walked through

Thank you for your service Helen said sarcastically Then they were gone and into the city

Silo Rune pressed his hands against the large golden doors of the Hall of Spears in the upper circle of Hastam It was the holy land for the Spearman School and even though he had suffered so much at the hands of the Styles that were deeply entrenched in Hastam it was still as somewhat spiritual experience to actually be here

His hands tightened into fists and then he opened the door

There were three tall individuals standing on the stage and a large group of younger spear users milling around beneath that SiloÆs eyes scanned the crowd 63 here in total reaching 64 with him

But most satisfying of all was seeing Althumber VeirÆs face twist into a positively evil scowl now that he spotted Silo arriving

Was he perhaps disappointed that his ambush on the road had failed That kidnapping SiloÆs sister wasnÆt enough to keep him away But Silo didnÆt care Justice was on his side and although the Central Domain didnÆt want to let him Silo was determined to defeat the ultimate evil hanging over their heads

Perfect The central figure said clapping his hands together We are all here let us begin

At the manÆs words Silo exchanged a nod with the woman on the central figureÆs right while ignoring the way the figure on the left seemed to ooze hatred upon SiloÆs arrival

Like father like son it seemed Both were clearly rotten to the core

All 64 of the contestants have arrived First I must say welcome Each of you has accomplished incredibly impressive feats and being able to stand on this stage is the reward you have received You will fight the best of the best from around the world Find glory friends For only in struggle can our true strength be revealed

The central figure was an extremely large man with a bald head And now his face seemed to crumple however it regrets me to say that the realities of life make it so we cannot continue to administer the tournament in the usual way the Wights have changed everything

But we will rise to the challenge To that end we have decided to shift the first half of the tournament from a purely individual competition to a team one Each team will be given one of our Soulstones refined by the Engraving Guild These will act as a measure of your accomplishments When Wights die they release a certain kind of energy This Soulstone will gather that energy

The task is simple you and your team will be assigned to a Sergeant in the Spearman School military With their assistance you will perform military sorties into the Southern Domain which has been completely overrun with the Wights With your help we hope to annihilate this foothold they have gained in the area and push the Wights out This portion of the tournament will last for a full month At the end of that time the top 5 teams will proceed to the final portion of the tournament For now the details for that will remain confidential Does anyone have any questions

A young man that Silo didnÆt recognize raised his hand But based on the warm golden color of the Tassle hanging above him he was from the Heart School Do we get to choose the teams

The three people on stage exchanged a brief glance

no the teams have already been randomly selected AlthumberÆs father answered Effort was made to mix up the different Schools so that each team was balanced There are known strengths to each School Do your best to take advantage of these strengths

Part of the point the woman amongst the trio said Is that you learn to work with those from different Schools There is only one true enemy the Wights Only by working together do we have a chance Although we have taken losses the counterattack is about to begin

ThatÆs wrong Æ Silo thought to himself as he looked at the woman There is a bigger enemy out there and that is the Calamity Until it is defeated we will continue to struggle like this And to defeat that thing is my destiny Æ

Any other questions Ah yes you miss

Silo blinked as he recognized this woman it was the rather prickly woman that had walked past him earlier when he was struggling with a petty trap by Althumber to keep him out of the tournament Normally Silo wouldnÆt have minded but the point of contention was that his sister would be exposed to danger because of him And at the time he believed he had almost reached Garritt when the woman interfered

Silo would not soon forget her cold and callous heart

We get points for killing Wights basically yes Is there any adjustment for the tactical value of the targets we kill For example is it worth the same amount to retake a small fort and kill 20 Wights as to struggle and fail against a large army but to also kill 20 Wights

Excellent question the central figure said with a smile Your Sergeant will be able to recommend your team for additional points should they believe it is necessary All of those requests will be reviewed by us so donÆt think to try and slip something right Nothing else

He looked around and when no one responded he smiled I feel the tension in the air you all are ready to go to war yes Then let us begin Each team will consist of four individuals Team One is Althumber Veir Ritrike Gauss Harriet Lawl and Sink Thrash Team Two

Team Eleven is Helen

Finally Team Sixteen is Silo Rune Skarch Top Azriel Blanche and Randidly Ghosthound You will depart tomorrow so spend tonight familiarizing yourself with your teammates You will not be able to survive without them

Quickly Silo checked the backgrounds of his teammates and then grimaced Truly he was given the lowest of the low Two were from the primitive lands of the Northern Domain in the Spearman Style and their one foreign spear user Skarch Top was from a minor Style that didnÆt even have a named spear

Shaking his head Silo wondered where he would find time to train these three up to his Level Because his view of the war was so much broader than anyone elseÆs Would it be possible while carrying all this dead weight

Chapter 618

They are having us fight in this war for them huh Æ Randidly thought to himself considering the three people standing on the stage in front of them After finishing their spiel and naming the teams they continued to stand there as if waiting for questions A few of the spear users in the hall walked up and greeted the administrators of the competition with friendliness

It was a far cry from the absolute lack of reaction that he Helen and Azriel received The people from other Schools kept to themselves for the most part and the people from the Spearman School avoided those from the Northern Domain like the plague It seemed that everyone knew of the sour rumors about the Northern Domain although Randidly couldn’tÆ for the life of him understand what they were so twisted up about

It is lucky we are on the same team Azriel said at his side Helen was standing nearby wearing a frown that was a shade more violent than her usual scowl

Randidly nodded at Azriel We will still need to actually head to the front lines and fight I donÆt think it will be easy

Dubiously he looked down at the Soulstone that he had been given He could barely make out the Engraving symbols on the inside of the closed crystal container It seemed like the Engraving Guilds likely used a material that was cloudy on purpose in order to keep others from being able to figure out their symbols

It did a lot to show the attitude of the Engraving Guild and reminded Randidly that he would need to keep an eye out for them while he was back on ShalÆs world Then Randidly grimaced More than keeping an eye out for them he had a debt to pay for when he was given the encyclopedia of Engraving knowledge his first time here If he had enough power

Then Randidly blinked Ah before I forget is there a Dungeon nearby

Azriel gave him a sidelong glance and then shrugged Luckily Helen had an answer

Yes but the demand for dungeons is extremely variable these days It is the only reliable way of obtaining energy now that we have lost the Spear source but on the other hand if you fail and get injured it will take months to recover Only the most extreme spear users go in there those that believe there is more to Skill than Levels

Well that seems like an obvious truth Randidly said as he cracked his neck Having Levels is fine but you need to use them correctly

ItÆs actually messier than that Azriel added Many believe that having the Levels gives you the know how But are you saying your Skill will also assist us

Yes Randidly answered shortly His emerald eyes glittered In theory they could go into a Dungeon for an almost indefinite amount of time with his supply of Mana and work on sharpening their Skills Well the only one amongst them that really needed it was him but they could all benefit

Nearby there isnÆt anything overly powerful Not that we would have access to Helen said with a thoughtful frown Around them people were beginning to go towards the numbered banners and meet their team after conversing with those they came with But there is one Dungeon where an hour is a full day LIkely we wonÆt leave until tomorrow A week or two of sparring is for the best

She gave Randidly a meaningful look He shrugged his shoulders helplessly

DonÆt look at me like that You are the one that keeps on making up rules for the duels If we fought normally

SheÆs very good at designing rules that wonÆt allow you to simply steamroll over her with your higher Stats Azriel said primly Yet you fail to win even once against her Perhaps you really do need something more to use Skills and you are missing it

Randidly rolled his eyes Fine two weeks of sparring Tonight after this

LetÆs meet in two hours by that big fountain out front Helen said Then she paused And Randidly be careful

Frowning Randidly asked Is there something I need to worry about

Well no but Fuck canÆt I just be concerned Helen glared at him And letÆs be honest when was the last time you went somewhere without making a powerful enemy

Silo Rune was surprised to find that Skarch Top was actually a woman She rather tall with a black waterfall of hair that made it to the small of her back With her she carried a heavy parcel wrapped in canvas Inwardly Silo shook his head This was the problem with the Spear School people they emphasized the power of their Engraved Spears to the detriment of all else And due to the fanatical reverence with which they viewed their weapons they did not keep them in an interspatial ring

The first thing a trainee in the Spear School learned was that your spear always had to be carried

It was basically such a lesson that they didnÆt have room for any true knowledge beyond that point They were helplessly fixated with solely that one tenant And they didnÆt even keep their spears in a battle ready state if a fight were to break out they would take the time to carefully unpack it before they could be of any use

Hello Silo said shortly

A pleasure She responded with a soft voice Her nose was soft and her lips were full Although well sculpted with muscles her arms and legs were slender I have heard you amongst all in the Spearman School understand the role of the spear

Wincing Silo said perhaps But rather my spear has some sentimental value to me It was given to me by my grandfather

Skarch nodded sagely You carry the weight of your ancestors It is a heavy burden but a powerful weapon Use it well companion

SiloÆs face turned solemn Yes I have a great weight on my shoulders And itÆs only when I have the support of other righteous spear users that we can accomplish it I hope

Heya

Pausing Silo turned to look at the new arrivals His eyes widened a fraction with recognition These two were another two that ignored his plight earlier when trying to enter into the city

The woman was slight with pure white hair and a spear that looked like a needle The man was tall and intense looking with black hair and deep emerald eyes Together they struck quite the figures But as he looked at them Silo felt a sinking sensation in his chest

They look the part but why do I get the feeling that we just arenÆt in the same league

Greetings Skarch bowed slightly You are

Randidly Ghosthound

Azriel LetÆs not pretend like we are best friends The woman with white hair said waving her hand airily But IÆll protect your back with everything I have

An auspicious greeting Skarch said with a smile

It was a small thing but after she spoke Azriel looked sideways at Randidly Although others would have missed it SiloÆs sharp eyes caught the movement easily Was she afraid of him

Before he could follow that line of thoughts further another voice cut into his reverie

Silo Finally showing your true colors eye The traitors associating with the trash How appropriate

Althumber Veir sidled up to the group a twisted smile on his face And even though he was as evil and slimy as they come his genetics and strong jaw made the expression come off as attractive and charming

Silo clenched his hands into fists Leave Althumber If you threaten these people IÆll

Oh Threaten AlthumberÆs mouth stretched into an even wider smile Do I seem like that type of person Perhaps in your world Silo such things are common But at our sophistication we trust that laws will see justice done Those who subvert the establish rules and norms are doomed to be outed as fools

To the side Silo heard Randidly say Do I seem like the type of person that has time for this and Azriel responded Do I seem like a you expert As Silo opened his mouth to reply Skarch said in an excited voice Do I get to play this game too

Struggling to keep the tension out of his jaw Silo spat out Leave it Althumber It was just my grandfatherÆs spear You lost fair and square

Now AlthumberÆs eyes burned Slowly he leaned forward until his nose was only a few centimeters away from Silo Because he was a bit taller than Silo he could sneer down his nose at him You little shit You donÆt know the first thing about whatÆs going on behind the scenes here If I had it my way I would kill you myself But let me assure you you will not live through this tournament

Can he say that Randidly asked from behind him while yawning

Skarch hummed for a second and then said I have never been too proficient with trash talk but it is something like a tradition in times like this is it not

Ha I find this girl quite pleasing Maybe we can be best friends Skarch I canÆt tell if you are naive or playing us It intrigues me Azriel said

Frustrated by his teammate’s whimsical attitudes Silo turned away LetÆs go team LetÆs not waste time with a fool like this

Althumber snorted and turned away to walk back towards his own team Frowning Silo tried to prepare himself for this next month Althumber would not let the indignity of his loss go without retaliation It already started with the rumors about his grandfatherÆs spear but also

It seemed his rival had a much more dangerous plan in motion

Chapter 619

Coughing Randidly excited the Dungeon He raised his hand and shaded the sun from his eyes There was a brief moment of vertigo but it quickly passed A second later Helen and Azriel came out behind him Things had gone extremely well in the brief few weeks they had in the dungeon due to the time dilation

After taking a couple steps forward Randidly turned around and smiled at them with an easy grin Then he focused his gaze on Helen

Thanks Without you I wouldnÆt have progressed so quickly

She gave him a disgusted look and walked right past him without saying anything Randidly chuckled He supposed it made sense that she was somewhat miffed after losing but he didnÆt expect her to be such a bad sport about it

He opened his mouth to say something but Azriel prodded him in his back with her spear and shook his head He frowned at her

I supposed this is goodbye for now Helen said abruptly pulling RandidlyÆs attention back forward to her Ah good luck There is much danger on the front lines but there are few as capable as you Randidly YouÆll fuck em up err you will fight valiantly and such

Scratching his head Randidly considered HelenÆs back She seemed to be vibrating slightly for some reason Was she alright And all the while she stared forward refusing to look at him

Ah was it that

Some of RandidlyÆs good cheer faded away After scratching his neck he said Hey Helen When we finish the tournament Would you like to grab dinner

She spun around like touched with the end of a live wire and just stared at him

Although Randidly felt extremely awkward he pushed forward We ah shared a night of passion

What the fuck does that mean Helen muttered But it seemed like it was more to herself than to him so he proceeded forward

and I donÆt know what that really means But I liked it And I admire you So I think we should try seeing each other ah more formally

For exactly 13 seconds Helen just stared at him Then abruptly she nodded Without saying anything she then turned and walked sharply away

Randidly felt a small warm feeling of elation in his chest before his instincts forced him to spin to the side to avoid a thrust from Azriel Without pause she continued to attack him several more times He weaved his torso back and forth avoiding the attacks They were certainly sharp but there was no image associated with them so they lacked any real bite

What are you doing Randidly asked with a frown The people standing around the Dungeon portal were watching them with something akin to amusement Apparently boredom was a real problem here in the Central Domain far from the front lines

If you were going to ask her that you shouldnÆt have made her wait until the last moment to do it So that was something like feminine kinship Hum how strange

Randidly looked at Azriel in exasperation Why shouldnÆt I wait Is there any need to say it earlier

What if you had forgotten to do it Azriel said with a blithe expression on her face Randidly threw up his hands but honestly he couldnÆt really think of anything to say Oftentimes he did become overly focused on training and forget basic things Was it really that far outside the realm of possibility that he would forget this

But after her brief attack Azriel fell into step beside him and they walked towards the spot where they would meet the rest of the team With the downtime Randidly counted up the PP that he had gained from his travels from Niergem and the two weeks in the Dungeon Mostly he had gained 13 PP in Scarlet Burst and 19 in Visualization but he had also gained large amounts in his Crown of Yggdrasil and the Kata of the Ashen Spear Skills Beyond that with gaining between two and three in all of his varied combat Skills

Randidly very quickly reached the point of having just over 100 PP

This latest boost put him over halfway through the Growth of Yggdrasil II Path which he was very excited to finish In addition Randidly had sharpened his actual combat Skills backup to proper form in that period of time Now he had confidence facing any opponent of his Level in a one on one duel As for opponents like the Witch King

Now at least Randidly knew how to fight

When he and Azriel arrived at the meeting spot Skarch was already there but Silo was not Undoubtedly he was wasting someone else’s time in front of the gate Randidly thought with a shake of the head And he could tell from the look that Silo had given him and Azriel that he was somewhat pissed to recognize them

Did he expect them to help him This wasnÆt so casual a scenario that they had the leisure to take the time and determine right and wrong At the time they needed to arrive on time to participate in the tournament Not that Randidly felt very guilty Why was this guy bringing his sister to the tournament in the first place

If she had come in with him would he now be arguing that she should come to the front lines with them on their mission Surely not So perhaps it was for the best that she didnÆt come into the city

Giving his head a firm shake to disperse the wandering thoughts Randidly turned and looked at Skarch Top the rather long limbed final member of their team She was calmly sitting in front of the large package she was carrying yesterday slowly unwrapping it

With nothing else to do Randidly settled down to watch her After a few minutes it became clear that his suspicion was correct what she had within was a spear But as Randidly looked at it his eyes widened in shock It was an extremely long spear made out of a dark blue metal The blade had a pure silver sheen

And the entire thing was covered in Engravings

Almost helplessly Randidly leaned closer In his mind he had achieved some pretty substantial things in the realm of Engraving His invention of the runic language to assist in the deployment of drones was especially challenging and his success had come with a commiserate reward

But now looking at the tightly wound and organic runes on the spear Randidly couldnÆt help but feel that he had only scratched the surface What he had accomplished was what someone could do in a few years What Skarch was holding was a weapon that could only be made if several generations of masters spent their lives raising an individual who was a mix between a savant and a civil engineer

Just parceling out space on the spear to the different runes alone would be an extremely exhausting task Add that to the trouble of forging the weapon into the shape that would be able to handle the energies running through it

Skarch smiled at him You like it It is rare to find one among the Spearman School who can appreciate quality work when they see it My family’s finest accomplishment

ItÆs wow Randidly wasnÆt sure what to say His eyes continued to trace the runes mesmerized by their shape It was slow going but Randidly was content to sit and the spear Laughing softly Skarch pulled back the last layer of canvas over the base of the spear and smiled down at it After glancing up at Randidly she joined him in being lost in its bends

Every time Randidly moved a little further down the spear he felt shaken to his core Although the energy demands were impossibly high this spear contained almost a dozen different aspects Although he couldnÆt figure out exactly how each one worked they were clearly bound together

In addition Randidly realized something very important about this spear it had the capability to grow

When he obtained the Engraving Encyclopedia from that wandering Style he had been told that it was possible to do such a thing But to see it with his own eyes

Before he could wonder whether the two parties he knew of that were related to growing Engravings were related Randidly simply looked in wonder at the masterful mechanism that allowed it to happen Even with his own mediocre ability with Engraving Randidly could clearly tell how invaluable such a spear would be As far as he could tell the main function of the spear seemed to be a Skill akin to Haste

With a sigh Randidly leaned back I donÆt suppose you have the information on how to make such an Engraving

Abruptly SkarchÆs face turned wary I do not You do well not to look to me for answers This is ultimately a failed product

As Randidly opened his mouth Silo arrived leading a grey haired woman by the arm

Youngster there was no need to take an old woman this far

Nonsense maÆam I was walking this way already ItÆs my pleasure to escort you the rest of the way

Ohoho you certainly are a charmer arenÆt you

Only if kindness is charming I just think that some people need to take the time to slow down and appreciate their lives If you do that you can reach out and touch the lives of so many in a positive way and that more than anything is what the world needs

After waving the old woman off Silo turned to the group Oh did I keep you waiting LetÆs head out Our Sergeant is waiting at the Southpoint Beach

Randidly looked at Silo rather nonplussed Who the fuck was this weird guy Did he have a hero complex

Chapter 620

Maybe he was spoiled from acting solely within the theater of a Zone for the past several years but Randidly found himself somewhat stunned by the sheer size of Tellus Once again the powers that be in the Central Domain didnÆt see fit to assist their team with transportation and they were left largely to their own devices

This point at least Randidly understood It seemed that the teleportation locations acted off of an Aether variant and that it was much more difficult to gather such energy than it had been in the past Although not irreplaceable the energy was theoretically finite especially if they werenÆt able to regain the Spear source relatively quickly Perhaps if they had more money to their name

Randidly wondered idly why neither Azriel or Helen seemed to possess any money Of course he didnÆt expect a single thing from Silo the bastard probably gave his last few coins to a three legged dog

To the guyÆs credit though he was capable enough in those few times they encountered monsters while traveling His moves all seemed to be related to the image of a bright light and powerful flashes It didn’tÆ seem particularly impressive in all honesty but there was a strange wariness that Randidly felt when he watched the other man move Something was lurking in that image

Well it was somewhat hard to tell No matter how close those levels may be Randidly knew that there was some distance between them One benefit of the training with Azriel and Helen was that he was much more nuanced in his understanding of spear techniques Helen repeatedly drilled those lessons into his head

If he misread her approach

And he had over and over again Until finally something clicked

Strangely he had immediately gained several Levels in Visualization afterward It made him look forward to how the passive Skill could help him as he gained more Levels in it

To RandidlyÆs surprise they werenÆt really ambushed all that often by monsters on their travel On his initial walk to Niergem he hadnÆt thought much of it but the trek to the capital and then South from there really hammered the lack of monsters home in his mind When he asked about it Azriel gave him a weird look

The energy is leaving so monsters no longer spawn The only way they can reproduce is the old fashioned way There are areas where monster populations are expanding due to this reason but in most places they werenÆt designed to live here

After two days of travel the group arrived at the Southern Coast of the Central Domain It took some doing to locate the particular military base and waiting there was only more disappointment their Sergeant Flail Platton was currently across the sea and performing insurgency operations

Randidly was trying to figure out how to convince the group to just go across anyway when Silo spoke

Perhaps waiting is definitely not the best option Although it is difficult I believe was should cross to the Southern Domain and search for Sergeant Platton there

The seas are infested with monsters are they not Skarch asked curiously

Silo nodded

To everyoneÆs surprise Skarch smiled widely How exciting

Silo Rune leaned back against the frame of the small wooden vessel With good weather they would make landfall on the other side of the sea in five days It was slow going but it gave Silo more chances to finally check the treasure he had been given by his uncles Time and time again he had been disciplined until he understood how precious it was so he was loathe to use it

But this was the time Everything they had learned pointed to this They would not get another chance With the Spear source captured the higher ups would not pay much attention to the strength of spear users until it was too late And by then

Well Silo hoped to finally break that impossible barrier But that was a long ways away now

So at the moment he took his turn resting in the small dark cabin in the boat and laid down on the hammock The room was barely larger than a closet but it was the only place with an privacy on the boat Although the military sympathized with their plight Silo could tell that both Sergeant PlattonÆs absence and the lack of forthcoming assistance werenÆt entirely natural

Althumber appeared to have extended his reach even here

Pressing his eyes shut Silo tried to wipe his mind clear of any thoughts of his adversary The other man was weak Before absolute power nothing mattered For the people that he needed to protect Silo would do anything Even traveling down this road towards becoming a monster

Carefully Silo produced a small seashell case from his interspatial pouch With trembling hands he opened the case A ring sat there a small white gold band with a jet black stone Shivering Silo reached down and wrapped his fingers around it

There was a second of disorientation and then he felt something slam into his psyche

Congratulations Your Skill Corruption Resistance has become Level 49

Congratulations You have reached Level 31 +4 Stats distributed between Endurance Strength Agility and Focus +5 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Physical Stat +18 Health +6 Mana +13 Stamina Your Skill Level for Blighted Slash has mutated to Level 54 Your Skill Level for Forsaken Thrust has mutated to Level 62

Congratulations You have reached Level 32 +4 Stats distributed between Endurance Strength Agility and Focus +5 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Physical Stat +18 Health +6 Mana +13 Stamina Your Skill Level for Sadistic Violence Mastery has mutated to Level 31 Your Skill Level for Forsaken Thrust has mutated to Level 68

Congratulations You have reached Level 33 +4 Stats distributed between Endurance Strength Agility and Focus +5 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Physical Stat +18 Health +6 Mana +13 Stamina Your Skill Level for Corrupted Physique has mutated to Level 80

Congratulations You have reached Level 34 +4 Stats distributed between Endurance Strength Agility and Focus +5 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Physical Stat +18 Health +6 Mana +13 Stamina Your Skill Level for Corrupted Physique has mutated to Level 82 Your Skill Level for Blighted Slash has mutated to Level 61

Congratulations You have reached Level 35 +4 Stats distributed between Endurance Strength Agility and Focus +5 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Physical Stat +18 Health +6 Mana +13 Stamina Your Skill Level for Blighted Slash has mutated to Level 65 Your Skill Level for Weight of the Rotten Hero has mutated to Level 19

Finally the sense of sickness overwhelmed SiloÆs resistance and his hand sprang open The ring fell to the wooden ground with a thunk He tried to move quickly but Silo couldnÆt grab the bucket and pull it over fast enough some of his vomit spilled over the edges and slopped to the ground near the ring

All the while that jet black stone drew the eye sublime and twisted

Shuddering Silo focused on light Pure clean healing light He thought about his Skills Brilliant Advance and Shining Strike It was so hard to remember what each light looked like what each felt like It seemed like every time he relied on the stone his light was driven farther away and he had to work harder to bring it back

But his uncles were adamant He must hide this treasure If Silo was slowly corrupted by its influence imagine how a lesser man would be swayed by it Perhaps they wouldnÆt even be able to cope

After barely managing to clean up his sick Silo slumped onto the cot and felt sleep calling him But he ripped into his lip with his teeth barely managing to keep him awake Groggy and still trembling he used a small piece of cloth to pick the ring off the ground and put it back in the seashell case Only when the case was safely stored within his interspatial pouch was he able to relax

Taking deep gulping breaths Silo distributed his stats while staring up at the dark wood of the ceiling It was just a good thing that he didnÆt break into a new tens digit in Level the worst part of the process was gaining new Skills Every time it happened he felt something break in his old Class

The Illuminating Spear

Could it really be called that any longer

Silo was barely managing to maintain an image strong enough to be called an Adept with his light images A sudden thought struck him He rolled over and pressed his nose to the ground

Perhaps perhaps Althumber was right He was a fraud After all it was not his own Class that had given him the power to defeat Althumber

He had relied one of his corrupted Skills And when he had used it

People had praised him stating that he was just a hair away from becoming a Pontiff able to manipulate reality solely through the exercise of his images It was impossible Why were his images so strong without him every working on refining them

The answer was obviously that the images were within the ring already and Silo was absorbing part of it A brief check showed that his Heretic Path had risen to Heretic Path XXIX Another Judgement would come soon He closed his eyes

There were so many people to protect So many enemies around him So many hangers on who needed him And he had to manage everything alone Without him this world would perish

Chapter 621

It wasnÆt until they were within sight of land that Randidly felt them Of all locations being on top of water was the most blinding for Randidly There were minuscule plant life forms floating everywhere in water but it appeared that either his Skill Level was too low or there was a categorical wall that kept Randidly from being able to communicate with them

Either way he had to rely on the physical sensations on his body to detect enemies It was the wind that gave them away although the sea they were crossing was salt water the tang on the air was distinctly that of blood

I thought that there werenÆt very many monsters Randidly said casually It was AzrielÆs turn to take a stay of privacy in the cabin and Skarch and Silo were peering towards the land and talking in quiet voices They looked up when he spoke

true but unfortunately the sea had a much higher population of monsters to begin with Silo said with a frown People cannot clear out the Raid Bosses as easily when they cloister themselves off at the bottom of the sea But their numbers begin to work against them the Raid Bosses do not often have friendly relations with each other When enough of them populate the sea they donÆt have the spare attention to harass the people on land Although they often send their young in raiding missions against us to test themselves

Randidly took a long sniff and grimaced Well get ready because they are coming

Skarch blinked mildly at Randidly but Silo just rolled his eyes ItÆs true that they often attack right before a storm but it has been proven time and time again that superstitions such as these

With a screech the first strange frog person spurted up out of the water and landed on the boat The vessel was probably meant for little more than the four people that were already on it and rocked dangerously from the impact Randidly winced Even though he didnÆt doubt he could survive it would be obnoxious if he fell into the water Fighting underwater seemed like a prospect that he was not looking forward to

To his credit Silo roared into action as soon as the enemy was on the boat He spun his spear expertly and flashed across the few meters between himself and the frogperson The monster was Level 39 and carried two short sickles that appeared to have been made from the claw of a red shelled crustacean It crossed its weapons to block but SiloÆs spear slipped past and speared into the frogpersonÆs slimy body

Grrahhg It spat out and phlegm landed on the deck Stepping around it Randidly lashed out with Acri severing its right arm

Just as Azriel was opening the cabin door and stepping out onto the deck three more leaped up and landed near their wounded brother The boat was only 10 meters across from tip to tail so so many bodies on the deck made it almost impossible to swing spears around casually You were as likely to hit your allies as the enemies In this sort of distance the frogpeopleÆs short sickles were much more economical

But no matter their high thirties Level this was not a boat that would flinch away from a fight As two nearby moved to attack Randidly with their weapons he snorted Acri twisted its shaft around RandidlyÆs arm and basically gave him a blade that was sticking out of the base of his palm His Talon Strike Flashed out ripping into their rubbery throats

That didnÆt seem to kill them immediately but they fell backward Randidly checked the rest of the boat Silo was finishing off the already wounded one and Azriel had already made three large holes in her opponent Just now Skarch finished producing her spear and leveled it while looking solemnly at the water

The bodies were quickly dumped overboard and with a curse Silo went to the rudder and fiddled with it for a few seconds Then he straightened Those few were a distraction they destroyed the rudder Can anyone do something about moving the boat The wind

IÆve got it Randidly said calmly and maneuvered around Silo to touch the rudder With Plant Dominance it was simply a matter of pouring a bit of extra Mana into the wood of the boat to reawaken it Then he could grow the rudder outwards Giving Randidly a weird look Silo nervously tapped the pouch at his waist

Then he shook his head and sighed thanks But you are going to need to protect it They will probably try and strike again

Randidly grinned Even now he could feel the vibrations in the water as the frogpeople swam closer When the darted abruptly forward towards the rudder Spearing Roots ripped downwards out of the boat to meet them It burned through his Mana pretty quickly but Randidly had no difficulty slaughtering the few nearby But doing that made him realize how many more there were swimming nearby Hundreds Maybe somewhere near a thousand

Randidly sighed This might get exhausted

The next 10 minutes passed in tense silence Randidly casually sipped a Mana Potion Every 30 seconds or so another group would rush upwards but Randidly had 100 sharp roots waiting for them He imagined it must look extremely fearsome from below to see the boat drifting with those gnarled roots dragging through the water

Randidly was no sailor but he tried to coil the roots tightly when they werenÆt needed so there wasnÆt any unnecessary water drag After a few wavers Randidly got a pleasing notification

Congratulations You have reached Level 28 +5 Stats distributed between Vitality Perception Resist Intelligence and Control +14 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Mental Stat +1 to a Physical Defense Stat +1 to a Mental Support Stat +2 Control +20 Health +24 Mana +23 Stamina + 5 to all Regenerations +1 to Health and Stamina Regeneration +20 ProgenitorÆs Influence

Twenty eight was starting to get to the point where Randidly felt slightly guilty for how high his Level was but he put it out of his mind After all

He glanced sideways at the other people glaring down at the water Everyone had their own secrets Randidly didn’t doubt that each had their own advantages they could use to defeat the frogpeople despite the fact most of them were a much higher Level than they were supposed to be

I donÆt know how you did it but you really sensed them coming didnÆt you Will there be more Silo asked his face serious Inwardly Randidly updated his rating of this guy Sure he was a spoiled dick from being raised in the Central Domain but he at least had the decency to admit when he was wrong And he was rather deft with his spear He wasnÆt as good as Helen would have been but he could hold his own here

They are waiting Randidly said quietly

Skarch nodded mm this is a good sign Or a terrible one If they wait perhaps

Something big will come yes Too bad these souls donÆt count towards our Soulstones Azriel said with a sigh Randidly agreed If he could pad their stats here

Well he supposed the tournament itself didnÆt matter But there was something strange about this conflict with the Wights that Randidly couldnÆt yet put his finger on He hoped that by seeing the front lines he could understand it

Also at the back of his mind a question was slowly growing what role did Lucretia have amongst her people Why was she

Randidly twisted Cursing he uncorked two more Mana potions and downed them He would need it Incoming Something big enough to swallow us

Immediately Randidly regretted saying it because he fully intended to take care of the issue before they were devoured But he neednÆt have worried Both Skarch and Azriel simply nodded placidly and Silo continued to glare at the water as if intimidating the circling fish Perhaps he wasnÆt listening

At this point Randidly had almost 4000 Mana available to him Below a mother fucking Kraken was pushing itself up out of the dark waters to reach the boat from below Riding on it were a variety of frogpeople that were a pale sickly green like they lived far from any sunlight Because Randidly couldnÆt see them he couldn’tÆ tell their Level but his instincts warned him these were much more capable than their greener cousins

Blowing through 2000 Mana in a split second Randidly swelled the roots attached to the bottom of the boat They twined and twisted until they became larger trunks of plant matter These weaved together and stretched until a giant gnarled hand formed growing out of the bottom of the boat

RandidlyÆs eyes glowed emerald The wind was beginning to rise as the storm came steadily closer Underwater the wooden hand clenched itself into a fist

Chapter 622

Silo glanced sideways at Randidly who stood at the bow of the boat with a dreadful look of concentration on his face A thin bead of sweat formed at his temple and fell down to quiver on his jaw

Although Silo wasnÆt sure what he was doing he could tell the other man was stabilizing their boat somehow Despite the fact that waves were rising the boat was steadier than ever sitting heavily on top of the water But he tore his gaze away and looked for the telltale bubbles associated with an attack

There were thousands of the tiny things emerging from the depths

A flash of movement caught SiloÆs eye and he looked up RandidlyÆs face had twisted into a wide grin

Then the entire boat hopped There was no other word for it Abruptly it popped upwards away from the water as if slammed from below by a giant fish That was in fact exactly what Silo believed to have happened in the aftermath as flotsam and froth exploded outwards from beneath their boat But with a slap of wood on water they dropped back into the sea

For several seconds there were no further attacks so Silo opened his mouth to ask what happened Then the Murlocs leaped out of the water

The Murloc tribes were one of the most dangerous monster groups that one could encounter on this stretch of water In a way it was good news because it meant they had passed over the endless trench without incident Monsters that dwelled there were occasionally above Level 50 although only rarely would they molest small vessels

But they were the most powerful force in the area and they avenged their dead

Likely they would need to fight these tribes for the remainder of their voyage

The first two Murlocs were scarcely out of the water before the woman Azriel moved in front of them and dispatched them dispassionately with three quick thrusts of her needle spear Despite how eccentric both Randidly and Skarch were turning out to be Azriel was the one that caught SiloÆs eye the most

She was good with a spear She was more than good She was impossibly quick and accurate Plus with the ease that she kicked Murlocs back over the edge into the water she was no slouch when it came to Strength either Of all the enemies that Silo had seen even in the Central Domain she gave him the most wariness

But his thoughts were washed away by six more Murloc bodies clamoring to take up the deck of the ship Randidly seemed to be lost in his concentrations but the strange living spear he possessed moved around him like a snake slashing at any who came near Skarch moved now two utilizing wide sweeps with her spear that cleared two in a single go opening up more space for them to move

The real danger was the boat sinking or flipping either from damage below or above It was somewhat strange to Silo because when some of the Murlocs landed on the boat they went to hack at it from the inside If they wanted to do so why not just stay below

But he wasnÆt going to let them live long enough to chit chat

His Brilliant Advanced smashed one back into the water and then Silo quickly wounded the arm of the other adversary It took three more blows to disarm it and then strike a deadly blow but by that time another half dozen were clamoring onto the boat Then another then

Again the boat hopped up in the air For sure there was something striking from below But it seemed that whatever Randidly was doing was protecting them well enough Silo had heard a rumor that the man was a Spellspear and largely thought it was just another fanciful Class But it seemed that such a character had his uses although he certainly hadnÆt done as much work with his spear as had the rest of them

Slash cut stab block spin the world began to blur slightly as Silo lost himself in the rushed melee with the Murlocs that clambered onto the ship His spear was a brilliant light in the dark banishing them back to the hole they crawled out from Inwardly Silo was extremely pleased that this attack came

This gave him the perfect chance to refine his image once more to a usable state It was difficult to do so without using the Skills and this gave him the perfect excuse But still he didnÆt try and extend his fights any longer than necessary doing so would be near suicidal

After thrusting a spear into a MurlocÆs oversized head Silo glanced around For all that they didnÆt know him he was now on a team He would give his all to protect those who relied on him But to his surprise they didnÆt seem to need any help at all

Silo blinked A strange luminescent Murloc that was Level 46 was currently engaged in a high speed duel with Azriel Their blows and counters were preternaturally quick while both somehow managed to maintain perfect footing on the rocking boat

Using pure force Silo smashed a Murloc back into the water and stepped forward thinking he could find some way to help But he stepped on a strange glob of slime that had landed on the deck and slipped He fell hard jarring his head against the deck Almost instantly he recovered but two freshly arrived Murlocs leaped at him stabbing down at him

With a grimace he dodged but one of the daggers drew a long line across the side of his ribs Growling he straightened and cut through their legs Their flailing bodies fell to the ground and he pressed them with the butt of his spear sliding them across the deck and smashing into the back of an unsuspecting Murloc that was approaching Skarch The thing tripped and fell on the ground with a gurgle of surprise

Satisfied Silo turned and looked at Azriel

But before he could ascertain her situation another of the pale luminescent Murlocs arrived on the deck its pale eyes locked onto Silo The mouth opened revealing dozens of small sharp teeth Silo moved first but the Murloc was faster cutting at his wrists with a purple dagger Staying defensive Silo took a step back and struck again this time with a thrust

The Murloc took a small wound to its shoulder and began to advance Behind it more Murlocs climbed up

Dazzling Cut smashed into a dagger that the Murloc raised to block the attack and still had enough force to push the other back The Murlocs behind it hesitated unwilling to grab their superior Taking advantage of the moments of indecision Silo used Dazzling Cut three more times Each time it cost a little more Stamina but was increasingly effective as the image was cleared of the strange darkness that was haunting it

The strike was short and brutal and the Murloc had no answer to it

As it was pushed back until its feet were on the edge of the deck the Murloc seemed to shift into another gear It ducked down under SiloÆs stab and rushed for him But as it did so the butt of SiloÆs spear smashed upwards stunning it slightly It twisted away but Silo was waiting when it did slashing his spear against its wounded shoulder

The wound was deepened but only slightly Silo frowned Although he knew the strange skin of these things was strong the fact that this spear wouldnÆt cut It truly was a spear that he had inherited from his grandfather It was a distinctly Spear School type of process Silo knew But the blood binding had been a source of pride for him his whole life He wasnÆt willing to give up this spear

Now to find it was nearing the point where it would no longer be effective

The boat hopped again this time almost double as high as it had previously Silo heard the sound of snapping timbers The force of the acceleration knocked him off his feet and onto the ground of the deck Meanwhile the luminescent green Mleaped leapt slightly and was thrown several meters into the air But it floated down with a grin

Still Silo only shook his head Because the Murloc had made a grave mistake

Eternal Flame Silo said and he felt a wonderful sense of joy as the Skill exploded into effect Because this was not a Skill he could utilize unless his images were at their most perfect form Although he was on the ground and the Murloc was several meters above him Silo thrust upwards and a bright light shot forward from the tip of his spear

Twisting the Murloc dodged a portion of it but the light still ripped into its thigh When it hit the deck it immediately stumbled giving Silo time to stand up and prepare By the time it looked up his spear had ripped into its torse With a kick the Murloc was knocked off the boat

Worried about how the others faired Silo spun around But the deck was empty Both Azriel and Skarch were covered with slime and blood Had they already finished WasnÆt Azriel also fighting one of those stronger Murlocs

Silo glanced at Randidly At the moment the other man was staring very carefully at his hands which was fingers splayed but slightly curved at the tips of the fingers Then slowly he began to clench his fists The process took almost 20 seconds and the final 5 seconds seemed extremely difficult His arms trembled with the effort

As he did so the air around him seemed to quiver Silo frowned Yes there was definitely some distortions in the air above RandidlyÆs head What could it mean Was it a side effect of being a Spell Spear

Then with a sign RandidlyÆs hand closed completely A tremor went through the boat seeming to come from the ocean below And indeed Silo seemed to hear some high pitched noise Then Randidly dropped his fists to the side and relaxed somewhat The boat rocked back and forth but it quickly stilled

Silo clicked his tongue Seemed like we made it through that alright Honestly great job everyone IÆm impressed

He gave Randidly a sidelong glance and then decided not to say anything By unspoken agreement the group cleaned off the deck and made for the distant but visible shoreline

Chapter 623

None of them really had any idea how to sail aside from pointing the front of the sea towards land Suffice to say the next six hours were rough When the storm wasnÆt smashing them with enough thunder and lightning to knock their heading off from their goal the monsters that Skarch explained were called Murlocs were leaping up to attack the boat

It soon got to the point that Randidly completely soaked to the skin said fuck it on keeping his Mana with some juice left and spent it all to shift the fist he had used to crush the Kraken into long rake like claws The depth of the water was only about 25 meters at this point so he simply gripped the bottom of the sea and started dragging themselves towards shore

Not that anyone noticed

IÆve faced down worse storms than this Silo said gravely His hair was wet yet the wind had somehow twisted it up onto his head in an elegant and appealing look The flashes of lightning showed his strong cheekbones in profile outlining his as a bold silhouette against the darkness DonÆt give up If we work together we will make it through this

Randidly wanted to roll his eyes No one was giving up and SiloÆs desperate grip on the rudder did almost nothing but make him useless when the Murlocs launched attacks on the boat Skarch seemed to be genuinely enjoying the feeling of the rain and was whispering to her spear between short bouts of combat

Azriel was as unflappable as usual What is the limits of the Skill you are using to give me energy

I feel like this is something that we would normally talk about quietly Randidly said with a wry smile on his face

Azriel spared Silo a dismissive glance The man was muttering self righteously to himself It was now SkarchÆs turn to be within the small cabin so he was their only audience

Well fine Randidly said with a sigh I donÆt think there is a limit per se but think of yourself as a stream bed with the energy as the water Slowly it will get naturally larger attempts to hasten that development usually result in side effects

As he trailed off Randidly recalled a few experiments he had performed with Nathan Not that the people were worse off immediately but their growth simply stalled out in the aftermath Perhaps a better metaphor would be to say it would be akin to giving a high school student with an interest in architecture wooden boards and 100 pounds of instant concrete mix and asking them to build a house The flood of Aether in a personÆs body gave them a lot of tools but they had no knowledge of how to use it so most of it would be wasted Their images were too weak to support all the tools they had Unused tools would become a swamp that would bind the individual as well

Twisting his mouth Randidly then checked his inward connection to Azriel It was a thin stream compared to the vast rivers that were flowing to Alana and Annie but it was growing quickly He had never chronicled the growth so directly but it really seemed like Azriel was accelerating forward at a speed that was slightly intimidating to even him Of all the people he had met she was that most fun to fight

What are you smiling about Azriel asked

Randidly simply shook his head and rapped on the deck Skarch Silo Looks like we are coming close

Skarch made her way up out of the hold below and Silo looked upon his aggrieved suffrage underneath the slanting rain Underneath the water RandidlyÆs feelers had shifted into something akin to spider legs and he was pushing them faster and faster towards shore

It was right before they ran aground and he was knocked off into the water that Randidly realized perhaps his desire for speed had thrown them headlong towards a watery grave Well grave was a strong term But as Randidly cracked his head against a rock his felt very very annoyed with himself

Skarch and Silo faired well enough Skarch hadnÆt yet left the door frame and had been able to get a grip Although he didnÆt do much as a steersman Silo had been able to cling to the tiller like an ill willed spider Standing with a curse Randidly looked around for Azriel

Did you do that on purpose

Randidly glanced behind him Azriel had a mild expression with her hair and clothes plastered to her skin in a way that emphasized how slender her limbs were She was a small compact person who looked more like a rat standing in the frothy thigh deep water of the shallows where they had run aground

Randidly cleared his throat Azriel now seems like a poor time to sharpen your spear Maybe we should just wait until we ashore to finish this discussion up

hmm Perhaps Even in the rain her needle like spear gleamed dangerously as she polished it with an unhealthy amount of vigor Randidly was torn between feeling slightly bad about the crash and her obvious fury and feeling amused by adorable her resemblance to a cat tossed into a bathtub was

Luckily their moment of tension was interrupted as a large way buoyed the boat up past the point it had run aground on and smashed it into another nearby rock SkarchÆs laughter was clear over the sound of the storm She leaped lightly off of the boat and landed on a stone that sat relatively shallowly in the water

The boat was flipped over with Silo in it Randidly sighed

Thirty minutes later Randidly had moved some of the short trees into a basic shelter so the group could gather up in a shivering mess It was strange Physically their bodies were obviously cold but their Vitality and Endurance should more than make up for it They were in no danger of dying of hypothermia or anything But physiologically this was not an area that the System benefitted them

Apparently the Nexus amused itself watching the shivers of someone who is mildly cold

Still Randidly couldnÆt complain too much He had gained three Levels in Child of Rain already

Based on my calculations Silo began looking around at the group It was difficult for Randidly to take him seriously because they happened to make their shelter over a stump that would serve as a basic table and Silo was standing with one leg up on it He leaned over onto his raised knee with sparkling eyes We should be on one of the small islands around Kragjist thatÆs the big one where Sergeant Platton is operating

The island chains are huge Skarch pointed out with a shake of her head The wights infest the area like fleas sure But with it raining like this we wonÆt know whether we are walking into an enemy base or not until itÆs too late I dearly wish for a good placement in this tournament but we will simply lose our lives if we act foolishly

As if to underscore her statement thunder rumbled overhead with enough volume to block out the volume of the rain on the shelter around them Azriel tapped her spear against the wall not looking at Randidly Her weapon looked wicked sharp It made Randidly feel somewhat helpless sure he was at fault for their abrupt crash but hadnÆt the rain soaked her to the skin regardless

Randidly opened his mouth I

I think

Randidly paused and looked at Silo who was looking at him in surprise After waiting a half second Silo continued I think we should risk it and press forward Like you pointed out visibility will be low And we are all aware these rain storms might last days It is too much to wait it out Besides we are elite compared to most of the opponents on the front lines The low visibility is a boon to us

We might run into a squad of Zeitguard or even one of the Witch Kings Azriel said evenly Her eyes slide from Silo to Skarch and then back Even though she didnÆt look at Randidly he knew it was because she already knew what his answer was going to be There was no point in asking Can we handle that

A Witch King Obviously not Silo scoffed Then his hands clenched into fists Well perhaps we could buy enough time for the others to flee Since this was my idea I will take responsibility if the worst happens But the Zeitguard they should be similar in strength to us It is entirely possible to handle a few quickly if we work together

I came here for glory I will not turn away if it is thrust upon me Skarch said abruptly I simply wished to confirm you were all aware of the risks

Alright then Randidly said slowly looking around at the group His eyes were brilliant lime green in the strange twilight of the rain shrouded island Then letÆs begin “

Chapter 624

Shal stepped out of the teleporter and looked around The buildings around him were solid and grey and he stood in a small courtyard that was open to the sky Yet when he looked up his vision couldn’t pierce past the thick mist that lay over the area It was soft like cotton and different banks of it moved in every direction merging and separating in an endless dance

It was the continent of the Death School the land of muffled suffering

I never imagined that I would spend my retirement traveling Razland the First Spear of Tomkat said practically spitting out his words Verynica the third member of their team of musketeers simply spared the other man a glance and shook her head

ShalÆs mouth twisted You being here it is not necessary

You owe me Razland replied bluntly Then he grinned but his eyes were tired Although it is a roundabout way allowing me to accompany you and share in some of the military accomplishments will have to be enough It is the only way for Tomkat to obtain the proper share of the remaining energy In the Northern Domain to have such a thing is becoming increasingly rare

After nodding Shal moved forward Razland put on a brave face but Shal knew that everytime that man looked at him he saw all the soldiers that Shal and Randidly had killed escaping from the jail Each of the lives that they took was one of his friends and family And yet RazlandÆs spirit was truly generous When Shal returned to fulfill his promise of returning to Tomkat he had taken a long and hard look at Shal

Instead of asking him to stay he had an extremely strange request that the two would go on a pilgrimage in order for Razland to polish his own Style Perhaps it was ShalÆs obvious unwillingness to stay or the vivacious point of life in ShalÆs eyes that wasnÆt there previously but Shal believed the reason for Razland’s change of heart was something much more practical

At the time Shal returned to Tomkat to pay his debt his strength had shot upwards to just below the Pontiff level Combined with his already exploding Level

Perhaps tying his boat to Shal would end up being a positive decision After all within the month he had truly become a Pontiff So Razland had a surprising amount of insight to join Shal on the mad adventures he had stumbled through sense All would be well Or perhaps

Shal spared Verynica a glance She was the other Lieutenant of Ophelia Vade and was born and bred inside the deepest enclave of the Heart School Ostensibly Ophelia sent Verynica to provide assistance on a very dangerous mission but Shal suspected that the womanÆs unquestioned loyalty was more relevant That and ShalÆs instincts were telling him there was a trap waiting for him on this continent

That part of him that inherited his fatherÆs Style shifted inside of him to the forefront As they walked forward two men in drab robes moved out of a nearby building to greet the trio When they were only a few meters away the two stopped and bowed at a 90 degree angle

Greetings May your spears always find death friends Are you the group that comes seeking the Witch Kings

Yes Report Verynica said sharply

The men began to explain sightings and patterns and strange movements among the wights that could possibly be used to interpret the Witch KingÆs movements It was thoughtful stuff sure but Shal tired of hearing it only after a few minutes

He waved his hand dismissively So there is nothing concrete That is fine Such methods are cumbersome

The two paused their uncertainty clear in their eyes Verynica gave Shal a look and he continued to speak It is simple We find their biggest army and attack it Eventually they will move to stop us yes And who would they send to stop spearmen such as us but a Witch King It is simplicity itself

Razland sighed and shook his head Ah my back is aching already

After clearing another island RandidlyÆs group gathered together without the need for words As they four exchanged glances they nodded imperceptibly at Randidly and he produced a small dome of biological matter for them to rest in and discuss for a while This was a rocky island on the outskirts of the chain so there was only moss But it did make all the furniture Randidly inflated inside relatively comfortable

As the group settled Silo spoke gravely We were lucky again to escape with so few wounds Everyone great job But donÆt lower your guard from just this These have been small scouting forces soon our operations will be noticed

Randidly sighed inwardly none of them were wounded If anything they had done more damage to the islands beneath them than any of them had taken Truly the wights were as unsettled by the constant rain as Azriel was It plastered their diaphanous cloaks to their bodies revealing their unhealthily thin torsos It was simply a matter of finding where they were holed up and then ripping them to shreds

And with RandidlyÆs Aether Detection it was childÆs play But he allowed others to use their own methods most of the time and only intervened if they would miss a cluster of them

Hmm it is unfortunate that this rain is so pressing but I believe I will go out and scout around for a bit Silo said while scratching his jaw Just to check if we missed something Please remain here to avoid suspicion If there are any problems

Yes yes Skarch said shortly waving her hand By all means if you need some private time just say it We will not judge you for your needs

Randidly bit back a laugh as Silo went pink but he didnÆt say anything when he left As his gaze pierced through the wall of the dome to follow his figure RandidlyÆs smile slowly slipped away Based on what he had seen earlier Randidly knew what Silo truly was going to do It likely wasnÆt RandidlyÆs place to say anything about it but it didn’tÆ quite sit right with him either

That chunk of Aether esque substance Silo possessed it was filled with a sickening darkness It was definitely related to System Aether but something very strange had worked it over It was greedy and possessive and devoured the old Aether in SiloÆs body bit by bit It was actually somewhat fascinating to watch as Silo fought against it Randidly considered intervening but it didnÆt seem like the invasion would hurt him per se just destroy his old images

Shaking his head Randidly turned his attention to the small opaque Soulstone that he held in his hand Now that there were some glimmers of light within the Stone it was somewhat easier to see the runes that line the thing But of course it looked like the makers had placed a strange shifting illusion over the orb The light refracted in unpredictable ways as Randidly watched

With his high Intelligence he could slowly work around it but it was frustrating work And what was more frustrating was that Randidly didnÆt truly care about how it was made What the Soulstone gathered wasnÆt Aether per se but it was an echo of Aether It consisted of something that might be considered an ego in psychological terms It was the weak core of a life as the body failed

Randidly shuddered to think what being captured like that was like but his investigations seemed to indicate that there was no consciousness to the gathered energy And it was a sort of energy He had no doubt that the money grubbing owners of the tournament would take these stones and use them to power their teleports in the future

Azriel seemed to be meditating on some image of hers and Skarch was polishing her spear Randidly sensed the explosion of twisted Aether beginning and pulled his awareness inward If that idiot got killed glutting himself on Aether it wouldnÆt be his problem Right before he pulled away Randidly wondered if the guy knew he was effectively getting himself addicted to that either Because based on how it was behaving that Aether was not the sort to play nice with other varieties

Besides Randidly had his own issues In his Soul Space there was a low and constant thrumming

At first Randidly was concerned that something was wrong with his Soul Skill But the noise was coming from his Skills His next thought was that his reconstructed Skill was starting to break apart again But no As the Sun Stills was perfectly fine No the noise was coming from several Skills at once All together they seemed to be singing

One of the Skills involved was Scarlet Burst which was quickly becoming a favorite of RandidlyÆs The speed boost was small but it was unidirectional and could be used consecutively for a higher Stamina cost If you used it within two seconds of a prior use the Cost doubled But still it granted a lot of utility with just the first burst it provided

During the past few hours clearing islands Randidly had gained 8 Levels in the Skill and had already gained enough experience to reach Level 29 The only reason he hadnÆt was that Acri grew sulky when he wasnÆt fed experience for a long stretch

The other Skill that was vibrating in time with Scarlet Burst was a surprise Ashes to Ashes True Randidly had used it briefly today several times Although Aether Detection was good at detecting Aether it didnÆt provide any further information He couldnÆt discern numbers simply the mass of Aether from a distance

There was a possibility that they were walking into either a duel with one very powerful individual or 100 common ones and Randidly wouldnÆt know the difference That was where Ashes to Ashes came in The more he used the Skill the more he sensed that thin edge that the Skill took up

It was a path along the razor sharp edge between the world of Aether where Randidly lived and the world that Randidly could use with Touch from Beyond But while Randidly was in that state all living beings were outlined in sharp relief Their Aether turned into a visible distinguisher that allowed Randidly to view them more directly Although it was costly RandidlyÆs recovery made it a useful tool in his arsenal

Chapter 625

With his attention in front of the Skill he paused then reached out and touched Ashes to Ashes Immediately System notifications popped up in front of him

Congratulations There is currently a resonance between two of your Skills It becomes possible to allow this resonance to grow Warning results of allowing the Skills to influence each other are unpredictable Warning if you possess insufficient energy illness or death might result from the transformation

The following two Skills are in resonance with each other Ashes to Ashes and Scarlet Burst

Only by utilizing both Skills at the same time will the resonance grow If the resonance proves to be harmonies Skills might change or merge

Randidly scratched his chin as he considered the notifications This although the System didnÆt say it was this related to his Class Or perhaps the image that he had been using for Scarlet Burst It was true that he had borrowed some if from Ashes to Ashes That strange decimated world that he saw filled with charred carbon and molten metal had stuck with him ever since he had left the Patron of AshÆs world

The only problem was that Randidly liked both of the Skills Maybe merging into a more powerful form would be fine but if there was a bad reaction

But then Randidly couldnÆt help but shrug First of all he could recover from it He could make his own Skills again although it would be difficult Second with his source of Aether and pure images very rarely were the warnings of the System worth anything to him The only notable exception was the trouble he had with his Soul Skill early on in his career when it was the Cycle of Ash and Rot Since then things had worked

The possibility of damage to his Class gave Randidly some pause but he doubted that such a Class that had been so painstakingly created would break so easily

Pointing the moss dome they were lounging in spread outward to cover a new circle of land Calmly Randidly stood and walked into this new area Both Azriel and Skarch spared him a glance but then returned to their own refinements They all knew what they were here for and trusted each other to do their job

But that didnÆt mean that they wouldnÆt take great care to notice the otherÆs abilities After all if they performed well they would need to face each other in the finals

Randidly didnÆt bother to close off his portion of the dome and block their vision although he considered it Azriel knew about Scarlet Burst and Ashes to Ashes for sure and even had ways to counter them Skarch might learn something from watching but with Randidly just activating the Skills it would be hard to discern what the actual use was

So Randidly stood still and closed his eyes He breathed in then breathed out Then he activated Ashes to Ashes

Instantly the world that Randidly saw shifted He was in a place of deep greys and fiery reds Aether manifested in a weak wavering white light as if he was viewing it through water Although he knew it wasnÆt the case the moss dome around him looked more like stone than plant matter In this place everything was stretched to its polar opposites

It was a binary world in a way Randidly realized This place pressed the world together and removed all of the depth to it Perhaps that explained the strange effect of Randidly being able to avoid an attack

But then his mind snapped into focus as he realized how much Mana he was wasting So instead Randidly used Scarlet Burst

As he did so the vista that Randidly saw around him shuddered The flattened and contrasted world shuddered and trembled But not in a way that reversed the effects of the Skill If anything it intensified the strange flattening effect so colors bled away from the world and all that remained was a burning monochrome wasteland

Still when he used the Skills at the same time the song between the two Skills grew more intense The volume was slowly growing and under the vibrations Randidly heard something akin to voices between the two Skills There was a surprising about of subtlety in what was happening