LoRG 3

And heat Randidly remembered heat that he could use to enrich the image He remembered feeling AlanaÆs bold and honorable fire tonight But he also remembered the poisonous and deadly flames of Aegiant forcing Randidly to hide in the depths of a pool of lava to escape being melted He remembered the whispery sound of lava evaporating

He also remembered his own images of heat that moment where enough carefully built up increases explode in a sudden paradigm shift The cycle in his core that had been his Soulskill before the Alpha Cosmos

This at least was a space where IllymÆs emotions could be worked into the image more fully Ignition Essence possessed a heat that was so intense it refused to be quelled even with the possessor dearly wished to release It was a heat that only knew its own obsessive pursuit of consumption

As much as the heat might crave to cease being hot it could not Balking or slackening was not in its nature

Randidly sharpened the edges of the tongues of flame He expanded the area of influence that Ignition Essence exerted Then Randidly experimented a bit with other forms to be producing the flame but nothing but his own body felt genuine

From the names of the Skills Randidly wanted to make something akin to a phoenix that could fan the flames But of course Randidly hadnÆt ever seen a phoenix Or rather the ones he had seen had been artistic renditions from pre System Earth they were completely useless to him

What he wanted was the bird that personified fire Not a fantastical drawing

When casting around his mind for other options nothing seemed to be a workable candidate He had regret guilt desperation and inspiration swirling in a confusing pot for the image of Ignition essence What form could he give to this strange flame that would possess all those emotions

Coming back to his physical body Randidly brought up the cool metal fingertips of his left arm to press against his temples He hadnÆt been exhausted by the work he did sharpening the edges of the Ignition Essence image but it was still a little disappointing that he really had no idea how to proceed next There were other methods of training but Perhaps if he contacted IllymÆs parents and asked for some more details about her life

And as Randidly had that thought he felt the rope bracelet around his right wrist stir

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 32

Tilting his head to the side Randidly flicked his wrist and conjured the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night to float above his hand Once more the half dozen rotating hoops spun outward from a central area while a complex and geometric core extended between the hoops overlapping and folding in unpredictable ways

Once the Fatepiece unfolded RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition flowed inside the Fatepiece to experience the deep and varied sea of chimes that lay within But very quickly Randidly could identify one of the chimes that was producing its noise at a very different frequency of the others Likely this was the source of the disturbance with the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night

Looks like this started reacting when I was thinking about ways to find out more about Illym I suppose the Fatepiece is trying to tell me that this is an answer Randidly thought with a frown as he considered the noise After the emotional experience with touching the previous chime and finding Yystrix Randidly was somewhat leery to just make an attempt

But ultimately he gritted his teeth and reached As he did so his mind skimmed through several of the most emotional or pivotal moments in his life wondering where and when this would take him The world around him warped and shifted and suddenly Randidly was in another place

Contrary to what little mental preparations Randidly had done for this experience he did not immediately recognize the surrounding area In fact it appeared that Randidly was somehow in a spot that Randidly had never seen before It looked like a spacious and austere bedroom A large mattress was against the far wall next to a closet There was an unlit lamp in the corner next to a desk There were windows but they were completely covered with dark cloth throwing the room into shadows

But he was standing frozen opposite someone else who was similarly frozen An average looking woman with dark hair and a square nose looked incredulously over at Randidly while she held up a cherry red sword with the tip pressed right below her breastbone

And Randidly immediately knew her this was Illym the Above Average Child And based on the current scenario it seemed like RandidlyÆs Fatepiece had somehow taken him to the moment right before Illym took her own life

This is certainly not what I expected

IllymÆs eyes had been bleak and hollow when Randidly had arrived but his sudden appearance seemed to ignite something deadly and intent in her expression Without batting an eyelash she spun the sword in her hands and pointed the tip at Randidly You what the hell do you think you are doing here

I Randidly tried to figure out a good answer to that question After IllymÆs expression darkened during a few seconds of hesitation Randidly decided to go with something like the truth IÆve come from the future IÆm here to stop you from taking your own life

Illym snorted and swung the sword As she did so first the air and then the entire room around Randidly ignited in a furious roar of heat and fire The image was pure and blunt but certainly effective Almost instinctively Randidly activated the Chimeric Avoidance to dodge the damage but the heat and suddenness of the attack gave him no room to retreat His body began to bubble and boil

Congratulations Your Skill Chimeric Avoidance has grown to Level 241

Congratulations Your Skill MonstrosityÆs Appalling Physicality has grown to Level 263

and then Randidly was back floating in the dense mass of chimes After shaking his head and righting himself Randidly easily located the chime that continued to release its teasing cry so frequently At least its good to know that I wonÆt suffer permanent damage from what happens within these strange places

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 33

Sighing Randidly went back and entered the area of that chime The world shifted once more Immediately after everything ceased melting into swatches of color Randidly began to speak You see Fighting me is useless IÆm truly from the future

Randidly paused Because now he noticed that once more he had arrived to a dull eyed Illym who had a sword pointed at her chest She twisted the sword around You what the hell do you think you are doing here

A vein in RandidlyÆs temple throbbed So the moment saved in the Dreamcatcher is static huh

A split second later Illym attacked Randidly again and knocked him out of the strange suspended moment

Chapter 1331

Over the next hour Randidly grew much more accustomed to the usage and costs of the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night through repeated exposure Perhaps more importantly for his present purposes he discovered that no matter what combination of knowledge that he attempted to reveal to the version of Illym from within the Dreamcatcher no matter what Randidly said she would attack him and kill him within ten seconds of his appearing there

Hard to know if thatÆs due to the fact that it is a moment caught somehow in the Dreamcatcher or not Randidly thought rather morosely But I suppose if this truly was the most vulnerable moment exactly before Illym was going to kill herself it makes a certain amount of sense to react very poorly to a stranger abruptly intruding

In addition Randidly realized that the mental costÆ associated with the Dreamcatcher was fixed to the time that Randidly spent within the conjured world So even though Randidly used the Dreamcatcher perhaps thirty times in the hour as he was gathering information he was nowhere near as tired as he had been after visiting that moment Yystrix isolated him

Primarily because Illym kept killing him with an annoying amount of efficiency

It was discouraging for Randidly to encounter this figure who although clearly being very powerful in her day could very quickly wipe the floor with any of RandidlyÆs three images in a direct confrontation Perhaps if he had some more space to maneuver he could last longer

Or if he could fucking utilize Nether

Honestly losing to Illym wasnÆt nearly as depressing as the attempt to use Nether while fighting within the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night No sooner had Randidly allowed Nether to manifest in the air around his body than three sharp senses of Perception locked onto his position All had a vicious sort of determination to kill him

Two he recognized as IllymÆs parents but the third

The third wiped me out of existence as soon as it found me Randidly thought sourly He flexed his fingers in frustration and winced as he examined the situation in his inner world In addition whoever that individual was inflicted actual damage to my Nether that stayed with me out to the real world I suppose it makes sense that if this item is based on the concepts of Nether that its influence might taint my actual Nether

Safer to avoid using Nether in the future in this case it’s a good thing that the moment resets every time

Ultimately the damage he sustained slowed the development of his Nether nebula but luckily it seemed that Nether would rapidly recovered to its complete point once he was back in the real world standing in the silvery mist of his island After fifteen minutes Randidly released a relieved sigh and prepared to try again

Although the current situation was something that he hadnÆt expected or completely understood Randidly rapidly developed a plan to utilize this strange moment likely as the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night encouraged him to do In order to not develop any sort of bad mental habits in regards to dying he was very careful to now categorize it as a form of extreme training in his mind

After all what had started this situation was his desire to improve Ignition Essence correct So he would respond to IllymÆs image solely with Ignition Essence By repeated exposure and clashes between the two images Randidly believed he could slowly absorb a portion of the horrifying heat that Illym used quite like he did in that temple dedicated to ancient Styles on Tellus The chill he had received there had been very useful in making the 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear

So the next time Randidly conjured himself into that awkward moment that Illym held the point of her sword to her breastbone he didnÆt hesitate he raised his hand and launched a Phoenix Slaying Bolt directly at her head

Congratulations Your Skill Phoenix Slaying Bolt has grown to Level 195

Congratulations Your Skill Ignition of the Emerald Essence has grown to Level 225

Due to her extensive martial background IllymÆs sword blurred upward and deflected the Phoenix Slaying Bolt harmlessly to the side Then she surged forward with the weapon raised and a billowing battering ram of an image smashed painfully into RandidlyÆs chest Grunting he did his best to resist his skin melting and his bones catching fire

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix has grown to Level 236

With his effort split between observing the offending image and defending himself Randidly was only able to last a few seconds The heat relentlessly smoldered at his defense until they gave way Then he was floating again in the chiming interior of the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night He checked Absolute Timing and discovered that five seconds had passed With a sigh Randidly returned his perspective to his body and meditated for a short amount of time

The action was partially to recover his focus but also to so he could begin adjusting Ignition Essence Compared to the domineering heat that Illym released Ignition Essence truly was a mild flame Hot sure but it possessed none of the almost glassy eyed fatalism that Randidly could sense in IllymÆs flame

IllymÆs flame was willing to destroy itself to accomplish its goal which paradoxically was destroying itself Randidly supposed that moment right before IllymÆs death might be the high watermark of her imageÆs potency Which was both a blessing and a curse

When he had finished tuning up Ignition EssenceÆs image Randidly fought with Illym again As soon as he arrived he unleashed a blistering barrage of emerald flame In response He experienced her image one more time

And then again

Congratulations Your Skill Ignition of the Emerald Essence has grown to Level 233

Congratulations Your Skill Ignition of the Emerald Essence has grown to Level 251

After almost twenty more attempts Randidly was forced to slow down the rate of his challenges against Illym due to his depleted mental strength In addition to the increases in all of his Skill Levels related to Ignition Essence Randidly also was starting to have some concrete gains in terms of the potency of his image

Part of it was learning to endure IllymÆs fire for longer periods of time with Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix which let him utilize Ignition Essence more fully in the conflicts The flames tempered each other but only Randidly kept the benefits But it was also because Randidly had a burst of inspiration one of the times that Illym had roasted him to a crisp one way to unite the emotions of Illym with the sparks of inspiration from Ignition Essence was by gradually incorporating Innate Violence into Ignition Essence

Innate Violence was the evolved form of Combat Proficiency And in RandidlyÆs mind if he thought about Innate Violence in a certain way it could be considered both complimentary with the dark burdened emotions of Illym and the sudden bursts of novel inspiration that could be obtained from Ignition Essence

In order to properly prepare himself Randidly took almost a half hour to slowly push himself into that headspace He carefully considered the relationship between the different Skills and images checking to make sure this premise was reasonable As far as he could tell it was workable With renewed vigor Randidly went into the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night to confront Illym His consciousness brushed that insistent chime

When the surroundings stopped shifting Randidly threw himself forward Emerald and orange fire swirled around his body but that wasnÆt the main form of his attack Instead his leg whipped out in a kick toward IllymÆs temple

With an annoying amount of poise Illym took a half step back and then twisted her sword around Her powerful image of fire swirled around her in an almost defensive conflagration that immediately began to char RandidlyÆs skin A tornado of fire erupted from the ground Gritting his teeth Randidly forced a denser wave of emerald and orange flames out from his pores and began to repel the worst of the heat

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix has grown to Level 256

Just barely with the combination of his Skill and working his images to the limit Randidly achieved a sort of balance with the ambient heat that IllymÆs image produced With the advantage of surprise she couldnÆt just overwhelm him with the force of her image any longer Which allowed Randidly to take another step forward and launch out a Talon Strike toward his foe A few seconds later Randidly was out of the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night

Turns out that sheÆs damn good at close combat as well Level 90 Talon Strikes are not gonna cut it Randidly laughed wryly to himself Then he rolled his shoulders and tried again He stuck with Skills not relating to Yggdrasil or the Grim Chimera which essentially meant that it took a while for Randidly to find the groove for close combat

The Skills he utilized were simply that weak Considering the pressure Randidly was already under from IllymÆs image and her quick responses this resulted in another two dozen losses before Randidly could sneeze

But each time Randidly gained a couple of Skill Levels here and there Each time he grew more accustomed to associating Innate Violence with Ignition Essence and the strong negative emotions that he had inherited from the woman that he now fought against Each time he edged a little bit closer to a powerful image after their confrontation

Ignition Essence burned a little bit brighter Strange shadows could be seen moving within the shifting flames The heat it released became a heavy vicious thing radiating outward from a cooler and aloof core

When Randidly returned to his physical body once more he was sweating heavily Panting he looked at his Status screen Immediately his eyes widened

All this in four hours of concentrated effort Randidly was honestly rather impressed with his speed of improvement At some point he had gotten back up to possessing 650 PP Which was plenty to start on any interesting Paths that he had available to him So he took a glance at the Path screen

Friend to Humanity 0/100 Mantle of the Patron 0/500 Aether Convergence II the Bell of Doom Tolls 0/600 The Ashes of Ulaat Patron of Ash 0/1000 Order Ducis Font of Guidance HumanityÆs Torch 0/500 Bearing of a Teacher Puppet Master 0/100 Pain Immunity I 0/250 Cleaver of the World Tree Weakness of the World Tree 0/500 Experimenter IV 0/1250 Guilty Conscience I 0/100 Peerage of the Baleful Court I 0/600 Hands of the Artisan 0/ Ashes of Illym the Above Average Child 0/5000 The Flame the Burns Memories 0/ Exodus the Terror 0/1000 Genesis the Considered 0/1000 Image Cooperation I 0/100 Body Refinement I 0/ ChimeraÆs Struggle II 0/ Spear Mastery III 0/200 Mysteries of the Fiery Emerald Waltz 0/ Violent Heat I 0/

Randidly took note of the two new Paths likely relating to Ignition Essence that had appeared but he knew that he wouldnÆt take them for the foreseeable future He believed his prior thought process about waiting to take Paths until his image was set was the correct one

Still how do normal people manage to not rip their hair out with Path related decisions Randidly thought as he scanned through his choices I get so much PP but there are simply so many more things that I want to try

His decision making on his next Path was put on hold however as he felt a familiar sensation overtake him Reign of the Eidolon Crucible had been triggered

It seemed that Kharon wasnÆt quite done celebrating his birthday And what better way for Randidly to work of some aggression than with some harmless violence against foes weaker than him

Chapter 1332

When the call of Eidolon Crucible came in the middle of the night Tatiana resisted its pull For several seconds the Skill persisted stubbornly but TatianaÆs Willpower was enough to endure Although most of the guests of RandidlyÆs birthday party likely wouldnÆt notice that most everyone had fallen into a deep sleep this was also a time where Randidly was out of commission someone needed to remain vigilant in Kharon

And it turned out that it was a good thing she did so because just as dawn was breaking over the horizon an Alana Donal dressed in her typical attire of leather armor turned up at Town Hall and politely knocked on the door Such was the widespread acceptance of the Eidolon Crucible that Tatiana was the only person in the building

Chuckling softly to herself Tatiana hurried down to open the wide double doors to the building Alana Donal would be the sort of person to knock on a front door of a public building

When Tatiana opened the door she greeted Alana with a smile Good morning Since I suspect you are here to talk want to talk a walk with me It will give you a chance to look around Kharon

Tatiana made the suggestion because AlanaÆs expression was curiously stiff It seemed something was the matter And as Tatiana suspected she might Alana sighed and then released a barking laugh Honestly A walk sounds lovely right now

Since everyone was within the Eidolon Crucible fighting against RandidlyÆs Willpower there werenÆt any of the normal breakfast stands along the long boulevard that led to KharonÆs parks But Tatiana still had several tiny pre prepared picnics stored away in her interspatial ring just in case of situations like this

It never hurts to be well prepared Especially when the System is constantly throwing new trials at us oh that reminds me I need to ask Randidly to remake his tests so I can attempt some of them in my spare time

The path they took was a meandering one but Alana didnÆt seem to mind Her eyes followed the rolling hills and the impeccably manicured gardens that they passed on their way to their main destination Lake Kingsley It was one of the few portions of KharonÆs parks that Randidly had named and built himself What was most impressive about the lake was the many varieties of brightly colored fish that Randidly had found to populate the thing

Oftentimes throwing a few pieces of bread into the lake would cause streaks of rainbowÆd colors to erupt out of the lengths depths

And certainly AlanaÆs eyes glimmered as she peered into the waterÆs depths So after they arrived at KharonÆs largest park and sat on a bench by the shore of the lake Tatiana pulled out the basket and offered Alana ham and egg quiches Alana accepted the heavy expression still on her face For a long time the two women sat and ate quietly while watching the light reflect off the placid surface of the water

right now Kharon is experiencing the Eidolon Crucible Tatiana finally spoke unsure of why Alana had stayed silent for so long But still she didnÆt mind guiding the conversation forward The Eidolon Crucible ItÆs a symbol of our bond to Randidly We are drawn into a world of psyche and the people of Kharon clash against Randidly directly Which means that even when people wake up they will be a little groggy for a while from withstanding his strength I assume that you came to Town Hall because you wanted to speak to Randidly

Alana nodded slowly and raised her gaze from the surface of Lake Kingsley Ah That makes a certain amount of sense I can sense something in the air ItÆs ominous It must be the gathered power of the images of everyone on Kharon But itÆs probably a fact that very few people other than me would detect it however IÆve been sensitive to RandidlyÆs images for quite some time But no although I planned to speak to Randidly after he had a few days to calm down today I am here to speak to you

Oh Tatiana tilted her head to the side doing her best to hide the brief thrill of shock that she felt What is it

I just wanted to confirm that it would be okay to allow the dragons that followed me here to wander around Kharon and the surrounding area Alana said with a sigh They are young and curious and havenÆt been to an actual city before So after coming to the party last night they are excited to try more human activities If you donÆt have the manpower to watch them for a while

Oh by all means Allow them to roam free They donÆt need babysitters Tatiana waved her hand in relief Honestly you would be doing me a favor by doing so IÆve been trying in subtle ways to make Kharon seem especially magical and wonderous and having the dragons walking around the city would do a lot to light that sort spark in people Let them sate their curiosity as they see fit

AlanaÆs eyes were bright as she examined Tatiana for several seconds Interesting Are you in charge of maintaining part of KharonÆs image then

Not in any official sense or with a designation but IÆm certainly keeping it in mind while making decisions Tatiana was surprised how bitter her voice sounded when she spoke Perhaps some of AlanaÆs strange mood was rubbing off on her She gently shook herself and then offered Alana a tired smile Sorry that came off a little bit sharper than I intended Most of the details of the image of Kharon is left to the people who live here but IÆm a bit of a pessimist when it comes to human nature So I generally try and orchestrate situations to help the average citizen reach the mental state that Randidly has in mind

He was very lucky to meet you Alana said seriously This city is breathtaking both in scope and in the spirit of adventure that has been woven into its core Randidly is great at many things but I donÆt think keeping all of these plates spinning is one of them This is you

The way you are buttering me up I feel like you have another favor that you would like to ask me Tatiana said wryly DonÆt bother IÆm impervious to charm

Yes well when is the last time someone attempted to charm you Alana asked with obvious amusement in her voice Her eyes shifted from TatianaÆs face down to her own hands You are the left hand of the Ghosthound You have unparalleled power in Kharon and its developing very quickly into a very booming economic power I would think that most suitors would be too intimidated to approach you When was the last date youÆve been on

Tatiana looked at Alana with some genuine suspicion Did Naffur put you up to this He is always sticking his nose where it doesnÆt belong And enough beating around the bush I can tell that a strange mood has seized you what is it that you want Alana

Chuckling Alana leaned back and took another bite of quiche How long will Kharon remain here And when it moves do you know where you will head

Tatiana tapped her finger rhythmically against the wooden bench beneath her Probably only a few more days although the business owners have already made it VERY clear how convenient it is for them when they can set up permanent supply chains But on this issue I donÆt think Randidly will back down Kharon is the Wandering City ThatÆs what it is As for the direction toward the Wildlands They are expanding faster than ever We have a few Order Ducis agents out there but we want to try and make contact with as many bubble cities as possible to avoid accidents

Alana finished her current breakfast pastry and looked in askance at Tatiana After she received the nod of permission Alana picked up another and rapidly devoured it Then she licked her fingers and sighed again From her tight expression Tatiana gleaned that they were finally getting to the real reason for this talk If possible IÆd like Kharon to head towards the settlement of the Frost Dragons They would appreciate seeing Randidly

When Tatiana quirked an eyebrow Alana sighed and continued IÆve been trying to keep this mostly a secret but the way I established a relationship with Wivanya was by convincing her of RandidlyÆs exploits I told the dragons stories about him using my Soulskill And essentially

Oh my Tatiana covered her mouth with her hands her mind whirring to life Did you no the look on your face confirms it You established a religion based on him didnÆt you Bahahah Oh I need to be there when you tell him his expression hahaha

Congratulations Your Skill Reign of the Eidolon Crucible has grown to Level 226

When Randidly awoke it was to grogginess and swirling silver mist It took some time for him to slowly settle from a fuzzy consciousness down into clarity but that made a certain amount of sense He had proceeded directly from his exhausting bouts with Illym into an image fistfight with the people of Kharon requiring Randidly to dig very deeply in order to overcome the images he had helped sharpen

Still it put Randidly in a good mood after all the people of Kharon were growing stronger And it seemed that the party for his birthday hadnÆt injected any desire to slack off in regards to training They were ready to fight at any time

As he stood and stretched and looked at the light of early morning that was filtering through the silvery mist of his island RandidlyÆs first thought was to return to training Like the people of Kharon he could not slack off right now The Earth was quickly approaching a series of very difficult challenges The test from the Xyrt Brigade then whatever the Nemesai still had left up their sleeve and beyond that loomed the First Calamity

They were rapidly running out of time to prepare What came next would be the actual fight to preserve EarthÆs existence

In terms of his own involvement Randidly figured that he wouldnÆt need to move against the special investigator until the Epic Danger Zone had revealed itself Depending on how long the individual Zones would take to clear Randidly believed he had at least a week of intensive training

A part of him was tempted to use a Dungeon in order to extend that time But another part of him still believed that the best encouragement toward progress was necessity Especially when he was so productive in the few hours of practice last night he didnÆt want to think too deeply about avoiding the looming time commitment in case his resolve wavered as a result

It was an option but one he would consider later when he understood where he stood more fully

After glancing around Randidly spread his arms and allowed the surging black flames of Nether to cover his body He could feel the thick energy swirling around him slowly seeping into the surrounding air and ground It was dense and heavy It contained within it all of the meaning he carried with him built up from memories stored in his chest Luckily his island had already been completely soaked in the Nether energies a little more wouldnÆt hurt anything

Growling Randidly maintained a tight leash on his Nether and cast a glance around Practically hearing Tatiana whispering in his ear Randidly chuckled dryly and communicated with the moonlight spirits on the island to carry him a little distance away from Kharon In his entire time returning to Earth and experiencing such huge growth in his Nether due to various meaningful encounters he had never completely let loose and tested his limits

It was about time he figured out exactly what he could accomplish with Nether

In addition Randidly considered this a roundabout way to improve Ignition Essence After all the large amounts of Nether he produced resembled flames when he allowed the energies to seep out of his body What was really happening was that a lighter than air semi liquid substance was produced in the brief contact between Nether and air This substance clung to RandidlyÆs body but fluttered in a convincing imitation of flames

But in terms of image it certainly LOOKED like flames And perhaps seeming the upper limit of RandidlyÆs Nether power would provide some sort of inspiration that he could then use to adjust Ignition EssenceÆs visual effect

To be entirely sure he wouldnÆt cause any lasting damage in an important location Randidly moved deep into the mountains North of where Kharon was stationed Then he took care to avoid the growing ogre settlement that filled the Nordawn range Eventually Randidly found an empty ridge in the Northeast periphery of the range filled with Level 70 Razor Eagles

They watched him apprehensively but Randidly didn’t bother with them If they wanted to be here for this that was their decision

He released a breath And then the Nether Wells in his chest began channeling vast amounts of energy His Nether nebula spun faster and faster The shadowy flames rapidly grew and darkened staining the very air around him

Randidly could feel the System Aether in the air shiver and sizzle shying away from him He grinned wildly and continued to accelerate the production of Nether in his body

Chapter 1333

Nether energies generally constituted three portions that made a whole the core the bubble and the ambient energy field that lay between the former two portions What Randidly did to explode in a tide of Nether was essentially flood the energy field with his raw Nether and then forcefully condensing the bubble down until the energy was left with no choice but to explode outward

An eruption of shadows occurred with him at the epicenter The shadowy flames spiked upward high into the air above him as he raised his head and roared

His grip over his energy squeezed so tightly that the bubble was superimposed over the core The two parts became one Then the exploding energy became a wide amorphous bubble that rushed outward in waves of spectral energy that blasted away the nearby trees and began to corrode them Bark sizzled and leaves withered after only a second of exposure

And still Randidly produced more and more power The thick Nether that Randidly now possessed unrolled itself slowly spreading to fill the surrounding space The nebula grew seeming to manifest itself around RandidlyÆs body Those same shadowy flames that sprung from his skin now began to spring up from spots of unfortunate ground and even on the trees that had been soaked in Nether More and more air was pushed away resulting in a constant wind that fluttered the strange ghastly flames that were the silent observers of RandidlyÆs display

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 161

The nearby Razor Eagles squawked in agitation and hurriedly fled from the ridge on which Randidly stood as Nether continued to spread Perhaps some instinct of theirs hinted at the harm that would result from any exposure

Chuckling Randidly pushed himself further A shiver ran through his body as the Nebula continued to manifest The suppressing effect of his Nether exploded out of his body and seized the surrounding air in a chilling grip In a way that Randidly hadnÆt witnessed since he had been on the frontlines the surrounding space began to distort The ground beneath his feet split into reality and a visual overlay that twitched uncontrollably in unpredictable directions as Nether eroded the fabric of space The imageÆ of EarthÆs natural laws in the surrounding area shuddered and caved as Randidly applied more and more pressure

A small frown crossed RandidlyÆs face Well itÆs not that space is breaking just that the Nether is somehow slipping into a crack and exposing it

With the changes around him RandidlyÆs focus narrowed so he could observe this phenomenon At the same time he few a ripple as the Nebula inside his chest and the Nebula around his body became one in the same way RandidlyÆs body was the same as the Alpha Cosmos A connection was established and the visual variation spread into the whole area affected by Nether

As he influenced the space Randidly was creating an even larger bubble Spectral fire swirled wildly around spinning in that same current that dominated his Nebula What was within without What was without within Then there was a strange vibration simultaneously from the surrounding air and from deep within him Pitchback cracks in the fabric of existence began to extend outward from RandidlyÆs body

RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed My Nether is becoming too big for that thin crack that is present and is forcefully pushing the two apart now

Closing in on the limits of his Nether powers Randidly released a deep breath Pitch black corrupted air flowed out of his mouth That Nether tainted air crackled with cobalt bolts of lightning until it dissipated

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 162

But as Randidly was nearing his limits the changes continued The surrounding area became strangely ethereal and dreamlike The visual distortions rapidly spread It was like Randidly was standing in a broken snowglobe that shifted unpredictably by the whim of a capricious giant The cracks spreading from RandidlyÆs body through space continued to twist their way outward and thicken

With his Grim Intuition Randidly could sense that ghastly aura of oppression that radiated out from those cracks It was the same sensation of the Great Rift albeit on a much smaller scale But what struck Randidly most directly was how it looked

He seemed to have grown wings that resembled the shadow of tree branches in the dead of winter all sharp lines and knobby forks

And in that moment Randidly felt a profound sense of connection Perhaps he had always been able to sense it but now that it had been enlarged by the influence of Nether he could finally notice it That thin crack of Nether that had been expanded now began to feed Randidly a confusing stream of information

The world became his bubble and he the core Natural laws and images that had been present in the area weakened and died because the area became himÆ Nether bridged the gap in a much more literal way than the Alpha Cosmos did Through that connectionÆ Randidly could feel everything shift

Spectral flames began to lick outward from the edges of the black cracks Randidly created He gritted his teeth operating Nether at the limit of what he was capable Then the ground beneath him groaned and cracked gradually collapsing from the strain of enduring the Nether

Not the Nether as energy IÆve literally grown heavy Randidly was somewhat stunned He lifted his left and right hands staring at them Nether is manifesting physically as I connect with the surrounding area

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 163

Releasing another smog like breath Randidly no longer maintained his Nether The cracks rapidly retracted themselves back to his body and the Nebula vanished almost instantly On the other hand the flames stayed for another five minutes slowly shrinking down to nothing Randidly glanced around and smiled wryly at what he saw it looked like he had been testing bomb detonations from the space where he was standing

The ground was shattered and weak the surrounding area scorched and the nearby trees had been withered to charcoal

That sense of connection and weight was unexpected Randidly bent over and rubbed some of the charred ground between his fingers Like embers from a fire the substance was brittle and porous rapidly disintegrating due to his touch

Still Nether is strong Randidly said lightly as he shook his head and stood It was somewhat baffling to admit after he had spent so much time working and refining his images to reach the current point but after experiencing the suppressive influence that he could release with Nether he didnÆt think his Aether Skills could rival his Nether ones

Maybe IÆm just better at Nether than Aether Or perhaps its a side effect of being connected to Neveah who is such a natural at utilizing Aether She has several advantages when it comes to Aether and therefore I have been naturally been pushed toward the reciprocal innately understanding Nether To achieve some sort of balance

The thought made Randidly frown He had never thought too deeply about what his Soulbound connection to Neveah meant aside from the benefits they derived from it Because the benefits that Randidly obtained were significant Perhaps he would need to spend some time investigating the nature of the connection between them in the future

But thinking of Neveah and wanting to try and test the limits of his Nether power Randidly sent her a quick message asking what she was doing Almost immediately she replied that she had returned to YystrixÆs grave and was studying the Engravings that had been left there Implied in her message was that she shouldnÆt be disturbed unless it was extremely important

Rolling his eyes at his obsessed partner Randidly took another look at the area and eyed it speculatively He hadnÆt detected anything in the actual sight of his Nether power that had inspired him but he did get a small amount of details from looking at the destruction that he had caused with Nether

The singed ground the destroyed foliage the deserted area the swirling winds it all remained as a testament to the fact that something had occurred here at this location This place would be marked by RandidlyÆs experiment for quite some time

And that sense of being a catalyst for change whether for good or for ill was something that Ignition Essence could use Because the image of the Ignition Essence was definitely designed to be potent Randidly was in the middle of memorizing the traits of the surrounding area when he received a message from a sender that he really didnÆt expect to reach out to him

Can we meet There is something that I would like to say before I depart

Twisting his mouth Randidly glanced up toward the sun it was probably only 9 A M There was still plenty of time left in the day And considering the sender he didnÆt believe that a meeting between them would take long

Shrugging Randidly replied with the affirmative and gave her a location for the meeting Then he proceeded to return to his island and float back toward Kharon When he arrived he quickly hopped down onto Kharon proper and lost himself in the tight streets of the industrial district At this point most everyone was up and recovering from the Eidolon Crucible so even Randidly Ghosthound was able to produce some common leather clothes and blend in with the crowd of workers trudging to their job

One the way his nose did detect several whiffs of the soap scent the Ghosthound but Randidly did his best not to think too deeply about that

Eventually he arrived at the edges of the industrial loading docks Huge metal latticeworks and cranes towered overhead like some sort of forgotten monument or a model of a city’s inner bones This area had been built with the impression it would handle the transportation of metals and raw materials in and out of Kharon but the rise of the floating platforms saw this location become basically obsolete So although the industrial district continued to hum with productivity this location had very little foot traffic

When Randidly hopped lightly up from steel beam to steel beam to ascend to the top he saw that Alta Bounty was already waiting at their agreed upon meeting spot

Randidly landed lightly on a beam opposite AltaÆs position with five meters of open space between them They were at the peak of the framework the only thing higher being KharonÆs flag fluttering weakly in the morning air Seeing her tight expression Randidly tilted his head to the side I was surprised that you wanted to meet Even though you became part of the Pantheon in the Alpha Cosmos I figured our relationship was soured by what happened in the past

It was You made so many terrible mistakes You let everything I loved die right in front of me Alta whispered With a slowness that demonstrated remarkable control Alta pivoted to look at him You had the ability to have such a positive effect on the world I could feel your power but you didnÆt And I hated you for it

Congratulations Your Skill the Lantern of Harsh Truths has grown to Level 142

Randidly remained silent watching AltaÆs face further and further into a murderous grimace Her current image form was of the young and lovely woman that she once was before the image of ash she borrowed from Randidly corrupted her but with every second Randidly could see the monster that Alta Bounty had eventually become taking over The image of destruction and cleansing fire stirred around her Randidly could help but notice the metal beneath her feet was slowly beginning to show signs of rusting

Congratulations Your Skill the Lantern of Harsh Truths has grown to Level 143

but I now see that I was childish in my outlook The twisted face of crazed murderer stopped its vicious transformation And then her expression slowly relaxed back to her normal appearance Alta made an effort to try and smile but her face still looked forced and stiff You werenÆt perfect but now that I am working in a semi deific capacity I get it You cannot help everyone That person will only be aware of their relationship with you and how it is disappointing but you as the deity interact with such a wide area so I get it I really am sorry for the way I behaved

AltaÆs gaze meandered down to the metal on which she stood Her dangerous image had largely dispersed so the slow corrosion of the steel beam had stopped And Randidly opened his mouth to accept AltaÆs apology but something stopped him On his right wrist the woven rope of the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night tightened

And because that brought Randidly up short he could sense the small differences in the steady way his Nether swirled in his Nebula is this a moment of import Or it could be Something that will be recorded in the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night

Since it is related to Nether it is intimately related to connection After todayÆs experiment it seems like IÆve really underestimated the uses of Nether The Fatepiece activating now might mean this is likely a chance to connect with Alta

But what sort of thing should I say to connect with her

Chapter 1334

If Randidly possessed a glaring weakness it was social interaction with others He had definitely developed some coping mechanisms that let him talk relatively normally with other people but that didnÆt remove this glaring weakness from his personality It simply covered it up

Most of RandidlyÆs strategy for developing relationships with people was to be near enough to them for long enough due to innocuous reasons that he would either relax and connect with them or that the other person would take the initiative to make the connection themselves Perhaps due to RandidlyÆs personality he very rarely had the impulse to quickly establish a connection

Perhaps it was a testament to powerfully Vualla had struck him that Randidly tried to establish a connection after meeting her twice

But this was Alta Bounty

Certainly Randidly was familiar with her honestly he was more familiar with her than he was with Vualla But he definitely had not found cause to relax around her Randidly had managed to avert disaster when Alta made her attempt to destroy his Soulskill but it hadnÆt exactly engendered positive feelings toward the young woman Even with Lucretia being strangely fond of her Randidly didnÆt share those sentiments

Still Randidly could understand the emotions that Alta felt In a weird way it reminded Randidly of the way he felt about his own mother Those nights when his mother had another man over and Randidly could only sit quietly in his room and wait it out The only difference was that Alta had responded by lashing out And Randidly Randidly had just let his own family slowly drift apart around him

As RandidlyÆs thoughts wandered the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night once more reacted Suddenly there were three distinct chimes that buzzed against his wrist beckoning him closer Instantly RandidlyÆs expression turned ashen So the Fatepiece follows my lines of thought and provides me with the frozen moments that are related to them So there are at least three moments related to my family with likely my mother being involved in most of them

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 34

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 35

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 36

Immediately Randidly pressed his eyes closed and concentrated on trying to understand Illym Now was not the time to deal with his lingering familial issues After a few seconds of discordant notes the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night returned to its previous state with only a single chime corresponding to IllymÆs suicide moment sounding out

Then Randidly opened his eyes and looked at Alta with her lowered gaze He did his best to banish all of his thoughts and simply looked at her as she was now At the almost claw like set of her hands At the way her hair trailed down over her shoulders At her hunched shoulders and obvious sense of discomfort as she apologized At the deep shadow cast over her face

And Randidly responded as honestly as he could when he spoke Thank you But you know life is more complicated than that It is not just whether I should or shouldnÆt have done something or whether I did or didnÆt have an excuse I hurt you the context to that event is just that context It will never change the fact that I hurt that I hurt so many people in my old Soulskills And IÆd like to think

For a second Randidly hesitated as he searched for the right words that IÆm man enough to admit the mistakes IÆve made and live with them without needing to excuse them And this is the truth I hurt you So IÆm sorry too

Randidly didnÆt know what he expected but was rather nonplussed when there seemed to be no response from the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night His Nether continued to smoothly flow through his inner Nebula without a change He felt a flicker of disappointment but quickly masked it and focused on Alta in front of him Honestly hard to know how the ability to return to this moment would be useful Better to just concentrate on being honest ThatÆs the best that I can do right now

For her part Alta didnÆt react for several seconds But then she slowly raised her head and looked at Randidly with a puzzled expression that slowly began to warp once more You think youÆre man enough to admit you did it and live with it What the HELL does that mean

By the end of her phrase AltaÆs murderous aura had returned in full force The slow rusting of the metal beneath her feet continued A cool wind whipped around the two of them standing as they were about thirty meters off the ground KharonÆs flag awkwardly fluttered and then fell still

You you think you can just bear the weight of all those lives Alta BountyÆs face began to twist into the familiar form of the Metal Queen A fiery light began to emerge from the spot where her heart should have been You are one man How large is your ego that you think you can bear the weight of all their deaths An arrogant weakling like you will be crushed by the weight of those wasted lives You will be devoured by the howling damned A single death holds the weight of every possibility that person might have accomplished in all their lives All that potential you are too small a man to bear that weight Randidly Ghosthound

The sky around them darkened with AltaÆs image So much so that some of the more perceptive people in the nearby industrial businesses detected the shift Moss spirits began to drift upwards curious and confused by what was going on

Randidly kept all of his images suppressed Because he sensed a tremor through that thin crack in which Nether existed in the real world For the first time he had an inkling about how it could be used So he just kept his gaze on Alta Keep answering honestly

Perhaps her reaction should have indicated that something was wrong with his prior response but he didnÆt believe that he was wrong on this count Yes the deaths were weighty But still

You canÆt let the weight of what might of been stop you from making the world better You simply learn to bear that weight

A smile slowly formed on RandidlyÆs face And when he spoke he unleashed all the certainty and world bending confidence that allowed him to reach his current tier of power with the images of Yggdrasil and the Grim Chimera I can bear the weight of those deaths Alta Bounty Do you think those lives were the only ones that IÆve been forced to bear on my conscience When we fought didnÆt you sense all the purposeless deaths that I already carried with me

This time Randidly purposely created a tremor to run through his Nether The core of the nebula grew a small amount in size Randidly felt the weight in what he was saying In addition he followed the strange reflection of the earlier feeling Although he wasnÆt filling the surrounding space with his Nether he could feel himself becoming increasingly connected to this area In particular that connection centered on Alta Bounty in front of him

The branches of Nether spread invisibly outward The surrounding space shook a little But RandidlyÆs Nether was insistent and this time he knew what he was trying to accomplish

There isnÆt any actual connection but itÆs like it constitutes access to a so thin itÆs invisible layer of Nether to the System which I suppose makes sense It isnÆt as direct as the bonds I establish with Aether but still seems like it functions more like gravity The larger the Nether I possess the easier it will be to affect or examine others in this manner

Because Alta was clearly affected as RandidlyÆs Nether spread out in a controlled manner She stood transfixed her gaze locked onto Randidly Ghosthound His Lantern of Harsh Truths Skill didnÆt Level up at all during her long stare but Randidly figured that was because Alta wasnÆt really exposed to his Skills what Alta was experiencing was direct contact with the Nether that Randidly possessed

Much of the fury faded from her expression Who are all those people I can sense

Nether contains memories and connection RandidlyÆs gaze flicked down to the Fatepiece around his right wrist Perhaps one purpose of this is so that I donÆt forget that I carry around all these heavy moments with me

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 37

Randidly thought about the population of Turtletown He thought about all the people who flocked to Donnyton while he was too proud and awkward to protect the place as well as he could He thought about his friends on Tellus and the innocent guards in that prison he and Shal had infiltrated He thought about all the graves he dug alone along the banks of the Hallat as they fled from the Wights

He thought about that civilization that had survived inside of the Dungeon that refused to capitulate to him He thought about the proud face of Ki Kunot He thought about all of the people in his Soulskills that fought and died for him to resist YystrixÆs invasion He thought about the lives lost on the frontlines under his command and the people who died at the football game only a short time ago

That weight you feel are the people who died The ones with a connection to me Randidly replied as lightly as he could manage His Nether spun inside of him faster and faster The moment stretched until Alta began to shake and then Randidly cut off the strange almost subconscious connection between them He retracted his Nether

Gasping to recover her breath Alta swayed on top of the steel beam with such unsteadiness that Randidly legitimately thought she was going to fall But she crouched down and gradually recovered her composure

Partially reviewing the situation that had just occurred in his mind and partially waiting for a response Randidly remained still and patiently observed Alta

Eventually she straightened again And when she looked over at him her expression was extremely complicated You heh I thought I understood you But after feeling that what was no I suppose I donÆt want you to answer that I have a feeling the longer I serve in your Pantheon the more I will understand what that was The more I will have to bear my own weight that no one else can see

Randidly thought about correcting her but instead just smiled more gently than his previous expression What he possessed was Nether but Randidly supposed everyone must have an aspect of some Nether to him Perhaps what he should be investigating is how to sense that because he must be connecting with some intrinsic Nether to display his weight like he just had done

thank you for meeting with me ItÆs strange but I feel better Alta looked away from Randidly and back toward Kharon If itÆs alright IÆd like to stay here a little longer I believe there are certain things you lose when you accept roles of power for too long Being here makes me remember how to be normal

Randidly nodded and turned away letting AltaÆs not so subtle warning pass by without comment But he did add one last thing before he departed Enjoy yourself If you are truly strong you can make the heavy seem light

Then Randidly used the PhilosopherÆs Key to open a portal back to his floating island He made a mental note to talk to Tatiana again about selling floating island real estate but for the moment concentrated on what he had learned from the interaction First he had learned of the ability to connect via Nether but more importantly he learned how to shift the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night as his attention changed

Although Randidly had tested his abilities with Nether on that lonely ridge that had been a dry run what he really wanted was someone who he could fight on equal footing to see how effective Nether was as a weapon His first thought was to focus on Lady Iellaya or Vualla and then fight against them using the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night but Randidly worried that perhaps a watching guard similar to what had happened in IllymÆs memory would happen again

His direct use of Nether on the frontlines would draw the wrong sort of attention Randidly supposed he could convince one of those people to come into his Alpha Cosmos to fight against him but Randidly suspected that his Nether would have a bit of an advantage inside of the world that was actually his body

So if that location was off the table

Finally having a certain foe in mind Randidly caused the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night to unfold into his hand Then Randidly concentrated on the man who was more like a father to him than his own father Shal Responding to his will the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night caused new chimes to start ringing And as he concentrated further one in particular emerged as the loudest

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 38

Randidly touched the source of the chime and the world warped around him Suddenly he was floating in a pool of lava with the oppressive heat of the sun pressing powerfully down on the surrounding area

Aegiant Wyrd floating at the center of a miniature sun chuckled It amuses me that I cook you now like a goose I wish I had a good wine to pair your death with ah well I will follow my baser instincts and simply revel

AegiantÆs words were choked off as a blanket of Nether pressed down on the surrounding area Taken by surprise much of his image of heat was forcefully dissipated Cursing Aegiant stumbled backward and regained his footing

Not that it was even necessary In comparison to the heat that Randidly endured at the hands of Illym this was almost comically easy

The molten rock in the surrounding area rapidly cooled and solidified but Randidly utilized his body empowered by Nether Brawn to simply rip open a hole to the surface Then he sauntered slowly out and cracked his knuckles The flames of Ignition Essence flickered to life around him as he looked over at the shocked face of Aegiant

Do you know how long IÆve waited for a chance like this Randidly whispered His emerald eyes glowed with relish Being cooked in lava fucking hurt

Chapter 1335

Randidly felt a flash of worry for a few scattered seconds after he had almost completely blasted away AegiantÆs image with his concentrated Nether The ease at which he had displaced the otherÆs strength made him wonder whether the subsequent confrontation would leave him disappointed

Seeing AegiantÆs being rather quickly overwhelmed Randidly made a few rules for this fight he would only rely on periodic bursts of Nether Ignition Essence and physical Skills

In the original confrontation Randidly had to rely on bringing out a powerful image from within his newly created Alpha Cosmos to even the playing field Due to the surprise of the attack Aegiant had been severely wounded by Rejt and Randidly was able to hastily finish him off earning several deep wounds on his body in the process

Because of the time it had taken for his body to recover Randidly had only barely arrived in time to the confrontation between Shal and the Spearman slipping past them both to save Azriel who had been used as a surrogate for the SpearmanÆs images After that he had basically collapsed and watched the final fight

So Randidly was honestly a little unsure of how powerful Aegiant was compared to his current self However as soon as Aegiant was given a few seconds to gather himself the blazing heat of the sun once again radiated off of his body and pushed back against the spread of NetherÆs Influence

The corner of RandidlyÆs mouth turned upward Good

AegiantÆs eyes were bright as he looked toward Randidly You you had a card like this hidden It matters not I have lived far too long to fall to something like this IÆll have my vengeance for what you did to my grandson

Unfortunately you have already died A strange sense of pity ran through Randidly but he rapidly repressed it and prepared another burst of Nether

And true to his word AegiantÆs image immediately came surging back to his body Once more he was wreathed in a golden glow that hidden the details of his figure The cooling ground beneath him began to crack and shudder as the trace elements within the stone once more began to melt

But Randidly just grinned Good It will be more fun this way

With a burst of Nether Brawn Randidly exploded toward Aegiant before his opponent could gather his image any more completely Aegiant might be able to throw off RandidlyÆs Nether suppression from afar but as Randidly closed the distance it became obvious that the effect was greater the closer the two were to each other

Meanwhile Randidly also wreathed himself in emerald and orange flames and raised his hand to unleash five Phoenix Slaying Bolts at Aegiant barely any space between them

Aegiant flicked his hand conjuring a roaring wall of flame that largely dispersed the power of the projectiles Then he leapt backward was conjuring three floating orbs of condensed sunlight above his head They began rotating quickly around him seeming to churn golden flames off of their surfaces that moved to engulf AegiantÆs hands

Of course the ground that he had leapt backward to land on promptly erupted with flaming emerald talons largely destroying the brief reprieve that he had

Congratulations Your Skill Talon of the Restless Immortal has grown to Level 202

Randidly directly blasted through the lingering wall of flame and gave chase

Most of the flames that had gone to surround AegiantÆs hands he used to smash away the emerald flames coming up from below In addition Aegiant hastily sent one of the glowing golden orbs shooting forward directly toward RandidlyÆs chest As it flew forward Randidly saw its color deepen as more and more of AegiantÆs focus went toward fueling it The golden color was rich and warm as though it truly was a miniature sun

Still Randidly just barred his teeth and channeled as much of Ignition EssenceÆs image as he could Fire and inspiration coiled around his arms bearing the with them the heavy weight of regret that Illym had injected into the image The two flames clashed in an explosion of heat and sparks that shook the surrounding ground The ground that wasnÆt already partially molten was charred and smoking in the aftermath

Due to his momentum Randidly continued forward with a slightly disgruntled expression Annoying that Aegiant back then is even stronger than Ignition Essence is now but IÆm starting to sense that it is partially because there is such a large portion of the image missing

Still even if AegiantÆs image had a sense of weight and purity that let it overwhelm Ignition Essence RandidlyÆs physical body was nowhere near as weak as it had been originally in this fight Therefore even coming out the loser in the clash between the flames around his body and AegiantÆs orb he could practically shrug off any damage inflicted

RandidlyÆs monstrous Health Regeneration rapidly healed the small damage that he had sustained AegiantÆs eyes widened as he noticed RandidlyÆs blithe absorption of his flames You

But Randidly didnÆt give him any more chances to talk His body once more exploded into motion as he forcefully activated Innate Violence launching several Talon Strikes and Roundhouse Kicks at Aegiant in the process With a snort Aegiant raised his hand and one of the two remaining orbs condensed into a flaming spear

Bringing the spear around Aegiant released a completely perfect thrust that seemed to set the surrounding air on fire with the friction of its passage Even though the distance between them was very short and RandidlyÆs Nether continued to effectively blunt AegiantÆs image Randidly could tell that this man had used this basic thrust thousands of times in the past It bore the weight of repetition as a mark of pride and power

But Randidly just laughed and twisted to avoid the blow relying on his Nether Brawn and Agility that were both over 1000 to forcefully break through the limits of what was physically possible For a moment his body seemed to actually skip across space like a smooth stone over the surface of a pond Small sonic booms echoed outward like the ripples from the moment the stone skimmed the water

As Helen had pointed out the prior night RandidlyÆs physical gifts were nearing the point that it was hard to judge them by normal means

Congratulations Your Skill Innate Violence has grown to Level 188

Randidly planned on embracing that fact

Aegiant immediately went pale as Randidly seemed to slip around the strike and threw out a Talon Strike that ripped toward AegiantÆs chest Even if the Skill Level was low his Nether Brawn still gave it a horrifying amount of power Aegiant responded by immediately twisting his flaming spear to destroy his thrustÆs momentum and whipped the weapon around to sweep Randidly to the side Randidly for his part simply empowered his Ignition Essence Image and allowed the collision to happen

Congratulations Your Skill Talon Strike has grown to Level 101

Congratulations Your Skill Innate Violence has grown to Level 189

Congratulations Your Skill Ignition of the Emerald Essence has grown to Level 252

As soon as the two blows landed Randidly could feel Aegiant throwing himself backward with the force of the Talon Strike Ignoring AegiantÆs rather pitiful sweep attack that whacked ineffectually against his side Randidly stamped his foot and rushed forward to follow With a roar Aegiant unleashed a blast of terrible heat that erupted in a wave Lightning quick he crossed his hands and an enormous spear descended from the sky to pierce through RandidlyÆs torso

A hint of a headache began to form but Randidly ignored it for now His Nether pulsed and seethed as he whipped it into a frenzy spreading to fill the surrounding space and largely blunting the effects of AegiantÆs image What was left was a relatively weak image and a powerful Skill which Randidly weakened further with the image of Ignition Essence and then endured the damage with his body

The huge molten sky spear smashed into RandidlyÆs chest It forced Randidly to release a grunt and pause for a half second but just as quickly Randidly was rushing forward again and throwing out Talon Strikes

Their battle so far seemed to have caused Aegiant to rapidly update his assessment of Randidly in an unpredictable way so Randidly was quite surprised for a brief moment when the arrogant man simply turned and fled across the slowly solidifying field of stone around him But honestly it was probably the worst move that Aegiant could have made

First Randidly unleashed a barrage of Phoenix Slaying Bolts that slammed into AegiantÆs back They werenÆt quite powerful enough to wound him seriously but they did delay the spear user for a short amount of time Which was enough time for Randidly to do two things First he created a literal wall of Talons of the Restless Immortal that erupted from the ground in a spray of emerald and orange fire

In addition Randidly brought more of his Nether to bear on the surrounding area The thin crack in which Nether was usually suppressed under the System was forced to open wider The Nether Nebula in his chest shivered in anticipation Some visual variations began to appear around Randidly including four thin black cracks extending outward from his back

Aegiant smashed into the sharp talons that were the gates to his freedom and exploded through to the other side by dint of the potency of his image Watching even Randidly couldnÆt help but be impressed by the overwhelming power of that image The heat released almost invalidated anything that stood in its way

It was a quite effective imitation of the way Nether literally invalidated all the images around it

Aegiant was barely slowed at all but he was slowed enough The Nether Randidly released burrowed quickly through the world and caught up with him The cracks in the world spreading from his back grew larger and split into various branches

Already RandidlyÆs headache had grown as he attempted to utilize Nether in this manner But he pushed forward determined to see the effect he could wield And the moment of connection between the two of them was jarring in that a strange amount of thoughts and sensations flowed through the sudden connection between them

Even as AegiantÆs speed slowed down to stillness RandidlyÆs headache spiked upward Gritting his teeth he mobilized his body and rushed over to stand at AegiantÆs side Because as he forcefully accessed information through Aegiant Randidly came to the realization that what he was accessing was much different than what he had felt with Alta

ItÆs because this is ultimately just an imitation Randidly realized around his throbbing headache I can apply similar pressure to the physical world here but I canÆt really use stuff inside of the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night to understand fully how to use Nether It is based on Nether principles but itÆs not designed to train my Nether

Randidly pulled back his Nether and raised both his hands above his head AegiantÆs clarity rapidly returned to his eyes but Randidly gave him no chance to dodge he brought his hands down and crushed him into the still partially molten ground beneath them

With the assistance of Nether Brawn Randidly felt AegiantÆs shoulder shatter from the impact

The only problem was RandidlyÆs headache continued to get worse Agonizingly worse in a way that told Randidly that he had missed something For a split second he panicked as he frantically checked his Nether and in that moment Aegiant vanished from his perception But that also reminded Randidly of something he had forgotten

Swearing softly to himself Randidly left the memory world and returned to his real body The headache went with him ItÆs the fucking mental cost from using the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night I got so used to those short attempts with Illym And from how exhausted I feel it might be that the cost increases the more it deviates from the original memory

Making an oath to himself that he would return and make the attempt again in a more efficient manner Randidly returned to his hut and collapsed on his bed

Chapter 1336

Commissioner Arrietti woke up with a wide smile on his face after a dreamless sleep Sunlight filtered through the window in thick golden rays that bounced off the floor and filled his room with warmth It was probably almost 10 A M at this point but sleeping in was perfectly acceptable for Elmer today he had earned a day off as a reward for his hard work in preparing for Randidly GhosthoundÆs birthday

Today was entirely his Kharon itself seemed to unfold before his mind like a blooming flower And Elmer Arrietti intended to stop and smell the roses

Hum hum I suppose I should treat myself to one of those fancy scones from the place around the corner They should have had enough time to get up after the Eidolon Crucible and bake them by now Elmer stretched leisurely and then swung his legs off of the bed After slipping his feet into an extremely comfortable pair of wolf fur slippers Elmer shuffled to the window and threw open the curtains obscuring this beautiful world

For a few seconds Elmer seemed to exist in a solid beam of golden light It warmed his skin and curled his face into an even larger smile His view from his fifth floor which was the highest floor in his apartment building flat allowed him to calmly examine the surroundings People scurried below beginning to head to work with platforms releasing emerald energy floating behind them Kharon was alive and well likely those scones were ready for him Truly the only source of happiness in the world was vacation

Elmer paused as his gaze was drawn unbidden across the street to the opposite buildingÆs roof The figure of a woman was standing on the roof opposite his building Her one arm was covered in crackling lightning the other in almost completely transparent ice Her gaze was extremely intense as she looked toward the direction of Town Hall Her image was so powerful that it completely chilled Elmer to the bone just to look at her

Closing the curtains for no particular reason Elmer turned away with a smile plastered on to his face Truly vacation is the panacea of all woes and nothing says vacation like a scone

His vaguely optimistic muttering continued as he put on his coat grabbed a hat and walked down the stairs and onto the street below The sun peeked between the nearby buildings and illuminated the happily productive street The chill that had gripped his body finally began to fade Unable to resist the impulse Elmer glanced upward and was relieved to see that the mysterious woman who had been standing on the roof was gone

Likely for a relaxing stroll Elmer comforted himself All appreciated the joys of vacation

Elmer sailed on that good mood for quite some time allowing him to go to his favorite bakery obtain a cranberry and pecan scone and sit at a stucco table in the sun while reading a newspaper Most of the news included was scintillating rumors about the party which Elmer ignored but he did have an enjoyable twenty minutes working on a crossword puzzle before giving up

Heh truly the wonders of free time never cease Elmer said to himself as he stood and tucked the newspaper under his arm Then a blur of emerald light came whizzing past him on high speeds along the street Commissioner ArriettiÆs traitorous body honed by training with the Order Ducis brought his head whipping around and sized up the disturbance

It was the form of a familiar child riding quickly on a small flying platform made of wood That child was leading a group of four children and when they reached the intersection each split off in his or her own direction in a burst of emerald light Several other people in the surrounding area also twisted around to glance at the disturbance but everyone shrugged and went back to what they were doing once it had shot past

Elmer nodded in a kindly manner to an acquaintance at a nearby table and began walking away Yes today is my day off No need to

Commissioner Arrietti

ElmerÆs expression froze as he spun on his heel to face the speaker Annie the White Hunter She favored him with an indulgent smile and put a lazy hand on her hip Have you seen my daughter She definitely passed this way but I canÆt tell which direction she took Did you happen to see

Her expression made it clear she knew he knew the answer to her question

ElmerÆs first instinct was to open his mouth and say that he was currently off duty but then he took a second look at AnnieÆs smile and strangled that impulse Instead he coughed lightly and then pointed in the direction that the leading child had fled And just like that Annie seemed to dematerialize in front of him

Releasing a breath Elmer took a quick glance around confirmed that there were no other important individuals around and began walking briskly forward Beyond scones and sunlight superfluous shopping is also within the purview of a relaxing vacation Yes perhaps some scented candles and in the evening I will take a grand bath

With newfound confidence that his day would definitely be relaxing Elmer wandered across Kharon toward the commercial district In this instance he planned on heading to the newly opened indoor shopping complex Although he had a scone for a light breakfast it was getting late enough that lunch in the food court wouldnÆt be remiss

Elmer reached down and squeezed his belly with a pained expression Overeating was also necessary for one to fully enjoy a vacation

But as he neared the entrance Elmer noticed quite a few people milling about the area with stiff spines and lowered necks that indicated nervousness Instantly Elmer couldnÆt help his gaze sharpen Was there an incident happening at the indoor shopping complex

Elmer promptly spun on his heel daydreaming about a relaxing half hour in one of the executive bath rooms available to him But as he turned around he found himself face to face with two young women dressed up in the uniform of KharonÆs police force Both seemed like they were on the verge of tears

Commissioner Arrietti IÆm so glad you are here The younger one Elise seemed to be trembling We we didnÆt know what to do but they the The Nemesai are inside the store

Again Elmer wanted to just say that this was his day off but Elise seemed so young despite the ah tailored fit of her police uniform

Commissioner Arrietti cleared his throat and put on a serious expression He reached up and rubbed his chin as he always imagined a real Sherlock Holmes would do Indeed What is the situation inside

The other officer Janet shook her head helplessly The good news is that itÆs not too bad They are just shopping But a lot of people are disturbed by their presence we wanted to ask them to leave but

Immediately EliseÆs eyes brightened Would you be able to come with us

Inwardly Elmer scowled fiercely This is my day off damnit But outwardly he released a soft sigh Ladies of course we are here to protect the peace and tranquility of KharonÆs citizens But we must also consider that we are representatives of Kharon And therefore of Randidly Ghosthound He personally extended his hospitality to the Nemesai so we must abide by his decision

Elmer quite enjoyed throwing Randidly Ghosthound under the bus for this problem but the reaction of the two women was not what he expected

Both women seemed enlightened as though he had relayed the words of a sage They nodded fervently At least feeling satisfied with his performance Elmer was about to make an excuse to depart when the wide double doors to the shopping complex swung open and two figures walked out

Well neither walked The Winged Serpent beat its wings to fly forward and the Grey Lich floated along in its wake As Elmer froze the Grey Lich lifted the small and glittery pink bag and sniffed at it distastefully Is this truly necessary

Understanding humans is useful The Winged Serpent said its tongue flicking out and its eyes scanning the surrounding people The duo continued to move forward breezily ignoring all of the people who were waiting outside of the shopping plaza The act of bathing requires soap So we bought soap Now it is time to try bathing

IsnÆt it just submerging oneself in water the Grey Lich pointed out Can we not find other bodies of water Why must it be done in a bathhouse

I do not know why bathhouses are the most common which is why we should attempt it The Winged Serpent countered

The Grey Lich harrumphed as they floated around the corner and out of earshot But why did you pick this soap

It was the most popular

And then the two were gone Even as Elmer released a secret breath that he had been holding even as Elise slapped him appreciatively on the shoulder Ah well That was weird wasnÆt it But thanks for your support Commissioner Arrietti ItÆs good to know that you have our backs oh when your shift is over why not come out for a drink with some of us You work way too much Your hair is gonna fall out at this rate

The two women departed with waves and smiles Elmer wanted to bring up the fact that he was not in fact working right now but decided that it was better just to smile and wave back In addition he furiously suppressed any thought of his hair falling out

Hum this weather is too warm yes taking a bath now would be a waste of the day hmm of course Why didnÆt I think of it ItÆs probably too early for Heiffal and his goons to be at the bowling alley

Struck by this inspiration Elmer Arrietti rapidly hustled across town Despite the ostentatious renovations that had occurred recently he couldnÆt deny that the new facilities were extremely well done The chairs were comfortable and the lanes were spacious Besides there was a full service restaurant in the new lanes that was open 24/7

ElmerÆs excitement remained with him exactly until the moment that he came out of a side street and faced the entrance to the bowling lanes to find four very unusual individuals standing there One of those individuals was someone that Elmer definitely did not want to talk to and the others

Needless to say Elmer immediately turned away and started rapidly walking down the street in the opposite direction Equally needless to say a voice caused him to stop

Elmer Arrietti Just the man I wanted to see Ha itÆs like I wished for you to appear and now here you are

Myomb walked up to Elmer with a wide smile as Elmer stiffly twisted around and frantically tried to think of an excuse to leave But before Elmer could say anything Myomb was speaking again making a sweeping gesture to the three reptilian creatures behind him These frost dragons expressed an interest in learning the human game of bowling but I realized that IÆm much too far from being a master to tell them about it So could you

Well my day is a bit Elmer began but he was interrupted as Myomb leaned forward

By the way As Myomb spoke ElmerÆs eyes widened The man was blushing Did you ah hear about the perfect game I bowled on the Premier Lane

Chapter 1337

WarlordÆs smile was wide Would you like to meet sometime For dinner or drinks Just the two of us

Alana tilted her head to the side and tapped her finger rhythmically against the table as she sized up the man in front of her Powerful sure but lacking in originality Slightly sloppy as well Are you asking me out on a date

Chuckling Warlord nodded The two were sitting in a small cafe on the East side of Kharon slowly eating their pastries while sitting at the same table Alana had been the first one here arriving quite early for a meeting with another individual when Warlord had turned up He wasnÆt someone she had really planned on interacting with while she remained in Kharon but Warlord had walked by and greeted Alana prompting her to invite him to sit down at her table Now she wondered whether it really was a coincidence that he turned up in the same place as her

In addition she was mildly disappointed she wouldnÆt even be able to get some information about Zone 11 before she cut this conversation off

Not interested Alana said shortly with a shake of the head Plus it seems politically dangerous for us to be involved romantically No need to waste our time

In spite of her firm refusal WarlordÆs smile just widened Why You arenÆt in any sort of position of power in Donnyton any longer correct You left to pursue your own journey which I have a deep amount of respect for So I think

In addition I already have a partner Alana cut him off quickly Not that Warlord wasnÆt a very handsome and charming man but she trusted her instincts on this Alana would never be anything more than distant friends with the man sitting in front of her After all it was difficult to believe that his original name was Warlord Which meant that he had changed his name purposefully to be Warlord after the arrival of the System Even with a focus on fantasy games spurring Zone 11 Alana found it distasteful

Then again itÆs hard to argue that Warlord is a stranger name than Randidly Ghosthound

Finally Warlord rolled his eyes Your dragon doesnÆt count

She would disagree Alana said with a slight smile Then her eyes scanned the entrants and exits to the cafe Aside from them there were only two other people and the owner remaining But in truth I meant Hank Howard WeÆve been working together because each of our strengths compensates for the otherÆs weaknesses quite nicely And I am well aware of how much you dislike each other

This time WarlordÆs smile had a harder edge to it Your friend Hank Howard was a little too forward with my subordinates and I

Just like you are now being forward with me Alana asked with as much irony as she could force into her voice

Warlord at least had the decency to look genuinely hurt by that comment ItÆs not okay fine Just tell me one thing before I leave you alone And be honest IÆll be able to tell if you are not What sort of man are you looking for

Alana genuinely thought about the question Then she chuckled and said Not a helpful answer I know but someone who would do for me what Tatiana does for Randidly Ghosthound Someone who would understand me implicitly and take all the small steps I am too distracted or busy to notice in order to accomplish my goals Someone who would take care of the home while IÆm away fighting monsters Someone who can watch my back with a deep empathy for what I am experiencing

The bell on the door rang as someone opened it and walked into the room Warlord joined in AlanaÆs light laughter So basically you want a 1950s housewife WouldnÆt we all But no man is going to just give up his pride and do that for you Your expectations are slightly ridiculous

Warlord paused as the new arrival walked up next to the table and didnÆt continue moving When Warlord finally looked up Han Yazhu bowed IÆm sorry that I arrived early Miss Donal If necessary I can wait outside until your current business is finished

You have good timing we just finished things up here Alana glanced toward Warlord And this time the Angel of the Red Dust spread her wings Even though Alana kept her image well under control the rest of the cafe were frozen A pale sun over an endless clay desert seemed to appear like a mirage in the cafe DonÆt bring up this issue again Understand

The angel’s wings were so white they couldnÆt be looked at directly without being blinded Such was the force of the phrase that even Han Yazhu rocked back on his heels An ashen faced Warlord nodded slowly then departed from the cafe Alana released her image with a light breath Although the cafe owner continued to look over fearfully she didnÆt come and talk to Alana about what just happened

As it turns out power in moderation is a certain type of currency Alana thought her mood morose I wonder what the woman I once was would have thought about using my image to intimidate others Would she recognize who I had become

Acting as though the previous display hadnÆt happened Han Yazhu sat down at the table Or at least Alana thought he was going to let it pass without comment before he grinned I shouldnÆt admit it but I am glad to know that the discussions with Zone 11 were not going well We are certainly looking forward to doing business with you Ms Donal

Alana smiled blandly Certainly my goal has always been a cooperation with Zone 7 I believe your Zones culture will make establishing some boundaries more feasible

When it comes to honor and understanding none compare to our glorious republic Han Yazhu inclined his head Then he flicked his hand and produced a stack of documents This is the amount of land that we are willing to give to you in order to establish a dragon settlement in Zone 7 I believe you will find everything to your liking

As Alana read through the papers her grin widened

Rose Calloway sighed and tapped her fingernail against the clipboard in her hands Is there any point to being here The Order DucisÆs patrols are so extensive that we canÆt even see Kharon from here

Ace leisurely tossed his black motorcycle helmet from one hand to the other There is definitely meaning in being here I know you donÆt have a top tier grasp of images but canÆt you feel it Every second that Kharon remains in place a little bit more of that image seeps into this place RandidlyÆs power has reached the point that he affects the terrain around him Feeling that power it helps me understand the way I need to improve

And yet you seem to think that fighting against him is a smart idea Rose shook her head

IÆm not fighting against him IÆm helping by serving as a foil Look at all this Ace waved a hand at the peaceful woods and low hills between their current position and Kharon Below them a few groups walked along the low road that led to the nearest Manatech Rail Station Randidly Ghosthound forcefully founded the greatest alliance on Earth since the System to fight the first of many dangerous threats coming our way and people walk away from it feeling relaxed Although Randidly tried to use his power to make them feel threatened it has paradoxically only deepened their misunderstandings about the System they feel like they can always rely on him to save them

Since explanations from the Ghosthound himself seem ineffective someone else needs to step up in his place and teach these people a lesson He will be the carrot and I the stick

Rose scribbled something on the clipboard in front of her looked down at it and then frowned You are using Rousing Speech again You know I hate it when you try to influence me with Skills ItÆs pointless too ArenÆt I already your subordinate

Bah just a habit at this point Ace waved a hand Then he clenched that hand into a fist The Earth has to survive And Randidly and I are the only two who see it We are the only ones willing to put ourselves out there to save this world I wonÆt let him down

For a moment Rose opened her mouth She thought about pointing out the fact that she had watched Ace slowly lose himself to the inferiority complex that he felt toward his former friend Or she thought about addressing the deep loneliness growing in AceÆs chest that Rose Calloway had been helpless against since things fell to pieces between Roy Sydney and Ace all those years ago

She thought about pointing out that Randidly definitely did not think they were in this together and would likely have responded very violently to many of the things that Ace had been doing for the sake of the EarthÆ

But deep down Rose shared the same pessimistic view on people that had driven Ace to this point she didnÆt believe they would come around on their own They would continue to fall back on selfish infighting at the first opportunity So even though his methods were growing increasingly wild Rose closed her mouth and said nothing as Ace looked with almost feverish eyes in the direction of Kharon

Her thoughts would likely have turned into a stewing form of depression if not for her hand quickly sketching out something on the clipboard She glanced down out of reflex then groaned in pain as the strange sigil her hand had carved onto the paper seemed to pierce upward through her eyes and directly into her soul Someone was utilizing their Fate and considering the power

Hastily she shouted Ace

I feel it Heh Tell him hi from me Ace said with remarkable cheer for a man about to abandon a comrade Then his whole body turned red and he exploded in a wave of blood that splattered across the stones beneath them

Rose was just about to frown in annoyance but then the world behind where Ace had been standing parted and a taloned hand reached out and ripped through the air with enough violence that RoseÆs hand spasmed trying to capture the Skill he used Then there was a slightly awkward pause before the very human form of Randidly Ghosthound stepped out through the portal and looked around

Rose hadnÆt seen Randidly Ghosthound and several years and he hadnÆt really changed physically But his force of presence almost immediately to RoseÆs senses that detected the use of Skils he became the center of the world Even just standing there there were at least a dozen powerful passive Skills operating

He pursed his lips when his eyes landed on Rose I felt the CreatureÆs memories so I huh I suppose that makes sense So it was you and Ace who took them

yes Rose said as she raised her chin The very air still trembled from the ferocity of that last claw attack that had missed and her heart was pounding at the lie but Rose refused to be cowed She stopped marking down RandidlyÆs Skills there wasnÆt any point Besides there was no reason to throw their two companions under the bus especially when Ace had been effectively monopolizing the memories for himself Ace says hi by the way

RandidlyÆs expression creased in a dark expression His emerald eyes glowed brightly despite the afternoon light His black hair fell messily across his head but the intensity of his person seemed to seep slowly out and fill the air It was like the longer she stood near to him the more she could feel him I get it Ace this is why you still wanted to look toward Kharon Because you could feel this influence

After clenching his jaw Randidly shook his head so he has a surprise for me huh

To her surprise the physical presence of Randidly Ghosthound was enough to make Rose open her mouth and prepare to tell him about it almost immediately And her hand didnÆt even move so he hadnÆt used an extra Skill He just has enough force to him that I instinctively wanted to explain the plan He has become even more monstrous

yes Rose eventually forced out through gritted teeth

After clicking his tongue Randidly Ghosthound turned away and took a step back through the portal As it slowly began to close he looked back over his shoulder Fine Let him know that if he attempts to do anything foolish with those memories IÆll have a surprise for him

Then the portal closed and Rose collapsed struggling to control her breathing

Chapter 1338

Helen looked sharply up as the door to her cabin opened Although the intruder had made himself known Helen wasnÆt in the mood to be entertaining visitors Oh Naffur you brought me some more fresh meat to cook Not interested After seeing Randidly I want some time to test some things about myself out That pinnacle I know I can reach it

Even though the beautiful smile Helen released seemed to drip blood Naffur still took a step into HelenÆs cabin and gave a small bow No fresh meat this time Just someone requested that I introduce them to you Also no pressure from above so fielding her request is entirely up to you No need to pull any punches

After that Naffur gestured for the figure behind him to take the stage gave another short bow and removed himself from HelenÆs cabin Which left HelenÆs sharp brown eyes to slowly tear apart the facade on the other individual With remarkable poise the woman walked a few steps forward with her chin raised and submitted herself to HelenÆs exacting examination Which Helen purposefully dragged out to last ten minutes

The woman waited in silence without fidgeting The door remained open behind her letting a small breeze into the cabin

At about the twenty minute mark Helen ceased dawdling and tilted her head to the side Even outside of the Order Ducis and Kharon people should seek someone like me out for only one reason You desire strength and want to take the long Path But so do I If you are unable to provide a suitable challenge if I cannot grow at the same time Like I said earlier I am not interested in fresh meat

Sydney inclined her head briskly I wonÆt disappoint you I think you will find me suitably seasoned

Helen grinned and reached for her spear No use wasting any more time then LetÆs have a little bit of a warm up spar

Randidly supposed he could have taken in Rose Calloway as a hostage for the moment but he could picture TatianaÆs face when he showed up with even more strange requests for her and decided against it There wouldnÆt be many benefits to the action anyway

In addition felt a strange sense of pity when he looked at the woman Almost subconsciously his Nether had spread out as he searched for the hints of YystrixÆs image and the powerful image of blood that had drawn him to that location His desire to find information pulled at everything he was connected to through Nether That included Rose Honestly he was probably lucky the first person to experience it was as strong as Rose was

Randidly didnÆt want to know what would have happened if he pulled with Nether like that on a normal person

Still he didnÆt come away empty handed Now he knew the culprits who robbed YystrixÆs grave of her memories But he was left wondering whether the knowledge that Ace was responsible for the missing memories changed anything

Honestly itÆs something of a relief Randidly reflected as he spun slowly to look around his island his eyes passing over the desolate land covered in the clinging silver of the moonlight spirits The devil I know is better than the one I donÆt And at the very least I can be sure that Ace will be planning some sort of confrontation

Which was a good thing for two reasons One because it meant the same individual held the Lifeblood Essence on which Straud and the Winged Serpent collaborated and YystrixÆs memories When Randidly dealt with one he would deal with the other And as for the second reason because the same individual held both of those powerful forces they chaotically interfered with each other in a way that even Randidly found quite annoying to track He couldnÆt imagine how painful it would be to try and balance out the ideologies of those two items

Those powers appeared to function like night and day Randidly learned in his brief attempt to catch Ace Randidly had followed the scent of the memories out to that ridge but his opponent then used the Lifeblood Essence to somehow teleport away The two energies that Randidly discovered had been fizzing and eating away at each other only a split second after Ace had departed That interaction would take Randidly time to parse apart and track Time that Randidly could better spend elsewhere

For example Randidly could use his time in a more efficient manner by quickly reigning in his ability to use Nether Because after so wildly exploding with Nether in the brief fight against Aegiant Randidly had subconsciously allowed his Nether to spread around him after returning to the real world And this was different from the suppressive influence Randidly had utilized in the past rather than enlarging his bubble and relying on the ambient energy this method spread out his core directly connecting him to the surrounding space

Outside of the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night Randidly could use this method to establish a basic connection with surrounding people and obtain information and influence over them Which he had thought would be a useful tool

From RoseÆs grave expression during their brief talk Randidly reevaluated his usage somewhat As someone who was deeply distrustful of charisma centered Skills he held an aversion to using those Skills himself if it somehow compelled the recipient against their will And it was clear to Randidly that their brief connection exerted a strong sort of pressure on Rose

Randidly grimaced and sat down in a cross legged position But even beyond that thereÆs another problem

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 166

Even now in the space immediately around RandidlyÆs skin there were slight visual distortions in the air Without even meaning to Randidly had enlarged the area within himself that was dedicated to the spinning Nether Nebula His core had swollen to almost double its previous size Which meant that the thin crack that the System allowed for Nether was being constantly forced open in the area pressed up against RandidlyÆs body

That was how potent the Nether Nebula was becoming

Of course there was an obvious benefit to this it was akin to moving into a larger and more well built home RandidlyÆs Nether continued to refine itself into a thicker and more powerful form with the extra space But he was leery in having such an obvious tell about his ability to utilize Nether Some might mistake it for just a rather peculiar image but the truly powerful people and those who spent time on the front lines would likely recognize it immediately as Nether

Considering Nether was supposed to be RandidlyÆs hidden trump card it needed to be addressed

Shrinking his Nether Nebula down to its previous size was obviously the most simplistic answer but that would be difficult and sacrifice some of RandidlyÆs newfound power Instead Randidly sat in a meditative position and attempted to control his Nether much more skillfully than that

RandidlyÆs larger Nebula now produced an aura of Nether that couldnÆt be avoided But RandidlyÆs thought was to use his prodigious Control to flatten that aura into something akin to a disk that would be able to slip out through the thin Nether crack in the System without constantly disturbing it He could inject energy into that disk if he needed to explode with the full force of his Nether but in its base state it would provide Randidly with only a weak amount of connection in an area around his person

So he steadily began to work

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 167

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 174

And the work was extremely difficult

Sweat dripped down RandidlyÆs brow as he furiously struggled to marshall the uncooperative Nether and press it into a thin disk The problem was that Nether had an annoying tendency to congregate naturally But Randidly was truly one who rose to his power by relying on his Control Bit by bit he forcefully imposed his Willpower on his Nether There were bulges and distortions but Randidly systematically pressed everything down until it could spread through the crack in the System without disturbing anything A perfect disc was gradually achieved

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 175

and once the Nether was in that state Randidly tied up almost all of his mental energy keeping it there Chuckling darkly to himself Randidly released his tight reins on the energy and it rapidly spun back to be an ambient cloud around his body But he did send a message to Neveah outlining the problem and asking for some help designing an array based in Aether that could be used to add structure to the Nether

In the meantime Randidly cracked his neck and then pulled out his PhilosopherÆs Key With a twist he arrived on the roof of KharonÆs Town Hall and proceeded down to TatianaÆs office

To RandidlyÆs surprise he actually found her in that room bereft of Wolfram and the assistance of his fellow extremely large ogre secretaries Tatiana held up a finger for Randidly to wait while she quickly signed several papers and then tossed them into the mail chute at the corner of her office The papers were whisked away to the workroom below where they would be copied and distributed to the recipients

Randidly thought it was strange that Kharon had instituted a mail delivery system but Tatiana had cheerily replied that ever since learning about calligraphy the ogres took great pride in sending handwritten letters It was obviously slower than sending a message but a lot of people seemed to enjoy the act of writing

When she finally turned around to address Randidly Tatiana paused Pursing her lips she scanned him from head to toe ThereÆs something different about you I canÆt quite put my finger on it

IÆm working on it Randidly said with a sigh At least this proves that RoseÆs reaction was indicative of a problem

ItÆs not necessarily a bad thing Tatiana rubbed her chin You just feel immense In a way thatÆs difficult to understand

True there are some benefits to it Randidly admitted But to a certain type of person within the Nexus this effect will be recognized for what it is rather quickly And I want to keep my Nether as a secret for as long as possible

To that Tatiana nodded Then she glanced over toward another stack of papers on her desk If you came down here I assume itÆs for business If you have free time there have been seven requests for meetings that IÆve put on hold for at least today

The meetings can probably wait Randidly rolled his shoulders Neveah just then sent him a reply and he quickly scanned her proposed plan and nodded in satisfaction This will work Then his attention focused back on Tatiana Schedule three of the most important for after dinner tonight and IÆll see to them But for now I want to make preparations for Kharon to move Head for VyeÆs current position

Chapter 1339

After working out the details of KharonÆs path with Tatiana Randidly returned to his island and once more began using his Control to manipulate the unruly Nether It was literally like trying to smooth out a liquid with his bare hands This time was marginally easier than the prior attempt but it still took him almost a half hour of careful exertion in order to get the Nether into the correct position And once he reached that point Randidly had to be exceedingly careful to maintain the precarious balance

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 176

Once his Nether aura was suitably flat Randidly started painstakingly guiding the field of Nether through the flow that he and Neveah had quickly worked out to make it rigid Of course the process ended up being almost twice as difficult as simply holding the Nether flat There were several moments where RandidlyÆs temper flared as the Nether simply wouldnÆt cooperate Because not only did this require keeping the energy flat but it also needed him to create a complete flowing runic sigil that encompassed the whole of his Nether

Because if one area of the sigil moved faster than the others Nether would bunch up in a certain portion and flatten in another area and suddenly the entire thing that Randidly had created would destabilize in a warping whirlpool of energy Randidly had to make several attempts each time twisting his mouth in irritation as explosions of visual distortions occurred around him after each failure

Because of course each failure made the Nether of his aura a little bit more robust and unruly The process of smoothing it was even more effective than his prior attempts to purify the Nether So it wasnÆt a complete failure when things broke down but Randidly would grit his teeth for several seconds in aggravation

Then he began again

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 177

Nether Sensation is primarily a Perception focused Skill but the more I use it the more I realize how it can give me a bit of a finer touch with Nether especially because I have no direct Nether Manipulation Skill Randidly hummed softly to himself only allowing the thought to distract him for a short time before focusing on the task at hand

Every stroke had to be smooth and precise His movements had very little instinct to them Randidly was using his prodigious Control to an exacting degree this was his Path to power

When once more his Nether had been largely flattened Randidly started slowly swirling the Nether in the correct pattern The movements started slow so he could manage to keep them all in order but Randidly had no choice but to slowly up the speed to reach the self sustaining point The portions with more complex flows stayed gradual in their movements while the areas with Nether flowing freely accelerated at a more rapid pace The sigil was one whole construct and had to be assembled as such

Honestly IÆm a bit sorry that IÆve been focusing my free Stat points in areas other than Control now Randidly thought as his hands gradually curled into white knuckled fists Getting every Stat over 1000 is important in the long run but I shouldnÆt have slackened so much in improving my Control it really was my greatest asset getting to my current power especially if my physical Skills now obey a new sort of natural order I need to do that purposefully not just wildly break through the laws of physics

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 178

RandidlyÆs breath hissed through his teeth The flat disc of Nether around him began to tremble as the flows within it began to accelerate further Small lapses in RandidlyÆs Focus resulted in the flows skidding painfully against each other but his quick responses corrected them and stabilized the situation in a manner that was frightfully similar to juggling

More things kept going wrong and Randidly kept tightening his fists and running himself ragged in order to keep the whole thing afloat There were bulges and distortions that he hurriedly flattened and corrected which left another area the opening to slowly veer away from the correct arrangement

Just as Randidly thought everything was about to collapse the flows of Nether reached the speed of being self sustaining the burden on his mind was immediately cut to one fourth of its prior state For several seconds Randidly simply watched the Nether flow around him The entire thing didnÆt collapse into a pile of shadowy flames without his assistance

Releasing a long held sigh Randidly quickly went through the array in his newly created Nether Disc and examined for any flaws

Once it was established it was quite easy to make some corrections and improvements Soon the mental requirement to maintain the disc dropped even further The constant exertion would slow the recovery of his mental energies but Randidly and Neveah could work together in the future to refine the construct to an even more efficient form For now this was enough

The final result was a constant flow of relatively weak nether 10 meters in any direction from RandidlyÆs person It would take some experimentation before he was completely comfortable with the feeling but it was certainly more covert than the tears in space that were previously forming around his body The moonlight spirits swirled around curiously seeming to sense the boundary created by his disc of Nether

Should still also apply that sense of pressure that Rose reacted to hopefully in a more controlled manner Nodding to himself Randidly stood and stretched He produced a training spear and moved calmly through his exercises of imbuing his images into his spearmanship without actually relying on the image In this case it was all about flavor and spirit If Randidly could replicate that well enough to give him an edge it would make his image that much more potent when he actually utilized it

Congratulations Your Skill Innate Violence has grown to Level 191

First he practiced with the Grim Chimera then Yggdrasil and then finally Ignition Essence And truly Randidly had to expend a different amount of effort for the final of his trio of images There just wasnÆt enough to Ignition Essence right now The soul of the image was half formed as he had discovered previously

Something needed to be done about Ignition Essence

So much to do Randidly shook his head Then he produced the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night and focused on Illym

Inwardly Mareen sighed She had known that he would react like this and had tried to placate him by getting him the most decadent cinnamon roll that she could find but sometimes even the best laid plans were torn to shreds by this manÆs pride and single mindedness The cinnamon roll sat forgotten on the plate in front of him It was why most of her regrets about this move involved the other people who would be affected by her decision not the man himself

This is just something that I need to do Mareen thought to herself looking straight ahead ItÆs time to move on to a new chapter in my life

Ed Dugg gripped the edge of the table in the inn and favored Mareen with the most intimidating glare in his repertoire Considering how much Mareen respected this man despite his strangeness it made it difficult to continue meeting his eyes Is this about money I knew this would happen The glitz and glam of the Kharon lifestyle has gotten to you

ItÆs not about money Mareen tried to interject but Ed had worked up a head of steam His face was increasingly red

True you might be the most talented assistant that I have ever encountered and I basically no longer have any idea of my schedule because you handle everything in such an efficient manner and you have received nothing but glowing praises from everyone who interactions with you All of my business partners joke all the time that they would snatch you from me in a heartbeat but do you think that means you can just toss me aside like this Damnit I deserve to know who you will be working for No matter how talented you are you canÆt just quit on me without saying anything

ItÆs sweet that his angry tirade is so complimentary Mareen thought with a mild smile When it seemed that this time Ed finally wanted her to speak she tried to say her piece IÆm not going to go work for anyone else IÆm simply moving to Kharon because

WHAT Ed slapped the table thunderously like he had just realized something You you are planning on starting your own business I suppose that on my knee you learned every trick of the trade damnit to think my own generosity would come back to bite me My protege has eclipsed me

Mareen shook her head IÆm not starting a business well Even now she blushed as she was thinking about the kiss behind the Glowstone Ballroom Naffur Suite and I

Ohh so the Order Ducis is one of the main stakeholders of this company Ed Dugg said this time slapping his own forehead thunderously So much so that his mustache shook for a full second after the blow landed Heh well this is certainly not what I expected to in the same day have my right hand quit and then have her turn around to offer me a job in a new venture

Suddenly a bad feeling sprung up in MareenÆs chest Wait Mister Dugg no

Heh Mister Dugg how nostalgic Ed stood up and walked to the window With a grand flourish he flung open the curtains The midday sun flowed around his body adding a distinguished air to his person He gazed out the window like a pirate admiral looking at his golden horde and reminiscing over the good oleÆ days at sea To think it was only yesterday that you worked for me and no I get it truly I do I cannot expect special treatment Well thatÆs fine I suppose IÆll just take an entry level position and work my way up through the company I suppose IÆll send a message to Bekany to tell her that we are moving Heh industry is truly unpredictable

Mareen wanted to cry She looked down at the congealing sugar across the top of the cinnamon bun Really all I wanted to tell you that I was moving to Kharon to be with Naffur You really donÆt

Both individuals swayed as the city underneath them shuddered Then slowly they felt Kharon humming to life the Wandering City had unmoored itself once more

Ha I feel twenty years younger Now Ed Dugg threw open the window and stuck his head out to beam down at the street below Ah that wind it smells like adventure

Feeling rather aggrieved Mareen left Ed to his wild imagination and did one last task as his assistant She contacted Tatiana and tried to work out a series of transportation modes that would actually allow Bekany Dugg to make it to Kharon in a reasonable amount of time Because it did seem like Ed was rather serious about also moving here

At the very least it seems like he got the point that I was quitting Mareen looked at EdÆs back and crossed her fingers When he truly seemed completely enthralled with his wild shouts at the street below Mareen ripped off a piece of the luke warm cinnamon bun and popped it into her mouth

Chapter 1340

Dozer was deftly using a knife that was half the size of one of his fingers to slice carrots when Annie stomped aggressively up behind him and pressed her forehead against his back with enough casual force for the muscles of his back to tighten Dozer felt a satisfied smile cross his face but he largely didnÆt respond and allowed Annie to have the space to work her way through her feelings

If she wanted to talk about what she was feeling she would be talking about it already

With his long arms it was quite easy for Dozer to take the sliced carrots put them into a paper bag then put that bag into a larger bag with the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches he had made earlier After thinking about it for a second Dozer threw six walnut muffins that Annie had baked this morning into the larger bag With remarkable delicacy Dozer set the completed picnic he had just made by the open window

He rinsed the knife and cutting board in the sink immediately to his left Both were wiped down with a nearby dishrag Then he put his knuckles against the counter and waited Luckily he didnÆt have to wait long Annie wasnÆt very good at either patience or self reflection

After another long sigh Annie finally spoke with her forehead still against DozerÆs back Am I a bad mother

Delilah still refusing to leave her room after you yelled at her last night Dozer asked in his low rumble Not that he really needed to ask AnnieÆs fretful pacing in the hallway today was more than answer enough But there was a ritual to this the interactions with her wife

He could feel her nod against his back with remarkable vigor Yes She refuses to even talk to me But what did she THINK I was going to say after she led a group of children to somehow fly across Kharon and crash a wooden raft into the side of the Glowstone Ballroom and you know the worst part I still canÆt figure out how she did it ItÆs driving me insane

In some ways Annie was extremely predictable Dozer carefully spun around and set his large hands against AnnieÆs shoulders She waved her hand to knock his large palms away but he gently placed them back on her shoulders despite her mild protests You arenÆt a bad mother It is just you and your daughter are cut from the same cloth It creates friction when you are in close proximity

Annie favored Dozer with a sharp look Cut from the same cloth You think I would have done something that dumb when I was her age

Dozer returned the look mildly not bothering to make his thoughts on that point audible

Huffing in annoyance Annie spun around with her usual grace But then she leaned backward against Dozer one of her hands going to her swelling stomach The top of her head reached the bottom of DozerÆs breastbone I guess its just since we have another kid on the way IÆm starting to get really anxious Weird right That we we are really in way over our heads with this whole parents thing We both know that DelilahÆs development has been strange because of the System But maybe its not just that If IÆm a bad parent on top of that

A small hand flicked in through the window and picked up the bag of prepared food timing itself perfectly with the climax of AnnieÆs emotional speech And it was clear that Annie was quite swept up in her own thoughts because she didnÆt react at all to the well timed movement Despite the fact that DozerÆs large body blocked his wifeÆs view of the window normally she would definitely would have caught such a disturbance that was so close to her

To be fair it was sufficiently sneaky just the little thief should be completely outclassed especially when she moves so guiltily Dozer hummed with not a small amount of pride They had raised a good daughter together

Annie continued to speak then we are probably raising children who will be dumb enough to run into danger And people die all the time now Dozer We both know this The initial reports from scouts heading to the location of the Corrupted Invaders include three fatalities There will be heavy resistance taking those Danger Zones And this is just the beginning So maybe we we need

Annie trailed off Dozer didnÆt need to look into her eyes to know she felt lost

Dozer swept her off her feet and spun her around in the air In his large hands she was as light and precious as the finest silk in the world

Ugh put me down you oaf Annie punched his arm hard enough to crush a normal humanÆs shoulder joint but the two were intimately familiar with each other at this point she punched him like that because she loved him

But true to his wifeÆs request Dozer set a scowling Annie back on her feet But before he could try and convey his feelings about their child and the prospect of a second one a loud noise echoed across the surrounding area Both twisted to look

RUMBllee

After sharing a glance Dozer and Annie walked outside From the low ridge on which they had built their temporary house here outside Ogre Ridge they could just make out the cloud of dust from the valley where Kharon was currently situated Then they watched as Kharon raised itself over the surrounding low hills on hits four vast legs that unfolded from underneath it

I guess they are heading out today Annie hummed ItÆs too bad The soaps they make are really WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE

Cut from the same cloth Dozer thought fondly

AnnieÆs body melted into a blur of white that twirled and spun back through their front door through the kitchen and back down the hallway Dozer couldnÆt help but chuckle when he heard the noise of the door to DelilahÆs room exploding into splinters as Annie made a dramatic entrance What did slightly throw him however was the curious quiet after Annie discovered the room empty

It wasnÆt a large head start that Delilah had managed but it would likely be enough After all Dozer shared the same confusion as to how Delilah had created a flying raft but his curiosity was a blunt thing It was enough to him that he now knew she could make such a thing And after she had sprinted a safe amount of distance from the house Dozer had no doubt that was exactly what she had done

Annie walked back outside and stood next to Dozer with a blank face She made no attempt to chase after her daughter Kharon began to clamber over the surrounding hills heading directly West

do you know the worst part Annie said quietly Dozer tilted his head to the side wondering whether she had discovered that he was complicit in the escape Not that Dozer tried to help their daughter flee from their parental disapproval of her most recent actions but rather it was that Dozer stood a little more distant from the issue than Annie had been and had easily seen this sudden flight coming

There were perhaps steps that he could have taken to make sure Delilah wouldnÆt manage to successfully escape But he didnÆt have the heart to take those steps to restrict the daughter that had gradually become his whole world And sure he worried what she would get into while he wasnÆt there but Dozer already had the experience of slowly woo ing Annie during those early days in Donnyton Trying to hold onto them would just bring about the opposite result that he wanted

Besides Dozer had sent messages to both Tatiana and Naffur requesting that they locate Delilah and keep an eye out for her antics Despite how busy they both were there were enough capable people around Kharon that Dozer didnÆt doubt it would be one of the safest places for Delilah

WhatÆs the worst part Dozer asked slowly

That skank took the last of my muffins Annie grumbled IÆm really craving something sweet right now

Dozer frowned over at Annie DonÆt call your daughter a skank

If she didnÆt want me to call her a skank she shouldnÆt have taken my muffins AnnieÆs eyes gleamed with a cruel sort of repressed violence Dozer decided that he wouldnÆt argue this point any further

Tatiana glanced at Wolfram as the two stood on one of the high rise apartment buildings on the East of Kharon and looked toward the slowly shrinking forms of the Nordawn Mountain Range I am surprised that most of you and your fellow secretaries agreed to stay on Kharon I was under the impression that you planned on taking control of the ogre population away from Obyrn Myyr ShouldnÆt you be there building up support

Wolfram snorted Did your Ghosthound need to curry support from the ogres No he was simply the strongest and the best and people recognized that and followed him without question I shall allow Obyrn Myyr to complete the tedious task of developing an ogre empire without me looking over his shoulder our confrontation is not for several months anyway Better for me to adventure and understand the lay of this world so that I might better lead my people when they once more become mine

You earthlings grow quickly The ogres will need extensive preparations to keep abreast of such developments

I wonder if things truly were so simple with the ogres If you hadnÆt followed Randidly for being the strongest would this transition have been nearly as bloodless Tatiana kept her arms behind her back even as the breeze whipped up stray strands of her hair into a frenzy around her face Well thank you for staying here in Kharon Your assistance is appreciated It makes my job much easier

Truly I do not understand how you managed all this on your own Wolfram said with a frown My own workload currently is ahem Prodigious

It felt good to have that feat recognized although Tatiana played it off Yes well certainly things have been a bit more hectic recently with the parties dealing with the new populations setting up trade agreements with various Zones and Orders but I have a feeling that itÆs only going to get worse Kharon is becoming rather influential

For a while the two looked at the departing mountain range in silence Then Wolfram spoke again There is a thing I have been meaning to ask you About your Ghosthound

Technically our Ghosthound now is he not Tatiana said in a teasing tone

Ever serious Wolfram nodded slowly and adjusted his large glasses Our Ghosthound Yes I suppose that is true Our Ghosthound I resisted but a few of my fellow scribes accepted this Eidolon Crucible last night They woke up exhausted but much benefited from the experience I understand the utility of a moving city but why does he seem to purposefully isolate himself so Many would benefit from his teachings He is jumpstarting the growth of humans But there are more direct solutions to this problem

Tatiana released a sigh It is not a secret but I know Randidly prefers to be rather vague with the details Perhaps you would even understand better than I of his motivations But the image of the Ghosthound cannot be used to pass the Second Calamity

He has seen Ascension Wolfram released a sudden breath That is why he is so harsh That is why he teaches lessons but disappears before individuals can imitate the tang of his image He cannot become the dream only the nightmare

Just so Tatiana confirmed The two stood in silence for a while longer

He takes a difficult Path Wolfram sighed Tatiana nodded emphatically After adjusting his glasses again he asked another question Does he require anything from us To try and overcome this Special Investigator

Probably Tatiana sighed Unfortunately our lord isnÆt the best at asking for assistance He has worked on his own for too long

Bringing his fist around Wolfram patted his chest Ahem I figured you would answer like that Which was why I wanted to make a suggestion of something that we could do for him

Chapter 1341

The reach of Yggdrasil spread both up and down from RandidlyÆs meditating body Above him the thick brown trunk stretched upward like a solemn shrine to life Stories and fables in looping golden script crossed the whole of the thick bark adding rich warm color to the central pillar of Yggdrasil From the upper portions of the trunk a thousand branches spread out in every direction Each was carefully adorned in emerald leaves that rustled softly with an invisible wind as the image made its presence felt

That rustling was a near constant melody of a vital planet it was the song of growth and stability And in a way it was the low hum of power that drove Yggdrasil to be as powerful an image as it was

It was a thousand details that had slowly accumulated steadily becoming potency

As above so below While the top portion of the perfect reflection was brown and emerald the bottom half was entirely golden The tips of the roots digging down into the Earth beneath Randidly were only dimly golden as though they had been quickly dipped into a canister of dirt and gold dust But as more and more energy flowed upward through the root system the brightness increased to a lustrous shine Energy flowed upward through the World Tree part of an endless cycle

Of course I had to hop off of Kharon in order to do this but at least the PhilosopherÆs Key will get me back quickly Randidly hummed to himself and continued his restorative meditation His breathing was slow and even Honestly it was something of a stress relief that he was sitting on a cliff face while Kharon trooped forward away from him

Congratulations Your Skill the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 241

After meeting with Han Yazhu and Mark Rowel in the hour or so before Kharon began to move Randidly was thoroughly exhausted of his willingness to participate in social interaction Honestly he would have preferred another few extremely quick confrontations with the Illym inside fo the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night to those sorts of semi political discussions but he was the liege of Kharon He controlled the Order Ducis and the Riders of the Baleful Court

He wore a crown and had to act the role of King Within his Kingdom his was the final say

Honestly the discussions with Zone 7Æs representative were thankfully brief they simply wanted to establish a program to send a few of their best forgers to work in the refineries of Kharon for a few months at a time Not to take KharonÆs secrets but to give them exposure to the process of imbuing an image into metal at its very capable source

Randidly was a little worried about too much exposure to his image but he had been keeping track of the forgers of Kharon Although there were similarities in their process to his it wasnÆt enough that Randidly was unwilling to let them teach Zone 7Æs best people This was a Skill that could be safely spread

Mark Rowel head of the Order Valorem had made a request that seemed to squirm uncomfortably on RandidlyÆs desk like a slug

What we need is a definitive outline of the requirements to being a member of an Order Mark had insisted as the two faced each other across a flimsy wooden table We want our Orders to be seen as peacekeeping forces for the people So giving concrete outlines of what is expected of each individual is for the best As the Order Ducis is the current head of the Orders I cannot believe that you already donÆt have such directives at least in regards to your own recruitment

The meeting had ended in dissatisfaction for both Obviously Randidly didnÆt intend on making an outline of qualities that individuals in Orders should possess And it seemed to Randidly that the only reason the Order Valorem wanted such requirements was to further legitimize and defend themselves after the embarrassment they had received at the football game

Besides Randidly didnÆt agree with Mark RowelÆs read on what the Orders were It was an organization type not a type of organization But he supposed that Tessa the true creator of the Orders was the actual authority on the subject If she were to send a letter asking him to provide some support to peopleÆs understanding of Orders Randidly might consider it

Even though Tessa essentially forced Randidly into this position in an attempt to corral his activities

Sighing Randidly banished those thoughts from his mind and continued to focus on recovering his mental energy Leaves rustled and roots spread downward The sun in the sky continued to slide steadily across the great blue dome Green above golden below bridged by a thick trunk of brown covered in golden writ The rustling of YggdrasilÆs leaves brought peace to RandidlyÆs heart Mentally and physically Randidly slowly came into alignment

Congratulations Your Skill the Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 196

Soon Randidly felt good enough to produce the PhilosopherÆs Key and return to his island Wrapped in thick silver mists and illuminated briefly by bolts of navy blue electricity his island floated serenely in KharonÆs wake

Very quickly Randidly walked over to his sitting spot in the center of his island and made himself comfortable He hadnÆt seen Tessa at his birthday party although Randidly wasnÆt sure whether he should read into that fact very much He honestly had no idea what Tessa had done since their brief interactions when Orders had been created He was aware that she still lived in Franksburg but that was basically it He had been so busy with other threats and issues that she had just slipped his mind

Which was perhaps why she had chosen not to come to his birthday in spite of his invitation Because they had been drifting apart for a while and now that they had arrived at such different places there was no need for them to reconnect

That thought caused Randidly to feel a deep ache in his chest But he ultimately had to set the pain aside Compared to the bewildering loss that Randidly had felt in YystrixÆs tomb he could manage this small disappointment Speaking of surprise absences from my birthday This next meeting

This meeting Tatiana hadnÆt bothered to give a location for and Randidly understood why He slowly walked across his island to the far side and found Lyra standing with her hands folded behind her back as she looked toward the approaching horizon She didnÆt react at all to his presence even when he was standing next to her perfectly mimicking her posture

So Randidly looked forward with her In front of them was a rather sparse forest and above that a veritable shield wall of anvil like grey black clouds Bright bolts of lightning snaked occasionally across the wall of the storm Kharon trooped dutifully forward unafraid of the thunder and rain that might crash down over it drenching the pathetic humans that sat on its back

But as Randidly looked forward he felt something shift in his chest Even now even with all his power looking at the entire horizon filled with ominous clouds Randidly felt small Like no matter how much individual power he possessed the wonder and magic of the natural world was still just a little bit beyond him

That thing in his chest continued to shift Nether spun slowly ThatÆs why no matter what the Alpha Cosmos is IÆll always just be a King I am not a god

Randidly glanced sideways at Lyra She was impossibly even more lovely than the last time that he had seen her Her face seemed to have widened and her cheekbones seemed even more stark but in a way that accentuated her mouth The sharpness of her nose and chin had mellowed somewhat as she had finally aged into place around her wide expressive eyes If Randidly was counting correctly Lyra was almost twenty now Although he had no idea how natural her growth currently was now that she had taken over the existence of a Village Spirit

Eventually Randidly released a breath and turned to look at Lyra He had way too much to do to just wait for her to speak What did you want to talk about Lyra

Apologies I appear to have lost track of time looking forward LyraÆs mouth twisted Sometimes when you step through certain thresholds what you find on the other side isnÆt what you expected

But I am here to speak of two things She spoke with the same charming voice as though she hadnÆt stood silently beside him for several minutes Randidly ultimately decided not to question her first statement It was clear she was now quite focused on her two subjects She pivoted on her heel and smiled that same playful smile at him But then she bowed sharply at the waist First IÆm sorry

Randidly blinked Huh

Lyra stayed down there bent over at a 90 degree angle as she spoke Her neck was straight and her face was toward the ground In the past I I tried to be endearing by calling you doggy I tried to be cool and distant because I was afraid well I had seen how you reacted when I was honest about my crush on you you didnÆt respond positively at all So I thought I convinced myself that you were making a mistake That I was the only one who really understood the situation so the first reason I came was to apologize There are some days where you just arenÆt in control of yourself you know

You were right I was so young and even though the world was ending we were nowhere near each other in terms of emotional maturity With both of our issues we wouldnÆt have ever worked as a couple And I tried to force it and then I took that same attitude of thinking you were making a mistake when I met Yystrix and took her side Her arguments were persuasive And she was so so sure that what she was doing was for the best I I got caught up in it

Slowly the shock on RandidlyÆs face transformed into a certain sort of understanding When it came down to it Lyra had her own strange relationship with Yystrix I suppose it shouldnÆt come as a shock to me that she grew up after her death too Or that she would react rather strangely to the loss

I was a child at those times And I was living with the ghost of that child in the past I hope I hope we can start over Lyra gradually straightened The skin around her eyes was red and puffy without addressing it she extended a hand toward Randidly and stitched up a smile on her face one line of careful thread at a time Hello Mister Randidly Ghosthound IÆm Lyra I was once a child actor but now IÆve become a Village Spirit in the System With your help I was able to ground myself with a Class once more so IÆm partially human

For two breaths he didnÆt move But then Randidly reached out and shook her hand slowly The skin of her palm was cool IÆm Randidly Ghosthound IÆm preparing to help the Earth pass the Calamities and then escape the influence of the Nexus any way that I can

And thatÆs why IÆm here LyraÆs hand tightened around RandidlyÆs The second reason I come is to share news Kaan Swacc the Special Investigator is already on Earth He instituted a gag order on all other Village Spirits largely binding them to be silent for the next week or so They will be naught but ghosts until this blows over

And you can speak because Randidly frowned

This time when Lyra smiled some of that old sharp humor could be seen HavenÆt I already pointed it out Because you had the foresight to give me a Class I am not solely a Village Spirit And the System has basically no active control over those with a Class

Not really true Randidly thought to himself but he didnÆt interrupt

After grimacing LyraÆs violet eyes locked onto RandidlyÆs emerald ones Kaan Swacc isnÆt going to wait for the Earth to build up a head of steam Tomorrow night he plans on making an attack on one of the four task forces heading to clear out the Danger Zones with Corrupted Invaders He likely wonÆt kill anyone but I believe his goal is to shatter the most powerful images of the people involved

Chapter 1342

After speaking with Lyra and bidding her good night the sun was starting to near the horizon The surrounding sky was stained red and purple to the West while the heavy thunderstorms that he and Lyra had been watching in the distance had arrived and made their presence known Thick waves of rain slapped against the stony surface of RandidlyÆs island but he ignored it He sat in his sitting spot and considered Honestly he appreciated the sensation of the water on his skin it helped him focus on the problem at hand

Kaan Swacc planned on making a peremptory strike against Earth RandidlyÆs fury was a deep and wild thing making the crashing thunder around him seem as meek as a housecat

Despite the distance between RandidlyÆs island and the actual ground stone and dirt dozens of meters below shifted uncomfortably as the spectral roots of Yggdrasil tightened in the Earth The Grim Chimera rolled its shoulders and cracked its joints in preparation for the price it would extract from this arrogant interloper Ignition EssenceÆs flame shrunk to two tongues one emerald and one orange The almost still flames produced a frightful heat in the area around Randidly

RandidlyÆs Nether Nebula was spinning furiously But he calmed himself He had a choice to make right now

The most important task now was preparation After discussing the matter with Lyra for a bit more Randidly couldnÆt glean any clues about which of the task forces that Kaan was going to target RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition would likely give him a read on where the attack was targeting once it started but he couldnÆt be sure that Swacc flunky wouldnÆt have a way to mask his assaults Which meant that Randidly was probably relying on a report that the attack was occurring from the forces themselves

And then and then Randidly would rush over to confront the Swacc individual

In addition there was the matter of OctaviusÆs assurance that the Special Investigator was only there to watch out for unusual elements and couldnÆt normally become involved in the fighting Randidly sent a message to Octavius to ask for more information while considering his current conundrum

No matter what else happened he would probably need to fight this foe in two days Or more like one day now that night was starting to fall Should he go into a Dungeon to buy some more time

Randidly tapped his fingers against the wet stone ground An answer was not immediately forthcoming More time would be useful but two things stopped him One was the thought that he would lose some of the benefits of necessity if he had extra time But in addition to that there was a strange feeling in RandidlyÆs chest It was a restlessness that kept him from focusing on the training that he should be doing at the moment

It emphatically did not want him to go to the Dungeon

Even submerging himself in the deepest suppression of his Nether Nebula didnÆt sway the feeling Which meant that it was probably not anything that he directly sensed but a response that came from RandidlyÆs gut

His thoughts were interrupted as the reply came from Octavius

As I stated previously this scenario is extremely old That was a time in the System where oversight was very different than the current iteration in the Seventh Cohort So technically there are no bindings in place that would prevent the Special Investigator from moving against non aberrant elements I have difficulty believing that someone from the Xyrt Brigade would flagrantly disregard the traditional approach in such a manner

Randidly huffed in annoyance and closed the message OctaviusÆs answer at least confirmed that it was possible and mostly made Randidly regret listening so closely to Octavius when they had spoken Because of that he assumed he would have more time

So the Special Investigator has nothing that stops him from running wild Randidly said aloud He chewed on his lip for a few minutes considering that Nothing but me

Which was why he really could use the benefit of some extra time to prepare for this fight Randidly didnÆt want to reveal that he could use Nether until he was sure that he could suppress and kill Kaan Swacc almost immediately At the same time Randidly felt relatively confident that he could survive SwaccÆs assault but protecting people from Earth would be a little bit more difficult He needed more time to fully understand and strengthen his Nether Skills

And of course there was the matter of Ignition Essence Yet even as Randidly began to feel increasingly convinced he needed to take time inside of a Dungeon to improve himself the more that terrible feeling in his chest seemed to bloom until it felt similar to dread Some part of Randidly definitely didnot want him to go into a Dungeon right now

Growling Randidly shook his head as though he could fling away his worries like a dog would shed water on the surroundings after a bath When that didnÆt work Randidly flipped his wrist to activate the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night Even if he couldnÆt figure out what the main usage of this Fatepiece was Randidly could use it now to lose some of his worries in a cleansing brutal fight with Illym

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 39

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 42

Randidly frowned as the world began to blur around him Huh so I suppose a significant portion of what is occurring really is related to the original purpose of dreamcatchers to cleanse dreams and protect those that are sleeping IÆm not necessarily sleeping but maybe it protects me during some other portion of my life

With no confirmatory Level Randidly could only let those thoughts float away without holding onto them Suddenly he was there in the room with the dark curtains drawn across the windows and Illym standing with her luminous sword pointed at her own breastbone As his eyes adjusted there was that familiar second of stillness as Illym struggled to rationalize his sudden appearance Randidly considered saying something but he had learned by now that words were useless

Better to just get a head start on the fight that would follow

Emerald and orange flames sprung to life around RandidlyÆs limbs and he shattered the wooden planks of the floor beneath him as he moved His leap had been honed through repetition putting him directly in front of Illym just as he unleashed a brutally sharp Talon Strike to incapacitate the shoulder of her dominant arm

Congratulations Your Skill Talon Strike has grown to Level 131

Congratulations Your Skill Innate Violence has grown to Level 197

Illym spun smoothly out of the way of his strike and crouched down bringing her blade around in a cut that was slice open RandidlyÆs stomach But the practice in forcing together Innate Violence and the inspiration of Ignition Essence was starting to bear some fruit RandidlyÆs eyes glowed emerald as he saw that shape of her reaction a split second before it occurred

He brought his knee brutally up slamming it into the pommel of her sword before she could bring the blade around IllymÆs eyes tightened and instantly Randidly had to endure a blast of scalding heat IllymÆs image seemed to raise its head and roar Even with the presence of his Nether suppressing her image and Ignition Essence acting as a buffer RandidlyÆs skin dried and cracked in a second underneath the onslaught of that heat

But it was bearable

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix has grown to Level 263

Illym hopped lightly backward opening up some space for her monstrous image to do its work on ripping away at RandidlyÆs Stamina And already he could feel himself tiring underneath the overwhelming assault of the image But today was a day where Randidly had to face the knowledge that the first threats were coming to Earth sooner than he expected aiming to cripple his world

Whether it was necessity or simply fury Randidly did not back down from pushing himself to his limit As it had when Randidly had first heard the news the flames of Ignition Essence quivered and then began to shrink And as they did so they released a frightful heat that warped the air around RandidlyÆs body

Standing on the boundary area where the two heats intersected RandidlyÆs entire body seemed to warp and sway It was honestly a little similar to the result of using too much Nether

Left and right Randidly threw out Talon Strikes as soon as Illym set her feet enough for Randidly to pin her down The first she blocked with her arm the second she deflected with the blade and from the third forward she dodged the blow she learned very quickly that RandidlyÆs Nether Brawn was an area that he completely suppressed her Her feet were light and sure as she continued to maintain some distance

Wave after wave of heat battered against RandidlyÆs body

In addition her movements were increasingly fluid as she began to match the pace of his assault but Randidly forcefully ripped through air resistance to increase the speed of his attacks His body began to steam not because of the scalding images but simply because the friction between his body and the air had reached a ridiculous level Randidly lashed outward and Illym hastily retreated across her room The heat between them continued to rise

Of course the room wasnÆt infinite in length It was ostentatiously large of course but perhaps only ten meters from the point that they had started to the wall But it truly was a contest of who could hold out for longer Even with Nether Brawn and a ridiculous amount of Stamina fueling him Randidly felt his vision beginning to fade away at the edges Ignition Essence continued to grant him flashes of inspiration on IllymÆs responses but now all he could react with was instinct

Higher cognitive function was beginning to fade in the face of that pounding heat and the quality of his Skills and images and Nether were not entirely at fault

Because even as Randidly fought against the oppressive heat of the image he could also feel the slowly growing headache as this projected experience deviated further and further from what originally happened It was still mild now but with him forced to deal with both of these forces

IllymÆs heel finally hit the back wall of her room meaning that she could no longer dodge his Talon Strikes So she brought up her blade and knocked it away with all the force that she could muster Her arms shuddered and Illym grimaced as she was forced to clash with Randidly directly

Trails of steam lingered after RandidlyÆs arms as he physically ripped them back into a ready position and unleashed another few Talon Strikes He finally had this chance He wasnÆt going to miss this

When Ignition Essence screamed out in warning Randidly didnÆt hesitate But he hadnÆt been able to completely shrug off the exhaustion from these few frantic seconds of assault As IllymÆs sword began to glow cherry red Randidly was just a second too late in pulling himself out of the way

Congratulations Your Skill Innate Violence has grown to Level 198

RandidlyÆs right hand hit the ground in a spatter of blood before rolling across a pair of smoldering foot impressions he had left on the ground His expression was miserable as he looked down at his metallic left hand and the stump of his right arm Fucking seriously CouldnÆt my metal arm get cut here Just

Damnit Randidly whispered to himself True he was improving in combining Ignition Essence and Innate Violence but that wasnÆt enough He hadnÆt figured out how to resolve the paradox of Ignition Essence or had an idea about its form And although Randidly was improving some of his lessor physical Skills how much would that help against Kaan Swacc

I get it now

Randidly looked up sharply Illym kept her blade pointed in his directions but her shoulders relaxed as she stared at him You are here seeking strength To test yourself against me Heh And to think that I well no matter Consider that hand the price you had to pay to for interrupting my business

I Randidly blinked rapidly The headache from the mental exhaustion of using the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night was slowly growing

Illym shifted her stance and inserted the still glowing tip of her sword into the floor in front of her Then she looked him up and down with critical eyes So do you want it Advice on how to become strong

The headache grew worse Things were deviating very quickly

Chapter 1343

In retrospect it made a certain amount of sense that IllymÆs concern for his arrival got mixed up with her other emotions that were running very high at the moment before she stabbed herself with her own sword And in that tense stretch of time Randidly had arrived She had of course reacted violently And then in the way that seeing and understanding anotherÆs pain serves as a welcome distraction so too could Illym believing that she had seen through RandidlyÆs motivations ease up her previously no talk attitude

And even more surprisingly IllymÆs advice was succinct and direct Which was for the best because RandidlyÆs headache was becoming just a bit more unmanageable with every second that passed And with all the preparations he had to do before Kaan Swacc moved Randidly didnÆt have time for a good nightÆs sleep to pep him up

After this opportunity Randidly needed to make use of every moment to improve himself So he listened closely to Illym

I can only see so much after our brief clash but I can see this your image is not entirely in tune with itself Your talent at violence is honestly commendable but if you donÆt take a foe by surprise you will eventually be overcome by a superior image despite that There is a deep darkness almost like an egg of depression that your image now bears It just feels like dead weight while you are fighting Honestly why you chose to incorporate such an aspect into your image is beyond me

Real rich coming from the source of that depression I now have to bear Randidly grimaced but let the comment pass by without interrupting

but since it is there you need to find a way to put it to work It is undoubtedly powerful perhaps even more powerful than the other half of your image

Are you seriously going to compliment your image that has completely derailed Ignition Essence

but that power is largely untapped I think it is more important for you to figure out how to encourage growth in the other half of your image I can sense that it is centered around instincts Or an almost supernatural sense of bridging

Feeling that was an apt description for inspiration in a sense Randidly nodded

Well the issue I sense is that you are trying to use that original bridge once more and are finding it insufficient for your needs Images grow along with us and you cannot just intensify their aspect in order to force them to grow Sometimes they need to evolve more organically So perhaps you need to find the next sort of method that will allow you to bridge whatever gap you are trying to cross And donÆt worry so much about staying within your current framework Be open to possibilities and evolutions

To reach your current capabilities youÆve gone through many images yes Some are cast aside some lose their original meanings as they are transported to new contexts This is growth But if you are feeling somewhat stuck on how you can manage that negativity you carry revisit some of the images that have fallen by the wayside for you Although they are likely half formed you are familiar with them Perhaps you can find ways to adjust them to suit your current needs

Oh and donÆt what IÆm taking too literally or figuratively Images sometimes donÆt follow the set patterns we want them to but thatÆs okay What is most important is finding what feels correct to you it is that certainty in your heart that gives images their power

Thank you Randidly said And he genuinely meant it as he looked at the woman in front of him From the deep sadness he had harvested from IllymÆs Fate he felt a gentle sigh

Illym returned to studying Randidly but he couldnÆt risk staying within the projection any longer After all knowing that such a consultation was possible was more than reward enough for today Besides Randidly truly had quite a few ideas to improve Ignition Essence after listening to Illym

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 43

The world became wavy and then Randidly was back on his island It was somewhat strange to him that he had gained a Level from usage of the Dreamcatcher without any insights but perhaps he had realized something subconsciously All in all the growth of the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night was much less predictable than the PhilosopherÆs Key had been

If Randidly had been more reliant on the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night reaching Level 100 it might have even been extremely aggravating As it was Randidly had too many other things on his plate to let it bother him much

For several seconds Randidly looked down at the woven bracelet around his right wrist No answers were easily forthcoming So Randidly put that issue to the side and loped to the edge of his island During the time Randidly had been focused inward the rain hadnÆt slackened in the least If anything it had grown more intense The dark of the night was doubly thick due to the curtains of rain that sluiced downward making RandidlyÆs stone island slick and glistening

Feeling rather adventurous despite the continuing ache in his skull Randidly built up some speed as he rushed toward the edge Right as he neared the edge he looked down and saw that his path was leading him so that when he jumped he would need to leap directly over the entirety of Kharon to clear the city and land on the ground

Gruntling RandidlyÆs last step shattered the stone at the edge of his island and threw him careening over Kharon in a whistling arc Rain pelted him as he tossed himself through the worst of the stormclouds And there was even a moment where Randidly was slightly worried that he would be struck by lightning in that suspended moment

Probably wonÆt hurt that bad compared to swimming in lava but still

But that moment passed and Randidly cleared Kharon and began to careen downwards He crashed into a low hill obliterating two pine trees as he rolled forward The commotion sent a swarm of undead badgers chittering and fleeing for their lives as their burrow collapsed around them Yawning widely Randidly stood and wiped the worst of the mud off of his face and torso while he got to work with the Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil Very quickly a sphere of roots formed around Randidly sluicing away the falling liquid and giving him a stable spot to sit

Humming to himself Randidly sat down and began to meditate Golden roots stretched downward from his position and wriggled their way into the ground connecting to the vital leylines of the Earth In comparison to a planet RandidlyÆs small expenditure of mental energy was nothing Quickly the living energies that animated this world smoothed away the headache and began to restore any damage to Ignition Essence he had sustained in the clash with Illym

Congratulations Your Skill the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 242

When Randidly next released a breath he had largely recovered from his earlier exertion it looked like he had left the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night in time to avoid a completely debilitating headache like he incurred the prior time Although it might also be true that he had gained some Levels in his Fatepiece since that time decreasing the drawback of it somewhat

Randidly eyelids flicked open and his emerald eyes scanned the surroundings The Level 41 Undead Badgers were just over the slope of the next hill watching Randidly suspiciously They didnÆt dare come any closer while he remained there Their bristling fur was plastered to their bodies by the rain He couldnÆt help but be amused by their careful behavior Such was the world with the System everyone knew to fear the strong

He closed his eyes but he didnÆt yet leave his root sphere The sound of the rain pattering through the leaves and dripping down branches of the nearby trees was enough to really calm Randidly down And then he began to consider some of the advice that Illym had given

a deep darkness that feels like a dead weight

a supernatural sense of briding huh I suppose thatÆs one way to describe inspiration a way to jump from one place to another the trigger and vehicle for a paradigm shift or a bridge IÆm trying to use the original bridge once more Fire would be that bridge

Some lose their original meanings in new contexts this is growth

If you need inspiration visiting old images that were cast aside

Everything began to fall away In RandidlyÆs mind two small tongues of flame quivered One was orange one was emerald The pattering of the rain echoed in the vast space around those two tiny pieces of flame To RandidlyÆs eyes it seemed like these two flames were being completely oppressed by the darkness he inherited from Illym Honestly Illym saw her own image truly it was quite a lot like an egg of depression

Which supposedly gives birth to a phoenix based on the way that the other Skills of Ignition Essence shifted but its hard to know the best way to incorporate that identity of the phoenix into my image especially when I donÆt want to get rid of Ignition Essence as the source of inspiration for my growth

Is clinging to inspiration the wrong move No I definitely feel like inspiration is the core of what I want to do My images will develop in this manner no matter the difficulty I shouldnÆt compromise for an easier Path Then is the mistake staying fixated on fire as the source of the inspiration I could clearly feel when facing Illym how my own image of fire fell short compared to hers and the way that Ignition Essence is transforming its less a raging fire and more the source of the inferno

But if not fire what other object fits a phoenix An ice phoenix Lightning Poison Poison at least would be something that I have experience with

Randidly knocked the knuckles of his metallic left hand against the solid roots of the structure on which he sat His imagination tried to trace out what a poison phoenix would look like Dark grey body feathers that were soaked in filth and corruption liquids and acids dripping off the body a rounded beak and eyes with the square pupils of a goat Rather than a proud eagle this phoenix looked more like a vulture

Shaking his head Randidly allowed that thought to slowly dissipate Because even if he got away from fire he would need to find out how poison could be a source of inspiration for him And poison didnÆt seem to have anymore synergy with Innate Violence than fire did The inspiration wouldnÆt have an easy time fitting into that version of the phoenix either Which made Randidly consider whether the image of the phoenix was a red herring

After all it was a suggestion of the System after reading through his Skills and images And this was the reason that Randidly generally avoided doing related Paths until he settled on the details of his image he didnÆt want the System with too much influence on up his thought processes This was the perfect example although it was just a few names for his Skills he remained stuck on this issue

But to be fair Randidly was quite taken with the phoenix as a part of Ignition Essence The one realization that Illym had caused in him was that he really had three sources of images for Ignition Essence Inspiration a Phoenix and those dark emotions And every combination of two of them fit together But when Randidly attempted to mix all three

There are two more thoughts I can try Randidly let his eyes crack open The rain continued to pelt downwards each drop diving with pure belief toward the ground where it would explode and dissipate Each raindrop was a tiny existence doomed to cease as soon as it formed in the clouds Such was life The first is to try and think of things other than fire that inspired people use that for the new form of Ignition Essence And the other way is to think about my old Skills and images and think about new ways to use them

Randidly breathed in and then he breathed out At least for now he wanted to avoid antagonizing that strange dread he felt in regards to the Dungeon issue For now he gave himself two hours to address Ignition Essence before he couldnÆt delay any longer

Congratulations Your Skill Absolute Timing has grown to Level 122

And so he continued to consider

Chapter 1344

When it came to inventions that revolutionized humanity the obvious answer that sprung to RandidlyÆs mind was writing Before writing history could only be passed down in story and song by word of mouth But afterward all of history could now be preserved in the voice of those who experienced it through a fixed medium Messages could be relayed across vast distances without the two individuals moving Communication was revolutionized

For some time Randidly thought fancy books Heavy leather covers and brass inlays Gold leaf pages and elegant almost elvish seeming script

Still writing didnÆt seem to fit RandidlyÆs needs as a source of inspiration True it was powerful and revolutionary but the form might start to be a little too close for YggdrasilÆs Akashic Record Randidly wanted to maintain distinctions between his three core images In addition it was tough to figure out a way to incorporate the other aspects of Ignition Essence into a book Maybe it could be an edgy teenagerÆs diary that he attempted to burn

When Randidly pictured a spiral bound notebook or a day planner from his memories of high school he couldnÆt help but chuckle

Randidly cast his mind about for other sources of inspiration in human history The steam engine came to mind which immediately seemed to be a more viable concept both holistically and thematically Randidly could then incorporate his metallic arm as some sort of steampunk icon in addition fire was a necessary element in the steam engine as well as a larger weight of negative emotions as some people’s lives were actually destroyed in the ecological disaster that the steam engine caused The environmental destruction and pollution generated by the industrial revolution created a lot of hate and resentment that seemed to linger around

It would be a detail oriented image A huge mass of brass pistols steam escaping from lead pipes and valves nearing their breaking point A massive body of consumption always requiring additional fuel and throwing off horrible streams of smog as a by product of its terrible power

But the more Randidly thought about it the more he didnÆt want his image to become a strange amalgamation of the steam engine First of all although the steam engine had a profound impact on the world it didnÆt really lead to a change in the way people behaved It certainly made things easier and made it possible to cheaply manufacture and transport goods but that was really just an increase in economic efficiency It didnÆt have the sudden and profound impact that Randidly was seeking It was missing something

So Randidly continued considering The other option that occurred to him was the discovery of penicillin But that also didnÆt seem to really fit and Randidly knew nowhere near enough about it to try and figure out how such an image would work

The sound of the rain falling around him was a chorus of whispered doubts Then streams of water dripped down through the woven roots seeking RandidlyÆs relatively dry body The liquid seemed to question whether he would be able to accomplish this task in the time allotted to him And somehow Randidly felt like it was profoundly important that he finish blending Ignition Essence soon What was worse was that when Randidly followed that impression he found the same source as the dread that filled him about the Dungeons

Randidly gritted his teeth Absolute Timing annoyingly chimed in that he had been thinking for fourteen out of his one hundred and twenty allotted minutes Randidly let his breath hiss through his teeth and blend with the rustling rainfall around him until he once more was at peace

Another option was to somehow predict what discoveries in the future would change humanity but Randidly didnÆt even bother to pursue that Although he had some solid foundations in physics his training was to understand the way mechanical forces were at work in the world He had no background in experimental technologies

Instead Randidly started thinking about what he had lost from his images so far

The first and most obvious absence was anything directly relating to spears Spears were a huge part of his early images and they had largely been dropped as his images became more and more specific The Grim Chimera had a bone spear as one of its limbs but its Skills had moved away from spears

In addition everything relating to phantoms had disappeared the current Grim Chimera was a very real and physical existence The skeletal version of his mother the strange world with a chiming clock the sense of inevitability there were quite a few of his earliest images that had been lost

Beyond that there was a laundry list of assorted other images that werenÆt used Randidly had lost a lot of the cycles that he had in his earlier days the weight and explosiveness of the Seven Kata of the Ashen Spear rot ash chilling cold and the concept of a crown Some of these just slowly fell away as they evolved into more powerful forms but as Randidly considered each option one by one he could remember why he didnÆt pursue it further

Another ten minutes slowly ticked past as Randidly reflected on his own growth At the end of it he sighed again Scratching his head Randidly cast his mind back to the advice that Illym had given to see if he missed anything

And this time a certain phrase caught RandidlyÆs imagination as he reviewed what she had recommended

a deep darkness almost like an egg of depression an egg of depression

RandidlyÆs eyes flashed That was something An egg An egg of darkness born of desire It was filled with the same tragic craving that Illym possessed that led to her struggle to live her own life thereby unknowingly strangling the life out of the very sister she was running away to avoid facing It spoke to a nature that was almost self destructive to desires that were straightforward and dangerous

The fractured bits of disparate meaning that Randidly carried slowly shifted and began to come together

An egg of darkness And at its core the Skills of Ignition Essence Or at least one of those Skills in particular Authority of the Burning Heart A skill that possessed mass and gave Randidly the ability to manipulate gravity

RandidlyÆs Soulspace began to leak thick waves of Aether as he slowly gathered his Willpower in preparation for what was to come next His Nether Nebula accelerated supporting the process Aether and Nether mixed freely two sides of the same coin The energy that flooded him was thick and pure

A portion of the image that Randidly needed was already there As the Sun Stills sought the power that occurred as heat and weight neared a singularity Everything narrowed to a point The image was that transformation or that deep desire to escape the current bounds of existence

The egg that was never an egg to begin with A dark fold in space consuming everything that approached A calamity of the highest order the mysterious final darkness

The accumulation of Aether accelerated Randidly let out another long breath in anticipation

Warning Changes

Please proceed to the nearest Village spirit

Shut up Randidly growled in a voice fueled with Nether The space around him cracked and ripped to pieces as he undid the engraving that kept his Nether flat The root dwelling he had created was eviscerated The gash in space he had made immediately expanded encasing him entirely in a midnight black zone of complete isolation It was foolish but Randidly felt it was necessary right now He couldnÆt afford to be distracted

And at the same time Randidly sensed that Nether would deeply influence this image Perhaps even more so than it had touched the Grim Chimera with Nether Brawn Despite the danger some things should be hidden from the System Especially if Kaan Swacc was already on the planet and observing him

Randidly opened his eyes and looked into the void around him but he wasnÆt actually looking He was seeing the journey of this image His inspiration came from the line of the Yggdrasil Skillset The Universe that was First a Tree

Breathing in Randidly followed the thread of this new image

The folding egg of negative emotions Of a desire that had brought about the destruction of what it cared about most Of a fall from grace Of a half existence that continued to cause that same terrible destruction that it had long sought to avoid Of the tragic paradox of its continued power and influence

In its new form that terrible hunger didnÆt cease It only grew more unrestrained and desperate It was the sister that consumed until she had regained her full soul

Yet toward this terrible egg there was also a strange sense of longing hope and wonder Humanity fixated on it It was the distant last frontier that had fascinated the imaginations of people for generations It represented insights into gravity space matter and time that just theorizing about had completely changed science forever It was the tantalizing oblivion of space concentrated

It could be anything

It was the Star that Prayed it Would be Reborn It was a Black Hole the Egg of a Stillborn Phoenix And suddenly Randidly could see it

That Aether that had been steadily gathered immediately rushed toward RandidlyÆs chest as the Skills began to change They were like dominos shifting to greater and lesser degrees as the changes started to stack on top of one another And in his mindÆs eye RandidlyÆs new image made itself known

Of all the images he had created thus far this one was the most domineering Because it came subtly at first as a small fist of darkness floating in front of him

But even before that what mattered with this small mass of darkness was the density This core used to be an entire star that had supplied light and energy to dozens of planets EarthÆs sun was about 100 times the size of Earth itself but weighed almost 300 000 times as much That extra density was what those terrible emotions of Illym longed for

The source had once been those two tongues of flame emerald and orange but the sun had pursued that light and heat for far too long Such humble origins led directly to the current state of affairs

It craved completion Wholeness It chased that sensation and collapsed in on itself becoming a dark core of immense power The colors were lost as the colors began to matter less to the sun than its desire

But back to the image of that core simply that small spot of blackness But the longer it manifested the more that it would seem to grow Light warped as it neared RandidlyÆs image beginning to flow like liquid That captured light spiraled around the exterior until it was peeled away and absorbed layer by layer into the darkness First the light then the nearby space and time and then anything and everything That craving and horror that Illym gave Randidly never stopped no matter what

It couldnÆt stop It wasnÆt in its nature

ItÆs a dangerous image Randidly thought as he released another breath and considered the swelling darkness in front of him More and more Aether rushed inward stabilizing the transformation Yet at its core it was Nether that outlined the shape of what this image would become RandidlyÆs Soulspace shuddered to withstand the force of this imageÆs pull

Yet Randidly just barred his teeth But itÆs still young right guys Do you fear your new brother

The Grim Chimera chuckled Far too many had attempted to kill and consume him in the past for this to be a problem There was no moment that survival wasnÆt always in jeopardy What would one more foe mean

Yggdrasil smiled indulgently The stabilizing influence of its thick roots and broad branches easily suppressed the pulling hunger of the black hole that Randidly now carried RandidlyÆs inner space once more settled back down to a peaceful stillness

Randidly allowed his Nether to fade and returned to space and time In an instant he was soaked by the continuing rain But most of his attention was focused on the notifications waiting for him

Congratulations You have created the Pinnacle Skillset The Stillborn Phoenix A Star that Prayed it would be Reborn

Phoenix Slaying Bolt has evolved into Piercing Gaze of the Egg Skill Levels will be maintained New Skill has been added to the Skillset

FirebirdÆs Lament has evolved into The Tug of Tragic Silence Skill Levels will be maintained New Skill has been added to the Skillset

NetherÆs Caress and Authority of the Burning Heart have combined The combined Skill has evolved into Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart New Skill Level set at 201 New Skill has been added to the Skillset

Talon of the Restless Immortal has evolved into Tide of the Void Skill Levels will be maintained New Skill has been added to the Skillset

Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix has evolved into Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix Skill Levels will be maintained New Skill has been added to the Skillset

Innate Violence has evolved into Cosmic Necessity Skill Levels will be maintained New Skill has been added to the Skillset

Ignition of the Emerald Essence has evolved into Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold Skill Levels will be maintained New Skill has been added to the Skillset

Chapter 1345

Of course Randidly reflected sourly as he examined the notifications that awaited him when he exited his cocoon of Nether and returned to the real world Isolating myself like that also keeps me away from the prying eyes of the overlay System And without that it canÆt notice and reward me for making a Pinnacle Tier Skillset or another Transcendent Skill which is a wasted opportunity

But that was less important for the moment than successfully achieving the evolution with Ignition Essence that he had been waiting for Or Randidly supposed he should be thinking of it as revelation energy now

As soon as Randidly found himself back in that muddy hole on the rain slicked hill he glanced around with a strange sort of intensity Apparently unnerved by what they had seen the undead badgers had fled from the area It seemed that what they had seen made them consider their old warren a lost cause That earned a smirk from Randidly but that thought disappeared as quickly as it had come almost as though it had been washed away by the rain

Congratulations Your Skill Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 287

Within a second Randidly once more had a root shelter from which to work in relative dryness Making himself comfortable his attention shifted inward and he carefully felt out his new Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold He called and his energy responded

To RandidlyÆs relief he still felt the sense of Inspiration that was the portion of the image that he wasnÆt willing to lose It was the whole reason that he had forced all these disparate parts together It was however worth noting that the inspiration that Randidly felt from this new incarnation was slightly different from the illuminating experience of the past As was suggested by the name it was almost religious There was a mysticism associated with it that spoke to how little Randidly truly understood about black holes

Ignition Essence was a bright light that showed Randidly a Path This just seemed to confirm that such a Path existed and that it was worth pursuing

Hopefully there is some literature from before the System hit that can give me more of a solid base in understanding the science of this or would it be possible for me to physically look for a black hole in the universe The Philosopher’s Key could probably get me there but after that Although my Stats have made me more powerful based on what I know about black holes I would still just be devoured

Floating now in the same Soulspace as his other images Randidly approached the new arrival the fist sized pitch black sphere Suppressed by the other images the sphere behaved rather amicably even as Randidly focused on it in depth Slowly his sense of self began to overlap with the image First there was a tug and then Randidly could brush against the absolute torrent of emotions that was swirling in the dense core of that darkness

First there was a horrible all consuming guilt Beyond that was a howling rage that ripped through the suppressed space with every iota of its ferocity And then the other emotions came so quickly that even Randidly could barely parse them apart Fear self loathing hatred yearning a small flash of hope then everything swirled away pulled in more tightly by the hunger that drove the black hole Randidly now housed

Randidly released an uneasy breath as he extricated himself from the image On the one hand Randidly now had a much better control of the negative emotions he had inherited from Illym They worked for him rather than against him The problem was that the emotions seemed to be transforming into something even more dangerous and wild while being so tightly pressed together

An emotional diamond Randidly thought sourly

But certainly in the short term RandidlyÆs power had grown

Content with the state of his image for the moment Randidly opened his eyes and experimented with his new Skills The first that he tried was Piercing Gaze of the Egg Randidly narrowed his emerald eyes and looked across at the low ridge that the Undead Badgers had hid behind as he activated the Skill Rather than seeing anything Randidly could feel the bolt of near invisible energy that shot outward at his target It was almost completely transparent but moved at a quick clip

Congratulations Your Skill Piercing Gaze of the Egg has grown to Level 202

When the invisible energy hit the stone ground it exploded in a nova of white light After the smoke and dust had cleared Randidly was rather impressed to see that a five meter chunk of the ridge had been obliterated in the initial blast with the bolt then proceeding forward and cutting through the stone ground for a good distance

Having some impact and piercing power means it should be pretty useful Randidly reflected Then he tried another Skill Tide of the Void

Directly behind the tree that Randidly targeted a smoking and ominous bone talon appeared Flesh once had covered the talon but that had all been ripped and torn away Now it was just a pale imitation of the life it once held The horrible anger of the Stillborn Phoenix imbued ever pale and malevolent inch of it

Just as quickly as it manifested it rushed toward the tree and tore it to shreds ItÆs appearance movement and assault was so quick that even Randidly blinked at the sight of it In terms of shock value it was the highest of any Skill Randidly had ever possessed Further experiments however revealed that this Skill had a rather glaring caveat with its use

It could only move which such ruthless speed when it was heading toward Randidly So Randidly needed to create the talon behind the target to get the full effect When it moved in other directions it seemed to be even a little weaker than the Talon of the Restless Immortal that it had replaced It was an annoying restriction but Randidly supposed that was mostly due to his own image a black hole really just pulled things toward itself

Satisfied Randidly moved on to the next Skill But Cosmic Necessity turned out to be a much more complicated Skill to practice

Congratulations Your Skill Cosmic Necessity has grown to Level 199

Congratulations Your Skill Cosmic Necessity has grown to Level 200

Randidly tracked down some Level 50 Two Headed Bears to use as guinea pigs and learned several things from the experience One that Level 50 foes werenÆt enough to even put his new Skills through their paces Randidly needed to spend a bit more tracking down usable test subjects in the future Two it appeared that Cosmic Necessity had incorporated all the vicious efficiency with violence that Innate Violence had provided with an even more honed preternatural ability to predict the moves of the opponent

It was the third and final discovery of RandidlyÆs that made him go back and looked at the Skill description

Cosmic Necessity A skill that vastly boosts ones ability to fight in close range combat The Skill provides honed instincts based on the universeÆs cosmic laws to provide a small amount of predictable ability to the user Also enhances the user with extremely small boosts to the power and quickness of userÆs attacks In addition the user can create a certain amount of Cosmic Orbs Upon detonation of the Orb user can pull either his or her self or the opponent toward the Orb Effect is greater on self Predictive ability greatly increases with Skill Level Passive bonuses slightly increase with Skill Level Number of Cosmic Orbs and effect increases with Skill Level

The Cosmic Orbs Randidly could create really looked like a larger semi translucent glass orb around a smaller black orb But like the Skill described Randidly could activate them and provide some extra variation to his own movements It was hard to judge how effective they were on enemies however because the bears Randidly found tumbled helplessly forward when he activated them

How do you have any self respect Randidly lampooned as he shook his head

In addition the orbs grew less effective the farther they were away from the target and from Randidly himself They could also be deployed and used relatively quickly enabling Randidly to rapidly shift himself a short distance to the side on the fly Which combined with the Skill Chimeric Avoidance almost guaranteed that Randidly would soon recover a reputation as a phantom in spirit if not in image

Satisfied Randidly moved forward with his experiments Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart was an even more powerful version of gravity manipulation This at least Randidly was very pleased to receive Specifically because the increased power and dexterity he could wield with the Skill meant that his metal forging process would take significantly less time Not that Randidly had much spare time for forging at the moment but he didnÆt doubt he would soon be required to making himself a more advanced metal left arm

Especially because Neveah was constantly raving about how much she had learned from YystrixÆs Engraving puzzles His arm and back Engravings would likely soon be upgraded anyway

Tug of Tragic Silence was another pleasant surprise When activated it first pulled at the surrounding space before releasing a large blast of what Randidly could only assume was radiation into the surrounding area Objects around him immediately began to corrode and disintegrate into tiny sparkling bits of ash At a rate that alarmed Randidly at first before he could see that the effect only spread out ten meters from his body

Even so it was somewhat disturbance to watch as the wind blew away a little bit more of the surrounding hill that Randidly had annihilated Truly he was an apocalypse for these badgers their homeland had been obliterated in so many ways in a short span of time

Congratulations Your Skill Tug of Tragic Silence has grown to Level 135

Mostly Randidly was in awe that the effect of the corrosion was even more powerful than what Nether could accomplish and the Skill Level was only 135 It wasnÆt a Skill that could be used near allies but some time and attention would see it become deadly

Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix was generally just an upgraded version of the earlier Stigma keeping his resistance to fire and Nether while also adding a larger resistance to any sort of outside influence on his body Which left Randidly with just one last Skill to test

Randidly flexed his hand and activated Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold

Congratulations Your Skill Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 253

An inky darkness that floated somewhere between pure black and a deep purple congregated around RandidlyÆs hand As Randidly looked down at the energy there was a change in the surrounding air he felt like some sort of spiritual artist had gone through the surroundings and outlined everything in glimmering gold lines To his eyes everything became specific and distinct

And his awareness of the surrounding area

A strange sense of calmness filled RandidlyÆs chest as he looked at that energy but for the moment he didnÆt bother to look around and consider how it had changed his already prodigiously powerful Grim Intuition Instead he simply continued to stare into the depths of the energy

Because as he watched tiny motes of emerald and orange light flashed in that swirling energy The proof that the two flames Randidly possessed hadnÆt been totally devoured by the image he had and in addition it was a confirmation that the image wasnÆt as dangerously bleak as its attitude would indicate

It was a small thing but it reassured Randidly that he had made the right decision Especially after feeling the wild torrent of emotions that the image held this confirmed that this was his image and not just an image of necessity that was built to house IllymÆs emotions So he stood still for a short time enjoying that certainty

Chapter 1346

Congratulations Your Skill Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 254

But speaking of decisions Tearing his gaze away from his new energy Randidly sighed and cracked his neck With another curt gesture of his finger Randidly recreated his root dwelling again Even finally breaking through with Ignition Essence it will take some time before I both understand my new powers and can use them effectively in a fight time that I could have by going into a Dungeon to train for a month or even a week

Randidly looked up at the sky It was murky with clouds but night had long fallen behind the slate grey veil Likely within twenty four hours Randidly would need to face Kaan Swacc But for a few seconds he supposed this didnÆt need to be their definitive clash His new image would give him a plausible explanation for why some of the signs for Nether could be seen around him thereby delaying the reveal of Nether But the more he thought about it the more he realized the opposite might be true

Having those signs now might make Kaan weary for the future despite other explanations

Yet that dread came back stronger than ever when Randidly started to consider the details of a trip into a Dungeon It gripped his heart and coiled around his stomach Such was the vehemence of the rejection that Randidly raised his head and released a hair raising keening cry that seemed to emerge from his core It came from his new Stillborn Phoenix resonating IllymÆs emotions with his current frustration to an extremely high degree

In that prolonged moment of synchronization the feeling of newness that came with this image began to dissipate

A tremor seemed to go through the surrounding space even without Randidly conjuring his image The noise and emotions were enough For a split second while he continued to release the cry the rain seemed to bend inward surrounding him drenching his root shelter But then Randidly ran out of breath and the world returned to normal

Damnit where the hell is this dread coming from Even if I can tell thereÆs something bothering me IÆm going to go into a Dungeon anyway if I canÆt see Randidly began but then all at once he could see Or at least he could see an inkling of what was bothering him The faintest hint of golden lines spread outward isolating and labeling everything Randidly had seen and thought today The shadow of his new Skill seemed to beckon him forward

Once again Randidly conjured Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold The dark energy danced across his hands and gleamed Slowly but surely that profound sense of having everything in his life outlined returned to Randidly And it wasn’t just the surrounding area although that gave him an almost crystal clear view of his immediate vicinity So too that energy flowed into the past

The Stillborn Phoenix was a creature nourished by Nether At its core it was a being of craving and connection In that darkness swirled a long memory that slowly recorded every single detail that it had absorbed from the outside world Nothing was excluded from the collection of experiences That was an unexpected harvest of truly incorporating IllymÆs essence into his image which had existed as a Fate for a thousand years So before the experience of Illym some patterns began to emerge

Congratulations Your Skill Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 255

What Randidly found was not an illuminated answer but the mysterious revelation of a question that would guide him forward on the right Path Suddenly some details of RandidlyÆs talk with Lyra began to stand out to him In his mind he saw the almost shudder inducing straightness of LyraÆs back as she bent at the waist to apologize to him It made it seem like her body was wooden or mechanical

Like a puppet

RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed Not that I think it was wrong that Lyra would apologize to me after the way things turned out and after YystrixÆs death I could tell she was sincere by looking at her eyes That look was its own sort of message But it was her body that was the strangest part of the whole setup And now that I think about it some of the other things that she said

As if summoned by the Revelation energy in RandidlyÆs hand LyraÆs voice manifested in his ear He instituted a gag order on all other Village Spirits largely binding them to be silent for the next week or so

All other Village Spirits

Randidly had responded by asking her why she could speak and Lyra had stated it was due to his foresight in giving her a Class Which because it was actually her that pushed for the Class was a compliment aimed toward herself that Randidly expected from her But perhaps more importantly than that Lyra had finished her sentence by saying that the System had no control over people with Classes Even at the time Randidly had reflected that statement wasnÆt true but hadnÆt interrupted Lyra because it hadnÆt seemed relevant

But what if she had made such a statement precisely to draw his attention to the fact that Kaan Swacc had instituted a gag order on only the other Village Spirits And how flimsy a protection a Class really was before the System when Randidly had already discovered the apparatus present in Classes that would monitor an individualÆs development

The hairs on the back of RandidlyÆs neck began to rise If Lyra was behaving like a puppet and it was only the other Village Spirits that were required to be silent it was very likely that she had approached him under the Special InvestigatorÆs orders What was even more disturbing was that Randidly would never have learned about the attack if not for Lyra showing up If Kaan Swacc really could control the Village Spirits he could have done this without Randidly ever catching wind of the attack beforehand

Of course there was a chance Randidly was overthinking it But his Skill was telling him that wasnÆt the case Lyra wouldnÆt have made such inane and strange statements usually it was to draw his attention to the problematic nature of the message she had been ordered to give to him

Which meant that this attack wasnÆt really about weakening the EarthÆs fighting force

Congratulations Your Skill Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 256

Randidly went through the whole conversation with Lyra one more time illuminated by the Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold Two further statements stuck out to Randidly

First the last thing that Lyra had said about the Special InvestigatorÆs activities He likely wonÆt kill anyone but I believe his goal is to shatter the most powerful images of the people involved

And who was more integral to the current plan than Randidly himself Even if he wasnÆt planning on going with any of the teams for the Danger Zones or even the Epic Danger Zone it was the force of his presence that held the teams together Without him and the assistance of the forces loyal to him it would be a difficult road to clear the Epic Danger Zone before the seventh Zone connected to Earth And that failure would leave the planet saddled with an enormous Aether debt